Chapter 6
Isaac was stunned and disoriented. He could tell that he was on the floor, but where? The last thing he remembered was walking to the kitchen for some aspirin. He blinked his eyes rapidly, hoping to clear his vision as well as his mental fog. Yes, he was definitely on the kitchen floor, but what could have happened?
Feeling around in the darkness, he noticed something sticky running down his elbow and into his hand. "Ugh," he groaned, feeling pain in his chest and arm. He tried to turn his head in search of the sounds of shuffling feet and panic-stricken voices.
"ISAAC!"
"Daddy, are you okay?" Iris called out, kneeling down beside her fallen father. "Don't move."
"What happened?" he asked, trying to sit up, but acquiescing to his daughter's hand pushing him back down.
"The floor's wet," Lily commented, holding her candle near the floor, seeing the glint created by the flame reflecting in the pooling water.
"There's broken glass, too," Colleen remarked, tip-toeing around the shards along the floor. "Are you hurt?" she asked her husband.
"Nah…," he said, hesitating when he felt another stabbing pain cross his chest. "Jus' my pride, I reckon."
Iris tried to check him over in the dimly lit kitchen. "Where are you bleeding?" she asked, seeing the smears on his hand.
"Not sure…" He looked at his hand in the flickering candle light, stretching his arm to feel for injuries. "Ouch!"
"I see it," Iris replied, standing up to pull a few paper towels from the roll on the counter. "It's the side of your arm," she explained, holding pressure on the wound. "I don't think it's too deep… Are you hurt anywhere else?"
"I think you must've broken a glass, Isaac," Colleen commented, picking up the remnants.
"Oh, no!" Lily gasped. "I left a glass half filled with water on the counter. I'm so sorry."
"No worries, dear," Colleen soothed, sensing that her granddaughter was quickly growing upset. "Accidents happen."
"But… he could've been… hurt badly," she whimpered, trying not to cry.
"Aww, you can't keep… this ol' man… down," Isaac chuckled in spite of the pain he was feeling. "Besides… at least… I entertained ya, didn't I?" he asked, allowing himself to be assisted into a standing position. He rubbed his chest; a move that did not go unnoticed by his daughter.
"Is it your heart?" Iris asked.
"Naw… I don't think so… I think I must've hit something when I fell." The familiar deep ache he had felt earlier had been replaced by a sharper, more defined pain.
Iris quickly helped him unbutton his shirt, holding a candle near his chest. "Yea, I think you did," she said, lightly pressing near the red knot that was forming just below his clavicle. She looked around the room, raising her candle to spread the light. "There."
Everyone's eyes moved in the direction Iris was pointing. "The drawer knob is broken off. Did you grab it when you fell?"
"I don't think so," the elderly man mused, running a hand through his graying hair. "I… I stumbled when the lightning hit the oak tree, and then… the next thing I know, I'm on the floor. I must've hit the drawer knob when I fell."
"Well, you prob'bly knocked the glass off when you stumbled, Isaac," Colleen surmised, trying to clean up as much of the mess as she could. The rest would have to wait until the electricity was restored. "Let's get you back to the living room. Lily, would you mind getting him a couple of aspirin and a glass of water?"
"Sure," the younger woman agreed, grateful that no one seemed angry with her.
As Iris led her father back to the living room, she leaned in and whispered into his ear. "Tell me the truth, Daddy. Is it your heart?"
"I'm jus' havin' my usual angina pain, sweetheart. That's all. I'll be fine as soon as I rest a little. Guess this storm has me a little on edge, too."
"Where's the nitroglycerin?" she asked, looking up when her mother entered the room.
"It's in the upstairs bathroom, but I don't need it… not right now," he explained, offering his wife a smile. He watched as Lily followed behind her, accepting the proffered analgesic and water from his granddaughter. "Let me take this and if it doesn't go away soon, then I'll take the nitro… I promise," he stated, tossing the white pills to the back of his throat and washing them down with several gulps of water.
"I'm sorry, grandpa," Lily whispered, sadly.
"You didn't do anything wrong, sweetie," Isaac said with a grin, wrapping his arm around his newfound granddaughter and pulling her close. The move had been an unconscious act, but one that felt natural for them both. "Lemme tell you a story 'bout what I did that wasn't an accident, but had similar results. You see, when I was jus' a boy, there wasn't a lot to do 'round here to entertain ourselves. So me and a couple o' other boys 'round my age decided we'd play a joke on my mother, your great-grandmother."
"What did you do?" she asked, unaware of the smiling faces of the other women in the room who had already heard the story.
"Well… it all started when we caught a little green snake in the garden…"
While the storm outside continued to rage, the atmosphere inside the Jones' residence seemed to grow warmer and more comfortable. For Lily and Iris, staying longer in Alabama had proven to be the start of a healing process for them both, as well as for Isaac and Colleen.
But for one lonely paramedic in Los Angeles, it was having the opposite effect.
E!
Sharon looked up from the vegetables she was chopping in the kitchen. She had wanted to add a salad to the dinner meal she had planned for Johnny and Roddy. She could hear the familiar soft snores of her husband emanating from the recliner in the Campbell living room, giving their temporary home a familiar feel. But the solemn face of her son sent an emotional arrow through her heart.
She finished cutting up the bell pepper, then dried her hands on a dish cloth. She poured two glasses of iced tea, setting one down in front of Johnny who sat at his usual spot at the kitchen table, his chin propped in his palm.
His dark eyes blinked as he looked up through long eyelashes.
"You're missing her a lot, aren't you?" she asked.
Johnny sighed, offering her a smile as he reached for the glass. "It's kind o' crazy, if ya think about it… I didn't see her for over five years, and then…" He took a long drink, searching for the right words.
"And then you reconnected and now… Now you love her," Sharon completed.
Johnny smiled, this time with his trademark grin finally lighting up his face. "No, Mom… It's just that now I realize that I've loved her all along."
"Then why the long face earlier?" Sharon asked. "Are you worried that she might not come back to California?"
Johnny shifted his position, leaning forward slightly. He clasped his hands together with his elbows resting on the table, nervously biting his lower lip. "I dunno… maybe."
Silence thickened the air between mother and son. Sharon wanted to ask the question that was perched on her lips, but he answered before she even asked it.
Johnny wrapped his fingers on edge of the table, leaning back in his seat and crossing his ankle over the opposite knee. "I've left everything behind before… a couple of times… It ain't easy, but… I can do it again," he said flatly, thinking about what his life might be like if he moved back to Alabama, leaving his friends and station family on the West Coast.
"But…?"
Johnny cut a quick glance at the silent telephone hanging on the kitchen wall. "But what if she wants Alabama… but not me?"
E!
Dinner at the Lopez home had been hot tamales in an icy cold atmosphere. Very few words had been spoken and none had been exchanged between Lexi and Bri. Maria had made multiple attempts to initiate a peaceful reconciliation between the two friends, but finally resorted to conversing with her grandson, instead. Yet, even her attempts to draw Antonio into a friendly conversation had been to no avail. He was a sensitive child who often mirrored the emotions of the adults around him. Tonight, that left him sullen.
"Where's your happy face, Ant?" Maria asked, cutting her eyes at her daughter in silent chastisement.
"I dunno," he said softly, pushing his plate of half-eaten food away from him. "My tummy hurts."
Immediately both Lopez women reached for the little boy's forehead.
"Hmm, no fever," Maria spoke, again using her facial expressions to send a message to her daughter that the likely culprit for Antonio's sudden gastronomic malady was most likely the obvious disagreement between his mother and Bri.
"Well, if he isn't feeling well, maybe I should cancel my appointment tomorrow," Lexi spoke up. "I don't want to take him with us to sit in a crowded waiting room, waiting for God knows how long before I'll ever see the welfare worker," she groused.
"I'm sure Marco can watch him while we're gone," Maria retorted. "It's taken almost three weeks to get an appointment. We are not going to cancel it."
Lexi pressed her lips into a thin line of exasperation. "I don't want to be on welfare."
"It's what's best for both of you," her mother responded. "It's just until you get on your feet. They'll help you get a job after you pass your GED, and you'll have health insurance and a little money to help with-."
"I'm not a charity case, Mama! You think that just because I don't have my own money that I'm gonna go back to the streets?"
"Nobody said you were a char-"
"Momma, are you leavin' me?" Antonio whimpered, cutting into the escalating comments between his mother and grandmother.
Lexi's facial features softened and she reached over, pulling him into her lap. "No… No, of course not, Ant. I'm never leaving you, again. I promise."
"Are you feelin' sick again? Is that why you got to go to the well place?" he asked, innocently.
Immediately, Bri jumped into the conversation, hoping to defuse the situation before it got any worse.
"No, Antonio… It's a place where people go that helps them feel fairly well… That's why they call it the welfare office," she explained, knowing her words were not entirely true, but she hoped the explanation was enough to settle the little boy's angst. "She'll be back in just a couple of hours. That's not so long is it?"
"How long is a couple o' hours?" he asked, his anxiety morphing into curiosity.
Bri pressed her fingers to her chin as if deep in thought. "Well, now let's see… Hmmm… I guess about as long as it takes for you to watch Batman, Flipper, Gilligan's Island, and The Flintstones," remembering her earlier conversation with the child about his television habits.
Antonio slapped his palm against his forehead, a smile cracking across his face. "Ohh, that's not so very long." He turned his face upwards to look in his mother's eyes. "Will they make you feel fairly well again by the time The Flintstones are over?"
"I think Grandma and I will be back by then," Lexi commented, refusing to look at Bri, not wanting to acknowledge that the other woman had helped her out of a sticky situation with her son. She looked over at her mother. "I still don't see why I can't just go alone."
"We've been over this, Lex. I have to go with you to confirm that you are living here with me and that you are under no threat of eviction."
"Speaking of eviction," Bri began, feeling as though she needed to make her intentions known. "I'll be out of here as soon as I can find a job and get my own place." She looked at Maria, feeling nothing but warmth from the matronly woman. "I appreciate the offer to stay here; I really do, but… I think it's obvious that I need to get out of your way as soon as I can."
"Mike has a spare room," Lexi spat out, sarcastically. "I'm sure you could work out a trade."
"ALEXIA!" Mrs. Lopez gasped, cringing when she saw that her raised voice sent her grandson snuggling further into his mother's embrace.
Bri opened her mouth to respond in like manner, but the sight of Antonio squeezing his eyes tightly caused her to clamp her mouth closed. She stood up removing her empty plate and carrying it over to the sink where she began running hot water. "I'll clean up. I enjoyed the meal, Mrs. Lopez, and I appreciate your hospitality."
Lexi ran her hand through Antonio's dark hair, feeling a need to leave the hostility she was feeling from the other two women. "Hey, sport, I've got a great idea. How about a bubble bath?"
"Can my farm animals play in the bubbles, too?"
"They sure can. Let's go corral them up and get them soapy," the young mother exclaimed, grateful that he seemed as eager to leave the kitchen as she did.
As soon as Lexi and Antonio left the kitchen, Maria began clearing the dinner table. Behind her, she could hear Bri swishing water around in the sink, but the noise wasn't enough to cover the sound of her sniffles. Maria set the remaining plates into the quickly filling sink, then allowed her arm to rest around Bri's shoulders.
"I'm sorry about what she said," the older woman apologized. "Sometimes, I still don't recognize my own daughter."
Bri longed to lean into the tender embrace, yearned for the love and support of another person, especially a mother figure. She knew she needed guidance and mentoring if she were to ever overcome her past. She tried to stop her crying, but the tears simply wouldn't be stopped. She closed her eyes and gave in to the emotions that she so often tried to hide. Tonight, there would be no pushing them away; they were bubbling up like a geyser. She heard the water being turned off and felt herself being guided back to her seat at the table.
"The streets are… a tough place… to live," Bri hiccupped, explaining away Lexi's behavior. "It makes you want to get other people… before they… they get you."
"Lexi is my daughter and I love her, but I will NOT excuse or justify what she said to you."
Bri lifted the collar of her tee shirt, using it to dry her eyes. "It's okay, Mrs. Lopez. She's mad at… at Mike and… I just happen… to be the one she… she took it out on."
Maria reached for a napkin, handing it to Bri. "Do you have any idea why she's so angry at him? She won't tell me anything."
"Um," Bri stammered. How could she tell Maria the truth? It wasn't her place to tell her that Lexi was sexually involved with one of Marco's friends. "We did talk… a little… and… Well, it's just a big misunderstanding, Mrs. Lopez. I mean… I promised her I wouldn't say anything, but… I will say that Mike is a really… really great man and… Lexi's… I think she's just… I dunno… scared, maybe."
"Scared? Of Michael? No, that can't be it," Maria said, shaking her head. "Why would she be afraid of the man who… who saved her?"
Bri wrapped her arms around her torso, staring at the kitchen table. The Lopez home felt so safe and warm, in spite of Lexi's behavior. She had never felt such caring in her life, not the way Maria made her feel. No matter how hard she tried to keep her thoughts and feelings to herself, she felt as if the older woman was drawing them out of her, and for the first time, she wanted to share them with someone else – someone who might not judge her for what she was saying.
"Mrs. Lopez…"
"Bri… I'm Mama Lopez to almost everybody who knows me… I'm certainly Mama Lopez to you."
Bri felt her shoulders relaxing slightly. She couldn't remember ever calling anyone 'Mama' before. "Um, Mama Lopez… girls like me and Lexi… We… uh… We don't like looking in a mirror. Does that make sense?" She knew it didn't, but she was finding the conversation difficult to get started.
"But, Bri, you and Lexi are beautiful girls. Why would you not like to see your reflection?"
Bri cleared her throat, trying to dislodge the lump that was quickly forming. "It's not what the reflection looks like… We don't like the person who looks back at us."
Maria felt taken aback by Bri's statement. "But you and Lexi… and Beverly… You are all survivors. You've beaten the odds. How can you not like yourselves?"
Bri shifted her red-rimmed eyes to meet the dark eyes of Maria. "Because when you've done the things we've done… When you've been trained to believe that you're worthless… When your brain has been programmed to believe that everything that happens to you – the rapes, the beatings, the…," she shook her head, dropping her gaze back into her lap in shame. "You don't just dislike yourself… We loathe ourselves and… We feel like…," she sniffled again, reaching for another napkin to dry her eyes. "Like we don't deserve to… to be… ha-happy."
"Oh child, but you do… With what you girls have been through, you deserve happiness more than anyone else on earth," Maria consoled, pulling the younger woman into an embrace, grateful when she didn't pull away.
Bri allowed her head to drop onto Maria's shoulder, allowed her hair to be stroked by the wrinkled hand of the older woman. Was this what it felt like to have a mother? She felt Maria kiss her lightly on the top of her head and for a moment, she felt like a small child, safe and secure.
After several long moments, Maria spoke up again. "Do you think that's what's going on with Lexi? She doesn't feel like she deserves to be happy?"
Bri nodded her head. "I think that's… a big part of it. Mike makes her happy and…"
"And she feels unworthy of that kind of attention, so she… she sabotages his efforts?"
Again, Bri nodded her head. "I know it… it sounds crazy, but… I really think that's the… the reason for how she's been… treating Mike… and maybe me, too. It's like she's looking for faults in us… Something that gives her a reason to lash out at us."
"That's no reason to treat you like an enemy," Maria said.
"It is when I tell her the truth," Bri stated, pulling away from the embrace. "I'm one of the few people who will… Being brutally honest is a fault of mine," she said, snickering nervously.
"It's not a fault, child. It's a gift. It seems to me that if you're right… and I believe you really may be on to something here… a little more honesty between Lexi and Michael would be a good thing."
"Probably," Bri smiled. "Guess the dishes have soaked long enough, huh?"
"Probably."
The two women pushed back from the table and headed for the sink to finish what they had started before the impromptu therapy session had taken over.
"Mrs. Lopez?"
"What did you call me?" Maria chided playfully.
"I mean, Mama Lopez… I'd be happy to watch Antonio while you take Lexi to the welfare office tomorrow."
E!
Mike Stoker continued packing his bag for his impending double shift. He meticulously hung up his uniforms, ensuring that the creases were perfect. He carefully folded his undershirts and boxers, adding his socks to the bag last. He reached for his shaving kit, the brown leather bag he had used for several years, and unzipped it, pouring the contents out on his bed. He wanted to ensure that he had what he needed to stay well-groomed while on a 48-hour shift. He tossed his used razor blade into the wastebasket, and retrieved a new one from the drawer in his bathroom. When he returned to his bedroom, his telephone rang.
Mike exhaled loudly, assuming that the caller was Lexi offering an apology. He placed the razor in his toiletry bag, allowing the telephone to continue to ring. He waited until the fourth ring before answering it, trying to decide about accepting her apology.
"Hello."
"Stoker?"
Mike cleared his throat, unprepared for the gruff male voice on the other end of the line.
"Yes, this is Mike."
"Hookraider here. I jus' wanted to make sure you were still available to work a double."
Mike rubbed his tense neck muscles. He had answered the phone fully expecting a sniffling female voice offering an apology that he would've accepted. He stumbled over his words as he mentally shifted gears for the unexpected conversation. "Um, y-yes sir. I'll be there… Getting my bag ready now."
"You're a good man, Stoker. See ya bright an' early in the mornin'."
"Yea, um, I'll see you then," Mike responded, grateful that his voice was sounding more confident.
He hung up the phone, then began his nightly routine to prepare for bed. Maybe Lexi wasn't going to apologize after all. And if she wasn't, then should he? But what would he apologize for?
E!
"SHAZAM!"
"Christopher DeSoto!" Joanne raised her voice at her elder child. "Use your inside voice," she demanded.
"But I'm Captain Marvel," the youngster boasted, proudly propping his fists on his hips and jutting out his slender chest.
"If you keep that noise up, you won't be," she said, returning to the gold lightning bolt she was cutting out of the metallic material she had purchased at the fabric store. "I'll just throw an old sheet over your head and you can be a ghost for Halloween."
"Okay," the boy replied, sulking as he walked past the kitchen table where the material was spread out.
Joanne had purchased enough of the gold material to make the accents for the costumes of both children. She finished cutting out the lightning bolt before carefully folding the leftover material to create wrist cuffs for Christopher and the sash needed for the Isis costume Jennifer had requested. As if on cue, the younger DeSoto sibling ran down the stairs, shouting out her character's famous phrase.
"Oh, Mighty Isis!" the little girl loudly announced her entrance as she neared the final few steps.
"Jennifer-"
"DeSoto!" Roy finished for his wife, coming down the hallway just in time to catch his daughter as she launched herself into the air in her imaginative effort to fly from the second stair. "The winds of zephyr do not blow INSIDE our house," he commented, wrapping one arm around her waist and bracing her chest with the other as she stretched out in a giggle.
Roy saw her reaching her arms out in front of her as if she were flying, so he continued with the pretend game. "Wooosh," he said as he 'flew' his little girl into the kitchen, narrowly missing Joanne as the two made their way into the living room.
Joanne looked up from her task, shaking her head. "Honestly, Roy… Do I need to make you a costume, too?"
"No," he said, gently allowing Jennifer to 'land' in front of the television set beside her brother. "I think Johnny and I will just be mere mortals."
Joanne stood up straighter at the sound of Johnny's name. "Oh… So, you've talked to him, then?"
"Yea, and he agreed to help me take the kids trick-or-treating, so you can hand out candy here," he said with a wink.
Roy, after ensuring that the children were settled, turned and walked back to the kitchen to continue the conversation. "But he wasn't very excited about it," he said in a whisper, not wanting the children to overhear him.
"When will he be back at work?"
Roy picked up the gold lightning bolt, admiring his wife's dedication and creativity. "He'll be back day after tomorrow. Dwyer's going to stay a little late so Johnny can drop his parents off at LAX before coming to the station."
Joanne returned to her task. "When Johnny doesn't get excited about Halloween, there's something really wrong," she murmured. "Is it his parents leaving, or is it the fact that Lily is still in Selma?"
Roy reached for a banana from the fruit bowl on the kitchen counter. "Yes," he answered, taking a bite.
Joanne snickered, returning her sewing scissors to their protective pouch. "I can't wait to see the look on his face when the four of you get back from trick-or-tricking."
E!
Lexi held up the towel as Antonio carefully stepped out of the tub. She patted him dry, then wrapped the over-sized towel around him, giving him a big hug.
"Okay, Ant, let's go put on your pajamas," she said, finger combing her son's damp hair.
The youngster, who normally would have shrugged off the towel and scampered naked down the short hallway to his bedroom, slowly drudged out the bathroom door with his head hung down still covered in the towel. Lexi followed behind him, worried by his demeanor. She watched as he walked into his bedroom, slowly opening the dresser drawer where his pajamas lay neatly folded.
"Which ones do you want to wear?" she asked.
"I don't care," the child mumbled, staring at the colorful nightclothes in his drawer.
Lexi once again felt his forehead. "How's your tummy feeling?"
"It's not feelin' so good, but…," he hesitated, cocking his head to one side as he looked up at his mother. "It'd feel lots better if I slept in your bed."
Lexi lifted one eyebrow. "Oh, it would, huh?"
"Uh-huh, and I bet it wouldn't hurt at all in the mornin', and I'd be able to eat a big breakfast when I wake up, if I could jus' wake up in your bed."
The young mother, feeling more confident that she knew what was wrong with her son, reached into the drawer, removing his red pajamas and white briefs. As she helped him get dressed, she chose her words carefully. "I don't know, Ant. Maybe I need to take you to the doctor tomorrow. It might take some medicine, or maybe a shot to make that tummy ache go away."
"Noooo, I jus' need to sleep in your bed. That's all. I don't need no medicine and no shot, I promise."
"Are you sure?" she queried, pulling the pajama shirt over his head.
"Yea," the child responded, fervently nodding his head. "I'm real sure." He grabbed his mother's hand, pulling her towards the door of his bedroom. "C'mon, Momma, I'll show you how much better my tummy will feel. It'll make me feel all better."
"Better than the doctor can make you feel?" she asked, following him to her bedroom.
"Uh-huh," he replied, pulling back the covers on her bed and crawling in. He quickly pulled the covers up to his chin. "I'm feelin' better a'ready," he added, pulling his hands from beneath the covers and patting his belly. "See… It doesn't hurt."
"Oh, so you can go back to your bed then, right?" Lexi suggested, removing an oversized tee shirt from her own dresser. She turned her back to him so he wouldn't see her fighting not to laugh at him. She knew how he would respond.
Realizing his mistake, the little boy quickly responded. "Grandma always says we hafta be safe 'stead o' sorry. I think my tummy should jus' stay here with you tonight, right, Momma? Then it won't feel sorry."
Lexi choked back a chuckle. "I think that's a pretty good idea, but I need to go get ready for bed. Do you think your tummy will be okay for just a few minutes, until I come back?"
"Uh-huh," he said, yawning as he snuggled down into the bed. He had managed to secure his place in his mother's bed for the night, giving him the reassurance he needed that she wasn't going to leave him.
Lexi turned on the lamp beside her bed before turning off the overhead light. "I'll be right back."
"I love you, Momma," he replied, his eyelids growing heavy.
"I love you, too, my sweet boy," Lexi whispered, seeing his eyes drifting closed as she quietly closed her bedroom door. When she looked up, she saw Bri rushing into her room. She opened her mouth to offer an apology, but Bri was too fast. Lexi heard the door lock clicking and knew that there was no need to try to talk to Bri tonight. The apology would have to wait until morning.
She stepped into the bathroom, staring at her face in the mirror. Tomorrow she would have to apologize to both Bri and Michael, plus she would be applying for welfare. She was going to be a burden to taxpayers, something that made her feel sick to her stomach. And to top it all off, her son was so afraid of her leaving him again that he was afraid to sleep in his own bed. "Damn it, Lex," she mumbled to herself. "Maybe Ricardo was right… Maybe there really is only one thing you're any good at."
E!
Mike pulled into the parking lot behind Station 51 at 0730. He hadn't slept well the night before, for the second night in a row, and now he was starting a 48-hour shift. He groaned as he stepped out of his pick-up truck, shouldering his bag as he headed for the locker room. He could smell the scent of fresh coffee and knew he would be needing a lot of it before he clocked out on Friday morning.
"Mornin', Stoker," Captain Hookraider called out. "Coffee's fresh an' hot."
"Good… I need it," he called out, pushing through the locker room door.
He quickly changed into his uniform, then headed for the kitchen. He needed a strong cup of caffeine and he knew the B-shift engineer was ready to head home. By the time the rest of the C-shift crew had arrived, he had already downed two cups of rich black coffee. He set his cup in the sink and headed for roll call just as the klaxons sounded calling the station out to a traffic accident.
The lanky engineer donned his turnout coat and helmet, then climbed in behind the wheel of the engine. Right now, being a fireman and especially an engineer was the only thing he felt confident in. He closed his door as the bay door rose and the shift captain climbed into position. He pulled the engine out, following the squad as they rushed to the scene. He was grateful that his mind was wired in such a way that he was able to focus on the job at hand instead of his personal circumstances. Victims needed his full attention, and so did his crew. They depended on him to keep them safe and supplied with the water pressure needed to handle whatever they might encounter. Leaving thoughts of Lexi behind when he stepped into the engine was just the respite his weary heart needed.
E!
Lexi cast a glance toward the stairway in her childhood home. She hated leaving Antonio while he was sleeping, but she didn't want to wake him. He had been sleeping so well when she got dressed that he never even stirred. She looked at the wall clock near the front door. She and her mother had to leave now if they were going to make it to the welfare office for her appointment.
"He'll be fine, Lexi. I promise to take good care of him," Bri commented, fully expecting a snappy response.
"I know… and…" Lexi knew she needed to apologize for what she had said the night before, but the words seemed to be stuck in her throat. She cleared her throat to try to get the words out just as her mother entered the room.
"Okay, I left the scrambled eggs on the stove. Ant should get up soon and he's always hungry," Maria added, reaching for her purse.
"He's a growing boy," Bri commented, trying to lighten the mood. She thought of the child she had miscarried after Ricardo had assaulted her. Had the baby survived, he would be a few weeks old now. She felt the back of her throat begin to burn.
"Bri?"
"Oh, um, yes?" Bri answered, jerking her head up at the sound of Maria's voice.
"Are you okay, dear?"
"Um, yes, I'm sorry, did you say something?"
"Just that we'll be back in a couple of hours," Maria responded. She could tell by the demeanor of Lexi and Bri that there had been no apology – a fact that infuriated her.
"MOMMA!" came a child's cry from upstairs, followed by the padding of feet heading down the stairs.
"I'm right here, sweetie!" Lexi called out, rushing to meet him as he came down the stairs, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Remember that Momma is going to the welfare office and you're going to stay with Bri, okay?"
Antonio wrapped his arms around her neck. "Are you… comin' back?"
"Yes, of course I am. I'm never leaving you. We talked about this, remember?"
"Uh-huh," he responded, releasing her from the hug.
Bri walked over to the place where mother and son were standing. "Ant, you and I are gonna play and have a great time. Your momma and grandma will be back before you know it."
"How's your tummy feeling?" Lexi asked.
The little boy pulled up his shirt, rubbing his belly. "It feels okay for now, but I think it might get sick again if you stay away too long."
"Well, I'll be back before it starts hurting. And grandma left you some eggs in the kitchen so why don't you and Bri go eat?"
Lexi looked over at Bri, but the other woman never returned her gaze. Instead, Bri reached for Antonio's hand, which he quickly accepted, leaving Lexi with a slight ache in her heart.
"We're going to be late," Maria reminded her.
"Okay… I'm ready," Lexi sighed.
E!
An hour later, Bri had fed Antonio, helped him get dressed and brush his teeth, and had cleaned up the kitchen. When she walked into the living room, she found the little boy curled up on the sofa watching television.
"Is your stomach feeling okay?" she asked, concerned about the child entrusted into her care for the morning.
"Uh-huh… but…," he hesitated, rolling over to look at her. "Will you play with me?"
"Of course… What do you want to play?"
He pressed a pudgy index finger to his chin. "Ummm, how 'bout hide and go peek?"
"You mean, hide and go seek?"
"Yea, do you know how to play?" he asked.
"I sure do," Bri responded with a grin.
"You mean, that game was here when you were a kid?" he asked, wide-eyed.
"Yep… That's an old game. I bet it was even around when your grandma was a little girl?"
Antonio's brown eyes lit up. "You mean, Grandma was a little girl once upon a time?"
"That's right. All kids grow up. One day, you are going to grow up to be a big strong man just like your Uncle Marco."
Antonio's amazement continued to be displayed on his innocent round face. "And like Mr. Mike, too?"
Bri felt a slight lump form in her throat at the sound of Mike's name. It was obvious that Antonio was crazy about him. Why couldn't Lexi see where she had gone wrong? Bri looked at the little boy who was still waiting for an answer. She nodded her head in affirmation.
"Yeah!" Antonio squealed, pumping his little fists into the air. His energy level increased exponentially and he jumped up, bouncing on the sofa.
"Whoa, you better not jump on the furniture. I don't think your Momma or your grandma would like that."
The little boy complied with her request and plopped down on his rear end. "Okay, then can we play the game now?"
Bri closed her eyes tightly. "Okay, I'll count to ten and you go hide… One… Two… Three…"
Antonio tiptoed to his favorite hiding place – the hall closet. He quietly opened the door and stepped inside, unaware of the squeaking noise the old hinges made as he pulled the door closed. He sat down with his knees pulled up, fighting his desire to giggle. He didn't want Bri to hear him.
"Ready or not, here I come!" Bri called out. She knew exactly where he was hiding, but she kept prolonging the game by loudly calling his name and pretending to search for him. "Hmmm, if I were a little boy, where would I hide?" she said out loud.
Antonio, snickered into his hands, happy with his choice of a hiding place.
After allowing the game to go on for several long minutes, Bri finally decided it was time to 'find' him. "I know… I bet you're hiding in the hallway somewhere." She slowly walked closer and closer to the hall closet.
Antonio, deciding to jump out and scare her, reached for the doorknob and turned it at the same moment that Bri did – and they both heard a spring pop in the locking mechanism.
"Oh no," she mumbled, trying to turn the knob to open the door, but the knob just turned around and around in her hands. Fear gripped her, squeezing the air out of her lungs for a moment.
Inside the dark closet, Antonio was trying to open the door, but he too, was unable to make the doorknob mechanism catch. "I stuck!" he whimpered, slapping his hands against the antique wooden door. "Lemme out, p'ease!" he cried.
With panicky movements, Bri continued spinning the doorknob. "No… No!" she cried. "I'm trying Antonio, but it won't open. It's okay, though. Aunt Bri is gonna get you out, I promise," she wept, hoping she wasn't lying. "C'mon," she mumbled, jerking on the doorknob. "Shit!"
Inside, Antonio stood with both hands on the useless doorknob, but he had overheard her swearing and felt the need to chastise her. "Oooo, Aunt Bri… you said a bad word."
"I know, sweetie. I'm sorry," she said, still tugging and pulling on the door. "It's gonna be okay… It's gonna be alright."
"Get me out o' here, p'ease!" he begged, his anxiety level rising rapidly. "I'm scared… I wan' my Mommaaa!"
E!
Mike backed the engine into its usual spot at the station. The first call had been quickly followed by a second automobile accident, and he was grateful to be back in quarters. He needed another cup of coffee, and since he had been assigned kitchen duty, he also needed to see what was available for a quick lunch.
He stepped out of the engine, peeling off his turnout coat and draping it across the front bumper so it would be ready for the next call. He headed for the kitchen, but just as he planted his flattened palm on the kitchen door, the klaxons sounded.
"Station 51, child trapped…"
Mike reversed his steps, jogging to the engine, but when Sam Lanier called out the street address, his heart leaped into his throat. "Antonio," he mumbled to himself and a fresh surge of adrenaline rushed through his veins. The bay door rose and the squad pulled out into the street with Mike expertly navigating the engine closely behind. The engineer's personal life was about to intersect with his professional life in a way he could never have imagined.
