Helen's POV
I visit my parents while the real estate agent shows my home to potential buyers. Frank called the agent when I continued to live in the house. He isn't impressed I didn't contact someone to list the house for sale. Why me?
"How's Daddy?" I ask Mom when she sets the cake on the table.
"He's okay," Mom replies. Her eyes betray her concern. Mom is withholding information about Dad.
"What aren't you saying?" I demand.
Mom rolls her eyes. She goes to the fridge to grab some cream for the coffee and ice cream for the cake. I go to the cabinet to get the plates and utensils. Mom opens the cake wrappers and gets a knife to cut the cake and a scoop for the ice cream.
I pass Mom a plate for my serving. She smiles and places a two-inch slice on the dish. Mom opens the vanilla ice cream and adds a large scoop to the piece. "Thanks," I politely say. Mom remains silent.
She sits in her chair after taking a small amount of cake for herself and returning the ice cream to the freezer. Mom rinses the ice cream scoop and drops it into the sink. The chair scrapes across the tiles as she sits in the chair at the end. I'm curious why she chose the seat farthest from mine.
When I lean forward to stand, Mom puts up her hand. "Stop!" Mom warns. I sit back in my chair.
"What's going on?" I demand.
Sighing, Mom asks, "Why didn't you list your house sooner?"
"I hoped Frank would change his mind," I confess. "He caved about the car."
"Helen, he gave you the car to commute to work. Have you applied for jobs?"
Focussing on my food, I shook my head. Mom clicked her tongue. "Angie says I shouldn't have to work. Frank should be giving me alimony," I reply.
Mom slammed her hands on the table. Dad comes downstairs to join the conversation. He sits beside Mom. "Frank gave you a fair deal," Dad says. "You get half the equity of the house. He gave you the brand new Buick. Frank paid it off for you, too." Mom tries to stop Dad from helping himself to the cake. She raises her hands in exasperation.
Dad waits for me to respond. "It's not enough. Angie says he owes me half his pension with the post office," I argue.
"Did you sign the decree and agree to the terms?" Dad asks.
"Yes," I snap. "But I deserve more."
"Helen, what did you expect? You signed the dissolution paperwork, including what you would receive. If you disagreed with the division of property, you should have argued it through your lawyer," Dad patiently explains.
"But…," I argue.
Dad yells, "Enough! You signed. You agreed. Now, because your lover's wife said you should get more, you want to take Frank to the cleaners? He could have left you after finding the paternity test for Stephanie."
"But, Daddy," I cry.
"But nothing, Helen. Frank should have dumped your ass and took the girls to Georgia. He had more than enough proof you were unfaithful," Dad says, shaking his head. He pushes from the table. "Edna, dear. I'm feeling a bit lightheaded."
"Go to bed," Edna orders.
"Dad!" I cry.
"No, Helen. You made your bed. Now, you lie in it," Dad says.
"Drop dead!" I yell and run from the house.
~~~~~
Stephanie's POV
I'm sitting in the clinic, waiting for the nurse to call my name. Dad is sitting on the chair beside mine. He's anxious to hear the news. Unfortunately, Carlos is away on another mission and has to wait. I want him to know before anyone else. The procedure might not have stuck. It didn't three months ago.
Dad's phone chimes as the nurse calls my name. "Are you coming with me?" I ask.
"No. You deserve privacy. I'll wait until you can share the news with Carlos," Dad replies. I kiss his cheek and follow the nurse into the examination room.
"How are you feeling today?" Janet asks when she closes the door of the room.
"Nervous. Please, tell me some good news today. The hormonal rollercoaster is becoming too much for me to handle," I confess.
"It's only been four months. Is your husband with you today?" Janet wonders.
I smile and shake my head. "He's out of town on business," I reply.
Janet touches my arm, "Steph, you know my brother Evan is with his team. You can talk about it with me."
"Sorry, Janet. I forgot Ram was your brother," I say. Janet giggles and asks me to strip from my waist down. She covers me with a soft blanket before applying the cold gel to the probe. "Do we have to do this?" I grumble.
"It's the best way to check," Janet reminds me. I put my feet in the stirrups and let her examine me. Janet smiles and points at the screen. "We have two embryos. Hmm. Possibly three."
"Oh boy," I cry. It's unbelievable. I'm excited and nervous to become a mom. What if I mess up? I didn't have the best role model. "Am I allowed to fly? I'm supposed to meet with a real estate agent in Boston tomorrow."
"I'll print a few pictures for you. We'll do another sonogram next month to check on your babies' status," Janet says.
Doctor Jansen knocks on the door before coming inside the room. "I see the implantation was a success," she says, smiling as she checks the monitor. "Congratulations. We'll keep an eye on them to ensure they stay put."
"I asked Janet if I was allowed to fly to Boston tomorrow. Would it hurt the babies?" I ask.
"You should be fine, Stephanie. However, I wouldn't recommend flying during your last trimester," Dr. Jansen replies.
"Thank you." I went through the questions and concerns about the pregnancy—things like what to look for and what to do if I experience cramps or spotting. I'm overwhelmed by the amount of information Dr. Jansen provides.
"I'll provide pamphlets and other details for you to keep on hand," Dr. Jansen says, putting me at ease. "Remember to schedule an appointment for next month."
"Thanks." Janet handed me some paper towels to wipe myself with. She turned her back to give me privacy as she printed the sonogram images for me to take home. I'm excited to show Carlos. Triplets are a lot to manage. I hope everything goes well and at least one baby survives.
Janet calls another patient as I book my appointment with the receptionist, who writes it on a card and promises to send an email reminder. I thank her and approach Dad. He's reading a message on his phone and furiously replies. His fingers tap out the text faster than I have ever seen.
"Dad, is something wrong?" I ask. Dad refuses to answer in the waiting room. We walk to the car and climb inside.
"Your Grandma Edna contacted me. It's your Grandpa Harry. He was rushed to the hospital an hour ago," Dad explains.
I instinctively knew. "Grandpa Harry died," I whisper.
"Yes," Dad confirms. "Edna says the funeral is Thursday. You can fly to Trenton on Wednesday afternoon for the visitation. Joe Juniak has a room for you to spend the night." I shake my head. I don't want to go alone. "Steph, I'm coming with you to Boston and Trenton. Hector and Manny will accompany us."
"Okay," I whisper, leaning against the headrest. I close my eyes and think of the pleasant memories with Grandpa Harry. "Any news on that other issue?"
"Morelli?"
"Yes," I reply, turning my head to look at Dad.
"Juniak contacted the prison. I'm waiting for his response," Dad says.
"Figures," I sigh. It will be my luck that Joseph Morelli is in Trenton for the funeral. "Dad, I'm pregnant with triplets. I planned to wait for Carlos to come home, but if we go to Trenton, you and my bodyguards need to know."
"Are you announcing it to the office?"
"No. It's a need-to-know situation. And they don't need to know. Yet," I qualify. I removed the phone from my purse to leave Carlos a message. He'll get it once his mission is complete. I know he'll call me first.
"Steph, wait," Dad says when his phone rings. I end the call before the phone rings. Dad connects the call to the Bluetooth system. "Report," he demands.
"Sir, we're heading home," Carlos says. "How's Stephanie?"
"I'm good," I reply.
"Babe," he whispers. Music plays loudly in the background to drown out our conversation.
"Are you secure?" I ask and wait for his affirmation. "Three babies," I say.
"Babe? Steph, are you sure?" Carlos asks.
"Positive," I reply.
"I can't wait to see you. We are reporting to Georgia to debrief," Carlos says. "I'll be home on Thursday."
"Oh. Carlos, I'll be in Trenton at the funeral. Grandpa Harry died," I quietly reply.
"We'll be there," Carlos announces. "I have to go. Te amo." Carlos hangs up before I can reciprocate.
"Do you have to attend the debrief?" I ask Dad.
"It isn't necessary. The others can manage without me," Dad answers. As Carlos' handler, I thought Dad had to attend the debrief sessions.
"Dad, you should be there," I argue. Dad raises a brow. He smiles and turns the car around to get to the airport. "Are you taking me with you?"
"Do you have other plans for today?"
"No."
Dad chuckles as he drives to the airport. I'm surprised when he goes to a private one where you can charter a private flight. Hector and Manny are waiting with my luggage and garment bag. "I forwarded the message from your Grandma Edna. We can meet the men for the debrief. Your appointment in Boston got postponed until after the funeral. But we need to leave after the funeral mass," Dad explains.
"What about Valerie and the others? How will they attend the funeral?" I ask.
"Only Valerie is coming. Mary Alice is taking medication for tonsillitis. She's too sick to travel. Angie doesn't want to miss school," Dad explains. I'm wondering who watches Mary Alice while Steve works. Dad quickly settles the thought, "Steve's on bereavement leave until Valerie returns."
I nod because his reasoning makes sense. Why should Valerie make Mary Alice travel while sick? Her ears would ache during lift-off and landing. It's best to keep her home, where she's comfortable and could get better.
My nerves get the better of me as we board the plane. There are enough seats for ten adults. "Dad, who owns the plane?" I ask.
"It's privately owned, but the owner wishes to sell. The jet is only a year old," Dad explains. I approached the pilot for more information. He smiles and asks me to sit in the spare seat.
"Hi, I'm Stephanie," I say, introducing myself to the man who is clearly ex-military.
"Roger," he replies. "I heard you talking to General Plum about the plane."
"Yes. He said it was for sale?" I inquire.
"It is. My grandfather passed away a few months ago. Dad can't keep up with the costs. I really hate to see this baby go," Roger confesses. I have a thought, though I should ask Carlos before making an offer. What the heck! I'm the current CEO of Rangeman, and I can make this executive decision without the others because the buck stops at me.
"I want to buy the plane for Rangeman Securities. We could use a pilot, too," I say.
Roger grins. "Man. I've heard about Rangeman from my buddies. Are you hiring?"
"Soon," I answer. His grin is infectious. I passed him a business card to contact me later. "Can I commission the plane for a flight to Trenton and back to Miami?"
"I'll clear my schedule and file the flight plans," Roger replies. I'm glad Dad hired the private plane. I couldn't wait to tell Carlos. Hopefully, he won't be upset about the expense.
Dad smiles when I sit beside him. I await the announcement that we're at cruising altitude before removing my laptop from my bag. Once I log onto it, I pull up the spreadsheets for the expenditures for branch visits and determine the savings of owning a plane. Now, who do we hire for the maintenance?
"Roger might have a few buddies from the Air Force. I'm sure we can find a mechanic through him. You could hire him for the Boston branch and get them to fly between the cities. Or hire them for Miami and expand the area of service."
"I like the second idea, Dad. I'll have to discuss the options with the core team," I say. I'm compiling the data for Carlos. As the primary owner of Rangeman Securities, he needs to see the pros and cons of expanding the business and flying from Miami. The core team wants Miami to be our home office.
"You look happy," Manny says. I smile at him.
"That's because I am happy."
"And the doctor's visit?" he wonders.
I instinctively touch my abdomen. "Carlos and I are having triplets. I'll have Tank take you to the mats if you tell anyone else," I warn. "I could still lose one or two of them. We won't know until I have my appointment next month."
Manny makes the zipper motion across his lips. Hector grins. He's happy for me; I know he will protect me and the babies.