Love at All Costs- chapter 4
August 2024
Angela was scheduled to go see Tony as always but woke up that morning with a bad cold. She knew she'd never pass the Covid screening tests at the prison so she sadly opted to stay home. She quickly text both Samantha and Jonathan to see if they could go in her place. They both agreed to go in her place and decided to meet in the parking lot before going in. Angela was so grateful to have them both in their lives, despite everything that happened over the past few decades.
Samantha pulled up to the prison and found a parking spot. She could see Jonathan's car parked across from her own. She gave him a quick wave and a smile as she put her belongings together. She had decided to bring her dad freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. She sent Angela a quick text to tell her they arrived and then got out of the car.
"Hey dweeb… long time no see!" she laughed as she hugged Jonathan.
"Good to see you too! I see you baked for Tony… isn't he suffering enough?" he laughed as she playfully smacked his arm.
"Very funny! It's not like Angela baked him something!" she laughed as they started to head up the path to the front of the prison. They both stopped laughing as the tone turned somber.
"I hate seeing him in there…" she said as she held onto the bag of cookies a bit tighter.
"I know… I'm the same way. I'm lucky if I see him every other month. I don't know how Mom goes every week. It just breaks my heart…" he said as he wrapped his arm around Samantha.
"I know… I really hope he gets parole next month. Did you write your letter yet?" she asked.
"Yes. I emailed it to the lawyer yesterday. I got the boys to write something too. I wish he'd let me bring them more often…" he said as he opened the door. They both walked in and made their way through security. They put their belongings in the locker and waited to be called in. They were able to find an open table as they waited for Tony. About ten minutes later, Tony walked in, his face lighting up as he made eye contact with his children.
"Samantha! Jonathan! How are you! Boy I've missed you both! Where's Angela?" he asked as he looked around and couldn't find her anywhere.
"She woke up with a cold and didn't want to get you sick so she text us to see if we were free! Here… some homemade chocolate chip cookies!" she said as she handed him the bag.
"Thank you sweetheart! I hope she's okay! Did she say what was wrong?" he asked, nervousness very present in his voice.
"It just sounded like a cold Tony! She just didn't want to get you sick. I'm sure if you call her tonight, she will be feeling much better…" said Jonathan.
"Yes I will definitely call her… so how are you two doing? How are our grandkids doing?" asked Tony as he opened the bag and took out a cookie.
"We are good! The kids are doing well! We booked a trip to the Bahamas for the Christmas break! Nicholas and Marie are very excited! We leave the day after Christmas! It's our first trip together since they were in high school!" she said.
"That's great! You guys deserve some time away together!" he said.
"The boys are growing like weeds! Luis and I can barely keep the house stocked! Luis loves using all your recipes! Thank goodness one of us can cook! The Robinson genes were too strong!" he laughed.
"I don't think I've ever met a family who has no talent whatsoever in the kitchen! Although I think outta the three of you, you definitely have the most hope! That's if Luis hasn't given up on ya!" laughed Tony.
"He's coming close! Although, I did help him with the lasagna the other night and it was still edible so…" he said with a smirk.
"I don't know how Angela has survived all these years on her cooking skills…" said Tony as the smile faded from his face.
"She's come a long way too Dad! Besides, you know we all look after her and make sure she's okay. That's never changed and won't any time soon…" she said as she reached over and took his hand in her own.
"Thank you… both. She's been in good hands all these years with you two looking out for her and for each other. This whole thing could have easily divided the family but you never let it. That… that means more to me than you could ever know…" he said as he wiped some tears from his eyes.
"Of course Tony! You two are our parents and nothing… nothing that has happened has ever changed that!" said Jonathan.
"So Angela was telling me they think you have a good chance of getting parole! Can you imagine coming home? We will have a big party to celebrate! All your favorite foods! All the guys from Brooklyn! Just no footprints on the ceiling!" laughed Samantha.
"I hope so… I just want to come home with Angela and you all… no parties needed… just us…" he said as they all pictured what they all wanted so badly.
September 2005
"Hank? Hank did this?" shouted Tony as the anger he could no longer control came bubbling up. He only quieted down when both kids continued to cry.
"Mother, can you can Jonathan and have them come over? Tony, help me get the kids' coats off" she said as the kids were clinging to her for dear life. Tony snapped out of his anger mode as he went over to help Angela. Mona came to sit next to Samantha after she called Jonathan and helped clean her up, handing her the ice packs.
"How about Pa gets you some cookies and you head upstairs to our bedroom and watch a movie with Grandma Mona?" asked Angela.
"No! I don't want to leave Mommy!" screamed Nicholas.
"You're not leaving her but we need to talk to mommy for a few minutes then we can watch the movie together…" said Angela as she rubbed his back.
"I'll be okay Nicholas. We are safe here… listen to Nanna for me and go upstairs with Grandma Mona…" said Samantha. He looked at Samantha and slowly nodded his head.
"C'mon you two! Let's see what we can find upstairs to get into!" said Mona as she picked up Marie and took a hold of Nicholas' hand. They all watched as they walked up the stairs, no one speaking until they heard the bedroom door open and close.
"Oh my god Samantha… what happened?" asked Angela as she took the washcloth and continued to wipe her face.
"Hank… when we got home he was eerily quiet. Everything he said he was going to do- cooking, the movie… none of it happened. He shut himself in his study and left us to fend for ourselves. I figured he just needed sometime to relax from work. I made us dinner and got the kids ready for bed. I came back downstairs and he was sitting on the sofa, just staring off into the distance. I… I thought maybe he changed his mind about the movie so I sat down next to him… I must have startled him because he jumped when I sat down and put my hand on his arm… the next thing I knew he was screaming at me! He accused me of cheating again and making up lies about him to you all! I told him he was wrong, that I hadn't said anything but he didn't believe me…" she said through tears. She took a few moments to compose herself before she continued.
"I don't know what happened next but it's like he just snapped! Normally when things get physical, it's quick and then he snaps out of it, realizing what he's done… this time there wasn't a realization of what he was doing until… until Nicholas came down the stairs screaming…" she said as she just collapsed into Angela's arms, the sobs becoming almost uncontrollable. Tony moved in closer and put his hand on her back, slowly rubbing to try and provide some sort of comfort.
"Oh sweetheart… that must have been absolutely awful! Where… where is Hank now?" she asked as she looked at Tony in fear.
"He… he left once he saw Nicholas…" she said in between sobs. Tony got off the sofa and ran to the front door, quickly locking it. He went to the side and back doors too, making sure every door was locked and secured.
"Samantha we need to call the police and make a report and then I think you need to go to the hospital to be checked out!" said Tony as he sat back down beside them.
"No Dad! That's only going to make things worse!" she cried.
"Samantha, he's right. You need to contact the police for your safety as well as the kids. We need to get you checked out. The hospital can even notify the police but I really think you need to go now" said Angela.
"No…" she started before she was crying even harder than before.
"I know this is scary but it's for your own good. Your Dad and I will go with you. Once Jonathan and Luis get here, they can stay with the kids" said Angela.
"She's right sweetheart. You need medical attention and that… that piece of crap needs to be held accountable for this!" he said, his anger coming back in full force.
"Okay… I'll go… you both will come with me right?" she asked as she looked from Tony to Angela.
"Of course sweetheart! We won't leave your side the whole time, I promise…" said Angela.
"I better go check on the kids before we leave, make sure they are alright…" she said as she headed upstairs.
"Angela… if he comes near her or them again, so help me… he won't see the light of day! How could he do that to her? In front of the kids? He could have…" he started to say as the words got caught in his throat.
"I know Tony! It could have been so much worse! We have to come up with a game plan on how to keep them all safe. If he's capable of doing what he did, he's capable of a lot more…" she said with a shutter.
"Over my dead body will he hurt anyone else in this family!" he shouted.
"I know Tony. Do… do you think he'd come here?" she asked.
"I'd hope not but honestly if he's stupid enough to do what he did, anything is possible. Maybe you and Mona should take Samantha to the ER and I will stay here with the kids once Jonathan and Luis get here" he said.
"Alright… I'm going to go get Mother and tell her to get changed. We will take her over there afterwards" said Angela. She was about to head upstairs when the doorbell rang. Fear paralyzed them both as they looked at each other. Tony snapped out of it first and grabbed his bat.
"Who is it?" he yelled through the closed door.
"Tony it's Jonathan and Luis!" he yelled through the door. Tony quickly unlocked the door and pulled them both into a hug before locking the door behind them.
"What happened? Is Sam okay? The kids?" asked Jonathan.
"Mother and I are going to take Samantha to the ER to be checked out. She has some nasty bruises and cuts. Tony is going to stay here with you all and the kids. We… we don't know where Hank is and if he would try and come back…" she said as she had to hold back tears.
"Hopefully he wouldn't be stupid enough to come here!" said Luis.
"His face will be rearranged if he does!" shouted Tony.
"Let me go get Mother so we can go and get back" she said as she headed up the stairs. Mona came down a few moments later and headed to get changed. Angela and Samantha came down about ten minutes later, both kids having fallen asleep on their bed.
"Oh Samantha…" said Jonathan as he came over to her and gave her a hug. He reluctantly pulled back when she turned to go and get her stuff, wiping away more tears from her face.
"Alright we will be at Fairfield Hospital. I will call to check in" said Angela as she grabbed her belongings.
"Please be careful Angela… and take care of our daughter…" he said, whispering the last part so only Angela could hear him. She nodded, holding back her own tears as they walked out the door.
"Can the two of you stay upstairs with the kids in case they wake up? I'm going to stay down here…" said Tony as he grabbed his bat and sat down on the sofa, staring at the front door.
"Okay Tony. If you need anything, just let us know…" said Jonathan as they walked upstairs.
He spent the next hour just watching the front door, his senses on high alert. Every car that went by, every animal moving in the bushes caused Tony to race to the window, bat in hand, searching out into the darkness. By midnight, he was finally able to start to relax as he flipped on the television, finding an old black and white movie on television. He must have dozed off at some point, because when the front door opened, he jumped off the sofa like it was on fire.
"Who's there?" he yelled as he grabbed his bat.
"Easy Tony! It's just us!" said Mona as the three of them walked in the door.
"What… what time is it? Are you okay?" he asked as he tried to slow his speeding heartbeat.
"It's just after five in the morning. Everyone is okay!" said Angela as she came over to give him a hug.
"Thanks for staying here. I think I'm going to try and get a little sleep before the kids wake up. Thanks again for everything…" she said as she hugged them all and headed upstairs.
"What did they say? Did she file a police report? Is he going to jail?" he asked as they sat down on the sofa.
"She has some nasty cuts and bruises and a slight fracture in her cheekbone. She should be healed in four to six weeks, maybe sooner. It took some convincing from us plus the doctor and nurses but she finally met with the police officer and filed a report. This… this has been going on for years Tony! Not this bad but it's been physical many times before… even when she was pregnant! There was a police report filed a few years back but she refused to press charges. Tony… how did we miss this?" she asked as she burst out crying.
"We didn't miss it Angela, she's just been very good at hiding it. We have to be there for her so that this time she goes through with it. He needs to pay for what he's done and not be allowed to be around her or the children!" said Mona.
"They said we need to take the police report down to family court and request an order of protection. We need to take her first thing this morning and make sure they can serve him. Once she has that in place, if we can convince her, they need to move back in with us Tony. We have room… hopefully he does jail time for this but who knows…" said Angela as her crying subsided.
"He should be locked up for the rest of his life for what he has done! She better press charges this time! And yes she is absolutely moving in with us! I need to keep her safe!" he said.
"Let's try and get some rest. Hopefully in a few hours we can reassess and come up with a plan moving forward" said Mona as she headed out to her apartment. Tony and Angela headed upstairs and decided to crash in Samantha's old room. They were able to get a few hours sleep before the house was awoken by the kids.
"Nanna! Pa! Can we have pancakes for breakfast?" asked Nicholas as he ran right into their bed, jumping on both of them.
"I think that can be arranged! Maybe I can find some chocolate chips to put in too! Why don't you give us a few minutes to get changed and we will be right there!" said Tony. Nicholas smiled and ran back into the hallway, presumably back into their bedroom.
"Angela you need more sleep. I'll take care of breakfast and you rest up…" he said as he leaned in and gave her a kiss as she pulled herself closer to him.
"No I need to get up and showered so I can go with Samantha. I'll take a nap later on today… maybe Marie and I can nap together!" she laughed.
"Sounds like a plan! Angela… I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me knowing you've been there for her through all of this… I don't know what Samantha or I would be doing right now if it wasn't for you…" he said as he pulled her even closer to him, rubbing her back.
"I wouldn't be anywhere else… I'm thankful everyday you came into my life Tony. There are way too many Michaels and Hanks in this world and not nearly enough Tonys…" she said as she ran her hand through his hair.
"This Tony is only as good as his Angela thinks he is because of you…" he said as he leaned in for a kiss. They stayed that way for a few more moments. A fleeting thought went through both their minds that they should savor this moment, but it was soon pushed out of their minds as the sounds of their grandchildren pulled them back to the present moment. They dragged themselves out of bed, Tony heading downstairs to make breakfast and Angela getting in the shower.
By mid morning, everyone was stuffed from breakfast, finally beginning to slightly unwind from the past day's events. Luis offered to stay with the kids again so they could all go down to the court and start the paperwork. Luis had called his lawyer friend who agreed to meet them at the courthouse. They were all about to leave when Nicholas grabbed onto Angela and started to cry.
"Please don't leave Nanna! Please!" he pleaded as he threw his arms around Angela's neck. She rubbed his back and tried to comfort him, but he wouldn't stop crying.
"Okay sweetheart! I'll stay here okay? We can play some games and maybe even do some arts and crafts!" she said as he slowly stopped crying.
"Then when we all get back, we can make a special lunch! How does homemade grilled cheese sandwiches sound?" asked Tony.
"Okay Pa…" he said through sobs. They all headed out the front door and got into Tony's jeep. They were all caught up in their own heads as the car headed down Oak Hills Drive, so much so that no one saw a car slowly pulling up in front of the house.