Matty then decided to stop eavesdropping. He came in the room. Phillip smiled at him. "Little dude you woke up. Are you ok?" Matty nodded yes. And then pretended to drink. His mom said, "Your thirsty?" Matty nodded yes. "Sit with your brother. How about I make us all some hot chocolate?"
Matty pointed to the pad and paper that Phillip had been writing on earlier. Phillip grabbed it. "You want to tell me something." Matty nodded yes. He started tapping fast. "Whoa dude go slower. I'll get better at this. It's just been a minute since I've had to do Morse code." Matty nodded. Then he just simplified what he was trying to say before and tapped "SISTER" Phillip smiled. "Oh, before you came in you eavesdropped on mom and me. Yes, we have a sister. She's 4." Matty stared at him. Then tapped as slowly as he could "IS SHE MY FULL SISTER." Phillip looked at him. "Of course she is dude. Mom was pregnant when the warehouse exploded. She did not know then because it was too soon to tell. But she is 100% your full sister. Mom is too hung up on your dad to be with any other guys. I mean she dates but the guys she has been going out with are so lame." His mom called out from the little kitchen area "Your brother is deaf sweetheart. Not me. And well your recent dates have not all been prizes either. Remember Hazel?" Phillip laughed "Touche mother."
His mom came into the room and handed Alex a hot chocolate. "No marshmallows but I put a little whip cream on the top. You used to like that." Then she handed Phillip his cup. "Extra marshmallows." Phillip smiled. "You gave me his share, right?" She smiled. "Half of what I'd give to Alex." Phillip looked at her. "But mom Jamie isn't here." "I took the other half. I like marshmallows too you know."
She then went, grabbed her own hot chocolate, and said, "Push over." and she sat between her sons and put her arms around both of them. Then she looked at them. "After the hot chocolate. Matty and I are going to bed." Phillip smiled at her. "I'll pull out the bed and everything. Just are their clean sheets down here?" Matty watched as she stroked the back of his head. "Just come sleep in the bed. Its more comfortable and there's room." Phillip nodded. "I'm 26 now mom."
She smiled. "I won't tell Jaime or Francine. But honestly Phillip you know if Jaime were here all 4 of us would be sleeping in the bed." Phillip laughed. "Yeah. Ok mom. I'm just going to watch the news and then I'll be in."
She took Matty to the bedroom, and she tucked him in again. Then she went in the bathroom and put her nightgown on. She got in the bed with him, and pulled him to her. He could tell she was talking but the way he was snuggled into her. He had no clue what she was saying to him. Then she moved him so that her face was looking at her. "I keep forgetting that you can't hear anything. You are so good at lip reading. I forget you need to see my lips."
"Everything is going to be ok. But you are home now. Your safe here with Phillip and me. We might have to stay down here for a little while. But it will not be forever." She touched his face. "Tomorrow may get a little scary but after that. It should not be too bad. We will just have to wait it out until the DNA test results come back." Matty got a little nervous when she said that.
But she noticed it. "Sweetheart, are you worried about the test results?" Matty nodded yes and started to cry. "Hey, you don't remember me. I know what Karbala does to the kids they are training. Listen to me. You are my son. I can feel you in my heart. You look like me when I was a child. You have soft hair like your father. Your eyes are just like his except for the color. I can almost tell what exactly what you are thinking. Just like I could your daddy. You like those crazy granola bars. You are Alexander Matthew Stetson. I don't doubt it. So, you shouldn't. The DNA test is going to prove that."
He wanted to believe her. Then she touched his face. "Everything is going to be ok. Tomorrow may get a little scary, but I will be damned if I let anyone take you away from me again. I love you. Nobody is ever going to hurt you again. Now you go to sleep." She pushed his head gently down to her chest. And she held him. She was stroking his back. He fell asleep on her and he dreamt.
He was home again. Wandering around the house. He found Irene working on a computer. "Hi Sunshine. Can I help you?" She was smiling at him. Matty signed, "Where is my dad? I can't find him." She smiled at him. "Oh, he went out for a little bit. He will be home in a few hours. You know he doesn't like being away from you too long. He just needed to take care of a few things. Then he will come home."
Matty opened his eyes. His mom was still holding him, but she was fast asleep. There was someone on the other side of him. He turned and looked. It was his brother Phillip. He was fast asleep too. Matty needed to use the bathroom. So, he tried to figure out how to get out of the bed quietly without waking either one of them up. He went down the center of the bed.
He went into the bathroom then he went back in the bedroom. They were still asleep. He decided instead of going back to bed. He would look around the place. He left the bedroom and went to the game room. He looked at the clock it was 6am.
He went over to the cabinet and saw some framed pictures. There was one of Phillip, Jaime, and him standing in front of a silver corvette. Phillip was holding him. He looked at himself. This kid in the picture looked so different. He looked happy.
Then he felt someone sit down next to him. "Couldn't sleep any more little dude?" Matty looked at him and nodded no. Phillip said, "More bad dreams?" Matty nodded no. Phillip looked at him. "I used to have nightmares a lot too. Especially after you were taken. I still do sometimes." Phillip looked at him. "We all look happy in that picture. Well, we are with my girl so of course we were happy." There weren't any girls in the picture. Matty was confused. "The car. Her name is Vetty. Your dad gave her to me. It used to be his car. He was such a cool guy. I miss him."
"The man that took you. This Michael Winthrope dude. He thought mom died in the explosion. So, he thought you were an orphan. But you still had family. There was still grandma, me, and Jaime. I would've taken you. Hell, when I thought mom was dead. I offered to take you if you were one of the kids they rescued from the explosion."
Matty looked at him and hugged him. "Yeah dude if anything ever happened to mom. I'd take you and the munchkin in a heartbeat. But mom isn't going anywhere, and neither are you. Do you go to school?" Matty nodded yes. Phillip smiled. "You like school?" Matty nodded yes. "Yeah, your smart like Jaime. Figured school would be your thing too. What's your favorite subject? Let me guess. Science? That was Jaime's favorite when he was your age." Matty nodded no. Phillip looked at him. "History?" Matty made a face and nodded no. Phillip laughed. "Ok so not the same as Jaime or Lee. Well, it's not gym like me. I'm guessing." Alex nodded yes. "You like Gym class?" Phillip looked shocked. Alex nodded yes. Then he got up and started fake kicking a ball. "You like soccer?" Alex grinned at him.
Phillip looked amazed. "Me too what position do you play? Striker?" Alex nodded no and then pretended like he was blocking goals. "You're the goalie." Matty nodded yes. Phillip smiled." So, I have a sibling that actually likes sports? I mean it makes sense since Lee liked sports too. He liked baseball. Took us to a lot of Orioles games. He took us to a few Redskins games too. When things die down. Maybe you and I can go to some games." Matty smiled at him.
Then his mother came out of the bedroom. "You fellasare up early?" Phillip nodded. "He woke up. I went to check to make sure he was ok. He was telling me about school. He likes soccer. He plays goalie at his school. I was telling him when things die down. I thought maybe I could take him to some Orioles or Redskins games."
She smiled. "Oh, that's good. Yeah at least you have one sibling that will watch sports with you now sweetheart." Phillip grinned. "Yeah, it's nice. "Then Amanda said, "Well there's always Joey too." Phillip nodded. "Yeah, but I screwed up my relationship with Joey by not talking to dad all that time. I mean until I got hurt. Dad & I's relationship is better but it's still awkward between us because Carrie hates me."
She sighed. "Carrie does not hate you." He looked at Matty. "Carrie is my evil stepmother." Amanda sighed. "She is not evil. Do not tell him that. He'll be scared of her." Phillip grinned. "Carrie is not evil" But he covered his mouth so only Matty could see and mouthed "Yes she is" after he said it. Amanda sighed. "Well sweetheart. Secretly I was glad that you gave her the tough time and not Lee." Phillip smiled. "Why would I have given Lee a hard time? He made you happier than I had ever seen you, had a really cool car. Actually, enjoyed spending time with Jaime and me. And well he let us do whatever we wanted and would buy us whatever we wanted. Plus, he gave me Vetty. If you hadn't of married him. I would have a way lamer car."
His mother laughed. "Yes, well and I'm glad. Because Jaime not liking him in the beginning was tough. But it would have been worse had it been you." Phillip grinned. "I'm never going to live down putting sugar in Dean's gas tank, am I?" She smiled. "You putting sugar in the gas tank actually saved my life once. And well honestly you were right about Dean. But you should make more of an effort with Carrie & Joey. Now that your relationship with your dad is a little better."
Phillip nodded. "Yeah, I know. It's just always so awkward. I'll try mom. Oh man Matty is going to have to get to bond with them too. Maybe we can work on it together. I bet Joey will like Matty." Phillip looked at him. "I know Carrie will like Matty. He was always her favorite. Why can't you two be more well behaved? Your little 3-year-old brother has more manners than the two of you combined."
Amanda laughed. "Oh my gosh she did used to always say that. Let me make the coffee. Cereal ok for breakfast for you fellas?" Matty nodded yes. Phillip gave her a thumbs up.
She came in and brought cereal bowls. And a glass of juice for Matty. Then handed Phillip a coffee mug. Matty pointed at the coffee mug. He wanted coffee too. "You want coffee?" Matty smiled. "You are a little young for coffee sweet boy." Matty did the most pathetic please can I have it mom face? His mom just stared at him. "You really are Lee's son. Fine but only one. Do you want sugar in it?" Matty gave her a disgusted face. She rolled her eyes but was smiling at the same time. "I know exactly how to make your coffee sweet boy." And she kissed the top of his head and poured him a cup.
They ate their breakfast. "It is almost 7am. They should be coming any time now. In the meantime, I'm going to ask some more questions. "Where in London where you staying?" Matty tapped again. "JONATHON HAMILTON." She looked at him shocked. "That's Lee's grandfather. " Matty nodded. "AT HIS HOUSE" Phillip looked at him. "What was at his house?" Matty pointed at himself. But all of the sudden his mom and Phillip looked at each other. "Someone just pulled into the driveway." His mom went into the office. Phillip looked at him. "You do not have to watch this dude. It is going to get intense." And he ruffled his hair and followed his mom in the office. Matty went over to the coffee pot and grabbed it using his broken fingers which was painful. But the reward was more coffee.
Then he went to the love seat in little office and watched.
The older man on screen looked like a combination of the 1960s version of The Joker & The Penguin but without a costume. "Hello Dr Smyth" his mom said tensely. "Ah Mrs. Scarecrow. Trying to get your very own D1 manhunt. Are we?" His mom looked annoyed. "No sir. I am just protecting my son." he answered her "By sacrificing another. It is too bad I had such high hopes for the young Prince." Amanda spoke. "Leave Phillip out of this. This is between you and I." The man took a drag from his cigarette holder. "One time offer take it or leave it. Your illustrious career is done at the Agency. But we are willing to overlook Prince's mommy issues and give him a second chance. A proverbial slap on the wrist. In exchange you will hand the boy over to us and come out."
His mom looked over to Phillip. "Tell him to go stick his offer up his..." "Phillip please watch your language in front of your little brother." But she ruffled Phillips hair and touched the side of his face gently. His mom spoke again. "I am sorry sir. But Alex is home now, and he is never leaving this house again. He is not dangerous sir. I have information. We should be working together on this." Dr Smyth looked annoyed, and he responded. "This is a lovely home you have here. We could always smoke you out." She sighed "We are in a converted bomb shelter sir. Do your worst. We are prepared to stay down here as long as it takes."
Dr Smyth "What would your husband think of all this? You are ruining your own career and your son's. All for a boy that may not even turn out to be yours." Then she said, "Suck it Dr. Smyth." and turned the microphone off. Phillip looked shocked. "You just told Dr Smyth to suck it. You were already a legend at the Agency. You just went a higher level whatever that is." His mom looked at Phillip "Well he asked what Lee would say." Phillip laughed "Lee would have said way worse." His mom smiled. "Yeah he would have. This really would have been a D1 manhunt if he was still alive."
Then Dr Smyth turned to Billy and said, "We did this your way. Now we do it the hard way." Billy spoke "You can't seriously be considering burning the house down." Dr. Smyth looked at Billy "Last resort. In the meantime, we will wait them out." Dr. Smyth left. Billy went to the microphone. "I really am sorry about all this Amanda." Then Amanda said, "Where's Francine?" Billy sighed. "She called in sick. She wanted no part of today."