The thought of the babies being Franco’s continued to nag at her. How cruel that would be—like some fateful punishment for her adultery. No, she didn’t believe in that sort of thing. People did this all the time. They fell out of love; they found new love. She wasn’t being singled out for anything, and just going by the science, how likely was it? One night. She worked at her denial, convincing herself there was no way the babies could be his. When she told Ric about the due date, she didn’t voice her concern. He didn’t know she had slept with Franco.
She sent a message to Luca:
I’m sending this directly to you since I know you will read it to send on to Franco. I need to know where the best place to send some papers is. They are important, and Franco needs to see them as soon as possible. I know he has a lawyer here in Boston, should the papers go there? Thank you so much for your help. Virginia Anderson
That night she received an answer:
Mrs. Legotti, yes, please if you could have the papers delivered there in Boston, that would be best. They could get lost or hung up if you send them here. Luca.
The last thing Franco had told Luca was to be sure and not let Gini know where he was. He didn’t want her to worry. There had been no progress on getting Franco released. The fact that Franco confessed he had rigged the motor that drove the hoist to lower the workers into the well hadn’t helped. He tried to reassure the Chinese government that the motor was working properly at the time.
His room was kept clean, and he was given three meals each day. But sitting or lying on the bed all the time only gave him more time to worry. At first, his thoughts were of what went wrong. He needed information on what was happening. Why was no one talking to him? He hoped Luca was able to get all of the company’s important papers from the job site and back to New York.
He had learned from Mama Elizabeth that being truthful and honest was the best way to live his life. And look where he was now. He had told the truth, and he had only rigged the hoist because the country kept stealing his parts and he needed to finish the job.
He hadn’t had a visitor for some time. Was he going to rot in this room? They wouldn’t keep him here forever, would they? No, that only happened to political prisoners or maybe people nobody would miss. They were making a point with him—that was all. China was a global nation; they couldn’t afford to treat an American businessman too badly.
His thoughts were mostly of Gini as the time went on. He’d lost count of the number of days he’d been there. He’d hoped that Luca had broken the news to her gently and reassured her not to worry. He was getting a bit panicked that he’d never see her again, hold her in his arms or kiss her soft, plump lips. How he longed for her. What a great mistake he had made starting his own company, out of greed, really, wanting more money for himself. And where had it gotten him? In detention with no communication with anyone.
There was a lot of debate on the health-care bill for children. Items and terms were added and then taken away. Gini and Catherine were continually in conversations with politicians, doctors, and hospitals. Gini always looked forward to any time she could spend in Florida. Rosa was like a Mother Hubbard, making sure she was comfortable and well-fed. Kat was constantly reminding her she was fat, but in a funny, caring way, and Val was so happy for both her and Ric. He had become very affectionate, loving her like a daughter.
Ric and Gini together told Maria and Victor about the pregnancy and that Gini had filed for a divorce. They were happy for them and wanted only the best for Ric and his new family.
Ric and Gini decided they would name their children Jason and Jennifer.
It was September. Gini and Catherine were guests on a popular Boston talk show. Ric was waiting for her in the wings. Gini had fully blossomed out in front.
At the break, the show host called to the producer. “Let’s get Santini out here.”
“He hasn’t been in makeup.”
Ric looked up from his computer.
“We need him out here. Everyone wants to know about him and Ms. Anderson. Besides, he doesn’t need makeup. Look at him!”
Gini looked at Catherine and blushed.
“Okay, Mr. Santini, please.”
Ric walked onto the set and was placed between Gini and Catherine.
They were back on the air.
“As you can see, Mr. Riccardo Santini has joined us. We’re all dying to hear about you two. Are there wedding bells in your future?”
“Someday,” Ric said.
“Right now, we are just preparing for our children,” Gini said, looking at Ric with a big smile.
“Are you taking time off?”
“Yes. My boss,” she looked at Catherine, “has given me a few weeks off.”
“And where will you live, Florida, Washington, DC, or here?”
“We’ll split between Florida and Boston,” Ric answered.
“We are thrilled for you both. Please, come on the show to announce your wedding.”
A few weeks later, the door opened to Franco’s room, and Luca and two other men rushed in.
“Come on,” Luca demanded. “Let’s get out of here before they change their minds.”
They all rushed out of the room to a black car with a US insignia on the door.
Luca told him the ambassador had cleared them all to leave the country. The Chinese government had fined the company a hefty fine but decided there had been no criminal act, only neglect. Luca had all the company’s important papers in a pouch in the car. Once they were on the plane heading to South Korea, he gave Franco an envelope.
“The last time I was in New York City, I was given this to you from your wife. She said it was important, so I thought you would want to see it right away.”
Franco had tried several times to call Gini and let her know he was on his way, but each time the call was cut off before it went through; his phone must have been blocked. He decided to surprise her by knocking at their door. He took a deep breath and smiled. His wife, he was finally going to get to see her. He opened the envelope and saw the divorce papers.
That Saturday, Ric and Gini were cleaning up the breakfast dishes. She was carrying the last of the plates from the dining room table. He was rinsing and putting them in the dishwasher. The landline rang at the same time the front door opened.
Franco rushed in, furious. “Gini, what are these divorce papers?”
“Mr. Santini,” Howard announced on the phone to Ric. “Mr. Legotti is on his way up.”
“Franco!” Gini said, her rounded belly prominently visible in front of her.
“Oh my gosh, babe, you’re pregnant.” Franco’s voice immediately changed to a caring tone. “Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?” He walked toward her, putting the envelope with the papers on the breakfast bar.
“Franco, no, these are not your children.”
“Children, there’s more than one? You used our embryos.” He stood in front of her with his hands on her shoulders.
“No, Franco, please,” she sobbed. “No.” She collapsed to her knees.
Ric ran from the kitchen and knelt next to her. “Enough! You need to leave.”
“Ric? What are you doing here?” Then he realized what he was seeing. “You and my wife? What’s going on?”
“Gini’s pregnant with my children,” Ric said, looking Franco squarely in the eye.
There was a split second where nobody moved, then Franco stepped back, his hand jabbing out and his voice rising. “I know those are my kids, and you will not steal them or her.”
“No, no, no,” Gini was hysterically crying. He had wanted a family for so long. What if they were his children? She cried harder. Could she take them from him? Franco could be the father; Ric could be the father. What a horrible mess she had made of all their lives. She should never have cheated on her husband.
Ric took the plates from her and set them on the floor. “Franco, this is not the time. Please leave. Can’t you see you’re upsetting her?”
&nbs
p; “I can tell you one thing: there will be no divorce. I know those babies are mine; I demand a paternity test.” He turned and walked to the door, then faced them again. “Santini, I would have never guessed you’d steal my wife. You were supposed to be a good guy. I can’t goddamn believe it. You haven’t seen the last of me.” He slammed the door behind him as he left.
He swiftly walked through the lobby, not acknowledging Howard’s comment. How could she? he thought. His fists were clenched. Ric, his best friend ever. Who could you trust in this world? I thought she loved me. The stab of pain was unbearable, and he found his thoughts turning back to anger, back to Ric. He’s not going to get away with stealing my wife. He probably thinks because he’s some big-shot lawyer at a fancy firm he can scare me with legal papers, but I’ve learned a few things myself over the past years. I’m not going to be taken again! That son of a bitch is not going to take my wife or my kids. If things have to get rough, so be it.
When he got back to his car, he yelled and cursed and cried like a baby. How could she disgrace him like this? He was crushed and felt powerless. All that time in prison, so lonely and scared, he’d dreamed of her… of her love and kisses—of starting anew—and all the time she was sleeping with another man, planning a life with him. It was a double betrayal, the classic wife-and-best-friend, the worst, the sort of thing you see in movies. How could it happen to him? He couldn’t take it in. It felt like the shock was too big for his system.
And Gini pregnant. The pain rolled over him like a killing wave, and again, he turned to anger. Neither would get away with it. They would pay.
He was going to check into a hotel and then make his plan to do whatever needed to be done to get Ric out of his house and Gini back in his life. But sitting in the car at a stoplight, in a confused state, he decided to go home to New York City. He needed time to think.
“Sweets, come on. You need to calm down.”
“They’re not his babies.” The saliva was pouring from her mouth, and she was shaking. She bent down toward the floor.
“Gini, it’s okay. Please, stop crying; I won’t let anything happen to you or the babies. Please, stop crying.”
He helped her up and took her to the couch. She lay in his arms. Her sobs slowly lessened to a whimper. He caressed her and held her tight. Having never seen anyone so upset, he feared for her and the babies’ health.
After a while, she stopped crying. He continued to smooth her hair.
“Ric.”
“Yes.”
“I slept with Franco in San Francisco. I did.” She let out a cry. “I’m married to him.” That was her justification.
He closed his eyes and put his head back. He figured they had been intimate, but that was a long time ago. It never crossed his mind that the babies could be Franco’s.
“I’m sorry, Ric. I should have told you.”
“Shh.” He pulled her close to him and put his face close to hers. “We’ll figure this out. Please, just calm down.”
She eventually fell asleep.
Ric called Dr. Nelson to tell her of his concern since Gini had cried so hard.
“Franco is here,” he said.
“I know. I got a call from him demanding a paternity test. I told him he would just have to wait until they are born.”
She told him to watch Gini; she would probably be all right, but Ric should call her if they needed anything.
Franco had given Linda an earful about what good friends he and Ric had been in the past, like brothers. And how disappointed he was in both Ric and Gini. She was used to patients’ emotions—parents who didn’t agree on what to do about a fetus with deformities or were afraid of multiple births, even pregnant women who found out they had cancer and had to choose between treatment and their babies… she was used to talking through those tough issues with people, but this was a new one. She shook her head. She felt for Franco but hoped the babies were Ric’s. Custody battles were agonizing.
A few hours had passed. Ric sat on the couch thinking, then paced the room. He felt like a schoolboy who had been caught in a criminal act. He loved Gini with all his heart and had never thought what it would do to Franco when she asked for a divorce. Had deliberately not thought about it, he admitted to himself. Had hoped somehow Franco didn’t care that much—that his absences meant his feelings were fading… No, he knew better. He just hadn’t wanted to imagine it.
Now he did. He thought of himself in Franco’s shoes. How devastated he would be. He should have been a man a long time ago and talked to Franco about his love for Gini. They had both thought there was time… time to be sure (though he’d been sure right away), time to settle into their love and make plans. But nature doesn’t care about plans, he thought. In any case, the damage was done and now they would all have to work through what seemed to be an impossible task.
Gini’s phone on the breakfast bar rang. She was still sleeping soundly in the bedroom. The caller ID showed Franco.
“Hello,” Ric answered.
There was silence. Franco thought about hanging up, but he wanted to speak to his wife.
“Ric, I want to talk to Gini.”
“You really upset her. I was afraid she was going to hurt the babies or herself. She’s sleeping, and I’m not going to wake her.”
“How could you, Ric? How could you be with my wife? I thought we had more respect for each other. I thought we were friends.”
“Franco, I’m sorry you’re hurt. I know that sounds like a lie, or not enough, but it’s the plain truth. I don’t want you in pain. What happened was that I was lonely, and Gini was lonely. You shouldn’t have left her alone for so long. I promise you, neither of us intended to fall in love.”
“So it’s my fault. She… is… my… wife. And where is yours, where’s Margarita?”
“We divorced a couple of years ago. I don’t think there’s a right place to put blame.”
“You’re free, so you steal my wife.” Franco was furious. “The blame is on you! I blame you, Santini. You stole your best friend’s wife. I hope you can live with yourself. Gini will be mine and back with me as soon as I figure this all out. Believe me, I’m going to make your life miserable.” He hung up and threw his phone hard at the bed.
Surprising himself, Ric wasn’t sorry anymore. Not after that phone call. It wasn’t about him and what he had done wrong—it was about Gini. Franco’s jealousy, however understandable it might be, made him dangerous to Gini. Ric’s only concern was for her. He would protect her from Franco if he had to. He wasn’t afraid of him—never had been. He had just always wanted there to be peace.
The next week there were several conversations about who had fathered the babies. Gini was so concerned and constantly upset. She wanted to find out now, and she couldn’t bear it that attempting to do that was far too dangerous—trying to get a tissue sample could cause a miscarriage.
“Sweets, this is the last time we are going to talk about this,” Ric said. “As far as I’m concerned, those are my kids. It doesn’t matter who the birth father is. I love you, and I love them. We’ll deal with Franco if we have to now, or wait until after they are born. But now you need to clear your pretty head and stop worrying. I love you, and I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
In the morning, Gini was still lying down. Ric knelt down next to the bed.
“I’m out of here. Sorry, I can’t go for a walk with you this morning. Why don’t you just rest today?”
“No.” She pulled herself up into a sitting position. “I need to walk, and I want to do it before it gets too hot.”
He handed her a small bottle of orange juice. “You know I’ll just be across the Parkway in the Two International building. I can see the Towers from there.”
“I know. I’ll be fine. I’ll probably just walk to the garden and back.”
He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek and put his hand on her bulging belly. “Take good care of the kids.”
Just then an elbow or a knee rose up
under Gini’s skin. “Ow,” she said with a giggle in her voice. “Man, that hurts! Say goodbye to Daddy and calm down.”
He kissed her tummy and rubbed until the fetal limb moved back away from the skin.
“I’ll text you when I start my walk.” She took his hand and kissed it. “I love you. Have a good day.”
He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. “I love you too. See you probably late afternoon.”
“Okay.” She slid back down to a horizontal position.
Ric was meeting with the architects for the new resort in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. He was working with a great team, and everyone seemed on board with all of Ric and Val’s ideas. The plans were drawn up and then Ric reviewed them with Val.
Ric hoped he and Gini could go to Florida one more time before Dr. Nelson told her no more air travel. However, he knew her added weight and size were making Gini miserable. It was up to her if she wanted to travel to Florida again before the babies came.
Just getting out of bed and dressing wore her out. It was especially hard to put on her walking shoes. The chore was much easier when Ric was there to put the tennies on her feet and tie them. She didn’t mind, though. She was excited about raising their son and daughter together. Her moods shifted back and forth, but today she was certain the babies were Ric’s. They just had to wait a little longer, then it would all be fine. Once Franco knew the babies weren’t his, they would be divorced, and she and Ric would live happily ever after as a family of four— maybe more. Gini smiled as she rubbed the sweat off her forehead. She needed to eat and walk before the temperature got any higher.
She picked up her PET. There was a text from Catherine:
Call me when you can, Mama.
Gini touched the call icon.
Catherine was cheerful. “How’s the little mother doing today?”
“I’m good. I’m not all that little, though. I can’t believe how big I’m getting. It seems every day I spread out more and more.” Gini rubbed on the large roundness, like a basketball sticking out in front of her. “What’s up?”
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