After our brief conversation, I headed back to my table. I sat there watching the boy with Mina and as he ran off to join the other little kids. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my mother looking at me. I turned to her.
"Mom?"
"Hmm?" She answered.
"What is Chloe’s son’s name?" I looked at her intently.
"Uh...Tony. Why dear?" I shook my head.
"How old is he?" I asked while keeping my eyes locked on Anthony.
"He’s about the same age as Lin, three and a half or so," she answered nonchalantly.
I went silent, the wheels in my head spinning at maximum overdrive.
Elaine
I watched Leo as he approached Chloe. I would be a horrible mother if I didn’t realize how he still felt about her. She was the one that would always come first in his heart. For so many years I watched the bad timing in their relationship; her being so young, his marriage, her marriage, his divorce, and then her pregnancy.
When Tony was a year old I started to notice familiarity in his features; the eyes, the hair. However, looking at Leo standing there while Chloe held Tony in her arms I would be a fool not to recognize my son’s traits in that boy. I had to bite the side of my mouth so that I didn’t gasp at the table.
Leo returned to the table, but his attention was captured by the boy. I wondered if he saw what I now saw plain as day. When he began to question me about the boy I figured that he was connecting things, but he didn’t say or do anything else. He just went silent and said nothing else. Once I had Mina alone, I turned to her.
"Is Tony Leo’s son?" Mina’s head snapped around so quickly I thought she may have whiplash.
"W-what?" She stuttered. A clear sign that I was probably correct.
"I’m right, aren’t I?" I gasped. "Mina how could you keep this–"
"Mom, look, I don’t know anything for sure. Honestly. I asked her the same thing and she didn’t answer the question." I watched her sigh heavily and squeeze her eyes closed before continuing. "I had my suspicions, but it’s not my story to tell or even gossip about. Not when I don’t know the entire story."
"I won’t say a thing, for now. But I will talk to Chloe about this soon." I turned and walked out of the restroom. I returned to the table, keeping my mouth shut, but I couldn’t help but look at Tony with complete adoration.
Chloe
After another week of zombie behavior, I took a deep breath and pulled my ass out of bed. I walked aimlessly around the house feeling how cold it really felt. I entered Dom’s home office and sat in his chair for almost an hour, staring into nothing.
"That’s it, Chloe! Enough!"
I didn’t care that I was speaking to myself out loud, I needed to snap out of the state I was in. I showered, got dressed and headed downstairs to where Mrs. J was feeding Anthony lunch. Both of them greeted me with a warm smile and Mrs. J looked a little surprised at my appearance.
After a cup of coffee, I decided that I needed to do a few things. I walked around the house again and this time decided that I couldn’t live here, not without Dom. It was that moment that I started to make a lot of decisions. I sat down at Dom’s desk making a list of tasks that I wanted to accomplish.
Three hours later, Mrs. Jones came into the office with a tray of food. I smiled at her warmly and she left the room. My cell phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Mrs. Fiorello?" A deep voice asked.
"Yes," I answered hesitantly.
"Ma’am, my name is Angelo Botticelli. I am a senior member of the Botticelli Law Firm here in Seattle." I stayed silent. "We represent your late husband," he clarified. "I would like for you to come to our office tomorrow morning to go over Mr. Fiorello’s Last Will and Testament. His family’s presence has already been requested as well."
"Um…sure. What time tomorrow, Mr. Botticelli?"
"Nine?"
"Okay, I will see you at nine tomorrow morning. Thank you." We hung up.
I hadn’t even thought about the legalities involved with Dom’s money and estate. I had signed a pre-nup before our wedding and I surely didn’t expect too much from his will.
The next morning, I dropped Tony off at Roni’s and headed to the law firm. Once I arrived, I was shown into a room with a large oval table. Dom’s family was already seated. His mother and father were both smiling at me as I sat down. Aron was also in attendance which surprised me.
"Thank you all for coming," Angelo spoke loudly from the head of the table. "Today we will be discussing the last wishes of Mr. Fiorello." I felt the tears start to form in the corners of my eyes. I took a deep breath and sat quietly, listening to everything Angelo had to say.
The meeting had ended and I was in shock. Dom left his parents his Italian assets, a large sum of money for their foundation, and his mother’s jewelry that he was holding. Aron had been granted forty nine percent of the record label and I gained fifty one percent. I had gasped, but Aron quickly grabbed my hand and squeezed. The house, cars, and Seattle assets were mine, along with fifty percent of his net worth. This was roughly six million dollars. The remaining money was to be split between charities and foundations of his choice.
Three weeks following the reading of Dom’s will, I decided to contact a realtor to sell the mansion. I couldn’t take living there any longer. I also started looking for another home in or around Seattle.
As for the record label, I let Aron run it for the most part. He kept me very involved in the decision making. I was surprised at how much I had learned during the short period of time I had been married to Dom.
It was five weeks after the will reading that Tony got sick. At first, I simply watched over him. When his fever spiked to a hundred and four, I called the doctor. The doctor saw him that day and prescribed antibiotics along with pain and fever reducer.
Two weeks later, he was still having problems. The fever was gone but now he was complaining about pain when he went to the bathroom. The doctor ran some tests and found kidney stones. He prescribed Anthony medication to help pass them through his system, yet, he continued to develop stones and urinary tract infections.
After a month of treatments, the doctor finally sat me down to ask me more detailed questions about my medical history and his father’s medical history. We discussed everything I knew, which wasn’t much on his father’s side, and he bluntly laid it all out there on the table.
"Mrs. Fiorello, you will need to contact the biological father if possible. We need that medical history. I am admitting your son to the hospital to keep him under watch for kidney failure." All the breath left my body as shock settled in.
My poor little baby. Tears streamed down my face.
"I suggest that you, as well as other family members, get tested. We need to find a blood match, possibly even an organ match, just in case. I am going to run a few more labs on him but it would be best to be prepared for the worst. Not that it will be the worst. We only want to be prepared for anything. Do you understand?" I nodded, tears still pouring out.
I talked about every detail with the doctor for over an hour before I went to be with Tony in his room. He looked so helpless and worn out, it made my heart ache. I curled up in bed with him until he fell asleep. Mrs. Jones came to stay with him so I could make a visit that needed to be made; a visit that was years past due.
I pulled up to Elaine and Robert’s house and took three deep breaths before I got the courage to walk to the door. It opened before I could knock.
"I was wondering how long you would sit out there," Elaine said with a smirk, a little bit of acid in her voice. I sucked it up and walked in when she motioned me to enter. "So, are you finally here to tell me about my grandson?"
My eyes were bulging out of my head.
"Yes, I’ve had it truly figured out since the funeral when I saw Leo and Tony close to each other." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Honestly, Chloe, what the hell were you thinking? Passing Leo’s son off as Domenico’s? It not fair to anyone; Do
menico, Leo and, especially, Tony!" I saw the anger in her face. I broke down. I knew that I deserved this and much, much more.
"Elaine, I am so sorry for everything that I have caused. I thought that I was doing what was best…but I realize that I was selfish and–"
"SELFISH? Oh, you were much more than selfish, Chloe! I can’t believe that you, of all people, would have done this. I don’t know who you are." She stared me down and I steadied myself.
"I deserve all of this and more, but I am here because I need to know about your medical history. Mainly kidney problems." Elaine’s face changed to worry.
"What’s wrong?" She gasped out.
"Tony has been sick for a month and it may be his kidneys…" she cut me off, screaming for Robert.
Robert appeared a moment later at the top of the steps. Once he reached the bottom, Elaine began to tell him everything that she knew up until this point. Robert didn’t look shocked, so I figured that they’d already talked about Anthony.
"What are the symptoms?" Robert turned to me, completely serious.
I went through everything, starting with when he began to get ill. I told him all of his symptoms, the testing, and medications he was put on. Finally ending with what the doctor had told me.
"I am going to drive up to Seattle Grace tonight to lend my assistance." I looked at him gratefully. "Chloe, we have a history of PKD, Polycystic Kidney Disease, in my family. I had to have a kidney transplant when I was about Tony’s age."
I know that all of the fear, dread and pain I was feeling showed clearly on my face. Robert wrapped an arm around me.
"It will be okay. Your doctor is right, everyone needs to be tested for a donor match, including your family."
I sniffed a few times, "Kenneth and Judith are already at the hospital." I wiped the tears from my face.
Before I could say another word, Elaine spoke up.
"Chloe, I don’t know if I can ever forgive you for what you have done to Leo and this family," I dropped my head.
"I understand," I choked out.
"But, I will be a part of my grandchild’s life from here on out," she said sternly.
"Elaine…" Robert tried to intervene.
"No, Robert, she knows, or she at least will know, exactly what she has caused," Elaine turned on her heels and headed up stairs.
"Dear, I am sorry that this all has come down to this situation." Robert rubbed the back of his head. "I know it wasn’t your intention, but I think that it’s going to be rough for a while." I nodded in understanding.
"I am so sorry, Robert. I truly am. It’s all I can say." I turned for the door. "Oh, and thank you."
With that, I left.
I pulled out my phone and called the one person who was going to hate me for the remainder of my life. He answered on the third ring.
"Chloe?" His voice almost made me swerve off the road. I was terrified.
"Leo, I need to talk to you." I took a deep breath. "Are you available?"
"Now?" He asked, clearly confused. "What’s wrong, Chloe?"
"Not over the phone," I choked out.
"Okay…how about we meet this evening after I leave the office? Did you want to go to dinner to–"
"No, just come to my house this evening. Please?" I stuttered.
"Okay," he answered hesitantly.
After we hung up, the hours seemed to drag endlessly. I paced, cried, and even screamed at myself in the bathroom mirror. I tried to mentally prepare for what I was about to do tonight. I knew that Elaine’s reaction would pale in comparison to Leo. He was going to be irate, at the very least.
He arrived at seven. I answered the door and led him to the dining room where we sat at the table.
"Chloe, what’s going on?" Confusion was plastered on his face.
I stood and started to pace, sitting close to him was distracting and right now I needed all of my wits.
"Please, tell me what is going on?"
"First, I want to say that I am so, so, so sorry. I truly am…I thought that I was making the right decisions, but I….I realized that I have just been a selfish bitch." The tears started again and I saw Leo shift to stand up. "Please, don’t," I put a hand up. Leo frowned, "Trust me…in about three minutes you won’t want to be anywhere near me."
"You are starting to really scare me. I don’t see how you could make me not want–"
"Tony is your son," I spit out quickly and then covered my mouth as a reflex. At that moment I felt fear, panic, and a little relief.
"W-what? Tony is…." I saw Leo’s face turn white as a ghost, completely expressionless.
"Yes," I confirmed. "But that’s not all–"
"Wha…"
"He is in the hospital with kidney problems and I need you to get tested to see if you are a match to him, everyone is being tested," I dropped my head, staring at the floor.
"I…he…Tony…" When I looked up to his face again, I watched as it went from expressionless white to full red with fury. I flinched before he even spoke.
"HOW COULD YOU?" He screamed. I stood across the room from him saying nothing and crying. "You kept my child, my son, away from me for over three years?"
I nodded.
"You selfish bitch!" His words were like shards of glass cutting through me.
"I am so sorry—"
"Save your bullshit for someone who will believe it, Chloe," he shouted. "You let Domenico think—"
"He knew."
"What? He knew Tony was my son and he pretended—"
"He didn’t know that it was you, though I think he was suspicious, just that Tony wasn’t his. I tried to tell him but he refused to hear—"
"You tried to tell him! What about me, Chloe?" Leo stood from the chair and crossed the room quickly, hands clenched at his sides.
I took a step back.
"I – I can only say that I am sorry and never meant–"
"You never meant for what? Never meant to keep him from me? Or you never meant for me to find out?" I flinched from the harshness of his voice – a harshness I deserved. "Where is my son?"
"Seattle," I took in a large breath before I finished. "Your father and mother left this morning to—"
"They knew!" His face a mixture of hurt and fury.
"They only found out this morning when I went to see them," I sobbed.
"I’ll call my father on the way to the hospital." That was the last thing he said to me before he left the house, slamming every door along the way. Falling to my knees, I sobbed myself to sleep on the couch. I woke around midnight and immediately left for the hospital with some packed bags.
Leo
I cannot believe her! I was terrified that something was wrong with the way she sounded on the phone but I never expected her to tell me that she has hidden my son from me for three years.
"FUCK!" I screamed into the dark emptiness of my car as I drove well above the speed limit toward the hospital.
I can’t believe that she did this. Who does she think she is? How do you not tell a person that they have a son? How?
It was in that moment that I remembered her trying to contact me after the night in the tree house.
Maybe she would have told me if I had answered the call or even called her back. Maybe it would have even built a bridge of communication for her to have told me when she found out. This is not my fault, it’s hers. She could've tried harder, called again. Though, I probably wouldn't have answered. I didn't want to be rejected so she could go back to her fucking husband she met at my engagement party. Fuck!
I rushed into the hospital and quickly got directions to the children’s floor. Once off the elevator, I saw my mother, Kenneth, Judith, Christy, and Mina lying around the waiting room. Mina caught sight of me first and moved quickly.
"Leo?" I knew that the fury I still held was evident. Her eyes widened. "She told you…about Tony," she gasped.
"You knew?" I shouted and a nurse shushed me.
"Leo, I didn’t know, but I suspected. I
even tried to ask Chloe about it, but she wouldn’t–"
"You are no better than she is!" I stepped around her, leaving her crying by the elevators.
"Leo…please calm down, it won’t do any–"
"Kenneth, I don’t want to be disrespectful to you, so please do not tell me to calm down," I shot at him and he looked at me with pity and understanding.
"Sweetheart," Elaine wrapped her arms around me and I felt her body shake with sobs. "I am so sorry and please don’t be too hard on Mina. She was just as confused."
"I’ll deal with Mina later, where is Tony?" My mother showed me to his room and I walked up to his bed, truly staring into the face of my son for the first time.
Chloe
When I got to the hospital everyone was sleeping in the waiting area. I headed straight to Tony’s room. Once I entered, I found Leo sleeping in a chair next to his bed. I lightly placed the bags down and started to quietly unpack some of Anthony’s things into the built in dresser/closet at the far side of his room.
I sighed as I watched them both sleep. They had so many similarities. The slack jaw when they slept, the way their brow would crease while they dreamt. I knew that Leo hated me, that it would take everything in him to just be civil with me solely for Tony’s sake.
I met with the doctor who stated that the results from the donor tests were complete. Leo was his donor match. They had a rare blood type. He went on to explain that he would have more test results later this afternoon regarding Tony’s condition and the treatment plan.
Grabbing some coffee from the lounge area of the hospital, I felt his presence behind me.
"You will hear from my attorney," he spat before he walked out. I headed back to Anthony’s room as I wiped tears from my face and curled up next to him.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Legalities and Time
All Grown Up Page 24