by Pizzi, Jenna
Richard and Rochelle arrived within the hour. Richard stood at the doorway and watched his daughter with her head buried in Rebecca’s shoulder. She slowly raised her head and looked at her father. Her mocha skin was blotchy and swollen from crying. She ran to her father and threw her arms around him. Rochelle walked over to the other side of her and hugged her. Rebecca’s heart ached. If something were to happen to Tasha, the three of them, Richard, Rochelle, and Ashlee would be a family. Ethan sat beside her and grasped her hand. He didn’t say a word. He just sat and held her hand. Richard walked over to them and nodded politely to Ethan. He turned his attention to Rebecca.
“Have they said anything yet?”
“No,” she replied. “It feels like it’s been forever.”
“I’ll go and talk to someone. I am her healthcare proxy, so they should talk to me.” He looked back at Rebecca and Ethan. “I just thought I’d let you know that Adam called Jack. He’s on his way here.”
Rebecca’s hand tensed up. Ethan grabbed hold even tighter. He knew that she was suddenly uncomfortable with their situation, but he wasn’t going to let her go.
Waiting for Richard to return with any news felt like an eternity in the small waiting room. Jack came rushing through the lounge door and the first thing he noticed was Rochelle cradling Ashlee in her arms. He patted Ashlee’s back and looked over toward Rebecca. His eyes instantly locked with Ethan’s and Rebecca tensed up again. He walked over to her and Ethan refused to let go of her hand. Jack looked at their hands and had a look of contempt on his face.
“I came as soon as Adam called. I didn’t want you to be alone, but I see that you aren’t.” He faced Ethan and extended his hand. “I’m Jack, her husband.”
“Ex-husband, Jack,” Rebecca interrupted.
He looked at her with a pained look upon his face.
“Ex-husband, and you are?”
Ethan didn’t hesitate, he stood up and took Jack’s hand in a firm grasp.
“I am Ethan.”
Jack smiled and looked back at Rebecca.
“He seems a little young, don’t you think? You are trying to punish me, aren’t you?”
“Now is not the time or the place, Jack. We are here because of Tasha, not us,” Rebecca snapped at him. He understood that if he pushed the issue, he would only be driving the wedge between them even further. He also noticed that Ethan had no intentions of leaving so he had to gather his composure. He took the seat on the other side of Rebecca and began tapping his foot impatiently on the carpeted floor.
Ethan made sure he kept hold of Rebecca’s hand. He knew this was a huge step for Rebecca, and he wanted her to stand tall. He also wanted to know that he meant more to her than a rebound.
Another hour passed and there was still no word. Richard was still in the ER with Tasha, but no updates had come back yet.
Rebecca stood up to stretch her legs. She paced around the room. She counted the flowers painted on the wall. She had gotten to three hundred when she began coughing because her throat was dry. Ethan offered to go to the cafeteria to get her a drink. He gently squeezed her shoulder and headed down.
As soon as Ethan walked away, Jack jumped right in for the kill.
“Seriously, Becky, what the hell is that all about? Are you just trying to tear out my heart or what?”
Rebecca looked in his direction.
“Jack, for once it’s not about you. We are here for Tasha. Don’t try to make this about you and me.”
He got into her face.
“Is this why you didn’t want me to stay? Did you run straight to him as soon as I left?”
“I’m not doing this now.”
Ashlee and Rochelle looked over at them wondering what was going on. Jack threw his hands up
“I don’t really care who hears, Rebecca. I love you. I told you I’m seeking help. I told you that I’m trying to work through my grief so that we can find our way back to one another.”
Rebecca moved away from Jack. She wanted Ethan to hurry back.
Jack continued, “Am I imagining things or were you not kissing me back earlier? I mean, please forgive me if I am wrong here, you kissed me back.” He took a step closer to her. “What could you possibly see in a guy like that? He’s a pretty boy. He’s not your type.”
She was getting angry and was about to lay into him when the waiting room doors opened and Richard stepped through.
He walked over to his daughter and she clung to him.
“She’ll be alright. She developed a staph infection. It happens sometimes when you spend extended amounts of time with open wounds in a hospital. She’s on I.V. antibiotics and they’ll keep her monitored.
Ethan then entered the room and stood behind Richard so he wouldn’t interrupt him.
“They suggested we all go home and get some rest. She’ll pretty much be asleep until tomorrow anyway.”
Ashlee looked up at him and with droopy eyes said, “I want to go home with you, Daddy.”
He kissed the top of her head.
“Alright, sweetheart.” Rochelle wrapped her arm around Ashlee and led her to the door. Richard approached Rebecca and gave her a hug.
“I’ll be in touch, but Ashlee can stay with us as long as she’d like. I’ll call you when they release Tasha, they aren’t recommending visitors until the infection clears up, so you don’t have to worry about hanging around.”
“I don’t want to just leave her here alone, Richard.”
“She’s not alone. I can be here, but there is no point in worrying about you getting sick, too. We’ll make her arrangements when she’s well enough.”
Rebecca reluctantly agreed. She was exhausted and just wanted to get home. She said goodnight to Rochelle and then hugged Ashlee. She watched them make their way through the glass doors and into the parking lot. She turned and hesitated looking at both Ethan and Jack. Ethan then walked forward and handed her the bottle of water he purchased.
“Let me drive you home.”
Jack stepped forward.
“Where is your car?”
Rebecca closed her eyes.
“I drove here with Ethan, so I’ll drive home with Ethan. Good night, Jack.”
She accepted the water bottle and Ethan put his arm behind her back. Jack took a deep breath.
“I’ll be by in the morning to pick up Adam for the day. He wanted to come and hang out in the garage. Do you want me to bring a coffee for you?”
Rebecca just waved goodbye without answering. She didn’t want to play his jealousy game. She just wanted to leave. The glass doors opened and she stepped through. Jack watched as Ethan walked out the door with his arm around his wife. He sat back down in the chair and buried his face in his hands.
Ethan pulled into her driveway and put the car in park. The night was nearly over, and she noticed the faintest traces of light just beginning to show in the horizon.
“This isn’t exactly what I thought our first sunrise would consist of,” Ethan said to her with a teasing tone to lighten the mood.
She tried to crack a smile, but she didn’t have it in her.
“Well, hopefully we’ll have many more in our future,” he continued.
She turned in her seat and looked at Ethan.
“Ethan, I care for you deeply. I just think that this is all moving too fast.”
“Does this have to do with Jack?” He asked her with a hint of aggravation in his voice.
“A little…maybe…no, I just have so much going on right now.”
“You realize what you’re doing right now, don’t you? You’re trying to push me away again.”
“Ethan, I…” she began.
“No, I don’t want or need to hear it. I told you tonight that I love you. I don’t take it back, Becca. I don’t know what’s going on with Jack, or not going on, but I think you need to figure it out for yourself. I overheard your conversation with him in the lounge. You apparently have some conflicted feelings. If you were kissing him, then why is it my
door that you came knocking on? I am not just someone to help you get back at your ex. I have very real feelings invested in this. You need to figure out who you want. I am going out of town until the opening of my gallery. I will give you until then, it will give you time to figure out if you can accept a new love, or if you are going to fall back for an old one.”
“Ethan…” She was surprised by his comment.
“No, Becca, you have some major hang ups and I don’t know if it’s just you or the fact that your ex-husband is very much still in love with you. If you choose him, it will hurt, but I’ll let you go. I just want you to figure it out once and for all because only having a part of you is not enough for me anymore, I want all or nothing.”
“So that’s it? You are just going away and I’m not supposed to think anything about it? Don’t I get a say in this?” she asked him.
“You can tell me right now that you love me and want me to stay?”
“Ethan…”
“That is exactly what I am talking about. Goodbye, Rebecca. I have to go.”
She reluctantly opened her car door and stepped out, watching as he backed out of the driveway.
Riley pulled open the door and ran out into her mother’s arms.
“Oh, Mom, I love you.”
Rebecca pulled her close.
“I love you, too, baby.”
They walked into the house arm in arm. They walked past the living room where Adam was curled up on the sofa. Becca pulled a blanket over him. In her room, she kicked off the shorts and tank top she had been wearing. She slipped on a pair of cotton shorts and a t-shirt when Riley knocked on the door.
Rebecca turned toward her and asked, “What’s the matter, sweetie?”
Riley clung onto a fleece blanket and looked at her mother.
“Can I sleep with you, Mom?”
It had been a really long time since her daughter had asked to sleep in her bed. She smiled and nodded. Riley bound for the bed and curled up on her side to face her mother. Rebecca crawled under the sheet and smiled at her.
“It’s been a long time, huh?”
“I know, Mom. You know I love you. Even if we argue, I love you.”
Rebecca smiled at her beautiful daughter.
“I know, kiddo. It’s all part of growing up.”
“Don’t ever get sick on me, alright, Mom? I don’t think I could handle it.” Riley began to tear up.
“Oh, sweetie, I’m not going anywhere. I’m not sick and I promise I’ll take the best care that I can. You know Aunt Tasha didn’t plan on getting sick. It’s just a fluky thing. No one could have predicted it. That’s the scary thing about the type of cancer she is fighting, it’s hard to detect.”
“Then how do you know?” Riley asked her.
Rebecca swept a strand of her dark hair from Riley’s face.
“I’ll do the best I can. It’s all I can promise you.”
Riley’s eye began to get heavy, and they finally closed. Rebecca lay staring at her sleeping daughter. Sleep eluded her. She knew there was no point, but she stared out at the brightening daylight out her window. She thought about Ethan and she thought about Jack. Ethan was right, she was wondering if it would be easier to step back into her old patterns instead of diving head first into something new. She cared deeply for Ethan. No one had ever physically and emotionally made her feel the way he did, but she was scared. She was afraid of making him feel trapped. He was such a free spirit, and she wasn’t.
She gave up on sleep and decided to take a long, hot shower. She got out and put on a pink sundress. The weatherman predicted that temperatures would hit over 100 degrees, and she could already feel the heat trying to penetrate through her central air conditioning system.
A car pulled up in the driveway. She looked at the clock and noticed that it was seven and knew it was Jack. Adam was already banging around in the kitchen, but Riley was still curled up on her bed.
Becca opened the door and Jack’s demeanor was happy and relaxed. He walked past her and into the kitchen carrying a box of doughnuts and a tray with coffee and coolatas from Dunkin Donuts. Adam perked up when he saw his father.
“Dad, hi.” He ran to his side.
“Morning bud, I got you a mango coolata. Where is your sister? I got her a strawberry one.”
“Thanks, Dad. I’ll go and wake her up.” He grabbed his coolata and ran for the staircase.
Jack placed the goodies on the counter and looked at Rebecca.
“You look beautiful today.” He handed her a coffee. “So I’m taking today off and I thought we could go out in the boat. I know I’ve been promising Adam, so I thought we could all go.”
Adam came charging through the kitchen door.
“Yeah, totally, we’ll go. Right, Mom?” he stated with enthusiasm.
Rebecca looked at her son and took a deep breath.
“I think you should take the kids with you, Jack. I’m going to wait to hear about Tasha, and I still need to call Emily and tell her what happened, so go ahead and take the kids.”
Adam stomped his foot.
“No, Mom. Dad said all of us. Don’t ruin this, Mom.”
“Adam, don’t speak to your mother that way,” Jack said firmly.
“No! She’s the one who told you to move out. She’s the one who told you that you can’t come home. It’s all of her fault.” He looked at her with a hint of hatred behind his eyes. “Why do you keep doing this, Mom? Dad is trying to make things better; you are the one who is stopping it.”
He stomped back out of the room, and then a moment later, his bedroom door slammed shut.
“Thank you, Jack. Now he hates me when it should be you.” She began walking out of the room. Jack grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
“Then come today, Becky. Show him that we don’t hate each other. I’ll have a talk with him, I promise, but come out on the boat. Let’s give this to him. No matter what happens between the two of us, we have the kids in the middle of it.”
“You are fighting dirty, Jack. You knew damn well that he would hear you, and you knew how he’d react if I said no. I can’t believe that you’d stoop this low.” She pulled her arm out of his grasp. “I am going to check on my son.” She stormed off and left Jack standing there proud of his small victory. He knew he’d have to play his cards right, but he’d win her back.
Rebecca knocked on Adam’s door.
“Go away!” he yelled out.
Rebecca opened the door anyway and stepped in. Adam rolled on his side and threw a pillow over his head.
“What part of go away don’t you get?” He snapped at her.
“Don’t talk to me like that, Adam. I’m your mother.” She walked over and sat on the end of the bed. “I think we should talk,” she told him.
“What for?” he snapped
“Because you seem to think I’m out to get you when I’m not.”
“Then why are you being so hard on Dad?” he sat up slowly and curled his legs up to his chest.
“Your dad hurt me, Adam. He chose another woman over me.”
“But that’s over now. He knows he was wrong, and he knows he made a mistake.”
“Sweetie, we had a lot of problems before all of that.”
“No, we were fine until Brian died. That was my fault. I was the one playing with him.”
Rebecca quickly grabbed hold of her son.
“Don’t ever think that, Adam. It was a horrible accident. It was no one’s fault.”
“But if he hadn’t died, then Dad would still be here, so it’s my fault.”
She grabbed him even tighter.
“No. It is not your fault. You had nothing to do with what happened. It was just time for him to go back to heaven. What is happening between your dad and me has nothing to do with you, Riley, or Brian. Sometimes people just stop loving one another.”
“Will you stop loving me?” Tears streamed down his face.
“I would never stop loving you.”
“The
n why did you stop loving Dad? He still loves you. Is this because you are dating someone else?”
“How do you know that?” she asked him.
“I heard Riley and Ashlee talking. They said you have been dating someone other than Dad. I also heard Dad talking at his shop. He’s sad, too. I don’t want you dating anyone. I won’t ever like him.”
“That’s not fair, Adam. You are not a little kid anymore. You’ll be eleven soon, and you are old enough to understand that sometimes families break up.”
He threw a transformer across the room and it shattered into pieces.
“That’s just it, Mom, we don’t have to be broken up. Dad wants to come home. It’s you who is stopping it.”
“Adam, stop this right now.” Jack stood in the doorway.
Adam collapsed on the floor and cried.
“I’m sorry. I just want us all to go out on the boat.”
Rebecca shook her head.
“Why is it so important, Adam?”
“It just is,” he answered.
Rebecca closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“I don’t know if this is the right thing or not, but I’ll go just for today, but Adam you need to understand that you cannot act like this anymore. What is going on between your father and me is between your father and me.”
Adam jumped to his feet and hugged his mother.
“Thanks, Mom.”
Rebecca called Emily on her cell. She looked at the clock and realized that she was headed to the store. Rebecca told her about the events of last night and that Tasha had been admitted to the local hospital.
“Why the hell didn’t you call me last night? I can’t believe you’d wait until now,” Emily snapped at her.
“Everything happened so fast. I knew I’d call you if it was something life-threatening, but you have small children.”
“Don’t give me that crap, I love her, too. I know you have a longer history with her, but that doesn’t give you the right to disregard me like that. I’m hurt.”
“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I thought I was doing you a favor. I apologize. Richard is going to call later; they aren’t allowing visitors until she isn’t contagious anymore. There is nothing that we can do.”
“Fine. I get how you could be distracted, but promise me that you will never leave me out again.”