“I know you do, sweetie. And I want that too. But your dad’s sick.”
She pulled the battered car into the small parking lot. She edged it into an empty space. She turned the ignition key to still the grinding motor. She looked at him in the rear view mirror. The back seat was awash with discarded toys and fast food bags.
“He’s sick?” Billy seemed confused.
“Yes, he’s very, very sick.”
Sunny unfastened her seat belt. She got out of the car and looked around. There seemed to be no immediate threat, so she opened his door. He popped open the lock on his seat belt. He scrambled off his booster seat. They stood looking at each other on the hot gummy surface of the asphalt parking lot. Sunny took his hand and began leading him to the entrance. Their steps stirred the creosote smell of the scorching tar beneath their feet. Waves of heat shimmered over the cars parked in the small enclosed space. Sunny found it very hard to catch her breath.
Opening the door of the hospice building was a relief. A rush of cool air enveloped them both as she hustled the child inside. She walked up to the reception desk. The Hispanic lady answering phones smiled a greeting.
“How can I help you?” she asked.
“We’re here to see Lorenzo Morales,” Sunny said.
“Are you a relative?” The woman’s professional demeanor hardened slightly.
“I’ve brought his son to meet him.” Sunny nodded her head down toward Billy.
The receptionist frowned. “Lo’s got a son? Are you sure? According to our records Mr. Morales has no relatives. At least not in this country.”
“Yes, I’m very sure,” Sunny said.
“Let me go ask if he wants to see you. And I’ll need you to sign a few waivers and releases for the boy to go back. Children typically aren’t allowed in the rooms. We’ve got a very strict policy about visitation. Especially for our acute patients.” The woman hurried away.
Within a matter of minutes, the waiting room was crowded with nurses and attendants. It seemed they all wanted to meet Lorenzo Morales’s son. Some were Hispanic. A few were black. The tallest one was a blonde man. All of them eyed her like she was an alien species come to exploit the earth and massacre all of mankind.
Sunny was glad to see the receptionist bustling back. Behind her was a woman in medical scrubs. She had the look of a doctor. Serious demeanor and practicality combined to construct a façade of ultimate confidence.
“This is Dr. Worth,” the receptionist introduced the woman.
“Hello, I’ve been told you’re here to see Mr. Morales. And that you’ve brought his son?” she smiled down at Billy.
“Yes,” Sunny said. “I’ve been looking for Lo for several years. I was finally able to find him on the internet.”
“You’re the child’s mother?” the doctor inquired.
“Adoptive mother. His birth mother is dead. My name’s Sunny Murphy.”
“And Mr. Morales can vouch for what you’re telling me?”
Sunny shook her head. “No, I’m afraid we’ve never met. But if you tell him I’ve got a letter for him from Willow, I think he’ll want to see us.”
“Willow?” The doctor cocked her head.
“Billy’s birth mother,” the girl answered.
“May I have the letter?” the doctor asked. “I’m sure Lorenzo would like to read it.”
Sunny nodded. She fished around in her huge old bag. Finding the dog-eared envelope, she handed it to the other woman.
Dr. Worth smiled. “I’ll take this to him and be back in a minute.” She walked back down the florescent lit corridor and disappeared.
“You don’t look like Lo,” commented one of the Hispanic ladies with her eyes trained on Billy. She was short, round, and had hair the color of a blackbird’s wing.
“Yeah, you’re too white,” said another with a speculative gleam in her eye.
“We all think a great deal of Lo. We wouldn’t like it if this is some kind of scam.” The blonde man’s words were venomous. His face wasn’t much better.
“How does a catholic holy man come to have an anglo kid?” the first one mused aloud.
“He’s a priest?” Sunny was stunned. She’d only been able to access Dallas public records. Lo had been listed as a parolee. It had taken her a long time to get up the courage to google his address. When the hospice had shown up as his place of residence, she’d quit her research.
“You don’t know Lo very well, if you don’t even know he’s really Brother Lo,” the man mocked. “I knew this was a scam. You know how gun-shy the church is these days. This woman is clearly here to accuse Lo of something and get part of the Vatican’s settlement.”
“No, no I would never do anything like that. I just want him to get to meet his son. I do need his help, but it’s got nothing to do with money. I swear to you,” Sunny pleaded with them.
“I say we call the police,” one of the nurses mumbled.
“No please, I’m telling the truth,” she begged.
“I don’t think so, lady. What are the odds that poor Lo would have two visitors in one day, after three years of having no visitors at all?” hissed the man. His words were so quiet, only the staff nearest him heard them.
“He has visitors. One of the Sisters of Mercy comes to see him every Saturday, just like clockwork,” another argued.
“That’s just a benevolence chore. None of those ladies ever claimed to be Lo’s family.”
“I didn’t think he had any family.”
“He doesn’t. At least none in this country. He has a sister in Ecuador who’s too poor to make the trip to see him, I think,” said the male nurse.
“Excuse me,” Billy interrupted them all. “I hafta go to the toilet.”
“Oh, I’m sorry sweetie,” Sunny said as she knelt down to hug him. “I forgot all about that. Can you show us the bathroom please?”
She looked beseechingly at the crowd as they all moved closer. Before any one of them could answer, Doctor Worth was back. There was a shimmer of tears in her solemn eyes.
“Thank goodness you got here when you did. Brother Morales is very close to the end of his journey. He says your arrival is an answer to his most heartfelt prayer. Come with me please.”
“Sunny, I gotta go,” Billy whined. It was obvious he was in distress.
“The restroom is on the way. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where it is,” the doctor said.
Together, they waited patiently for Billy to use the facilities. Standing in the cool hall, Sunny turned to Dr. Worth. “Is Brother Morales up to seeing us?” She needed the man’s help. But she didn’t want to spur his demise.
“Lo is dying. All our clients are. But he’s been fading faster this last week. He’s had a tiring day. So you’ll need to make allowances for his condition.”
“His condition?”
“Yes, he’s dying from untreated Hepatitis C. He has liver cancer. He ignored his symptoms for years. He became very devout as an inmate. He was an unofficial prison chaplain. His faith has inspired many. The local cathedral supports him as a pious volunteer. But now, there’s just not much we can do to help him. The damage to his body is significant. It’s a miracle he’s survived this long.”
“Is he contagious? Will Billy be in any danger?” Sunny asked concerned.
“No, his illness is only transferred to others by blood exchange,” she said in a quiet voice. “I’m going to ask for you to be kind to him. His life has been one of much hardship and pain, though he’s deserved none of it. So please, please, no accusations or drama.”
“No, of course not.” Sunny nodded. “I’m just trying to keep a promise to a friend. And get his help with a custody issue.”
The doctor frowned. “I don’t think Lo will be able to do much for you. He’s barely conscious. He’s drifting in and out. He may not even be able to speak to you. But he definitely wants to see the child.”
As she was speaking, Billy came out of the restroom. Sunny took his hand. Togethe
r, they followed Dr. Worth further down the hall. She stopped at the closed door.
“Here’s his room. Let me go in and make sure he’s ready to see you.” She disappeared inside.
“Sunny, I‘m scared,” the little boy said with a quaver in his voice.
“It’s Ok Billy. There’s nothing to be scared of. Your daddy’s just real sick. And this is like the hospital.”
“It smells funny,” he whispered.
“I know sweetie, but there’s really nothing to be worried about. This is something your mother wanted us to do.”
Doctor Worth came back out. She left the door open. Inside the dim room, Sunny could see the outline of a hospital bed. There was a frail figure lying there.
“Please come in,” the doctor invited.
With no small amount of trepidation, Sunny led her son into the antiseptic space. She immediately became aware of the bump and hiss of medical machines. The thin man in the bed was connected to a vast array of equipment. The lights on the machines flickered. The sporadic beeps of one of the monitors told her the man she had driven halfway across the country to meet was very close to death.
“I’ll leave you to your conversation. Please make it brief. I’ll be back to see you out.” The sensitive doctor melted from sight.
Sunny swallowed hard. She took a firm, comforting grip on Billy’s hand. Together, they moved closer to the bed.
“He… hello,” she began. “I’m Sunny Murphy. And this is William Lorenzo Murphy. He’s your son.”
The man in the bed gave an infinitesimal nod. Sunny supposed at one time he would have been considered very handsome. He had Billy’s beautiful olive skin and black eyes. The shape of his poor ravaged face was pointed and gaunt.
“Willow?” he rasped out on a long sigh.
Sunny shook her head. She felt the hot tears gathering in her eyes. “Willie’s gone. She died trying to save me. Birthing Billy was her last heroic act. She was my best friend. And she loved you very, very much. She was so sorry for what her mother did to you. And she regretted running away with her last breath. She wanted you to have the letter. And I… well, I wanted you to meet Billy.”
She couldn’t bring herself to ask him to sign the papers she had in her purse. They were a statement of intent. One she’d gotten from Judge Morris. He’d told her that if Billy’s biological father signed them, they would prove an almost iron-clad defense if JD took her to court for custody of the little boy. But seeing the broken man in the bed, she just couldn’t bring herself to ask for such a selfish favor. He could barely talk. How was he going to lift the hand, to sign anything, with IV’s taped to it in several places?
“Come?” he whispered, looking at Billy.
The boy seemed to lose all his fear in that moment. He went to the man. He struggled up to sit by his father’s side in the tilted bed.
“Are you my daddy?” the child asked.
“Yes,” the man said. An unearthly sweet smile settled upon his thin lips.
Sunny had to bite her lip and look away. She could see why Willow had loved this gentle, slight man.
“I been missing you a long time,” Billy, in his childish innocence, knew exactly what to say.
“Me too,” murmured Lo. “And I miss… your mama. Love her.”
“I love her too. Sunny and me go to see her all the time. She was a good person.”
“Yes, she was an angel.”
“I wish I could really meet her, though,” Billy said as he scratched the bridge of his nose.
“I’ll see her soon. I’ll tell her you love her,” the sick man promised.
“You’re going to Heaven, aren’t you?” Billy asked.
“Yes, soon.”
“I wish you could stay here. I’d like to have a daddy.”
To Sunny’s amazement, Lo found the strength to lift his hand. He tenderly cupped the little boy’s face. He struggled to find the breath to speak.
“You will. I’ll always be your dad. I love you, son.”
“I love you too.”
Sunny was so proud of the sincerity in the child’s voice. It seemed he truly did love this man whom he’d just met. But she was alarmed when the bedridden man’s eyes became stark and replete with resolve. The next words he managed to utter were directed at her.
“Keep… him… safe,” it was a dying man’s last gasp.
His eyes closed. His hand dropped back to the sheet. There was a low rattle from his throat. Then perfect stillness. The medical paraphernalia in the room began issuing soft insistent alarms. Dr. Worth hurried into the room. A nurse followed her. Another attendant ushered Sunny and Billy from the room. They stood shivering in the sudden cold of the narrow hallway. In a few minutes, the doctor came out. She had a sad look on her face.
“He’s gone?” Sunny asked. But she already knew the answer.
“Yes, poor man. Thank you for coming today. I’m sure you made his last moments positive.”
“Will there be a funeral?” Sunny asked. She felt she owed it to both Billy and her best friend Willow to attend.
The doctor nodded. She herded them towards the waiting room. “Yes, there will be a Mass. Lo wanted his body donated to a medical school. But there will be a Mass said for him tomorrow at the cathedral. Will you be there?”
“Of course. Billy and I will attend.”
“Good,” Dr. Worth nodded. “You can sit with me, if you’d like. Lo asked me to represent his family. It’s to be held at 1:30 at Our Lady of Dallas. I’ll see you there?”
“Yes, we’ll be there.”
Sunny privately wondered how she was going to afford a stay in a hotel. She’d barely brought enough money to buy gas and food for the trip. She’d avoided using her lone credit card. With his connections, it would be very easy for McIntyre to trace. But she’d have to use the card now. The debt would be crippling, before it was all over. Because now, without a final directive from Billy’s father, she knew she would need a lawyer to keep the boy. And those didn’t come cheap. The café was already mortgaged. What other source of income did she have? All those things were running through her feverish mind as she led Billy out into the sweltering Dallas midday heat.
“Let’s go find a nice motel,” she said as she made sure he buckled himself into his seat.
“We’re staying?” the child asked.
“Just for a day or two,” she replied. And it was a promise not only to him, but to herself. She had no desire to remain in Dallas, McIntyre’s base of operations, for any longer than necessary.
Sea Glass Towers
“There’s been a hit on her credit card, JD.” Matt looked up over the half lenses of his reading glasses at his boss. The brooding man sat at an austere modern desk facing a bank of floor to ceiling windows on the tenth floor of Sea Glass Towers.
“Where is she?” JD asked. He swirled a squat glass of amber liquor around in one hand. His ankles were crossed on the pristine desktop. His tie was loosed. The collar of his bespoke shirt gaped open. His hair was mussed. And he looked weary beyond redemption.
“You’re not going to believe this.” Matt whistled under his breath.
“Yeah, I will. I’ll believe anything you tell me. We’ve been at this for a day and a half. I’m ready for some concrete answers.”
“She’s in Dallas.”
“Son of a bitch,” Sam hooted from a sofa in the rich penthouse office. “You really know how to pick’um JD.”
“Shut up Sam,” JD growled. “Where in Dallas?” he asked as he dialed a number on his cell phone.
“It looks like she’s staying at some little no-name motel on the north side of the city. She checked in just a minute ago. A room for two, it says. So she’s got the kid with her.”
“Why Dallas?” Sam wanted to know.
“Maybe she plans to beg your mom for money?” Matt offered.
JD snorted his disdain. “She’d be better off coming to me. If she wants cash, I’d settle with her in a heartbeat. As long as I get part-time cus
tody of the boy and she agrees to a few simple concessions.”
“Yeah, Mother will verbally gut her and then call the police. The Murphy woman made a really bad decision, if that’s her game.” Sam chortled.
“About the custody issue…” Matt tried to speak. JD’s frown stopped him.
“I want the jet ready in twenty minutes. I’m heading back to Dallas,” he said into the phone.
JD got to his feet. He rolled his muscled shoulders. He gulped the last of his drink. “You two coming with me?” he asked them.
He didn’t wait to hear their answer. He walked out of the office. They caught up with him at the private elevator.
“What are you going to do?” Matt asked. He was a little afraid to hear JD’s answer. As a lawyer, he knew the man wasn’t going to have an easy time proving his claim to his nephew. But he also knew JD would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. The man was ruthless. One that not many would choose to cross.
“I’m going to get my nephew.”
“You can’t just waltz in there and kidnap the kid, JD.” Matt was afraid that was exactly what his employer planned to do.
“I didn’t say anything about kidnapping.”
“She’s not just going to roll over, play dead on command, and hand the boy over to you,” Sam said laconically. Very little ruffled the big man.
“I know that,” JD smirked. “Give me credit for a little more finesse.”
“I’ve never heard you being spoken of in the same sentence with the word finesse. It’s a novel experience,” Sam drawled. He loved goading his big brother.
“As your legal counsel, I must insist,” Matt began.
JD stopped him with single lethal stare. “Draw up the paperwork, Matt. And get a judge to validate it.”
“What… what are you talking about?” sputtered the smaller man.
“I’ll need something like a quit claim for Sunny to sign. An ironclad contract stating that she surrenders partial custody of the boy to me.”
“You’re out of your freaking mind. She’ll never sign something like that. And I don’t even know if it’d be legal if she did.” Matt was overcome with the air of ferocity he saw on his employer’s face. He’d known JD since college. They’d been frat brothers. But he’d never seem such an animal hunger on the man’s face. “This is about more than the boy, isn’t it?”
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