A Life Unplanned (26 page)

Chapter 31 – Code Pink

I didn't think anyone was surprised, when Maylene got a separate hotel room for herself. We were all a little sick to our stomachs from watching Roger with that woman and knowing she had been just a girl, a trapped, abused girl no less, and he had taken advantage of her. Her desperation was clear, and her actions were almost understandable…almost. There were so many other ways she could have handled things, but she had chosen wrong, and Trent had paid for it.

When it came time to leave Boston and head back to Texas, Roger stayed behind. I was pretty sure he and Maylene were getting divorced. I didn't think anyone could blame her after watching him with Sabrina.

If there had been any doubt that Mr. Hamilton had been behind all the lawsuits, it was gone after that day in the mental hospital. It was only hours later that all of the lawsuits and charges were dropped against Trent. Brian planned to have Kelly find connections between it all and use the paper trail to file a suit against Mr. Hamilton for damages. I didn't think they'd have any trouble doing that.

I did ask that Trent have Brian wait until after Mr. Hamilton had gone after Sabrina's father. I think we all wanted that man to pay, and it was her husband's place to foot the bill for it, especially since he was loaded, and we weren't.

Finally back home, the time had come to address the suit against Dr. Mathias Harding. We sat in front of the medical review board, and it was strange being the one accusing as opposed to being on the side of the accused. Trent had been innocent, but Mathias was not. Dr. Coust had gone the extra mile for us and had gotten in good with his nurses. He had mistreated the nurses he had worked with, and she found one who would testify against him.

Kelly had also been working on that case as well. It was sad to hear that fifteen other cases had been brought to the board's attention, only to have them all be dismissed, because of the lack of medical knowledge of the accusers. In other words, Mathias had been able to smooth talk the board, insisting the families were just distraught and looking for a scapegoat.

In the end, I was thankful I had forgotten to change doctors, so Trent was able to testify against him and really make a difference, as did Dr. Coust, who had come in early to check on me and had witnessed some of Mathias' behavior herself. It was because of me that two medical professionals had observed his neglect and endangerment, making them credible witnesses.

We weren't pushing for financial restitution, but to get his license revoked. I think that was what really surprised the board. We wanted no compensation; we just wanted to stop Mathias from hurting anyone else.

The nurse who testified on our behalf had also been present for two of his other cases. She had never been brought before the board, when they had reviewed Mathias in the past. Mathias held his own with a charming smile, but he had lost his shine in the board's eyes, and Brian not only cross-examined the nurse and asked about my case, but previous cases that Trent and she had reviewed and found that Mathias had been negligent.

Ultimately, Mathias didn't have a chance. He was ruined as a doctor. I think the most shocking thing about the whole mess was his reaction. Once his license was revoked, he just rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever." I could only guess that it hadn't really sunk in.

There was an older woman in the back of the room who stood up abruptly. She was glaring hard at the board members and seemed to be waiting for everyone to leave. I saw Kelly pause, but I didn't know what she was doing, until she rushed us out to her van. She flipped a switch and turned on a screen. We could see the underside of a bench in the room we had just left.

"Beverly, there was just too much evidence this time. There were three medical professionals present."

"Your son's an idiot. He's careless and reckless. His bad practicing isn't our fault," another voice said.

"No, but your lack of funding will be yours. Reinstate Mathias' license immediately or I'm pulling my donations from the eight hospitals and clinics I support on his behalf. How well do you think Waco residence will survive, when you have to downsize and possibly close several medical care facilities?"

"Your son has nearly killed people with his carelessness and permanently damaged others! We've overlooked it in the past because of the funding, but we can't this time. Do you really think those people won't keep tabs on your son?"

"I did NOT raise a loser! He will not be a worthless bastard like his father. You will re-instate him now!"

Trent was out of the van and running back into the building. I stuck my head out and called to him, but he told me to just wait where I was, as he pressed his phone to his ear.

It was pretty obvious what was going on, and I wasn't sure how Trent was going to affect the outcome.

We could hear the door slam open as he entered, and I was shocked to hear him say the words, "Thanks, Dad."

"Dr. Carrington, what brings you back and in such a rush?" one of them asked.

"I just got off the phone with my father. He's decided he wants to make a sizable donation to eight of your medical facilities."

"Donations from the families of doctors can be-"

"Oh, can it, Greg. Just because the last time donations were accepted in such a way turned out badly, doesn't mean they will this time. Dr. Carrington is an excellent doctor. His abilities have never been called into question, and from what I understand, you were able to track down the source of harassment and stop it for good, correct?" someone asked Trent.

"Yes, Ma'am, I was able to do that, and there'll be no more false accusation brought against me."

"That's great to hear, Dr. Carrington. It looks like our hospitals will be falling under a deficit shortly, so any way your father could help would be greatly appreciated."

"So you've made your choice?" Mathias' mother snapped.

"There was never a choice to make. It was done the moment you threatened us, Beverly. I believe it's time for you to go, or do I have to call security to escort you out?"

Reality sank in, as Trent returned to us. He had just made another very rich enemy. I looked at Kelly and Brian, hoping they already had a plan of attack. "You're going to stop her before she can do anything to him, right?"

"Already on it," Kelly said with a smile. She had her laptop open and was shooting out a profile to some people. I could only assume it was her employees.

When Trent made it back to the van, I punched him in the shoulder. "You just pissed off another rich person," I scolded.

His smile fell a little. "I couldn't let them reinstate Mathias."

"So what did you tell your father to get him to agree to the donations?"

"Nothing yet, but he owes me."

Roger was a bit of a sore spot. No one talked about him, but since he had been gone so much before, I didn't think anyone really missed him, other than Maylene. I think she had it the hardest of all. She was alone in her big house, with no one coming home to her.

Trent cleared things up with the hospital in Livingston, and we finally made the official move to his little house. He was happy to be back, especially since the bitch who had been sexually harassing him there was finally gone.

I hadn't found a job yet, and Trent mentioned offhandedly that I could stay home with the kids if I wanted. It was tempting, but I didn't want to be dependent on him. I didn't want my world to revolve around him any more than it already did.

Maylene called and asked if I'd like to visit with her. She was going to be baking bread and thought it'd be fun for me to help. I'd made bread with my mom before and thought it'd be fun for little Tyler to knead a loaf.

Maylene might have been depressed and stressed, but she was still Maylene. We were elbow deep in dough, when she finally asked the question I was sure she and my mother were dying to know the answer to. "Have you and Trent talked at all about marriage?"

I shrugged. We hadn't really discussed it. He'd asked me, but I'd told him a crazy man was getting out of jail. What I should have said was maybe or yes…I think I would have said yes.

"Clara?" she asked, noticing I was distracted.

"He asked me." I figured honesty was the best policy, and Trent hadn't brought up his proposal since that night. He might not have really meant it for all I knew.

"I didn't see a ring. Are you not ready yet?" she asked delicately.

"Um…no, I just didn't answer him. It was the night we found out Hamilton wasn't going to be charged with kidnapping. Trent took off, and that was the end of it. He hasn't mentioned it since."

"Do you want him to mention it?"

"Maybe he's not ready. He's been through a lot. We all have. I don't want him to feel pressured."

"So you'd say yes," she said with a wide grin.

I shrugged, blushing.

"Well, being ready to say yes is half the battle now, isn't it? When he asks you again, do you think you'll be ready to say yes then?"

"Probably, hopefully another stupid life event won't interfere with it," I grumbled.

"How about we practice? I'll play Trent, and you be you. Clara, my love, you are a ray of sunlight in my dark life, will you marry me?"

She had done her best to imitate Trent's voice. She was a horrible actress, and it was hilarious.

I decided to ham it up for her in return. "Oh, Trent, I'd love nothing more than to be your wife. You are my sunrise, and I want to spend the rest of my days birthing your babies and baking you pies."

"Excellent, I love apple. So, when's the date?" Trent asked from behind me. I nearly jumped out of my skin, and the kids all screamed excitedly for their daddy.

Tyler jumped into his arms, and Katie was squealing at him from her bouncer. He went over and picked her up, before he came over to me, holding both of our kids. "So, we got the birthing thing down, how about that pie and a wedding date?" he asked a little too seriously.

Maylene shocked me by passing me a recipe card for apple pie. I looked down at it and started laughing. "Did you guys set this up?"

"No, I'd mentioned you were coming over to help bake bread, and if he had a chance, he should come for lunch," Maylene confessed.

"Well, you have to propose with a ring if you want a pie."

He set Tyler down and used his now-free hand to cup my cheek and kissed my lips. Tyler groaned and called us gross. When Trent stepped back, he pulled a ring box out of his pocket. "I've been carrying this thing around for a while now. Any chance I can talk you into wearing it and being my wife?"

I took the box from him and opened it. The ring was beautiful. "Do I really have to make you pie?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I can live without it. Though I think I might want you to birth a couple more of my babies," he said the last part with a bit of southern twang, like I had used when I'd played with Maylene.

I reached up and pulled him down for another kiss. "You got yourself a deal."

We heard a squeal, and Maylene excitedly shouted into her phone, "Code pink, Karen, we have a code pink! The wedding is on! He just asked her right here in the kitchen! It was so cute. I wish I'd videoed it."

Trent and I burst out laughing, and he slipped the ring on my finger. We were done kneading dough for the day, anyways.

Now that it was done, and I had said yes, I knew it was the right answer and would be the best decision of my life.

Chapter 32 – A Lot Can Happen in a Year

It took some time, but Kelly nailed Beverly Harding, Mathias's mother, with tax fraud and bribery. She also dug up more dirt on the board, as well as looking into other medical cases that had been dismissed. When further research had been done, they found Mathias had really done only minimal damage. Thankfully, nothing permanent had happened to any of his patients, and no one had actually died from his negligence. I could only speculate that was why the board had let him get away with practicing for so long. Needless to say, the board was fired, and the hospital insurance paid out the nose to the families who had been hurt.

I would have thought Mathias would have been out for revenge, so I was nervous, when we bumped into him and a red-headed woman at a caterer's event for a tasting. Trent actually pulled me behind him, ready to protect me. Mathias, on the other hand, wore a big smile. "Trent, good to see you. This is my girl, Nicole. Nicki, this is Dr. Carrington. He's the one who got my medical license revoked."

We were confused, when she smiled so widely we thought her face would bust. "Oh, my gosh! Thank you so much! We're so glad he was finally able to get out of that profession. He's wanted to be an artist all his life, but his mother wouldn't let him. She wouldn't release his trust fund and said he couldn't have it until he was married with kids. She was sure they'd make him responsible. That and she wanted to get rid of me. I can't have kids," Nicki said frowning.

"She's always hated me, because I encouraged Mathias to do what made him happy, and now that she's locked up and out of the way, Mathias is the only one who's allowed to manage the family finances. He can finally paint, and we're getting married!"

"Uh…that's nice. Were there any repercussions from the previous medical malpractice suits? We heard those were looked into again," Trent asked. I was hoping Mathias hadn't gotten off scot free.

"Yeah, but it's reasonable. I was fined and sentenced to three years in jail, but I was released early for good behavior. My lawyer was able to cut me a deal, I'll be on parole for the next six years, and I'm not allowed to practice medicine, but that's never going to be an issue. I finally get to be with my girl," he said smiling and kissed Nicki.

I was confused, but grateful they didn't hold a grudge. Maybe it made me vindictive, but I didn't like that he had gotten a happy ending. Of course, at this point, there was nothing we could do about it.

We wished them good luck and left. We walked a little ways down the sidewalk toward the car, and I stopped before I got in. "Did he really just get away with everything?" I asked Trent.

"Kelly said he did serve six months in jail, so that's something. It couldn't have been pleasant. I'm just glad he's not practicing medicine anymore. That was our main goal."

"I guess you're right."

We headed to Maylene's house to let her know what we had finally decided on. She had gone with me before for a tasting, but Trent insisted he help pick out the cake. I didn't mind. I was a little surprised at how into the wedding planning he was. My parents were down every weekend, going over wedding stuff. Well, my mother was, my dad was a sweetheart and helped with things around the house. He'd always been a handy guy, and I think having my parents around kept Maylene's mind off of Roger.

She seemed happy. She never spoke about him, and I think there was some sort of unwritten rule that no one should speak of him. Trevor and Trent were pissed at him. I didn't know if Roger had ever tried to contact either of them. If he had, I hadn't heard anything about it.

I was a little surprised to see Roger, Aunt Katherine and Emily's names on the seating chart. Trent and I had picked out the invitations, but Maylene and my mother were the ones who addressed them. I was worried about how Trent would react, when he saw his father had been invited.

He had been called in to deliver a baby, so he hadn't seen it. I was half tempted to hide the dang thing and ask our mothers what the hell they were thinking.

We were having dinner at Maylene's, so I knew Trent would show up and see the board any minute. My dad had taken Tyler fishing, and Katie was napping, when he walked in. I was thankful Tyler wasn't in the house to hear the choice words that left Trent's mouth.

"I assumed you wanted your little sister to attend, and she can't attend without a guardian," Maylene defended.

"We thought she could be a flower girl," my mother started to explain.

"Flower girl? You think that kid should be a flower girl?" Trent shouted. I was surprised by how he felt about Emily. He had been so quiet and reserved, when she'd stayed with us.

"You know she couldn't help the circumstances she was born into," Maylene started.

"What the fuck, Mom? How can you even stand to look at them? I'm so disgusted with dad, I don't want anything to do with him or that kid," he snapped.

Maylene looked at me wide-eyed. I just shrugged. I didn't have a problem with Emily, but I wasn't going to go against Trent.

"The invitations have been sent. Emily was the only one who answered the RSVP."

"What do you mean Emily was the only one?" Trent asked.

"Karen thought it'd be best to send them three separate invitations, that way we wouldn't be surprised by them just showing up."

"I thought you'd want Emily there. I didn't realize you harbored such harsh feelings toward your little sister, Trent," my mother added.

"Stop calling her my little sister," he snapped.

"Do you mind if we leave the kids here and go home to talk?" I asked Maylene.

"No, I think that's a good idea," Maylene said with a grimace, but hugged me. "Be patient with him," she whispered in my ear.

We drove home in silence, but Trent exploded when we walked through the front door. "What the hell was she thinking? My mom is insane to think I'd be okay with him coming. Did you know that they've been talking? He swears up and down he never told Sabrina that he loved her, and he didn't know how young she was until after they were involved. That fuck-up keeps making excuses, and I'm afraid she's gonna buy them. He swears it was all for show, but that bastard makes me sick. Now he wants me to accept his love child. Fuck, Clara, I can't look at her without thinking of him and Sabrina in that room!"

"I'm sorry," I said, because I really didn't know what else to say.

"Do you know how badly he fucked up my life? How he ruined it, and he almost ruined things with you? What if you hadn't wanted a second kid? What if you'd never found me, and I'd never met Tyler? I wouldn't have a family. I wouldn't have you."

"But you do, you have me, Tyler and little Katie," I said pulling him into my arms. "You went through hell these past few years, but that's all in the past. We're on to the good stuff, so good in fact that I'm even willing to make you apple pie on occasion."

He smiled down at me, kissing my lips. "Yeah, you'd make me pie?"

I nodded yes.

"What if I want a different dessert?" he asked changing the mood.

"Sound's very good to me."

After a good relaxing release, I carefully broached the subject of Emily again. I knew she desperately wanted a family. I had to go to bat for the little girl.

"What if she came alone?" I just put it out there. I knew he'd know who I was talking about.

He looked at me with his brow furrowed.

"We need a flower girl. Katie is walking now, but she isn't coordinated enough to carry a basket. Emily could maybe help her down the aisle, if you could handle her being there. I know it'd mean a lot to her."

"You want her there?"

I shrugged. "She's a sweet kid, Trent. Even if you don't love her, I know she loves you, so…"

He closed his eyes and rubbed his face. That was his "I'm considering it" move, so I stayed silent, letting him mull it over.

After an extended silence, he finally asked, "Who would she stay with?"

"If you don't want her here, we'll find a place for her, Trent. You don't have to see her more than absolutely necessary, if that's what you want."

He sat up and shook his head. "Fuck, you make me sound like a jackass, Clara. I know she's just a kid." He got up and started pacing like he did when he was thinking and pissed off. I sat quietly, waiting for him to work through things. "Damn it!" he shouted and rubbed his face and tugged on his hair. That was a sure sign I'd get an answer out of him soon. "Fuck it, fine. It's not her fault. She can stay with us. Now get in the shower, I want you up against the wall."

"Yes, Sir," I said with a little salute and happily obliged.

When we finally made it to Maylene's to pick up the kids, there was an apple pie waiting for Trent. She looked nervous, when he walked into the kitchen, and she moved it to the island he was standing next to and scooted it towards him, so he'd know it was her peace offering.

"He's agreed to let Emily come and stay with us while she's here, alone," I emphasized. "We think it'd be a good idea for her to help Katie walk down the aisle as a flower girl."

Maylene let out a relieved breath.

My mom had been spying from the doorway, and she stepped in when she heard the news.

"That's great. I'll get her dress size, and we'll set it up. I'm sure she'll be thrilled." I knew my mom would handle things if Maylene didn't want to. I knew my parents would be happy to pick up Emily from the airport and bring her down if needed.

Trent just grabbed a fork and walked away with the pie. It was obvious he wasn't sharing. I called him a piggy and smacked his butt. He gave me a smile and a forkful of pie before he left the room. I didn't expect him to share, and he knew it. Of course, as soon as Katie saw daddy was there and he had pie, he 
had
 to share. She was a daddy's girl and was just too cute when she asked for a, "Bite, please," in her little baby talk. A little bit of time with Katie was all Trent needed to get cheered up. The sweet girl demanded his attention and insisted he smile, giving him sticky-cheeked kisses and choking neck hugs until he did.

She had grown so much. I couldn't believe she was fifteen months old already. Trent and I hadn't spoken much about having another baby. I think we were both in silent agreement that we would be married first. The wedding was less than a month away. I wasn't sure how to broach the subject. I had sort of ended up being a stay-at-home mom by default. I wasn't able to find a job in the tiny town, and Trent reminded me more than once that he was happy to take care of us.

It bugged me at first, but we somehow fell into a relaxing routine, and I found I was happy. I trusted Trent in so many other ways, it just made sense to trust him to take care of us financially. I knew it was an odd concept for him to grasp, but I'd always been independent. Letting go of that was a little scary. Crazily enough, once I accepted it, I felt relieved. I was happy, we were happy.

Two days before the wedding, Emily flew into Waco with Roger. He rented a car and drove down. Against everyone's wishes, except for Maylene's, he stayed at his old house. I didn't know where he was sleeping. When Trent brought it up, Maylene said it was still Roger's house, too, and they were still married, even if they were separated.

It was frustrating when Trent picked fights with his mother over Roger. She didn't need any more crap on her plate than she was already dealing with. If anything, she needed our support, and I let Trent know that.

The night before the wedding, there was a bridal shower at Maylene's home, and we were having a slumber party afterward. The bridge club showed up and gave me way more sexual advice than anyone could need, especially when they discussed taking knitting needles to bed as a form of birth control. Thankfully, Roger had taken Emily and the rest of the kids out for the evening, so they wouldn't be subjected to dirty old women and their strategies of keeping a man in line. Vera encouraged bad cooking when you were upset with your man as punishment. June, on the other hand, suggested putting a bug in his trousers, if I could handle touching them. Thelma was sure using excessive starch in his shorts was enough to make any man break. I didn't have the heart to tell them that Trent did a lot of the cooking, and if he wanted something ironed, he did it himself. I did enjoy their advice, though. They were a hilarious bunch.

Maylene called Roger when the shower was over and the guests were gone. He came home looking haggard, but happy. He had taken all three of his grandkids out. I was worried at first, but he insisted with Emily's help they'd be fine. It did look like they had survived the night, and Emily was glowing with joy.

He carried in Charlotte, who was asleep on his shoulder. Meredith sat back and watched him with her daughter, not sure what to say or do. We were both in the same boat. We had very angry men we wanted to respect, but we didn't want our kids to suffer for it.

Roger hadn't been around much before the whole mess had gone down, so the kids weren't particularly attached to him, and his absence from my daughter's life was very obvious, since she didn't want to go to him. She did favor Emily, though, and that was who was holding her little sleeping body when they came in. Tyler was carrying the diaper bag hitched up on his scrunched-up shoulder. "I'm a big helper," he announced, as they came in and then went right into the story of what they had done that evening.