Claddagh and Chaos (12 page)

“I think I can help with that one,” Caleb announced. “Once Theresa found out Eileen was dead and Mia was in prison, she decided she could still cash in. She used the computer that Alex was issued to hack into our system and steal the video tape she used to trick the monitors. She’d planned to blackmail Patrick with pictures of the hidden panties. Christi just, unfortunately, chose the wrong day to clean the closet.”

I turned my attention to Caleb. “How do we know this was her plan?”

Caleb chuckled as he looked me directly in the eye. “Because, Tonto went back to her apartment with Angus and gave her some medication that caused little Theresa to be very truthful.”

“Where’s the bitch now?” I demanded.

“Right here, Boss,” Angus announced, as he shoved a bound and gagged Theresa through the den door.

Her hair was a matted mess and her eyes were black from her running makeup, but she was otherwise unharmed. My guys would never hurt a woman if they didn’t have to.

Theresa stumbled and then tripped on the rug. She landed on her side next to the coffee table.

“Sit her up and remove the gag,” I ordered. “I want to talk to her.”

Tonto put her in the chair and ripped the duct tape off her mouth. I took the chair from the desk and placed it directly in front of her. I said nothing to her as I locked eyes with her. I watched her as she sobbed and squirmed. She never said a word. No one said a word. The only noise in the room was the clicking of the grandfather clock in the hallway. The silence was interrupted by the dinging of all cell phones in the room. I ignored it and continued to stare at her.

She was the reason my life had been upended. She was the reason my wife was thinking I no longer wanted her. I twisted my wedding band as I continued to shoot daggers at her.

I continued to watch Theresa fall apart in the chair. She knew she was caught and she knew she would die soon, yet she said nothing. It only pissed me off further.

“My son was born today.” I chose my words carefully. “He’s the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.”

The tears increased and her entire body trembled. I so wished Christi could see this; could give her everything she deserved for the wrong she had done to this family.

“You took something from me that I’ll never get back.” Theresa began to shake her head back and forth. “My son was born early and my beautiful wife thinks I was unfaithful because of your lies.”

“I-I ...”

“Did I give you fucking permission to speak to me? You’ve opened your goddamn mouth too many times when it comes to me!” I shouted at her. Her body began to shake with fear as her sobs increased. “Get this piece of shit out of my sight!” I threw my phone at her.

“Patrick,” Ma’s soft voice spoke.

I turned and came face to face with nearly the entire family. Ammo stood in front of Muscles and a very pregnant Amex stood holding Sherman and Caleb’s hands. However, Smiles’s face was the one that caught my attention. “She never left my side when Abby was born.” I crossed the room and took Smiles into a tight hug. “It’s supposed to be a magical time, having your first baby.”

“Theresa took that from her,” I spoke into her ear.

“She took it from you as well,” Smiles responded.

“I know ... I know.”

“We’re going to get her back, get her to listen to reason,” Smiles assured me, stroking my face. “She may not listen to you, but she will listen to me.”

It was a little later when everyone left. I had found a chair on the patio that was quiet and alone. I sat out there for hours and thought about everything that had happened. I replayed the memories of meeting my Christi, falling madly in love with her, taking her to my bed for the first time, dancing with her, waking up with her, begging for her forgiveness ... watching my son being born.

I heard the patio door open and got a whiff of Ma’s perfume. I felt her warm hand on my shoulder as she walked around the chair.

“She believed a lie, Ma.”

“I know, sweetheart.”

“After all the times I’ve told her how much I love her, that I’d never be unfaithful, she still believed a fucking lie.”

Ma placed her warm hand on my knee. I knew her words of wisdom were about to make the hurt go away, just like she did when I was a little boy and fell and scraped my knees—if only it was that easy.

“You have a big choice to make. You can either dwell on the negative of this or you can rejoice in knowing she’s safe and he’s healthy.”

I knew she was right. Once Christi heard the truth, she would apologize and promise to make it up to me. I knew that wasn’t what I wanted.

“I need to see my son,” I spoke, as I rose from the chair and headed upstairs to shower.

Last night when Smiles had shared her plan, I could have kissed her. Actually, that was exactly what I did—it was her cheek—but I still kissed her in appreciation. The plan was simple. Christi wanted nothing to do with me or any male member of the family, but she could never refuse her sister, or mine, for that matter. Ammo would go along as the muscle in the situation. The ladies would enter her room, while I waited—not so patiently outside the door—listening for my cue to come in. With my back pressed to the same spot I found last night, I closed my eyes and prayed this plan would work.

“You know when you look into the store window of a pet shop and you see all of the cute and cuddly puppies playing with one another, then you take one home just to find out he pisses on the floor and chews up your best pair of heels?”

The girls entered the room a united front. I listened carefully as Ma stood beside me. I could just picture them standing with arms cross and glaring at Christi; somehow I knew she would be glowing sitting in that hospital room.

“I say we take the baby and leave his mom to wallow in the hole she’s dug for herself,” Amex suggested.

“No, Patrick would kill us for that. However, she’s going to owe us big after this.” Smiles said; her voice laden with attitude that only a sister, who was about to hand you your ass, could carry.

“Don’t you roll your eyes at me, Christi!” Smiles suddenly barked. I adjusted my position, struggling not to laugh.

I could hear their clicking of heels as they moved around the room, surely getting closer to Christi’s bed.

“Give my nephew to me,” Amex demanded.

“Oh, Sissy, what am I going to do with you?”

The sounds of sobs followed and I knew they were from my wife. I had to physically hold on to the wall to keep from dashing in there and holding her.

“Don’t worry; you’ve got us and we’ll help you fix this,” Ammo instructed. Her voice was muffled; she must have been hugging a crying Christi. I could hear Declan begin to fuss and I yearned to soothe him.

“Christi, I swear to God, I love you like no other, but this is beyond belief. If you hadn’t just given birth to the most beautiful baby, I’d totally kick your skinny ass.” Ammo spoke loud and clear. I made out the sounds of sniffles that I couldn’t assign, but assumed whom they belonged to.

“I knew the two of you would make beautiful babies, but he’s more perfect than I imagined. He looks exactly like Patrick,” Amex said, admiration in her voice.

The sounds of crying began again.

“Well, I’m certain he and Theresa will have plenty of beautiful ...”

Christi’s voice cut off, she was crying I was more than certain. It was killing me to stand here against this wall and do nothing.

“Oh, my fucking, God!” Ammo exclaimed.

“Allyson, watch your language,” Smiles corrected.

“Sorry, Declan, but get used to that word, your daddy invented it,” Ammo tossed.

“I cannot believe you just walked away from him like that.” Ammo was pissed. I’d seen her take on women who eyed up Muscles a time or two, broke a few noses in her early days.

“Oh, no you don’t! He left me. He chose that fucking bitch over his wife and baby!” Christi shot back.

“Are you serious? You honestly believe the word of that whore over your own husband’s?” It was my sister this time, asking the same question I had asked myself repeatedly the past two days.

“Ugh,”Christi moaned.

“Christi?” Smiles’s voice was full of concern.

“I’m all right,” Christi assured, her voice frail and weak.

“No, you’re not all right, Christi. You’ve lost your fucking mind if you think for one second he fucked Theresa.” Smiles was locked and loaded; Christi would have no choice but to listen. This was the plan we had discussed. I leaned back again, listening. I knew Smiles would use the sister card, Christi would have no defense against it.

“No, you sit and listen to me!” Smiles shouted. “I know you. You’ve always been the stronger one of the two of us. You’ve always told me not to put up with shit from anyone. But what you’ve done to that man, and that little boy, is beyond standing up for yourself.”

“Get out,” Christi spoke with vehemence. “Get your shit and get the fuck out!”

“Shut the fuck up, Christi! I’ll leave after you’ve listened to everything I have to say.”

“Patrick has done nothing but worship the motherfucking ground you walk on since the day he married you. How the fuck you can just toss him away on the word of a lying, backstabbing bitch, is beyond me?”

I could hear movement again. Smiles had taken a black bag into the room with her; it contained copies of everything we had against Theresa. The loud slamming of a hand against a table was followed by the rustling of papers ... then complete and tortuous silence.

I waited, breath held and a few Hail Marys silently recited in my head. This was it, either she looked at the evidence and tossed it out or she pulled her head out of her ass and believed us ... in us.

“Oh, my God! I divorced him over a lie.”

The room filled with laughter, my face contorted in confusion as to why they felt any of this was funny.

“Well, you nearly divorced him. Lucky for you, I’ve known McIntyre’s daughter for several years. She called me the second you called about filing the papers.”

“She never even filed the papers. But that’s the least of your worries,” Amex spoke.

“I need to call my da.” I was about to go into the room and put an end to all of this nonsense.

The slapping of skin halted me in my tracks. I didn’t know if they hit her or not, I just knew I needed to get in there and fast.

“No, you need to call your husband!” Smiles spoke, her voice angry again.

“Really, Shannon? Call the man who, as you three just reminded me, I’ve thrown away? Do you think he’s just going to waltz into this room and throw his arms around me and life will be the way it was before I confronted him?”

I could hear Declan beginning to fuss again, the rustle of blankets and then, “How do you know, Christi?” Ammo questioned.

“We all know what he’ll do, Allyson.”

“Listen, the last time I saw Patrick, he was pulling at his hair and trying to figure out how to get you to listen to him.”

It was time for ma to join them. With a kiss to my cheek, she entered the room. She would take in Christi’s condition and then give me the cue to enter.

“Good morning, my sweethearts. Oh, goodness, what is this?” she questioned.

“Hey, Ma,” Ammo spoke as she kissed her cheek.

“Not much, just opening my sister’s eyes,” Smiles said,
her
voice at least sounded happy.

“Ah, and did we like what we saw, Christi?”

I couldn’t speak. I could only hold my breath as I waited for Ma to say the magic word. To let me know that she felt everything was all right enough for me to come in and fix this; to claim my family again.

“Christi, let me have Declan before you hurt him.” Regardless of what Ma said, Christi would never hurt our son.

“Good morning, my sweet baby,” she cooed. “Christi, you didn’t answer my question,” Ma spoke, as the sound of the tape that held his diaper on being pulled away. She must be changing him, something I was longing to do.

“No, Nora ... I didn’t like what I saw.” Christi’s voice was drained, she was tired and hurt. Something I could fix in an instant.

“Neither did Patrick when he saw her in that picture.” I closed my eyes as I imagined Christi looking at the picture of Theresa in the nursery.

“What did he say?” Her voice sounded muffled as if she had something like a pillow over it.

“Well, why don’t you ask him yourself? He’s waiting in the hallway.”

THE SIGHT BEFORE ME WOULD forever be etched into my memory. Ma stood holding my son, lovingly cooing to him. Smiles stood in the corner of the room, anger written across her face, a lone tear cascading down her cheek. Amex and Ammo were examining the gifts that littered the corner of the room. Finally, there was my Christi, sitting in the middle of the hospital bed, her hair a disheveled mess, her eyes ringed in soft purple and swollen, with red-tinged rims. It was clear she had been crying; her eyes immediately cast down when she saw me, as if she was ashamed.

“Well, hello, Daddy.”

Ma continued to rock my son as she made her way over to me. I held out my arms as she placed his warm bundle into my hands. In the instant I drew him to my chest, my purpose in life changed. I could feel the energy that resonated from him. He was a product of the undying love Christi and I shared. He was a miracle and I would protect him until my last breath. I would give him the world. I would be the example of the man he needed to grow up to be.