Sins of the Father (15 page)

I
want that one,” Josette said pointing to the white wicker bassinet on the laptop
screen. “Don’t you love it?”

Leah stood over her daughter-in-law’s shoulder. “It’s cute, but I like the one next
to it better.” She pointed to the screen. “What do you think?”

Josette giggled. “Maybe we should get both—one for our house and one for yours.”

Leah squeezed Josette’s shoulders. “I like how you think.”

Josette typed in another search term. “Let’s look at strollers. I saw one that would
be perfect for jogging.”

Leah settled into the dining room chair next to Josette and moved it so she had a
good view of the computer screen. She knew they were in for a long and very enjoyable
evening of computer window-shopping. “A jogging stroller? You’ve got to be kidding.”

“Kidding about what?” Michael asked, entering the dining room, spatula in hand. “I
need more barbecue sauce, Mama. Please tell me you have some. I don’t want to have
to go to the store again.”

Leah pushed back her chair. “There should be some in the pantry. Did you check?”

Michael looked down on his mother and pretended to pat the top of her head with the
spatula. “My focus is on the cooking. You women ought to be responsible for something.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Josette said.

Michael looked over Josette’s shoulder at the screen. “What are you looking at?” he
asked her.

Leah got up and went to look for the barbecue sauce. The phone rang as she walked
past. She picked it up. “Hello.”

“It’s me, Mama,” her daughter’s voice came through the line.

“Oh, hey, Deborah. Michael’s barbecuing tonight. Why don’t you come over?” she said.
To be contrary, she added, “You can bring Alan.”

“Mama,” she said. “Abraham’s out of his coma. Alan and I are on our way to the hospital.
Will you meet us there? I’ll call Michael.”

“Michael’s here,” she said. “I’ll tell him.”

“But you’ll meet us there?”

Leah held the phone tighter, using both hands. “I’ll make sure your brother comes.
I don’t think I should be there.”

“I understand,” Deborah said, though she was clearly disappointed. “Tell Michael I
need him.”

“Will do,” Leah said. Then she hung up the phone.

When she returned to the dining room, Michael had taken her seat and was now held
captive by Josette. “That was Deborah,” she told them.

“Did you tell her to get over here?” Michael asked. “We have more than enough food.”

Leah shook her head. “The doctors brought Abraham out of
the coma. Deborah’s with Alan and they’re on their way to the hospital.” She pinned
Michael with a stare. “She wants you to meet her there.”

Michael shook his head. “No way. You go.”

“I shouldn’t be there,” she said. “You and Deborah are his children. You should go.”

“Your mother’s right,” Josette added.

Michael got up from his chair. “I’ve got ribs and burgers waiting on me.”

Josette reached for his hand to stop him from leaving the room. “You need to go, Michael.”

He tried to shake off her hand but she held on. “The man means nothing me, Josette,
and I mean nothing to him. I don’t belong there.”

“Maybe it’s time you tried to change that,” she pleaded. “Whatever is going on with
you and Abraham, he’s the grandfather of our unborn child. Our baby deserves to know
him, to have a relationship with him. If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for the
baby.”

Leah watched a variety of emotions cross her son’s face and prayed he’d make the right
decision. “I can’t do it,” he said. “I can’t.”

Josette took her hand off Michael’s hand. “Okay,” she said. “But if you won’t do it,
I will.”

Michael looked at her as though she’d said she was going to kill somebody. “Do what?”

Josette pushed back her chair and stood. “I’m going to the hospital to see Abraham.”

“You don’t have to do that for me.”

Josette picked up her purse and fished out her car keys. “I’m not doing it for you.
I’m doing it for our baby and for Deborah. I know she doesn’t want to be down there
with the Martins by herself. Did you think of that, Michael?”

He looked away. “Deborah’s a big girl. She can handle it. Besides, Alan’s with her.
What’s up with that anyway?”

Josette ignored his comment. She looked at Leah. “Are you sure you don’t want to come
with me?”

“I want to be there for Deborah, but I think there’ll be less drama if I stay away.”
She pulled Josette into a hug. “Thank you, sweetheart, for representing the family.
You’re so right to think of your baby first.” She eyed Michael. “Unlike some people.”

Josette pulled out of Leah’s embrace. “I’ll call you as soon as I have some details.”

Leah walked her to the door. “Drive carefully,” she said, then stood in the doorway
and watched Josette drive away. When Josette was out of sight, Leah closed the door
and went looking for Michael. She found him in the backyard at the grill.

“You should have gone, Michael,” she said. “If not for Abraham, for Deborah. She’s
your sister and she needed you.”

Michael flipped a burger patty. “Deborah’s fine without me,” he said. “She’s making
a place for herself in that family. She’ll be fine.”

“Deborah’s not trading in one family for another. You know that, don’t you?”

“Maybe she’s trading up to a better family.”

Leah slapped her son on the back of his head. “You’re talking crazy. You know that,
don’t you? Deborah loves you,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean she can’t love her
father. Don’t take that away from her.”

“I’m not taking anything away from her.”

“Then let my words serve as a warning. Don’t make her choose between the two of you.”

“Because she’ll choose him?”

Leah shook her head. “Because she’ll choose you.”

“Don’t be so sure.”

“You don’t know how wrong you are. She’s very upset because
Abraham didn’t give you a seat on the MEEG board. She’s talking to Alan tonight about
you taking your rightful place there.”

“I thought you agreed with Abraham that I couldn’t be trusted to have a voice in his
business.”

She placed her hand on his cheek, hoping to counter some of the bitterness she heard
in his voice. “You’re my son and I love you, but let’s be honest. You haven’t given
Abraham any reason to trust you.”

“If you feel that way, why are you going along with Deborah’s idea?”

She pushed out an exasperated sigh. “Because she’s right. Isaac didn’t have to prove
his loyalty to get his seat and neither did she, so why should you? Don’t ever doubt
how much your sister loves you, Michael, and don’t ever put that love to the test.
You’ll win and lose at the same time. You both will.”

Leah pressed a kiss against her son’s cheek and left him to think about her words.
She had to think on them herself. Her feelings about Abraham had grown very cold since
her last conversation with Saralyn. It hurt to know how little he’d concerned himself
with her, Michael, and Deborah over the years, even less than she’d thought. She would
never let her kids know, and she prayed Saralyn would never tell them either.

T
he bossy Nurse Ratchet reentered Abraham’s hospital room.

“There are too many people in here, Mr. Martin,” she said.

Her voice was stern, but Abraham had learned that she was a pushover. He grinned at
her. “Don’t try your smooth ways with me,” she said. “Just for tonight we’re going
to break the rules. You can have your whole family in here for the next hour or so
but then I’m kicking everybody out. You need your rest. Open up,” she said. When he
did, she stuck a thermometer in his mouth.

“He needs his rest,” the nurse said to Saralyn, Isaac, and Rebecca. The three of them
huddled near the foot of the bed, out of her way. “Even if he doesn’t think so.”

“We understand, Nurse Wilson,” Saralyn said. “I’ll make sure they’re out of here soon.
He wanted to see everybody. He can be bull-headed when he wants something.”

“You’re telling me. I know that and he’s been awake less than
an hour.” Nurse Wilson pulled the thermometer out of his mouth. She recorded his temperature
on her PDA. “I’ll be back in an hour,” she told him. “If you need me before then,
press the call button and I’ll come running.”

Saralyn and Isaac moved closer to the head of the bed after the nurse left. “Are you
sure you’re feeling okay?” Saralyn asked.

Abraham took her hand in his. “I’m fine,” he said. “Stop worrying.”

“Dad,” Isaac said, standing next to his mother, “you’re not exactly fine. Your full
memory hasn’t come back yet.”

“I remember everything up to the accident, and I remember everything since I woke
up. I’m not sure I want to remember what happened in between. How’s the car?”

“Pretty bad,” Isaac said. “You ran off the road and hit a tree—a big tree. It crashed
the front end all the way up to the windshield. It’s a miracle you’re alive.”

Abraham nodded. “It’s also a miracle I didn’t hit anybody. That would have been a
tragedy.”

“Don’t think about it,” Saralyn said. “Just focus on getting better.”

“I’m a strong old man. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re not old,” Rebecca said with a smile.

Abraham could tell her smile wasn’t sincere. She stood on the opposite side of the
bed from Isaac and Saralyn, which he thought odd. Something was wrong. He’d find out
later what it was. He turned to Saralyn and Isaac. “Did one of you call Deborah or
Michael to let them know about the change in my condition?”

“I called Alan,” Isaac said. “He was supposed to contact them.”

“Don’t worry about them, Abraham,” Saralyn said. “You have all the family you need
right here. You’ve reached out to those children. You can’t make them care about you.
I don’t say that to hurt you, but you need to be realistic in your expectations.”

Abraham nodded. He knew Saralyn was right, but he still
wanted to see them. He had some vague memory of Deborah visiting him here in the hospital.
“Have they come at all since I’ve been here?”

Saralyn stepped away from the bed and Isaac moved up in her space. “Deborah and her
mother came the night of the accident,” he said, “and Deborah has been here several
times since.”

“And the boy?” Abraham asked, another vague memory flashing in his mind.

Isaac shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to be sorry, Isaac. Your mother’s right. I didn’t have any interest in them
for all of their lives so I can’t expect them to be that interested in me. I’ll have
to settle for what they’re willing to give.” He sighed. “Enough of that. Tell me what’s
going on at MEEG.”

“Abraham,” Saralyn warned. “There’ll be plenty of time to talk business in the morning.”

Abraham ignored her. He looked at Isaac and waited for an answer.

“We’ll be glad to have you back at the helm.”

“So you came back?”

“Of course I did, Dad,” Isaac said. “The company needed me.”

Isaac’s answer gave Abraham hope. “Are you back for good? Have you forgiven me?”

“I don’t know the answer to your first question. All I know is that I’m back at MEEG
until you’re ready to resume your role. As for your last question, that’s a little
bit harder to answer. I’m trying to understand, though. That’s about the best I can
do.”

Abraham grabbed his son’s hand and looked directly into his eyes. “If that’s true,
then my accident was worth it. I’m sorry I’ve disappointed you, Isaac. You’ll be a
better husband and father than I am. I really believe that.”

Abraham saw the quick glance that Isaac shot at Rebecca. That
glance told him that all was not well with his son and daughter-in-law. He’d have
to see what he could do to fix the problem.

“Saralyn—” he said, but stopped when the door opened and Deborah walked in, followed
by Josette and Alan.

“It’s about time you got here,” he said to them.

Deborah stood at the foot of the bed. “I’m glad you’re better,” she said.

“Much better now that you’re here.”

She smiled, and it warmed his heart.

Josette came closer to the bed. “I knew you’d wake up before your grandchild was born,”
she said. “She’s been praying for you.”

Abraham vaguely remembered a visit by Josette as well. She looked cheerful enough
now but he felt her visit had not been a happy one. “Is everything all right with
the baby?”

Josette rubbed her belly. “She’s perfect.”

“Good,” he said. “And thanks for coming to see me.”

She nodded. “About Michael—” she began.

“Don’t,” he said. “I understand. I’m just glad you’re here.” He glanced around the
room at Deborah, Alan, Saralyn, Rebecca, and Isaac. “I’m glad you’re all here. There’s
nothing more important than family. I hope it won’t take you all as long to learn
that as it took me.”

Saralyn came back and took up her position next to the bed. “Okay,” she said to Abraham.
“You’ve seen everybody and had your say. Now you should get some rest.”

“But I haven’t even talked to Alan yet,” he said.

“We can talk tomorrow morning, old friend,” Alan said. “MEEG is in good hands with
Isaac. Your boy is off to a fine start.”

Abraham met Isaac’s eyes. “I never doubted him.”

“Okay,” Saralyn said, “everybody out.”

Josette leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. Rebecca did the same thing. Isaac
and Alan shook his hand. Deborah hung back, as if unsure what to do. He called her
over to him.
When she reached him, he beckoned her to come closer. Then he whispered, “I remembered
you called me Dad. I liked it.”

A smile lit her face, replacing the earlier sadness. “I’m so glad you’re better,”
she said. He smiled, but noticed that Saralyn did not. His perfect family was not
as perfect as he’d hoped.

M
ichael met Alan during one of their scheduled late night runs/meetings in Piedmont
Park. When he saw him round the well-lit bend, he fell in with him. “So how’s the
old man?” he asked.

“He’s fine, good as new, the doctors say. Apparently, as they had hoped, the coma
gave him time to heal. They’re going to keep him two to three more days for observation
before releasing him. He’ll be back at MEEG within a couple of weeks at most.”

“Do you think he’ll go along with the plan my mother and Deborah have to give me the
seat on the board?”

Alan stopped and began jogging in place. Michael did the same.

“That one’s hard to gauge. Your mother and sister need to talk to him, tell him what
they want to do. They may be able to guilt him into going along with it. Of course,
I’ll do my part to see he goes along.”

“Of course.”

“We have to be patient, Michael. After Josette has the baby, per the bylaws, she’ll
get a seat and then we’ll control the board. I’ll be the deciding seventh vote in
all decisions. It’s perfect.”

“And Abraham won’t know what hit him when you vote with me instead of with him.”

“I can’t wait to see the expression on his face.”

Alan resumed his jog, and Michael had no choice but to follow after him.

“I wanted to talk to you about something, Alan.”

“What?”

“Are you dating my sister?”

Alan glanced over at him. “I don’t think I’d call it dating. She has questions about
Abraham and I answer them. I enjoy her company. We’ve shared a few meals. Do you have
a problem with that?”

“Not a problem exactly,” Michael said, wiping sweat from his brow. “More like a concern.
I don’t want to see her hurt.”

“I don’t plan to hurt her, Michael,” he said. “Like I told you, I enjoy her company.”

Michael glanced over at him. “You know how you feel about Abraham because of your
sister. Well, I’ll feel about the same way about you if you hurt Deborah. I don’t
want her to feel used after our plan unfolds.”

Alan stopped running but kept jogging in place. “I get the message, Michael,” he said,
breathing heavily. “Loud and clear. I’ll keep things friendly but professional with
Deborah.”

Michael stopped and then bent over, hands on knees. “Good.”

“You realize,” Alan said, “that in order to carry out our plan, you’re going to have
to lie to your sister and your wife. Something tells me they’re not going like it.”

“They won’t,” Michael said, “but they’ll forgive me eventually. I can always count
on them to stand with me.”

Michael started moving again, and this time Alan had to follow him.