- Marina asked for Helen’s help.
- Emily Roscoe was murdered.
- With Frank missing, James enlists his son’s help.
- Caitlyn bumped into John Roscoe...
[.....]
[.....]
Scene One:
Stone Creek; Now Town.
HEAT Headquarter’s; Helen’s Office.
“It’s nice of you to finally show up.” Helen Schmidt spoke, unfolding her arms to walk over to her daughter and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. She locked eyes with Marina. “I’ve been waiting ever so patiently for you to decide to make an appearance.”
Marina rolled her eyes. “I’m not one of your employees, mother. You can’t bully me around with your passive-aggressive behavior. So why don’t you get to the chase? Tell em why I had to urgently meet you here after weeks of you not helping me out with Leia-”
“Today,” Helen cut-in. “I help.”
“Did you find anything?” Marina’s posture increased with intrigue. “What is it that you found out? I know she was a reporter in Seattle, did she make a mistake and pronounce a celebrity dead when they were alive? Did she mess up Obama’s name and it end up on YouTube?”
Helen chuckled. “I’ve got one much better.”
“What?”
When Marina was younger, she looked up to the way her mother was always running around and going to meetings with clients that had such unique names that Marina would force her siblings; Emmet and Kirsten to play games with her, trying to guess the right way to pronounce their names. So when it came out that Helen had used Kirsten’s trust fund and ‘forgot’ to pay Marina’s tuition for school, she lost all trust of the woman.
But today was different, at least she was hoping it was. Today Marina wanted her mother to turn into the business woman that she always knew Helen was.
Helen went back to her desk and picked up a file. “Well, I did have my new assistant look into Leia’s past and it seems that she’s had a couple hospital stints over the last couple years. There are a couple were she was treated as an abused housewife. You should take a look at the police reports.”
Marina’s shoulders dropped. “No we’re not doing this.”
“Why not?” Helen huffed. “You want Leia to continue to take all the credit on the paper? I ruined your chances of going to a good school already Marina, don’t let some undeserving Leia Joplin take what you have from you. Like her mother, who seems to have her claws in your father, Leia is taking your job.”
The younger woman frowned. “What are we even supposed to do?”
“You told me that you’re both co-editors on local news around Stone Creek, right?” Helen smirked, devilishly. “Well there has to be a battered woman’s shelter in this damned town. Why don’t you run a story on them? Shake Leia’s past free from the closet. Make her re-live it.”
“That’s torture.”
Helen rolled her eyes. “That’s success.”
[.....]
Scene Two:
Stone Creek; Now Town
Stone Creek Police Station
Peering through his office window, Gideon Wilkinson watched as his future son-in-law walked into the building, in his uniform. He grumbled, knowing that today would definitely be filled with a lot of grief. “What are you doing here?” He asked, stepping out of his office.
Miles Fowler locked eyes with Gideon. “I need to talk to you.”
“Should you be on your feet?” The older man asked, keeping an eye out for any sort of sign that Miles shouldn’t have come into the station today. It had been a hard year for the younger man, first being shot and then falling into a coma. The recovery process would be long and harsh.
“I need to be put on Emily’s case.” Miles advised.
But Gideon shook off his request. “Greta wouldn’t want me to work you this much, this soon. You need to go home and get more rest, your recovery isn’t up for another week. I won’t allow you to mess up your chances at a smooth recovery.”
Miles nodded. “I understand your concerns with Greta, sir. I can assure you that any thing that has to do with your daughter and myself will be discussed between us later today. But I need you to listen to me, Emily was a good friend to Greta.”
“I understand that.”
“Then know that I can’t just sit around and ‘recover’ while her killer slips out of our hands. I need to do my best to help find the person responsible for taking Emily away from all of us so soon!” Miles spoke, his voice raised with every word as he could see the disapproval in Gideon’s face.
He gulped. “Let me help and I promise I will monitor my recovery.”
“Get Greta on board with this Miles, for all of our sakes.”
[.....]
Scene Three:
2300 Cranberry St., Stone Creek. [Stone Creek Apartments #18]
Bentley & Emily’s Apartment.
She knocked on the door for the fifth time and it occurred to Penelope Wilkinson that she might just stand outside her grandson’s apartment door all day if he didn’t want to answer. After spending much of the morning grabbing groceries for Bentley, Penelope had spent the last thirty minutes waiting for him to decide to let her in.
The door creaked open enough for her to catch a glimpse of Bentley. “Let me in.”
“I don’t want any visitor’s today.” He croaked.
Penelope sighed. “Well, for god-sake Bentley, I really don’t care. Besides I’m not a visitor I am your grandmother and that means you have to listen to anything I tell you. So if I say the sky if green, then guess what, the damned sky is green!”
“Please let me in.” She added, pleasantly.
“Fine.” He replied, closing the door and unlocking the deadbolts.
Once she was inside, Penelope asked Bentley to help her with the bags of groceries she had bought for him. She insisted that he needed all the food that he could get right now since she knew he wasn’t up for cooking or even going out into the world.
Which she thought was alright, she would just continue to bring the world to him. “Maybe we should open up some of these windows? The house is so stuffy and I don’t need to tell you how that could affect your health right now.” Penelope spoke, walking towards the Kitchen window to open it.
“Don’t touch that!” Bentley barked.
It startled her. “Well why not?”
“Just don’t. I don’t want anything moved around in here, nothing can be changed from the way that Emily had them. In fact I think you’ve been here for far too long already. Maybe you should leave grandmother?”
Penelope’s eyes grew wide. “I’m not leaving.”
“Then at least don’t touch anything.”
“I’ll try not to.” She replied looking around, it seemed that Bentley hadn’t touched a thing since the cleaners came to clean up the evidence from the crime. Her heart sank as she refocused on Bentley, the boy she helped raise looked a million miles away.
Scene Four:
505 Auburn Rd., Stone Creek. [Thurlow Cottage]
James & Caitlyn’s Home.
Stepping into his childhood home, Emmet Thurlow stepped to the side so that his fiance, Iris Galloway could get inside. The Summer’s heat had taken the town by surprise this year as the clouds went into hiding and instead left the sun to it’s evil ways.
It was definitely a difference from Sunset Valley where the breeze did much of the accompanied year-round. Greeting his father he let him lead the two into the living room, closely looking for any sign of Caitlyn Thurlow, but there wasn’t any and he wasn’t so surprised.
“How is Caitlyn holding up?” He asked.
James frowned. “Not very well, I’m afraid. She hasn’t been really talking to anybody ever since meeting John Roscoe at the funeral, I think it just jolted her. It was definitely unexpected since I didn’t even know the man was still alive. He never called or visited Emily from my understanding.”
Emmet nodded. “Everyone needs their closure.”
“Right.” James sat down before Emmet and Iris. “I actually called you here for a different reason, it seems that Frank is missing and I need you to help me locate him.”
“Missing?” Iris gasped, it was the first time she spoke, besides formalities that both men turned to her in intrigue. “How long has he been missing? Shouldn’t the police have been called in, I thought the Wilkinson’s were close family friends.”
“They are.” Emmet assured her.
“But they have a lot on their plate right now.” James added, he turned his attention back to the conversation. “I need you to help me find Frank. His assistant told me that the last time he heard from Frank was when he was at the office the day of the blackout.”
He knew that it had been weeks since Frank had been at the office, but he also had known that there were problems between Frank and Deborah and had thought that they were taking time off to take care of these problems. But when Deborah had mentioned not hearing from Frank in days, James knew something was wrong.
“I think Lucy had something to do with it.”
Iris looked away, nervous.
[.....]
Scene Five:
Stone Creek; Cuttlebone Lake
Thurlow Cabin; Main Bedroom.
Placing a wet towel over Frank’s head, Lucy Hahn smiled once he awoken. “I’m glad you’re coming too. I just wanted to tell you how lucky we have been that nobody has come to the cabin looking for you... yet!” She advised, the replaced the towel in a bowl of cold water.
“But we need to hurry.”
“Hurry?” Frank asked, confused.
Lucy nodded her head. “We need to get you out of Stone Creek before that pitiful wife of yours finds you. I can’t have Deborah trying to brainwash you again. She says she’s a therapist but she really isn’t. How do these people believe her so?”
He leaned up in the bed, but found that he was still tied up with the rope. “Lucy, please, we need to go find James Thurlow so he can help sort all of this out. He’s a really good man, I’m sure he will understand that you only did this out of love.”
“Do you love me?” Lucy asked, her eyes wide with interest.
Frank frowned.
So Lucy pouted. “Besides I know what kind of man James Thurlow is, silly. I worked with him for some time, remember when I doubled as both of your secretaries before we were able to locate Emily Roscoe. I know that James is a good man, but he is also under that vicious woman’s spell.”
“All you men are.” Lucy spit.
“What happened to you?” Frank asked. “You used to be so sweet.”
Lucy grumbled, getting to her feet and standing over Frank. “You happened to me, yes I used to be so damned gullible. But not anymore Frank, I won’t let you get lost this time. We need to get Sebastian ready for the flight to Germany, we need get you ready as well.”
“I’m not going.” Frank spoke.
She turned around. “I know where Deborah sleeps Frank and if you think about causing a scene at the airport I will make you pay. Relax,” She spoke, kindly. “I have everything taken care of. We will be a happy family again and you will never miss Deborah.”
[.....]
Scene Six:
Stone Creek; Now Town.
Stone Creek Memorial Hospital; Cafeteria.
“It’s nice of you to come by on my lunch.” Daphne Wilkinson greeted as she sat down across from her daughter. She then noticed that Greta was already almost finished with her food. “I’m sorry it took me so long to get out of surgery, but we had complications.”
“Was everyone alright?” Greta asked.
Daphne nodded her head. “It was a success.”
“How has your realtor’s business been going?” Daphne asked, sensing something was off with her daughter. It had been awhile since they actually caught up on the going-ons about the other’s life. Things had been so hectic lately. “Any new clients? I heard one of those Hollywood celebrities was looking for a house out here.”
Greta smirked. “That’s just town gossip.”
“Well, it would be nice.”
“Everything’s going good, I scored another client before the blackout and I’ve just been trying to keep busy with filling out their paperwork and helping them find resident’s for the apartment complex.” Greta spoke, she placed her fork on the plate. “I can’t stop thinking about Bentley.”
Daphne eye’d her daughter, then began. “Nobody can darling, losing Emily is going to be hard on him.”
“How does something like this happen in Stone Creek? I know we’re not exactly the most peaceful little City in Cuttlebone County, but we haven’t had a murder in years. Not to this excaliber and not someone this close to our family.”
Daphne flashed back to when she last seen Rodney Burnett, she was in the Thurlow Cabin and very pregnant with Bentley. It had been such a long night and Greta was safe with Penelope out of town already. The idea was for the two couples, James and Helen Thurlow, and Daphne and Gideon to get away from Stone Creek.
But when Helen took a tumble down the stairs of the cabin she was rushed away and their cover was blown. So Daphne had stood alone in the cabin, with Rodney Burnett right in front of her. He had already killed her bodyguard, Mike and he held a knife out dangerously close to her pregnant stomach.
“Mom?” Greta called, bringing Daphne back. “Are you alright?”
Daphne was shaken up, the memories she had tried so hard to repress were coming back with the murder of Emily Roscoe. She tried to smile but it came out half-heartily. “I’m fine, that surgery just took a lot out of me. Why don’t you try to get us a celebrity in Stone Creek?”
Greta smiled, although she knew Daphne was hiding something. “Alright mom, I’ll try my hardest.”
[.....]
Scene Seven:
Stone Creek; Now Town.
Stone Creek Police Station; Main Room.
“Cassie, what are you doing here?” Miles Fowler asked, walking up to his old friend and kissing her cheek. He rubbed her shoulder and led her to the side to stay out of the way of the foot traffic in the Police Station. “Shouldn’t you be in school right now?”
He shook her head. “I should, but with everything that has been going on I sort of just put school on hold. I thought after I was shot and recovered I would feel better about it but then learning that it was Callum that shot us.” She folded her arms. “I just have so much other things to worry about.”
“That’s understandable.”
“So you’re back on the force?” She asked, a police officer passed through their conversation and Cassie stopped talking, almost as if she were protecting her words. When he was out of ear shot she continued. “Did Gideon re-instate you as Detective?”
Miles sighed. “Not exactly, but when my tests come back and they show I’m fully recovered then I’m sure Gideon will re-instate me. I just came by the office because I can’t stay at home anymore and I want to help them find out who killed Emily.”
A chill ran down Cassie’s spine. “Any luck?”
“Nothing yet.” He admitted.
Cassie frowned, knowing that Miles and the Wilkinson’s were going through so much turmoil over Emily’s death. Cassie wished she didn’t have to ask this of Miles, but there wasn’t anyone else she actually trusted helping her with Callum’s case. “I was actually hoping you would be here.”
She looked around. “I need you to help me find my father.”
“Does this have to do with Callum?”
“My father knows something Miles, I know it.” She whispered, leaning in. “When I was talking to Callum the very mention of our father spooked him but he wouldn’t tell me why. Miles, I know you don’t trust my brother so would you at least trust me?”
Miles shifted his weight uneasily. “Callum shot us, Cassie.”
“I think my father caused Callum’s rages when we were younger.”
“Your father didn’t shoot us.” Miles bit his lip, he looked around. “There’s no way that we can prove that Stavros had anything to do with this. There’s no trace of him in the last couple of years. Up until now there wasn’t even any trace of Callum!”
“Exactly!” Cassie pleaded. “Where have either of them been for this long?”
“I don’t know!”
She sighed. “Maybe we should figure that out.”
[.....]
Scene Eight:
505 Auburn Rd., Stone Creek. [Thurlow Cottage]
James & Caitlyn’s Home.
Iris Galloway entered the Kitchen, after talking with her fiance, Emmet, and his father James about Frank Nelson and Lucy’s possible connection to his disappearance. Although Iris didn’t admit the truth, her nerves were getting the best of her and she excused herself to make tea for everyone else.
She just needed to get away and give herself time to think. Lucy Hahn had become her closest friend over the last year and to be involved in something so dyer could cost Iris her relationship with Emmet. She flipped open her phone and dialed Lucy’s number. There needed to be a time to stop all of this before it got worst.
There was no way to say if it has escalated to a point of no return, but with Frank missing Iris had a good idea that Lucy had something to do with it. “Lucy, it’s Iris,” the girl whispered into the phone. She got Lucy’s voicemail. “I really need to talk to you. Everyone is asking questions about Frank. Please tell me that everything is alright.”
“Iris?” Emmet called from the hall.
She looked his way, “Call me back Lucy, please.”
“I’m in the Kitchen.” She replied, turning the stove on and trying to force the water to boil with her mind. Iris placed her phone on the counter and started shuffling through the cupboards for the tea.
“Honey, are you alright?” Emmet asked, stepping into the room. He peered at the stove where the water began to boil and then back at her. “You look out of sorts, I just wanted to check on you and make sure that everything is alright. How’s the tea coming?”
Iris shrugged. “I can’t find the tea bags.”
He smiled, knowingly walked to the correct cupboard and produced the tea bags. “Maybe I should make the tea and you go out there with my father and just relax? Even see if we can find anything on Lucy? I know she’s your friend Iris, but I am really worried about Frank.”
“I am as well.” She replied, hugging Emmet. “I’ll go keep your father company.”
“Okay,” Emmet hung onto Iris’ arm and spun her around to kiss her lips gently. “Be here, closer to my family has been such a great blessing. But being here with you, as well, has been exactly what I wanted and I just wanted to say thank you. I’ll make this up to you, I promise.”
Iris strained a smile. “I’d do anything for you, Emmet.”
As she left, Emmet looked down at the counter and spotted her phone, picking it up to give to her at a later time he noticed a familiar name on the recently called list: Lucy Hahn.
As she left, Emmet looked down at the counter and spotted her phone, picking it up to give to her at a later time he noticed a familiar name on the recently called list: Lucy Hahn.
[.....]
Scene Nine:
Stone Creek; Now Town
The Stone Creek Ledger; Seth’s Office
“Can I talk to you, Mr. Keeler.” Marina Thurlow peered into the older man’s office. It had been a long day for both of them and Marina was sure she was bothering Seth Keeler, but she needed to talk to him. Had she known earlier that he was writing an article on Emily Roscoe, Marina would have taken the story. But instead she had heard from a nosey intern.
Seth Keeler looked up at his employee and motioned for her to sit down. “What’s going on Marina, is something wrong?”
“A couple things.” She replied, it was true that the two have had their beef before. Marina had accused Seth of printing an article about her step-mother Caitlyn Thurlow in which Marina had wrote but decided not to print. Then of course Marina let her personal feelings get in the way of taking a higher position within the paper.
So of course she could see why Seth wouldn’t inform her of the article about Emily. But Marina really wanted to write it, since she had met Emily on a number of circumstances and the other woman was close to her family. Marina felt like she needed to write the article.
But Seth obviously didn’t feel that way since he had given it to somebody else. “I wanted to talk about the article you assigned to Leia--the one about Emily Roscoe,” Marina pursed her lips. “I think you should reconsider giving Leia the article.”
“Why is that?” He leaned back in his chair.
“Because, I think it’s best if the story stood closer to relationships that Emily had developed.”
“Meaning you?”
Marina shrugged. “We both know that Emily was working for my father during her time in Stone Creek and of course, there was the recent rumor that Emily was Caitlyn and Damien Crenshaw’s missing daughter, Danielle. I’m not trying to bad mouth Leia-”
“Then what are you doing, exactly Marina?” Seth questioned.
“Don’t let Leia write the article, I deserve this opportunity!” Marina pouted. “I’ve lived in Stone Creek my entire life Mr. Keeler and quite frankly I deserve the main stories! Emily’s death was a tragedy to this town and I personally am offended that you let Leia cover it.”
Seth sighed. “I chose Leia, Marina, because ‘quite frankly’ she has no emotional ties to the victim.” His explanation made Marina wiggle in her chair uncomfortably. “Marina, the thing I like about you is also your biggest flaw. You get too emotional about everything. I can’t have you being non-rational about this article, I can’t have you get too involved and cause the paper to get bad publicity.”
“We are the publicity.”
“Leia’s writing the article.”
Angrily, Marina folded her arms and thought about what her mother had told her earlier. There seemed like no other way to stop Leia from coming in and stealing her place in the paper. She looked at Seth and knew he wasn’t going to budge so something had to be done, taking down Leia would be her main priority.
[.....]
Scene Ten:
745 W. Lavender St., Stone Creek. [Old Granger Manor]
Damien & Gillian’s Home.
“Once again I don’t think you understand what a restraining order is.” Damien Crenshaw spoke with annoyance of his ex. wife’s recent appearance at his front door. It seemed that no matter what he did, he was always wrong. But whenever Caitlyn wanted something, she was able to obtain it.
He shifted his weight. “Wait a minute, where’s your entourage?”
Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “We need to talk.”
Although there was a sadness in Caitlyn’s eyes that Damien had witnessed times before, he ignored it since after all it wasn’t his business anymore. They weren’t married, neither got along and she did serve him with a restraining order as well. “I can call the Courthouse.”
“Why the Courthouse?” She asked, puzzled.
“Because, you have the Police Department in you pocket, Caitlyn. Damn it! Do you not see what you’re doing here? I can quickly phone them and tell whoever is in charge of that bloody place that you’re at my house and harassing me. Surely this restraining order business works both ways!”
Caitlyn shook her head, “I’m sorry about that, but I can’t just sit at home and do nothing.”
“There’s nothing left to do.”
They fell silent as Caitlyn built up the courage to go back to thinking about Danielle. She sniffled before looking back up at Damien. “She’s dead.”
“Who? Emily Roscoe?” He concluded, maybe there was a closeness between the two women that he never read, but it surely didn’t give Caitlyn the right to ignore her own restraining order. “I have no idea how that implicates the current situation in anyway Caitlyn.”
Damien’s shoulder’s fell. He grew concerned for the woman standing in front of him and how much she reminded him of his ex. wife, the woman that he had wanted to fall in love with, forever, so desperately. “Seriously though, Caitlyn, does James know you are here?”
She shook her head.
“Great, now you’re going to get him barking at me again.”
Caitlyn lifted her hand and swung it at Damien, but he caught it and pushed it back towards her body. “Can you stop trying to slap me all the damned time? If you have something to say, then fucking say it Caitlyn! It’s true, I was in love with you and I still was when I came to Stone Creek, but I’m moving on, I’m leaving us in the past. So please just-”
“Danielle is dead.” Caitlyn spat, defeated.
Tears streamed down her eyes. “I didn’t want to believe it at first, trust me, I wanted to pretend like she really wasn’t Danielle. But the more I sat in my room and thought about it, wishing her away I realized I was no better than you were when you took Danielle away from me.”
“What are you talking about?” Damien spat.
Caitlyn looked up. “Emily Roscoe was our daughter, Damien.”
“No.” Damien shook his head, in denial.
“We had DNA tests done.” Caitlyn admitted it. “You took her away from me and now look what happened! She’s dead and I don’t even know how to mourn for her as my daughter because I’m too busy mourning for her as a family friend! Emily Roscoe was our daughter.”
Damien grew tense. “How long have you known?”
“Not long.” Caitlyn defended.
“How long Caitlyn!” Damien roared.
She fell silent, almost as if she were trying to disappear from the shame. “Since the day after the blackout.”
There was a pain in Damien’s chest. He had always know that there was a chance that Danielle could be dead, after all he never got the last name of the family he left her with. Damien was just too angry with the baby to keep her around, he was ashamed of his actions now.
But knowing for sure, that the baby girl that Caitlyn gave birth to was dead. Something in him broke, he looked at Caitlyn and grew angry. She knew that Danielle was alive and then even after Danielle was murdered she didn’t inform him. Didn’t let him grieve.
Damien shoved Caitlyn away. “Get the fuck away from me.”
He slammed the front door closed, leaving Caitlyn alone to cry.
[.....]
Scene Eleven:
Stone Creek; Now Town
Stone Creek Police Station; 1st Floor
Miles Fowler couldn’t shake what Cassie had told him, although he didn’t want to believe that Callum wasn’t in control of his own will. There weren’t many things that Miles was sure of but he knew we all made our own choices and that we are in control of our destinies.
After all, it took Miles himself to step out of his parent’s shadows and follow his dreams. While his parents became ‘dirty’ cops, he chose to become a hero.
“I brought you lunch.” Greta spoke, causing her fiance to turn around. “I had some free time at the office to swing by. I don’t agree with you coming back to work so early Miles-”
“I know.” He assured.
Greta sighed. “But I at least want you to do it the right way. Stay hydrated and eat regularly, take breaks when you need to. I can’t lose you, not like my brother did... I still can’t believe that Emily is gone.” She wrapped her arms around Miles, who did the same. “After all of this.”
“We will find who did this.”
He could tell there was more bothering Greta than finding who killed Emily, once Greta ended the hug and folded her arms across her chest, Miles brought it upon himself to further the conversation. “Is there anything else you want to talk about?”
“We were all supposed to have a double wedding, Miles, I know I’ve said it before. But what if that was one of us? What if you never woke up from the coma and I had lost you?” He shuddered. “I can’t lose you, Miles. So you need to take care of yourself while you’re here.”
“I will.” He grabbed at her arms, trying to loosen up her fears.
“Greta.” Gideon spoke, from behind her.
She turned around to hug her father, stepping on her tippy-toes to do so. “Daddy!”
“It’s nice to see you darling, but what brings you by?”
“Just checking in on your detective.” Greta replied, “Of course, if his tests come back and he passes them. With what happened to Emily, any free time I have I just want to be around people. I can barely be alone for a couple of minutes before I start to freak out.”
Gideon kissed her forehead. “We will find out what happened.”
“I know.”
Gideon then looked at Miles, with concern. “Detective Fowler, did you know anything about the break about Callum Lakhani’s father being abusive to him as a child?”
This made Miles uncomfortable because he then knew that Cassie must have talked to Gideon about it. He did know, obviously, but there was no way to be certain about the abuse since Callum wasn’t talking about it and Cassie had assumed.
“I did.” Miles admitted. “But I didn’t think it was important.”
Gideon eye’d him. “Well, let’s track down Stavros Lakhani and get to the bottom of it, shall we?”
“Yes, Chief.” Miles replied, he kissed Greta’s cheek and made his way past her to try and shake Stavros out of the woodwork, he of course, would try the people of Wolf Point first since that was where they had all grown up. All Miles pictured was a younger Callum trying to slap Cassie, but Miles interfered.
As far as Miles knew, Callum was in control of his own actions from day one.
[.....]
Scene Twelve:
2300 Cranberry St., Stone Creek. [Stone Creek Apartments #18]
Bentley & Emily’s Home.
After hours of sitting behind the couch and near the area that Emily had died, Penelope Wilkinson turned to her grandson and broke the silence. “Why don’t you come and stay with us at the cottage? You would be spoiled there, breakfast in bed and all your favorite foods. Just like when you were a child.”
“I’m not a child anymore.” He spat.
Penelope sighed. “You’d be better off with your family.”
Bentley turned to his grandmother. “But Emily is my family and I can’t leave her here alone.”
There was a chill that ran down her spine. Penelope hadn’t felt anything so chilly like that since they first found out that her husband Grady had Alzheimer’s. Instead of reacting in fear though, like she had before, Penelope placed a hand on Bentley’s.
“She wants to have children.” Bentley told Penelope, a smile evading his territorial frown. “I didn’t even know what to think about that until recently. But I think I can be a father, I know Emily will be a great mother this I am certain of. After we get married, she wants to start trying for children.”
Penelope gulped.
It only took a second, but Bentley noticed her face and how much she feared for his sanity. He pulled away from her. “I’m not crazy.” He spoke, jumping out of his alternate reality and being thrust into the realization that Emily was indeed gone. “I’m not crazy.”
She chuckled. “We are all a little crazy. Everyone is crazy, we all want these things to happen that probably never will but we keep on going and moving to achieve them. Some of us will reach greatness Bentley, but then there are those that won’t.”
“What about you?” He asked.
“I’m finding ways to cope.” Penelope admitted, she thought back to when she first was alone with Grady after he was diagnosed and how she couldn’t bear looking at the man. The man she called her husband was going to fade away and she was angry at him for getting so sick.
“Why haven’t you been to see him?” Bentley asked.
Penelope wasn’t surprised that Bentley knew exactly what she was thinking of. They had always been on the same wave-link, Penelope and Bentley, ever since he was a child. She gulped, knowing she would now have to talk about it. “Because, I’m not as strong as you are.”
He sniffled. “Now that’s crazy.”
They both chuckled through streams of tears.
[.....]
Next Time, On Concrete Shelves
+Kirsten gives Adrian advice on being a new parent.
+Penelope has a run-in with Jeremy.
+Aidan and Charlie talk about Taylor.
