Chapter 34

 

Helen was rushed to the hospital. Ethan went in the ambulance with her. Kristen didn’t expect differently. Helen was still his mother. That was one of the reasons she loved him.

Love? The thought hit her like a ton of bricks. It was true. She’d loved him long before Andrew and now they had formed a new relationship, that love had grown.

She met Ethan in the lounge at the hospital. They’d already taken Helen in and were examining her. Helen got what she wanted, whenever she wanted. With her status, she never had to wait long for anything, including medical care.

“She is going to be fine,” Kristen told Ethan.

“I know she’s done some terrible things to you. How can you be so nice?”

“Ethan, she’s still your mother and the grandmother of our daughter. I would never wish anything bad for her.”

About forty minutes later a doctor came out. He was dressed in the usual white coat with a stethoscope hanging from his neck. Kristen knew him from when she was treated there.

“Dr. Peters, how is she?” Ethan asked.

“Our tests show that it was not a heart attack. We’re having some more tests done to be sure, but it appears to be angina,” Dr. Peters told them. “But angina means there’s an underlying heart condition, so we need to find what caused this.”

“Can we see her?” Ethan asked.

“Yes.”

The doctor turned away and Ethan looked questioningly at Kristen.

“You go ahead. I’ll wait for you here.”

*

Ethan wanted Kristen with him when he went in to see Helen, but he knew that wasn’t going to happen. He hoped that this would be a wake-up call for his mother.

Helen was given a room on the private ward. She was propped on a few pillows with her eyes closed. She looked like she was sleeping, so Ethan crept in and sat on the chair.

“You’re here,” she said, her eyes still closed. Her voice was a clear and strong as it had always been.

“How are you feeling?”

Helen opened her eyes. “Shouldn’t you be out somewhere defending the honor of your wife? What is it about that girl that makes you dishonor you own mother?”

“How did I dishonor you, Mother?”

“You embarrassed me. I thought you were on my side, but clearly, you’re with her.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened. “Mother, this isn’t about sides. It’s about right and wrong and what you’re doing is wrong.”

“Wrong? Did you hear how she sullied my son’s name today? My Andrew was not a…a…a…” she could not get the words out.

“A homosexual?”

Helen winced when Ethan said the word. “Stop it! Andrew was all man. He would never dishonor his family by indulging in such crass behavior.”

“Being gay isn’t crass, Mother. It’s a sexual preference and there is nothing wrong with it.”

Helen scowled deeply. “Shut up!” she barked. “You will not utter such rubbish about your brother.”

“It time you accept that Andrew wasn’t the son you thought he was, Mother.”

Helen glowered fiercely at him. “Look at you. She’s even convinced you to go against your own brother. When I’m done with that witch, she’ll regret ever attaching herself to my family.”

Ethan reached for his mother’s hand and she snatched it away.

“Mother, please take care of your health. Drop this lawsuit of yours.”

“Not on your life. That’s what she’s hoping when she told the court that Hailey wasn’t my grandchild.”

“She didn’t say that,” Ethan blurted out.

“You’re still defending her? Of course, she said that Andrew wasn’t Hailey’s father. Where have you been?”

“Mother…”

“Hailey’s father is probably some bum without a purpose or a job. I won’t let her sully Andrew’s memory. Andrew took that child as his own, he gave that child his name. I won’t let some scumbag walk in off the streets and claim her…”

“Mother!”

Helen paused at Ethan’s sharp tone.

“Hailey is still your granddaughter.”

“Of course, I’ll still accept her as my granddaughter. I won’t let some other man come in and take her. In heaven’s name, why didn’t she just marry Hailey’s father?”

“She did.”

Helen continued her chatter until she came to an abrupt halt midsentence. Her eyes snapped to Ethan’s, holding his gaze for a few seconds. “What did you say?” she squeaked.

Ethan leaned forward. “I said, she did marry Hailey’s father.”

Ethan watched his mother closely. She seemed to be taking shallow breaths. Her skin was turning purple and she seemed to be unable to breathe properly. He pressed the emergency button near the bed and within a few seconds, several nurses rushed in.

Ethan withdrew to one corner as one nurse placed an oxygen mask over Helen’s face. They lowered her head by removing a few of her pillows. Helen stared at the ceiling while remaining motionless.

Slowly, Helen’s eyes closed and her color began to return to normal.

Ethan left the room somewhat dismayed. He’d hoped that with a scare as this, she’d relent and give up on pursuing Kristen. On the contrary, she was now more determined than ever to take her daughter-in-law down. He couldn’t understand why she hated Kristen that much.

Kristen was sitting with her head in her hands. Ethan stopped a few feet away and watched her for a minute. As if sensing him, she raised her head. When she saw him she stood and hastened to meet him. “How is she?” Kristen asked, her face betraying her worry.

Ethan’s heart melted. The two women in his life were so different. One was filled with hate and the other with love. “She’s not in good shape.”

“What happened?”

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced at the door to Helen’s room. “She stopped breathing, I think. They gave her oxygen.”

Kristen rubbed his arm. “I’m sorry. I know this must be hard for you.”

“Thanks for being here.”

“Ethan,” Kristen lowered her voice, but she sounded serious. “Let’s not go further with this.”

He cocked a brow as his heart galloped. Was she thinking of leaving him? “What?”

“This thing with Helen,” she replied and relief engulfed him. “Destroy the evidence you found.”

Apart from the fact that he couldn’t do that anymore, he didn’t think that was a good idea. As far as his mother was concerned, she was by no means finished with her vendetta.

“Kristen, my mother just told me she wants to pursue these lawsuits of hers, she’s not planning on backing down. It’s up to the police now.”

 “You don’t agree with me, do you?” she said.

“If she continues, I’ve got to stop her,” was his reply.

“What’s the matter with you? She’s your mother for Christ’s sake!”

“You think I don’t know that? You think this is easy for me?”

“It appears that way, Ethan,” she retorted. “You seem eager to do this.”

“What are you so upset about?”

“She’s lying in a hospital bed. I just don’t want to be the one to make things worse for her. She’s been through enough.”

Disbelief riddled with confusion clouded his mind. “Are you kidding me? Look what she’s done to you. How can you defend her?”

“Because she’s still your mother.”

“And it’s up to me to deal with this thing.”

Closing her eyes, Kristen purse her lips and Ethan could tell she was trying to control the next words from her mouth. He couldn’t understand why she was so concerned about Helen.

“I can’t believe we’re arguing about my mother. The same person that’s dragged you through hell.”

“That’s just it. She’s dragged me through hell, not you, but you insist on continuing this feud. Why?”

“Because I can’t stand to see her hurt you anymore, that’s why!”

“And I don’t want to see you hurt by doing this. Don’t you understand that this will hurt you too? If your mother goes to prison, or God forbid, something should happen to her when she discovers what you’re trying to do...” Kristen shuffled closer, reached her hand up and caressed his cheek. “How would you forgive yourself, knowing you caused her more harm?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

The touch of her hand brought heat to his skin. The effect she had on him never ceased to amaze him. He placed a hand over hers and savored the tenderness of her touch. He then pulled her hand away and kissed her palm.

Even with good intentions, things never work the way one wishes sometimes. When one commits a crime, they need to answer to the criminal justice system. Ethan knew that. To Kristen, Helen was family and one didn’t just turn over family to the authorities.

If Kristen needed to absolve Ethan of the responsibility of turning his mother over to the FBI, she got her wish. Just as he was about to kiss her again, Agent Morris and Mark Rickards came into the lounge.

Kristen followed Ethan’s eyes. A groan escaped her when she saw her attorney and the FBI agent coming towards them. Behind them were two police officers in uniform and two more agents. There was only one reason Agent Morris would be there and that was if he had bad news.

Mark introduced the other officers and agents while Morris greeted them. The other officers stepped back after being introduced, allowing Agent Morris the floor.

“I know this is a bad time,” Agent Morris said, looking from one to the other. “I’m sorry I have to do this, but we have a warrant for Helen Broderick’s arrest.”

“Can’t it wait?” Kristen asked.

“Mrs. Broderick, what your mother-in-law did were federal felonies. These are serious crimes.”

“Wait a minute,” Ethan interjected. “You said these… why’s that?”

Agent Morris opened a notepad and read from it. “Your mother’s phone records show her communicating with a few unscrupulous people. We caught the man who tampered with Miss Kristen’s car.”

 “Will she go to prison?” Kristen found herself asking. Even now, she was still trying to protect the woman who caused her much grief. The grandmother of her child and the mother of the man she loved. The thought hit her like a ton of bricks. It wasn’t as though she had no clue that she loved Ethan, it’s just that she’d buried those feelings a long time ago. She glanced at Ethan who was eyeing her curiously. She looked away, her cheeks staining scarlet.

Before Agent Morris could reply, Kristen continued. “Can’t you do something?”

“I’ll see what we can do, but these are serious charges. She tried to have you killed and make it look like an accident.”

“I know and I won’t press charges,” she replied.

“It’s not up to you anymore, Mrs. Broderick.”

A sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Although Helen had been nothing but evil to her, her heart ached knowing that her daughter’s grandmother must face punishment for the crimes she committed.

Both Ethan and Kristen followed the law enforcement officers into the room. Helen was lying on her pillows, her eyes open. She was not wearing the oxygen mask Ethan had seen earlier. As the group entered, Helen’s face creased in a deep frown as she looked the police and FBI personnel. Agent Morris stepped forward, and Kristen felt tears sting her eyes. This was not a joyous moment. It was not a moment she’d have wished for.

A pained expression crossed Ethan’s face as Agent Morris read Helen her Miranda rights. His arm encircled Kristen’s shoulder and she clung to him. Helen’s face registered shock for a minute before her countenance took on a look of resoluteness.

As one of the officers withdrew handcuffs, Kristen stepped forward. “Please, do you have to cuff her?”

“Ma’am…” the officer began, looking at his superior.

“No, please,” she pleaded. When he did not respond, she continued, “She’s lying in a hospital bed for crying out loud. Spare her some dignity!”

Agent Morris nodded to the officer who put the cuffs away. One officer was placed as a guard outside Helen’s room. This Kristen could not argue with as Helen was now under the jurisdiction of the FBI.

As they departed the hospital, Kristen wondered what she could have done to make things better. Nothing came to her mind. All she knew was that she needed to do what was right and that was making sure Helen was taken care of in the best possible way. After all, the woman was still family.

 

*

 

It was a bittersweet day for the Broderick family. When they returned home, a surprise awaited her. As she opened the door, the smell of cooking tantalized her nostrils.

“Is somone cooking?” she whispered to Ethan with a giggle.

Richard was playing with Hailey in the living room while the sounds of pots and pan came from the kitchen. Hailey ran to greet then when they came in, but Kristen wanted to know who was in the kitchen.

“Pumpkin,” Kristen said to Hailey. “Who is in the kitchen?”

Hailey giggled. “It’s a surprise!”

Curious, Kristen went straight there. Camila was a sight for sore eyes. She was busy cooking up a storm. A smile brightened her face when she looked up and saw her best friend.

Kristen and Camila hugged, tears running down both cheeks. They held each other a long time.