Broken Ties (The Ties Book 2)

⚠️ Please note that this is a five chapter teaser snippet and not the full book. ⚠️ ~ May 14, 2020 ~ Mateo After seeing Daniel at the gate, I immediately call Andres. I feel completely helpless, knowing there’s nothing I can do to protect my pregnant fiancé. Since I’m not there to protect Isabella, I know Andres can and will. “Yo Mateo, what’s up,” Andres enthusiastically greets when he answers the phone. “I’m sorry to bother you, Andres, but Isabella might be in trouble,” I frantically tell him. “What’s going on? Where is she now?” “She’s home with the kids. An urgent matter came up and I had to come to San Diego, but I got a notification from the gate cameras and Daniel was there. I need you to stay with her until I get back. Please.” “Don’t worry, chacho (my guy),” he assures. “I’ll head straight there now. I’ll keep her safe.” “Thank you, brother,” I sigh in relief. I can rest a little easier knowing Andres will be there with Isabella. After texting Ava I’m at the hospital, she meets me outside crying. I assume the worst. Did I lose Papi before getting to see him? I run straight to her and ask, “¿Que tal, nena? Que pasa con Papi (What’s up, sister? What’s going on with dad)?” “No se (I don’t know) Teo,” she sniffles and her voice breaks. Ava would call me Teo when we were kids when she was very upset or sad. Hearing her call me Teo always makes me go into big brother mode. “Dime que pasa, nena (Tell me what happened, sister),” I implore. “Okay,” she sniffles again and exhales. “We were doing our daily stroll in the park when Papi collapsed. After getting here, the doctor hooked him up to a bunch of tubes. I didn’t know what else to do, so I booked your flight and called you telling you to come. My nerves are f****d, Teo. I’m waiting for the doctor to tell me what exactly is goin’ on cause I honestly don’t know. I’m so scared. Papi hasn’t woken up since he collapsed.” She panics and hyperventilates, and I’m still just as confused as I was in San Francisco. “Calmate (calm down), nena. Respira (Breathe), Ava,” I advise, and slowly exhale with her. “We’ll go to his room together and talk to the doctor and find out what’s up.” Hopefully, the doctor can answer my questions. She takes my hand and we go to Papi’s room in the ICU. He has two IVs, one in his hand and another in his arm, and he’s hooked to oxygen. This is bad if he’s on oxygen. The doctor comes in to check on him. “Hello doctor, I’m Mateo Martinez,” I introduce myself. “I’m the patient’s son. I just flew in from San Francisco. Can you please explain what’s happening with my father?” “Ah, I see,” the doctor exhales. “Based on his test results, your father caught a nasty upper respiratory infection and I’m afraid it’s out of hand. We had to put him on oxygen and run some IVs with antibiotics. He has a very large buildup of mucus and fluid in his lungs. His symptoms indicate he more than likely suffers from COPD.” “What’s that,” Ava asks. “It’s chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Like the name suggests, it’s a chronic respiratory condition. Has he shown any symptoms lately?” I turn to Ava for the answer because I haven’t been here and we rarely talk on the phone. “Ava?” I press. “Well, how would I know the symptoms if I didn’t even know the condition,” she blurts frantically and sharply inhales. “Understandable,” the doctor hums. “How about this? Can you tell me if he’s had any trouble breathing lately?” “Um,” Ava mutters. “He’s been coughing and getting shortness of breath for the past two months. We had to cut back on how long we take our daily strolls in the park. I- I thought it was just old age or something,” Ava stammers and hunches her shoulders. I can see if Papi was seventy-eight, but he isn’t that old. He’s only fifty-nine. “Ah, yes. That was his COPD. It’s gone untreated for so long, it may be too late. If someone had seen him earlier, we could’ve diagnosed his COPD before it got this bad. If the fluid and mucus don’t subside, it could overtake his heart and he may die,” the doctor says. Ava lets out an emotional cry. I hold her close to me, hugging her tightly. Hearing those words triggers an ache in the back of my throat. “It’s possible he can still pull through,” the doctor continues in a hopeful tone. “We’re giving him some medicine to help with all the fluid. If it clears up, he’ll live, but he may need to be on oxygen for a while. I don’t want to give you false hope, but the meds are working.” The doctor walks out. Ava is still in my arms, wailing. This is devastating. There’s a possibility I may lose him. I know I give him hell, but he’s my dad. Sons are supposed to give their father a hard time, just like daughters give their mother a hard time. How else am I supposed to show him I love him if I don’t give him hell? I can’t lose my dad. Not when my life is finally coming together. He made me the man that I am. I feel a lump in my throat and fight back my tears. I can’t break down right now because I have to be strong for Ava. “I need some fresh air, Ava,” I whisper, and kiss her forehead. “I’ll be back, nena.” She nods her head at me before I walk out. She’s the child that’s the emotional wreck and she’ll fully lose it if she sees me break down. I sit on a bench outside the hospital with tears pouring down my face. Papi is about to have a daughter-in-law and a grandchild that he may never meet. This is a total nightmare. After about ten minutes of letting the tears flow, my mind goes to Isabella. I need to call her and find out if Andres made it there yet and she’s safe. I call her and it takes a few moments for her to answer. “Matty honey, is everything okay,” she questions. I anxiously question back, “Isa, is Andres there with you?” “He just got here, but he won’t tell me why he’s here. Mateo, what’s going on,” she asks with worry in her voice. I don’t want to frighten her, but she needs to know about Daniel. If I tell her about him first, she probably won’t talk to me about what made her upset at work. “Okay,” I exhale. “First, you gotta tell me what made you so upset before I left.” There’s a slight pause, then she says, “I don’t wanna get married while I’m pregnant.” “That’s what had you so upset,” I ask, confused. Is she lying to me? Would getting married in a maternity dress upset her like that? “The pregnancy hormones have my emotions all over the place,” she giggles. I brush off my doubts. I heard pregnancy and the changes a woman’s body goes through make their emotions and behavior erratic. “We can wait if that’s what you want, mami. I’m marrying you, regardless.” “Okay. Now why is Dre here? Not that I don’t mind spending time with my brother, but he’s in big bro mode. Tell me what’s going on,” she demands. “It’s because I saw Daniel at the gate on the camera feed and I don’t want you to be alone.” There’s a prolonged silence and I’m not sure if the call dropped. I check my phone to see if we’re still connected. “Isabella? You still there?” She answers and is just as shocked as me when I saw the feed. I advise her to not leave the house, but she reminds me Benny has school and she has to work. I know I told her she’s free to do what she pleases, but now I wish she was still a stay-at-home mom. She inquires about Papi. When I tell her about the situation, tears flow again. She tries to console me the best she can over the phone. I appreciate her so much. “Isa, I have to head back into the hospital now,” I sniffle and tell her. “If I don’t call you later tonight, I’ll call you in the morning when you’re on your way to work. I love you, mami.” “I love you too, Matty. Don’t worry, everything’ll be okay, honey.” Her soft voice eases my pain. Something about her telling me it’ll be okay soothes me. I walk back into the hospital, step into the elevator, and get a text from Joshua. JOSH: Jessi and I had our first date tonight. I kissed her when I dropped her off. She made me so hard bro the way she swirled her tongue in my mouth. She has me wrapped around her finger. I now understand how you feel about Isabella. MATEO: I’m happy for you, Josh. JOSH: Thanks bro. When I finally rock her world, we’ll be inseparable. MATEO: Good! Maybe your ass will finally settle down and stop chasing all these women! JOSH: I’m off the market now bro lol MATEO: I’m currently in San Diego. Papi collapsed and it’s not looking too good. I’ll hit you up tomorrow. JOSH: Damn bro. Sorry for bothering you. I hope Pops gets better. Let me know if you need anything. I put my phone away, collect myself, and head back to Papi’s room. It’s already 9 p.m. and I got a feeling this might be a long night. Ava I’m such an emotional wreck. I can’t even explain to Mateo what’s going on with daddy. Hearing the doctor say daddy could die broke my heart. I’m only twenty-one and I’ve already lost my mom. It’s been ten years and I still haven’t recovered from that. I don’t know what I’ll do without daddy. Truthfully, I’ve lost my brother too. I’m more than happy for him and Isabella, but I hate he lives in San Francisco now. I’ve always had Mateo to lean on when things go wrong. He always helps me keep a level head. If I lose daddy, I’ll be all alone. I can’t take this. I stand at daddy’s bed in tears. Mateo returns and hugs me. “Nena, it’ll be okay,” he says, sniffling. “The doctor said there’s a chance he can recover and require oxygen. That’s good news, somewhat. Papi is strong. He’ll pull through this!” I’ve always appreciated the fact my brother is so pragmatic. Obviously, he’s been crying, but he’s still showing strength in his hopeful tone. I admire him so much and I’m so glad he came. Around midnight, daddy awakens and coughs. Mateo and I fell asleep but instantly wake hearing daddy’s raspy cough. He struggles to sit up, so Mateo and I help him. Daddy smiles at Mateo; he’s happy to see him. They don’t have the best relationship, but I know they love each other. “Mijo (my son), what a pleasant surprise to see you!” Daddy pauses, looks around and frowns. “Why am I in the hospital?” “Ava called me and said you collapsed,” Mateo explains. “So, I caught a flight to see what was going on with you.” “I collapsed,” daddy voices in shock. “So, what’s going on with me?” “Papi, you don’t remember,” I ask him. He gives me a confused look and shakes his head no. “We were at Mission Bay Park and you passed out. I called the ambulance and they brought you here. The doctor said you have a bad respiratory infection and that you could –” “Papi, soon as Ava called me, I flew straight here to see how you’re doing,” Mateo says, cutting me off. “You gave Ava and me a serious scare.” It’s probably for the best Mateo cut me off. Telling daddy he could die isn’t the smartest thing to do knowing he just woke up. Gosh Ava, use your brain! “I guess you two little brats love me after all,” daddy chuckles before coughing. Mateo pulls a chair beside daddy’s bed and puts his left hand on daddy’s. Mateo has a new tattoo. It’s a bright red rose with the name Isa. It’s cute and thoughtful. “What’s that on your hand,” I ask Mateo. “Oh, this is my latest tattoo dedicated to Isabella,” he answers with a wide smile. “She got one too, but hers is a red rose surrounded by diamonds on her thigh.” “Wow. It’s very serious for you two if you’re getting tattoos dedicated to each other,” daddy says. “It is,” Mateo says to him. “Papi, Isabella and I are getting married and she’s pregnant. You’re gonna be a grandad again! Hopefully this time you can meet and hold your nieto (grandchild).” Daddy’s face glows with joy. “Well, I guess the third time’s the charm.” I haven’t seen daddy this happy in a while. I know he’s been wanting a grandchild for the longest, but I’m certainly not giving him any. The man I love doesn’t even know how much I love him. “That’s great, son,” daddy cheers. “I’m so happy and proud! Isabella isn’t the woman I thought you’d end up with, but I’m glad she makes you happy and loves you.” They share a hug, which causes me to tear up. Why do I have to be such a crybaby? “Ava, sweetheart, what’s wrong,” daddy asks me, extending his arm to me. “It’s just seeing you two like this and hearing the good news from Teo makes me so happy I’m crying.” Daddy and Mateo motion for me to come here, and we share a group hug. I’m so glad he’s finally awake and Mateo is here. Daniel I exert all my energy, angrily punching Mateo’s gate. My stomach growls ferociously, so I take a break to eat something, regroup, and come back. I need to get in that gate, though. I can’t wait until our visit on Saturday. Now is the perfect opportunity because she’s home alone with the kids. I leave, drive to a little pizza spot in Sausalito and order a whole cheese pizza with anchovies and onions and a cold two liter Coke. Twenty minutes later, I leave with my meal and return to Isabella’s. I don’t know how soon Mateo will return, so I park beside the road instead of at the gate. I contemplate my plan while eating my pizza. Maybe I should buy a tracker and put it on Mateo’s car to keep up with his whereabouts, too. They normally go to Yolanda’s in his DBX. I can show up late and probably put one on during our next visit. As I finish my pizza and prepare to drive back to the gate, a gold Chevy Tahoe arrives and turns down the path. That’s Andres. Damn! Looks like I’ll have to wait until our supervised visit, anyway. I’m not getting in that gate or to Isabella tonight, so I head home. When I arrive home, there’s a white Corolla in the driveway. It’s Alexis. I don’t understand why she’s here since I told her she didn’t have to come tonight. She’s been hounding me since I got my divorce. We still fool around, but I don’t want her like she wants me. I walk to her car to see why she’s here. “Alexis, what you doing here?” I question and tap her window. She jumps out of her car. “Daniel, we need to talk.” “About,” I inquire. “If this is another one of those ‘we should be together’ conversations, then you can save your breath.” I’m tired of her trying to convince me she can be my girlfriend. I only have her come over to clean and cook for me and to f**k. That’s all I want from her. “Well, we should be together, but I have a legit reason now, even though knowing I love you is enough reason.” “Alexis, what are you talking about,” I scoff because she’s annoying me. “Daniel, I’m pregnant. I’m almost two months along.” “You know you have to get rid of it, right?” “f**k no Daniel! You’re not married anymore! There’s no point in hiding our relationship. I love you, I wanna be with you, and I’m having your baby!” Our relationship? She’s not even my girlfriend. This is an unexpected road bump I don’t need right now. I need to convince Alexis to get rid of that baby. She’s only two months, so it’s not too late. Alexis’ pregnancy won’t help my case with Isabella.