Home Again

chapter 20

The emergency room was packed, and Melanie paced outside the doors waiting for Dena. “Melanie!!!” She called, running across the parking lot. “Your dad just picked up the kids, all of them, three girls and a boy. Your parents will have their hands full the rest of the night.” She laughed nervously. “They still haven’t heard from Dillion and Brads is not answering either. What do I tell him when he does answer? What are they saying?”

Melanie stared hollowly at her, “You need to breathe.” She smiled, “They said She has had a small heart attack but luckily they stopped it this time. She needs to avoid stress. They won’t let me go back there. They said only family and Ruby, of course, which is how I found out anything. The nurse’s guardians from hell won’t even speak to me”. She sent an evil eye in the blonde's direction.

“Like Hell Granny wanted to talk to you and she is gonna get to do just that.” Dena hit the open button on the large brown door.

“Wait, Dena, I kind of caused it.” Melanie looked at the ground.

“How?”

“I didn’t give her a chance to speak. I was yelling and I treated her just like she had treated me.” She teared up, “I feel terrible. I am so sorry. I mean, she could have died but I was so fueled by anger. I just saw thirty shades of red.”

“It’s okay. Perhaps it’s time you and granny had a heart to heart. Now that both of you have been humbled a little. Let’s go.”

The room was bright, she thought as she looked around. “Melanie?” She moaned.

“Yes, Beth, I’m here” She grabbed the woman’s hand.

“Will you forgive me, Melanie? Forgive an old hateful misguided old hag and give her a second chance.” She feebly tried to smile and gripped her hand, “My daddy always said you only get one shot at a first impression, but perhaps you would consider letting us start over?”

“It will be hard, Beth; I won’t lie to you. But if you were willing to beg forgiveness amid a heart attack, I think you definitely mean it.”

“You see, Melanie, I fear I have had terrible views of life. I didn’t realize it until I saw Ben. Did you know that Brad’s grandfather’s name was Benjamin? When he died, I guess I got bitter? I was mean to Regina too and you remind me so much of her. I blamed her for Jaspers' death for a very long time too. Hearing your children talk about you and telling them stories of my darling Benjamin and my sweet Jasper’; Well, it reminded me of good times. They made me realize how dreadful I have been…” Her face was wet and black streaked.

“It’s okay we…” Dena burst through the door in tears.

“Granny, thank heavens your awake. Mel, Oh my God, just when things were bad, they were worse.”

Melanie turned from Elisabeth’s side. “Dena, what’s wrong? Take a breath.”

“It’s Bradley!” She sobbed, “Someone finally answered his cell phone and…”

“What about Bradley is he?” Melanie was horrified. Had he wrecked? Was he here at the hospital? Was he Dead? “Dena for heaven’s sake what’s wrong!”

“It was the sheriff. He said Bradley was under arrest for assault, public intoxication, and destruction of property. The sheriff said that Rick was pressing charges and we needed to call him a lawyer because Bradley was facing ten years or possibly more.”

“Melanie,” Elizabeth reached for her hand, “I know I can’t get out of this bed, so you will have to go handle this. Go see Bradley and the sheriff. Then to whomever Bradley…”

“Dillion, it was bound to have been Dillion and oh yes, he will damn sure drop the charges.” Melanie smiled.

“Well, then you still need to go see Big Rick. Talk him into dropping those dreadful charges. Tell him we are willing to reimburse him any damages and twice their worth.”

Melanie grabbed her bag and darted for the door, “Mel, Brad is downstairs in the emergency room and so is Dillion getting their war wounds checked out.”

“Dena, go with her. I’m fine darlin’ I promise. Ruby will be back in any minute.”

Brad

He lay across the bed looking at the lights. I screwed this one up, he thought. He listened to the hustle and bustle of the hospital around him. He watched old Bernie sleep, glancing every one in a while out the door.

“Brad!” She called through the slight crack in the doorway.

“Melanie,” he sat up.

One thing was for sure, old Bernie’s hearing was just fine, “Now Melanie you can’t come in here. He is under arrest.”

“Come on Bernie, what’s the harm in letting me speak to him?” She smiled, giving her best face she could muster with her terribly bruised face.

“Make it fast. I assume you will want to talk to your brother too.”

“uh yea” she darted to Brad’s side, wasting no time, grabbing his bruised purple knuckles. “Oh, my goodness”

“It’s alright.” He mused, kissing the top of her head.

“How long is he gonna be in jail or what is his bail?” She questioned the sheriff but, looking at Brad with watery eyes.

“That depends on the court.”

“Are you serious, Sheriff? This is Bradley Singleton we are talking about here.”

“And he did the crime so he can do the time.” The old man twisted his mustache.

“Bernie, please Elizabeth is not in good health. She has had a small heart attack and she needs Bradley.”

“Granny?” Brad tried to stand but the hand cuff and where Melanie was standing prevented him from it.

“Well, I’m mighty sorry to hear that. Always like Elizabeth unless she was throwing her money and class in people’s faces. I guess without granny around you would defiantly face the music this time.”

“Bernie!!!” Melanie exclaimed. She took a deep breath and Brad touched her shoulder. “What will it take? My brother not filing charges? or What”

“Yawl know I never thought I’d see the day that you'd get up on Elizabeth's side. Melanie, your brother didn’t want to file charges because he didn’t want charges on him.”

“So, who then?”

“Rick Mel”, Brad said, resigned. “He warned me during my last run with Justin that he would keep the charges the next time.”

“Well then, I need to go have a discussion with Big Rick, don’t I?” Melanie kissed his cheek, afraid to kiss his swollen face and she turned to the door, “I love you Bradley and I will fix this.” She commented as she left the room.

The old man stood outside the door, “Melanie, maybe this is the wakeup call the whole family needs. Don’t be telling me you have now up taken with the Singleton family’s way of thinking. Why, for a minute there I thought I was looking at Elizabeth herself; in there trying to get Brad out of trouble. It's high time that the Singleton’s get treated like everyone else.”

“I'll take the Jibe about Elizabeth with grace, Bernie, this time, and I view it as a compliment. Brad doesn’t deserve to be cuffed to a bed and arrested when his grandmother is ill. Family tempers running high are part of it, I guess. I think some leniency is due here for both Brad and Dillion, at this time. I will speak to Rick and you will hear from me shortly. Good day Sheriff”. Melanie spun around and headed for the door, leaving old Bernie with the thought she was beginning to fit in with them. After all, little Melanie has finally grown up.

Ricks

Ricks wasn’t really packed when she and Dena stepped inside. Thank goodness, she thought. She stood waiting, asserting to the waitress that she was wanting to speak to Rick himself. The old Irishman was tall and broad, scary looking if you didn’t know him. He had his back turned to them, seeming to be mixing drinks. Melanie had thought up several different courses of action here. Thinking along the lines of Elizabeth, who kind of told her to take on her persona anything to free Bradley, she had said. So, thinking like Elisabeth, she thought she would begin with flattery. It’s been awhile Rick. Are dieting you look good. She mentally practiced. Then she thought, no he wasn’t a woman, what man cares about that? Okay. Threaten him. If he says no, he won’t drop the charges. She will bring up his loan, a loan that he is indebted to the Singletons for, considering they are his land lords in this building. No, she couldn’t be that cruel. She paced, Beg him, Nope too desperate. Maybe Elizabeth was right; if she couldn’t threaten him in a business sense, then maybe she wasn’t cut out to be a Singleton. She didn’t deserve Brad; if she couldn’t think like a Singleton long enough to get him his freedom… Her thoughts were disrupted when the big man turned around.

“What can I do for you, lass? Grave Scott Melanie, what in the highlands has happened to you?” The big man was concerned.

“A little accident, but I’m fine. Well no, that’s a lie, I am not fine. Bradley is under arrest.” She climbed up on the bar stool.

“Ah, so that is why yare payin’ me a visit. I’m sorry to do that I always loved young Brad, ye know that, but I can’t go havin’ him beckoning fights in me place every other night. It isn’t good for me business, Tis a family business, ye know for the wee ones too; not a pub.”

“Rick, we are prepared to pay for any and all damages.”

“This doesn’t sound like the little Melanie I know, that sounds more like Elizabeth Singleton to me,” He smiled and finger combed his beard, “Have you reconciled ye differences?”

“Something like that, Rick. The thing is, Elizabeth is in the hospital and she needs him. He just became a part of the twins' lives. This could take him away from them and Annie. She, Annie, has already lost her mother. All she knows is Brad. With my lifestyle and my parents at their older age, Come on Rick. You know their health conditions. They need Dillion.”

“Oh that is bad.” The big man smiled deviously.

“What does that look mean? Dena?” Melanie was concerned. She had seen him smile before but not like this. He looked like the cat that just ate the canary.

“I will make ye a deal, little Mel. I will drop the charges on Mr. Bradley and Dillion.”

“Oh thank you Rick…”

“On one condition. I am a bit of a business man after all.”

“Condition? You want a deal.”

“Yes Melanie, you have been tryin' to become part of the Singleton family as long as me can remember, so you must know a business transaction when you hear one, lass, and that is what this shall be.”

“A business transaction” Melanie did not really know anything about the Singleton family business, but they were mostly lawyers and horse breeding traders. How hard could it be?

“I don’t want Bradley breaking out into any more fights in me place. The only fights he’s ever been in are all about you, me young lass. In high school it was who you belonged to. Now it’s whom do your intentions lie and you wellbeing. I think I have found the perfect solution to our Bradley problem.”

“They should just get married already. That would solve it.” Dena scoffed.

“I be a thinkin’ the same thing.” He slapped the counter.

“Wait what?” Melanie glanced from one to the other.

“You and Bradley tie the knot and I will drop the charges on them both.”

“I can’t; I mean we can’t” Melanie was flabbergasted.

“Well, now let’s call old Bernie and see if he and Brad will go with it. Shall we?”

“I can’t get married like this.” She covered her face.

“It doesn’t’ have to be today I’m sure.” Big Rick picked up the receiver, “Good evening Bernie, I wondered what happened to young Bradley?” He paced, which made both women a little nervous. “Is that right? Well, I’ve had some time to think.”

He winked at Melanie, which made her blood boil. It had occurred to her that she had never agreed to this arrangement. “Well, I have a proposition for ye. Is there a way to postpone charges on the young lad? I would be fine with him going free; as long as say within the next year him and young Melanie are wed. I know it is a most unusual sheriff, but I think marring the lass will be better than any amount of jail time.” He hung up the phone and turned to the women. “Old Bernie would like a word with all of us at the Sheriff's station.”

“You guys go ahead. I think I owe Elizabeth an answer.” Melanie strolled down the street near the station about an hour later. Oh my gosh they are black mailing us, she thought. Elizabeth would die and no reason to get her hopes up that Brad would marry her cause Elizabeth would certainly have plan B.

“Hello,” Her voice came over the speaker.

“Hey, so I am meeting with Rick and Bernie. They have come up with a stipulation to drop the charges and I don’t think you are going to like it.” She bit her lip.

“What stipulation?” The woman’s voice turned sour.

“Marriage. He has to marry me within the next year or he goes down for all charges.” She nervously chuckled.

“What,” Elisabeth flatly asked.

“Well, you see, Rick seems to think that if he were to finally marry me that he would be less prone to fight. He bargained with Bernie and he’s making it all official with a contract of some sort and, did I mention, it was all very complicated? I’m sure you could do something, though I mean your Elizabeth Singleton.” She decided she had talked enough.

After what seemed like an eternity, she finally ended the silence. “Yes, I’m sure I could do something.” She laughed, “but I don’t want to.” The laugh was eerie, she thought.

“You don’t want to?” Melanie was confused nine years ago. She all but tied Brad up in his room to keep him away from the altar. “Elizabeth, I don’t want him marrying me out of an obligation of jail time. Please don’t let them railroad him like that.”

“Oh, Melanie, he loves you darlin’ and despite my meddling, he always did and thankfully always will. His heart is stubborn, and I agree with them. Congratulations dear on your engagement.”

The line went dead. She wasn’t sure if she should be worried or not. Would Elizabeth set her up for some humiliating fall again? Would she cover her in a free fall of blood like in that horror movie; she couldn’t remember the name of? Or was she just paranoid? Maybe Elizabeth was finally coming around? OR maybe she knew that if he married her out of an obligation, a second marriage, that he would grow to dislike her and their marriage just like his last one.”

“Hey Mel!” Dena called from the double doors of the sheriff’s office. “They want you to come in here. They are bringing Brad in from lock up now.”