239. He's Our Light

Bridgeport, present day

Michaela made it home just in time for the arrival of her baby brother.

Krimsyn, with J.D’s help and that of her team of doctors and nurses welcomed a healthy baby boy. He was well past his due date, and the doctors had had to induce labor, but he was a healthy little thing, and sweet as pie too. He didn't come into the world screaming like most babies do, and for a brief moment Krimsyn had panicked, thinking there's something wrong with him. 

But after performing all the initial tests the doctors had assured them there was nothing wrong with their son, he was healthy, and she'd be able to take him home in a few days.

When J.D. held him for the very first time, he cried. "He's perfect," he told his mate as he handed her their brand new son.

Krimsyn laughed when she saw the shock of red hair on his head and his blue eyes, he was her spitting image.

"What do you say, third time lucky?" She gave J.D. a tearful smile.

"I'm ready when you are," He joined them on the hospital bed and wrapped his arms around them.

He kissed Krimsyn's hair as he said a silent prayer of thanks, he felt incredibly blessed and he was very grateful that despite a lot odds stacked against them, both mommy and baby had made it.

A light knock on the door, pulled them away from their son just briefly, and they both cried when Michaela walked in with Cameron.

Krimsyn held out her arms and her daughter ran into them and wailed on her shoulder. "Mom, I'm so sorry, why didn't you tell me?"

"You are both here, that's all that matters,” Krimsyn said as she brushed Michaela’s cheek, wiping away her tears.

"Can I hold him?" Michaela asked.

"Sure, just make sure you support his head, he’s still very fragile," Krimsyn gently placed the baby in Michaela's arms.

"He looks like you and uncle Krisis," Michaela mused.

"Poor baby, I sure as hell hope he doesn't have his temper too!" Cameron joked. 

Krisis and Leigh chose that moment to walk in. Congratulatory hugs and handshakes were exchanged all around.

"I told you no gifts," Krimsyn made a grumpy face at Leigh when she placed the stuffed toy on the night stand.

"The kids sent it, they thought the baby will need it to help him sleep," Leigh explained.

Michaela gave the baby to Leigh and she spent a great deal of time cooing and talking to him.

As Krisis watched her with the baby, something stirred in him; he wanted another baby, but he knew the timing was all wrong. Her career was just starting to take off. Plus, they were still dealing with all the stuff with Laura.

He'd barely seen his wife since she came back from Roaring Heights. Leigh had asked him to leave the house for a few days, just until her anger had cooled down a bit. But two weeks later he was still staying at a hotel, living out of a suitcase and sleeping in a strange bed, all constant reminders of his fuck ups.

Leigh was always out somewhere, sourcing art or meeting with her gallery's manager every time he dropped by the house to see the kids. He would give her the time she'd asked for because she was worth waiting for. But he was getting increasingly restless. He wanted her back.

"What's his name?" Leigh asked Krimsyn, cutting through Krisis’ dark thoughts.

But it was J.D., who replied, "Uri."

"He's our light," Krimsyn explained the name.

"It's beautiful, like him," Leigh said, as she kissed Krimsyn on the forehead. "Congratulations!"

Krimsyn was thirsty, so J.D. had to go to the cafeteria to get her something to drink. Krisis and Cameron went with him.

They made a quick detour to the parking lot where Cameron shared blunts he’d made especially for this occasion. "Mazaltov!" He raised his at J.D. before he took a long drag.

In a rare moment of affection, J.D. surprised everyone when he gave Cameron a bear hug, "Thank you for bringing Mickey home."

The whole gesture was awkward for all three, so J.D. And Cameron quickly pulled apart and pretended it had never happened.

When they returned to Krimsyn's ward, it was packed; Eloise and Devon were there, and so were Katie and Thornton.

The tension between Eloise and Thornton was palpable, but they were both determined to put it aside for now, and be happy for the new parents.

While everyone cooed at the baby, Thornton and J.D. had an impromptu meeting in the corner of the room. They spoke in hushed tones as Thornton  filled him in on the Clarkes' investigation, he was well aware that the time and place were all wrong, but since the investigation was moving so swiftly he didn’t think he’d have any other chance to talk him and he didn’t want him to be blindsided.

He informed J.D. about the detectives digging around in Hollow Creek, they couldn't pin Joshua and Ellie's death on him, but they were slowly building a case against Michaela. Thornton wasn't worried though; his granddaughter had changed Joshua long before the Human Preservation Act came into effect, so she didn't commit a crime. But if they could prove that J.D. and Krimsyn were responsible for Ellie's raffle which later paid for her education, it would certainly look like a payoff.

"But that's not true," J.D. denied the implications. He explained that Michaela had wanted to help Ellie with her college fees, but the Clarkes being too proud would not have accepted an outright donation, so they'd come up with the raffle. It wasn't a bribe or an illicit donation.

"I know that, but once they make the connection, it won’t be long before they subpoena your financial records, we all know what that will reveal. And you also know how sensationalist the media is, they'll blow everything out of proportion, and once it starts they'll pick your lives apart, bring up Michaela's actions in Hollow Creek, Joshua's attempted rape, every little thing that you've ever done will be out there for the public to read and dissect. And by the time it's all over, your careers will be over; no one survives that kind of media damage."

"I'll plead guilty for the murder,” J.D.  made up his mind there and then.

"Are you out of your mind? Once you admit guilt, it's over!" Thornton's harsh growl attracted stares from the group congregating around the bed.

"Is everything okay?" Krimsyn asked.

"Everything is fine," J.D. replied, but the small break in his voice told them nothing was fine. So Krisis and Cameron joined them in the corner.

"What's going on?" Krisis addressed his father and best friend.

"He wants to plead guilty to the Clarkes' murder," Thornton replied in a low tone.

"Are you insane?" Cameron demanded.

"What other choice do I have? If I don't, those vultures will crucify my daughter, her actions in Hollow Creek will come up, and Joshua’s attempted rape will come out. I can't have that. I can't have Mickey’s life on public display, I won't!"

"Maybe it should come out! Maybe if the public knew what Joshua did, how he schemed with Beau for months to ruin this family, and the rape, they'll see you were just protecting your daughter, and Ellie's death was an accident!" Krisis suggested.

"If you go down that road, Krisis, your own shit will come up." Thornton cut it in. "Do you think Beau will go down without a fight, he'll finger you for Vladimir's death and the whole Vampire Council will go down with you."

"Shit!" Cameron cussed. He couldn't believe how everything was connected, how all the webs and secrets and lies and cover-ups intertwined to conceal all the rot. Beau couldn't have picked a better way to get his revenge. They knew he was out there somewhere, probably laughing as he watched their lives unravel.

"There has to be another way, something to make all this shit go away!" Krisis paced the small corner.

"Then find it," Thornton told them. "But until you do, none of you are to address the media or speak to the cops without legal counsel."

He turned to J.D. and added, "And I must stress this, keep a cool head, and don't make any rash decisions. In simple English, don't plead anything!"

With that he approached the cot, and kissed his daughter's cheek, "congratulations honey, he looks just like your mama!"

"What's going on?" Krimsyn clutched his hand anxiously.

"It's nothing," he tried to reassure her, but Krimsyn wasn't having any of it. She knew something was wrong, she could see it in the tense way J.D. held himself.

"I know it's something, tell me. Is it the Clarkes’, daddy what is it?" She was in tears now.

And Thornton wanted to cry too as he wiped her tears away. It was the first time she'd called him daddy; it was so strange, hearing it, and she looked and sounded so vulnerable he wanted to protect her. He understood J.D.'s predicament all too well, there's nothing he wouldn't do for his own kids. Nothing.

"I promise you, everything will be okay," he assured her. He kissed her again on the cheek before he excused himself; he had a conference call with the head of the Vampire Council.

"Are you coming?" He asked Katie.

She walked up to him, and kissed him slowly on the lips. “No, go ahead, I’ll call a taxi."

Thornton shook hands with J.D. again, offering his congratulations once more before he left.

Eloise excused herself to go the restroom.

It was a lie, of course. She wanted to speak to Thornton alone.

She caught up with him in the parking lot. 

"Mr. Thornton, can we talk?" 

"It's Will or William. ‘Mr. Thornton’ sounds so formal considering our history, don't you think?" Thornton frowned at her. 

"Will," Eloise smiled, her cheeks dimpled slightly. “Can I have a word?" 

"Sure," Thornton replied as he slid into the back seat. His driver ran to the other side to hold the door for Eloise.

She slipped in beside Thornton, but didn't say anything for a while. She was really unprepared, and she didn't want to make a mess of things, but having thought about everything, she'd come to the conclusion that Leigh was right, if MorcuCorp was indeed experimenting on innocent people, she couldn't sit by and do nothing, she had a moral obligation to help.

"I don't have the whole day, Eloise, spit it out."

"I think MorcuCorp is conducting illegal research and experiments!" She blurted out, and she couldn't have picked a better opener.

Thornton looked intrigued as his driver pulled out of the parking lot, and Eloise panicked. She couldn't leave the hospital. Devon would be worried.

"Relax; my driver will bring you back. I'm running late and I'm fascinated by your tall tale, so killing two birds so to speak.

"It's not a tall tale!" Eloise hissed. And with that she proceeded to tell him everything she'd learned from Cruz, omitting her source of course. 

He already knew about the ‘plague’, the government had sent the Vampire Council the report, assuring them it had been contained and they did not expect any outbreaks in Bridgeport. Since it had happened in wolf territory, he'd had no reason to concern himself.

What he didn't know though, was the fact that the outbreak was linked to the botanists’ research at the gypsy camp. And if Eloise's story checked out, then it would mean the humans had lied, the botanists’ research had gone wrong, and to cover it up, the government had concocted the story of the plague and fed it to the media.

"Where do you get this information?" Thornton asked. And Eloise wouldn't say, but Thornton was an astute man, he quickly added things up.

"It's your maker isn't it? You've been in contact with him?"

"No, I don't know what you're talking about," Eloise lied, and Thornton immediately signaled to his driver to pull over and the car came to a screeching halt.

"Get out," he told her quietly.

"No!" Eloise cried shrilly, they were in the middle of nowhere, too far from the hospital and nowhere close to her home. She would never get a taxi here.

"Don't make me throw you out!" Thornton threatened her; his voice still deathly silent.

"What am I supposed to do, how am I supposed to get home?" Eloise yelled.

"I don't know. But what do I know is I can't do business with you if I can't trust you. And I can't trust you when you're holding out on me!"

"I am not holding out on you!" Eloise insisted.

"You expect me to believe you uncovered all this by yourself?"

When he put it like that, Eloise had to admit it sounded ridiculous. "Okay. I'll give you his name only if you promise to help his sister and let him go," she offered at last.

But Thornton was in no mood for bargaining, "let's get something straight Eloise, you are in no position to negotiate anything with me. You owe me his head on a silver platter, and I will only look into this MorcuCorp business if and only if your little friend comes forward." Thornton signaled to his driver again and they were on the move once more.

"If he comes forward, you can't hurt him, he hasn't done anything wrong," Eloise tried to get Cruz some leniency.

"He's done plenty wrong if you ask me. He's cost the Vampire Council a lot of money, and he robbed you and Devon of a shot at a normal life. And because of him you have one murder under your belt. So how can you possibly sit there and defend the man?"

"You don't understand," Eloise cried weakly.

"Look, I get it, you share a bond with him and I'm happy for you, glad that you finally know your roots. But if he wants my help he needs to grow a pair and meet me in person instead of sending you to do his dirty work. What kind of a man does that?" Thornton shook his head in disgust.

"He didn't send me. He doesn't even know I'm here. In fact I wasn't going to help him until I spoke with Leigh!"

They were at the Vampire Council headquarters now. "I swear to God, you and Leigh will be the death of me someday," he growled as he got out of the car.

He gave his driver instructions to take Eloise back to the hospital.

“Make this happen, Eloise!” He reminded her just before he walked away…

Back at the hospital, the small gathering in Krimsyn’s room had thinned considerably, and only Leigh and Krisis had stayed behind. After a little while, Leigh also excused herself. She had to pick up the kids from school. Krisis offered to come with her, and since she didn’t want to cause a scene in front of Krimsyn and J.D. she let him.

Leigh did her best to distract herself with her cell phone as they waited for the lift.

Three other people, jumped in with them.

And for five or so floors, tense silence surrounded them as they both stared straight ahead, silently counting the floors as the lift sped down.

The moment the doors closed after the last person jumped out, Krisis hit one of the buttons on the wall panel and the lift came to a grinding halt as the emergency siren rang somewhere above them.

Leigh glared at him, “You can’t do that!”

“I know. But it’s the only way I could get your attention.” He replied.

“What do you want, Krisis?” She asked irritably.

“Just a minute with you,” he told her quietly. He knew he literally had a minute before the maintenance crew jumpstarted the elevator again, he had to use it wisely.

Leigh just kept quiet. Krisis didn’t say anything either. He’d prayed for this moment so many times and in his head all the things he wanted to say to her always flowed so eloquently. But now that she was right here, he was just happy to be there with her, happy to just stare at her.

"Leigh," he began when he couldn’t take the silence any longer. "Look at me, please."

Leigh shook her head and stared at her feet.

Impulsively Krisis crossed the small space between them, but just as he was about to reach out to her, Leigh looked up, her eyes shining bright with tears, her pain, the raw hurt gushing out from her rendered him weak and just for that brief second he saw with blinding clarity all the pain he’d caused her.

“I’m so sorry,” he told her as he reached up to hold her face in his hands. He expected her to scream at him, or at the very least pull away. But she didn’t.

Instead she wrapped her arms around his neck, and leaned up to kiss him.

“I know,” she whispered. “But it doesn’t excuse what you did.”

“I can fix it.” 

“How?”

“Just hear me out please. Have dinner with me.”

“You think dinner will fix us?” Leigh snorted bitterly, red hot fury replacing the sadness misting her eyes just moments before.

“No, of course not!” Krisis replied quickly. Things were changing rapidly between them moment to moment and he had no idea where they would land. He was wading blindly in murky waters, hoping that by the time they made it out of the darkness Leigh would still be holding his hand.

“I know dinner won’t fix us,” he tried again, still holding on to her, she was his anchor, the only thing keeping him adrift. “But I miss you. I want to come home. I want to be with you and the kids. I’m willing to show up. I want to show up for you and the kids.”

Before she could reply, the lift surged to life again.

“Your minute is up,” she told him as she untangled herself from his embrace…

Credits: Thank you Fae for the hospital poses. I told you I would use them, just didn't expect it would take this long to get around to this chapter. Thank you.