Family Interrupted (34 page)

“Gen-e-tics?” I offered before falling asleep.

#

JACK

I handed the baby to Claire. “Ian won’t rest easy until he knows what happened to his boss. God forbid it’s bad news. I’m going to find out.”

The emergency room was overrun with the injured, their families, friends, and co-workers. Groans, tears, and screams of pain made me wince. Triage areas had been organized; every medic was busy. How in the world was I supposed to find Ben Parker, a guy I’d never laid eyes on?

In the end, it was no problem. He found me.

A big man with soot and blisters on his face, he looked as if he’d seen better days. He was calling names from a clipboard and making notes. I watched and listened, soon realizing he was going down the roster of the Isomerization Unit. Ian’s unit.

“Barnes. Ian Barnes. Where the hell’s my college boy?”

His
college boy?

I walked over, extended my hand, then noticed his was blistered.

“Another time, then. I’m Jack Barnes, Ian’s dad. He’ll be fine. A mild concussion, but they’re watching him.”

His eyes bulged. “Ian’s dad? Well, waddyaknow? I thought with Colleen gone the kid was alone in the world—except for the baby.” He scribbled a note on the clipboard.

Pain sliced through me, a pain which had little to do with Ben Parker and everything to do with Ian, Claire, and me. Our son had truly written us off. He felt close to Parker, talked about him with us, yet hadn’t mentioned us to him. Ian had become an expert on keeping secrets recently. But...that was before this accident, before he and his mother talked. Hope bloomed again. We’d tell him about the plans for a new house, and we’d all reconnect. We’d become strong. As Claire would say, I was ever the cockeyed optimist.

“Those hands of yours can get infected,” I said, a voice of experience. “Better get some antibiotic ointment on them. Want some help with that?” I nodded at the clipboard.

“To hell with my hands. I need to find my crew. That’s all that counts. If you never ran a department, you wouldn’t know what that responsibility feels like. Tell your boy I’ll catch up with him.” He called two more names and walked away.

Ran a department? How about a company? I shoved my feelings aside. The man was worried, totally engrossed in doing what he had to do and wanted to do. This was no time for games. I returned to Ian’s cubicle, where he was surrounded by nurses.

“Easy does it.” They helped him sit up and monitored his vital signs every five minutes. I liked that. Claire and I had more experience with head injuries than a couple should have, and we weren’t going to complain about any exam, test, or treatment Ian needed.

“Your Mr. Parker doesn’t look pretty, Ian, but he’s running around out there keeping track of everyone. He’ll be fine.”

My kid grinned. Just the reaction I’d wanted.

“Hey, Dad?”

“Yo.”

“In case I die too, then you and Mom need to adopt Tina.”

I heard Claire gasp, but my attention stayed focused on Ian, who’d evidently dismissed his concerns about Mr. Parker and was now thinking about his sister.

“What put that stupid idea into your head? You’re not going to die. Heck, Ian, football players suffer worse injuries than you’ve got.”

And damn if his eyes didn’t light up. I took Tina from Claire and held her close enough to receive kisses from her daddy. “Your daughter needs you, Ian, so your job—your only job—is to get better.”

“She doesn’t have a mom, so I guess she needs me a lot.”

A fine time to bring up this sensitive topic. We’d never really discussed his deep relationship with Colleen Murphy and how heartbroken he’d truly been. I knew little about her other than her commitment to her career. So far, the only fact about Colleen that mattered to me was that she’d given Ian custody of the baby. His daughter. Our granddaughter. Colleen got high marks for that in my book. But we all knew Tina would have questions later on.

“Maybe one day, Martina Faith will have a full-time mom,” Claire said. “But let’s put first things first. Don’t you think it’s time we were a family again?”

“Hey, y’all. How’s my college boy?”

Ian grinned. “Mr. Parker! My dad said you’re okay?”

“Sure, I’m okay. He also said I should take care of my blisters.”

Ian’s eyes darted toward Parker’s hands, then his face again. “My dad knows his stuff. I think he’s right.”

“Hmm.”

Parker was making small talk, buying time with Ian, studying his employee, assessing him with his own yardstick.

“It wasn’t our fault, was it, Mr. Parker? I mean, we shut down when Colleen left, and we started back up just fine.... I-I did everything right, didn’t I?”

For how many years, I wondered, would Ian view life’s events in terms of fault? His fault? Someone else’s fault? I remained quiet. This conversation was between Ian and his boss.

“College boy,” said Parker, his voice gruff, “your work was great. You’d done everything right. The accident didn’t start in our unit, but two of my men were critically injured. Wrong place, wrong time. You know how that goes.” His eyes scanned the room, not resting. Anxious.

“It’s been twenty years between incidents,” Parker continued. “Safety measures have improved a thousand percent since the old days. You can almost forget the past...and then, boom! Something happens, and you remember.”

He sighed a big sigh. “Check out of this hotel as soon as you can, Ian, and don’t come back to work until you’re called.”

“Uh, Mr. Parker?”

“Yup?”

“I’ve been thinking about our last conversation, thinking about it a lot, and I have to turn down that offer of tuition.”

My son had commanded everyone’s attention.

“Sure about that?” Parker asked.

“I can’t accept a gift under false pretenses. And that’s what it would be. The baby needs her grandparents. And I-I miss my family, Mr. Parker. We got off track for awhile, but it’s okay now. We’re going to try again.”

Parker turned to me. “I’ve worked with your boy for two years and know him better than he thinks. I have no sons, Mr. Barnes. But the truth is that if I could pick one, it would be yours. You folks did a great job raising him, but don’t discount luck. Sometimes, kids don’t turn out right. No matter what.”

I wasn’t sure if he spoke from personal experience or from years of living and observing those around him, but I did understand why Ian liked him. He cared about people, and my son lapped up the attention. As for the luck part? Well, the man didn’t know about Kayla and how unlucky the Barnes family had been. He didn’t need to know. I’d gotten what I’d wanted.

“I won’t shake your hand,” I said, “but I will say thanks. I’m glad Ian had you when he needed a...a mentor in his life.”

The man nodded then looked at Ian. “The door will always be open to you, college boy. But I hope I don’t see you again until you have that diploma. Take care of yourself, ya hear?”

“I hear. You too.”

We watched him leave, a man who wouldn’t rest until his entire roster was accounted for and double-checked. “I liked him, Ian.”

“Yeah. I knew right from the beginning that I was in a good place. Want to know why?”

“Sure.”

“Mr. Parker reminded me of you.”

With that confession, he closed his eyes, lay back, and fell asleep again.

“We’ve got quite a son,” said Claire. “On the outside, you and Parker don’t resemble each other at all, but on the inside? A different story. And that’s what attracted Ian. He saw two honorable men.”

I took out my mobile. “First we phone the grands. And then...?” The question in my voice caught her attention. “It might be hard for you, Claire, but we have another important call that must come from both of us.”

Her brow contracted for a moment then relaxed. Her eyes showed an understanding, a new maturity in a woman who’d barely lived through her worst nightmare. “I know,” she said. “The Levines. Sarah and Marc. They’re still suffering, and we can relieve some of that...I think.”

I had no words for this wonderful woman, so I kissed her as though I’d never let go—which wasn’t easy with Tina in between. “Thank you.”

Hopefully, a good start, but I kissed her again before dialing Levine’s number. “Marc? Jack Barnes here. Got a minute?....Good. Good. Claire and I didn’t want to wait any longer to call. To let you know that life is getting better. A whole lot better….Yes, I’m sure….That’s right, it’s the truth. And Claire is hoping she can speak with Sarah.”

I gave her the phone.

#

CLAIRE

A minute later, I heard Sarah’s quiet hello. Soft, yes, but with a note of hope. I pictured her as I’d last seen her, distraught, scared, running from Judy’s office filled with self-blame, self-hate. The poor girl. I spoke softly, too, and slowly, trying not to scare her.

“Hi, Sarah. It’s Claire Barnes, but please don’t be alarmed. I have good news…Yes, really. First of all, my sister and I are friends again. Bet you thought that would never happen. But it did….That’s right. I promise it’s for real. And there’s more good news. My son is coming home. It took awhile, but the Barnes family is back together. So now you know that the world you thought you’d destroyed is being repaired piece by piece.”

She mumbled something about being happy for me.

I tried again. “There’s one more thing I want to say…about the accident…about Kayla…? So please listen—it’s important for both our sakes.

“You need to know that I forgive you, Sarah. And that Jack forgives you, too. So now you must forgive yourself and become strong again. Your children need a strong mother. Your husband needs a strong wife.”

Silence on the other end. I had to try harder.

“Kayla’s death was an accident, a true accident. It was bad luck and nobody’s fault—not yours, not Ian’s, not mine. Love wins, Sarah. It’s stronger than hate. It’s stronger than revenge. I finally understand that now myself. And you must, too.”

As I listened to my own words, a weight lifted from my heart and disappeared. I had set myself free.

The end.

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Family Interrupted
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Family Interrupted
and my other novels which are listed here and available as ebooks. My next story, however, is non-fiction—a memoir covering my survival of two bouts with breast cancer. Today life is good! I am healthy. I guess what doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger. Check out my website for updates about the release of this story.
Many thanks,
Linda Barrett

1. Do many contemporary women “seize their moment” like Claire and Colleen did in order to follow a dream?

2. Do you think the extent of Claire’s flirtation with her professor is more real than imagined or more imagined than real? Does it matter?

3. If the Barneses are a loving family, why do Jack, Claire and Ian go on separate emotional journeys after the accident?

4. Claire’s family treats her to some tough love after a year of grieving. If everyone grieves at his or her own pace, is a year long enough?

5. If Ian had gone to college, he would have been away from the house anyway. Why do you think he moves out and takes a job instead of attending school?

6. Do you think it odd that Jack can feel sorry for Marc Levine?

7. How does Ian show his maturity? In what ways is he still a teenager? How does he wind up at the end?

8. Claire’s journey is filled with the blame game, including blaming herself. Why is it so hard to accept that bad things happen to good people through no fault of their own? Why do we search for logical explanations?

9. We can follow Sarah Levine’s emotional journey through various scenes in the book. Is her reaction to the accident very different from Claire’s?

10. In drawing Kayla again and again, do Claire’s skills as an artist serve her well or not?

11. Claire is not a saint but some might say she acted like one in the end. Why? Can you imagine forgiving someone who’s fatally hurt your child?

12. What do you think happens next? Where does the Barnes family live? Does Ian go back to school? What does the future hold for him and Colleen, if anything?

Linda grew up in Queens, NY and earned her B.A. and M.S. from Hunter College. She’s also lived in Massachusetts, Texas and currently resides with her husband in the greater Tampa, FL area. Linda’s written a dozen contemporary romance novels, many earning industry awards such as the Holt Medallion, the Award of Excellence and the Write Touch Reader’s Award.
Family Interrupted
is her first novel of general fiction.

© Copyright 2013 by Linda Barrett

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Dear Reader: