Part 10 -She's Back

Flashback to the day before and Amanda at Wildwind 2
Trevor is fussy and crying "There there !Mommy has you hush, Trevor"
"Poor baby is your teeth hurting she says rocking Trevor and putting a PBA free gummy toy that she takes out of the freezer up to his sore gums!Just then then doorbell is heard "Mommy has to get the door pumpkin ,but you keep gnawing that it will make that nasty tooth come in!"she says to Trevor
Amanda opens the door after peering through the peephole.
"Isn't it a little late for mail deliveries even for Fed-X?asks Amanda suspiciously and ready to slam the door quickly but thinking maybe she shouldn't have answered the door.
"Sorry Mam !"the delivery guy says"special overnight delivery well it would have been tomorrow morning but the sender paid me extra to bring it to you tonight!
"Really?" says Amanda thinking it was a love token from Jake and smiling
"Sign here mam !"says the delivery man and then hands her the package an envelope covered in hearts.
Amanda shuts the door and sets down Trevor in his high chair!Trevor gnaws on the frozen toy as Amanda opens the envelope .she finds a disc inside and another envelope.The outside of the envelope says play disc then read this !Someone who loves you!Amanda slips the carefully edited disc into her laptop and sees Jake talking to someone .
On the computer screen she sees and hears Carolyn answer the door.
"Jake come in !"says Carolyn
"That's Carolyn? but she looks like me "....says Amanda puzzled then looking back at the screen and why didn't he tell me he was going to see his ex-wife?
"I hope this won't take long just give me the signed papers so I can take it to my lawyer and fix this!'says Jake"so we are not married!"
"Not married ....what is he talking about ?Oh no ....we're not legallly married ...she's still his wife?" I'll snatch her bald and then I'll do the same to him!"says Amanda then she tunes into the computer screen once more
"not so fast Jake we have more to talk about!'"says Carolyn
"More what more do you have to talk with the man who thought he was divorced from you?He wasn't lying about that was he?"doubts beginning to form in Amanda's mind looking once more at the computer
"What more could we have to talk about ?"says Jake running his hands through his hair
"It's hard to get in to this!' says Carolyn
"Just spit it out!"says Jake
"Okay when I left it wasn't to run away with that truck driver I was sad and miserable because I couldn't get through to you and you wouldn't talk to me!"
"Fine blame it all on me but give me the papers to take to my lawyer!"says Jake
"Papers he wants that divorce it was all her fault!" thinks Amanda happily
"I loved you says Carolyn so much so..as Jake interjects
"Not really says Carolyn "I wasn't going to tell you but I had your daughter.she says producing a picture of a little girl around 2!
"You're trying to tell me that this is my daughter?
"She's your daughter her name is Ruth!"
"You named her Ruth?asks Jake
"Yes after your mother "says Carolyn
"If she's mine why didn't you tell me sooner!"You know how much I wanted a child!How I suffered when I lost Colby when I found out she wasn't mine!"
"I couldn't ...she counters
"why?" asks Jake
"At first I was so afraid that I wouldn't carry her to term but when I came to tell you I found out you were going out with Amanda!"
"I want to see my daughter !'says Jake
Jake looks at the records and the stares long and hard at the picture of Ruth torn he says"Amanda can never know!"as he silently agrees to conceive a child
"I won't tell ! "says Carolyn smiling and drawing Jake into the bed and her arms!
"I'm going to kill them both!" says Amanda angrily"He said he loved me but it was her... her all along.I was the substitute!" says Amanda crying and putting Trevor down in his crib to sleep!
Just then the doorbell pealed again.Amanda rushes to answer it before it wakes Trevor silently crying and trying to stop to answer the door!Amanda once again looks throught the peephole a surprised look joyous look coming over her face and answers the door.
"Timmy she says crying is that really you?"asks Amanda
"Hi pipsqeak" he says choked up
"Have you forgiven me?" she asks
"There was nothing to forgive I'm hoping you'll forgive your big brother for being pighead and obstinate and a fool for daring to blame you for your mother's sin!begs Tim dressed in a soldiers uniform Captains bars on it holdiing out his arms .Amanda goes willingly into her brother's waiting arms.
"I've missed you so much!"says Amanda crying
"I've missed you too pipsqueak!'says Tim
"Come in and tell me what's going on with you!'says Amanda inviting her brother in.
"Well I'm in the Army says Tim "I've been in it since about Dad's death!he says breaking off for a moment in the memory."I've done three tours of Iraq and one of Afganiston!"he says proudly
"You could have died and I wouldn't have known!' cries Amanda
"They had your informaton they would have called you says Tim a matter of fact
"Did you want to die?"Amanda asks
"A think it was a bit of I wanted to my country and yes I guess at first I did have a death wish but I got to know my guys in my unit and then we became family!'
"and you didn't need me!"says Amanda in a small voice
"I needed someone to blame and Janet wasn't available and you were! Can you forgive me sis?"he pleads
"You're here aren't you she says playful hitting Timmy in the arm.He puts her in a headlock joking around then laughs and lets her go relaizing he might hurt her.
"I'm married Mandy" he says "Her name is Melissa and we've been married about 5 years.She's an intern at local hospital near Fort Bragg! That's were I'm stationed now at Frot Bragg!I've been away a lot in our marriage all those tours overseas but she's a sweetheart she's taken it in stride !And Amanda she's a great mom despite her work load .We have two children Trevor Nathan(after Dad and her Dad )we call him Nate and Natalie.They are twins and they are 4!
"My son's name is Trevor too good thing you call him Nate!'says Amanda "and of course there's this child too she says patting her stomach!It's a girl she due in a couple months !"
"Amanda there's another reason for this visit ,he hesitates a little here then says" my wife Melissa and I would love to have you come visit us for as long as you want !"
"You're sure Melissa won't mind!"?asks Amanda
"Not at all says Tim"I think part of this was her idea!" he says smiling
"maybe I could come for a little while !"says Amanda not wanting to share all the bad in her life and her latest blow(her not husband's infidelity and the deal with David)but then she thought "What if David charges me with kidnapping?"she tells Tim about David
"don't worry Amanda I have connections so he won't able to get near you no one will hurt you I promise you Amanda!From now on anyone that wants to hurt my little sister will have to come through me!' says Tim"Just get together everything you need I actually have booked a flight at 9pm for us to an airport near Fort Bragg!"
" Thanks Tim you don't know how much I needed my big brother!"says Amanda running upstairs to pack!
"I think I did says Tim "quietly under his breath!
Two hours later Tim, Trevor and Amanda board the plane !
Fadeout