Page 7 of Audon

She looked down at Lizzy and saw that she was staring at her again. She rocked her for a few more minutes, telling her about the celebration they had had when she found out that she was going to have her. When she finally went to sleep, curling her little fingers around her much larger one, Trin yawned too. They were going to be all right, and she was happy for that.

~*~

Audon looked at the canvas and was quite pleased with it. He’d been working on it most of the day and was just now able to step back and see his progress. As soon as he decided that he was finished for today, his cell rang. Since he didn’t know the number that came up, he decided to let it go to voicemail. He just wanted to bask in the moment of getting so much done today.

After cleaning up his brushes and getting things cleared away, he moved the canvas so that it was upright. Looking at it in this way, he could see that he’d been getting a lot more color on the piece than he’d thought. Putting it away so that it wouldn’t be touched, Audon looked at his phone and saw that there was a voicemail for him. Calling the number, he was pleased that it was from his agent and then frowned when he realized that the number wasn’t already in his phone.

“I have a couple of things that I’d like to go over with you. I figured that I’d have to leave a message as this isn’t my usual number. I decided this morning that I needed a new phone and decided to get a new number while I was at it. Probably a stupid idea, but it’s done now, and I can’t get it back.” He almost sounded defensive. Audon listened to the rest of the voicemail. “I have an appointment written down for you on Thursday. I think that’s the day that you take off to get business things taken care of. I’ll be in my office all day. I’m having a shitty day so far today, and it’s nothing on you. I’ll talk to you later.”

Putting his cell phone back on his desk, he realized that he was going to have to call back his agent and tell him that Thursday was all booked up. Not only did he have a doctor’s appointment with his dentist, but he also had to get his laundry finished, or he’d be naked for the date he had the next night, and that wouldn’t be good. As he was finishing up with his brushes, his mom came into his studio.

“I’ve been meaning to get over here for a couple of days now. Where is your award?” He showed it to her, and she hugged him several times before she told him that she was proud of him. “My baby boy is making a name for himself.”

“I’ve had a name for myself for a while now. What’s been going on? I thought you’d be here the very next day if not that night.” She told him that she’d been fighting some kind of sinus infection. “That’s not good. Did Kahana give you something for it? I hope so.”

“He did. I’m glad. I was at my wits’ end just dealing with the runny nose that I had. Then the pain in my head wasn’t going away.” She showed him the bottle of pills she’d been taking. “It’s already started to work on me. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to suffer through that again.”

Kahana was his older brother and a doctor. They all had been going to him since he got out of med school, and it had been working out well for them. No more sitting in a lobby trying to keep from getting whatever else the clientele had that was in his lobby. He’d been to see him just yesterday when he’d found a mole on his arm that had been worrying him.

“We’ll take care of that right away. And tell mom and dad what’s going on.” He told him that he’d already done that with his parents and was going to tell the others tonight. “I hope so. When I had that mole removed and biopsied, I know that I hurt you guys when I didn’t say anything. I’ve since learned my lesson about keeping everyone informed about things. You don’t want to make it so that they’re upset with you when you might need them.”

He’d gone to the same doctor that Kahana had, and even though it would be several days before he got the results back, it didn’t look like anything to be worried about. It didn’t make matters any better, but he got to tell his parents what he said. They were, of course, worried, but they weren’t hurt because he didn’t tell them. He was nervous and scared but not as much as he might have been if he didn’t have family support around him. Audon was glad too that his older brother was a doctor. It made things easier for him in the long run.

By the time Friday rolled around, he’d not only gotten the results back from his tests but also had had a nice dinner with his brothers on Thursday night. His agent was pissed, but he didn’t care. Sometimes it was better to just cut someone off rather than have to put up with their idiosyncrasies. He’d noticed a lot more of those traits coming out on his agent than he had before, and it was getting on his nerves. Time to move on, he’d told his brothers at dinner, and they agreed with him.

He had said they were just going to get burgers, and he was disappointed that he’d not suggested something more fancy. Wearing a polo shirt and jeans, he thought that he looked good for the date and knocked on her door. What he’d not expected was Bruno opening the door for him. The two of them hugged, and he invited him into the house.

“Trin is still getting ready. She’s had a shitty day.” He asked what had happened. “You know Pete Jacobson? He’s making threats to her about leading his son on about marrying him. I don’t know why he’d think that was something that she’d done or not, but Peter, the son, is making sure everyone knows that Trin is an out-of-shape woman who just gave birth to her sister’s husband’s baby. I look for it to be in the papers next week as much as he’s making a fuss about things. Just so you know, she’s been thinking about canceling all day. It’s been a lot for her.”

“We could stay here.” He nodded and said he’d suggested that as well. “I don’t mind if she’d rather stay in. I’m sure that she has a cook that wouldn’t mind whipping us up something to eat. Or we can order in. I’m easy.”

“You should talk to her. She’s been upset all day.” They both looked up the stairs when they heard something. Trinity was coming down the stairs with a baby in her arms and wearing about what he was wearing. Jeans and a T-shirt, as well as big fluffy slippers on her feet. “I was just suggesting to Audon here that you two should eat here. That way nothing from Pete will come back around to you.”

“I figured that he’s called the newspaper.” Audon took the baby from Trin and held her while she was adjusting her slippers. “You did that very smoothly. Thanks. I was wondering how I was going to manage.”

Taking the bundle back from him, he ended up following her toward what appeared to be the kitchen. After putting the baby in a crib that was just inside the dining room, she asked him if he minded eating in tonight. After telling her what he’d said to Bruno, she looked like she was having the weight of the world taken off her shoulders. He could also see a few tears as they fell down her cheeks. Every part of him wanted to comfort her, pull her into his arms and hold her.

“I’ve had a terrible day. First thing was the doctor called and said that Lizzy’s blood is elevated and I needed to take her to her physician. Of course I can’t get into the office until Tuesday. Nor would they explain to me what that meant. I think it’s going to be really bad now, and I’m beside myself with worry. Then my computer shut down for no reason. I have to get it back up and running before tomorrow so that I can work. Then this thing with the Jacobsons. Pete is telling everyone that I lured his son into a relationship and now have a baby to show for it. If he knew what it meant for me to get ready for this thing to have a baby for my sister, he’d back the fuck off.” Audon pulled out his cell phone and told her he was calling in help. “I don’t know what you can do, but I’d appreciate anything I can get.”

The first call he made was to Stamos to ask him if he had anyone saying anything about Trinity Banton. When it was relayed to him that Jacobson was making waves, he told him that it wasn’t true. None of it was.

“I have no intentions of running anything he’s telling me until I have proof. I don’t believe for a minute that anyone would lure his dumbass son into anything. I’m going to be investigating things tomorrow.” Handing the phone to Trinity, she listened for a moment before she started talking about what really happened. And that she had proof that it was Robert’s child. Whatever Stamos said to her made her cry, and he found that he wanted to pound his brother’s head in. Before he could say anything, Trinity was saying thank you and that she’d see him tomorrow. Giving him back his phone, Stamos said that she was going to give him an interview to clear things up. He felt like the hero in her world just then.

The next call was made to his brother Gilman. He knew he was home tonight; they’d talked about how he was going to be ordering in pizza and pigging out. Telling him what was going on with her computer, he said he’d be right out. Trinity told him that he was making her life better just by being himself.

“It’s my pleasure. I have one more call to make. Do you have the results of your daughter’s blood work handy? I’m calling Kahana to have you talk to him about the elevated blood work. He’ll be able to answer your questions right away.” After explaining to Kahana what was going on, he handed the phone to her. She walked away, leaving him with Bruno, who was laughing right then.

“You fixed it.” He said that he didn’t know that he fixed anything. All he did was call his family. “She’ll love you for it even if they tell her the same thing. That the computer needs more power than that’s in the dining room and that she should be using the office. I hope so anyway. She could use some good news about now.”

After Gilman showed up and got to work on the computer in the dining room, he asked if he could order pizzas. It would be a good way to pay his brothers off, and he was starving. Bruno said that he was too and that more than likely with everything going on, Trin had skipped both breakfast and lunch in order to deal with things.

“You order, and I’ll pay. That way we can get what she wants. My brothers will eat a meat pizza over anything else so long as they have something to drink to go with it.” He said they have domestic beer in the kitchen. “Perfect. Like I said, you order, and I’ll pick up the tab. Anything to make her in a better mood.”

He didn’t know what Kahana had said to Trinity, but she was smiling. Of course her tears were there as well, but she said he’d given her all she needed to know. As soon as he had his phone back, he called Penrod and asked him if he’d heard anything about the Jacobsons and, if he had, what he was doing about it.

“Nothing so far.” He explained what was happening. “She could press charges if she wanted, though I don’t think that’s the way to go. It will make the headlines that she did that, and people will wonder what she had to hide. People always want to make someone the bad guy and in this, it’ll be her.”

“Then we’ll hold on that until later.” Penrod asked him where he was. “We had a date tonight, and I came over to find out she’d been dealt some really shitty blows. Not only did her doctor blow her off about the baby, but she’s having computer problems as well. I could get it all fixed up in no time. I just hope that she appreciates me butting in and doesn’t want to see me anymore. This is our first date.”