WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN?
by
PiperMerlyn
Chapter 5
The Chapters
2 May 2006
Brighton, England
11:41 a.m.
“What are you doing out here?” Ethan buttoned up his jacket and joined his wife on the edge of the lawn. Barely another two yards was the edge of the cliff that faced the ocean. “It’s cold.”
“Debating with myself.”
Ethan shifted to look at her, noting the worried look on her face. “What?”
“On calling Donovan.”
Ethan took a step back, startled. He looked around, almost automatically as if to make certain they were alone. “Cathy, no.”
“It’s not like he’s tied down in Paris. He can very well fly up here to talk to Casi.”
“You know good and well that they haven’t spoken since she married Chad.”
“That’s just stubbornness on both their parts. Donovan needs to deal with the fact that his sisters are no longer five years old.”
Ethan shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket and shook his head. “You know as well as I do that wasn’t the reason for the blow-up. Donovan didn’t think Casi should have rushed into marrying Chad. You know that.”
Catherine stared out to sea. “Maybe he was right.”
“Tell him that, get him here and it will be the end of part of a family. He gloats to Casi and we’ll never be able to come back here.” Ethan let out a weary sigh. “Although with all the tension floating around here, I’m not sure I want to.”
“They’re not together, Ethan. He sleeps in his study, she sleeps in the bedroom.”
Ethan shrugged. “You made me sleep on the couch once.”
“I was throwing up and sick, and you opted for the couch.”
Ethan studied the house and grunted. “Fine, if you’re going to get technical about it.” He took a deep breath. “He’s drinking a lot; even has the proverbial bottle in the desk drawer, like some hardboiled detective.”
Catherine met his gaze. “Casi thinks maybe she shouldn’t have married Chad.”
“Chad still loves her despite everything.”
Tears filled Catherine’s eyes and she tried to blink them away. “Damn.”
Ethan pulled her close and held her tightly, not sure if he could ever handle losing Catherine. She was his life, his soul. He swallowed hard. “Cathy...we shouldn’t interfere. It’s Casi’s life, her decision.”
Catherine sighed. “I know,” she whispered. She squeezed her eyes shut. “She’s not writing, Ethan. She hasn’t written anything in two years. It’s like she’s lost herself.”
Ethan’s throat tightened. “No,” he said hoarsely. “She lost her soulmate.”
*****
2 May 2006
Houston, Texas
1:23 p.m.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
He turned from the floor-to-ceiling window and looked at her. “Seems you should be saying that to Ian, not me.”
Kari Wylie rolled her eyes. “But I’m talking to you. And I wasn’t referring to Penny. I meant—“
Marcus MacFairlaigne reached out and pulled her close. “I know.” He rested his cheek on her hair, and stared out at the Houston skyline for a long moment. “I was just thinking,” he said finally. “About home.”
Kari angled her head to look at him. “Sometimes I wonder why you keep it. We’re on the road for nearly three hundred days out of the year. You ought to sell it.”
“No. It was our house, where we grew up. Donovan was always a pain but...” Marc let go of Kari abruptly and spun away from the window. “Every time we’re there, I send tickets. Damn it, he commutes to London every day. How hard is it to get there for a concert?”
Kari felt her heart break a bit more. “Marc, please.”
“She used to follow the band, especially if we were in New England, she’d take off a week from Stargazers, follow us from concert to concert, hang out with us...” Marc’s voice trailed off on a sigh. He slumped down on the bed and shook his head. “I miss her.”
Kari sat down next to him, rubbed his shoulder. “I know. You tried, Marc. Like you said, you send tickets every time.”
“Why won’t she come? Why has she cut herself off from everyone?”
Kari sat there for a long moment and then took a breath. “Do you think...Chad...?”
“No. He’s pretty straitlaced but there’d be no reason he’d forbid her to see her family.”
Kari was more hesitant with her second suggestion. “Joe?”
Marc winced. “He was as much a part of the family as Ian and Erick and you.” He sighed again. “God, how unfair it was for him to disappear just before the wedding.”
“I still can’t believe he could be dead.” Kari shuddered. “He was fun to hang out with, always cracking jokes.” She managed a sad chuckle. “Get him with Ian and Adrian...”
Marc grunted. “Yeah. They were quite the instigators. Remember that pool challenge? Casi won hands down.”
“He gave her a run for her money.”
“Yeah, he did.” Marc stared at the gold carpet underfoot. “I think...I think Casi gave up.” His voice was barely a whisper as he said it.
Kari shook her head. “Oh, Marc, no. She took off after him after Cat’s wedding, remember? Why would she...?” Her blue eyes filled with tears as it hit her as well. “Oh.”
“Yeah.”
A knock on the door made them both jump. “Come in,” called Marc.
The door swung open and Erick jerked his head to the elevators. “We’re going to eat. C.D. got us a private booth at Chili’s.” He gave them a quick once-over. “What’s wrong?”
Kari cleared her throat. “Marc – we’re both missing Casi.”
Erick Ashworth heaved a sigh and nodded. “We all miss her, man. She was like part of the band. Or we were part of the family. Whatever, means the same thing.”
“What’s the hold up? I’m hungry,” came Ian Ramsey’s voice. “Yo, come on. Chili’s. How can you pass that up?” He poked his head in the door and frowned. “What’s the serious face for?”
Marc rolled his eyes. “You’re obnoxious, Ian.”
“No, that’d be Adrian. Or rather his sneakers. Have you smelled them lately?”
“Who would want to?” asked Erick.
“Exactly.” Ian turned to Marc and shook his head. “When the time comes, she’ll come back. You’re family.”
“Will she, Ian? It’s been two years. She’s been distant, like we don’t exist for her anymore,” answered Marc, sounding forlorn.
Ian walked into the room and looked down at him. “No. I don’t think it’s that. The one person who had her heart doesn’t exist anymore and her life isn’t the same.” He looked over at Erick and then turned to Marc. “What say our next time off, we go over to England, camp out on her doorstep until Chad lets us in. We’ll cheer her up.”
Marc arched an eyebrow. “That’s a sight better than your last suggestion.”
“It would have saved a ton of money, staying at the chateau.”
Marc got to his feet. “With Donovan. God knows he’s the only single man I know who wouldn’t turn that place into a bachelor pad.” He shuddered. “No. I’d never stay at the chateau.”
Kari bit back a sad smile. “He’s not that bad.”
“No, he’s morose and lonely, missing Caithlynn who’s been married to some other guy for years now, even got a kid.”
“Maybe if he’d stayed in Orlando...” Ian’s voice trailed off. “Why did he move to Paris?”
“Mom and Dad decided to go on the archeological expedition circuit full time.”
Erick cleared his throat. “Chili’s. Food. Hungry. Going?”
“You must be bad off when you resort to one-word sentences.”
There was a snort from the hallway and Savannah poked her head inside. “You don’t know the half of it. C.D. is downstairs already. Let’s go.”
Marc watched the rest of them follow Erick and Savannah and then turned to Kari. “I guess I should move on, get on with my life too. Come on.”
Kari shivered as she trailed after him, making sure the hotel room was locked. She had the feeling that would be the worst thing he could do....
*****
Casi stared down at Ethan and Catherine and felt her heart break all over again. For one fierce moment, she was jealous. Jealous of the intimacy, jealous of the togetherness. It was so strong, it stole her breath away. She’d almost had that, almost had it all. She winced as an old song drifted through her mind. “...didn’t we almost have it all...” she whispered as tears blurred her vision.
The telephone ringing made her jump and she got off the window seat to answer it. She picked up the receiver and held back a sigh. “Hello?...It’s Casi Whitfield now,” she answered automatically. “Who is this?” The voice was male but didn’t sound familiar.
“No, you’re right, I’ve never heard of you. How did you get this number?....Don’t. Just don’t. I don’t need any details of his last few minutes. Damn it, are you with some tabloid?...A hospital?” Casi blinked and found she had to sit down. She staggered to her desk chair. “A hospital?” Her throat closed up as the caller continued speaking.
“Wait...just wait.” She closed her eyes, forced herself to breathe. “Are you telling me that he’s—“ Tears filled her eyes, spilled down her cheeks, hot against her cold skin. “He’s alive?” she repeated in a whisper. The telephone slid from her hands and she burst into tears, her emotions torn.
She thought vaguely a door opened and someone had come in, but she was too confused and torn to notice. Finally, she realized she could a familiar voice close by. “This had better be on the level, buster....Yes, that’s true.” Catherine’s eyes widened and she knelt down in front of her weeping sister. “All right, I’ll tell her.”
Catherine had sensed her sister’s shock so potently, so abruptly. It had been a long time since they’d ever connected that way. She placed her cool hands on her sister’s hot cheeks. “Casi...Kitten, look at me.”
“Is it true,” managed Casi. “Or was it wishful thinking?”
“I think it’s true. He said Joe’s in a hospital in Athens, Greece. He’s been in a coma for two years.” Cat shuddered. “They kept it a secret from everyone.”
Casi shuddered. “I have to go to him.”
“Casi, you’re married.”
Casi turned wide eyes to her sister. “I – I know that, I have to see him, I have to learn what happened.” Her gaze slid to the door and saw Chad standing in the doorway. He held a bottle of whiskey in one hand and an empty glass in the other. “Chad.”
“I won’t stand in your way.” He looked away. “I hit the button for the speakerphone,” he added, still not looking at her.
Casi realized he’d heard it all. “Chad—“
“He was always your first choice. After all he did to you, walking away, breaking your heart...” Chad’s grip on the glass tightened and in a sudden snap, the glass broke in his hand. He looked down at his bloody hand and cursed softly.
Catherine walked toward him. “I’ll clean that for you.”
“I’ll manage,” snapped Chad as he left the room.
“Cathy, you ran like all the hounds of hell were after...” Ethan’s voice trailed off as he saw the glittering shards of glass, a drop or two of blood; then he noticed Casi’s tears. “What’s wrong?”
“Joe’s alive,” said Catherine quietly. “A Jake Brogan called Casi to tell her. He wasn’t supposed to, but he did.”
Ethan stared at his wife, slowly turned his gaze on Casi and shuddered. “Oh my God.”
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The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.