Part Twenty One: Faux Pas

The rest of that day was eventful. After his nap, Devon twice managed to fall into the swimming pool, and was rescued by the gardener the first time. The second time, Mike had to jump in after him, and ruined his favorite leather coat in the process. He had stood, glaring at Rahab, while sheets of water poured off of him.

"Tell you what, you watch Gaele, and I'll monitor this one, uh?" he snapped as he wrung out his bandana. "After I hogtie him, of course."

"I'm sorry, Mike," Rahab said as contritely as possible when he impatiently gestured for her to hand Devon back to him. "He's just so quick, and the baby--"

Mike gave her apology a dismissing toss of his head. "I know, I know, I shouldn't have assumed so much." He held Devon out in front of him at eye level.

Devon hung limply, still subdued by his encounter with the pool. "Bat," he said, as he sadly stared back at Mike.

Rahab laughed nervously. "Maybe we should teach him to dog paddle."

"Hah! You think I didn't try, but the poor kid just sinks like a rock. Must be that old mossbacked snapper in him, huh?"

"Don’t look at me," Rahab said defensively. "I don't have a problem with water."

Mike barked with laughter, making Devon jump. "Well, none of us guys could float, for sure. Ah, don't worry. Not that this kid would drown easily. Gaele can hold her breath for almost four minutes. Devon can probably hold his breath longer than that, if he put his mind to it... Hey, are you okay, Rahab?"

"Yeah..." she replied absently. "I just had a scare, that's all." She sat weakly on the nearest chaise lounge. She felt oddly lightheaded, like the time she watched the side table crash through the window. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, and felt a chill. "I'll be okay in a second."

"Keep off your feet for a while. You look a little pale around the gills," Mike said, leaning over her. Devon sat quietly on Mike's hip, thumb in his mouth, as he stared down at his mother.

"Don't let him do that, okay?" Rahab said, as she closed her eyes. "It might give him an overbite."

"Don't worry about it. Be back in a minute, okay?"

"Mmm hmm..."

She seemed to drift a little, and then somebody swam across her line of vision.

"Rahab?"

"Huh?"

"How're you doing?"

She focused on Mike's face and sat up, bracing herself on her outstretched hands. "Okay, I guess. Where's the babies?"

"Huh? Uh, they're doing all right, the sitter finally showed up. Can you believe it? About 24 hours late. Hey, take it easy."

She tried to get up, and swayed a little. Mike grasped her shoulder to give her support. "I'm all right, Mike, I guess I got a little dizzy."

"Yeah, you just had a kid, and you've been doing too much. Come on, you'd better go up and rest some more."

She let him lead her into the house, and she slowed as she climbed the stairs. "I'm feeling a little strange, Mike..." He didn't wait, he picked her up and carried her to her room.

As he lay her on her bed, she suddenly felt self conscious. "Uh, thanks, Mike."

Mike frowned a little. "Get some rest, uh?" He turned and left the room.

It was early evening when she felt well enough to get up. She had slept soundly, better than she had in many days. She went downstairs into the kitchen, and found Gaele and Devon just finishing their supper. Devon was wearing a good portion of it, and grinned contentedly as he patted the remains of his plate.

"Hey, Rahab! Care for some lasagna? It's vegetarian." Mike waved a spatula at her. He was wearing a cook's apron, and seemed to be in an unusually good mood as he bustled around the kitchen.

"In a cooking mode, I see," Rahab said, bending over the casserole pan, and inhaling the aroma. "Mmm, don't mind if I do have some."

"Looking good," Mike said as he handed her a plate and a fork. "Guess you just needed catch some zees, huh?"

"Ymm hmm," she said, her mouth full.

"Oh, by the way, Raph just called, and he's on his way home. He did so well on the medication, that they cut him loose early. Just thought I'd warn ya." He gave her a knowing wink.

Rahab managed to swallow what she was chewing. "He is?"

"Yeah, he'll be here in a few, and he's ah, anxious to see you." Mike gave her a long thoughtful look, and then turned to the stove again.

"Daddy," Gaele piped up. "What's for dzezzirt?"

"Nothing, until you finish what you've got," Mike said, trying to sound stern.

"ZERB," Devon blurted. He cheerfully waved his spoon, then flung it, narrowly missing his mother's head.

Rahab ducked, and tried to eat, but the anxiety that blossomed at Mike's news constricted her stomach. She picked at her plate, then gave up and pushed it aside.

"What, no good?" Mike protested, when he noticed.

"Oh, it's good, Mike... I'm just feeling a little..."

"Nervous?"

She nodded, and got up from the table. "It might be a good idea to clean Devon up," she added.

"No BAT," She heard Devon growl.

"Boy, he catches on fast," Mike marveled. "You can't even play with words anymore, he knows what it means." He took off his apron, as he approached Devon's high chair. "Hey, big guy. How about boats? Boats," he said, lowering his voice an octave at the last word.

"BOAT," Devon said as low as his little voice would allow.

"That's it, come on, Cap'n, let's go upstairs, uh?" He took Devon out of his chair, shook him a little to dislodge the remaining lasagna stuck to him, and hoisted him onto his hip.

Devon stared up at him, his brows furrowed in puzzlement. "OODOON!"

"What? What are you saying?" Mike asked him.

"Sounds a boat horn makes, Mike," Rahab said, after recovering from her laughter at the unorthodox way Mike tried to clean Devon. "Poor thing, it's a wonder he hasn't upchucked on you, handling him like that!"

Mike tossed his head. "Nah, he loves it! You should see what Raph does to 'im, heh!" He leapt up the stairs, three at a time, with Devon still making steam whistle imitations, his voice jerking with each jump Mike made.

Gaele had been watching the scene, patiently resting her cheek on a fist. "Mo-om, can you get me zzizzert," she yodelled, as she clunked her spoon on the table top.

"Sure, Gaele," Rahab sighed, absently whisking her plate off the kitchen table, and dropping it into the sink. "What do you want?"

"Ice cream," Gaele said firmly. "Chocolate."

Rahab dug out a couple of scoopfuls, and handed the bowl to Gaele, while licking some of the chocolate off the back of her hand, where her knuckle had grazed the edge of the bucket. It tasted good, so she proceeded to lick the ice cream scoop. It was then that she noticed Raphael was standing in the kitchen doorway, watching her.

"Oh... hi," she said weakly, hurriedly wiping the drips from her chin. She put the scoop in the sink, and looked back at him, her heart still pounding from the initial surprise.

He hadn't moved, his face was blank, as he looked her over. He didn't appear to fill his coat the way he used to, it seemed hang off of him.

"How... how are you feeling, Raph?" Rahab tried again.

In answer he shrugged away from the wall he was holding up, and looked toward the foyer.

"Are you looking for Devon?"

He gazed at her again. "Yep," he said at length.

"He's upstairs, Mike's giving him a bath," Rahab said, whispering the last word.

"Mike's... giving Devon a bath?"

"Yeah, only it's called 'playing with boats'."

"Oh," Raphael said, after a long, thoughtful pause. When he noticed Rahab was watching him, he seemed to sink farther into his coat collar, and then hurriedly climbed the stairs. She followed at a discreet distance, then heard Raphael call out.

"Hey! Where's that boy?"

"DAT!" Devon's hearty response echoed through the bathroom.

As she reached the top of the stairs, she heard Mike's protest, and the familiar pounding feet of her son as he charged out of the bathroom. She saw him come out diaperless, and covered in suds, and bounce into Raphael's arms.

"My, what enthusiasm," Rahab commented, as she stood by and laughed.

Raphael glanced up at her, but Devon had his sturdy little arms firmly wrapped around his father's neck, and they both rolled onto the floor. They wrestled and growled in an affectionate way, and then Raphael got up and steered Devon back into the bathroom to get toweled off. He seemed to notice Rahab again, and shrugged off his now wet coat. "You've been doing all right with him, huh," he said to the coat, as he held it out in front of him.

"Yeah, Mike and I have been doing all right with him," Rahab said lightly. "It's just a matter of dropping out of the power struggle..."

He gave her a look that made her stop speaking, and then he turned toward his bedroom to poke his head in, and then came back. "So where'r you staying?"

"In there," Rahab said, gesturing to the guest room farther down the hall.

Devon came out of the bathroom, and when he saw Raphael, ran toward him, his stride hindered by the closeness of the towel wrapped around him. "DAT! RRRffaf!"

Rahab saw Raphael light up in a rare grin. "What's doin', boy? What're you trying to say?" He caught his son up in another bear hug.

Mike came out, wiping his hands with a towel. "I think he's saying your name, Raph." Mike looked at Rahab. "Gaele still downstairs?"

Rahab opened her mouth, and immediately headed down the staircase. Gaele was sitting at the table, and was eating more ice cream she had obviously gotten herself. "Oh, no, Gaele! You've had enough already," Rahab protested, taking the overfull bowl away.

"No-o," Gaele wailed, and reached for the bowl as Rahab put it into the freezer.

"Gaele, you can have the rest of this tomorrow, okay?"

"I want it now," Gaele said, and stomped a foot on the last syllable.

"Gaele, tomorrow." Rahab said as patiently as she could.

"I WANNIT NOW!" Gaele slung her cup to the floor.

"Hey, cut that out," Mike said as he came in behind Rahab. "You heard your mother."

"She's not my mother," Gaele shot back at Mike. "She's Devon's mother, but she's not my mother, You’re my mother!"

"What!?" Mike's voice cracked in surprise. "Since when?"

"Honey, why are you saying that?" Rahab felt a pang of guilt.

"'Cause," Gaele said angrily. "You never hug my Daddy, but you always hug Devon's Daddy!"

Rahab stared at her scowling daughter in shock.

"Oh, geez..." Rahab heard Mike sigh behind her.

Rahab didn't dare look at him. She closed her eyes, as though it would help to gather her thoughts together. "I suppose I owe you an explanation," she said, opening her eyes after a moment.

"Yeah, I guess you do," Mike said softly.

"I meant Gaele, Mike." Rahab glared at him.

He opened his mouth in protest. "That's what I meant, Rahab," he said, his voice edged in sarcasm. "Everyone knows you don't need to explain anything to me."

Rahab turned to face him directly, her hands clasping her sides in anger. "Maybe you owe her an explanation!"

"I'm not the one who left," Mike returned mildly.

"Oh?" Rahab shot the word back at him. "You didn't look all that sorry to see me go, did you? Maybe if you'd--" She stopped, when she saw Mike looking at Gaele, and she followed his gaze.

Gaele glared back at both of them, arms folded, her little mouth tight with suppressed emotion.

"Come on, Gaele, let's go upstairs, and get ready for bed, uh? Then you and I can have a talk." As Mike picked her up, she gave Rahab a withering look.

"Maybe I should be present for this 'talk'," Rahab said evenly.

Mike glanced up at Rahab. "Naw, it's okay, I can explain things."

"I see," Rahab cut in. "Judging by the look on her face, seems you two have been 'talking' quite a bit."

"I'm doing the best I can, Rahab." Mike then turned away and headed for the stairwell. Gaele continued to glare at Rahab from over his shoulder.

She was watching TV when Mike came back down. He was dressed to go out somewhere, his keys in hand. "See you around. Gaele's asleep," he said, and turned to leave.

"Not before you and I have a little talk, ourselves, Mike," Rahab said as calmly as she could.

"Can't, I have a date."

Mike's smug answer goaded Rahab. She knew he was baiting her, and it was very effective, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her reaction. She smiled. "It will only take a few minutes, Mike. You do owe me an explanation," she said sweetly.

"I think you're a little confused about who owes what around here, don't you think?" Mike said, his tone matching hers.

"What are you talking about?"

He rolled his eyes and laughed a little. "Well, ever since you arrived here, I've had to practically wait on you hand and foot, chase your kid all over creation, and," he pointed at the TV set, "I just replaced that, because your kid puked sand down the back of the other one, which wasn't exactly cheap to replace, know what I'm saying? I wish you'd mentioned it to me, so I didn't try to turn it on, and short it out, and practically blow the damn thing up!"

"Well, I didn't know," Rahab retorted. "He just went in there, and I didn't see him do anything, and I had three kids to look after, you know!"

Mike was nodding as she spoke, and wore that derisive look on his face that she hated so much. He laughed a little. "Maybe if you practiced some kinda self control, you wouldn't have more kids than you can handle, huh?"

Before she knew what was happening, she was on him as he went out the front door, swiping and slashing at him in sudden rage. He managed to shove her back, and leaped out of reach, but the look of astonished anger on his face told her she'd made her mark. He mouthed a string of curses, as he clutched his right shoulder, his wide, furious eyes riveted to hers. She lunged at him again, savagely clawing at him, but he sidestepped her easily this time, and firmly caught her wrists. She tried to bite, but he turned her so that she could not reach him, and held her tight, one forearm across her shoulders. She struggled to get loose, and shrieked, but he would not let go, until she lashed him with her tail. He then grabbed her by the hair, and pulled her head back so hard her brains rattled in her head, and she slumped in defeat.

"Don't give me garbage, lizard bitch, I don't like garbage," he said in a quiet but chilling tone. He suddenly let go of her, and she lost her balance and fell headlong off the edge of the porch. She landed hard in the dirt and plants, and watched helplessly as he stalked off toward the garage.

When she looked up again, after examining her bruised knees, she saw Raphael's bewildered face looking down at her. "You okay?" Somehow the image brought on another deja vu.

She nodded, still unable to speak, and he promptly helped her up. When he saw she could stand easily, he turned and walked quickly toward the garage. As he got closer to the opened bay door, he slowed, and seemed to go into a stalking sort of pace. He halted when an engine roared to life from within the garage, and Mike's convertible charged out at full throttle. Raphael leaped, and managed to land on the back, and the second Raphael did so, Mike slammed on the brakes, causing Raphael to dive into the passenger seat. The car shuddered to a halt, tires groaning from the sudden change in velocity. Raphael had fistfuls of Mike's jacket, and was bodily dragging him out from behind the wheel.

Rahab stumbled toward them, holding her face in dismay, too shocked to speak out. Mike had Raphael by the throat, but then was thrown backward out over the car door, and landed hard on the blacktop with Raphael on top of him. Having the advantage, Raphael pinned Mike easily, then roughly let go, and stepped over him to approach Rahab.

"You sure you okay?"

She didn't answer, but watched Mike slowly rise to his feet, his eyes on hers. The odd, still look on his face filled her with a cold chill of terror... he almost looked like Leo as he had stalked her in that dream...

Before she realized it, Mike was down again, with Raphael standing over him, in a half crouch. "Don’t look at her like that," he snarled.

In answer Mike did a savage inside sweep with his foot to his brother's left knee, causing him to fall hard with a grunt, and then Mike rolled to close in on him. Rahab, without thinking, jumped on Mike, her claws ripping through the thick leather of his coat and into the keratinous layers of his carapace. She dug in so hard, she couldn't pull out, as he twisted to yank her off of him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Raphael spin, then Mike's head snapped around, and he crashed to the ground, nearly on top of her. She managed to get free of Mike, as he slowly writhed to get his feet under him, but Raphael was all over him before he could get all the way up. He drove his knuckles into Mike's face several times, his own face a mask of animal rage, then he leapt back a pace, breathing hard.

"Don't even think about getting up," he hissed, between breaths.

Mike didn't answer, nor did he move. After several minutes, Rahab stepped toward them.

"Get back," Raph barked at her.

"I think he's hurt," Rahab said, feeling strangely calm, as she stared down at Mike.

"No, he's not. Go on back to the house!"

The harshness in his voice stung, but she wordlessly made her way back up the driveway. The adrenaline was wearing off, and she was beginning to feel the pain of her scrapes and bruises. She limped into the main living room, and collapsed on the couch, trying to drag her thoughts together enough to make sense of the incident. Her heart still pounded, but she managed to relax enough for her head to clear, and it was then that she realized she was overdue to feed Seth.

She scrambled up the stairs, where she heard Seth's angry yells for attention.

"Oh, baby, I'm sorry, poor thing..." she crooned to him, as she picked him up. She rocked him a little, and then sat in the chair to nurse him.

A while later, Raphael came up to her room. She expected him to be angry, but he seemed subdued. "Rahab, I think we'd better pack up the kids."

"Right now? But they've just gone to bed."

"Yes, right now. Believe me, it's better this way. I was planning on leaving first thing tomorrow, but I don't think I can stay here after what's happened."

"Why, what did Mike do?"

"Mike took off, he's gone," Raph interrupted her. "I don't think he'll be back for a while, but we can't stay in his house, it wouldn't be right." He sighed gustily, then turned to go out. Then he looked back at her. "Gaele's gonna have to come with us."

"Of course she is," Rahab said, frowning. "I'm not going to leave her here all alone!"

"I think she'll be staying with us for a quite awhile," Raph went on, as though he hadn't heard Rahab. "I don't think Mike's currently in any shape to be around her."

"Why, what did he say?"

"You don't want to know, Rahab."

"What did he say, Raph?"

Raphael gave her a long, morose look, then sighed. "I dunno, I think he's stressed out. I tried to talk to him, ask him why he was acting like a grade A, prime ass--" He looked askance at Seth, who had lapsed back into peaceful sleep in Rahab's arms. "We'll discuss this later, uh?" He turned and left the room.

It was not something Rahab relished, waking Gaele and Devon up after a such a long day, but they promptly settled back into sleep, once they were tucked into the car. It wasn't until Raphael settled onto the broad seat beside her, that she noticed he was favoring his right hand. She gingerly took it in hers, and noticed it was discolored and swollen.

"That looks bad, Raph," she said, leaning forward to get ice out of the tiny refrigerator facing their seat.

"No big deal, happens all the time," Raph said quietly as she laid the glassful of ice against his hand.

"No, it doesn't happen all the time... oh, sorry," she said as he twitched a little. A flood of sorrow and guilt caused tears to well up in her eyes. "I'm to blame for all this."

He touched her cheek with his good hand. "No, you're not, Rahab."

"I shouldn't have attacked him-"

"That's not it. Mike should have known better. No, there's far more going on than that."

"What, more of this rival clan crap?"

"Hey, Rahab... keep it down, will ya?" He glanced at the sleepers opposite him. "Naw, it's not exactly that, though it might have something to do with it. We're all kind of screwed up, from all the stuff that's happened lately."

"I just think it's time we stopped looking back," Rahab said, staring out the window at the passing street lights. "We have to think about the kids, now... and after what Gaele said tonight--"

"I heard," Raphael answered quietly. "And I heard Mike apologizing to Gaele. He was broke up over it, too."

"She knows, Raph," Rahab said, glancing at the sleeping children in their seats and lowering her voice, though they had been talking quietly enough to not be heard easily in the well insulated interior. "She's figured things out, and she's angry."

"It was bound to happen." Raphael sighed heavily and stretched his legs out to settle farther into the seat cushion. "But uh... you guys have been fighting over her since she entered this world, and I can't say I blame her a bit."

Rahab stared at Raphael as he gazed out the car window, until he eventually noticed, and returned her stare.

"What?"

"Last time I saw you, you hove a marble end table through a plate glass window."

Raphael lowered his chin to his chest. "Yeah. Seems like it's been years since then." He was silent for a few miles. "I'm sorry."

"I'd never betray you, Raphael. It was something that was just... it was one of those...strange..."

In answer he took her into his arms, and held her against him. She lay her head on his shoulder and relaxed. In spite of the recent upset, she felt a renewed hope that their marriage would survive, after all... but a specter of fear and doubt still darkened the horizon.

"I feel so terrible, Raph. You know, about Mike."

"There's no reason to worry about him."

"But- it's the way he looked at me..."

"Let it go, Rahab, he'll cool off."

"Will he?"

"We grew up together, remember? He and I have had knock-down, drag-outs before. Don't worry about it."

Rahab stared at him in silence.

"I don't need any more trouble, Rahab. Not from my own brothers. But Mike had to pay the price, and he knew it. He'll get over it, and before you know it, he'll be back to his old, charming self, calling you up and coming to take Gaele places... just like he always has."

"We'll see," Rahab said, and wearily lay her head against him again.

Raphael said nothing more for a long time.

Next section... Rahab 22