I'm dragged back to our room by a mocked Kori who puts me back in bed and makes sure I'm going nowhere for a couple hours. My early morning nap leaves me feeling a bit sluggish and it's only when I discover that everyone is going out to ski that I'm told I'm not going today by Kori. I figure it'll be best for me to get some time and screw my head on straight and once they're gone I am treated to the new problem, I'm not alone. I can hear people talking and discover Loretta and my Dad sitting at the same table I was at yesterday evening looking at the papers.
"Who did this, we agreed to put this behind us after the police stopped looking and now someone is trying to hurt our boy," Loretta tells Dad quietly.
"No return address meaning that someone walked it into a FedEx office and paid to have this delivered. Our son has some people who don't like him and if I find out who did this on our holiday I will make them hate me even more," Dad states firmly.
"How about I sit down and we have a family talk that should have happened when I was a child," I ask from the doorway.
Loretta is a little shocked to see me but Dad doesn't even move. He knew I was there. I pull a chair out and look at the big picture of the four of us.
"God I was little," I say, getting a nod.
"Yeah but you were quiet, didn't fuss or cry a lot," Loretta says calmly," Your sister was a little tyrant till we had you."
"She was our baby girl, I'd come home from training or deployment. Gwen would be an angel for about an hour then we'd find something destroyed and she'd laugh about it," Dad adds before getting a little quiet," Then we had you and she was all super big sister. She started camping out in your room on the floor."
"So we moved her bed into your room, we had a monitor for the room and we'd wake up at night listening to her sing to you the boomerang song she heard on the kid's show that day," Loretta says, continuing off Dad.
"Okay but what happened, I can't believe that MY Dad the ex military badass that raised me or MY Mom the world's current caregiver of the year could allow their child to get taken away," I state feeling left out of the important details.
Loretta, Mom looks away at first but it's Dad who takes her hand to help her through this. I get a feeling that this is what's been keeping me on the west half of the country where most of my family is on the east coast.
"You got sick, your father was deployed and I was at home when your fever spiked and I called your Dad's brother Gary and his wife, Tessa," Loretta pauses at the name and both my parents darken," I left Gwen with them while you and I were in the hospital. When I called during the second night to let them know everything was okay Gary told me that Tessa had left to bring Gwen to the hospital that morning."
"I was called out of training after forty eight hours of Gwen being gone, we tried everything but technology was a lot less invasive in our personal lives. We contacted her family but they weren't helpful and said they hadn't heard from her. I went a little…. Crazy," Dad tells me as Loretta pats his hand in sympathy.
"They were gone; she walked out on your uncle Gary and took our daughter. To say our relationship with your father's family deteriorated and we slowly cut off ties save for your grandparents. Your Dad deployed again and I was left to take care of you, when your dad mustered out of the service to spend more time at home that's where the problems escalated," Loretta says, almost withdrawing from the conversation.
"We blamed each other, we blamed my family, we had fights that woke you up and we had to move twice. Loretta started drinking," both parents look a little upset on that one as Dad continues," and I worked a lot more than I should. I was taking extra duty assignments and shifts so I wouldn't come home to the family I broke."
"We didn't break our family Neal, therapy taught me that and the only reason you had any right to hate me or for me to hate you was because of how shitty we were towards our son," Loretta says bringing things full circle.
For the first time in forever we actually talk, less of me talking and more of me watching my parents who I can't remember ever speaking with any civility. They talk about when they were separated and Dad goes over raising me with Loretta. Loretta talks about her years as a destroyed woman and finally her recovery and meeting Mr. Delauter. We talked for the better part of the day including moving from the back room to the main living area. We're all seated separately when the rest of the families come back and it's my girls who note my expression. Kori is off to get warm beverages with Rachael and Abigail while the family shakes off the cold and snow. We listen to how much fun everyone had learning to ski but I'm already coming to grips with what will happen next.
"Okay everyone almost one day ago I was told by some jackass that I have an older sister, I don't care that I wasn't told before but I fucking care now. After this holiday is done I'm finding Gwen, either you can help and get on board but I won't hear any bullshit about how she's an adult or she may have a life of her own. I want my family and she deserves to make her own choice on the matter," I state to everyone assembled and where most nod only two are snickering, Mom and Mr. Delauter.
"I require a witness, Mr. Donnelly could you hand me a dollar please," Mr. Delauter says standing up.
We all watch as my father hands my step father a single bill with a confused expression on his face. Mr. Delauter takes the bill and folds it up before sticking it in his pocket.
"Now that was for the retainer fee so that I can put this as a business expense. I've spent the majority of the day running down every single law enforcement contact I have and a couple politicians to get some access to your missing sister's file and whereabouts. This isn't a couple days thing mind you but I'm hoping for some results at least that will point us in the right direction," Mr. Delauter states going into his basics.
"What are you doing pushing into the search for my daughter," my Dad asks a little heatedly.
"Your daughter is also my wife's daughter, which makes her important to our family. I would do anything to make my wife happy and while we've only had a day to find out about this, if we're ever going to come together on something then this is it," Mr. Delauter states firmly but not aggressively to my Dad.
"It's not your place," Dad says when Mom cuts him off.
"It is his place just as much as it is mine. We are a family called Neal and when Mark approached me to figure out what he could do to help I said throw everything at the problem and see what happens," Mom states taking control of my Dad," Now look me in the face and tell me you don't want me and Mark to help."
Dad concedes the point and Mom sits with him to explain the situation. We have resources and Mr. Delauter is talking quietly with Loretta about what he's throwing around to help. My girls are a little dumbfounded by the sheer force of will that my step parents are pushing around to help the family and I'm happily surprised with it myself. Dad pulls me aside after dinner with the one thing that he can't seem to shake from all the craziness, the envelope.
"Guy whoever sent this did it to put you at odds with your mother and I. They wanted you hurt and angry," Dad tells me as we talk alone.
"Dad I am hurt and I am angry and when I find out who sent this I will thank them for bringing my family together but if this bullshit doesn't stop then I'll find this behind the curtain fucker. And I promise if they ever step out where I can find them I will put him in a box," I tell my dad firmly.
Parents are supposed to stop you from making threats against other people's lives; parents who aren't my Dad at least do that. My Dad on the other hand smiles and nods in agreement. I know he'll want to track down the envelope but he probably won't find any real leads. That night as I'm cuddling with the girls I note they are passing around the baby picture of me and Gwen.
"It amazes me that such a cute little baby could turn into such an ugly man," I joke at my own expense but my girls aren't taking it well.
I'm barraged by pillows and a light beating before we cuddle up. I'm waiting for the next screw now, first people fucking with Johnny's business. Then Kori 'winning' the dance with the drunken ass and now the attempt at breaking up my holiday with my family. We'll turn this into a great thing for the family and it will bring us together. Fuck you shithead, you want to fuck with my family you better try harder because now it's personal.