My Favorite Mistake

I can feel the knife as it cuts into my throat, I didn’t think he would actually hurt me like this. I didn’t want Josh to get involved in this mess. I already got Ali involved and she was almost killed because of me. Now as I watch the look on Josh’s face as he realizes he has been shot, I feel ashamed when he falls forward from the blast. He shouldn’t have been here. Nothing is worth getting shot over especially me. I’m not worth it. I look down seeing the blood drip onto my shirt; I immediately wrap my hands around my neck to stop the bleeding. I feel Tony push me away and as I fall to the ground from the adrenaline and the loss of blood everything goes black.

“Paige,” Luke screamed as he jumped over the brushes towards his twin sister. He reached his sister within seconds wrapping his shirt around her neck where Tony had cut her.

“What in the hell do you think you were doing,” Detective Spencer shouts at Luke as he holds his sister in his arms. Luke suddenly has flashbacks to the night he almost lost Ali finding her lifeless and bleeding in the parking lot because of Tony.

“He keeps hurting the people I love. What do you expect me to do just sit around and wait for you to do your damn job,” Luke retaliated brushing his sister’s blond hair out of her face. “Come on, Paige, please open your eyes.”

“Let the paramedics take a look at her,” the detective told Luke trying to pull him away from Paige’s body.

“Stand back, sir,” one of the paramedics said.

“It looks like she was only nicked with the knife. It’s possible she just fainted from the shock of what happened,” the other paramedic announced.

“What do you mean it’s possible? Did she just faint or what,” Luke demanded not realizing that Josh was in worse condition behind him as two more paramedics worked on his best friend.

“Calm down, Mr. Parker,” the detective ordered pushing Luke farther back.

“How about you go after the bastard who did this and let me take care of my sister,” Luke said shoving Detective Spencer out of the way.

“I was going to be nice to you and let you go for having an open firearm. Now I’m not going to be too kind. Luke Spencer, you are under arrest,” Detective Rick Spencer said pulling Luke’s wrists behind his back slapping the handcuffs on the innocent man that was trying to protect his sister.

“You know Rory was right; you are an inconsiderate jerk,” Luke said immediately regretting it as he was being pushed into the squad car.

“What did you say,” Rick yelled grabbing onto Luke’s shirt pulling him back out of the car. “You little punk, you’re the one.”

“Detective, we’ve got a report of Mr. Sanchez near the marina,” a uniformed police officer said trying to defuse the situation.

“Book him for police brutality and having a loaded weapon,” Rick stated before walking away.

Luke watched as the paramedics worked on his sister from inside the squad car. All he wanted to do was protect Paige and get revenge for what Tony did to Ali. Now he hoped his father wouldn’t be too angry with him or Paige for going after Tony.

Brandon Ellsworth walked into the restaurant as the rain began to fall on the chilly fall afternoon. He had heard from his source that April’s family owned the restaurant. He sat down at a corner booth watching the waitresses work their magic on the customers. Brandon pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number he had memorized two months ago.

“Hey, I’m here at the restaurant. Where is she,” Brandon said to his informant.

“I never told you she would be there. All I said was her family owns the restaurant. From what I gathered this morning her brother was arrested for assaulting a police officer and her sister was admitted to the hospital. My guess is that she might end up there looking for her sister,” the young man stated.

“How about where she is staying,” Brandon asked grabbing a napkin and the pen from the inside pocket of his jacket.

“Wexler Hotel,” he replied. “And looking into the billing at the hotel, the room is being paid for by Ariel Parker.”

“Okay, thanks. Get back to me when you find something else.”

Brandon sat there watching the interaction between the waitress and the customers when he noticed a blond woman walk in that looked very familiar. The woman looked to be in her mid-twenties with brown eyes and her long blond hair was pinned back in a messy ponytail. She wore a black simple cocktail dress but it was wrinkled

“Charlotte, there you are,” Bebe, one of the waitresses announced.

“What’s going on,” Charlotte asked who woke up in an empty hotel bed bare naked only an hour earlier.

“From what I understand Paige set a trap for Tony, she was hurt but not too bad, and Luke was arrested. Your dad went to the police station to bail out Luke, and Ariel went to the hospital to see Paige,” Bebe explained.

“Where’s Ella then,” Charlotte wondered running for the back of the restaurant to the apartment upstairs.

“It’s okay,” Ali said coming down holding Ella in her arms. “I didn’t have class today, so I told Ariel I would watch Ella.”

“Mommy,” Ella squealed seeing her mother.

“Baby girl,” Charlotte whispered holding out her arms for her daughter.

“If you like I can watch her a little longer if you need to clean up or something,” Ali suggested trying not to offend Charlotte.

“Thank you, Ali, I would appreciate that.”

Charlotte walked up the stairs as Brandon threw a couple of ones on the table for his coffee and left the restaurant. He needed to find April and if it meant going thru her injured sister that is what he would do.

“Luke,” Jack said walking up to the cell where his only son was being held.

At the sound of his father’s voice Luke jumped up ashamed for what he did yet proud at the same time. The biggest problem he had was whether or not his father could get the money for bail.

“I’m not going to ask what you were thinking when you went after Tony, because I know. All I want to know is why you punched Detective Spencer,” Jack questioned a few minutes later as the two men left the police station.

“I didn’t, dad,” Luke answered getting into his father’s truck. “He kept pushing me away from Paige when no one would tell me what was going on. I shoved him out of the way but I never punched him. The only reason he bought up the charges on me for that was I let something slip about his wife I shouldn’t have let slip.”

“So he knows that you were sleeping with his wife,” Jack questioned.

“I think he knows something was going between the two of us, just not sure if he realizes what. He’s not the brightest bulb in the box, dad.”

“Neither are you, son. I love you and all, but you could have protected your sister a different way. What if it was you that was shot and not Josh? I lost your mother, grandma, and Morgan, I can’t lose you too. You’re the one that has to look after your sisters because I don’t have the energy to keep up with them anymore.”

“Dad, with their love lives, I don’t even have the energy anymore,” Luke retorted. “But I’m one to talk.”

“Well I see a difference in you already. I’m not saying you are becoming a love sick puppy, because you’re a Parker male, that doesn’t happen, but with Ali things are different. She brings out a side to you that we don’t see often.”

“What side is that, dad?”

“The kinder side, you care more about what people are thinking and feeling, and not all about yourself. Luke, I know when your mother left it tore all of you up, and I’m not the only one that noticed it. Your grandmother told me she would notice things when she was still with us. Now with Ali, you are not so worried about having a woman on your arm every night. Believe me son, you don’t think I know some of the things you were doing, I do.”

“Was it Paige or Charlotte that told you,” Luke sighed.

“It was Noelle actually. She thinks we forget she is around at times, that’s my fault mostly. Yet she hears things and sees things that a nine year old girl shouldn’t know. I worry more about you older set, then I do Noelle, and she is the one I should really be looking out for these days.”

“Dad, from this moment on, I will pay closer attention to Noelle. Maybe I can see if she can come down on the sidelines on the next game, she might like that.”

“How about see if she wants to have a sleepover with Ali and Paige, she might like that a little bit more,” Jack mentioned as they pulled into the parking lot at Juniper’s.

“Right,” Luke replied realizing that his little sister might not enjoy listening to a bunch of college football players’ talk about the things they do after the games as much as he did.

“One more thing, I have kept this under wraps for the few days because of everything that happened, but I need to tell you something important,” Jack stated going up to Luke and stopping him from entering Juniper’s.

“What?”

“Your mother is back in town. Ariel found out where she was and for some reason your mother came back. I know she left when you were very young, and you want to hate her because of what she did to me and our family, but don’t. I got over your mother many years ago and I moved on with my life. So just a warning,” Jack explained then moving out of his son’s way leaving Luke standing there in shock.

His mother was back. How long had she been back? Had Ariel seen her and if she had why hadn’t she said anything? Why did she leave? Why did it take her twenty years to come back? Luke had all these questions to ask when he walked into Juniper’s and into Ali’s loving arms.

“What are we doing here,” April asked following her mother inside the hospital. April dragged along anyway knowing full well she would meet one of her other sisters and begin her terror on another Parker child.

“This is my daughter, we are talking about, April, your sister. Please, let me just see if she is okay,” Penelope ordered zipping through the hallways trying to find the room where Paige was. “If Ariel hadn’t called me I wouldn’t have ever known that my baby was here.”

“I’m your baby, not Paige,” April mumbled letting her mother run after the sister she had never known about.

April looked at the map of the hospital on the wall, deciding that she would get as far away from her mother and sister as she could. She needed to think of a new plan of attack. Her mother had mentioned that Cooper had gone back to Chicago after she got off the phone with Ariel. As it was Ariel had called to tell them she wouldn’t be able to make their lunch date because of Paige. April knew Ariel was beginning to be more of a pain in the butt than she had intended and now that Cooper was gone, she had to think of another plan.

In room two thirteen, Paige sat on the bed flipping through the magazine like it was on fire. She couldn’t sit still and the bandage on her neck was itchy as hell.

“Why won’t they let me see Josh,” Paige asked Ariel who was sitting in the chair in the corner of the room.

“He’s in recovery, Paige, let him rest for a little bit and I’m sure you’ll be able to see him,” Ariel told her sister.

“I can’t believe this happened,” Paige cried putting her face in her hands. “First Ali was attacked by this monster now Josh was shot.”

“What were you doing going after him alone anyway,” Ariel wondered getting up from the chair to comfort her sister.

“I was trying to get Tony off the streets since the police couldn’t do it,” Paige replied.

“Excuse me,” Penelope whispered from the doorway.

Paige turned her head towards the voice at the door shocked to see the woman standing there. She was only a baby when her mother left, but growing up, Ariel had made sure she knew who her mother was by showing her pictures that their father kept hidden away.

“Thanks for coming,” Ariel said welcoming her mother while Paige sat there with her mouth wide open starring at the woman who gave birth to her, yet left when she was only a baby of six months. “I will let the two of you get reacquainted.”

Ariel left the room while Penelope went to the bed and tried to give Paige a hug. Paige stiffened up not being able to hug the woman back.

“You’re angry,” Penelope asked sitting down on the bed taking her daughter’s hand in hers.

I jerk my hand away from her. I can’t believe after all of these years she is sitting next to me. I want to welcome her in my open arms, like I have dreamed of for so long, but seeing her for the first time – I can’t do it. I don’t want to do it. She left me. She left my family. Why? I can’t do this with her not right now.

“Of course I’m angry. You think you can just walk into my hospital room like it’s been only hours since I’ve seen you,” Paige asked folding her arms.

“I know you have a lot of questions. And if you want you can ask me whatever you want, but I would rather just sit here and be with you and find out what’s going on in your life,” Penelope explained trying to reach out to her daughter.

“No,” Paige declared. “I want you to leave.”

After all of this time she thinks I can just forget everything she has done. I can’t do that; I don’t want to do that. She can’t just appear in my life like nothing has happened. I can’t deal with her right now, what I need more than anything right now is to see Josh.

Tyler Donnelly sat at his desk in his corner office replaying the moment last night over and over again. He couldn’t get the vision out of his head. It was early afternoon and all day he wasn’t able to concentrate on the latest buy-outs or the plans for the new shopping mall outside of town. No, he hadn’t gotten a thing done today; nothing was making sense to him.

“Kelly, call up Richard Lawson and ask him to locate a Kate McKay for me,” Tyler asked pushing the intercom button on his telephone. Kelly had worked for the Donnelly Corporation for the last three years; and as Tyler’s secretary the last year and a half. She was a loyal employee and very trustworthy at the young age of twenty-six. She had started working for the Donnelly’s fresh out of college and had been there ever since.

“Yes, sir,” Kelly responded flipping through the rolodex seconds later.

Twenty minutes later Tyler entered his father’s office with a plan of revenge on his mind.

“I think I may have found a way for us to get the Juniper property,” Tyler announced to his father who sat at his large oak desk looking over legal documents and faxes. He didn’t look up when his son walked into the room or when he began to speak. Benjamin Donnelly just kept reading the documents until Tyler slapped the fax on top of the documents he was reading getting his full attention.

“I remember Charlotte once telling me about Morgan Parker’s sister, Kate and the fact that she hated Jack. When Morgan died, Jack inherited all the money that belonged to the McKay family which in fact helped keep the restaurant afloat the past few years. In the will, Morgan stated if Jack was to become incapacitate or couldn’t handle the restaurant anymore due to family issues, he was to sell it. Even in Juniper Parker’s will it states the same thing,” Tyler explained.

“What does this have to do with us,” Benjamin asked reading over the Morgan McKay Parker’s will.

“Well Kate says there is another will out there that could put the Parker’s in danger of losing Juniper’s – her father’s will. She hasn’t been able to locate the original document, but if correct she believes that once Morgan died the money was supposed to go to her, not Jack.”

“Why are you telling me this, Tyler? I thought you were madly in love with Charlotte, what changed your mind,” Benjamin wondered coming around to the front of the desk to his son.

“Last night I seen the real Charlotte Parker, dad. She isn’t worth fighting for, not to me. I want to show you that I can do this,” Tyler stated. “I want the Juniper account.”

“Fine,” Benjamin agreed. “But son, don’t disappoint me.”

“Like you did me, father,” Gregory stated strolling into his father’s office. “Tyler.”

Tyler stood there flabbergasted at his brother’s appearance. After witnessing Gregory and Charlotte in bed together in the throws of passion, Tyler ran out of the hotel and home where he had a few shots of whiskey and crashed for the night.

“Greg,” Tyler responded flatly. Tyler couldn’t even look at his brother without feeling the taste of vile in his mouth.

“Gregory, it’s so nice to see you back home. How was Italy? Find what you were looking for,” Benjamin questioned going back to his desk.

“I sure did, father. By the way, Aunt Sophia says hello,” Gregory said sitting down in the leather chair across from the desk.

“Tyler, leave us,” Benjamin ordered. “Your brother and I have business to discuss.”

“Sure,” Tyler replied leaving the office with his tail between his legs. All he had wanted now was to seek revenge on his brother and Charlotte, and also get in the good graces of his father. He could be ruthless and cut-throat – it was the Donnelly way.

Ariel stood in the elevator waiting for it to reach the bottom floor of the hospital to the cafeteria to quench her thirst. As the elevator door opened she looked up to see her half-sister April standing before her.

“I was hoping I would run into you,” Ariel said stepping out into the hallway blocking April from entering the elevator.

“How did you know I was down here,” April wondered trying to find an escape route.

“I didn’t, guess it’s just dumb luck,” Ariel replied grabbing her sister’s arm and dragging her down the hallway and outside to the picnic area to have some privacy.

“Let go of me,” April snarled trying to break free. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m showing you that I can be a bitch just as much as you. Cooper went back to Chicago and I know you had something to do with it.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” April replied. “If your boyfriend got enough of your crazy family that’s his fault, not mine.”

“The only that is crazy is you,” Ariel shot back. “What is it? Are you jealous that our mother wants to spend time with her other children? Are you that immature to throw temper tantrums?”

“I’m more mature than you think. And I know the real reason our mother wanted to come here, and it sure in hell had nothing to do with you and your sisters,” April explained. “Ask her about Charles Reed, or should I call him daddy? Who knows with that lady? I mean you think Charles was her first affair, oh no, my dear, she couldn’t be faithful if she tried – not even to her own children.”

April pushed Ariel out of her way and walked up the stairs that led to a parking lot of the hospital. Ariel stood there wondering if everything Ariel had said was true. She needed to find out if her mother was just a conniving money-hungry bimbo like April. Ariel pulled out her cell phone from her purse dialing Meg’s number.

“Hello, Naughton Investigations,” Meg answered.

“Hi, Meg, it’s Ariel. I need you to find something out for me. I need you to check the medical records for Penelope and April,” Ariel stated.

“What are you looking for,” Meg asked.

“I’m not sure, I just have a feeling that there might be another relative out there maybe even another sibling,” Ariel stated walking aimlessly around the picnic area. “Just see what else you can dig up, please.”

“I’m on it,” Meg commented writing the request down. “By the way I got a call from Cooper. Did something happen between the two of you?”

“Why do you ask?”

“He wants me to check out April’s past also. Is she as horrible as she sounds?”

“Worse.”

“Not good at all. I’ll see what I find out especially on April Carson.”

“Thanks,” Ariel said before disconnecting the call. She knew April was hiding something and now all she had to do was find out what it was. Ariel wouldn’t let some trash-talking tramp ruin her family even if she was technically one of them.

Paige walked down the hall towards Josh’s room. He sat there looking out the window with his left arm in a cast. It had been four hours since the events at the park. Paige was ready to go home, but she had to see Josh first.

“Hi, there,” she said walking into the dark room.

“Hey,” Josh sighed seeing the beautiful blond stand before him with a small bandage now covering her neck. “Are you okay?”

“I should be asking you that,” she replied walking farther into the room. She reached his bed and grabbed his right hand squeezing it gently.

“I’m fine. The doctors had to do surgery to remove the bullet from my shoulder. It tore my shoulder up pretty bad and I will be in this cast for six weeks or so.”

“What about football?”

“Oh that, well my football career is over,” he said non-chalantely.

“I’m so sorry, Josh. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I didn’t want any of this to happen. Why did you do it? How,” she questioned before the tears began to fall.

“I don’t regret going after him, Paige. I was trying to protect you. I care about you so much, and I know you told me that you’re not ready for a relationship especially after Tony, but that doesn’t mean I can shut my feelings off for you. I would do anything for you,” Josh explained rubbing his finger against the softness of her skin between her index finger and thumb.

“Even ruin your football career?”

“It’s just football, but you’re much more than that.”

“I don’t know what to say,” she responded looking into Josh’s eyes.

“Just tell me you will give me another chance to show you how much you mean to me.”

“You took a bullet for me; I think that shows how much.”

“Please,” he begged kissing her hand.

“Okay,” she stated blushing at his boldness.

“Are you family,” a nurse asked coming into the room. “Family only, right now, until the doctor says otherwise.”

“I hope one day she is,” Josh told the nurse as Paige pulled her hand away from his and walked out of the room. “I’m going to marry her one day.”

Paige ran towards the elevator ready to find Ariel and leave the hospital once and for all. She wanted to be in the comfort of her own home safe in her bed. Paige just wanted to forget this day and everything that had happened with Tony. When the elevator doors opened, Paige began to step into the elevator, she looked up to see a good-looking man about her age with dark brown hair and brown eyes that looked pools of chocolate that she could melt into. She stood there for a second as they stared in each other’s eyes.

“Paige,” Ariel shouted running towards the elevator. “There you are.”

“Yeah,” Paige muttered still looking at the god-like creator of a man. “I’m here.”

The man cracked a smile at Paige as the elevator doors began to shut. Ariel pulled Paige out of the way as the mystery man disappeared inside the elevator. There was something about the mystery man that gave Paige butterflies. She had to see him again and find out everything she could about him.

Inside the elevator Brandon stood there shocked at the beauty that had just disappeared before him. She had the long blond hair like April, but this woman had blue eyes instead of green like April. Yet something about the woman intrigued him. He had to find out who she was and just what it took to sweep her off her feet.