22This is the final chapter of this story but there will be a sequel that will start off very soon after this one ends. This just felt like a good place to stop it at the moment where Anna realizes her own self worth. Anna's journal entry at the end contains the storyline for the next story as Anna and everybody around her deal with the changes in their lives, especially with their graduation coming soon.
Chapter 21
As soon as she got back to her Papa's house, Anna went up to her bedroom and started to get ready for bed. She was leaving the shower, wrapped in a Navy blue fleece robe, running a comb through her still damp hair and stopped short at the sight of Melanie sitting on her bed. In front of her was a stack of photo albums that looked worn and faded from many years of use.
"What's going on, Mel? Why aren't you in bed already?"
"You haven't been shown the family photo albums yet and now is the perfect time to do it. Oprah Winfrey, Matt Lauer, Diane Sawyer and Julie Chen are coming down with crews tomorrow to film interviews with us so they can air them the next day. Daddy sent me up here to make sure you know about your family from his side of things. He wants you to be prepared for any questions that they might ask about our family. We have to be ready for anything they might have found out about to use against us."
Anna walked over to the bed and sat down on the other side of the albums and grabbed the first one, sitting down on the bed where both she and her sister could see it. One of the very first pictures was one of Jason's father, a man in his early fifties with graying blond hair that had very similar features as his son and his youngest granddaughter. He also had a cold and calculating look in his crystal blue eyes and then she realized that she had met him before. Before she could stop herself, Anna gasped in shocked as memories of a summer day when she was ten and the man who had rescued her from Jane's bullying. She glanced up at Mel, who was giving her a questioning look, her eyes wet with unshed tears.
"I have met him before. He saved me from Jane in the park the summer you and your mom went to Europe for two months and you weren't there to help her. He scared the hell out her and ordered her to leave me in peace. After that, he bought me ice cream at Rick's and took me home." Anna frowned as she remembered something else about that day. "I now know why my mom had such a scared look on her face that day when she saw who had brought me home."
"I remember that summer! When mom and I got home, we found him and Daddy arguing in the study over the sorry way some woman had taken care of his granddaughter. That being claimed by her true father would help get that sweet little girl back on track to where she could fight back against people who make her feel like she deserves to be a doormat. I was curious about who he was talking about but it wasn't long after, I forgot about it and had to concentrate on getting ready to go back to school." Her mouth opened in shock as something else about that argument came to forefront of her mind. "That was when he contacted his lawyer about changing his will and it wasn't long after that he passed away from a massive heart attack, despite the fact that he was the most health conscious human being on the planet."
"So he had never had any heart trouble before the heart attack that killed him?" Anna felt herself getting very curious about her late grandfather, why he left her so much money and how he died. Especially given the fact that Melanie, at eleven years old, had thought his death had been suspicious. She wondered why her papa and none of the other adults had looked into his death more closely than they should have."
"No. He might have been a hateful son of a gun but he took care of himself religiously and the fact that he died as young as he did still makes me suspicious. Although given recent events, I have my own theories as to what could have happened to grandpa."
Anna glanced over at Melanie and felt a chill go down her spine as she realized that her sister was planning something that would royally piss their father and Hans off.
"Mel, don't put yourself or your baby at risk. Let Papa know what you suspect so he and Hans can take care of this."
"Don't worry," Mel said, smiling at her. "I have a feeling if I even tried to do this by myself, Daddy would lock me in my room and throw away the key." Her smile was mischievious as she glanced over at her sister before continuing to speak. "Hans and Trevor would help him and would never forgive me for putting my baby at risk. I plan on waiting until after my baby is born before I do anything about what I suspect."
"You think your mom did something to your grandpa, don't you? If she was desperate enough to hide the will to keep me from my inheritance and to plot to kidnap me, I have a feeling there isn't anything she wouldn't do to get her way." At the sadness in Melanie's eyes, Anna felt remorse at her comments and gently touched her sister on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that out loud."
"That's okay. You didn't say anything that I wasn't thinking, it just hurts to think about the fact that my own mother would do the things that mine has. All in the pursuit of money and status but at the cost of her daughter, who hates her and wants her to stay away."
Anna gave her a look of skepticism and doubt before responding to Melanie's claims.
"I don't think you hate her, you just hate the thinks she has done. At the end of the day, she is still your mom and you love her."
"You're right but she isn't like your mom, Anna. She was never the type to offer comfort when I got hurt and to turn into a fierce warrior when somebody messed with me the way your mom does with you."
There was a sadness about Melanie as she sat there on Anna's bed, picking at the spread that covered it. As she watched her sister and her reactions to talking about her mother, made Anna realize that Cynthia's treatment of her daughter over the years had caused long term damage. She had a strong feeling her unborn niece or nephew would always know that it's mother loved he or she. That Mel would most and likely do everything in her power to make sure her child had the attention and care that she had never gotten from her own mother, and in a small way from her father. In that department, Anna didn't worry about because this child would not only have a biological father but would also have Hans. It would be a long and difficult road to happiness for him and Melanie but Anna knew in her heart that they would get there. They just had to wait for Valentine's Day, when Melanie would finally be old enough for them to be together and Cynthia could try to have Hans arrested.
"Are you going to visit your mom before she goes back to court in two days?" Anna asked gently, unsure of how Mel would react to her question.
"Daddy thinks I should but I haven't made up my mind yet as to whether or not I am going to. I'm afraid she is going to get me upset to the point my blood pressure will go up and it will affect the baby. I won't let her hurt my child, she has already did enough to royally screw me up, I refuse to let her cause me to have a miscarriage, which is what she wants to happen."
Before Anna could respond, Janet stepped into her daughter's room and walked over to where the two teenagers were sitting on the bed. She sat down slowly between them and placed a hand on her belly, which was already getting bigger everyday as she went through the last three months of her pregnancy.
"Melanie, I promise you that your mom will not get close enough to hurt you or your baby. The judge in her case has already denied her bail because they knew that she would run if given the chance. You and your baby are safe from her and nobody is going to force you to see her. That is your decision to make and nobody elses." Janet caressed her shoulder softly before hugging both girls and getting up from the bed. "The two of you have a busy day tomorrow with your tutor coming and those people arriving to give those interviews." Janet's voice gave away just how she really felt about this situation but she also knew that it was a necessary evil and it had to be done to get the press out of their lives.
Mel quietly got up from the bed and followed Janet out of the room, while Anna removed the photo albums from her bed and then walked over to her desk. She turned on her computer and sat down in front of it, waiting patiently for it to boot up. Her new cellphone made a peeping noise, indicating that she had a text message so she reached into her purse, which had been hung on the back of her chair and pulled it out. When she saw who it was from, a smile came over her face as she read it.
"In the guest house, Hans will bring U here."
"I'll be there in five minutes. What R U up to?"
"It's a surprise."
Anna smiled softly to herself as she put her phone down and started to type a quick entry into her journal before going to see just what Brian was up to.
December 18th, 2008
It is only a week until Christmas and I wonder when all of this nonsense with the press hanging around will end. I hope the interviews we give tomorrow will work and all of us have our lives back soon. Or at least until the next scandal comes along that will make all of us look boring in comparison. I know Mom is ready for this to be over so she and Daddy can have some peace and quiet.
It is so difficult to see him in so much pain as the Cancer takes over more and more of his body. His doctors are saying that it could be anytime now and Dr. Michaels is over here everyday to make sure that he has enough pain medication to get him through until the end. I hate seeing him suffer like this and wish that there was something that could be done to make this easier for him.
Mom is now in the third trimester of her pregnancy and is getting bigger everyday. She is also being constantly checked by Dr. Michaels when he comes to take care of Daddy. It seems that the both of them and Papa are in agreement that she and my baby brother are more important than anything. I think that is the main reason why we were all brought to live here when the press started to converge in our front yard. The stress of not only dealing with her husband's imminent death, her renewed feelings for Papa and those uncaring and heartless vultures harassing us, is not making things very easy for my mom to deal with.
Melanie is now in the third month of her pregnancy and the morning sickness has finally stopped. She is definitely very happy about that but that is the only thing going good for her right now. Hans has put some distance between them after the story broke over the internet and she is very depressed. Then she has to deal with the fact that her mother is in jail and has been ever since Thanksgiving.
The judge in the case, knowing that she would run if given the chance has denied Mrs. Taylor bail. So she has to sit there in jail until her trial begins and I don't know whether or not to feel sorry for her or think she deserves it. Why is she so full of hatred for my mother that she plotted to kidnap me just to hurt her? Or was this about Papa and his decision to file for divorce and separation papers? It wouldn't surprise me if it was a combination of both.
Then there is Bridget and Stephanie and what this whole situation has done to them. I feel sorry for them and wish that there was some way to make things right. Although Bridget has sent her husband divorce papers while he is sitting in jail for what he tried to do to me, or Agent Jameson that is. Hans can't stop watching that video of this tiny woman throwing his abusive brother-in-law on his ass and laughing hysterically every time he sees it. I've seen it myself and it is pretty funny to see that sorry prick, who gets his kicks out of abusing his wife and daughter, getting taken down by a woman.
I'm worried about that fact that she and Dr. Michaels are developing some very strong romantic feelings for each other. I normally wouldn't have a problem with it given how love has damaged the both of them and they might be what they other needs to heal. I just hate the thought of what her psychotic soon-to-be ex husband would do if he ever gets out of jail. If he would sink low enough as to beat his own child, there is no telling what Martin would do if he found out that Bridget was falling in love with someone else. It will not be pretty and I would hate to see Brian lose another parent because even though he doesn't talk about, he still isn't over his mother's death and the fact that he was the one who had found her.
Trevor and Sheryl seemed to have gotten over their difficulties and are now very much a couple. She and Melanie have put aside any differences between them in an effort to make things easier for the baby that is coming. I am very proud of him in the fact that he is not running away from his responsibility to his unborn child. He has made the appropriate changes in his life and plans for his future so he can be there for Melanie, despite his father's continued anger over the fact his son won't be going to Duke University. I just wish the man would get over it and be there for his son, who is going to need both his parents to be there for him as he takes on the very difficult job of being a father.
Miles still isn't talking to Sheryl for using him to make Trevor jealous and I don't think they will ever be friends again. He is dating Samantha now, who is the happiest I have seen in a long time. I'm just glad that Miles finally woke up and saw what was right in front of him. A beautiful, kind and caring young woman that has loved him for a long time and would never hurt him.
Megan Jefferson shocked the whole town when she came out of the closet and admitted that she was a lesbian to her parents. Miles and Vanessa, who had known all along, were very supportive of their sister and the three siblings had formed a united front against the more conservative people in this town. Her parents were a different story and they had kicked her out of the house.
Luckily, Megan had been working since she was sixteen and had saved enough for a deposit to a small one bedroom apartment in an apartment complex right outside of town. In a building that Papa owned, of course and he was secretly taking the small amount of rent that Megan was paying him and putting back into an account for her. I guess this was his way of making sure she had a roof over her head and still letting the very independent teenager have her pride.
Ironically, she is now involved in a very passionate affair with Jane Sanders, who it seems has moved on from her unrequited crush on Melanie. She still can be a first class bitch but it seems the love of a good woman has helped her to get over her jealousy of me, Hans or anybody else that Mel has chosen to spend time with, instead of her.
I think I am going to finish up here and go to the guest house. I have a feeling I know what Brian has planned for us and I'm ready. He is the only one I can see being intimate with for the first time and I have taken all the precautions to make sure that I don't end up pregnant like Melanie.
He is the first person who saw me for who I was, at a time when I wasn't very attractive to look at. To see the inner beauty that everybody else but myself had seen in me. That I am finally just now seeing without wondering why he would ever love me. That is not to say that I don't still feel uncomfortable in my own skin and have moments of self doubt. Although now whenever I hear that voice in my head telling me all of those horrible things about myself, I just ignore it and go on with the rest of my life, knowing I have people who like me for who I am.