"how's Your Wife and My Ids?" #02

It's obvious from the title that this is a continuation of my latest story. When I wrote the first part I made it clear that there was no BTB. While I didn't plan on a Part 2 I had a number of commenters write that they felt it needed a second part. In truth, I too felt that maybe a continuation was in order. Unlike the first part this part does contain a BTB. I am sure that I will not have tied up all the loose ends, but I hope it makes some of you happy.

As with all of my stories, I enjoy the comments, both good and bad, so please comment on this or any of my other stories.

I hope you enjoy.

"How's Your Wife and My Kids?" Part 2

My phone rang, waking me from a deep sleep. I reached for it on my nightstand, picked it up, and said, "Hello"

A frantic voice said, "Kurt, your dad's had a heart attack!"

I was wide awake now. "What? When? Is he alright?" I questioned.

"What's wrong Drake?" Danna asked, now awake also.

My Mom on the other end of the line said, "The ambulance just got here. They're taking him to the University Hospital. What should I do?"

"Mom, call Aunt Beth. Have her and Uncle Jim come and take you to the hospital. Don't try to drive yourself."

I looked over at Danna, she was already up. She could tell by my side of the conversation that this was serious.

"Okay Kurt," my mom said. "I'm scared."

"You'll be alright Mom. Everything will be fine." I said, trying to assure her, and myself.

Danna had already gotten a suitcase out of the closet and was starting to put underwear and socks into it. I looked at her, she saw the look of fear and helplessness on my face.

"Mom, I'm coming home."

"Please hurry, honey." She said, a tremble in her voice.

"I'll call you back as soon as I can."

"Oh honey."

"Hang up and call Aunt Beth right now."

"Ok. I love you.".

"I love you too Mom."

She hung up.

My Aunt Beth and Uncle Jim lived in Cicero, about a half hour away. They would see her safely there, and give her some much needed support.

Danna said, "Pick out some clothes to bring, I'll look up flights."

I stood there, just standing there in a kind of shock."

"Drake, what happened?"

"My mom said that he had a heart attack. The ambulance was there and bringing him to the hospital."

"Finish packing, and don't forget your toiletries." She said in French. The way she said toiletries, in her native language, woke me from my daze and made me smile.

"The flight out of Strasbourg doesn't leave until this afternoon, I'm checking Stuttgart." She continued in French. My mind didn't even translate it to English anymore. I understood it all.

I finished gathering my clothes and filled my dop kit with my bathroom essentials.

As I came out of the ensuite she said, "I've got a flight booked for 9:00 out of Stuttgart. You'll have to drive, because the train won't get you there in time for airport check-in. You'll fly through Munich and then to Chicago O'Hare, and finally Indianapolis. You'll be there by 7:00 tonight, Indianapolis time."

I looked at the clock, it was 12:43 am on Tuesday morning. It was early evening back home. My mom didn't say what had happened. I would have to find that out when I got there. I was on pins and needles. The 15 hours in airports and on planes would seem like an eternity. I just hoped that he would still be alive when I got there.

I sat down on the bed. Danna came and sat next to me, putting her arm around my shoulders. I turned to her and she kissed me, softly, supportively.

"Everything will be okay." She said. "Your Dad is a strong man, just like his son."

Danna was my rock. She always knew what I needed to hear. She always made me feel a deep love, one that was constant and forever. She has helped me so much to feel like a man again, someone worthy of her.

"I love you." I said. "You are so strong, when I am weak, so understanding when I don't know what to do."

She kissed me again, this time a passionate kiss that expressed her deep love for me. I returned that kiss showing her my love for her.

"We should probably wake the kids. You'll need to explain where you are going and why. I know they are young, but they will understand."

My kids, Henri and Simone, were my pride and joy. Henri was 4 years old and Simone 3. Yes they were young, but they were also quite smart and perceptive.

We went to wake Simone first. She was the stubborn one, even at 3 she hated being woken up. Henri was our early bird. He would have no trouble when we woke him. He was a light sleeper, in fact there was more than one time that he wandered into our bedroom, awoken by our lovemaking. Hopefully that wouldn't have any adverse affects in the future.

"What's up Dad?" Henri asked.

"Simone, Henri, can you listen to me?"

"I sleepy." Simone said.

"I know baby, but I need to tell you something."

"Ok Dad" Her eyes already closing.

"Daddy's got to go see Pepe Hank. He's not feeling well. Mom will take good care of you while I'm gone."

"Can't we go see Pepe?" Henri asked.

"Not today, son. Maybe soon. I have to leave soon so I won't be here in the morning. Can you be good for Mommy while I'm gone??

"Yes Daddy." Simone said sleepily.

"Henri, make sure you help mom whenever she asks, and don't pester your sister, okay?"

"Yes Dad." He said proudly.

"I love you both. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Love you too Daddy." Simone said and hugged me, Henri joined in.

I finished packing and grabbed my passport. I would need to get some cash for the trip. The drive would take about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, so I would need to leave by 4:00. I looked at the clock, it was 1:30. I should try to catch a couple more hours of sleep, but I knew it would be futile. I decided to make some breakfast instead. Danna sat with me as I ate some pancakes and eggs.

"How are you doing Drake?"

"Worried. Dad isn't in bad shape, physically, but he also isn't an active guy. He sits at a desk most of the time at his job."

"What about your mom? How do you think she's handling it?"

"She's a strong woman, but this has got to have her on pins and needles."

"What are you thinking in regards to this visit?"

"I think I will call Phillipe, my boss, and request 2 weeks of personal time off. That would get me back right before Christmas, that is if my Dad is out of the woods."

"Okay, but what about you? What are you thinking?"

It was just like her, she always made me talk about my feelings. "Well, I feel a little guilty that I'm not there for my Mom, and my Dad too, of course. However, I know that they support me in my decision to live here. Also, they have truly enjoyed coming here, first for the wedding and then for the birth of both of our kids. Your family really made them feel at home. I think that in itself made them feel like I was in the right place for me, and with the right person." The last I had said looking lovingly at my wife.

"Kurt," Wow, she was using my real name, this would be something serious and something she has thought at length about. "If you decide that we should move to the U.S. to be with your parents, then I will support that decision and follow you anywhere."

God, I loved this woman. I hadn't thought about it at all. My job, my wife and kids, her family, and our friends were here. For her to offer that meant a lot.

"Danna, I love you for offering and also for being willing to follow me anywhere, but I have made my life here with you. Let's see how things go with my father and then we can look at all the options."

As I finished my breakfast and rose to put my dishes in the dishwasher Danna followed me into the kitchen. I turned and embraced her. She hugged me back. We just stood there in each other's arm for at least a full minute. It felt good to have her hold me, I would miss that while I was gone. We separated and I kissed her, not a passionate kiss, but rather a warm affectionate kiss. A kiss that said, 'I love you and will miss you.'

I gathered my luggage, my passport, a little pillow that we bought for when we rode the train around Europe. I was the perfect size, not too big or too small. After I placed it all in the car I turned back to her and took her in my arms again. I kissed her again and said, "I will miss you."

"Text me when you get to the airport and then whenever you can throughout the trip. Know that my love goes with you. Tell your parents that we all love them and are praying for them."

"I will, my love." I said and just looked her in the eyes. We didn't have to say any more, we could read each other's thoughts as we smiled at each other.

I kissed her once more and then got in the car, pulled out onto our driveway, honking twice as I drove away.

This would be the first time since we had started living together that we were apart for more than a day. It would definitely feel strange.

As I drove I thought about going home. Yes, I lived here now, but I will always think of my parent's house, the house I grew up in. as home. This would be the first time back in the states in over 6 years. I'm sure some things will have changed, but probably not too much. I, however, had changed. I had totally immersed myself in my new homeland. French was my day to day language and Europe was now part of me.

That's when I thought of my kids, Henri and Simone. Henri was named after my Dad. Of course he spelt his name with a "Y" instead of an "I", but he never went by Henry anyways, it was always Hank.

Simone was named after Danna's grandmother, what a feisty old woman. I loved her spirit, and could tell that my daughter was cut from the same cloth.

As the sun started over the mountains I called my boss. "Phillipe, this is Drake."

"Hello Drake, what's going on?"

"My father has had a heart attack and is in the hospital. I need to fly to the U.S. to see him and be there for my mother."

"Of course, Drake. Don't worry, I understand."

"I'd like to take some personal time off. Two weeks, if that works for you."

"Sure, we'll struggle a bit with you not there, but we'll make it."

Phillipe always knew exactly what to say. I knew that they would be fine without me, but yet, he made me feel like I was an important part of the organization. I think that is what I admired most about him, his ability to make everyone feel like they were important and what they did mattered.

"I will know more when I get there. I'll let you know.

"I'll say a prayer for your father." He said.

"Thanks, that means a lot." I told him as we ended our call. I would be praying also, probably most of my flight.

The trip was uneventful, thankfully. I called Danna during my layover in Munich and O'Hare. The kids had to be told again where I was at, we did wake them up from a dead sleep after all.

She assured me again that they would be fine and to keep her informed.

I had a hard time sleeping, I kept thinking about my Mom and Dad. also the probability of running into Gwen while I would be there.

I finally touched down in Indianapolis at around 6:30 Tuesday evening. Of course, I went right to the hospital in my rental car. It was about 7:00 when I got there. Walking into the front I asked the person at the reception desk where my father was.

"He's in the ICU Recovery wing."

She gave me directions and I headed there. As I was waiting for the elevator I heard a familiar voice, or rather overheard her. It was my ex-wife. She was sitting in the waiting room, talking on her phone. Her back was to me so she didn't see me.

"Yeah, the kids are up visiting him now... They say he is doing okay... I'm going to need to go back to work tomorrow... I can't wait till this weekend either, stud-muffin. I've already made the reservation at the Conrad.. We'll be able to relax and really celebrate our anniversary."

The elevator door opened and I stepped in. I thought of my ex-wife and our marriage. She had called me stud-muffin too. From talking to John 5 years ago I could tell that he really loved her. By the sound of the conversation their marriage was still going strong.

I felt a little remorse at that, not that I would ever give up what I had now with Danna, but that it didn't work for us. I still didn't understand what had happened. Why had she done what she had done?

Maybe, if we can have a civil conversation I could get some answers. Something to give me some closure.

When the elevator doors opened again I was close to the nurse's station. I asked the woman behind the desk to point me to my father's room. When I opened the door the first thing I saw was my son and daughter standing by my father's bed. They looked to see who was entering the room.

It only took about 3 seconds, but I saw recognition on my son's face.

"Dad??" He said.

Wow, that hit me like a ton of bricks. I was truly surprised that he recognized me. I had changed a lot since the last time he had seen me. My hair had receded so I now wore it quite short, opposed to the somewhat long look I had when he was growing up. I also sported a beard now, where I was always clean shaven before.

"Jeremy?" He looked so grown up. He was 17 now, almost an adult. He turned to his sister, Susie. She had a puzzled look on her face. Then she did something that truly shocked me, and made me feel a little self-conscious also. She walked up to me, reached out her hand and traced my scar with her fingers. My scar, that had always been a point of embarrassment for me, was apparently the thing she remembered about me. Suddenly my scar was an asset, a positive, because it brought back memories to my daughter.

"I remember this." She said, "I had forgotten all about it. I couldn't remember your face until just this moment."

"Susie, Jeremy, I'm sorry that I left you. I felt it was the best thing for you at your age."

"We understand." Jeremy said. "Gramma and Grampa explained it to us." Just then Susie wrapped her arms around me and gave me a long overdue hug. I motioned to Jeremy with my arm and he joined us. I stood there hugging my children, not even thinking of my father lying unconscious in the hospital bed,

After a minute, that seemed like an hour and also a split second at the same time, we broke our hug and I said, "How is he?"

"The nurses say that he had a massive heart attack, and will probably be in here for at least a couple weeks. They did say that his vitals are good." My Son, so smart, so mature, sounded like he was the doctor.

I went over to the bed and took my Dad's hand. "Hello Dad, it's your son. I got here as soon as I could. We're all praying for you." I swear I felt him squeeze my hand. He may be sedated, but I was sure he knew I was there.

Then the nurse came in. "Visiting hours are almost over. He needs to get all the rest he can get."

I said to her, with a bit of my French accent coming through, "This is my father. I just flew in from France. I would like to sit with him throughout the night. Is that possible?"

"Well, I suppose, as long as you don't get in the way or cause any trouble." She said with a little grin.

"Merci" I said without thinking. My daughter laughed at me.

"I'm sorry. Thank you." I said.

The nursed just smiled and walked out.

Susie said, "That accent is so awesome. Gramma told us you live in France, but to hear you speaking it really makes it real. They told us things about you throughout the years. The first time was when we were in grade school. She was a little depressed and crying when we were brought over one Saturday, It was just after you left, she told us you were moving to France but she made sure we knew that you loved us, We only had vague memories about you at the time.

They spoke of you occasionally. They also said that our dad, John, was a good man. There was no animosity about him."

"So you're not mad at me for abandoning you?" I asked because there was a little guilt I carried with me about it.

"No. We know about you being in prison. We don't really know why, but we know you were gone for 5 years, During that time Mom married Dad, our other Dad, Please don't take this the wrong way, but we love him, he's the best. We didn't try getting ahold of you out of love and respect for him."

I was silent, mulling over what she had said.

"You're not mad at us, are you?" Jeremy asked.

"No, not at all. I've met John, your dad, he is great."

Now it was their turn to be surprised. "How?"

"He doesn't even know it, and I'd like you to keep this between us, at least for now. I'll explain it all later."

"Okay," Susie said, "You better."

"Kids, I'm so glad to see you. I so want to spend time with you. Can we do that? Will you let me get to know you?"

"You better!" Susie said, a little forcefully this time. Wow, she had the same type of personality as my other daughter, Simone, maybe it is part of my genetics.

We talked for a little bit more and then Jeremy said, "Mom's waiting downstairs. We told her we'd be down about 8:00, so we should go. We'll be back tomorrow, will you be here?"

"I'm not going anywhere, except maybe to eat or take a shower. I'll see you tomorrow then."

They hugged me again, another long, but oh so short hug, then they left. I wondered what they would say to Gwen. I wondered what she'd say to them. I don't know how I would react when we came face to face.

I spent the night sitting by my father's bed. I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew my mother was standing there beside me and daylight was coming through the window.

"Good morning Kurt. You were resting so peacefully I didn't want to disturb you."

I stood up and hugged her. "I love you Mom."

"I love you too son."

After we finished hugging I asked her, "So what happened?"

She spent the next few minutes telling me how Dad came home from work and went right out to shovel the snow off the driveway and sidewalk. "He was out there about a half hour and I thought I would check on his progress." She started tearing up as she continued. "He was lying there in the snow. I grabbed my phone and dialed 911 immediately, then I ran out to him. He was unconscious." She was in full blown tears now so I just hugged her.

After a couple minutes she gathered herself together and said, "What am I going to do?"

"Mom, don't worry. He's going to be okay. They are taking great care of him. This hospital is the best."

"I know, but they said he had a massive heart attack. What if he doesn't make it?" She said, visibly shaking.

"Mom, he's a fighter, of course he'll make it. Don't even think that way. We have to have faith."

"I'm so glad you're here Kurt."

"So am I Mom."

We sat next to him, listening to the machines monitoring his vitals and giving him oxygen. The nurses came in and checked on him occasionally, They seemed very optimistic. A while later the doctor told us they were going to reduce the amount of sedative, so he should wake up soon.

At around 10:30 he started waking up. My Mom and I stood next to him and gently coaxed him awake. He finally opened his eyes and smiled a small smile.

"Hi Kurt" he said, his voice low and somewhat croaky.

"Hi Dad, how are you feeling?"

"Okay"

That was my Dad. Stoic and a man that didn't want to show weakness. "Yeah, right. I bet you feel like you were hit by a bus."

He chuckled softly.

"You gave me one hell of a scare!" My Mom said. She never swore, so Dad knew she was serious and somewhat annoyed. He also knew that she loved him and was concerned. "When you get out of here we are making some changes!"

Uh oh, dad was in trouble.

"First thing is we are either paying a neighbor kid to clear our driveway and sidewalk, or we're getting a snow blower. Don't even think of telling me, 'That's a waste of money.' I will not have you scaring me like this again."

"Okay dear." Dad said resignedly.

"And your going to start eating healthier. None of those fatty burgers and fries. You'll eat better or I'll lock up all the snacks."