Generation 2, Chapter 18 - Stranger in the Family

The Outside

"Daddy?" Heath asked crawling onto the bed beside Adam.

"Yes son," Adam said delighted to hear his son's voice. He could hardly believe he had been gone for three months. Every morning since he came back, Heath crawled into bed with him before leaving for school.

"Daddy, the aliens, they're not coming back are they?" he asked seeking reassurance that he won't wake up again to find his Dad gone.

"I don't know Heath," Adam answered honestly. At the look of fear and uncertainty that crossed Heath's face Adam said "Son I wish I could tell you no but I can't. I'm sorry."

Heath looked at him with big round eyes before snuggling closer to him. "I don't want them to come back. I missed you."

"I missed you too," he said kissing the top of his son's head. "If there's a way to stop them, your Grandpa will find it."

"You think so, really, really think so," Heath asked looking straight into his eyes as if he could read the answer there.

"Yes I do," Adam said with the same conviction that kept him going on the alien ship. "Your Grandpa is a genius and can do anything."

"I hope so," Heath said hugging his Dad before getting up to go to school.

Adam sighed watching his little boy leave. He missed so much, not only in his son's life but his entire family. Adam laid back recalling the day Doloris and Elias came by the house to visit him. He was still weak and shaky on his legs and had been resting in his wheelchair when they had come over. They had huge smiles plastered on their faces which quickly disappeared when they saw him.

"Hey I don't look that bad, do I?" he asked trying to lighten the mood.

"No of course not," Doloris agreed giving him a quick hug. She looked towards Elias who stood looking back at her. Adam rolled his eyes at them, tired of being treated like an invalid. "Just come out and say it," he said in exasperation.

Jumping a little at his outburst Elias asked "Out with what?"

"With whatever you have to tell me that has you anxious."

Taking Elias' hand Doloris said "as you know we'll be graduating this spring from college," she waited for Adam to nod. Adam knew she had been offered an internship at the local hospital that she had accepted. Taking a deep breath, Doloris continued "what you don't know is that Elias and I are getting married in June."

"June? What happened to getting in engaged first?" Adam asked surprised.  He had know Elias had planned on asking her before they started college but he had never been told he had gone through with it.

"Uh well, you see," Elias stammered "we've been engaged for almost 5 years now."

Nodding Doloris continued "since before we started college."

"What? You never told me," Adam said stunned, hurt that they hadn't told him.

Kneeling down beside him, Doloris pleaded "we didn't mean to keep it a secret. We just didn't know how to tell you. You had so much to deal with, Windy, Heath and everything else."

"So you didn't think I could be happy for you? Afraid I'd be bitter because you were able to find someone to love and who loved you," Adam said his voice harsh and strained, he turned his face away as tears began to swim in his eyes.

Reaching up Doloris gently wiped a tear away that had escaped. "I'm sorry, we just didn't want to make things worse for you."

"Next time just tell me. I can handle anything but secrets."

"Alright no more secrets," Elias easily agreed.

Doloris looked up at him "So you'll be there, at the wedding?"

"Of course I'll be there. I wouldn't miss my sisters wedding for anything."

"Good," she smiled kissing his cheek. "I'd like Heath to be the ring bearer."

"If he agrees," Adam told her "So what do I get to do besides just show up?"

You get to be the best man," Doloris and Elias said in unison. Before they could go into anymore detail, Corina walked in followed closely by Ethan.

Giving Adam another kiss, Doloris announced "we have to get going. We'll see you later Adam."

"Hey don't go," he called after them.

"We have to," Doloris said stopping at the door "Dad told us not to tire you out."

Adam frowned as they left. Turning to Ethan he asked "whose kid is that?"

"Mine. Ours," Ethan stammered unprepared for the question.

"Yours?" Adam looked at him then at Corina. "Ours? You don't mean ..." he swore as it finally sank in. "Hasn't anyone in this family been telling me anything?"

"Please don't be mad," Corina pleaded from her seat on the couch. "I've made some horrible mistakes that I'm not proud of."

"Welcome to the club," Adam grumbled.

"Honey you better just tell him," Ethan suggested turning to Corina encouraging her.

"I suppose," she sighed. "I was so sure I knew what I was doing when I went to college." She turned to Adam "you know what I was like in high school."

Adam nodded "I always felt sorry for Dakota for being strung along by you." He shrugged his shoulders "Chase on the other hand was no better than you."

Frowning Corina nodded "Well I thought I could manipulate things the same way in college. You warned me I'd get in over my head but I thought I knew what I was doing."

"You wouldn't listen," Adam told her.

"No more than you did when we told you what kind of person Windy was."

"You're right, we both made bad decisions."

"My mistake cost me my reputation."

Looking at her Adam wondered what she meant by that. Ethan put his arms around her finishing for her. "A professor tried to take advantage of her. I came to the house to find her crying over what he did to her. He threatened to fail her if she didn't sleep with him. She refused but the damage was already done. Nobody believed her when the story got out, her reputation of stringing guys along reinforced the professors accusation that she was blackmailing him to give her a better grade. He came out smelling like a rose."

"While I was left with sneers and jeers. I couldn't handle it, I quit college. I just couldn't face going back." Wiping tears from her eyes, she smiled "I guess I learned my lesson the hard way."

Ethan handed the baby to Corina "The whole thing was blown out of proportion by that professor taking advantage of her stupidity.  Corina and I just sort of happened.  I only mean to comfort her but one thing led to another..." he shrugged this shoulders.  "I hadn't meant to take advantage of  her.

"You didn't," Corina said firmly looking at him "I wanted it as much as you. I knew there wasn't anyway I could fix my reputation. No one believed me except you guys." She looked down at the baby in her lap "I guess I was still looking for a way to manipulate the situation. I meant to get pregnant." She looked up at Adam explaining "I didn't want to lose Ethan, one of the few people who stood by me. If anyone took advantage, it was me."

Adam didn't know what to think he never imagined Corina turning into this manipulative person but here she was telling him what she did. "I don't understand. Ethan how could you accept what she did?"

"At first," Ethan said truthfully "when she told me she was pregnant I thought it was an accident from that one night we spent together. I told her I would marry her and take care of her and the baby."

Taking his hand Corina said "As much as I was afraid of losing him I knew if I ever wanted to change I had to tell him the truth. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do and I nearly lost the one thing I most wanted to keep."

"Honey you don't have to keep beating yourself up over the past. I told you I forgave you for what you did." Ethan smiled at her.

Adam stared at them baffled by what they had revealed to him. He shook his head thinking he had missed so much.   Being wrapped up with his drama with Windy he didn't know what was going on with the rest of his family. It hurt knowing they didn't feel they could tell him, afraid they would overwhelm him. Now he felt like someone looking in, not part of the story at all but a stranger in his own family. Groping for something to say to cover how he was feeling Adam asked "So are you two married?"

"Not yet," Corina smiled at him "in June, we're having a double wedding with Elias and Doloris."

"We'd like you to be our best man," Ethan interjected.

"I'd love to," Adam hesitated before adding "but I already told Elias I'd be their best man."

Ethan smiled "we knew they were going to ask but it's really ok, you can be the best man for all of us. Just don't mix up the rings."

"Ok you have a yourself a best man," Adam smiled "except I can't promise the rings won't get mixed up, that's the ring bearers job." Looking at the baby in Corina's lap he asked "So do I get to hold my nephew?" Corina smiled as she handed him the baby. Adam asked her "what's his name?" feeling somewhat awkward not even knowing that small bit of information.

"Jason Elias Parrott," she told him "he just turned a year old last week."

Shaking his head Adam frowned at her "you didn't think I should know I had a nephew and you kept it hidden for over a year. I must have been more messed up than I realized."

Corina shrugged "I'm sorry Adam but with you being away at college, then in the hospital and the alien abduction there didn't seem to be a good time to tell you everything that was going on."

"I know but let's not do this again, no matter what let's tell each other what's going on. At least if it's too much I can tell you but give me the option."

"You're right, I promise," Corina said kissing the top of his head. "It's time I get Jason home for his nap," she said taking him from Adam.

A few weeks later Brian come home for the weekend. Opening the door he watched Adam shuffling aimlessly around the living room. "When were you going to tell me?" he asked giving his brother a hug.

 "Tell you what?" Adam asked.

Waving his hands in the air Brian said "that you're walking." Brian said giving him another hug "it's good to see you on your feet again."

Giving him a cheeky grin Adam said "it's the one good thing that came out of being abducted by aliens." Motioning for Brian to come have a seat Adam said "my legs are still weak but I enjoy being up and moving on my own as long as I can. Pretty soon I'll be strong enough to run again."

Brian noticed the sparkle that was back in Adam's eyes as he spoke and he was glad for his brother. Looking around he asked "where's everyone? It's unusually quiet around here."

"Mom and Dad took the kids to the festival."

"Good it gives a us a chance to talk without interruptions," Brian said with a smile.

"You met someone, haven't you?" Adam asked sitting down beside his brother. He noticed Brian's eyes were sparkling and he was happy for him. Adam knew how frustrated Brian was over not having a girlfriend.

"She's the most amazing, wonderful, caring girl I've ever met," Brian gushed with enthusiasm. "She volunteers at the children's hospital and she even convinced me to go with her. It's a little depressing seeing all those sick kids but it's also satisfying to see their eyes light up with excitement when they see me and want me to sing to them."

Adam watched Brian talk animatedly about this girl and he wondered out loud "so when do I get to meet her?"

"At the wedding in June hopefully," Brian's face fell as he spoke.

"Hey what's the matter?" Adam asked in concern, wondering if she didn't want to meet the family.

Brian sighed as he wrestled with his emotions "she's been ill, leukemia actually. She just went into remission but she's self-conscious about her hair loss from the treatments. She doesn't want everyone staring at her, she's afraid she'll disrupt the wedding by her appearance." Brian leaned over and put his head in his hands "I love her Adam and want to marry her but she might say no because she's afraid the leukemia will come back. I don't care, I'm willing to take the chance.  I want to spend whatever time she has left together." Looking up he smiled at Adam "I just need to figure out how to convince her of that."

Adam reached out and patted his shoulder "I hope she says yes and that you have many years together. You know I'll be here for you if you ever need anything."