Starting Over – Final Chapter 15

Chapter 15

All Julie could think of on the way to the hospital was if her son Richie and her niece Janet were still alive. Just an hour before, her son Tommy had called her to tell her they had been shot by Nico Rodriguez, Janet’s drug dealer. She had warned Richie not to try to help his cousin, and now this.

As she and Tony went into the emergency room at the hospital, she noticed her son Tommy, a young police officer, sitting, talking with some of his buddies. As they walked away from him, Tommy put his head down and his arm around his brother Robby, Richie’s twin. Julie’s Mom was sitting next to them looking dazed.

Tommy was trying to be the rock as he had done since her husband Dan died. Julie could see the tears in his eyes and his hands shaking. Just for once in her life she wished she could be out of control, screaming, crying, being consoled and taken care of by others. But she couldn’t.

Julie was the Mom and her family was suffering and there was no way in hell she would make it harder for them. She walked over to her sons and put her arms around them.

“Tell me what’s going on. How’s Richie doing?”

“He took a bullet next to the heart and he’s in surgery right now. They’ll come out and let us know when surgery is over.”

Julie looked at her Mom, who looked so small and childlike sitting there.

“Mom, don’t worry it will be all right.”

“You didn’t ask about Janet,” her Mom, Ann Ramao was crying now.

“I’m sorry Mom, I wasn’t thinking. How is she?”

“You know she tried to step in front of Richie to shield him?”

Julie started crying, feeling so guilty about her feelings for her niece. Janet’s drug addiction turned her into an ugly person and it was hard for Julie to forgive her.

“Mom, I’m here for Janet too, don’t worry.”

Julie’s Mom looked at her while she was talking with Tommy. How hard it must be for Julie to think she might lose her son. Ann could only remember when she gave away her first child, her red haired, blue eyed son, Johnny and how it tortured her all her life. She searched all over for Johnny but never could find out what happened to him. She didn’t want to see Julie in this kind of grief.

Ann Ramao wondered why Tony was with her daughter. Seeing her daughter so depressed these past months, she couldn’t believe Julie would take him back. As she stared at Tony, he walked over to her.

“Mrs. Ramao, I’m so sorry. If there’s anything you need, please let me know.”

Ann looked him squarely in the eye and said, “I need you to love my daughter and take care of her. You’ve caused her a lot of pain. If you’re back together you have to promise me you’ll never hurt her again.”

Tony’s eyes glistened as she spoke. How she must have hated him for leaving Julie. He bent down and took her hand in his, “Mrs. Ramao, I swear on my daughter, I will never leave Julie again. I will always be there for her.”

As Tony put his head down, Ann Ramao patted it. Somehow she believed him and she knew Julie would need him more than ever now.

As the surgeon who operated on Janet came into the room looking very solemn, everyone held on to each other.

“Mrs. Ramao,” he looked at Julie, “I’m sorry, I have some bad news, Janet didn’t make it. Her wounds were too extensive.”

He held Julie’s hand, as the family started to cry, dreading each time he had to make an announcement like this. “Let me know if there’s anything you need.”

Tony stood behind Julie to keep her from falling and then she went to her Mom and the boys to hold them. Tony observed Julie being the strong Mom to the end but he knew how fragile she was.

It seemed like hours passed while they were waiting for news of Richie. Julie wondered if Jack knew. She wanted him to be there too.

“Tony, does Jack know?” Julie asked taking a deep breath.

“I called him honey, and he’s on the way.”

Just as Tony said that, the surgeon, Dr. Stein, who had operated on Richie was coming through the door and Jack was beside him.

As they approached the family, Ann Ramao screamed, “Johnny!” and she passed out.

The nurses lifted Ann to a bed, and starting checking her vital signs.

“She’ll be alright. Just the strain of the situation,” Dr. Stein announced, “let her get some sleep.”

“About Richie, the surgery was a success but we’ll know in the next 24 hours if he’ll make it.”

Julie was relieved but knew Richie was not out of the woods yet. Inwardly she prayed to God to help Richie fight this. Julie’s faith helped her get through so much in her life.

No one in the room knew the story of Johnny except Julie. She imagined her mother was under such a strain that she imagined Jack was Johnny.

Dr. Stein asked what happened and why Ann was calling Johnny. As Julie explained the story, Tony looked at Jack quizzically. Tommy and Robby were speechless.

“Julie, Tony is looking at me like that because I’m adopted, but when my parents died, I did some research and found my birth mother. It’s not Ann.”

“My Mom is under such a strain Jack, and your coloring is so close, it was an honest mistake.”

“No, no, I’m not wrong,” Ann Ramao screamed as she sat up in her bed. “You look just like your father.”

Jack looked puzzled but Dr. Stein pushed him aside. “Mrs. Ramao, Ann, I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”

Julie looked at Dr. Stein, he could be no more than a few years older than she, his hair was reddish brown and horn rimmed glasses covered his blue eyes. No one could speak.

“Johnny, I never meant to give you up. Your father and I were just kids, his name was Jim Armstrong, and you look just like him. My parents felt you would be stigmatized, and me too, because in those days it was considered a disgrace to have a baby out of wedlock.”

“Please believe me I’ve been looking for you my whole life. There’s not one year that I didn’t celebrate your birthday. I just need to know one thing, are you happy? Did your adopted parents treat you right?” Ann asked through her sobs.

John Stein held Ann closely and started sobbing himself, “I had the best parents in the world Ann. I grew up with so much love and happiness. My parents were a lot older, and I didn’t know I was adopted, but when they died this year and I went through their papers, I was shocked to find out.”

“The adoption records were sealed so I’ve had a lawyer looking into this for me and that we could meet in this way is such a crazy coincidence,” John put his glasses back on.

“I’ve prayed to God my whole life that you were happy and that I would meet you before I died, and God is answering my prayers,” Ann said as she made the sign of the cross.

John looked at Julie and said, “I’ve always wanted brothers and sisters, and I hope we can get to know each other once we get through this.”

She gave John a big hug, “John, you’re one of us now. You just lost your niece, and her mother is gone, but I want you to meet your nephews. You’ve already met one in the operating room.”

Tommy and Robby still looked in shock but they shook hands with John. Julie lost a niece tonight, she was praying that her son would survive, and now she gained a brother. She was overwhelmed.

John never let go of Ann’s hand. He waited with the family to see how Richie would fare and prayed that his surgical skills helped his new nephew.

The next morning, as they all started to wake up, John came to them with good news.

“Well we’ve passed the critical stage and Richie is going to make it. You can see him for a few minutes.”

They all jumped up and started hugging each other. One by one they got to see Richie for a moment, he was still groggy and they didn’t tell him that Janet had died yet. That would come later.

Tommy and Robby took their Grandma home and they would stay with her for the next few days. John promised to visit Ann the following weekend so they could get reacquainted.

Through it all, Tony stood by Julie’s side. “You can’t get rid of me even if you wanted to,” he joked.

As they walked into Julie’s house, she fell into Tony’s arms and cried softly.

“You don’t have to be the hero with me Julie, let it all out. I know you were protecting your kids.”

When Julie finished crying, Tony brought her up the stairs to her bedroom.

“I know you’re exhausted. I just want to lay next to you and hold you.” Tony breathed.

Julie looked into Tony’s eyes and surprised him with the deepest kiss he had ever experienced. As Tony started to respond, Julie wrapped herself around him and whispered, “I’m going to sleep now.”

“Oh the pain,” Tony grimaced, “but she’s worth it.”

The End