A Love from the Past Ch. 07-08

Sorry about the wait; I had a microeconomics exam and the class is in the process of kicking my ass. Updates will be a bit slower for awhile; I have a 10-20 page research paper to research and write. I will do updates, I promise, but they'll only be written when I have the spare time to do so. Thanks for your patience and for taking the time to read.

~Ashira

*

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Jace, it's Shella, do you have a minute?"

"What's up Shel?" Jason asked.

"Paul and I are back together," Shella began.

"That's good," Jason said slowly.

"We're in Vegas Jace," Shella added.

"Vegas?" Jason echoed.

"Yes Jace, Vegas. We got married last night," Shella told him.

"Dex isn't going to like this," Jason warned.

"I don't give two rats asses about the way Dex feels," Shella snapped.

"He loves you," Jason pointed out.

"No he doesn't," Shella argued. She sighed. "Enough Jace, I didn't call to fight with you, just to let you know so you didn't worry about me," she murmured.

"I appreciate it. What should I tell Dex when he asks after you?" Jason asked.

"Try to keep my location from him if you can manage. I don't want him hearing about my marriage the way he found out about his daughter," Shella said.

"I'll do my best," Jason promised before Shella hung up the phone.

~~~~~~~~~

"How could you be failing math?" Victoria asked, her arms crossed over her chest, and her eyes glowing with anger.

"I'm not failing math! If you had bothered to listen to my teacher, then you would know that I am tutoring a kid who is failing math!" Netalia exclaimed.

"According to your report card ..."

"That is NOT my report card! Look at it more closely!" Netalia shouted. Victoria studied the piece of paper more closely and sighed. "I think you owe me an apology," Netalia added.

"I don't owe you a damned thing you little ingrate! If anyone owes anyone anything, you owe me for having to put up with your unwanted ass!" Victoria snapped. "Clean up the dishes when you're finished eating," she added, stalking out of the dining room.

~~~~~~~

"Why didn't you tell me you and Paul were going to Vegas to elope?" Dex asked.

"I knew you'd try to stop it," Shella answered.

"You're damn right I would!" Dex shouted. "How could you marry someone else after all we've shared?" he wanted to know.

"All we've shared? You've got to be kidding me! We haven't shared anything!" Shella exclaimed.

"Bull shit! We have a daughter!" Dex protested.

"One that was put up for adoption and we probably won't ever see her again!" Shella argued.

"You can't tell me that you didn't feel anything," Dex murmured.

"It was sex, that's it. I was a child in pain. And all it caused for me was heart ache," Shella told him.

"So you don't love me?" Dex asked.

"How I feel about you doesn't matter. Not anymore. It's been a decade and I'm married to someone else. We can never be together," Shella told him.

"And if I were in love with you?" Dex asked as she started away.

"It's too late Dex, I'm in love with someone else. And if you really loved me, you would have found away to come back to town before now," Shella answered, pulling the door open and walking away.

-Months later-

"Are you sure about this?" Shella asked Paul as she watched him get dressed after his shower.

"It sounds like she's going to be part of your life, so yes, I'm sure," Paul answered. He took Shella's hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. "I love you Shel, and she's a part of you. Don't worry, things will be fine," he promised. Shella smiled weakly before disappearing into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"Paul, you remember Dex," Shella said softly. Paul nodded and stuck his hand out towards Dex who took it and shook it politely. "Paul, this is Netalia. Netalia, this is my husband Paul," Shella introduced. Paul gave her a kind smile and Netalia flashed a small smile as if unsure about the meeting.

"You're a very beautiful young lady," Paul complimented.

"She looks like Shella did when she was Neta's age," Dex said, taking a long drink of his wine.

"So, how long have you and Paul been together?" Netalia wanted to know.

"Almost three years," Paul answered.

"How long have you been married?" Netalia asked.

"Three months," Shella told her. "How's school?"

"I have to tutor the morons I go to school with," Netalia said, wrinkling her nose. "And Victoria's being horrid," she added.

"How so?" Dex asked instantly alert.

"She thought I failed math, when in reality, what she saw was a note from my teacher explaining how I had helped bring up a different kid's grade from an F to a C," Netalia answered.

"That's quite an accomplishment," Paul commented.

"I'm good with numbers," Netalia said simply.

"It's a good skill to have," Paul told her with a grin.

"One you didn't get from me," Shella added. Dex laughed.

"That's for sure. You needed a tutor yourself to get through math," Dex teased.

"And there's nothing with that. You, Dexter David Thorne, if I remember correctly needed help with English and History," Shella teased back.

"Well, English wasn't my first language," Dex protested.

"But history?" Shella asked.

"Shut up!" Dex exclaimed with a laugh. Shella grinned and took a sip of water.

"So what else is going on with you?" Shella asked Netalia, eager to change the subject.

"I made the honor roll," Netalia answered with a grin.

"Great!" Dex exclaimed. They looked up as food was brought to the table.

"It looks great," Paul said as a plate of manicotti was placed in front of Shella.

"My favorite Italian food," Shella agreed with a grin.

"Where's your glass of wine?" Dex asked Shella suddenly.

"I didn't want a glass," Shella answered.

"So, Paul, what do you do?" Dex asked.

"I'm a teacher," Paul answered. "University level. I teach history," he added. Dex chuckled.

"Of course you do," he muttered.

"So, Shella, how come you and Dex aren't together anymore?" Netalia wanted to know.

"It's a long story," Dex answered, glancing over at Shella.

"And not one to discuss right now," Shella agreed, taking a bite of her pasta. "Hmm, heaven," she purred, closing her eyes.

Paul grinned. "Where have I heard that before?" he asked with an innocent grin on his face.

"Stop," Shella hissed with a blush, glancing at Netalia who shook her head.

"Oh great, here comes trouble," Netalia muttered, looking up as she heard her name called.

"Victoria, you agreed we had until nine, it's only seven thirty," Dex said, standing up.

"I know, but well, it's past her curfew and the little bitch hasn't finished her homework," Victoria said as sweetly as she could.

"First of all, she is not a bitch, and second of all, if that's your opinion of her, you can go fu-," Shella placed a hand on Dex's arm.

"That won't help," she said softly.

"I see mommy has all the brains in the outfit," Victoria sneered.

"We have a written agreement that we can have time with Netalia until nine, and since it's only seven thirty, you need to leave now," Dex said. Darius stood up from his seat next to Dex and placed himself between Victoria and the table.

"I suggest you leave ma'am," Darius said, his voice calm and even, but threatening.

"I don't have to take orders from you," Victoria said, the pitch of her voice raising an octave.

"You need to leave NOW ma'am before I call the police," Darius threatened. Victoria opened her mouth to protest again but Darius pulled out his cell phone and pressed the nine and the one; he held the phone in such a way that Victoria could see the buttons being pushed. "Would you like me to press one and send?" Darius asked. Victoria shook her head, spun on her heel and walked away.

"Please don't make me go back!" Netalia begged Dex as they got ready to leave.

"Netalia, she is your legal guardian," Shella said gently.

"She hates me! I don't want to go with her!" Netalia exclaimed.

"I'm working on it Netalia, but I can't promise anything," Dex told her. Netalia sighed as she saw Victoria waiting impatiently outside of the restaurant. "Remember, you can call me or Shella anytime," Dex added. Netalia nodded and gave each of them a hug which surprised Paul.

Paul studied the look on Shella's face carefully as the three of them watched Netalia return to her aunt. It was a look of sadness and pain, he squeezed her hand gently.

"Let's go home," Paul murmured. Shella nodded and cast one last glance towards Netalia and a glance towards Dex before she followed Paul to the car.

CHAPTER EIGHT

"Well?" Paul asked as Shella walked back into the bedroom. Shella shook her head with a sigh. "It's okay, we can try again," Paul said, pulling her down onto the bed. Shella gave a weak smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What do you mean I don't have any legal standing in this matter?" Dex growled at his lawyer.

"Shella put the girl up for adoption, terminating her parental rights. I know she listed you as the father, but she tried to make contact with you and was told that you did not want to talk to her. Now, I know that wasn't your order, but since she did try to notify you and was unable to, the adoption is legal," his lawyer answered.

"Come on Stu, I pay you a lot of money. Can't you find a loophole?" Dex asked, running a hand through his hair.

"Well, you could fight for custody, but it'll be a long, drawn out process and could be very damaging to you and your image," Stu began.

"Do it. What ever you have to do, do it. I don't want my daughter with that cold hearted bitch any longer than she needs to be," Dex said. Stu nodded and stood up.

"I'll get right on it," he promised.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jason walked into the lobby of the embassy for Tria and waited impatiently for the guards to process him and let him speak with his friend.

"I'm sorry sir, the Prince isn't taking visitors at the moment. You will have to come back later," one of the guards told Jason.

"He'll want to see me," Jason argued.

"I'm sorry sir, orders are orders," the guard said.

"Tell his highness that Jason is here about his daughter," Jason told the guard.

"Keep an eye on this one Edgar. If he tries anything, arrest him," the guard who was giving Jason the run around said. Edgar nodded as his superior went in search of Dex who hurried into the lobby.

"From now on Samuel, this man has an unlimited pass to me or to Darius. He is a friend of mine," Dex told the guard. Samuel nodded and muttered an apology to Jason. "What's wrong with Netalia?" Dex asked Jason.

"Shella got a call from Memorial Hospital an hour ago. Netalia's been hurt and told the doctor to call Shella," Jason said. Dex waved off the guards that attempted to follow him.

"I don't need a guard when I am with Jason and his family. Call Darius out of training and have him meet me at Memorial Hospital in twenty minutes," Dex instructed before following his friend out of the building and into the car.

"Shella, what happened?" Dex asked as they reached her. Shella's face was pale and her eyes wide with fury.

"Netalia and Victoria got into an argument about spending time with us. When Netalia tried to leave the house, Victoria grabbed her arm hard enough to leave bruises and when Netalia tried to break free, her arm broke," Shella answered. Dex's eyes glowed with anger and he pulled cell phone from his pocket.

"What do you mean I can't see my niece? Who the hell do you think you are?" Victoria spat several hours later as she tried to get into Netalia's room.

"We are guards for the royal family of Tria. We were given specific instructions by Prince Dexter not to allow you in," one of them answered.

"This is kidnapping! I'll have your heads for this!" Victoria shrieked.

"You're welcome to try ma'am, but we're trained in several different styles of martial arts and hand to hand combat. We also carry the newest guns available," the guard said calmly.

"I want to see my niece!" Victoria shouted.

"That isn't going to happen." Victoria turned around to see a furious Dex. "You twisted Netalia's arm hard enough for it to break in two places. The only thing you're going to see is the inside of a jail cell," Dex growled. Victoria opened her mouth to protest as two police officers stepped forward and reached for her. One of the officers slapped handcuffs around her wrists before they led her away. Dex watched until she was out of sight before walking into the hospital room. "The police have arrested her under child abuse charges and my lawyer is filing the required paperwork to get custody," Dex said. Netalia's face brightened and Shella gave a small smile and everyone looked up as Billy walked into the room.

"Hi Doctor Lewis," Netalia said shyly. Shella grinned; her daughter had a crush on one of her oldest friends.

"You're looking better," Billy observed, looking through the chart. He glanced at Shella. "You on the other hand look like shit," he added.

"I've had a long week," Shella murmured.

"Wanna talk about it?" Billy asked.

"Maybe later," Shella answered. Billy nodded and took Netalia's vitals again.

"I think I let you out of here tomorrow. I want to keep an eye on the bump on your head," Billy said. Netalia grinned. "Shel, take a walk with me," Billy added. Shella nodded, glanced at Netalia one last time and followed Billy out of the room.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?" Billy asked. "I promise to keep it to myself," he added.

"Paul and I have been trying for a baby and so far, all the tests have been negative," Shella answered.

"Are you late?" Billy asked.

"A few weeks," Shella confirmed.

"C'mon, I'll run a blood test," Billy told her.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Paul?" Shella called, pushing the door open to their apartment hesitantly. The door wasn't completely closed so she pulled out her cell phone and dialed 9-1-1. "Hello?" Shella called, waiting for someone to answer the phone. She took two steps into the apartment and stopped when her feet ran into something hard. Shella looked down and screamed when she realized the hard object she had run into was the bottom of Paul's shoes.

"9-1-1, what is your emergency?" the operator asked.

"My apartment has been broken into, my husband is unconscious and is laying in a pool of blood," Shella said as calmly as she could; she knew panicking wouldn't help anyone. She gave the address and waited impatiently for the police and ambulance to arrive.

"Billy!" Shella exclaimed as she followed the paramedics into the emergency room.

"What happened?" Billy asked, going into doctor mode.

"I got home and found the apartment door partially open; Paul was pretty much laying in the doorway," Shella answered, her voice shaky.

"Shella!" Jason called from the information desk. Shella walked over to her brother and took comfort in the strength and warmth of his embrace. "He's going to be fine," Jason told her gently.

"I hope so," Shella murmured. The two of them stood in the door way of the trauma room and watched as Billy and the other doctors worked to save Paul's life.

"Paul? Can you hear me?" Shella asked softly, sitting down on the side of his bed. She reached for his hand. "I have something to tell you. The home tests were wrong. Billy ran a blood test earlier. I need you to wake up Paul, please," Shella said, her eyes welling up with tears. "I can't do this alone. Not again." Shella lay her head next to his, her tears streamed down her face and splashed against his cheek.

~~~~~~~~~

"Has there been any change in Paul's condition?" Dex asked Billy. Billy shook his head.

"Not a positive change," Billy said, taking a sip of coffee. He made a face at the cup and tossed it in a trash can.

"How's Shella doing?" Dex wanted to know.

"She's depressed. I don't think she's even really eaten in two weeks, aside from nibbling on a bagel a few times a day," Billy answered.

"She hasn't said anything to Netalia either," Dex said with a sigh.

"Go easy on pushing Netalia and Shella together Dex. Shel's had it rough in the past decade. Not to mention being pregnant, and finding Paul unconscious ..." Billy shook his head. "I can't imagine what she's feeling," he said.

"She's pregnant?" Dex asked. Billy nodded.

"I shouldn't have said anything, but she needs a kick in the ass. She needs to eat a solid meal and soon," Billy said.

"I'll get her to eat," Dex promised.

~~~~~~~~~~

"What do you want Dex?" Shella asked, not looking up from the book she was trying to read; she had looked at the same page every day for two weeks.

"To buy you dinner. Billy's orders," Dex answered, extending his hand. She took it with a sigh and followed him out of the hospital to the town car.

"Billy said you're pregnant," Dex said after they had been seated at the table. Shella looked up sharply.

"He had no right to tell you that," Shella said.

"Billy's worried about you Shel. You've hardly eaten anything," Dex reminded her.

"It's none of your business," Shella grumbled.

"Damn it Shella, will you let someone take care of you for once in your life?" Dex snapped. When the waitress came, Shella tried to get away with ordering just a salad. "In addition to her salad, she will have a personal pizza and I will have a calzone with green peppers, black olives, mushrooms and ground beef," Dex ordered.

"I don't want a pizza Dex, just the salad would have been fine," Shella told him.

"I promised Billy I would get you to eat enough to keep you and the baby going," Dex argued.

"You can't do Paul any good if you wind up in the hospital due to malnutrition," he added. Shella sighed and took a sip of her water.

"I know, you're right, but I'm just so damn tired," Shella murmured.

"It's okay. But stop thinking just about yourself," Dex said gently. Shella nodded and took a bite of the salad that was placed in front of her. Dex snagged a cruton. "So what's it like being pregnant?" he asked.

"Exhausting," Shella answered. She tore off a piece of pita and nibbled on it slowly. "And I've had a hard time even keeping my bagels down," she added. Dex gave her a sympathetic smile.

"And I'm alone again, which makes it worse," Shella said with a sigh. Dex reached his hand over the table and covered hers with his.

"You aren't alone Shel. Never again," Dex promised. "I'm not going anywhere without you, not again," he added.