Miscarriage and Depression Pt. 06

All characters engaging in sexual activities are 18 years of age or older.

Any spelling or grammar mistakes are my own.

There is no actual sex in this chapter. This chapter is a brief set-up for the end.

JOSEPH'S OFFICE

Joseph sat in his office with his blind closed.

"How the hell have you been brother!" Joseph exclaimed with excitement.

"I'm doing very well. These last three months away from everyone have really helped me. I should've done this a long time ago." Jackson replied.

"Are you seriously on a boat?" Joseph asked,

"Yes I am. I bought myself a used Ranger Tug R-43 S."

"You bought a used boat?"

"Relax, it's only two years old. The previous owner died of a heart attack and the widow didn't want it."

"Well how much did you pay for it? Joseph asked.

"What are you, my fucking mother." Jackson replied laughing.

Joseph laughed as well.

"I'm just curious is all. We have a lot of catching up to do."

"That's true. To answer your question, I only paid four-hundred-thousand for it."

"Four-hundred-thousand dollars!"

"Calm down. It came with literally everything. I'm talking about the appliances in the galley, the electronics, the fishing rods, hell, even the fluids for the engine. She just wanted rid of it, so she took about half of its value."

"I can't wait to see it bro."

"Of course. Listen Joseph. I need you to have Steve fly out at five tomorrow morning, so he can pick me up at the Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey. I want to be outta here no later than seven-thirty in the morning."

"That's great buddy! Everyone and I can't wait to see you."

"Same here Joe. I'm anxious to see and talk to everyone."

"Where are you staying now then?" Joseph asked.

"I've been staying at The Hyatt Regency in downtown Morristown."

"Hold on. What happened to the Blazer? I figured you'd drive back home."

"She's finally gone up to that big junkyard in the sky."

"Wow! Well, she lived a good long life bro."

"Yes she did. Twenty-seven years and three generations of Brown family members."

"Does this mean that you're going to take your proper place in high society, and get yourself a fancy car?"

"Hell no. I already got an appointment with Lee tomorrow morning to pick out a new vehicle."

"Look, I have a meeting coming up in ten minutes. Can't wait to see you tomorrow."

"You too. Take care." Jackson replied, as they hung up.

Joseph got up and walked into the hallway. He saw Sheila and Beverly talking to Sofia and her mother. Sofia's mother had been coming in every day since a week after Jackson had left. She had come in and asked for Jackson. When she was told that he wasn't here, she said she'd wait. It was on the third day that Ashley called into Joseph's office to tell him about the suspicious older woman.

Joseph went out to talk to her and to find out what she wanted with Jackson. She'd only say that it was a personal matter and started speaking Spanish really fast without breathing. He had Ashley call Sofia so she could translate. When she came out to the lobby, she was shocked to see her mother there. They started talking in English, then switched to Spanish, which pissed Joseph off. He eventually told Sofia to get her mother outta there or he'd call the police and have her tossed.

She left, but the next day, she started bringing Sofia lunch every day. She started up a friendship with Sheila and Beverly, as well as bringing Sopapillas in every morning. It was talking with Beverly that Joseph found out what the mother wanted. She was going to continue hanging around until she got her chance to talk to Jackson.

Joseph stood at the top of the steps and called out.

"Sheila, Beverly. I need to see you in my office now."

They said goodbye to Sofia and her mother, walked up the stairs and into Joseph's office. As Beverly shut the door, Sheila spoke up.

"What's up Joe?"

He waited until both of them sat down on the couch before he spoke.

"I just spoke to Jackson; he's coming home tomorrow." he said sitting down in a chair.

Beverly squealed and started clapping her hands quickly. Sheila just smiled and took a big deep breath.

"Good. I need my friend, and we need our leader back." Sheila said.

"He can get rid of Sofia's mother too." Joseph chimed in.

"What's wrong with her?" Beverly asked.

"There's nothing wrong with her, but she doesn't work here." Joseph replied.

"Why haven't you thrown her out then?" Beverly asked.

"Because those sopapillas are god damn delicious.'

"Well, at least you aren't thinking with your dick for a change." Sheila replied.

She and Beverly started laughing, while Joseph just looked at them.

"Something else I'm looking forward to, is having you two hens, clucking and camping out in his office."

"Where is he Joe?" Sheila asked.

"He's in Morristown, New Jersey. The Blazer finally crapped out, so he's having Steve fly out and pick him up tomorrow morning."

"Well then how's he getting to the airport then?" Beverly asked.

"Oh he's staying at the Hyatt Regency in downtown, he'll just take a cab in the morning."

"Are you picking him up from the airport when he gets here?" Sheila asked.

"Well he said that he has an appointment with Lee tomorrow morning at the dealership, so I'm assuming that he'll just pick him up and take him to work so he can test drive some vehicles."

"Well good. After that, he can come here and work things out with Sofia." Beverly said.

"Why the hell would he do that?" Joseph asked.

"That's why her mother is here. To tell Jackson that he has the family's blessing for them to date." Beverly said.

"I've told you before Bev, that would be a horrible decision. He should give Tara another chance." Sheila replied.

"Hold on. You two actually disagree with each other on this?" Joseph said with a look of shock and surprise on his face.

"We aren't the same person Joseph." Beverly replied.

"She thinks that getting with Sofia is more romantic. You know, the whole overcoming the cultural differences gambit." Sheila said to Joseph.

"And she thinks that reconciling with Tara proves that true love can overcome anything." Beverly retorted.

Joseph was smiling. In all his many years of knowing them, he'd never once seen them disagree on anything.

"I must say, this is a refreshing change of pace." he said.

"It's not like he'd choose one or both of us anyway, so we only want what is best for our friend." Sheila said.

"That certainly would be wonderful if he did though." Beverly giggled looking at Sheila.

"Well why the hell wouldn't he?" Joseph asked, looking at the two of them.

"For fucks sake Joseph, we are both sixty years old." Sheila said to him.

"He still wants a child as well." Beverly chimed in.

"So what. Find a surrogate. It's not like someone is hard to find." Joseph said.

"I'd be OK if he threw a bone or five my way." Beverly giggled.

"Sweetie, you'd die of a heart attack before he even finished." Sheila joked and laughed.

"At least I'd go out happy though." Beverly replied back laughing.

"Hell, if you need your pipes cleaned, I'm happy to do it." Joseph said smiling.

Sheila and Beverly looked at each other and broke out in hysterical laughter. Joseph watched for a minute before he spoke up.

"What's so funny? It was only an offer to help out some old friends."

"I need a deep thorough cleaning Joseph, not a brush stroke." Beverly replied.

"What does that mean?"

"It means she doesn't need your small horse Mr. Paul Revere." Sheila said.

Both of them started laughing again. Joseph's cell phone started ringing.

"You two hens don't know what you're talking about." he said as he answered it.

Sheila and Beverly were still giggling when Joseph's face changed when talking on the phone. They knew that something was up. They heard him ask questions like "what time", "who" and "how many". After a few minutes he hung up and sat back in his chair.

"Well.....what's going on Joe?" Sheila asked.

Joseph took a deep breath and put his hands on top of his head.

"That was my guy at the airport. Steve just took off to go get Jackson already."

"OK. So what's the big deal?" Beverly asked.

"He didn't take off alone. Our entire legal team are flying out with him."

"I don't understand what that implicates Joe?" Sheila replied.

"Well Sheila; Jackson bought a boat when he left. He's been out on the ocean for the last three months."

"That doesn't mean anything." Beverly said.

Joseph chuckled before he replied.

"Jackson always said that one day, he was going to cash out and live his remaining days on a boat."

"Well, you own half the company. Wouldn't you just get some investors and buy him out?" Beverly asked.

"I only own thirty five percent of the company."

"Nonsense, Jackson would never do that to you." Sheila exclaimed.

"I sold fifteen percent of my half to other investors."

"Why would you do that Joe?" Beverly asked shocked.

"So that I could have an ownership stake in other companies as well. You never put your eggs in one basket."

"Jackson doesn't have all his money in our business either. He has stocks in Amazon, Tesla, Vanguard, Gold and Silver, things like that." Sheila said.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We don't know why he has them flying out there. OK. Just calm down. Jackson will let us know, when he feels we need to know." Beverly said.

Joseph's office phone rang. The light for the lobby phone line was red. He pushed the speakerphone button.

"What's up Ashley?"

"There's a Ms. Christina Caldwell here. She said that she was Jackson's divorce attorney."

"Wow. OK, send her back." he replied then hung up.

"This should be interesting." Sheila said as she got up.

Beverly and Joseph got up, and they all walked out of his office and stood at the top of the stairs. It didn't take long before Christina came out of the hallway entrance and into the bullpen area.

"That's his divorce attorney?" Beverly asked.

"Yes it is. That is Ms. Christina Caldwell. The best divorce attorney in the state."

Christina Caldwell was thirty one years old and stood five-foot-three and weighed one-hundred-forty pounds. She had black hair that was naturally wavy, but she straighten it out whenever she had court. She had green eyes that had a sparkle in them. She looked very similar to singer/actress Jessica Lowndes. She was a Summa cum laude graduate and an alumna from The Maurer School of Law at Indiana University in Bloomington.

"She's certainly a beautiful young woman." Beverly said.

She smiled and waved at them and started walking to towards the stairs.

"She's pregnant." Sheila said suddenly.

"What! How the hell can you tell that." Joseph asked.

"She has that glow." she replied.

As Christina climbed the stairs, she spoke to them.

"It's been a while Joseph, how have you been?"

"I'm doing well, thank you. How about you Christina?" he replied, extending his hand.

When she got to the top of the stairs she grabbed it and shook it.

"I'm doing good as well. Thanks for asking Joseph."

Christina then turned and looked at Sheila and Beverly.

"You must be Sheila and Beverly. Jack speaks of you two glowingly." she said extending her hand to them.

Beverly shook her hand first and introduced herself. Sheila then extended her hand. Christina took it.

"How far along are you Christina?" Sheila asked.

Christina held her hand and stared at Sheila. Sizing her up.

"8 weeks. How did you know Sheila?" she asked.

"You have a slight bump already and you just have that glow too."

"Awwwww, how many times you given birth?" Beverly asked.

"This is my third pregnancy."

"I didn't know you had two kids." Joseph said.

"I don't. I was a surrogate for my sister. This is her third and final child. Last chance for a girl."

"Oh." Joseph replied.

There was a silent pause that hung in the air for a few seconds before Joseph broke it.

"You wanted to see me Christina?"

"I'm actually here to go to Jack's office.

Christina noticed that Sheila was staring at her. Really studying her.

"Is there a problem Sheila?" she asked.

"You've called him Jack twice now." she replied.

Joseph broke out laughing. Beverly gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Sheila and Christina just continued to look at each other.

"Let's go into his office. I have something to do." Christina said, as she walked by.

Joseph, Sheila and Beverly looked at each other. They were at a loss for words. After a brief time, they went into Jackson's office. Once inside they saw Christina standing back up after plugging the mini-fridge into the wall. They watched her walk over to the wall and plug Jackson's computer back in the outlet. She walked over to his desk and sat in his chair.

"Do you mind telling us why you're here Ms. Caldwell?" Joseph asked.

Christina looked up at Joseph and smiled.

"It's Ms. Caldwell now is it Joseph? I can see that the three of you are wondering what I'm doing here and why I'm getting his office ready."

"That's one of many questions Christina." Sheila said to her.

Christina sat back in the chair and just continued to smile.

"Jackson said you'd be the one to be more vocal." she said.

"What are you doing here?" Sheila asked.

"I'm here because he asked me to get his office ready for him to return." Christina answered.

"How long have you been sleeping with Jackson?" Joseph asked.

"The last month." she answered.

At that moment, Sofia walked into the office carrying a folder.

"Joseph. I have the numbers from last....."

Sofia stopped and saw a woman sitting at Jackson's desk. She saw Joseph and Beverly looking at her. She saw that Sheila was staring straight at the woman. The woman however was looking at her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

She looked at the woman and started to introduce herself.

"Hello. I'm....."

"You're Sofia Hernandez. I've heard a lot about you."

"Well you have me at a disadvantage because I have no idea who you are." Sofia replied.

"I'm Christina Caldwell. I was Jackson's divorce attorney."

"Oh. OK. Well, it's nice to meet you Christina."

"She's also sleeping with Jackson." Beverly chimed in.

More silence. Everyone was looking between Sofia and Christina. Sofia kept looking back and forth between Christina and the others. Christina just looked at all of them. This was not exactly going the way she envisioned. She was hoping to say hello to Joseph, get in, and get Jack's office ready for his arrival tomorrow and get out. She didn't want to run into Sofia. Christina got up from Jackson's chair and walked around to the front of his desk. She leaned back and sat on the edge.

"This is not the way I thought this would go." Christina said, as she folded her hands in front of her.

"You're.....you're sleeping with Jackson?" Sofia asked, her voice breaking.

"Yes I am Sofia."

Beverly walked over and grabbed Sofia's hand. Everyone was looking at Sofia now. She felt their eyes on her, as her bottom lip starting trembling. Her eyes filled with tears.

"But.....I.....I.....I love him." Sofia said softly as the tears fell down her face.

Christina felt bad for the young woman. She could tell that she loved Jackson, and who could blame her.

"I know you do sweetie, but you already had your chance. You decided that the color of his skin and him not being a Catholic was too much to overlook." Christina said with sympathy.

Sofia let out a small sound that sounded like a mixture of a moan and wail. Thankfully Beverly was there to help her. Joseph just started laughing. Sheila just stared at Christina.

"That was really fucking rude Christina." Sheila said.

"The truth is never rude. It's just unpleasant for those that choose to ignore it." she replied.

"He's mine. I found him first." Sofia said loudly.

"No. Tara found him first. He found you in his hotel room, trying on his clothes and taking pictures of yourself in them. You'd be nowhere if Jackson didn't take a shot with you." Christina replied.

Joseph, Sheila and Beverly all looked at Sofia, as she gasped out loud. She had never told anyone exactly how Jackson had found her. She then ran out of the room crying softly.

"If I wasn't such a God fearing Christian woman, I'd punch you right in the nose." Beverly yelled at Christina, then took off after her.

Christina's phone rang. She looked at it and put it on speaker.

"Did you get all that Jack?" Christina asked.

"Yeah I saw and heard everything." Jackson said over the phone.

"What the hell is going on here?" Joseph asked.

Christina just shot him a look, as she answered Jackson.

"She definitely cares about you, but I wouldn't rule out White Knight Syndrome."

"You've got to be kidding me. She had sex with Joseph before she even got attached to Jackson. How do explain that, miss smarty pants?" Sheila asked, as she started walking towards Christina.

"Who hasn't had sex with Joseph at this point." she replied with a chuckle.

"HEYYYYYYYY!!!" Joseph exclaimed.

They all heard Jackson laughing on the phone.

"I haven't." Sheila stated.

"Well good for you sweetie. You make sure to stay away from him too. It'll just lead to disappointment."

More laughter from Jackson.

"Why is everyone ganging up on me all of a sudden?" Joseph asked.

"I don't have time for this. I have things to do." Christina said, as she walked back around the desk and sat down in Jackson's chair.

"Sheila, Joseph, will you please leave my office so Christina can work."

They both looked at each other, then looked at Christina. They didn't know what to make of what was going on, but they walked out and closed the door. Joseph and Sheila walked down the hall into his office in silence. When they into his office and closed the door, they sat down and just looked at each other.

"I don't like her." Sheila said, breaking the silence.

"She's an acquired taste for sure." Joseph replied.

"Look this is ridiculous, he needs to get back together with Tara."

"Why in the hell would he do that? She cheated on him Sheila."

"Everyone makes mistakes Joseph. A miscarriage and depression can absolutely mess up your brain. It's a medical fact Joseph."

"He tried everything to help her Sheila. He offered counseling. He got her family involved and try to help. She refused any kind of help and turned her back on him."

"He had every right to be angry and even divorce her. She's learned from her mistake and is an even better person than she was because of it. Vows mean something Joseph."

"Where in the vows does it say that sucking another man's dick is okay Sheila?"

"No reason to be rude Joseph."

"That wasn't being rude Sheila. That's exactly what happened. Don't try to gloss over or sugarcoat it. She cheated on him, plain and simple."

"It wasn't that black and white Joseph. She wasn't in control of her own mind. Depression literally changes your ability to think for yourself."

"That's nothing but more excuses for her shitty decisions. She had her chance, and she literally blew it away. The same damn thing goes for Sofia. She made her choice and now she should have to live with it."

Joseph had just finished talking when Beverly walked in his office.

"Well, Sofia went home with her mother."

"Well I'm glad that she told her boss what she planned to do." Joseph said sarcastically.

"We have a serious problem here Joseph." Beverly said sitting down.

"No we don't. Jackson is a grown ass man, who can make his own decisions. I know you care about him but you both need to keep your beaks out of it." Joseph said.

"We are not going to stand by and let him continue to make a gigantic mistake." said Beverly.

Sheila opened her mouth to speak but Joseph cut her off.