8

Tennyson

After the family meeting wrapped up, Ten and Ronan headed home with the kids. Ezra had gone down for the night with ease, but Everly was wide-awake and full of questions. She hadn't been able to hear what the adults were talking about, but her gift had told her what was going on. Ten's daughter might only be six years old, but some days, it felt like she was going on forty.

"Why did Corny leave Uncle Carson and Cole?" Everly asked. "Are you and Dad going to leave me and Ezzie one day?"

"Never!" Tennyson swore. His heart felt like it was being squeezed by an icy fist. "Nothing on earth could keep me away from you and your brother."

Everly looked placated by Ten's emphatic answer. "So how come Corny left?"

Tennyson's mind spun with all the possible answers to Everly's question. None of them were suitable for a first grader. All the parenting books Ten read talked about the terrible twos and breaking habits like thumb-sucking and teaching your child how to soothe themselves. None of those books ever mentioned what to tell kids when one or both of their parents abandoned them.

"Corny is one of those people who only think about themselves rather than their families," Ronan said as he walked into the kitchen. He grabbed a ginger ale from the fridge and two cups, one for Everly and one for himself. "He had his own dreams to chase that didn't include being a father."

Everly was quiet for a few seconds. "Now he's sick and wants his family to help him. Uncle Carson wants to help him. I don't understand. They should tell him to get lost like he told them, right?"

"It's not that easy, honey." Ten hated this conversation. What he hated more was his child knowing that sometimes daddies left their families. "Carson and Cole might be the only people who can save Corny's life with a donated kidney. They need to get tested to see if they're a match."

"They both are," Everly said. "Uncle Carson isn't sure he wants to do it. He worries that he might not be able to be there for his kids when he gets older. Uncle Cole wants to do it, but Cassie is angry that he would put himself at risk for that no-good, lousy bum."

A tinkling laugh sounded from across the table. Bertha Craig materialized. "No-good, lousy bum is the perfect way to describe my ex-husband."

"Bertha!" Ronan got out of his seat and walked around the table to hug the spirit. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, handsome." Bertha turned to Everly, who flew into her arms.

"Mimi!" Everly held on tight, pressing a kiss to Bertha's cheek.

"Why don't you head up to bed," Ronan suggested to his daughter when the hug ended.

"She already knows the worst, Ronan, and time is wasting. I'm not sure how long I can stay." Bertha slid into her chair and folded her hands in front of her.

Ten switched gears instantly. "Where do you want to start?"

"Corny's really sick?" Bertha asked. "This isn't some ruse to trick you all out of money?"

"He is sick," Ten affirmed. "His skin was pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes. When I tried to read him, there were a lot of other things on the verge of causing problems."

"That man never took care of himself. He drank. He smoked. Ate anything he wanted. Now it's time to pay the piper, and he's flat broke." Bertha shook her head.

"That's about the size of it. Jace offered to step in and cover the cost of Corny's health and legal troubles." Ten still couldn't believe Jace's willingness to help. Not that their friend would lend a hand, but that he would fork over a quarter of a million dollars to pay back money a man he'd never met had stolen. Then, there was the problem of how much money a good lawyer would cost. The transplant surgery itself would be hugely expensive. It wouldn't surprise Ten if the total price tag exceeded a million dollars.

"I know. I overheard Cassie and Cole discussing the situation, but they didn't know I was there." Bertha sighed.

"Have you spoken to either of your sons?" Ten asked. He could sense Bertha's pain. All she was concerned with was the safety of her sons where her ex-husband was concerned. She worried after their physical health if they agreed to help Corny, but also their mental health when their father flew the coop once again.

"No. I'm not sure how I want to handle this situation. I needed some advice first. Is Corny really remarried with a baby on the way?"

"We're not sure if he's married," Ronan said. "Cisco went looking for a marriage license but hasn't found one yet. Corny has a ton of aliases, so it might take a while."

"Calvin Coolidge," Everly said.

Ronan wore a stunned look. "What does the former president have to do with Corny?"

"That's the name he used to marry Martha. They got hitched in Walla Walla. What a funny name for a town!" Everly giggled.

"Who needs Google when we've got Everly?" Ten laughed. "Is there anything else you know about this situation?"

"The baby is a girl. Corny's always wanted a daughter. He dipped his wick from here to Walla Walla but never had any other babies until now." Everly wore a confused look, as if she didn't quite understand the message she had delivered.

"Dipped his wick?" Bertha asked on a laugh.

Everly nodded. "He's proud of his wick. I don't know what candles have to do with having babies."

"Anyway," Ten said, eager to change the subject. Everly had lost enough of her innocence speaking with spirits who'd been horribly abused in life; now wasn't the time for a birds-and-bees talk. "Let's get back to Corny's health. Does he get a kidney?"

"Yes and no." Everly paused. "No. Yes. Urg ! This is so frustrating."

"What do you mean?" Ten had never seen Everly struggle with her gift in this way. Her answers were always solid and dependable.

"Sometimes he does. Sometimes he doesn't. I've never seen anything like that before. Maybe I didn't have enough milk today and my gift is wonky."

Bertha reached out for her granddaughter's hand. "I don't think there's anything wrong with your gift. I think Carson and Cole keep changing their minds."

"That makes sense," Everly said with a nod. "There are so many different outcomes and a lot of tears and heartbreak."

"That's what Corny's famous for, leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake." Bertha was silent for a few seconds, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. "I know I need to talk to my sons about their father and doing the right thing, but there's such a big part of me who wants that stupid son of a goat to suffer."

Ten knew Bertha wanted to add like I did but had thought better of it. According to Carson and Cole, Bertha had tried to hide her breast cancer diagnosis from her sons. Since neither of them had come into their psychic gifts at that time, they'd been none the wiser. By the time Bertha finally told her sons what was happening, she'd exhausted all medical intervention. Carson and Cole could only sit and comfort their mother as she died slowly and painfully.

"No, you don't want him to suffer, Mimi." Everly offered Bertha a bright smile. "You're angry because your babies are hurting and you aren't here to comfort them. You forgave Corny a long time ago. Carson and Cole need you to tell them they should forgive him too. Their hearts hurt so much right now." Everly set a hand over her own heart. "I haven't ever felt pain like this before, not even from restless spirits. They're angry at each other and at Corny."

"Out of the mouths of babes." Ronan waggled his eyebrows at Bertha.

"Just because you forgive someone doesn't mean you have to let them back into your life, Mimi. You told Daddy that once. I shouldn't have been listening, but I was, and it's a good thing, too, because now I can give your advice back to you."

Bertha nodded along with Everly. "I gave Tenny that advice about his own father, and look where that's gotten us. Ten and David haven't spoken in months."

"I've been thinking a lot about David today. On the one hand, I'm grateful he didn't leave our family like Corny did, but on the other, he's embracing this other child in a way David never did with River. It's all so confusing." The last thing Ten wanted to do now was contemplate his own relationship with his father, not with Bertha's time running short.

"I have faith that David will come to admit his mistakes with River over time, but I don't think that kind of self-reflection is in Corny's nature. I want to tell my boys just who their father is, but part of me thinks I should keep that to myself. You're both right, this is all very confusing."

"The hardest thing to do is admitting when you're wrong," Ronan said. "I don't think Corny was running away from you and the boys for all of these years. I think he was running away from himself. Jude talked a lot about that when we were in Arizona with Running Eagle. The problem with the plan to leave the reservation was that everywhere Jude went, there he was. I'm sure Corny felt the same way."

"Look at you, Ronan, being all philosophical on us." Bertha laughed. The happy sound quickly faded. "Here's the big question. Would Corny have come home if he were healthy?" Bertha asked.

"Ask him," Everly said. "You have a lot of yucky emotions in your heart, and your aura looks like a mud puddle. If you want, I'll be there with you when you talk to him."

Bertha's eyes were misty. "You would do that for me, little miss?"

Everly nodded. "You've been with me through a lot of hard times with my gift. I want to be there for you."

"I'm going to think long and hard about the advice you all gave me. Toodles!" With a wave, Bertha was gone.

"Family is hard, Daddy." Everly climbed into Ten's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's especially hard when someone is being a complete and total dumbass."

Ten snorted. He didn't like his daughter saying that word, but it was the most apt in this situation. "I can't argue with you there, but when people are being dumbasses, that's the best time to let them know you still love them and how much you want to help."

"I love that you're so patient with Dad, and he's a dumbass all the time." With a giggle, Everly kissed Ten's cheek and hurried to Ronan.

"You call me a dumbass and then want a hug good night?" Ronan grabbed his daughter and twirled her around in the air. "Do you want me to read to you before bed?"

Everly nodded and tucked her head under Ronan's chin. "Something with a happy ending."

"You got it." Ronan waved to Ten and headed out of the room. A few seconds later, Ten heard his footsteps on the stairs.

Ten hadn't been able to see how the drama with Corny would play out. Based on what Everly said, it could go either way. It made Ten wonder what he would do in a similar situation. Would he give his own father a kidney, even knowing David's faults? Would those very faults be the determining factor in his father living or dying?

Scarily enough, Ten didn't know which choice he would make.