Chapter 256: Keaner IV

Chapter 256: Keaner IV—Sympathy

 

           

            Keane could not bring himself to let go of Jana when he hugged the little girl. He had just brought his son Jackson over to play with Patrick’s children and the Sakic kids. Jackson had disappeared immediately with Jonathan to the sports room in the Roy basement and Jana had come running down the stairs.

            “Mike!” she squealed. “Hi!”

            Mike actually felt tears in his eyes when she jumped into his arm. She was nine years old but she was rail thin and fragile like a cricket. The fact that she could have been torn to pieces just yesterday trampled like a morning glory under a shoe hurt him in a personal way. No, she was not his daughter, but he couldn’t deny that he loved her like one.

            “How are ya holding up Grand Empress?” He asked, his throat feeling gruff and tight. “No nightmares?”

            “No,” Jana said calmly and she wriggled out of his arms. “I’m strong like tiger. Besides he’s dead, and he can’t hurt me or mommy or Cecile anymore.”

            Her eyes were dead somber, like her father’s as she said this. The girl was born with resolve. She was born with an enormous heart. She was born with the understanding of finality. That’s what he loved about her. She was her mother’s daughter, and her father’s likeness.

            “So you slept good?” He asked he couldn’t imagine the girl being settled after that ordeal.

            Jana nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “I slept with Cecile last night in her bed cause my room is police property. They stole my room Mike! And I wasn’t scared because I was with Cecile and she would protect me.”

            Mike grinned. “Sure she would,” he said and he thought of everything he had heard about the nanny. He couldn’t say he knew her too well but the way the news was describing her fight to save Jana, she might as well be a saint.

            Jana blinked and then her eyes glistened and her lip trembled. “But I lost Igor, Mike, he’s gone forever and I miss him.”

            Mike’s brain vaguely remembered talk of Jana having a pet named Igor, what was it? A beetle or a spider? “Aw hon, I’m sorry,” he said and he patted her shoulder.

            Jana grimaced, “It’s the tacks of life,” she said. “He saved Cecile and then he ran away. I hope he doesn’t go outside where it’s cold. I’m worried.”

            Keane pinched her pointy chin. “If he’s smart enough to save the nanny he’s smart enough to stay inside. He’s probably hiding in the walls or in your ceiling, spying on you!”

            Jana grinned. “Yeah!” she said. “Oooo it’s a big secret!” She grabbed his hand and tugged on him, she lowered her voice to that loud whisper kids always use when they think they’re being discreet. “Danny gave Cecile an engagement ring last night when he thought I was sleeping. Shhh! Don’t tell!”

            Keane smiled. “Did he kiss her?” he asked.

            Jana raised her eyebrows. “Nooo, he’s a dork. I had to tell him to do it, just like in the movies.”

            Keane laughed, imagining the little girl ordering the couple to kiss. She was so much a mix of her parents and just as spoiled. “And they obeyed?”

            Jana nodded. “But I don’t know if Cecile wanted me to tell,” she replied. “So don’t tell anyone!”

            Keane pressed his hand over his heart. “I promise,” he said.

            “Jana,” Michele said, “Go wake up your father.”

            Jana turned around without a word and scrambled back up the stairs. Keane was smiling when he looked at Michele. “How do all of you land on your feet so easily,” he said. “Is it a gift?”

            Michele grimaced; he could see the stress around her eyes, a dull fire. It was taking her a lot to put on her gracious face today. “It’s just how things are,” she replied. As she spoke, the puppy, Gigi, who seemed to have doubled her weight from when the last time he had seen her, yapped at him.

            Mike held out an arm, he didn’t say anything and Michele walked into him, and hugged him. She smelled like soft powder today and he kissed the top of her head. “It’s okay now,” he said softly, “he’s gone now.”

            Michele sighed, a warm, frail woman. “I don’t want to think about what could have happened. The police did a background check on him and he…” Her voice cut off and he squeezed her lightly.

            “Don’t tell me,” he said. “Don’t repeat it to anyone else or you’ll go nuts, Meems, and that’s the last thing any of us needs, hm?”

            Michele laughed and stepped away from him, there was that sparkle returned to her smile and eyes. The sun was back in her world. “When have I really gone, “nuts” on you eh Mike?”

            Keane crossed his arms, “I kinda miss it when you used to,” he said.

            There was a deep clearing of a throat. Keane saw the red leave Michele’s face and he felt the smile leave his face when he saw Joe standing in the doorway. “Hey, Cap’n,” he said. Gigi whined and wagging her tail she stood on her hind legs at Joe’s feet.

            Joe lifted an eyebrow, “Mike I can hear your boy across the house I think he’s in a fight with Jonathan, interested in checking it out?”

            Mike grinned. “Sure,” he said and he gave one last glance to Michele who seemed to be tight lipped and tense.

            Mike left the room and he could immediately hear what Joe had been talking about. It sounded like Jackson was howling at the top of his lungs and the boy sounded angry. He didn’t feel all that worried. His five year old son was very vocal about anything that was going on his young world, and often he was overreacting. He supposed that part came from Tammy.

            “Aaaaaah!”

            Mike jumped to one side and avoided being trampled by Joe’s twins as they were laughing and squealing, being pursued by an exuberant Freddy. He watched them dash and tumble around the expensive furniture and he was reminded instantly of lion cubs rolling on the grass.

            “GIVE IT BACK!”

            Mike could hear the voices echoing and he opened the door and glanced into a long, metal, spiraling staircase that was carrying up the voices from downstairs.

            “It’s not yours,” he heard Jonathan say calmly. “You can’t keep it.”

            “It’s MINE!”

            “Jackson!” Keane yelled down the stairwell.

            There was a silence and Jackson called up. “Daddy?”

            “Do what Jonathan says or I’ll bop ya kid,” he barked.

            “Okay,” Jackson said weakly.

            Mike grinned to himself that should be enough.

            “I woke up daddy!” He heard Jana cry out; she was no doubt tumbling down the main stairway. “Can I play now?”

            The twins and Freddy scrambled out of the room. Joe entered. Keane nodded at him. Joe raised his eyebrows, and he held up a cold bottle of beer. He was holding two. Mike’s mouth watered as he took it from him.

            “Thanks,” he said.

            “No problem,” Joe replied.

            “Is Debbie here?” Keane asked.

            Joe nodded. “Yes she has Mitchell in the kitchen, heh, he’s lactose intolerant you know? And the kid got into some cheesecake this morning and…”

            Keane cringed and wrinkled his nose. “Was it bad?”

            Joe laughed. “I didn’t know a little kid could make that much stink. Debbie’s getting him some Pedialyte to replenish fluids, not a pretty thing.”

            Mike laughed, imagining poor befuddled Debbie and Mitchell. He drank some more beer, but he could feel Joe’s eyes still on him. He felt awkward until Joe finally said what was on his mind. “Hey Mike, there was some trouble on your old team years ago wasn’t there?”

            Mike raised his eyebrows and swallowed the beer in his mouth. “Dallas?” he asked. “What do you mean?”

            Joe’s eyes had that steeled look that spoke more than words could to exhibit his emotions. “No,” he said. “Montreal.”

            “Sure,” Keane said. “Yeah, that’s how Patty and I ended up here, you know that.”

            Joe nodded, not blinking. “I’ve heard some rumors; I mean it wasn’t just the coach was it? Patty’s kind of a jealous guy?”

            Keane grimaced; he didn’t feel guilty as much as uncomfortable. “Sure,” he said.

            Patrick jealous? He thought. He remembered both of them, at the same time, their flesh on his own, both of them stimulating. Had that really happened? Sometimes he doubted that it had. Perhaps his mind mingled the memories of them so much that he couldn’t remembered them as anything but entangled in rapture.

            “That would be a shame if it happened again,” Joe said simply. “Be careful Mike. All of us feel bad about what happened yesterday, and we know how hard it is for the wives to cope with but let’s not show more sympathy than we should hm?”

            Keane raised an eyebrow. “Sure,” he said. “Of course. Hell, Mimi’s like a sister to me. We go back a long way Joe.”

            “Just remember what I said,” Joe replied. “Okay Mike?”

            “Sure,” Mike repeated. “You don’t have anything to worry about.”