Status: Completed Feb 19 2018

Our Crazy Little Thing Called Family

Chapter 22- Can I Fix It?

"Everything ok" Pepe asked when Cristiano stepped back into Junior’s hospital room. "Molly's asleep. I told Ana not to rush back here" Cristiano said smiling at his son in his cot. "She must be so exhausted. You both are" Pepe said as Cristiano took a seat next to him. "I think everyone is. It's been a long week" Cristiano said. "At least it ended good" Pepe said. "If he had..." Cristiano paused. "But he didn't. He's going to make a full recovery and he'll be home with you before you know it" Pepe said.

"He didn't do anything to deserve any of this. It should have being me. I should have being the one to suffer not him" Cristiano said. "Cris he's better. And you did suffer. You've being through hell this week" Pepe said. "I'm the one who caused all this hell" Cristiano mumbled. "Mate it's not your fault Junior got sick. It was just one of those things" Pepe said.

"It is my fault. Everything is my fault. I've had everyone lying because of me for months. I've put Molly through hell. She's being miserable and suffered so much because of me. It should have been me that was ill" Cristiano said.

"Mate hey it's ok" Pepe said. "It's not. Junior could have died. He could have died and Molly..." Cristiano paused. "He didn't die Cris" Pepe said. "He could have died and Molly would have....she wouldn't have got to be with him" Cristiano said.

"Cris she was here. Stop all of this dying talk" Pepe said. "She should have being with him. The nanny shouldn't have been there. I shouldn't have pushed her to leave. I should have kept my mouth shut. I should have opened it" Cristiano said. "Cris" Pepe said. "If she had being there then she would have noticed that he was sick. Maybe Junior wouldn't have gotten so ill. If she had been there none of us would have had to go through this hell of a week. Junior wouldn't have had to be prodded and poked and Molly wouldn't have being so lost" Cristiano said.

"Cris you don't know if that is the case. You don't know if he wouldn't have gotten so sick if she had been there. And you can't change that she wasn't" Pepe said. "He could have died not knowing she was his mother" Cristiano said. "Cris" Pepe said. "She would have lost her son. The son she never would have gotten to call her son and it would have being all my fault" Cristiano said holding his head in his hands. "Cris stop. Stop thinking like that. Junior is fine and Molly just needs to get over the shock of this week and will be back to herself in no time" Pepe said.

"Are you not going to ask?" Cristiano asked straighten up in his chair. "Ask what?" Pepe asked. "Why I hid the truth about Molly? Who she really is?" Cristiano asked. "It's not really my business mate" Pepe shrugged. "I lied to you and everybody. You have as much right to be angry at me like everyone else" Cristiano said. "I could have acted the same way as you in your position. It's your life at the end of the day mate" Pepe said. "I guess everyone is curious about it all" Cristiano said.

"I guess most of us are having trouble with why you kept it all such a secret. Like Molly is very insisted that you didn't cheat on Irina with her so I don't get the big secret. But again it's none of my business" Pepe said and Cristiano smiled. "Ana was right. The whole ended in a mess" Cristiano mumbled.

"So Ana did know then. I knew she didn't have the same reaction as the rest of us when Molly screamed it out the other night. She's known for a while. Hasn't she?" Pepe asked. "Just a few weeks. She figured it out. Gave me a couple of slaps. I deserve a whole lot more for everything I've put people through" Cristiano said.

"Come on Cris you're not the first footballer to get a chick pregnant by accident when you weren't even dating her. The biggest surprise for me is that Molly actually succumbed to your charms. Now I thought she was meant to be smart" Pepe smirked at him. "It wasn't my charms that got her into my bed. It was her desperation which I took advantage of. I've put her through so much the last year and a bit I don't know how she can be around me" Cristiano sighed.

"What do you mean advantage? I know you would never force yourself on her but I don't understand" Pepe said confused at what his friend was telling him. "Even after months of lying to you still think highly of me enough to know that I wouldn't have forced myself on her" Cristiano said.

"I know you Cris. Plus Molly is strong but there's no way she could be the way she is with you if you ever had you know forced her" Pepe said. "I so amazed she can be around me at all. I've done nothing but make her miserable" Cristiano sighed. "You've had your moments over the last few months especially I'll give you that. But you've always fixed it" Pepe said.

"I nearly left it too late. He could have died" Cristiano said staring at his son. "But he didn't. Look Cris, we've had quite a few conversations about Molly. You hate fighting with her. But you aren't fighting with her now. The last week has been extremely tough of the both of you but it will get easier. You both will get back to normal soon" Pepe said. "It wasn't an accident" Cristiano said.

"Cris he got sick. You don't know if it would have been any different if Molly hadn't moved out" Pepe said. "I told her to leave Pepe. I kept the new nanny. But I wasn't talking about Junior's illness" Cristiano said. "What were you talking about so?" Pepe asked. Cristiano took a deep breath. "I've being trying to get Molly to talk this whole time about everything and now here am I and I can't talk" Cristiano said.

"Talk about what? Look mate you don't have to talk" Pepe said. "You should know the truth. I have a feeling Molly is telling Ana anyway" Cristiano said. "How can you be so sure?" Pepe asked. "I know Molly I guess. At least I hope she might talk to her. She's spoken to me about stuff but maybe speaking to someone who isn't a member of my family will help her. I just think she's at the point where she's held things to herself for so long that it would be good for her to talk to someone" Cristiano said.

"Well Ana is good a pushing people into talking" Pepe smiled. "She's not my biggest fan. And she doesn't know everything" Cristiano sighed. "You know it sounds to me like it's not just Molly who might need to talk to someone" Pepe said. "I used to see Katia and Hugo with their kids. Everything they had looked so perfect. So meaningful" Cristiano said leaning back in his chair.

"I wanted what they had" Cristiano said. "Well you got it. You got Junior" Pepe said nodding to the little boy. "Because I planned it. Junior wasn't an accident. He was planned. He's here because I came up with this great plan to have a baby. That I could pick someone who would carry my child and then give him to me and I'd never hear from her again" Cristiano said.

"Hold on. So you're telling me he was planned. And Molly was to give him to you and leave" Pepe said confused. "I picked her. I used the fact that her parents owed money to a loan shark to more or less force her to have my child. She picked my option because the loan shark was either going to hurt her parents or use her for his own purposes" Cristiano grabbing in the side of the chair in anger.

"She must have being really scared then" Pepe said. "When he came back to Madrid a few weeks back, I.....the thought of him near her......I know it was so hard for her to agree with my plan. But back then I don't think I really cared about anyone but me. I didn't care about anything only getting my baby" Cristiano. "What changed?" Pepe asked. "I did. I thought it would be so simple. I'd pay off the loan shark, she'd fall pregnant through in virto and nine months later I would have my child and she would be gone" Cristiano said. "But it wasn't that simple" Pepe said listening carefully.

"Life never is. She was the kid’s baby sitter. I used her desperation to get what I wanted. What kind of man does that make me?" Cristiano asked. "She did agree though" Pepe pointed out. "She didn't have a choice" Cristiano said. "She did they just were going to be worst the one she decided to make I guess. So what happened?" Pepe asked. "Oh this is where I go from a horrible person to the shit on your foot" Cristiano said.

"What could you have done?" Pepe asked. "Put her in a room with a rapist" Cristiano snapped. "What?" Pepe asked shocked. "The doctor. The in virto doctor. He drugged her. He tried.......If I had being a couple of minutes later..he would....he would have raped her" Cristiano said.

"Wow" Pepe said. "So not alone did I put her in a position where she had to give up her child. I also nearly got her raped" Cristiano said. "Now I see why you are amazed she can be around you" Pepe said. "She went into her own little shell. She wouldn't speak. She just stayed in her room. Wouldn't talk to anyone. She had so many nightmares not to mind the bruises. It was horrible to watch her like that" Cristiano said. "But she didn't stay like that" Pepe said.

"I found her downstairs early one morning. She was so jumpy and I kept saying stupid things but she stayed and ate cereal with me. Well I'm sure she would have stayed with anyone. I just happened to be the one who found her" Cristiano said. "Maybe. Or" Pepe said. "Or what?" Cristiano asked. "You are the one she looks to for comfort. Maybe that's where it began" Pepe said. "Nah I'm the last person she comes to when she needs comfort. I'm the reason she needs someone to cheer her up" Cristiano said. "Maybe. But anyway what happened after the doctor?" Pepe asked.

"Turns out he had history of raping his patients. He's in jail now so that's something. And the loan shark is dead so at least their two people Molly doesn't have to ever worry about again" Cristiano said. "That's something" Pepe said. "She started to come out of her shell a bit. We used to watch TV. She used to get back to spending time with the kids. Of course Maé was furious that I put her into that situation in the first place" Cristiano said. "Did she know from the start? Did they all know?" Pepe asked. "Yes. Molly told them it was her decision and no one else’s. Didn't stop Maé from switching her vitamins with the pill though" Cristiano said.

"Really?" Pepe asked. "Oh ya. That led to a huge row between them. Which was understandable. Anyway that all happened much later. We didn't find out that until a few months ago" Cristiano said. "Ok so if the in virto never happened then how did you end up with him?" Pepe asked nodding to Junior. "How do you think?" Cristiano said. "So you did sleep with her" Pepe said. "We got into a food fight with Zé. It doesn't matter why" Cristiano said.

"Not surprising how much I know you and Molly but go on" Pepe said. "Zé said something about how Molly got what she wanted ie the money but he was like when did I get what I wanted. Molly overheard. When I went to find her, she....." Cristiano stuttered. "Pounced on you" Pepe said. "What? No. No way. Jezz she had nearly being raped Pepe. She couldn't even let anyone hug her. Jezz" Cristiano said. "Sorry" Pepe said.

"She might as well knocked me over though. I know why she suggested it though. Why she went through with it all. She didn't want to be like her parents. She didn't want to make promises and not follow through" Cristiano said. "She had a troublesome childhood I can understand why part of her could feel that way" Pepe said.

"And I made her adulthood even more troublesome" Cristiano sighed.
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So it's Cristiano time to get things of his chest. How will Pepe react to the full truth? Is the guilt going to get the better of Cristiano?

Thanks for the comments everyone on the last chapter.