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"Mom wouldn't want this," Jenny counters. "She wouldn't want his help."
"Would Abigail prefer to suffer then?" O'Malley asks gently. "Or would she choose relief from her agony at the cost of pride?"
"Isn't there a line, Father?" Jenny pleads. "Some things can't be forgiven."
"Forgiveness is not about condoning actions; it's about freeing oneself from the hold of the past. To reveal the living is to give precedence to the needs of those still among us," the priest explains. "Your mother's comfort, her peace in her remaining time, must weigh heavily in your considerations."
"Even if it comes from tainted hands?" Dick’s voice is a low growl.
"Even so. It is not the source of aid but the intent and the outcome you must consider. In this case, the intent is to ease suffering, and the outcome could be your mother's comfort," Father O'Malley reasons.
"Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting," I add, finding strength in his words. "It means choosing what matters more—our grievances or our mother's final days."
"Tony's right," Lola whispers, a tear escaping down her cheek. "If we can lessen Mom's pain . . . "
"Then we should," I finish for her, meeting my siblings' gazes, imploring them to see reason beyond the hurt.
Chapter twenty
A SNAKE IN THE CHICKEN COOP TAKEDOWN.
LIAM
It is now close to 7:30 PM, Zurich time. She must be back from the hospital now. I will just call the house phone. If she doesn’t answer, I will know then that she is not home yet. It is amazing the things that come to light when you are not looking.
Here is a human who has spent a major part of her life hating me, has never really had a kind word for me most of the time, and is only agreeable toward me because she thinks she owes me . . . it is amazing how the brain works.
I resented her, too, for the cruel words that flew so easily out of her mouth, even though Lord knows I had no legitimate reason to feel like that. How else was she supposed to feel? I was just about to muse how I would feel if the same happened to me, buthmmmmm. I would probably give the guy a medal.
The phone is ringing . ..
"Hey, Tony," I say when she picks up, my voice tense for no reason. "How's your mom? Any updates now? I got your text."
"Uh, yeah," Tony replies, her voice shaking. "The experimental enzyme therapy they tried on Mom this morning went wrong and caused a severe allergic reaction. They're trying to stabilize her now. She was having trouble breathing, so she is intubated and sedated so I decided to come home. She will most probably be out for the night."
My chest feels heavy as I process this news. I had hoped this experimental procedure would give Tony's mom a fighting chance against her end-stage pancreatic cancer, but instead, it's threatening her life.
"Tony, don't worry," I reassure her, despite the dread gnawing at me. "I've arranged for Dick, Jenny, and Lola to fly to Zurich tonight. They'll be there to help you tomorrow."
"Thank you, Liam," Tony says, gratitude evident in her tone. In reality, I want her siblings there not just to support Tony but also to say their goodbyes to their mother if things go south. They already hate me. No matter what I do, if anything happens to them or their mother in a way they do not approve of, I will never live to know peace.
“Tony, do you want me to come over?” I ask as an afterthought. After all, if the worst happens, they won’t know what to do in a foreign country, plus they will be too distraught to cope with all the arrangements they will need to go through to bring their mother home for burial.
“That is very kind of you, Liam, but I think Dick, Jenny and Lola will be ok if the offer was solely for our convenience. If something changes, I will let you know. Once again, thank you so much, Liam.
“You don’t have to keep thanking me. I’m happy to help.”
They didn’t see me coming. Now I know why they say eavesdroppers never hear anything good about themselves. I have some insurance paperwork that I think is probably better off in Zurich now that the house is occupied full-time.
I’d mentioned to the Ricardos that I would drop off the package at the airport before takeoff. As I approach them from their blind spot, I am treated to yet another bitter pill. I have never been able to tell who resents me the most.
Today, it seems it is Dick. I slow down my steps to hear more, kind of like having a toothache—you know it hurts, but your tongue keeps going right there. He says,
" . . . can you believe this guy? He offed our dad, and now he's playing hero by sending us to Zurich, first class. Are we supposed to be impressed by all this?"
"Seriously," Jenny chimes in, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "It's like taking blood money from the mafia." Their attitude towards me stings, yet it doesn't surprise me. I did spend twelve years in prison for their father's death, after all.
Lola’s the first one to spot me and she freezes, her eyes darting between her siblings and then me. She looks conflicted, then torn, then says, " Guys,” then I announce myself.
