Line Of Fire •L.A•

15. Rockaby Baby

That night, Luke waits for Felicity to show up. The minutes tick past the time they had planned.  Then there was a knock on his door and he springs to his feet. He opens the door with a smile, but it fades in confusion when it was not who he expected.

His youngest sister Valerie, who he hadn't seen in the past few years, stands in his threshold. She looks different, her hair is shorter is the first thing he's able to think. "Val." His eyes drift to her side. On her hip is a little boy with dark curls and bright eyes.

"Luke." She says with a small grin. "Are we just going to stand here?"

He blinks and steps aside. His eyes follow her as she pushes past him. He closes his door after  a few seconds, his body not able to move as fast as his mind at the moment. He can tell something is wrong as soon as she turns to look at him with glossy eyes. But she quickly blinks and wipes her eyes with her palm." Oh gosh, I thought I'd be able to keep from crying."

"Qué ocurre?" He asks, he tended to switch to Spanish when talking to his family.

She sets the little boy down, who Luke assumes is his nephew he's never met. The last time he'd seen her was at his mothers funeral a few years prior. And that was before he'd gotten news that she'd eloped and had a child. He had to learn that from the oldest of his sisters, Maya.

"I left him, Luke." She says barely above a whisper. "He yelled at me again and I couldn't take it so I ran. I know, Soy una cobarde."

He takes a seat on his couch and she does the same. " You're not a coward, Valerie. What did he say to you?" He demands.

"You don't want to know. I didn't want Matteo around that." She whispers.

"You did the right thing."

Valerie rests her head in her hands. "I tried to work, to be able to afford rent but I just couldn't keep a job down." she looks up at him with eyes that remind him of his mother. Valerie always looked the most like her.

She pulls Matteo onto her lap. He stares at Luke with wide eyes as she continues speaking." I need a place to stay while I work here in Virginia. Please. I wouldn't come to you after so many years if I wasn't desperate."

Luke stares into her eyes and finds himself unable to say anything for a moment. She leans forward." Please, Luke, help me."

The more he stares into her brown eyes the more he saw the woman he'd buried a few years ago. His eyes drift to his nephew. His curious little face makes Luke nod slowly.

A smile spreads on his sisters face." Oh thank God." She wipes tears from her eyes and looks up to the ceiling." Thank God."

"So this is Matteo." The name stabs Luke in the heart. It was their late father's name.

She nods and kisses the child on the cheek. "Matteo Emilio Gomez. Matteo for daddy and Emilio for mama Emilia. Matteo, this is your Uncle Luke."

"Hola Matteo."

The boy hides his face in the crook of his mothers neck. She chuckles lightly." He'll warm up to you-"

There's a knock on the front door. He remembers Felicity. He opens it. She smiles as she pushes past him with takeout containers." Hey, Lu. Sorry I'm late, I ended up helping Emily with paperwork and the Chinese place was closed so I had to go to a different-" she stops when she sees Valerie and Matteo." Oh, hello."

Valerie stands immediately." Hello."

Felicity looks at Luke with questioning eyes. He leads her to his sister." Felicity this is my youngest sister Valerie. Valerie this is my friend and coworker, Felicity."