Blood & Water

Chapter 34

Within a few days, Angel, Carrie, Joey and Marisol were heading back home. The children were healthy and had little sympathy for their parents who were both still recovering. Angel was a bit weak, his memory was cloudy due to the injury and resulting concussion made him tired and nauseous while Carrie was still just about a week out from giving birth.

Angel unlocked the front door, crutches under his arms, and Joey bounded into the house. Carrie expected to find the house messy, stuffy and far from ready for Marisol's arrival but she was wrong.

When the little family stepped into the house they were greeted with a round of applause and hoots and hollers from the Mayans.

"Jesus Christ," Angel laughed. "What are you assholes doing here?"

"We can tear down all the baby shit we put together," Bishop offered jokingly.

"Guys," Carrie sniffed, tears in her eyes, and looked around. "Who cleaned? I left this house a mess."

"The prospect," Tranq laughed. "Felipe loaded up your fridge, Vicki brought some diapers and wipes too."

"Thank you," Angel said, attempting to hide how touched he was. "You guys don't know how much this means," he said, shaking his head.

"It's all good," Coco said, giving him a hug. "Just glad you're alive, brother."

Once polite hellos and thank yous were exchanged, Carrie and Angel excused themselves and disappeared to the bedroom for a few minutes. Carrie immediately placed Marisol in her sleeper and crawled into bed.

"I know you have to go back down," she told him as he slipped in beside her. "But take it easy, please."

"I will," he assured her, "I promise. Take a nap, I'll keep Joey with me."

"I love you," she whispered. "I can't believe we're here."

"I know," he chuckled. "If someone woulda told me back at my folks house, that dinner the night we met, that this all woulda fuckin' happened," he shook his head.

"You still would have gone out with me?"

"I would have fucking run as far from you as I could," he kissed her cheek. "But I'm happy I didn't. Sleep," he ordered her softly. "I love you."

Angel made his way back downstairs and eventually alone in the kitchen with Bishop. There were two drinks poured but Angel didn't touch his.

"You good?" Bishop asked sternly.

"Gettin' there," Angel shrugged. "It'll take some time for my leg to heal and my head to clear but I'm good."

"And this shit with the dead feds?" Bishop swirled his drink. "With your old lady?"

"All good," Angel said confidently. "They won't find the body, shit with Kevin has been done."

"I need to know we can get back to work and not worry about shit creeping up."

"Prez, we're good," Angel said again.

"Alright," he relented. "I think EZ made the right choice," Bishop told him. "You have a lot going on and I know family shits been creeping up on you two."

"The right choice?" Angel's brows knitted together as he looked at Bishop. "I'm a little cloudy, Prez, remind me."

"Switching sponsors," he said matter-of-factly. "It's gonna be the right call for you and your brother."

Angel slumped down in his chair and nodded. "Shit, yeah," he chuckled. "Down from three kids to two now," Angel joked.

"He's smart, I think he'll make a good patch...when the time comes."

"That's Ezekiel," Angel said, hiding his bitterness and anger.

"You good with that?"

Angel looked at Bishop and slowly nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good with that."

"That's what I like to hear," Bishop said, standing and shaking Angel's hand. "Let's hope we can leave all this Fed shit behind us."

"Yeah," Angel said, thinking back on EZ's deal, "I hope so too."

"Congratulations," Bishop said with a big smile. "I'll round up the guys, you look like shit. You need to sleep."

Angel laughed and nodded. "Appreciate it."

When he got into bed about an hour later, Carrie rolled over and draped an arm over his stomach.

"You good?"

"No."

"What is it?"

"My brother," he sighed. "This fucking deal."

"The deal is dead, Angel."

"Still happened."

"Mari will be up soon to eat," she sighed. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "What can I do?"

"Nothing," she told him. "You tell them, you're in some shit too and you can't kill him."

"I know."

"It's done, Angel," she told him firmly. "Let this deal and all the bodies it creates, let them all rest in peace."

He leaned over and kissed her. "Don't have another option. Good night, mi dulce."

"Goodnight," she said, stifling a yawn. "I love you."

He sighed, knowing he'd have to accept it all in order to live the life he'd wanted for so long with the woman he loved.

"I love you too."