Complications // A Falice story

Chapter 55

Michael was called at the hospital because of a mass casualty incident and that's when Joanna made her way to her parents' room. She didn't bother knocking before she entered because the door was open. Abigail was on the bed with a book on her hands, but it was obvious that she wasn't paying any attention to the words that were on the paper. "Mom?"

"Yes Joanna." Abigail was glad that her daughter came in to take her mind off of what just happened with her husband and Alice.

"I heard what dad said." Joanna walked to the bed when Abigail patted a spot close to her and she sat down there. "That was a low blow."

"It was." Abigail said letting out a sigh. It wasn't like Michael to be like that, but it wasn't the most usual situation either. "What's your plan?" Abigail knew that look on her daughter's face.

"Do you happen to know which hotel Alice is staying at?" Joanna asked and her mother nodded her head. "I want to talk to her, make sure she's not just going to leave."

"She has my number, she said she'd love to go out for lunch with us some of these days." Abigail placed a hand on her daughter's arm and Joanna smiled, but by the look on her face Abigail knew that what she said wasn't enough for her. "Just a second, I'll write it down for you."

"Thank you mom." Joanna watched her mother as she scribbled something on a piece of paper before she handed it to her. Joanna stood up and walked towards the door.

"Wait, you're going now?" Abigail asked raising her eyebrows and Joanna nodded.

"Yeah, do you want to come?" Joanna asked her mother and after a moment of hesitation she agreed.

They told David where they were going and he said he would love to go too, but he had a date with his girlfriend whom he hadn't seen in weeks because she moved somewhere about three hours from LA.

The mother and daughter arrived at the hotel pretty quickly. It was around eight and a half when they got there and Joanna asked for Alice at the front desk and the receptionist pointed towards the hotel's bar.

FP and Alice were having a drink because Alice wanted to take her mind off what happened and they assumed that they could have a great time considering. They were finishing their first glasses when Joanna and Abigail walked to them. Alice knew who they were and after the description she gave FP he recognised them too. "What are you two doing here?"

"We came to look for you." Joanna said with a smile then she turned and saw who Alice was with and her eyes widened immediately. "Oh my god!"

"Hi." FP said with a charming smile and Alice chuckled when she saw Joanna's cheeks turning red. "It's nice to meet you Joanna."

"You know my name?" Joanna asked in shock, but somehow she started being rational the next second. "Of course you know my name, your engaged with my half sister."

"And I'm so lucky to be engaged with her." FP looked over at Alice with love in his eyes and she reached for his hand and slightly squeezed it.

"I'm the lucky one." Alice said biting her lower lip before she turned her attention to Abigail and Joanna. "Oh FP, this is-"

"Abigail." FP continued for her and he held his free hand up and shook Abigail's. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Abigail smiled at him as she slowly nodded her head.

"Anyway, why did you come to look for me? We could've seen each other for lunch tomorrow." Alice said looking at Abigail then at Joanna.

"The thing is I didn't want you to leave and forget about us." Joanna told Alice and Alice slightly cocked her head to the side.

"I would never, why would you think that?" Alice asked even though Joanna could've thought anything because they didn't really know each other.

"Because you came to meet your father, you probably didn't even know about us." Joanna said, her voice low and Alice let go of FP's hand and took Joanna's in hers as FP and Abigail watched them.

"I knew." Alice nodded slowly. "And even if I hadn't known I wouldn't have just left. I may not know a lot about you, your brother or your mother but I want to get to know you."

"And dad?" Joanna asked and Alice shifted a little in her seat. FP knew that Joanna's mention of Michael hurt Alice. "Will you forgive him for what he said?"

"It's not just what he said Joanna." Alice had and she could sense that Abigail hoped her answer would've been a simple 'yes'. "It's what he did, well, what he didn't do."

There was a moment of silence between the four of them until FP broke it because no one else knew what exactly to say. So FP just made a suggestion: "Let's go have dinner, the four of us."