Title: ONE STEP BACK
Author: Myrtle S.
Category: Celebrities (RPF) Swimming
Rating: + 16
Characters: Michael Phelps, Milorad Cavic, Ryan Lochte, original characters.
Disclaimer: narrated Nothing happened really.
Status: In process of publication
Some considerations: Three new chapters to be put under the tree. Perhaps the issue is not just Christmas, but the choice of writing in this period was random. The next time I can devote the next year, because of panettone, tortellini and card games I do not think to make it:) Happy reading and
I wish everyone a very warm Christmas ! and Michelin, the real one this time, I hope to return soon shark ever! Because even if in recent times makes me a little 'damn, I still believe that (Lochte, a plugged ears attimino) is the number ONE!
Chapter 56
Mexico
San Fernando
Central Police Station
December 31, 2010
8.00 am
"Want a cup of coffee, boy?"
Ryan, wrapped in rough wool blanket, staring at the wall clock annihilated at the police station, trying not to go crazy. She kept her head in her hands and sang in a low voice the verse of an old Christmas song.
was obsessed with music that just ended and began again to sing again, terrified at the thought still buzzing in the ears to hear the hiss of the blow of a firearm.
Two local policemen watching him on sight, waiting for someone to come and pick it at the U.S. Embassy.
"I'm sick."
One of the policemen, after muttering something in English, offered him a glass of water. The swimmer reached out and, despite the obvious tremor, drank in one gulp.
took a deep breath. But that does not stop him from regurgitating the meal on the shoes are polished man in uniform, recoiling in disgust, delight in a Hispanic railed that Ryan did not understand almost anything.
few minutes later, Milorad saw the captain leave the office, escorted by another agent who told him to wait sitting next to his friend.
"What did they say? They found her? "
"Shut up, Ryan ... Christ, shut up," hissed the voice hoarse, collapsed in his chair.
"No! I want to know what you're told! "Insisted throw at him, with adrenaline a thousand. I tugged on his shirt and pushed him violently against the wall. "Where's Becky? What have they discovered? Tell me! Do not take it anymore. "
The two men on watch without wasting time, intervened to separate them. It was not easy for them to be able to hold them, considering the physical prowess of the two athletes.
Milorad Pain exploded in uncontrollable rage, and while the tears streaming down her face, shouted to his friend in the face of what the narcotics agent in Dallas, Robert Campbell, had just statement.
"It 's dead, damn it! E 'dead, "cried pale-faced, falling down on his knees. "My Becky dead ... "he whispered, almost breathless.
Baltimore (MD)
Apartment Michael Phelps
January 3, 2011
10.00 am
"Perhaps you should not wear it. It 's just a baby! In fact, if you ask me, I think even you should not go. Had no connection other than Alejandro, and do not understand why you want to attend his funeral. "
Michael ignored her mother's voice, not her weight. Standing with hands outstretched in front of the fireplace, she felt the heat of the flames warm the skin. With his eyes staring at the large property chenille carpet on which he had had dinner on Christmas Eve. Among the red-hot coals, you could see a few pieces of shell, which belonged to the tent that Rebecca had given to Alec.
"It is still snowing and then drive up to Portland does not seem a good idea. The streets are not safe. "
Michael's thoughts were so far from the words of Debbie, he could distinguish only a confused sound behind him.
Suddenly the cry of a child hung up his mind to reality, capturing the attention and forcing him to return to Baltimore, in his living room.
"Alec!" he murmured, opening his eyes.
He climbed the stairs two steps at a time, and in the blink of an eye came to the room of his little friend.
knocked strong, with three decisive blow. "Everything okay? I come in? "He asked pushing the door ajar, with his hand on the handle.
"No! I can not do, "shouted throwing a shoe against the wood of the jamb. Sitting on the bed with her hands clasped to the sheet, it Alejandro looked bewildered. His dark eyes asked him to help Michael and dying inside because he felt there was nothing I could do or say to make him feel better.
He won fourteen Olympic gold medals, supported training with these workloads to embarrass anyone, but would have bartered without thinking twice, all his successes to find the right words to ease the pain of that child.
He felt useless.
picked up the shoe and knelt before him to help push it.
"I ... I ..." stammered between sobs, her eyes frightened and full of anxiety about the future, "I can not seem to connect them."
continued to cry, unable to restrain himself, as Michael closed the zip of the jacket and wrapped a wool scarf around its neck.
"Cover up well, it's cold outside and it will take a few hours before arriving in Maine."
He pulled up the nose and nodded his head you understand.
She grabbed his hand. It was so small that it seemed to get lost in the huge and Michael, squeezing with all his might, and descended the stairs together.
With cheek glued to the swimmer's leg, walked on the porch under the watchful eye of Debbie and worried.
Michael assured him, "You'll be fine, I promise," fixing it in the car and fasten the belt.
As the car sped swiftly toward the border, Alec did was ask why Rebecca had decided to disappear, leaving him alone once again.
Yet, on Christmas Eve, he had the impression that things might settle down, and Becky and Michael have found a way to get along.
He had spent the last three days talking with psychologists, social workers and members of the Phelps family, without anyone of them had found the courage to tell him clearly what had happened.
kept saying that Rebecca was well, that was in a better place and who was sleeping peacefully. But he did not understand the meaning of those words of comfort to his ear sounded like caresses without heat.
could not imagine happy away from him and did not think there was a better place for her home.
Only Michael, in the end, it was decided to tell the truth without mincing words.
Rebecca was dead.
**
"Milo, you sure do not want to go?"
The swimmer did not mention response. Behind him, Catherine, with heels sunk into the snow, waiting for him to say something. The stubborn silence which was closed since his return from Mexico was killing herself.
Suddenly, the man braced feet on the ground to block the swing on which he sat.
The snow that fell last week had completely covered the Park in Baltimore County with his soft coat. The branches of fir trees, bending under the weight of that load candid, caressed by the leaves from frost hardened the ground.
Every sound seemed muffled like the beating of his heart.
"John is a dear friend and I can not miss the funeral of his daughter."
Milorad still did not speak.
closed his eyes and, raising his face to the sky, felt the snowflakes melt on the eyelids, as icy peaks of stars.
"It was not your fault," Catherine said, putting her hands on her shoulders, "she chose to leave and the same thing could happen to you, or to Ryan."
The very thought made her shudder.
She pushed his hands with an abrupt gesture. The guilt was destroying the brooding soul, one day after another. And as Catherine's intentions were good, no one could stop him feel responsible.
remorse for the death of Rebecca would accompany him for the rest of life. He was conscious and did not want to do anything to feel better, as if the pain she felt was the right sentence for having involved.
"You knew who was expecting a baby?"
That question broke the silence that separated them petrified and Catherine. A sense of helplessness, sadness and sympathy pervaded the thinking of what Michael was trying at that time.
"She was pregnant, fuck you," shouted getting up and starting to walk in the snow, without a goal. "Why do not you tell me! Why, Becky! "Railed screaming into the void, with a heavy heart.
Catherine won without space between the snow and will be rejected again, hugged him wrapping the shoulders with your arms. They found slumped on the lawn, despite the cold and snow in the middle of the folds of clothes, neither had the power to dissolve that embrace.
They felt defeated and vulnerable.
"It 's my fault," he whispered, sobbing through her tears that could no longer hold. "Why not told me about the baby? I would never allowed to leave, if only I had known. "
"Love Stop, stop to hurt you."
raised his face, wiping her eyes with a kiss.
"Michael does not know anything, right?"
Milorad From the look of dark, he knew he was not wrong.
"If so, it will not ever know!"
"What? Why? He has the right. It was also his son, Cathy! "
" What would tell him? It will only be worse. "
Milorad did not know what to think. Perhaps Catherine was right. He did not want to be responsible for another wrong decision.
Michael did not know that he had also lost her baby.
Portland (Maine)
Harvey House
18.00
Throughout the day, in the big house white brick where the family lived in Harvey, there was a lot of people coming and going to bring its condolences to the father of Rebecca, immediately after the funeral.
Co-workers, neighbors, friends of Louise, the woman that John had married after his divorce from the mother of Becky, crowded the house, chatting loudly and inappropriately filled up with expensive French food that was served to the guests.
The ceremony was held in the strictest privacy and, apart from John and his wife, no one had been able to say goodbye to the girl. Only after many complaints by Louise, motivated more by a desire to save appearances by a real affection that bound her to the daughter, the man was allowed to follow the procession to the cemetery.
Michael, sitting in a corner of the main hall and watched these strangers with a gloomy, sure in his heart that her friend did not go along with even half of those people. And most importantly, none of them had known him as well.
He approached the counter and alcohol will be served only Jack Daniel's, filling the glass to the brim.
"Why are you here, Phelps?"
Mr. Harvey loved to get straight to the point, and this was a quality that Michael liked. He regretted not to have an answer as to offer him sincere.
"To Alejandro. He loved her. "
John shook his head.
"That girl lied to me. He had promised to stay away but ... I did the same mistake I did with Todd. I trusted her when, on the contrary, I had to force her to go home and cure his obsession with you. "
His voice trembled. He grabbed the newspaper on the table and slammed him to the swimmer. "Look what kind of trouble you kicked my daughter," cried attracting everyone's attention.
The paper fell to the ground.
The news of the director of Lersik and its involvement in international trafficking of illicit drugs was on all the major newspapers in the country.
Just as the name of two famous Olympic swimmer, Ryan Lochte and Milorad Cavic who had helped to provide the information necessary to Dallas police, in order to thwart the group. The raids, carried out by special forces, had led to the arrest of at least thirteen people and among them, as well as Vasiliv Yusupov and Dr. Garcia, although three football players of DallasCowboys .
John smiled bitterly thinking about how, inadvertently or not, Michael Phelps had marked the life of her two children.
"I had to force her to return to Maine."
John was torn by guilt for having supported and vented swimmer on his frustration, although it considers them not really responsible for this absurd situation.
"Before Todd, and now ..." he paused. "You'll never know how it feels to lose a son."
Michael looked at him, expressionless. He knew that anything he said, would prove inadequate. And do not say anything as it seemed the wisest choice.
"That's enough, John!" Intervened to Catherine try to reason with him. "He has nothing to do in this story. Was unaware of what we had decided to do. If you want to blame someone then choose me! I have organized their trip to Mexico! "
A man, his face hidden behind a pair of dark glasses, approached him holding him by the elbow, whispering something in his ear.
"You're right. I'm sorry, I do not know what I say, "he said after moderating the tone of voice and recovering control nerves.
although frequent Harvey home for several years, Catherine had never seen this individual and what suspicious. He rolls his eyes when he saw, hidden under the black raincoat, the holster of a gun.
"I gotta go. Alec needs to go home, "Michael interjected by looking at the child, curled up on one of the chairs of the room.
"Wait, Phelps."
The boy stopped in the middle of the room.
"Yes?"
For a moment the expression of pain which distorted the face of John subsided, giving way to a view of absolute determination .
"Despite the mistakes he committed, he loved you."
swallowed. "And wherever you are right now wants more. "
"I assure you that ..." half-open mouth to inhale air. "... Those responsible will pay for what they did."
The swimmer, without batting an eye, shook his hand. "I'm sorry, John. I'll give you my deepest condolences. " Then went off charging the child on his shoulders.
Catherine followed him with her eyes from the doorway, surprised by his expression detached. The way he was reacting to her totally unexpected.
responses, measured, and friendly with everyone, was unnatural for someone like Michael, tends to be dominated by instincts. Those gestures were not controlled leak any emotion, as if the loss of Becky had not upset the life that much.
And even if it seemed strange, he began to suspect that you have overstated their bond.
Probably the son that she expected of him was only the result of a moment of weakness, in which both lost control. A simple mistake that, thankfully, was resolved by itself.
had not seen him shed a single tear during the funeral, even when Alec started kicking and scratching the hands of the workers who wanted to hold his ground Becca.
Even you, used to not get involved, it was moved to despair in the face of that young child, believed to last only to leave them to do. Michael had enabled him to lay on the coffin of the sweatshirt national Becky had given him, reassuring him that way doing, he would never feel cold.
Catherine And while he thought on these things, the man had already set in motion the 'Escalade , eager to return to Baltimore before nightfall.
"Wait, Mr. Phelps!"
Rosie, the ruler of the Harvey family, knocked on the car window. The woman, her hair disheveled, wrapped in a shawl of raw wool, clutching a box covered with sheets newspaper. That sweet face, her eyes marked by time and the tears, the softened, convincing him to listen.
"Take it, if you want to know really who she was."
A lump in his throat prevented him from breathing. Do not take it anymore, her nerves were about to explode into a thousand pieces and wanted to flee as far away from them all.
grabbed the package, tossed it casually on the seat beside her and pushed the accelerator, leaving the road signs tire and a smell of burning rubber.
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