A few days went by, the same routine proving a good bit of consistency, until one evening Angel arrived at the hospital to find Carrie dressed and out of bed.
"Hey," he said with concern, "Sit down, Car."
"I'm good," she beamed. "How are my boys?"
"We're good," Angel said cheerfully. "Are they letting you out?"
"Finally yeah!"
Angel pulled her into a hug with him and Joey, kissing her forehead then their son's. "The baby's okay?"
"The baby is perfect," Carrie assured him. "My blood pressure has been great for days now. I just have to take it easy and our lives have to kind of slow down."
"I know," he said apologetically. "You're gonna be bored, babe. I promise."
Carrie was indeed bored, she was bored for about thirty minutes until Felipe stopped over. He looked disappointed to see her home, he hoped for more privacy, but he greeted her as he normally did.
"Your color is better today," he remarked. "How are you?"
"Better," she grinned. "I'm happy to be home, it really helps."
"If you ever need a hand around here, you know all you have to do is call."
"That means a lot, thank you," Carrie said. "I'll let you guys talk, I don't think Daddy has bathed this boy all week."
"I thought you weren't supposed to get em' wet," Angel played dumb.
Carrie rolled her eyes before taking her leave although she was dying to know what prompted the unexpected visit.
"What's up, Pop?"
Felipe sighed heavily, looking around the house for a long moment before turning his eyes back to his son.
"She did a good job around here," he remarked.
"Yeah, we still gotta move though, not enough room for the four of us," Angel told his father.
"Growing pains," he smiled wistfully. "I remember when we first found out about you. We made so much space, fixed up the nursery and got your playpen, changing table," he went on. "Then we got you home and you were so small it was ridiculous you'd need all that. Everything changed the moment you were born, it all changed for the better."
Angel scoffed, covering his mouth when he did though, and shook his head. "What is this?"
"I know how you feel when it comes to EZ, I know you feel slighted, second best," Felipe said sadly. "That isn't true. You and EZ have different talents, you're different people, and I don't think we knew how to be the best parents to you, Angel."
The words hit him with unexpected force. Angel nodded as his father spoke, pacing back and forth along the length of the dining room table. He went from sorrowful to enraged and back again.
"Is this some new father pep talk?" Angel asked, looking at his father now. His face was twisted with pain and anger, and confusion deepened the wrinkles in his forehead.
Felipe chuckled a little. "No. Seems fatherhood came more naturally to you than it did to me." He smiled proudly. "You are a good father, especially under the circumstances. You were thrust into a readymade family and you're doing so well. I'm proud of you."
For Angel, the four words were 20 some odd years too late to make the kind of impact he needed but he smiled and nodded at his father. "Thanks, Pop."
"All that being said," Felipe cleared his throat. "As a father, you know, you will do anything to keep your children safe."
"I know," he said immediately thinking of the mess he was living, "I'm seeing that."
"And that's why I'm here," Felipe said mournfully. "I had a visitor earlier this week."
Angel sat across from his father now. "Who?"
"Her name is Luisa Espina but you know her as Adelita."
"Adelita?" Angel snapped. "She was here? She came after you?"
"I came out the other side unharmed," he said. "She told me about the cartel, what she's doing and how you've helped. I need to ask, what happened between you two?"
"Nothing," Angel said quickly. "It was business."
"She seems to have some hurt feelings," Felipe said. "She also sounded unpredictable, unsettled, dangerous."
"Shit Pop," Angel sighed, opening up to his father now, "Eight months ago my whole life was different. I never saw Carrie living here, I didn't know Joey was mine, Kevin was still breathing. Now I got two kids, she's living here and I'm obsessed with how to propose to her."
"You never see the changes coming," he said sagely.
"There was a part of me that always wanted to walk away from Carrie. It wasn't fair to me or her or fucking Kevin, I never thought we'd get to be together, not this clean. Adelita was," he didn't even know how to say it.
"She was the other side of that," Felipe mused.
"Yeah. Yeah, I guess," he huffed. "I never told her about Carrie, or Joey, or the new baby. I should have. We both knew there was something there but we were busy, she was too focused on other shit."
Felipe cocked his head to the side. "Do you regret your decision?"
"No," Angel's head shot up. "I always wanted Carrie, I just didn't think it would happen. I wanted a backup. Adelita never would have worked anyway," he explained, "It's too dangerous, we're too different. She's saving the goddamn world, I just want my club and my family."
"That is what it's about for her too, just turns out her family is a ghost," Felipe said sadly. "Listen, I'm not telling you this for any other reason than to warn you. The unrest along the border, this war with Galindo and Los Olvidados, it is creeping in and it will touch Carrie and those children. It almost touched me."
Angel shook his head. "Why? Why you?"
"That, mijo, is a story for another time," he patted Angel's hand on the table, "You need to protect yourself. She knew you were my son, my blood," Felipe said vaguely. "She looked for you, I'm sorry, that's my fault."
"I didn't lead her to you," Angel said in disbelief, "You led her to me. Pop, what the fuck are you talking about? How? Why?"
"It's too much tonight, Carrie just got home, she's been sick," Felipe said. "There is no immediate threat. Just be careful."
"Guys?" Carrie called from the hallway. "Everything okay?"
"I'm just leaving," Felipe said cheerfully. He turned to Angel and lowered his voice as he spoke to him wearing a genuine smile. "Don't obsess. Plain, simple and honest, that's all it needs to be."
"We're gonna come back to this," Angel told his father. "I want answers."
"You'll get them," Felipe said as he hugged his son, "Good night."
"Angel?" Carrie came down the steps once the door shut. "What's wrong? You look crushed."
"I'm fine," he beamed. "Old man just came over with some nostalgic shit, talking about when I was a baby."
Carrie smiled. "Oh, I wish I could have heard!"
"You woulda been a crying mess," he laughed. "He said before I was born they had all this shit ready, nursery and shit, and when they brought me home I was just this little thing that didn't need space."
"Somehow I think Felipe told that anecdote with more meaning and emotion," she teased. "I'm glad he came over, you guys need to talk more."
"I don't know what the fuck we need," Angel admitted. "Joey good?"
"Yeah, he fell asleep after I put that lavender lotion on him," she chuckled. "Lotion and hair combing then he goes right out."
"Good for us," he grinned. "How are my girls?"
"We're good," she said dreamily as he wrapped her up in his arms, "Even better now."
"You ever think we'd be here? Like this?" He asked her quietly as they continued the hug.
"No," she said flatly. "I figured you'd meet a girl and I wouldn't be worth the hassle anymore."
"Mi dulce, you're more of a damn hassle now," he laughed. "The last two years were easy."
Carrie stuck her tongue out at him. "Mean."
"That's me," he said sweetly. "I wanna go to bed."
"Bed?" She laughed. "It's so early!"
"I got too much on my mind," he complained. "Let's just relax. Watch TV or some shit."
Carrie grinned and nodded. "I'll find something, go grab some snacks. We can curl up on the couch."
Angel agreed and slipped into the kitchen, peeking every so often to see Carrie stretched out on their new couch. He was distracted but he knew he had to enjoy this time now and worry about Adelita in the morning.
"Okay, so, Portlandia, the new Sabrina or Glow?"
"Uh," he said loudly from the kitchen, "Whatever you want."
"I don't know what I want," she laughed.
Angel turned his ringer off before joining Carrie on the couch with something for them to munch on. "What did you pick?"
"Parks and Rec," she said with a smile.
"Again?"
"It's funny!"
Angel rolled his eyes and grabbed the remote. "Peaky Blinders, we said we were gonna give it a try."
"Fine," she laughed, "I'll be passed out in no time anyway. Oh, this weekend I'm getting my hair done. I'm not going to have time to get my roots done so I'm going natural again. You mind?"
"I don't mind," he laughed. "Just don't shave it all off."
"I'll make a mental note," Carrie joked. She leaned on his chest and yawned. "I'm beat."
"You didn't even make it five minutes. Jesus. Good night," he teased as he kissed her softly. "Love you."
Carrie sighed, content and comfortable, as she settled in against Angel and closed her eyes. "Night, love you too."
Angel didn't sleep though. He held Carrie close, watched TV and felt the baby kicking and rolling around in Carrie's stomach. Felipe's visit was even more unsettling for Angel while sitting in the dark, his pregnant girlfriend laying on him, while their son slept just in the other room. If someone did come in at that moment, now that angel knew Adelita could find him if she wanted, they'd be dead in an instant before he could even move Carrie off of him.
Angel groaned and shook his head. "I gotta fucking fix this."
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