BEATRICE APOLOGIES

BEATRICE APOLOGIES
Michelle's Pov

Beatrice called two weeks after we moved back into the house. I almost did not answer when I saw her name but Hayden said I should hear what she had to say.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Michelle," Beatrice said. "Thank you for picking up. I know you probably don't want to talk to me but I was hoping I could come visit. To see you and Hayden and the twins."

"Why?" I asked. I kept my voice cold.

"Because I owe you an apology," Beatrice said. "A real one. Not over the phone but in person. Please. I know I don't deserve your time but I'm asking anyway."

I looked at Hayden. He nodded.

"Fine," I said. "Saturday afternoon. Two o'clock. Don't be late."

"I won't," Beatrice promised. "Thank you Michelle."

Saturday came and I was nervous all morning. I cleaned the house twice even though it was already clean. I changed my outfit three times. I did not know why I cared what Beatrice thought but I did.

"Relax," Hayden said. "She's coming to apologize to you. Not judge you."

"I know," I said. "But I still want everything to be perfect."

At exactly two o'clock the doorbell rang. I opened it and there was Beatrice holding a gift bag and looking nervous.

"Hello Michelle," she said. "Thank you for letting me come."

"Come in," I said.

Beatrice walked inside and looked around. "The house looks beautiful. You've done a lovely job with it."

"Thanks," I said.

We sat in the living room. Hayden brought out coffee and cookies. The twins were napping upstairs.

"I brought gifts for Hope and James," Beatrice said and held out the bag. "Just some toys. I wasn't sure what they liked."

"You didn't have to do that," I said.

"I wanted to," Beatrice said. "They're my grandchildren. I should have been there for them from the beginning."

"You should have been there for a lot of things," I said. I did not try to hide the anger in my voice.

"You're right," Beatrice said. "I should have. And that's why I'm here. To apologize for everything I did and everything I didn't do."

She took a deep breath. "When you married Elliot I treated you terribly. I looked down on you. I made you feel unwelcome in the family. I enabled Elliot's abuse of you. And I'm so sorry."

"Why?" I asked. "Why did you treat me like that?"

"Because I was angry," Beatrice admitted. "Angry that Elliot married someone so different from Eleanor. Angry that he was trying to replace her. And I took that anger out on you instead of on him where it belonged."

"That's not an excuse," I said.

"You're right," Beatrice said. "It's not. There is no excuse for how I behaved. I was cruel and petty and I'm ashamed of myself."

"You knew what Elliot was doing," I said. "You knew he was hurting people and you said nothing."

"Yes," Beatrice said. Tears started running down her face. "I knew. And I will regret that for the rest of my life. I should have gone to the police. I should have stopped him. But I was a coward."

"Why are you telling me this now?" I asked. "Why not years ago?"

"Because I wasn't ready to face what I had done," Beatrice said. "I was too busy protecting myself. Protecting my reputation. But then I watched you and Hayden fight back. I watched you risk everything to expose Victor Kane and all the others. And I realized I needed to do the same. I needed to tell the truth and face the consequences."

"What consequences?" Hayden asked. "You're not in prison."

"I testified at Victor Kane's trial," Beatrice said. "I told them everything I knew. And now I'm cooperating with the FBI on other cases. Other men who were part of that network. Some of them are my friends. People I've known for years. But I'm helping put them in prison anyway."

"Good," I said.

"I also turned myself in," Beatrice said. "For my role in everything. For introducing girls to Elliot. For staying silent. The prosecutor is deciding what charges to file."

I did not know what to say to that. Part of me wanted Beatrice to go to prison. But another part of me felt bad for her.

"I don't expect forgiveness," Beatrice continued. "I don't deserve it. But I wanted you to know that I'm trying to make things right. I'm trying to be the person I should have been all along."

"Why should I believe you?" I asked. "How do I know this isn't just another manipulation?"

"You don't," Beatrice said honestly. "All I can do is show you through my actions. Through being there for you and Hayden and the twins if you'll let me."

"I don't know if I can let you," I said. "You hurt me. You enabled Elliot's abuse. Why would I let you near my children?"

"Because they deserve to know their grandmother," Beatrice said. "Not the woman I was but the woman I'm trying to become. But Michelle I understand if you say no. I understand if you never want to see me again. I just had to try."

The twins woke up crying and I went upstairs to get them. When I came back down carrying Hope and James Beatrice's face lit up.

"Oh," she said. "They're beautiful. They look so much like Hayden when he was a baby."

"This is Hope," I said. "And this is James."

"Can I hold them?" Beatrice asked.

I looked at Hayden. He shrugged like it was my decision.

"Okay," I said. "But just for a minute."

I handed James to Beatrice. She held him carefully like he was made of glass. Tears ran down her face.

"Hello James," she said softly. "I'm your grandmother. I know I haven't been around but I want to be. If your mommy will let me."

James stared at her with his big eyes. Then he grabbed her necklace and smiled.

"He likes you," I said.

"Does he?" Beatrice asked. She looked so hopeful.

"Babies can tell when someone is genuine," I said. "James is a good judge of character."

We sat there for another hour. Beatrice played with the twins. She asked about their routines and their favorite things. She listened when I talked about how hard the past year was.

"I'm so sorry you went through that," Beatrice said. "I'm so sorry my son and his friends put you through hell."

"It's over now," I said. "We survived."

"You did more than survive," Beatrice said. "You won. You beat them all."