When Jordan awoke from her drug induced sleep, she carefully made her way down the stairs to get something to eat. She was regretting not getting the food before she took the pain medication. She felt sick to her stomach and her reflux was giving her hell. When she came into the kitchen, she took a seat at the table. “Delilah, how long until dinner?” she asked as she set her crutches down and rubbed her eyes.
“It won’t be too much longer, Jord. Are you ok?”
Jordan shook her head. “No, I’m tasting stomach acid, my leg still fucking hurts, my ribs still hurt, and so does my head. My wife may soon be my ex- wife. It depends on how forgiving I’m feeling if she comes back.”
“What happened, Jordan?” Maddie asked as she handed her older sister a glass of water.
“She picked a fight with me. I’m not feeling well, I’m in a lot of pain, and she’s busting my non- existent balls over the fact that I want revenge for what happened to me while I was at that warehouse. She doesn’t understand and she doesn’t want to understand. So, if she wants to be a cock sucking whore, then I’m done.”
“For the love of God, Jordan. A cock sucking whore? Is it that bad?”
“Yes. She’s been getting worse and worse over the years. She’s demanded going on every tour since the beginning and that’s kept Levi from getting to do things he wants to do. It’s bull shit, but Levi goes along with it. He’s asked and asked on several occasions, ‘Mama Davi, can we please stay here? I’d like to spend the summer with my friends’. Or, ‘Can’t I stay in school? I really like my teacher’.”
“Really? How are Malachai and the guys about it?”
“They all understand how I feel about wanting the kids to stay home so that they can be normal. We didn’t travel a lot with Dad. It’s not that we wouldn’t have been welcome, but Dad wanted us to live as close to normal childhoods as we could manage with our last names. Mom didn’t push the issue that there’s a possibility that he could fool around on her while Disturbed was on the road. She trusted Dad and Dad was a man whore when Disturbed first got started. I wasn’t a ho when Reckless Disregard got started. I swore off a steady girlfriend until I was out of school. I had a FIB, but I didn’t do a lot of fucking around. Did Mom hold all of the women before her over Dad’s head? No. Did Dad hold Malachai’s birth father over Mom’s head? No. Because they respect each other. Well, Davina can’t respect my decision to do this, then she can go to hell. I’m suing for custody of the kids should we actually divorce. She can’t take those kids from me. I won’t allow it.”
Delilah and Maddie shook their heads. “Damn, Jordan. How have you put up with it?”
“I understand that she has trust issues. I have trust issues too. I’ve been hurt before. Hell, Delilah was here when my previous ex was sitting here calling me a whore at the table while we were eating. I don’t remember if you were here, though Maddie.”
“I don’t remember either. I must not have liked her if I don’t remember her.”
“Well, turns out the bitch was screwing around on me and accusing me of doing the same. She fucked a man and got pregnant. Now, mind you, that same man is the sperm donor for both Levi and Jasmine.”
“Wow”, Delilah said. “I think I remember you saying something about that when you were pregnant with Levi.”
“Yeah. He’s a great guy and I let him see Levi, Jasmine too if Davi’s not being a bitch. They know he’s their Dad and they respect him the way they should. If things end between me and Davina, he’ll have more access to them both if things go my way.”
“Well, before you make any decisions, I think you need to slow your roll and calm down.”
“I was thinking about calling Mom and Dad to check on the kids and while I was at it, I’d tell them about the fight.”
“You should calm down and think about what you’re going to say before you do that. Levi’s dive is coming up soon, I’m sure.”
“Yeah, I think they’re taking him tonight. It will be morning over there. I probably won’t call until tomorrow, if I do call.”
“I think that’s a good idea”, Maddie said. “Call after the kids are in bed so that you don’t upset them.”
“If I do call Mom and Dad, I’m going to ask them not to tell the kids.”
“And I’m sure that they’ll oblige. Just let them know that nothing is official just yet.”
“I will, but first I want to get rid of this splitting migraine I’ve got try to get some rest that doesn’t involve me going to Oxy land.”
“That’s not going to happen for a while”, Delilah said. “I’ve had a broken femur before. You’ll have to wean yourself off of the pain killers before it stops hurting. And it will still bother you when the weather starts sucking.”
“When does your leg bother you, Delilah?”
“When it rains, when it snows, when the wind blows too hard.”
“Is there anything in your training that you can do that might help ease this process along?”
“I’ll put my mind to it and get back to you, ok?”
“No problem. I’ve got a few more days until my appointment to have the cast removed.”
“Have they checked the incision from the surgery?”
“Yeah, before I left the hospital. They said it’s looking good and I’m healing better than they expected for someone who’s had a cast on the leg since they closed the incision.”
Delilah nodded. “Ok. That’s good to know. Can you get me the number for your doctor? I want to get clearance from him to work with you before doing so.”
“No problem. I’ll get it to you after dinner.”
---------------
Jake had been in his office taking care of the medical practice he hadn’t seen in three months when there was a knock on his office door. “Yeah, come in”, he called as he hung up the phone. He had been talking to his partner in practice, Tom Devereaux.
Marc opened the door slowly and walked in. “Do have you talked to Jordan recently?”
“No since I came in from training. Why?” Jake went to working on his computer, looking at a patient’s medical file. The woman had been a long time patient of his and he was looking over recent test results from a procedure she had done several years before.
“Then you intercepted the fight she and Davina had.”
Jake sipped the coffee he had sitting in his desk. “Yep. Am I shocked? No. Am I upset? Not sure. Am I gonna tell Mom and Dad? Not my place. If Jordan wants them to know, she will tell them. I may be the acting patriarch, but I’m not the patriarch yet.”
“Do you think Jordan will do it?”
“Divorce Davina?” Marc nodded. “In a heartbeat. If everything I heard is true, and I’m betting it is, then she has grounds to do so.”
“Who do you think will get custody of the kids?”
“I’m not going to speculate. It’s not really my place to say who would be the batter parent to those kids. I will say that being with Mom and Dad is the best thing for them at the moment. Jordan’s not in a state of mind where she can care for them and Davina’s being difficult as well. Honestly though, I think as a family we need to support our sister in whatever she decides to do. Now, Marc, I really need to finish my work. Tom needs my assessment of this patient’s MRI and CT ASAP.”
Marc nodded. “I just wanted to get your assessment of the situation here. I don’t know what to believe because I’m not here all the time anymore.”
“The people to really ask about if what Jordan said is true are down in the studio working and tracking some material they’ve been working on. You could always go ask them.”
“I consider do that. Thanks Jake.”
“No problem Marc. Just do me a favor and reserve judgment until you have the facts. In order to get all of the facts, you have to talk to all parties involved.”
Marc was puzzled by what his older brother said, but he left it at that. He understood that Jake needed to work. He knew that to get the whole truth you had to get all sides of the story. The question was, who all was involved and how was he supposed to get all of the details he might need? Or better yet, should he even bother digging at all?
---------------
In Tel Aviv, everyone was up and around at about 8:30 am. David and Brie took the kids for a morning swim in the hotel pool before getting breakfast. It gave them all a chance to get a little exercise as well as wake up before eating and going about their activities for the day.
At 10:00, everyone was heading off to do their own things. David dropped Brie and Jasmine off at the mall and took Levi to the dive shop to pick up their tanks and meet Joe at the docks. “Grampa, this is the most exciting thing ever!” Levi exclaimed.
“I’m glad you’re so excited. You’re going to see a lot of really cool stuff while we’re down there, so I’m going to pick up a camera so that you can take pictures to show your Moms when you get back to the US.”
“I’m gonna get to have a photo album too?”
“No, I’m going to let you go home without proof of the memories to share with everyone”, David said sarcastically. “Of course you get a photo album to show everyone.”
“If you weren’t driving, Grampa, I’d give you a big hug.”
David smiled. “You can hug me when we get to the shop to pick up the tanks. Now, keep in mind, you wanted this so you have to carry your own gear. Understood?”
“Yes, Grampa. If I need help, will you help me?”
“If I can, but you have to be a big kid and carry it on your own unless it’s just too much.”
“Ok, Grampa.”
David pulled up to the dive shop and parked the car. “Alright, let’s do this.” He got out of the car and lead Levi into the shop after letting him out of the back seat.
When they walked in they were greeted by Chaim’s beautiful, cheerful, and fearless wife Ariel. “Shalom David.”
“Shalom Ariel. Where’s Chaim this morning?”
“Visiting the doctor. Is this your grandson he was telling me about?”
“Yes, this is Levi. He’s my oldest daughter’s son.”
“Oh yes, the hot headed Jordan. Does he take after his mother?”
“No, actually he’s a lot more like her twin brother, Jacob. Jake’s more level headed.”
She nodded. “Nice. When are we going to meet the rest of your children, Chaim and I?”
“When they decided to drag themselves out here to visit when their mother and I aren’t travelling.”
She laughed. “So, you’re taking the boy for a dive?”
“Yep. I’m picking up the tanks and other breathing equipment.”
“You paid Chaim?”
“Yes, last night.”
“Alright. Give me just a moment.” She went into the back and grabbed the tanks. “It appears that your tank isn’t as full as it should be, David? Is there a purpose to that?”
“I had mine filled to Levi’s tank capacity. I’m only taking him down for about fifteen to thirty minutes.”
“So you had him fill the tank to about half?”
"Yeah. I’ve been thinking about investing in a couple of rebreathers for myself and Brie. She hates that we’re limited by the amount of oxygen in the tanks.”
“Well, let me know what you decide. We have them.”
“I know. I’m going to talk with her about it tonight. I’ve only recently started entertaining the idea.”
“Sounds good.” She smiled sweetly. “Well, David, it looks like you and young Levi are ready for your dive.”
“Thank you, Ariel. I’m sure Brie and I will be seeing you very soon.”
“Looking forward to it. I’ll see you when I see you again.”
David and Levi picked up the equipment and headed out the door. They had everything them needed. Once everything was carefully loaded into the trunk of the car, they headed for the docks where Captain Joe was waiting. As they walked down the dock, Joe looked up. “David, aren’t you getting too old to be diving?”
“Screw you, Joe. I’m not too old to dive yet. When my doctor tells me that I can’t handle it anymore, then I’ll stop. But until that happens I’m going to keep diving. Anyway, I made this young man here a promise and I intend to keep it. Don’t like it, you’re not the only boat owner I know.”
“No, but I’m the only one available.”
“Actually no. You’re just the first one I think of. Now, stop talking. I need to get in the boat so that I can help my grandson into the boat. Are you done being an ass?”
Joe chuckled. “Come aboard you two and let’s get this dive going.”
---------------
Once they were out at the proper depth, Joe pulled the boat to a stop and dropped anchor. “Alright, if you two want to get ready, I’m just gonna sit here and read a book.”
“Just so long as you don’t drive away while we’re down there”, David laughed. “We’re not going to be down there very long. It’s going to be a short dive for me.”
“Not very long for you and your wife means hours.”
“I’m too young for hours, Mr. Libawitz. I know that. This was just something I thought would be fun”, Levi said politely.
“You’re a very polite and respectful young man, Levi. I just wish that your cousin Miri was like that.”
“Miri’s polite and respectful”, David said. “She’s just highly opinionate.”
“Like her Grampa?” Joe asked.
“And her Gramma, her Daddy, and most of her aunts and uncles.”
Joe laughed. “St least she comes by it honestly.”
“I’m opinionated too. I just don’t say anything unless I have something important to add”, Levi said quietly.
“It’s really funny that Jordan’s son is a lot like Jake and Jake’s daughter is a lot like Jordan”, Joe laughed.
David and Joe continued to playfully jab each other as they got ready to dive. Once they were ready, they jumped into the water. “We’ll be back shortly. We’re not going very deep and we don’t have a lot of O2.”
“I’ll be here David. Go dive with your grandson.”
David and Levi went down and right away Levi was in awe. “This is so pretty Grampa.”
“I know, Levi. And I’ll tell you now that you never get used to it.”
“I believe it.” He started taking his pictures. In the distance, there was a rather large looking fish coming toward them. “Grampa, what’s that?”
“That is a black tip shark. Be still and just let him pass.”
“But I want a picture.”
“Make it fast. He’s still far enough away that it won’t upset him.”
Levi snapped his picture then held as still as he could. The shark came and went with a direction change somewhere in the middle of his path. The shark wanted nothing to do with the two Draiman men in his home. “That was so cool.”
“I’m glad you think so. Get your pictures, Levi.” David checked his dive watch. They were about 25 ft below sea level, but that’s not what he was looking at. He was checking the time, then the O2 gauge on his tank strap. “We only have about 10 more minutes of oxygen before we have to surface and head back into the mainland.”
“Ok, Grampa.” Levi started snapping his pictures; the different fish, a couple of stingrays, a manta ray, a pod of dolphins, and the holy grail: a great white shark. Before he knew it, he was out of pictures.
“Time to go, Levi.”
“Ok, Grampa. I’m ready when you are.”
“Don’t rush. We still have enough oxygen to get to the surface.”
“Ok, Grampa. I’m right here with you. You set the pace.”
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