When Dr. Pascue woke up it was around two in the afternoon. He did not feel like getting out of bed. His long visit to Frank in the hospital had come after an exhausting Friday afternoon routine at the clinic and to add to that he had to deal with the emotional issues which came up because of his mother in law's interference in their domestic affairs. Lying in the bed, he began taking stock of his situation.

"This is it; I got to act without delay" he said to himself. Then he realized that nothing was stirring in the house. The eerie silence of his bedroom and the absence of children's usual racket alerted his sleepy mind. He glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table and realized that more than half of the day had gone and he was not out and about.

"What happened to everyone? Why Rosie did not wake me up? She knows we have a lot to accomplish today." He called her out but no one answered. A thought crossed his mind and that caused his faculties to come alive. "Francis! Has he done something to them?"

In a moment he grabbed his house gown and left the bedroom calling everyone beginning with his wife and ending with Mark. Quickly he reached down stairs and noticed a note resting on the dining table. He grabbed it and read quickly.

"Darling, we are heading out to the hospital to get grandpa home; hospital called for you. They were discharging him at noon and wanted us to pick him up before two o'clock. You were fast asleep and I thought you could use some rest. We should be back by three. Love you.-Rosie."

He felt relieved. "It's a very good thing she took kids with her," he thought as he headed for the coffee pot. With a cup in his hand he walked in the rear of his little villa where a small flower garden was planted by Maria. It looked neglected after her departure. Pascue put his coffee cup down on the table, picked up a hose and began watering the plants. In few minutes he returned the hose to its hanger and went back to the table. He dropped himself in the wicker chair, grabbed the cup and took few sips. The brew was warm but he did not care. His mind had already commenced the process of opening the vault where yesterday's problems were filed. Methodically he began to go through the folders containing all those issues.
After resurrecting the past events and the personalities involved, he reached to that point where he realized that that a quick fix solution was not possible. He stopped the assessment in a frustrated mood.

"I didn't get one damn minute to discuss anything with Rosie." He lamented.
"In an half hour they all will be here and a different ball game will begin. I wish Francis was somewhere else. He is likely to create a new hurdle with his piety, the fussing about the healing of body and saving of the soul stuff. I wish I had time to deal with this in a professional manner. What can be done now that the planned process of wrapping up and closing the book of Brothers Menendez today, will have to be shelved or even archived?"
Unconsciously Pascue went in to replenish the coffee but the sound of garage door opening stopped the chain of thoughts emerging in his mind and he walked towards the garage to welcome Frank and stood in the foyer that connected garage to kitchen.

Hearing the excitement his children's voices warmed his heart. Silvia and Mark were arguing where their grandpapa was going to sleep. When they came in the kitchen, they saw dad waiting for them and both spoke simultaneously:
"Dad; I want grandpapa to stay in my room; please, dad. I can take care of him better than Mark can when I return from the school" Silvia put her request first.

"No dad; grandpapa likes to stay with me; I can take care of him and he says he doesn't need much care; I can handle and I come home before Silvia." Mark put his claim with some logic added to it."

"Wait guys; you know mom is in charge of the home business; she has the power; not me." Papa avoided the issue and Rosie responded as she entered the door.

"Cut it out you two! Grandpapa has to take plenty of rest for at least two weeks. You heard what doctors said. A caretaker is coming this afternoon and she will give the needed help. You guys are going to create your usual racket and not let him rest. Now go up to your room wash and come down for the lunch."

Frank wanted to say something to Rosie but he was still feeling bit sleepy and instead spoke to kids in a subdued voice:
"I am going to get on my feet very soon and we will start where we left in a day or two."

Kids hugged him and left the kitchen and Pascue led the Oldman to the living room and put him on the sofa and spoke to him with voice full of tenderness and affection:

"They get troublesome when exited. Don't let them bother you. Rest here and I will see what arrangement is made for your own room."

Pascue was pleased with the ending of that crisis. It had brought the family together at least for now; if not for ever. Rosie was busy in the kitchen and he approached her with lots of admiration and love in his heart. She was facing the stove with back towards him. He put his arms around her and planted a kiss on her neck. Words rushed out of him in a torrent, expressing his tender feelings. She had accomplished so much with just one act of love and compassion; something wouldn't have come to his mind to do.

"I love you so much; just don't have words to express. This was a clever stratagem to go and bring dad home. I think the idea of taking children to the hospital has erased any doubts in Silvia's mind about we not wanting grandpa in the house."

She put the pan down on the stove, turned around, hugged him tight and whispered:
"Francis suggested that we all go and bring him home. I think we are making a blunder in by judging him as unstable, confused and whimsical person. This morning I got the first opportunity to see the other side of his personality; one he for reasons known only to him, he kept hidden from us."

Pascue was stunned by the revelation. His expertise in analyzing humans and diagnosing the mental abnormalities failed him when it came to his own step brother, one who grew up in front of him as a real brother. He turned around and sat down on the chair. All of sudden he realized that Francis was missing and he did not even noticed that when they returned as if he was no longer a part of his family.

"What happened to him? He did not return with you."

"I have no idea where he went. After we got in the car, he shut the door after me and just walked away without saying a word." She explained his absence.

"Well. Nothing we can do about that; let us not worry about him. What arrangement for Frank's stay with us you have in mind?" Pascue asked the boss.
"I am lodging him in Maria's room and Francis, if he returns will remain in his present quarters upstairs." She responded.

"What about a new housekeeper? Where will she stay? I don't want you to handle the domestic work along with the hospital business and besides that we need someone to deal with kids when they come home."

"I have given some thoughts to this. I am not going to have a living in housekeeper. I spoke to one of my coworker and she has suggested few young women who could be trusted with the home and kids. I spoke to three of them and one is coming this evening to see the house and then you can interview her if you like. I also discuss the matter with Silvia. She is going on fourteen now and has a good head on her shoulder. She assured me she will control Mark and keep eye on the new maid also. Let us try them out if this one--Carolina is her name, works out or not."

"Well! I don't need to get into this; I always have trusted you in everything that needs to be done for the home and children. However, now things seems to be settling down, let us concentrate on the thinking about settling the business of Menendez family's estate and ownership. Why not you and I go out tonight after the woman comes and stays with Frank and Kids?"

She agreed and he went back to living room to see if Frank was resting properly and could be moved to the guest room which Francis had been occupying.
To his surprise, he was comfortably sitting on the Divan with eyes closed as if he was meditating on something. Pascue put his hand on his shoulder and gently said,

"Dad! Don't you want to lie down? I can take you to Francis' room now if you wish to rest till suppertime."

"No: I would be fine here. I would like to be around people. It will be so much quiet in the room upstairs and I am not used to that. People came in and out all day at my place in town you know." Suddenly frank remembered his restaurant and asked Pascue:
"Has anyone called Tirnath and Jokim, my other two children at the restaurant? They may be thinking I am dead.

"No! Francis must have; I believe he has been living with them at your place. Is it not?" Pascue spoke with uncertainty while searching for a clue if Rosie had said anything about his activities in town. As a matter of fact she had not even remembered his existence amidst them. With all those unforeseen events and dealing with her mother, the maid and daily life of running home as well as the hospital, her daily life had stretched to point of breaking to keep track of that loose cannon ball brother in law of hers. Pascue returned to kitchen and Rosie said:

"It will be a prudent thing to do Pascue; check just in case Francis did not think of that." She responded to her husband's unspoken inquiry. Apparently she overheard their conversation and put the burden on her husband.

"Pronto; I will do that as soon as we get Dad situated." He assured her.
The planned arrangement in her mind was to give Maria's room to Frank. Located on the first floor and next to the kitchen, it looked perfectly suitable for a man of his age who had come home from the hospital.
"He should avoid stairs" was the primary reason but there was another hidden objective she had in mind. She wanted to keep the lovable grand pappy away from her children's bedroom so they won't indulge too much with him at bedtime as they had done when he arrived.
"They must get a good eight hours of sleep to function well in the school. They always could spend time with him after their homework is done. He would be in the living room or in the garden near his pad." She had thought of everything that could affect them as any good mom would. So it was settled at least for that moment and Frank simply accepted the arrangement as the proverbial, 'fait accompli' and moved into his new home. Incidentally it suited Frank's disposition rather well. He preferred the smells and sounds of streets over the quiet environs of hermitage. He showed no sign of disagreement and with that and the matter was settled amicably.
Remaining of that day passed without anything important happening in the Menendez's family. Frank was still under the lingering effects of sedatives and knowing the condition of his health, children did not disturb him at all. Dr. Pascue was called in for some consultation and Rosie began to arrange her daily routine without a live-in housekeeper.
Pascue had called the restaurant manager to inform him that Frank was living with his family. The manager informed him that both sons were at their universities and he would pass the information to them. The day appeared to be ending well' she thought as she got busy with her preparations of meals etcetera for kids and then she remembered Pascue's plans of going out to country club that evening. All of a sudden it did not sound like a good idea to leave a convalescent old man with kids and a new house maid. Besides that, tasks of dealing with patients on Monday morning always are hectic to clinicians managing them.
"We will have to find another day for that" she decided. Children came down to get their lunch and she sat down to grab few bites.