“What is it, Kate?” Krista asked, carefully, placing her hand on top of Katelin’s. She could tell that whatever Katelin was about to say was difficult for her. “You can tell us.”
“Okay. God this is hard.” Katelin took a deep breath. “Something happened three years ago but I didn’t know until after I got home.”
“Hey, do you feel okay?” Adrienne asked, walking into the den where Katelin was. Over the three weeks since she had been dragged home from Florida, she had not gotten any better.
“No.” Katelin never took her eyes off of the television.
“I know you’re upset, honey,” Adrienne said, sitting down next to her. “I wish there was something I could do.”
“There’s no stopping daddy when he wants something to go his way.” Katelin sat up and fought off yet another wave of nausea that swept over her. “Doesn’t he understand what he’s doing to me? I love Nick.”
“I know you do, Kate,” Adrienne consoled, putting her arm around her. She took a closer look at Katelin’s face. “Are you sure you’re not sick? You look kind of green.” Katelin, suddenly and without answering, ran into the bathroom, Adrienne following close behind.
“You know, I’ve heard you in here the past couple of days.” Adrienne looked at her skeptically. “Are you sure nothing else is going on?” Katelin didn’t answer.
“Katelin,” Adrienne began, cautiously. “Have you gotten your period?” Katelin quickly glanced up at Adrienne, her eyes wide.
“What are you talking about?” Katelin had never even thought about this. This was something that had never even crossed her mind as a possibility.
“I think you need to see a doctor,” Adrienne advised. “I have a feeling I know what’s wrong with you.”
The next day, Adrienne and Katelin were seated in the doctor’s office in mid-town Manhattan. They had gone shopping together earlier in order to provide an excuse to Mike as to what they really doing. Neither one of them, especially Katelin, wanted to even think of what his reaction would be if Adrienne’s assumptions turned out to be correct.
“Miss Taylor?” The nurse walked into the waiting room. “The doctor will see you now.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Adrienne asked, supportively. Katelin shook her head:
“No. I’ll be fine.”
Katelin and Adrienne rode up to the penthouse in absolute silence. Not a word had been spoken between the two since they got into the cab outside of the doctor’s office. When they entered the apartment, Mike was waiting for them for dinner.
“I’m not hungry, daddy,” Katelin told him before disappearing to her room. Over the next few days, Katelin thought about what effects this news would bring. Surely, her father would have to allow her to speak to Nick in order to discuss the situation. Never in a million years did she expect the reaction she got from him.
“You’ll put it up for adoption,” was Mike’s solution.
“What?!” Katelin exclaimed. She was in complete and utter disbelief, along with Adrienne. “No way, daddy. This is my baby.”
“This child is a disgrace, Katelin,” he growled. “Would you rather me have charges pressed against him?”
“No,” Katelin answered, looking at the floor. Adrienne sat next to her, disgusted by his behavior. “But daddy, this is my baby. You can’t make me do this.”
“This is what is going to be done,” Mike ordered. “And there will be no contact with Nick. He’ll never know about this.” And so, Katelin lived with this child growing inside of her for nine months, knowing that as soon as it entered this world, she would cease being its mother forever.
Katelin had her face buried in her hands, trying to stop the endless stream of tears that spilled from her eyes. Ang and Krista sat with their mouths wide open, shocked to say the least. When they had asked Katelin what was wrong, they had never expected to hear this.
“I have never even seen my son,” Katelin tearfully said. “His father doesn’t even know that he exists. And there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“What do you mean?” Ang questioned. “Katelin, no one is stopping you from getting your son back. You’re his biological mother who was forced, against her will, to give him up. No one can keep him from you.”
“I can’t do that, Ang,” Katelin said, softly. “Don’t you understand? He has a happy life with the only parents he’s ever known. How can I disturb that?” Krista and Ang were rendered speechless. Katelin had a point. A very valid one and she was adamant about sticking by it. And she would be able to, as hard as it would be, as long as Nick never found out.
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****\
Christine quietly tiptoed into the house. She was drunk and extremely late. Paul had called her on her cell phone over two hours ago and she was just getting home now. He was going to be so pissed off and she was afraid of what he might do. So far, the coast looked pretty clear. All she had to do was tiptoe up the stairs and slip into bed and he would be none the wiser. She was about to step up the first stair when the light in the hallway went on.
“Busted,” Paul growled. Christine turned around slowly and played innocent:
“Paul?! What are you doing up?”
“What am I doing up?!” he exclaimed, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her back down the stairs. “Do you know what time it is? It’s three in the morning, Christine. I called you two and a half hours ago!”
“Paul, I was with my sister,” Christine tried to explain. “I haven’t hung out with her in a while. And you know how much she likes to talk.”
“You’re drunk,” Paul stated, glaring at her. “I thought we talked about you’re drinking.”
“Paul, I barely drink!” she cried. “You’re not my goddamn father! You cannot tell me what to do!” It happened so fast that Christine was even sure what occurred. One second she was standing there, glaring at Paul, and the next she was laying flat on the ground with her hand covering her face. She was so in shock by what was happening that she didn’t even feel what he was doing to her.
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
“Hey Bone,” Howie said as AJ answered his door. Howie stepped inside and got a good look at his friend. His eyes were tired, he reeked of smoke, and he held a bottle of Vodka in his hand. “What’s up?”
“Nothing,” AJ mumbled. “Come on in.”
“What’s going on?” Howie questioned. “You look like hell. Where’s Sarah?”
“Sarah who?” AJ asked, sarcastically.
“Your fiancee?” Howie reminded him. “The girl you swore up and down that you loved more than anything on this earth.”
“She’s gone,” AJ explained, collapsing onto his couch. “Right along with the rest of them.”
“What happened?” Howie sat down across from him and looked at him curiously.
“She found out about the baby,” AJ told him. “Find out about the baby, about the baby’s mother, and told me that she needed some time to think. She won’t be back.”
“Well, if you claim to love her so much,” Howie began. “Why don’t you go and fight for her? Don’t let her just walk away from you.”
“She already did, Howie!” AJ barked. Why couldn’t anyone just leave it be? AJ wasn’t now, nor would he ever be, the type who went running after someone, begging them to come back to him. “I’m not going to go after her.”
“That’s just your problem!” Howie exclaimed. “You wouldn’t have these problems if you ever fought for what you wanted. You’d probably still be with Krista right now!”
“Krista’s gone!” AJ shouted. “She’s been gone for almost three years and she’s not coming back! I don’t want her to!”
“You’re lying to yourself, AJ,” Howie explained, gently. “You’re lying if you think that, for one second, it was a good idea for you to just let her go.”