Breakaway - A Contemporary Romance Drama Story (23 page)

"I hope it doesn't either," Nathan said. "We should be hearing from Mike soon."

"Will you let me know if he finds anything?" Kate asked.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Nathan said.

"Yes," Kate said. "No matter how bad it is I want to know."

"All right."

"Can I get out of bed?" Kate asked. "Or do I have to stay here all day?"

"What did Dr. Paulson tell you to do?"

"He told me to rest for a few days."

"If I take you to the living room will you promise me you'll stay there?"

"I promise," Kate said.

"Then you can get out of bed," Nathan said, pulling the covers back.

Kate slowly stood and groaned as her body protested the movement. "I want to stop by the nursery and see Gaby before we go downstairs."

"I think that can be arranged." Nathan grabbed the sling Dr. Paulson had left and helped Kate put her arm in it. "I'm sorry," he said when she winced.

"It's-" Kate broke off as the sound of Gaby's cries filled the air. "She must be hungry."

"I'll make sure, she gets a bottle," Nathan said. He finished with the sling, wrapped an arm around Kate and helped her from the room, across the hall and into the nursery.

"Leave me with her and you go get her a bottle," Kate said.

"Okay," Nathan said. "I'll be right back."

Kate leaned on the crib and looked down at Gaby. "It's all right, sweetheart. Hold on. Nathan will be back in a minute, and you can eat. Mommy would feed you, but I can't hold you with my bad arm."

"Is something wrong?" Mr. Miller said, appearing next to Kate. "I could hear her crying from my office."

"She's hungry," Kate said. "Nathan went to get her a bottle."

Nathan came back a minute later with a bottle. He scooped Gaby up in his arms and carried her to a chair. Sitting down, he inserted the nipple into her mouth and smiled as she began to suck. "That's what you needed, mommy's milk."

Watching Nathan feed Gaby, Kate felt a lump form in her throat. He was so gentle and loving toward the baby.
If only he was Gaby's father,
she said to herself.

"I heard from Mike," Mr. Miller said.

Nathan's head snapped up. "What did he say? Did he find anything?"

Mr. Miller smiled. "He found something, but what it is I don't know yet. He wanted to tell me in person. The bad thing is he won't be able to meet with me until tomorrow. I invited him here. He should be here some time in the morning."

"So we wait," Nathan said.

Kate wondered if she could wait that long without going insane.
What are you hiding, Edward?

Chapter 1
9

Kate spent the day on the sofa with Nathan, watching old black and white movies. It had been a favorite past time of theirs when they were growing up. The weather was perfect for movie watching. The rain had started falling early that morning, and continued on into the evening. Kate, who didn't sleep well the night before, was tired and decided to turn in early. She left the living room shortly after nine, and headed upstairs to take a shower. After taking out a pair of panties and a long nightgown, she walked into the bathroom. She turned on the water, removed the sling and bandage from her arm, shed her clothes and stepped into the shower.

Ten minutes later, Kate got out of the shower and reached for a towel. She slowly dried herself off and then put her nightclothes on. Once she was finished, she brushed her teeth and then snapped off the light. She moved into the bedroom and pulled back the covers. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Kate crossed the room and opened the door.

"Are you ready for me to re-wrap your arm?" Nathan asked.

"Yes," Kate said. She turned around and made her way toward the bed. "The bandage is on the counter in the bathroom."

"I'll get it," Nathan said, heading toward the bathroom.

"Thank you." Kate sat down on the side of the bed and waited.

Nathan returned with the bandage. "I'll do my best not to hurt you."

Kate smiled up at him. "I'm not worried." She watched as Nathan wrapped the bandage around her arm. "I'm scared about tomorrow. Whatever Mike discovered about Edward is going to affect me and Gaby."

"I know," Nathan said. "Whatever it is I'll help you through it, Katie. You won't have to go through it alone." He affixed the Velcro strips together and lowered her arm. "All done."

"Thank you," Kate said softly. "Will you give Gaby a kiss good night for me?"

"Sure," Nathan said.

Kate slipped beneath the covers, and Nathan put a pillow under her arm. "Good night, Nathan."

Nathan brushed his lips across Kate's. "Good night, Katie. Sweet dreams."

"Thank you," Kate said. She closed her eyes and was soon fast asleep.

"Katie, wake up."

Groaning, Kate forced her eyelids open and found Nathan standing over her. "W-what's wrong?"

"Mike is here," Nathan said.

Kate glanced at the clock radio. "It's eleven-thirty at night," she said. "I thought he wasn't coming until tomorrow."

"That's what I thought, but obviously what he has to say can't wait," Nathan said.

Kate threw the covers back and scooted toward the edge of the bed. She stood and slipped on her robe. "I don't want to go downstairs and hear what he has to say."

"It's going to be all right, Katie." Nathan reached for Kate's hand and led her downstairs to the living room. They found Mr. Miller and Mike deep in conversation.

"Katie," Mr. Miller said. "I want you to meet an old friend of mine, Mike Fleming. Mike, this is my daughter, Katie."

"It's nice to meet you, Katie," Mike said.

"You too," Kate said quietly, looking into his warm hazel eyes.

"I apologize for coming so late, and for waking you," Mike said. "I know I told your father, I wouldn't be able to talk with you until tomorrow, but circumstances have changed."

"Let's sit down," Mr. Miller said. "By the way, this is Katie's friend, Nathan. He's staying with us for awhile."

Nathan and Mike shook hands and then everyone took a seat.

Mike gazed at Kate. "I want you to know that I have done a thorough back ground search on Edward. No stone was left unturned."

"Please," Kate said, gripping Nathan's hand. "Just tell me what you found. I can't take the suspense."

Mike leaned forward and opened a briefcase that was on the coffee table. He removed a photo and held it out in front of Kate. "Her name is Vivian."

Kate stared at the picture of the stunning brunette. "I've never seen her before. Who is she?"

Mike cleared his throat. "She is Edward's wife. They have been married for eight years."

Kate gaped at Mike. "What are you talking about? I'm Edward's wife."

Mike looked at her kindly. "I'm sorry, Katie, but you and Edward aren't married."

"I don't – I-" Kate swallowed hard. "Are you- oh, God."

Nathan embraced Kate and glanced at Mike. "Are you talking about Bigamy?"

"I am," Mike declared. "When a person is already legally married and marries again, the second marriage is void."

"How could he do this to me?" Kate cried against Nathan's shoulder. "For six years, I believed we were married. It was all a lie. Why did he do it?"

"When he gets home, we'll find out," Mr. Miller snarled.

"He won't be coming home, Ted," Mike said. "He's dead."

Gasping, Kate moved out of Nathan's arms. "D-dead? How did it happen?"

"Vivian shot him." Mike dropped the photo back into the briefcase and sat back. "Did Edward tell you why he was going out of town?"

"He said it was business," Kate muttered.

"He was in New York with Vivian," Mike said. "I went to see her after I talked to you, Ted. When I arrived the police were arresting her. After Vivian was booked, I was allowed to talk to her. The Chief of police owed me a big favor; otherwise I wouldn't have been able to see her. Vivian was all too happy to tell me what happened."

"Before you go any farther, would you like something to drink?" Mr. Miller asked.

"Thank you, but no," Mike said. "What happened was, Vivian overheard a phone conversation between Edward and his father, Martin. They were discussing you, Katie. From what Vivian could make out, Edward was telling Martin about you leaving him. When he hung up the phone, Vivian confronted him and demanded to know who you were. I guess Edward didn't like to be questioned, because he hit her. Vivian told me it wasn't the first time he had raised his hand to her. She was tired of the abuse, she said. Like you, she suffered abuse for years. She said something inside of her snapped. She went upstairs, got the gun she kept hidden in her bedroom, went back downstairs. Once more, she demanded to know who you were. When Edward wouldn't tell her, she shot him in the leg."

"I bet he told her then," Nathan said.

Mike nodded. "He knew she meant business. He told her Martin wanted a grandson, someone to carry on the family name and business one day. Vivian couldn't have children. She had no problem getting pregnant she just kept miscarrying. So Martin came up with a plan. He was going to find a woman for Edward to marry. Once this woman produced a male heir, a hit man would be hired to kill her, of course it would be made to look like an accident. Edward would tell Vivian he wanted to adopt a baby boy. Martin would create a fake adoption agency that would take care of the proceedings. Edward would bring his biological son home and Vivian would be kept in the dark."

"Why didn't Edward and Vivian adopt for real?" Nathan said.

"Edward told Vivian, Martin wanted a biological grandson," Mike said.