“Even if it means it might help to find her?”
“What I know won’t help you find her. You have to trust me.”
“That’s what she said, and now she’s gone again! Where the hell is she?” Kellan was beside himself with worry. She was all alone in a huge, strange city…and she had no one. “What did the letter say, Tyler?”
Tyler read him the letter.
“She can’t run from what?” Kellan shouted and slammed his fist down on the side of the baggage claim terminal.
“She said she had to face it. Do you think she went home?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to call Nancy and find out.”
I found a seat on the row at the back of the bus, next to the bathroom, where I spent a lot of time throwing up. I still had a lot of money, so I tried buying healthy food wherever we stopped, but not much was staying down. I knew I was almost three months pregnant and wondered when the nausea and vomiting would stop. I assumed a lot of it was nerves and stress, and I was hoping I’d feel better after talking to Kellan. I had three days to decide exactly what I was going to tell him, and although I knew I couldn’t tell him the whole truth, I decided I wasn’t going to lie to him, either. I was going to tell him what I could and he’d have to decide if he could live without knowing the rest, at least for now. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was the only one I could think of.
I also knew there was someone there who could help us, and as the bus dropped me off, I knew right where I was headed…to a renovated historical house in the center of town…
MARGOT
I knocked on the door and a beautiful woman answered the door.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“Um, I hope so. Are you…Margot?” I asked, praying that she wasn’t. She was tall and thin with long blond hair and the thought of Kellan with her brought back the nausea that had subsided for a couple of hours.
“No,” she smiled. “I’m Landry, Margot’s daughter. May I ask who you are?”
“Oh,” I said, trying to keep the bile down. I grabbed on to the doorframe for support and continued, “I was looking for Margot. Um, my name is Abby.”
“Abby?”
I was about to pass out and she obviously noticed because the next thing I remember was waking up on a couch with a cold cloth on my head.
I looked around, not sure where I was and started to get up.
“No, you sit still. You’re fine,” an older lady said while sitting down next to me. She was very pretty as well. She looked like an older version of the lady that answered the door…
“Oh, you must be Margot?” I tried to sit up again.
She pushed me back gently and adjusted the cloth on my forehead. “Yes, I’m Margot. And, I’m assuming that you’re Kellan’s, Abby?” she smiled.
I nodded. “I’m sorry to barge in on you, but he described your house to me, and I don’t know exactly where he lives. And,” I swallowed hard, “I was hoping you could help me…”
“You look like you need to see a doctor.”
“I need Kellan…first.”
“Honey, why didn’t you call him and tell him you were coming?”
“Because I needed a few days to think, and I knew he would come get me right then. I wasn’t ready to face him. I made him promise to give me until today…”
“Well, maybe you should call him, now.”
“I can’t. I um, I don’t know what to say.”
“You’re going to have to face it sooner or later.”
“I know. But, right now, the way I feel, and knowing how hurt and angry he is, I’d just assume wait for later. I kind of needed to talk to you…first, anyway.”
“Okay. Let’s talk. But, first, why don’t I give him a call…?”
“Not yet! If I know he’s on his way over, then I won’t be able to talk to you. Kellan said you were wonderful and you helped teens…like me, all the time,” I said, lowering my head to hide my shame. But, I looked back up at her when I thought about it for a minute, and realized I had done nothing wrong.
“I help pregnant teens, but I’m happy to help anyone who needs it.”
“I’m…pregnant.”
“I’m assuming Kellan doesn’t know about this?” she asked, looking at me sadly.
I shook my head no as the tears started.
“What happened, Abby?”
I looked up at her with fear in my eyes.
“Abby, whatever you tell me is going to stay just between us, okay? I promise you that I won’t tell Kellan or anyone else what you tell me. But, if I’m going to be able to help you, then I need to know the truth. And, from the looks of you, you need to talk, and you need medical care. I can help you, but you have to let me.”
“Kellan said you were good, but if he finds out…?”
“He won’t hear it from me. I promise you that.”
I took a deep breath and then told her everything. She sat there quietly, holding my hand and giving me reassuring pats and nods.
“So, that’s why I can’t tell him,” I said when I was all done.
“He is very protective of you. I still think you should tell him…”
“NO! Please don’t tell him!”
“I told you that I wouldn’t and I won’t. But, he needs to know. Your social worker also needs to know.”
I shook my head no. “Nancy has something on Kellan…and I know she’ll use it against him. But I won’t let her have this baby…even if I don’t…want it. And she can’t do anything to him because of that,” I said, looking down at the ground.
“So, what do you think Kellan will do to your foster father?”
“I don’t know, but it won’t be good, and I know he’ll be the one to get into trouble, even though he didn’t do anything.”
“Okay, I won’t harass you about it anymore. So, I have one more question, and then I’m going to ask you to let my daughter come in and examine you, if that’s alright? She’s a nurse midwife and I promise she’ll take wonderful care of you.”
I didn’t say anything for a minute.
“Abby, you need medical care. It’s either you let Landry take care of you, or Kellan will take you to the emergency room when he gets here. I’m not threatening you, honey. It’s just, he’s going to take one look at you and carry you there himself.”
“Yeah, I know. Do you think she’ll mind?”
“No, she’s fine with it. She’s setting up your room. And, this way you won’t have to register at the hospital or a clinic, and no one will find you.”
“Thank you,” I said, looking up at her. “What do you mean she’s setting up my room?”
“I’m giving you a room upstairs. She ran to her office and grabbed some supplies and she’s waiting for you upstairs.”
“I’m sorry to be putting you both out…I just didn’t know where else to go.”
“It’s okay. You’re welcome here for as long as you want.”
“I’m sure I can go with Kellan…”
“No honey, you can’t. He’s welcome to stay here, too. If you stay with him, they’ll find you. I don’t usually let anyone stay here, but you’re an exception. Kellan’s done a lot for me…”
I cringed but refused to look away and offend her. “Um, what was your other question?”
“I guess I just wanted to make sure that you’re okay with…me?”
“What do you mean?”
She smiled softly and said, “Do you feel up to walking down the hall with me for a minute? It’s on the way to your room.”
“Okay.”
I slowly got up and she took my arm. We stopped in the middle of the hallway lined with a bunch of pictures.
“What do you see?” she asked once she stopped walking and turned to face the wall.
I gazed up at the wall and noticed a picture of a young couple. As I looked at the young woman in the picture, I realized it was Margot many years ago. As my gaze shifted to the man in the picture, I was shocked. It was as if I was staring
at Kellan as he is now, but the picture was obviously old. It was eerie.
“Quite a resemblance, isn’t there?”
I nodded. I couldn’t look away from the picture. “What’s his name?”
“His name was Vincent.”
“It’s a beautiful picture.”
“I showed you this because I wanted you to understand why I asked Kellan…” she stopped, and took a deep breath. “I know it was wrong, honey. And, I know he’s not Vincent, but when I saw him at the book club, I couldn’t look away…”
I started to get dizzy and she quickly grabbed my arm and led me up the stairs and into a room at the end of the hall.
“Hi, Abby. I’m Landry,” Margot’s daughter said.
“Hi. You were the one that answered the door for me. Thank you for letting me in and for taking care of me.”
“Well, we all love Kellan; he’s done so much for us…and hasn’t taken a penny.”
I looked up at Margot and she looked away, waiting for me to say something.
“Yeah, he said he did some work for your girl’s home?”
Margot sighed in relief and said, “Yes, he’s saved us a fortune in taxes this year, as well as getting us a refund from last year.”
“And, it’s amazing, but he looks just like my father did when he was his age.”
“Yeah, I saw the picture of your mom and dad.”
I knew Margot was waiting to hear that I had forgiven her, so I looked up at her and said, “Thank you…for everything. I completely understand why you were drawn to him.” I hugged her and whispered, “There’s no hard feelings, and you don’t have anything to apologize for or to worry about. I’ll never mention it…ever.”
She squeezed me tight and said, “Thank you. Well, I’ll let you get settled. Landry will make sure you’re well taken care of. I think you need to call Kellan now…”
“I hate to ask, but if I call him, I’m going to break down before he even gets here. Would you do it, please?”
“Sure. Landry, you might want to get started, because something tells me he’s going to break the speed record getting here,” she grinned and closed the door behind her.
Landry led me to the bathroom and had me change into one of my nightshirts and then she asked me a bunch of questions about my pregnancy, thus far. She promised she wouldn’t tell Kellan anything. Soon, she had examined me and had me hooked up to an IV. The warm fluids felt wonderful and it wasn’t long before I could give her the urine sample she wanted. After the second bag of fluid, I started to feel much better.
“Kellan, it’s Margot.”
“Hi, I um, I’m kind of busy…searching the city for Abby. She ran off…I can’t find her anywhere…” he was frantic.
“She’s here.”
“What?”
“She’s here with me. She’s safe. She’s exhausted, but safe.”
“Oh, thank God. I’m on my way.”
“Where are you?”
“Los Angeles. I’ve been everywhere looking for her. I’ll grab the first flight out. Lock her in a room, would you, please?” he asked, only half joking.
“She’s not going anywhere. She needs you. She’s ready to talk to you now. Just get home safely. I’ll take care of her.”
“It’s going to take me at least nine hours to get there! Can I talk to her, please?”
“Just come home, okay? She’s fine…or she will be.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means she needs you. Call me with your flight number and I’ll pick you up.”
“I have my car there. I’ll be there as soon as possible. Bye,” he said, and then, “Margot?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“Anytime. Kellan, she’s not going anywhere. She’s safe, you be safe too.” She hung up the phone and wandered back down the hall, once again gazing at her past, and the husband she so dearly missed.
Margot called her daughter out of the room and asked, “So, how’s our patient?”
“She’s weak, dehydrated…and definitely pregnant.”
“Well, can you give her something to sleep? Kellan’s in Los Angeles. He’s been looking for her for days now. He’ll be in some time in the middle of the night, I’m assuming.”
“She is exhausted, and obviously very worried about telling him. I’ll give her an Ambien and she can sleep.”
“Abby, um, Kellan’s in Los Angeles,” Margot told me.
“What? But, he said he’d give me until Friday!”
“I guess he couldn’t wait. He’s on his way home now, but it’s going to take him a while to get here. Landry’s going to give you a sleeping pill, okay?”
“I don’t need anything…”
“You’re exhausted and very weak. He’ll be here soon enough and I know that’s going to be exhausting for you, too. I want you to take the sleeping pill and rest. You’ll wake up when he gets here…with a clear head.”
I nodded and thanked them both again.
“I’m going to go make you something to eat. What would you like?”
“I don’t need anything…I’ll just throw it up.”
“I’ve given you some medication through your IV to curb the nausea. I think you can eat now, okay?” Landry said.
“I do feel sort of hungry…for the first time in ages. Anything’s fine, please don’t go to any trouble.”
I carefully nibbled on some toast and a cup of chicken broth, waiting for the inevitable nausea to hit, but I had the entire meal down and was shocked when none of it came back up. I finally laid back with a full stomach and realized it was the first time I felt good in months. I took the Ambien with my dinner and it wasn’t long before I drifted off to sleep.
“Where is she?” Kellan asked frantically at two am the next morning.
“She’s sleeping upstairs. I put her in your old room.”
He started running up the stairs, taking three at a time.
“Kellan.”
“What?” he stopped halfway up.
“She’s um…she’s exhausted. I had Landry give her a sleeping pill. Let her sleep a while longer, okay?”
He nodded and said, “I have to see for myself that she’s okay. Thanks.”
“She has an IV…too,” she offered, trying to lessen the shock when he walked in and saw her.
“Why?” he said, walking back down a few steps, looking even more upset.
“Because she’s been ill and she’s very dehydrated.”
“What’s wrong with her?” he asked, fearful.
“I told you, she’s been ill. Just let her rest. She’ll explain everything.” She reached out and gently touched his arm, “She’ll be okay, I promise.”
He studied Margot for a few seconds, and then ran up the stairs at full speed.
Kellan quietly walked into his old room and turned the side lamp on low so that he could see for himself that she was safe.
He stared down at Abby and finally started to relax a little bit. He pulled up a chair next to her and sat down. He was shaking as his hand reached out and brushed the hair out of her closed eyes. “What happened, Abby?” he whispered. He closed his eyes for a second and thanked God that she was safe.
He carefully pulled back the blankets and looked her over. He noticed that she had lost a lot of weight and wondered what was wrong with her. He also noticed she was wearing one of his old shirts and as he looked down at her hands, he saw the angel snow globe he’d given her a couple years earlier clasped tightly in her grip.
He covered her back up, tucked her in and sat down next to her to wait for her to wake up on her own. He carefully removed the snow globe from her grasp and replaced it with his hand. He was exhausted as well, but he wasn’t about to close his eyes until they had time to talk and he knew what he was up against.
He watched her for a couple of hours before she stirred. She had called his name a few times, and he thought he should let her know he was there, but she didn’t seem distressed, so he opted to
let her sleep, like Margot asked. He was also afraid of what he was going to hear and preferred to just watch her, knowing, that for the moment, she was safe and sound.
I felt very groggy as I tried to open my eyes. They fluttered, but didn’t fully open at first. I glanced around the room and didn’t recognize my surroundings. My hand felt heavy and as I looked down I noticed there was another hand holding it. My eyes started to adjust and I was able to focus on the hand and follow it up to Kellan.
I sat up and grabbed onto him for dear life.
“Kellan!”
“I’m here. You’re okay, thank God, you’re okay!” he sighed.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to worry you, and I’ll never lie to you again.” I was sobbing and begging him to forgive me.
“Shh, it’s okay. You’re safe now, that’s all that matters.”
He was holding me as tight as I was holding him. He just let me cry until the tears stopped on their own. He knew I had to cry it out before I would be able to make any sense and tell him what happened.
It was after four in the morning and as I finally pulled back to face him, I noticed he looked as tired as I was. “You didn’t sleep on the plane?”
“No. I haven’t slept since I found out you were gone. What happened, Abby?”
A wave of nausea hit me again and I found myself retching into the plastic basin Landry had left by the side of the bed for me.
He stayed by my side, obviously too worried about me to be concerned with my vomiting. Normally he would have left the room or thrown up himself. This time he simply held my hair back and then reached for the cool cloth on the nightstand. When I was settled back in bed, he walked into the bathroom and cleaned out the basin. “You don’t have to do that. I know it makes you sick.”
“It’s not bothering me. What is bothering me is that I still don’t know what’s wrong with you or what happened to make you leave. Talk to me, please.”
“I um, lied…” I felt the bile rising again and leaned forward to grab the basin. I knew now that a lot of my nausea and vomiting was stress-related, since I had been feeling better until facing Kellan, and now the nausea was back.
SEPARATED: CONCLUSION TO UN-RELATED Page 9
