Not Quite Mine (Not Quite series) (35 page)

The doctor didn’t call with the test results until the morning after Dean thought he’d have his answers.

When he answered the call, his hand actually shook.

“Mr. Prescott?” The voice on the line was a woman.

“That’s me,” he said.

“Dr. Ellis would like to speak with you. Can you hold for him?”

“Sure.” Dean was in his office, hoping that when he got this call he’d be able to continue with his day regardless of the answer. If he wasn’t a father, then he would act as if nothing had changed. When in fact, nothing had…but if the answer was yes…well, he’d work through the shock instead of staring at Savannah all day.

“Dean?”

“Dr. Ellis.”

“I have your test results. Is this a good time?”

Dean huffed. “As good as any.”

“Congratulations, Daddy. Your DNA was a perfect match to Savannah’s.” Dr. Ellis went on to say something about the accuracy of the tests used today and how Dean had nothing to worry about.

“Are you there, Dean?”

His skin tingled and he felt surprisingly light-headed. “I’m here. I’m sorry. Thank you.”

“Best of luck, Dean. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.”

“You’ve done plenty, Doctor. Thank you.”

He stared at an invoice on his desk for twenty minutes.

I’m a dad.

He thought of Katie, of her holding Savannah and smiling at him.

I’m a dad.

He opened the picture function on his phone and brought up Savannah’s picture. So beautiful.

I’m a dad.

Being Savannah’s father answered one very important question he and Katie had been asking for weeks.

Maggie’s her mother.

Dean turned off his computer and left his office. “I’ve got to go,” he told Jo.

“Is Katelyn OK?” she asked, concerned.

Hesitating, he tried to smile. “She’s doing OK. But, uh, I have something I need to do. I’ll be out of reach—fire, flood—”

“Or surprise inspection,” she finished his sentence for him. When he couldn’t be disturbed he’d always said that only a fire, flood, or surprise inspection should interrupt him. “I know the drill, Dean. You all right?”

The shock must have shown on his face. “Yeah. Hold it all down, Jo.”

“I do that every day, boss.”

Yeah…and today he was damn thankful for her skills.

He drove around the block where Maggie had lived when they were engaged. The condominium complex wasn’t secured so he drove into the parking lot and found a visitor spot.

He sat in the car with the engine running, trying to figure out what he was going to say.

He’d driven over without thinking. Why hadn’t she told him she was pregnant? Why did she give Savannah up? What the hell was she up to? Was she coming back to get Savannah one day, to hurt him for not fighting to keep Maggie in his life?

Memories of their breakup surfaced. He hadn’t thought much about her in a long time. The fact that he’d pushed her out of his mind so quickly, so completely, proved to him they weren’t right for each other.

“I can’t do it,” she’d said less than a week before their wedding.

“Can’t do what?”

She’d asked for them to have a quiet lunch at one of “their” restaurants. She would meet him there.

He knew afterward why she didn’t want them in the same car.

She removed the ring he’d placed on her finger six months before.

He’d asked her to marry him after only a few months of dating. They had been in a club with some friends, they’d both been
drinking. “I’m tired of the dating scene,” he’d told her. “Let’s get married.”

In hindsight, he hardly knew her. She quickly accepted and they both fell into the thought of being married. The closer to the wedding, the more he told everyone how perfect she was.

Then little things started to bug her.
Motorcycles are dangerous.
He hardly drove the one he owned as it was. She wanted it gone.

Are you going camping with your friends again?
He and Mikey managed two trips…maybe three a year tops.

The blow to his ego kept him quiet while she told him they weren’t right for each other. “You’re not ready to get married,” she had said. “Not to me anyway. You’re not in love with me.”

He wanted to counter her…but he couldn’t.

He didn’t.

He left the café with his ring and drove to a resort town in the San Bernardino Mountains. He parked his motorcycle and found the nearest bar. Jack and Mike found him and helped him drink to forget. Then they helped him sober up and kicked his ass back to work.

In the days and weeks that followed, he was thankful Maggie had called it all off.

She was right. He wasn’t ready to marry her…he didn’t love her.

But God damn it, he didn’t know she was pregnant with his child. He would never have let her walk away had he known. He took care of his responsibilities and Savannah now topped the list.

Anger started to build in his blood. If he confronted Maggie now, who knows what he’d do.

With his truck still running, he pulled out of the parking space and decided to go home first. He needed a level head before this conversation.

The doctors extubated her mother before the three of them arrived at the hospital the next day. A new nurse walked them into her room and explained that she was groggy but coherent.

“Has she asked about us?” Jack asked.

“She asked about what happened. She doesn’t remember the accident. Which is probably a blessing.”

“Which means she hasn’t asked about us.” Katie paused outside of the nurse’s station. Jack and her father stopped along with her.

“You don’t have to go in there,” her father said.

“No. I’m not a child.”

Less medical equipment filled the room and instead of looking half-dead, Annette looked like she was sleeping.

“Annie?” the nurse called as they all breached the doorway.

Her mother responded by slowly opening her eyes. It took a few blinks before she focused on the three of them.

“Your family is here.”

“Hello, Annette,” Gaylord said.

The monitor above the bed beeped a little faster. Katie had watched the monitor for hours the day before and knew her mother’s heart rate was speeding up with their presence.

The nurse pressed a button and glanced at them. “This will have to be a short visit. Annie needs to rest.”

“We won’t be long,” Jack told her.

“Th-they told me you were here,” Annette’s scratchy voice stuttered her words.

“The hospital called the night of the accident. They said you were asking for the kids.”

Katie and Jack stood back and let their father do the talking. It seemed the two of them were paralyzed.

“I thought I was dying, Gaylord.” Even with her hoarse words, Katie could tell her mother had little to say to her father.

“The doctors say you’re doing better,” Katie found her voice.

Annette moved her gaze to Katie. “I heard. Guess this life isn’t done with me.”

No, Katie wouldn’t need that black dress quite yet.

“Why did you call for us, Mom?” Jack asked with thinly veiled anger in his voice. Now that they all knew she wasn’t dying, it was easier to return to the emotion they’d all identified with the woman in the bed.

Annette turned her head away from them, stared out the window. “If I had died, I didn’t want you to think I’ve never thought of you.” Her delivery of why she called was as cold as the woman on the bed.

“Do you think of us?” Jack asked, his jaw tight.

“I do.”

“You waited until now to tell us?”

Katie placed a hand on her brother’s arm, hoping to calm him.

“When your life flashes in front of you, like clips from a movie, you pick out things. I’m a terrible mother. I was an even worse wife.” Annette lifted her eyes to their father.

None of them corrected her.

“That’s not an excuse,” Jack said.

“I’m not making excuses, Jack. I know you think I walked away and never looked back, but that isn’t completely true. I knew your father was the better parent. That I was a failure. You both were better off with him than me. We both knew that.”

“So you gave us up,” Katie mumbled. She thought of Savannah. A poor innocent child who may have a biological mother just like Annette.

“I thought about coming back. To get to know you both. I figured that time had passed. I didn’t deserve a second chance.”

Annette blinked a few times; the medication she was on could be seen in her face. She looked worn out and used. Katie couldn’t tell if her cool demeanor was a defense or the real her.

Some of the anger burned off. Her dad’s words from their trip sounded in her head. Her being here…all of them being here was so that they didn’t have regrets. So she could say good-bye.

“Tina stopped by yesterday.”

Annette glanced up. “That’s nice.”

Katie took a deep breath. “She told me you weren’t an awful person. And I know Daddy isn’t a bad judge of character so there has to be someone in there that I might want to know someday.”

Her mother blinked several times as if deciphering Katie’s words.

She stepped closer to the bed and tilted her head. “You closed the door on being our mother a long time ago. I don’t know if that door will ever be opened again. But for some reason you thought of us, you called for us. When you’re better, if you want to pick up that phone, I’ll answer it. I’m sure we’ll fight. I’m positive I’ll call you all kinds of names for leaving me.” Tears collected behind her eyes as she ripped her heart out of her chest. “Maybe on the other side of all that, we can be friends. Or maybe we can’t. The only way you’re going to know is if you try. If you don’t want to, that’s fine with me. But, Annie…if the very next time you call me is to say you’re on your deathbed, I won’t come. I’m too old for mind games and I won’t be used.”

Her mother nodded slowly.

Katie felt her brother’s arm move around her shoulders as he led her out of the room.

Their father stayed behind a minute longer.

“Damn, sis, remind me never to get on your bad side,” Jack teased.

“Was I awful?”
Did I go too far?

“You were perfect. She knows where you stand, and you’re giving her a chance. At the same time, you’re not going to let her lie or use you. Wish I thought to say all that.”

Katie leaned her head against her brother’s shoulder and sighed. She was done with hiding parents, lies, and secrets.

Their dad met them in the lobby. He walked a little taller when he approached. Katie hugged her dad, thankful again she had him. “I’ll never make you come again,” he told her.

“Do you think she’ll call?” Jack asked their dad.

“I don’t think she knows what she’ll do. Are you going to be OK if she doesn’t?”

Katie dug deep inside to find his answers. “I’m going to be fine.”

Her dad winked at her.

They climbed into the back of the limousine they’d traveled in from the hotel to the hospital.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she noticed a text from Dean.

A new picture of Savannah greeted her and the cold brought on by her mother melted into a puddle of warm love.

“Must be good,” her brother commented.

“The best,” she said.

I’m done with the lies.

She handed the phone to her brother and confusion marred his brow. “Hi, Mommy?” he read the text aloud.

Jack handed the phone to her dad.

“Who’s
Mommy
?”

“I am. That’s my daughter.”

Jack’s and Gaylord’s mouths dropped.

Dean swallowed his guilt as he pressed Send on the picture of Savannah.

He intended to confront Maggie today, now that his thoughts were in some semblance of order. Seeing Maggie without Katie knowing about it felt wrong. Yet he couldn’t exactly tell Katie what he’d learned…not over the phone. Besides, she had a full day of drama ahead and didn’t needed more piled on.

After retracing his steps to Maggie’s condo, Dean knocked on the door and waited.

A woman in her sixties answered the door. “I’m looking for Maggie Reynolds,” he told her.

The woman offered a kind smile. “There’s no Maggie here. I moved in six months ago.”