Under the Mistletoe (10 page)

“God, Bree, you bring me to my knees.”  He
says, crying.  “We can’t do this.  If we have to carry on, I can’t do this if I
keep hearing your voice.  It’s killing me.  I love you and always will.”  He
hangs up on me.

I break down into sobs against Beth who’s
crying with me.  After relaying what he said to Beth, she agrees with him. 
“You can’t keep ringing him Bree.  You’ve spoken to him and yes he’s upset, but
continuing to talk to each other won’t help and will probably, only make it
worse.”

“Will you ask Travis to go over and make sure
he’s okay?  I don’t want him being alone.”

Beth takes my phone from me and rings
Travis, who, as it happens, was getting his boots on to head over to Gabe’s
cabin.

GABE

Hanging up from talking to Bree, I walk
through to the bathroom to wash my face.  All that has happened seems unreal. 
One minute we’re engaged to be married and she’s planning on moving home to the
cabin with me and the next she’s my sister.  Stumbling at this thought, I rest
my elbows on the counter in the bathroom and put my head in my hands.

Taking some deep breaths, I turn the taps
on and splash water over my face.  Grabbing a towel, I dry off and exit the
bathroom only to stop dead.  Travis is stood in my cabin.

“Thought I better come and check you’re
okay.”  He says, never taking his eyes from my face.

Sighing, “I’ve been better.”  Walking over
to my favorite chair, I nod towards another.  “What you really doing here
Travis?”

“I’m here to make sure you’re okay, like I
said.  Bree also wanted me to check on you.”  I can’t stop the pain from
flashing in my eyes when he mentions Bree.  “Beth’s with her.  She won’t speak
to Mom or Dad.”  Sitting back in his chair he looks at me and curses, “What a
fine bloody mess.”

I rest my head on the back of the chair,
“Tell me about it.  I love her Travis, that isn’t going to change because of
what David admitted.”

“I know that.  Mom wants you to come back
up to the house; she has something to say to both you and Bree.”

Shaking my head, “I can’t be around there
Travis.  It’ll kill me seeing Bree, not being able to touch her.”  I get choked
up, “Knowing I’ll not be able to again.”

“Fuck.  Gabe I wish there was something I
could do.”  Standing up looking ready to leave, “Please come back with me and
listen to what they have to say.”

Not really sure I have it in me, I stand
and grab my coat from the floor, where I left it when I got home and follow
Travis out of the cabin.

******

Walking back into the kitchen very nearly
crushes me; the scene of my current heart ache.  I long to walk up the stairs
to take Bree into my arms and just hold her, comfort her.

Martha and David are sat at the kitchen
table holding hands.  They both look pale and nervous.  I remove my coat and
place it over the back of the chair in front of me.

Hearing movement on the stairs my heart
flips, knowing it’s going to be Bree.  I can’t stop my head from turning in her
direction.  As she walks into the room she lifts her head and sees me.  Before
I can do anything, she’s in my arms, sobbing her heart out.  She wraps her arms
around my neck and holds me as tight as I’m holding her.  I bury my face in her
neck and let my tears fall.

After a few minutes, David clears his
throat, “Both of you sit down, we need to talk to you.”  I lift my head and
grab a couple of tissues using one to wipe Bree’s tears and one for my own.  I
sit down at the table and thinking nothing of it; I pull Bree down onto my lap,
where she cuddles into me.

“This isn’t easy for me to say to you all,
but as your father has spoken about the past, I now need to do the same.” 
Martha says, looking at us then back to her husband.  “Your father wasn’t the
only one to sleep with someone else when we split up.”

Both myself and Bree gasp, as we look
between the two of them. 
What are they trying to tell us?
  “What your
mother means is that there is every possibility that…. I’m not you biological
father.”  Looking more upset than ever, “I’ve phoned a friend and we need to go
into town to have blood tests done.  No matter what the result is Bree, you
will always be my little girl.  I want you to know that.”

I wrap my arms tightly around Bree as she
cries softly against my shoulder.  “You mean that there’s a good chance there’s
no blood between us both?”  I need it spelling out because today started off to
be the best day of my life and went downhill fast.

“That’s what we’re saying Gabe.”  Martha
says.

I put my mouth to Bree’s ear, “You ready to
go baby?  We have to do this.”

“I know.  Let me wash my face first and
grab my coat.”  Climbing off my lap, she walks out to the bathroom returning
five minutes later to put her coat on.

She walks over to me and takes hold of my
hand.  Shaking her head, “I can’t let you go.”

BREE

Holding Gabe’s hand real tight we climb
into the truck to head to the clinic in town.  Zack is the one Dad had rung to
ask the favor, he apparently has a brother at the main lab, a two hour drive
away.  Zack is going to take the blood and drive straight over there so we
should know the outcome in three days.

I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel.  The
blood tests will show whether or not Gabe and I are blood related.  If we’re
not that means my Dad isn’t really my Dad which breaks my heart.  A huge part
of me wants that to be the case so that I can be with Gabe.  But part of me
wants him to come out as my real father. 
This is so messed up.

I snuggle more into Gabe in the back of the
truck as he puts his arms around me and holds me tight.  I guess we’re both
terrified of what we’ll find out with these results.

Before I know it, we’re pulling up outside
the clinic with Gabe climbing out pulling me with him.  As my parents climb out
they glance in our direction; I can see the worry on Mom’s face.  She knows my
heart’s breaking.

Opening the doors to the clinic is Zack,
“Hi folks, come on inside and we’ll get started.”

Following him inside, I clutch tightly to
Gabe’s hand.  “Who wants to go first?”  Zack asks.

“I will.  I just want to get this over
with.”  I turn to look at Gabe, “Will you come in with me?”

He squeezes my hand, “Come on, babe.”  He
pulls me towards the room Zack has indicated.  I take a seat and after removing
my coat, roll up my sleeve.  Zack doesn’t say anything.  I mean what is there
to say?  He’s seen us together and now he knows why we’re here for him to take
our blood for our DNA to be tested.

After taking Gabe’s blood, we walk back to
the waiting room and watch my parents go and have their blood taken.

“Gabe, I’m frightened.”  He turns me to
look at him, “Part of me wants it to be true so we can be together, but, another
part of me wants them both to be my biological parents.  Is that so wrong?”  I
say as I wrap my arms around him crying again.  God, I’m an emotional wreck.

“Bree, that isn’t wrong.  Even if the
results come back and he isn’t.  To all intents and purposes he is and he
always will be.  I can’t help hoping that this is true; if it isn’t, I’ll lose
you forever.   That would be unbearable.”

GABE

Three days!  The longest three days of my
life.  I’ve tried to keep busy and because of that, I probably have the
cleanest cabin in the States.  I’ve scrubbed, mopped and washed everything I
can see in the place.  I’ve chopped enough firewood for the state, some of
which, I ended up driving over to a couple of the neighboring farms.

After leaving the clinic with Bree and her
parents, we arrived home and were told by Bree’s Mom, that it might be easier
on us if we don’t see each other until the results are back.

As much as we hated it, we both agreed. 
Nothing was said about not having any contact, so we’d spent a long time
everyday talking to each other on our mobiles.  I refused to use Skype, because
that would just be too painful.

Today is the day we find out the results
from the DNA tests.  I’m so tied in knots – a fact I realized when I put the
milk in the cupboard and the sugar in the fridge!

Putting my coat on, I climb in my truck to
head over to Bree’s house, so we can all go together.  I feel sick with dread
as I start my truck and pull out of the drive.  A huge part of me is excited at
being able to see Bree again.  I’ve missed her so much; the thought of not
having her with me for the rest of our lives terrifies the life out of me.

I pull the truck into the barn because
we’re going in David’s truck to the clinic.  Walking outside, I see Bree coming
out of the kitchen door followed by her parents.  As she looks up and sees me
she quickens her steps and ends up running to me; throwing herself into my
waiting arms.  I hug her so close and can’t find any words to describe how much
I‘ve missed her.

“Gabe.  Are you okay?”  Martha asks me, but
all I can do is nod; I have Bree in my arms.

All the way to the clinic, I can’t think
about anything apart from the woman who’s sat cuddled into my side.  She hasn’t
spoken, she’s just held onto me since throwing herself into me a short while
ago.

Taking the same steps that we all took
three days ago, we enter the clinic to find Zack just coming out of his
office.  “Hey.  I was just coming out to wait for you.  Come on inside.”

We walk into his office and take seats on
the sofa.  I glance at Bree; she’s white as a sheet and probably feeling just
as sick as I feel.

Picking up a brown envelop from his desk
Zack starts to open it, taking out the documents that are probably going to
change my life.  “I’m going to do this fast okay.  Is anyone bothered who goes
first?”

“Just tell us Zack, please.”  Bree asks, holding
my hand so tight it’s bordering on painful.

Zack spends a minute looking at the
reports.  Then looking up, “Bree, I’m not sure how you’ll take this, but David
and Martha are both your biological parents.”

Wanting to scream, I turn to look at her to
watch her tears roll down her face.  Not able to bare this, I pull her into my
arms and look up at Zack with tears in my eyes.

Zack clears his voice and carries on, “Bree,
you need to listen to the next part.”  Lifting her head she wipes her eyes and
looks at Zack.  “Gabe, neither David nor Martha are your biological parents.” 
I’m so relieved, I burst out laughing.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”  Zack just says that one word and my
whole world seems to right it’s self.  I grab hold of Bree and put my mouth to hers
for one hell of a kiss.

“Oh my god.  Zack please tell me there’s no
mistake.”  Bree asks.

“There’s no mistake Bree.  You and Gabe
aren’t related.”

I just pull her into my arms and hold her
tight.  Looking over her shoulder, I see David and Martha hugging with tears on
their face.

After a few minutes we move apart and walk
over to her parents.

“I’m not going to say I’m glad you’re not
my son, because I’ve always consider you a son and a piece of paper isn’t going
to change that; but saying all that I’m just glad that you and Bree are going
to get your happily ever after.”

“Thanks Dad.  I love you.  I love you too
Mom.”

“We love you too honey and you Gabe.”

BREE

I don’t think I’ve ever felt relief like I
did a short while ago.  Within minutes of my parents telling them they love us,
Gabe dragged me out of Zack’s office, down the hall into a broom closet of all
things.  As soon as the door shut, he slammed his mouth on to mine and
basically ravished my mouth with his tongue.

It didn’t take long for me to wrap myself
around him and to have him nail me to the door.  Literally!  Walking back out
we were greeted by Zack leaning against the wall.  I could have died of
embarrassment when I realized he must have been stood there, practically the
whole time we’d had sex in his closet.  In fact the grin on Zack’s face looked
liked he’d just been laid!

Gabe apologized and dragged me out of there
to meet up with my parents in the truck.  They drove us home and back inside;
Mom put a pot of coffee on.

Retreating into the lounge with our coffee,
I sit on the recliner in Gabe’s lap, he then pulls me close while we wait for
either my Mom or Dad to start with some sort of explanation.

No one seems willing to start this
conversion, “Mom, please tell us what happened back then?”

She puts her cup down and looks to my Dad
first, “When Travis was a baby your father wanted me to stop working.  I didn’t
want to because I loved my job and knew I could juggle motherhood with a job. 
Your grandmother looked after Travis while I was at work and things seemed to
be going along fine.  Then everything started to go downhill.  Your father
didn’t like having his meal on the table over an hour later than normal,
sometimes even later.  The housework went to pots during the week, but I managed
to catch up at the weekend.”