Melanie Marcus had just settled into her seat at the dining room table, papers from her latest case scattered across the table, laptop open and ready for note taking when two things happened. The landline shrilled and the doorbell rang. With a deep sigh, Melanie placed her hands on the table and pushed as she stood to her feet. Rounding the table she headed for the door, grabbing the phone from its cradle on the side table just inside the living room as she passed. She pressed the answer button and held the phone up to her ear as she walked.
"Hello?"
"Hello. My name is Kelly and I work at Allegheny General. I'm calling for a Lindsay Peterson and Melanie Marcus in regards to Justin Taylor."
Melanie frowned. She recognized the name but couldn't put a face to it. "Well I'm Melanie Marcus." She replied as she reached the door and yanked it open. Her frown deepened when an older gentlemen in an expensive looking suit stood on the porch and smiled at her. The yellow envelope clutched in his hands in front of him caught her attention immediately.
"Ms Marcus?" The gentleman asked, clearly hearing her answer the woman over the phone for her name.
Melanie nodded as she listened with one ear to both conversations she was currently having.
"Oh good. Mr. Taylor was brought in a hour ago after a hit and run. He's currently in surgery, the baby was in distress and they needed to preform an emergency cesarean and both you and Ms Peterson are listed as his medical proxies." Nurse Kelly stated.
"My name is Oliver Sketching." The man smiled and held out the envelope. "I'm a family friend and lawyer of Lindsay's. She asked me to draw up these adoption papers for the two of you. I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd just drop them off instead of her needing to come in and collect them herself."
Melanie took the envelope on instinct as a million questions went through her mind. Who the fuck was Justin Taylor? What did he and his soon-to-be newborn child have to do with she and Lindsay? Why did Lindsay have adoption papers drawn up? They were still reeling from their separation and Lindsay's almost green card marriage to that French guy - fuck if she could remember the guy's name - and Brian's interception to stop it all.
He had drawn up his own adoption papers granting Melanie to adopt their now nine month old son Gus (biologically Lindsay and Brian's son), while Brian would get the boy the last weekend of every month from Friday night until Sunday night until Gus started school, then it was Friday night until Monday morning, and would pay a third of Gus' needs. Wanting her wife and son back, Melanie had heartily agreed - as did Lindsay. Those papers had been signed six months ago and filed days later.
"Thank you." Melanie nodded to Mr. Sketching as he turned and left.
Melanie closed the door and turned around the face the rest of the house. She cradled the phone between ear and shoulder as she slid her fingers through the flap of the envelope, popping it open.
"I'm no my way." Melanie said into the phone to the nurse as she remembered she needed to respond to the second conversation as well. Then she hung up and tossed the phone onto the couch before pulling the papers from the envelope and reading. They were adoption papers just like the lawyer had said - but they were papers granting the closed adoption of Justin Taylor's child to the care of herself and Lindsay.
Still horribly confused Melanie wanted answers. She wasn't going to get them from Lindsay, the woman was away for the weekend. Melanie had allowed Brian an extra weekend with Gus so she didn't need to worry about dragging him along with her. Though the man had had Gus the weekend before, with Lindsay away and Melanie needing to concentrate on her current case she had asked if Brian would like to take Gus again this weekend and the man had readily accepted. Melanie had always been surprised by the changes in the man everyone dubbed "the asshole" of their makeshift family - mainly by Melanie herself.
The year before when she and Lindsay had decided they wanted a child, and Lindsay had insisted they asked Brian to be the father, Melanie fought tooth and nail for them to use someone else - like their friend Michael - or even a sperm bank. But Lindsay had been adamant they used Brian's sperm and eventually Melanie had caved, really believing the "Stud of Liberty Avenue" would refuse them. How wrong she had been and nine months later they welcomed their son - Gus Marcus Peterson.
Ever since the night Gus was born Brian had seemed to change his own life. Melanie knew the man still drank, smoked, and fucked just about anything with a dick, put he kept it away from his home and never brought anything of the sort around Gus. Melanie was pretty sure Brian didn't even do all of that stuff as much as he use to either. She still didn't totally like him - mainly due to Lindsay's apparent obsession with the man - and they would probably never actually be "friends" but Melanie trusted Brian Kinney - as loath as she was the admit that out loud.
Melanie looked around, shocked when she realized she was parked near the emergency room at Allegheny General. She didn't even remember leaving the house or driving. She hoped she had at least followed the laws of the road and didn't run any stop signs or red lights. Grabbing her purse off the passenger seat, along with the adoption papers once more stuffed into their yellow envelope, Melanie got out of the car. She locked the doors and headed inside as she checked to make sure she had her wallet and cell phone in her purse. Satisfied she had at least remembered to grab everything she needed - even if she didn't actually remember grabbing them - Melanie stepped up to the reception and smiled down at the security guard that sat behind the desk.
"My name is Melanie Marcus. I got a call a little while ago about a man that was brought in, Justin Taylor."
The security guard nodded and moved towards the computer to check for the patient's name. After a minute the man looked back up.
"He's currently in surgery, I'll get a nurse to take you up to the waiting room."
Melanie nodded. "Thank you. I think a nurse Kelly had called me?"
A nurse coming out of the double doors looked up at Melanie. "Ms Marcus?"
Melanie turned her head to stare at the red head. "Nurse Kelly?"
Kelly smiled and nodded. "Thank you for coming. I had tried calling Ms Peterson first but she didn't answer."
"She's away for the weekend, doesn't have reception on her phone." Melanie took a step towards the nurse.
Kelly turned her attention to the security guard. "Thanks George. I'll take Ms Marcus up."
The security guard nodded and sat back down. Soon Melanie was following nurse Kelly through the emergency room towards the back elevator and up to the second floor.
"Could you tell me how he was when he was brought in?" Melanie asked as they stepped off the elevator and turned right for the waiting room. "I believe you said he was in an accident?"
"Yes." Kelly nodded. "According the the witness that road in the ambulance with him they were walking home from work when a car swerved towards them. Mr. Taylor pushed Miss Chanders out of the way before the car struck him."
"And he's pregnant?" Melanie frowned. "Sorry, I didn't even know that he was." Of course Melanie wasn't lying, but she had to play it off she at least knew who Justin Taylor was. At least until she could see him for herself and put a face to the name.
"Just over nine months according to Miss Chanders." Kelly stopped in the entry into the waiting room and nodded towards a dark skinned young woman. "That's the girl that came in with him."
Melanie looked at the young woman sitting in the corner of the room, wringing her hands together in her lap, tear streaks down her cheeks. Melanie thanked the nurse who said she would be back with news when she could before leaving. Melanie made her way across the room to the younger woman and sat down next to her.
"Miss Chanders?"
Daphne looked up at her name being called, hoping it was a nurse to tell her her best friend and his baby were going to be okay. She frowned as she looked at the older woman sitting next to her. She didn't look like a doctor or a nurse. "Yes?"
"My name is Melanie Marcus. I was called as Mr. Taylor's medical proxy."
Daphne's eyes narrowed at the woman's name and she scoffed, standing up and stomping a few feet away. "Justin doesn't need you here."
"Excuse me?"
Daphne clenched her fists at her sides and spun on her heels to face Melanie, who stayed seated. "You're Lindsay's partner and that bitch and you have convinced my best friend to give up his own child because he's too young. Justin was excited to be a father, even if he was going to be a single father because that asshole wouldn't give him the time of day to explain. Then that bitch got into his head and conned him into agreeing to give the two of you his child just so he'd grow up with his brother. It's not right!"
Melanie sat back in the chair as the young woman finally stopped ranting, throwing her hands up and pacing the length of the waiting room. Melanie stared straight ahead as her mind went over every piece of information she had just gotten thrown at her. Lindsay had conned a kid - because he was probably the same age as this girl who looked no older then eighteen or nineteen - into giving up his own child to... be raised with his brother?
Gus.
Melanie's eyes widened as pieces of the puzzle she had been missing were finally filling in. Justin Taylor. Blond hair, blue eyes, came to the hospital with Brian and Michael the night Gus was born. Justin Taylor, the boy who had helped name Gus - she was still smarting over his name not being Abraham. It all made sense now.
"Fuck."
"What?" Daphne finally stopped pacing and looked back at Melanie, confusion on her face, mixed with the anger that seemed to be stuck.
"I didn't know he was pregnant." Melanie stated. "I didn't even know what Lindsay was doing. I have only ever met Justin once, nine months ago."
Daphne deflated. "Are you kidding me?"
Melanie shook her head. "I would never just take a child from his parents like this." She looked down at the envelope still clutched in her hands, reading it in her mind, still remembering that Lindsay believed they were going to be adopting this child - together. "Fucking hell. Our own son isn't even a year and she expecting me to just go along with raising another child!"
"You really didn't know." Daphne whispered as she sat back down next to Melanie, the anger now gone from her eyes. "Lindsay always made it sound like you knew and were completely on board with raising Justin's baby with Gus."
That's when the last part of the puzzle clicked. "Christ, Brian is that baby's father and he doesn't even know!"
"Justin tried telling him but that bitch got her claws in him before he could." Daphne's anger was back but she quickly deflated again. "He didn't expect anything from Brian, didn't want anything from him. He knew that Brian had made it clear they were nothing to each other. He just knew Brian had a right to know he had a second child. Another son."
"Could you stop calling her that?" Melanie growled. "She is still my partner."
"Whatever." Daphne huffed, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.
Melanie suddenly stood. "I have to call Brian. He may not have known before but he sure as hell needs to know now." She stormed out of the waiting room as she pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialed Brian's landline for the loft, knowing the man would still be at home since he had Gus with him.
"Yeah."
"Brian, it's Mel."
"It's only Saturday morning. If you want him back already you shouldn't have asked me to take him."
Melanie rolled her eyes and cursed under her breath before answering. "That's not why I'm calling. I'm at Allegheny General and..."
"Are you alright? Did something happen to Lindsay?"
"I'm fine and as far as I know Lindsay is fine." Melanie replied. "I'm here because I got a call an hour ago about Justin."
"Justin..."
"Yeah. The blond you brought with you the night Gus was born?"
"I fucking know who you're talking about." Brian spat over the phone. "Why the fuck is the hospital calling you about him?"
"I'd rather not talk about this over the phone. Drop Gus off at Debbie's and get here now." Melanie didn't give him time to answer as she hung up.
This was not something she wanted to talk to the brunet about over the phone. This was not something she wanted to talk to the brunet ever but here she was about to tell the man he had a second child, and that one of his best friends had tried to secretly adopt out said child to be raised by herself and her partner, apparently without Brian knowing the wiser that he was this second child's father. God she needed a drink. A strong drink.