Me, my Daughter and Him
"Mummy who's my Daddy?" My daughter asked me as she curled up into my side in her pyjamas after her bath.
I was a twenty seven year old single mother. At the age of twenty two I had slept with my boyfriend of three years.
When I found out I was pregnant I made a run for it- to New York. I didn't want to ruin his career. My daughter's father was Nate Gray of Connect Three.
"Why sweetheart?" I asked her, confused about why she chose now to ask.
"Everyone at school has a Daddy and I don't. Is that him there?"
She pointed to a photo on the shelf of me and Nate. Next to it was a photo of me and Mitchie, one of Mitchie and Shane and then one of all five of us including Jason.
They were the only photos I had of them. The others around the apartment were of me and Emma (my daughter) and me and my parents.
"I think it's time you went to bed Emma." I told her ushering her out of the room and into her bedroom.
She slid into bed in silence and I kissed her forehead before turning the light off. Her voice came out of the darkness.
"Mummy did you love Daddy?"
I paused before answering. "Yes sweetheart I do."
Back in the living room I collapsed on the sofa. Like other single parents I struggled a bit for money and so our apartment was tiny with cupboard size bedrooms, a tiny bathroom and an open plan kitchen and living room smaller than most people's kitchens.
I always knew Emma would ask about her father but I didn't think it would be so soon. And if anyone could connect me to Nate (which they were bound to do as there were thousands of photos of the two of us) then they would know that he was her father.
As she grew older she began to look more and more like Nate. Sighing I turned the news on as something to do- the evenings got very lonely.
"And Mitchie Torres will be Connect Three's opening act for the concert in New York." The newsreader reported.
I groaned. "Could my life get any worse." I
A scream from my daughter's room answered my question. I hurtled into her room to find her lying on the floor with a gash on her head and her arm lying in an awkward position.
"Emma!" I heard my scream before I realised that I was the one who had uttered it.
There was no answer.
An hour later I was in the waiting room of the hospital pacing up and down while the doctors looked at my daughter.
I knew I could trust doctors but my mother instinct had kicked in. What if she wasn't ok? What if she died? How could I cope without her? Without the last connection to my previous life.
"Miss Gellar." A nurse halted my pacing. "You've heard of Connect Three?"
I flinched "Yes. Why?"
"Nate Gray has had some breakdown from his diabetes so his brothers and sister in law will be in here with you. They have asked that you don't start screaming like a crazy fan."
"I wasn't planning on it." I muttered before resuming my pacing.
I had tried so hard to forget about them and now they were coming here because of… Nate. Oh god was he ok? On the night that my daughter fell out of bed, ended up in hospital my past had to catch up with me.
Why did these things always have to happen to me?
"What the hell are you doing here?" A voice from the door made me turn round to face Mitchie, Jason and the speaker- Shane.
"You leave without a word breaking Nate's heart, causing everyone to worry about you and then you have the nerve to turn up here to see if he's ok. Well newsflash Caitlyn he's not." Shane shouted, glaring at me fiercely.
Jason looked stunned, Mitchie close to tears.
"I didn't even know he was in here until some nurse came and told me that you were coming here and that I wasn't to act like some crazed fan. Which by the way I would never do." I snarled at him.
"Then why are you here." He yelled.
I felt my eyes fill with tears and blinked them back furiously. "My daughter's in here."
"You have a daughter!" Mitchie exclaimed.
I was silent. I knew that eventually they'd find out if they were in the same hospital as her and I'd just seen them.
"You guys have a niece." I whispered refusing to meet their eyes. There was a stunned silence.
"Miss Gellar." The nurse was back. "Your daughter has a broken arm- we've just operated. You can go and see her now."
"Thanks." I forced a smile at her as I flew past her, wanting nothing more than to see my daughter.
"Room 206." She called after me.
"Mummy!" Emma's face lit up as I entered the room.
"Emma don't you ever do that to me again." I scolded her rushing to her side and enveloping her in my arms.
She had a bandage on her head from the cut but she was smiling. She may have inherited Nate's looks but she definitely had my personality.
I stayed for half an hour with her before the nurse ushered me out telling me to come back once I'd had some food, shower and been home to get mine and Emma's stuff.
I went back into the waiting room to find Mitchie in there alone.
"Hey." I muttered.
"Hey." She replied and the next moment we hugging each other tightly.
"I missed you so much." I murmured.
"Me too." She whispered. "But why the hell did you leave."
"I didn't want to ruin his career." I told her.
"Oh Caitlyn." She sighed. "You never made the best choices."
"Hey." I protested. She raised her eyebrows at me and then remembering many situations we both burst out laughing.
"Where are the guys?" I asked her once we calmed down.
"Telling Nate." She told me. "Scare's over he's fine."
"What!" I screeched.
Mitchie rolled her eyes. "Caitlyn you don't really think that we'd let you go again. Besides he's still desperately in love with you." I was silent.
"You do still love him. I mean there's no one..."
"God no." I screamed leaping up. "Of course I still love him. So much. Why do you think I left? I loved him enough to not ruin his career."
"You really didn't watch anything about us after you left did you?" Mitchie asked. I shook my head confused.
"Caitlyn- you didn't ruin his career. You ruined him. He barely talks anymore. He's a shadow of who he was." Mitchie snapped.
It proved the final straw for me and my head fell into my hands and my shoulders started shaking with sobs.
"Oh Caitlyn- no one blames you anymore. Not now we know." Mitchie slid her arm round my shoulders and I buried my head in her shoulder.
I don't know how long we sat there until I felt Mitchie's arm leave me and another pair replace them.
Startled I looked up into the face of the owner.
Nate.
"I'm so sorry. I just had to go. I didn't want to leave you but I didn't want……"
"You're babbling." He told me. "And I know. Shane and Jason came and told me everything."
"And you're not mad." I asked.
"Only if you stop the talk about ruining my career and come and marry me."
I'd daydreamed about something like this happening ever since I left and to actually have it happen….
"Caitlyn?" Nate asked sounding slightly worried. I smiled up at him and then leant up to kiss him.
It felt like the past five years had never happened. Everything felt so right, so normal and so perfect.
"Mummy? Why are you kissing that man?"
Startled Nate and I broke apart blushing like two caught teenagers.
"Emma what are you doing out of bed?" I scolded her lifting her onto my knee.
"I escaped." She told me proudly.
"Yes I noticed. Like the time you escaped your playpen and nursery school. How many times has that happened? Honestly can you not stay in one place?" I laughed pulling her close to me.
"Why were you kissing that man." She asked again. Obviously I was going to have to explain. Sometimes I hated the fact that she had my personality and not Nate's.
"Because honey he's your Daddy."
"My Daddy." She whispered looking up at me her eyes wide. I nodded smiling down at her wondering how she'd take to him.
I needn't have worried.
"Daddy." She whispered again this time to Nate before climbing over me and into his lap, snuggling into him.
He put his arms round her and kissed her forehead. "How would you feel about me and Mummy getting married and you coming and living with me?" He asked.
"Like a proper family?" She asked.
"Like a proper family." He confirmed hugging her tighter.
"Mummy?" She turned to me to check that it was true.
"Yes sweetie, we're going to live with your Daddy and near your aunt and uncles."
"Mummy- is that who those other people are." She whispered blushing slightly.
"Yes- I'm your Auntie Mitchie." Mitchie came over to us. Emma jumped off Nate's lap and into Mitchie's arms.
"Hello Auntie Mitchie. Will you let me have ice cream and chocolate on the same day?" she asked. "Mummy never lets me."
"Of course. Mummy's a bit mean isn't she?" Mitchie whispered.
"Hey." I protested but they both ignored me as Shane and Jason joined them and they joked around getting to know each other.
"You've done a good job with her." Nate complimented me slipping an arm round my waist.
"Thanks. But I'm glad I'm going to have help for the rest of it." I told him honestly leaning my head onto his shoulder watching my daughter bond with her family.
"Miss Gellar." The nurse was back. "Your daughter should be back in bed and preferably asleep."
"Sorry. She'll be on her way any second." I told her watching her confusion at the sight before her.
Her eyes swept the room one last time before she turned to go.
"Excuse me- do you think it would be ok if I and these three camped out in Emma's room tonight along with her and Caitlyn." Nate asked.
The nurse looked slightly confused. "Of course but shouldn't you be back in bed too?" she asked.
"No- the doctor said I could go." He told her. "Can you get four more mattresses and set them up in her room please." He requested.
"Sure." The nurse said and with one last look she left the room.
"Thanks Nate." I said.
"It's no problem Cait." He told me. "The more time I get to spend you and Emma is a bonus and I don't think that Mitchie and my brothers are going want to go either."
I smiled and leaned up and kissed him before turning to Emma.
"Come on Emma back to bed." I told her.
She glared at me. "But I want to stay here with you and Daddy and Auntie Mitchie and Uncle Shane and Uncle Jason." She had no problems with voicing her own opinions.
"Well we're coming too." Nate told her. "The five of us are sleeping in your room tonight."
Her face lit up and I felt a surge of motherly affection as she rushed towards Nate and he swung her up onto his back and carried her back to her room followed by Mitchie.
"Sorry Cait." Shane looked at the floor.
I shrugged. "It's fine. I'm sorry too. I missed you guys so much." I could feel my eyes fill with tears.
"Group hug." Jason yelled pulling me and Shane together.
"Jase- can't breathe." Shane choked but he was grinning and finally I had my older brothers back, my best friend and my soul mate.
The next morning I was woken up by the sunlight streaming through the window. I looked round the room at Emma sleeping peacefully despite the broken arm, Shane and Mitchie curled up together, Jason between Shane and Mitchie and us.
Nate had his arms wrapped round me and my head was resting on his chest. We'd spent so much time together like this but for the first time it felt right and complete.
I looked over at Emma again and saw that she was awake. She pulled a face at me and I could tell that although she was happy she had a proper family she wasn't too happy with all the lovey dovey stuff.
I smirked at her and then extended my arm as an invitation for her to come and join us.