Old Friends

Kevin looked across the room and spotted Marty Saybrook entering the party. It had been years since Kevin had last seen Marty and as he looked at her, he realized how much he had missed her. There was a time when Marty was his closest friend. He could tell her anything. She always seemed to understand him, but they had grown apart when Marty left Llanview with Patrick.

He had kept in touch at first, but eventually he decided he had to let her go. His feelings for Marty were so much more than friendship and her letters about Patrick and Cole was like a knife going through his heart. Confessing his feelings to Marty wasn't an option. He would not break up her family so he decided that he had to let his friendship with her go.

Kevin had eventually moved on with his life, but now seeing Marty standing across the room in her black evening gown he knew that she was still in his system. Marty appeared to be enjoying herself, but Kevin didn't buy the facade of happiness that she was displaying. He knew that she was suffering. Patrick had died and Cole had gone to prison. Marty had lost everything, but Kevin was determined to watch after Marty. He would not fail her this time.

Kevin had never forgiven himself for abandoning Marty when she needed him most. Marty had never blamed him for the rape that occured in his old frat room, but he blamed himself. She was spiraling out of control that night and he watched her downing drink after drink. He should have stopped her, but he didn't. He should have taken her home, but he didn't. He should of stayed by her side while she slept it off, but he didn't. Instead she was raped and that night would haunt them both. Ever since then Kevin had promised himself that he would always be there for Marty and he was determined to keep her from self-destructing.

Kevin walked over to Marty who was ordering another drink from the bartender. "Kevin, you're here. I'm so glad to see you." Marty slurred as she embraced Kevin.

"Well, I wouldn't miss my sister's engagement party."

"Right," Marty replied as a look of disgust flashed across her face.

"I'm actually suprised to see you here Marty. It can't be easy being here for John and Natalie's wedding reception."

"It's not but I've got a wedding present that I need to give them in person. Have you seen them?" Marty asked. She had planned on stopping the wedding before it finished, but she had been battling her conscious all morning and had arrived at the church too late. She needed to find John before she changed her mind. Natalie needed to pay for her part in taking away Cole.

"No, I haven't. I need to get some air, will you come outside with me?" Kevin asked Marty as he spotted Natalie and John entering the room. He knew that Marty was up to something and he had to stop her before she did something that she might regret."

"I really need to find Natalie and John."

"Please Marty. I really need to talk to you."

"Okay," Marty replied. She never could say no to Kevin.

Kevin escorted Marty outside. Once they were outside he grabbed the piece of paper that Marty had been clutching all night.

"That's mine Kevin. Give it back to me."

Kevin glanced at the paper and realized that it was a DNA test and he recognized his sister's name at the top of the paper.

"This isn't yours. This is Natalie's. Why do you have it?"

"Natalie's been lying to John. The baby she's carrying isn't his. Natalie is the reason that Cole is in prison. Natalie needs to pay for her actions and there's nothing you can do to stop me from telling John."

Kevin dropped the paper in disbelief. Marty was worse off than he thought. She wasn't even making sense. He had to find a way to make her see reason before she lost everything.

"Marty, Natalie, is not to blame. I know that you"re hurting right now but telling John the truth about Natalie is not going to change anything."

"It might not change anything but it will make me feel better. Your sister has single handedly taken everything away from me. She told me that if it wasn't for my baby then John would be with her. I lost the baby and then I lost John, but that was okay because I still had Cole. When Cole shot Eli I begged Natalie and John to cover for him but she refused and John, well, he couldn't do anything that would jeopardize Natalie's future since he thought she was carrying his child. He betrayed Cole and me for a child that wasn't even his." Marty ranted.

"You're wrong and you know it, otherwise you would have already told John. This test was taken more than a month ago, so you've had plenty of opportunity to get even with Natalie and tell John the truth, but you haven't."

"I was just waiting for the right moment to cause Natalie as much pain as she's caused me."

"Don't do this?"

"I should have known that you would take Natalie's side against me. She's your sister and I'm nothing to you," Marty said as she turned around and begun to head back into the party.

"You're wrong. I'm not taking Natalie's side," Kevin said as he grabbed Marty's wrist and spun her around so that they were once again facing each other. "The truth about the baby will eventually come out, but it doesn't have to come out tonight and you don't have to be the one to bring the truth to light. I know you, Marty, you're better than this and revenge against Natalie won't make you feel better. It will destroy you and I love you too much to watch you self destruct," Kevin said as he pulled Marty in for a kiss. He had to make her see that she wasn't alone.

The kiss caught Marty off gaurd. She hadn't been kissed like that since Patrick died. Marty had felt dead since Cole had gone to prison, she no longer had a purpose, but now here with Kevin she felt a spark of life. " Wow, what was that?" Marty whispered as they briefly pulled apart.

"That was my way of getting you to listen to reason. You have not lost everything, because I'm still here and I'm never going to leave you again."

"I don't know Kevin, John deserves to know the truth."

"Come away with me for one week. Give Natalie a chance to tell John the truth. Let me talk to my sister and when we come back if John still doesn't know and you still want to tell him then I won't stop you."

A part of Marty still wanted to make Natalie pay for everything that she had stolen from her, but Kevin was right. Revenge would only make her feel temporarily better. When all was said and done her son would still be in prison and she would still have to find a way to go on without him. "Okay Kevin, talk to Natalie. Tell her she has one week to tell John the truth. Where should we go?"

Kevin wanted to take Marty to Hawiee. That was thier place they used to go out there every summer when Marty was in medical school.

"Where else?"

"Hawiee," they both said at the same time.

Kevin picked up the DNA test and handed it back to Marty. He knew that she would do the right thing. He gave Marty a hug and watched her leave the party. He promised himself that he would do anything to fill Marty's life with love and happiness once again.