Chapter 10

2009

So, Nathan and Carol left Kristin to rest so that they could relieve Mrs. King. The girls were very excited; they had liked Nathan from the moment they had met him and were almost certain they would like Carol as well. After introductions, Nathan and Carol helped the girls pack what they needed for the week. Soon, they were ready to leave. The girls wanted to stop at the hospital to see Kristin before dinner.

"I can't wait to see Mommy!" Jasmine said excitedly as she Nathan helped her into the back seat of his car.

"You have to remember she's not feeling well," Cynthia reminded her as she sat next to her, but she was just as excited as her sister although she did not want to show it.

"I know, but I still want to see her," Jasmine said.

Nathan and Carol loaded the girls' bags into the trunk of the car and got into the front seat. After a quiet ride, they arrived at the hospital.

Before they entered the door, Cynthia reminded her sister, "Now, remember, you have to be..."

"Quiet. I know. The hospital is full of sick people who need their rest. I remember from when grandpa was sick last year," Jasmine said.

"OK, good. I just wanted to be sure you knew," Cynthia told her.

Nathan and Carol helped the girls buy some flowers and balloons at the gift shop before getting on the elevator. After getting onto the elevator, Carol decided it was a good time to prepare the girls for their mother's appearance.

"Girls, I just want to tell you that your mom has some bruises on her face, so it may be a little hard for you to see," Carol said gently.

Cynthia nodded, "Yeah, we already know. Dad told us."

Nathan was a little surprised. "He did?"

Jasmine and Cynthia nodded.

"What else did he tell you?" Nathan asked.

But, before he could get an answer, the elevator came to a stop, and the girls were so excited that they did not pause. They wanted to get to Kristin's room as fast as possible; Nathan and Carol darted to keep up with them.

Soon, they were in Kristin's room, and although Kristin seemed happy to see her daughters, one could see how tired she looked. It was apparent that her body still had a lot of healing to do. However, Kristin could not rest until she explained to the girls what happened. They needed to be told the truth, and she had mentally prepared what she was going to say to them, although it would be difficult nonetheless.

"Could we have some time alone?" Kristin asked Nathan and Carol.

They nodded and left the room.

"Girls, I have some things to tell you that are not easy for me to say, but you need to know the truth.", Kristin started, her voice quavering a bit.

The girls exchanged worried glances as Kristin continued.

"Your father did not tell you the truth about what happened to me," Kristin paused to regain her composure a bit. She took a deep breath and forced herself to continue.

"Your father is a very angry man. When he gets very angry, he hurts me. When Mommy was attacked, Daddy was very angry with me. Daddy is the reason that I am here. He did this, and I am so sorry that you two are going through this now. I never wanted this. I never imagined this would happen," Kristin said with tears running down her cheeks.

Cynthia and Jasmine were crying as well. As they hugged their mother, Cynthia asked, "So, is Daddy in jail now?"

Kristin nodded.

"Will we ever see him again?" Jasmine asked.

Kristin wiped her eyes. "Do you want to see him again?"

Jasmine and Cynthia were silent, unsure of what to say.

"Girls, he is your father, and he does love you very much. He has to go to jail because he did some naughty things. If you want to see him, I am not going to be angry with you. We have some challenges ahead of us now. We are going to need some counseling for this. Your father will get counseling as well, I am sure. I am not sure if you will be allowed to see him right away. But after he gets some counseling for his anger, and you decide you would like to see him, you can. I will never stop you from that. I will not love you any less," Kristin explained to them.

"You mean you are going to forgive him?" Cynthia asked.

Kristin sighed, "I am going to try. I cannot spend my whole life being angry. I am going to divorce your father, but that does not mean I will hate him. I hate what he did, yes, but there was a time when he and I cared about each other very much. There will always be a special place in my heart for that time."

Cynthia and Jasmine hugged their mother again.

"I love you both very much," Kristin said.

"We love you too, Mom," Cynthia and Jasmine said.

They hugged silently for a few more minutes. Kristin finally released them. "So, do you think you will have fun staying with the Bridgers this week?" she asked.

Jasmine nodded, "Uncle Nathan says he is going to take use for pizza and ice cream tonight!"

"Uncle Nathan?" Kristin asked.

"Uh huh," Jasmine said.

"We decided that Uncle Nathan and Aunt Carol sounded better than Mr. and Mrs. Bridger," Cynthia explained, "You don't mind, do you?"

"Not if Uncle Nathan and Aunt Carol don't,"" Kristin smiled, "Speaking of them, can we ask them to come back in now?" Kristin asked.

The girls nodded, and Cynthia went to go get them. Soon, all three of them joined Kristin.

"Everything OK?" Nathan asked, noticing that Kristin's eyes were red from crying.

Kristin smiled reassuringly, "Yes, everything's fine."

Then, Kristin yawned, absolutely exhausted with the day's exertions.

"We should leave so you can get some rest," Carol told her.

Kristin was about to object but decided against it. She truly was tired, and sleep sounded wonderful. She nodded.

So, the girls gave hugs and kisses goodbye, and Carol and the girls left. Nathan lingered.

"We'll see you tomorrow, OK?" Nathan said as he gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Nathan, don't spoil them too much," Kristin said.

Nathan flashed Kristin a smile as he turned to leave. "Don't worry; I will."

Kristin was too tired to object. After her guests left, she was soon asleep.

Nathan, Carol, and the girls went out for pizza and ice cream as promised. After dinner, they went back to Nathan and Carol's house. Carol showed the girls to their rooms and helped them unpack. Nathan noticed the answering machine blinking and hit the 'play' button.

"Nathan, this is Bill. What the hell is going on? Call me back as soon as you get this; you've had your cell phone turned off."

Nathan swore under his breath. Through all of the chaos, he had forgotten about the Bill and the gala business. Of course, Bill would be wondering what was going on. He dialed Bill's phone number.

"Hello?" Nathan heard Bill's voice answer.

"Bill, it's Nathan."

"Nathan, what in God's name has been going on? Janet and I have been worried sick; we watched the news. They said Senator Nelson was arrested. What about the project?" Bill rambled on, obviously concerned.

"Bill, calm down." Nathan proceeded to tell him the events of the past couple of days.

"Wow, Nathan. I'm glad everything is alright now. So now what?"

"We help Kristin get better," Nathan said.

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant what about the funding for the submarine?"

"Oh..." Nathan paused. "I guess it wasn't meant to be right now. I still have some work to do on the plans. I certainly don't want to get mixed up with guys like Charles Nelson again."

"Nathan, I have been getting phone calls from Senators Martin and Crane. They still want to help you with the funding. I can assure you they are not like Charles Nelson," Bill explained.

Nathan wasn't sure what to say. He had not expected this. "Bill, I am not really prepared..."

"Nonsense, Nathan. I'll give you a month to get things in order. Then, we'll talk; this is your dream. You can't just throw it away."

Nathan conceded, "Alright, alright."

Bill laughed. "Take care, Nathan."

"You too, Bill. Bye."

Nathan hung up the phone and went to check on Carol and the girls. He was touched by what he saw. Carol and the girls lay sleeping on their bed, Carol in the middle and Jasmine and Cynthia on either side of her. Nathan just stood there looking at them. Although he had not expected to be taking care of Kristin's children, he was happy to do so. He felt a certain responsibility for them along with Kristin, and he was beginning to fall in love with them. Nathan loved children; he had always wanted a house full of them. However, after Carol gave birth to Robert, she could not have any more children due to the fact that a difficult birth caused damage to her uterus. Nathan decided he was going to do his best to give the girls a wonderful week. He had the sudden urge to spoil them, something their own father had failed to do.

The next morning, Nathan told the girls to get dressed. He was eager to start a day of fun with them.

"Are we going to see Mommy?" Jasmine asked.

"Yes, we will," Nathan told her, "but, first, I thought we'd stop at the toy store."

"Yippee!" Jasmine ran off to get ready.

As the girls went to get ready, Carol talked to Nathan privately. "I don't think Kristin wants us spoiling them."

"Yes, she mentioned that," Nathan said.

"And what do you call bringing them to the toy store?" Carol asked, "Isn't that a bit of spoiling?"

"A toy or two isn't going to matter much." Then Nathan got serious, "It's just that they've been through so much. I want to try to make up for that, give them a life they haven't known before," Nathan explained.

Carol nodded with understanding. "Just don't go overboard."

Nathan smiled. "I'll try."

A few hours later, Nathan, Carol, and the girls arrived at the hospital. Kristin was well-rested, so she was glad to see everyone.

"Mommy!" Jasmine exclaimed when they entered Kristin's room as she ran to hug her mother, "Uncle Nathan bought me some new Barbie dolls!"

"And he bought me a new mp3 player," Cynthia added.

"Oh did he?" Kristin raised an eyebrow at Nathan.

Nathan looked at her sheepishly. "I thought I told you not to spoil them," Kristin said.

"Well, um...", Nathan stammered.

Kristin sighed. She knew Nathan meant well. She would let him off the hook this time.

"It's alright, Nathan," Kristin said, "I understand what you are trying to do."

"You do?" Nathan said.

Kristin nodded.

"I promise I won't go overboard. They know that your rules are to be followed. Cynthia already told us what they are and are not allowed to do," Nathan said.

"She did?" Kristin asked.

"Yeah, Mom. We know what you expect from us," Cynthia explained.

Kristin smiled. "So you girls are having fun with Uncle Nathan and Aunt Carol then?"

"Yeah, and it's not just because they buy us stuff either," Jasmine said.

Everyone laughed.

And, the rest of the week went pretty much like this. Nathan and Carol adored the girls, and Nathan did not spoil them too much, as he promised. Although he was sure to give them much-needed attention. After school, they always visited Kristin, and Kristin did get a little better everyday. Both she and the girls had started therapy and were learning how to deal with all that happened emotionally. As the end of the week drew closer, Nathan was beginning to have doubts. Although he was glad that Kristin was getting better, he was worried that she may not be able to handle things on her own. He was concerned she would need help. So, he decided to visit her alone one day while the girls were at school and Carol was grocery shopping.

Nathan knocked on the door frame to Kristin's room.

"Nathan!" Kristin greeted him. "I didn't expect to see you this early."

"Well, I was hoping I could talk to you alone," Nathan said.

"Is something wrong?" Kristin asked worriedly.

"Oh, no," Nathan reassured her. "I just have something to ask you."

"Oh, alright," Kristin relaxed. "Go ahead."

"Um, well, I've...I mean Carol and I have been thinking that you're going to be out of the hospital soon," Nathan began.

"Yes..." Kristin said.

"And we know you are still going to need help, and it might be difficult for you to be in that house after what happened...So, we wanted to know if you and the girls would want to live with us...just until you can get back on your feet. We know it's going to be hard for you," Nathan explained.

Kristin was silent for a moment. "I cannot deny that I have been concerned about returning home; I admit I don't want to be in that house anymore," Kristin began.

"Then, don't," Nathan urged, "Put the house up for sale and get through your divorce. You are welcome to stay with us for as long as you need. We have enough room. It would be no trouble to us at all."

Kristin thought briefly. It did sound like a good solution. "Alright," she finally agreed. And she thanked Nathan by hugging him. And, although Kristin had been though some traumatic experiences, it seemed her life was turning around.