Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter twenty-five of "On a Strange Tide." I am glad it took just five days to get out. I am on a roll here. This chapter has some Tommy/Kim. The next smutty scene involving them will be in the next chapter. Stay tuned for chapter twenty-six.
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Chapter 25: Telling the Family
Kim and Caleb watched Tommy pace back and forth in front of the living room coffee table thirty minutes after noon. She sat on the couch with him in her lap. She saw come to a stop next to the second armchair and look toward the clock hanging above the doorway. He sighed impatiently and resumed his pacing. She became a little annoyed.
"Will you stop pacing, Tommy? You'll wear a hole in the floor," she said.
"I can't help it, Kim. I just want to get this conservation over with," he replied, sighing frustratingly. "We don't even know if Jenna will call for the sixth time before they get here."
"I understand how you feel," Kim whispered sympathetically. "I have little doubt my parents will fuss at me for picking up the phone and yelling at her."
"I wouldn't blame him if they did," Tommy said, coming over to her side and sitting down. "Then again, I don't blame you for what you did." He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "You had every right to be angry at her."
"Thanks, Handsome," Kim answered lovingly.
"You're welcome, Beautiful," Tommy murmured and planted a kiss to her temple. "My sweet Beautiful."
He kissed her temple again before rubbing it gingerly. He looked down at his son, who reached for him. He took him from her. He stood him on his feet in his lap. He heard him gurgle.
"Don't worry, little man. Jenna won't get her hands on you. I promise," Tommy whispered, kissing Caleb's nose. He turned him around and set him in his lap. "Caleb doesn't understand what's going on around him, despite he sensed Jenna was trouble from the start."
"What baby would?" Kim said softly. "We have no idea how our children will react when we tell them you were a victim of stalking once they are old enough to understand."
He sighed heavily. "Yeah. There is a chance they won't believe us."
"Unfortunately," Kim muttered, running her tongue over her teeth. "It's likely they'll be shocked."
"What kids wouldn't be when they learn their parents weren't as perfect as they thought?" Tommy wondered.
She smiled. "Yep."
Tommy was about to say something else when the sound of the front door unlocking caught his and Kim's attention. They turned to see it open. Mark walked in, followed by Caroline, Kyle, Matt, and Vicky. He closed the door and locked it. The couple stood up and went toward the others. Caleb cooed as Mark, Caroline, and Kyle put their suitcases down. The Harts and the Olivers approached the young family as they stopped in front of the coffee table.
"Hey, Mom, Dad," Kim greeted, hugging her parents.
"Hey yourself, honey," Mark said as he and Caroline hugged her back. They pulled apart to look at each other.
"We missed you," Caroline added.
"Tommy, Caleb, and I missed you too," Kim said, winking at him.
"They're not the only ones who missed you," Matt said and let out a loud laugh.
"Of course not, Dad," Tommy said, punching his father in the shoulder. "By the way, it's good to see you and Mom." He hugged his parents.
"It's good to see you too, son," Vicky said, hugging him along with Mark. They broke apart and gazed at each other. "Did you have a good night alone in the house?"
"We sure did. It's nice you will be eating lunch with us," Tommy said happily.
"I'm grilling some good old hotdogs," Mark said, pride showing on his face. "I'm the hotdog king."
"Sure, you are, Dad," Kim commented sarcastically and looked at Kyle. "Hey there, bro."
"How was your sleepover at Jenny's?" Tommy wondered.
"It was nice, but there is no place like home," Kyle answered, standing tall and proud.
"So, what is it you and Kim want to tell us, Tommy? What's so important that the entire family needs to know about it?" Caroline asked, curiosity filling her eyes.
"Let's get it over with. I'm starving," Kyle said, rubbing his stomach.
"Okay. Why don't you all sit down?" Tommy suggested.
"If you say so," Matt said, reaching over to pat his son's shoulder.
Mark, Caroline, and Kyle went over to the couch and sat down. They let out light grunts. Matt took the first armchair. Vicky got the second one. Tommy and Kim faced them.
"Do you guys remember when I told you about my ex-girlfriend, Jenny Leary?" Tommy asked.
"Yes, we do, son," Vicky said, nodding slowly.
Tommy took slow yet even breaths. "I don't know how to tell you this, but she's—" He wasn't sure if he could continue.
"What, Tommy? What is Jenna doing?" Caroline wondered and held up her hand.
"She's…she's…" Tommy stammered.
Kyle became impatient. "Come on, Tommy. Spit it out, so we can eat."
"Kyle!" Mark scolded and glared at his son.
"Sorry, Dad," Kyle mumbled guiltily as his father returned his attention to the young family.
"Now, tell us. What is Jenna doing, Tommy?" Matt commented.
Kim took a deep breath. She hoped the family wouldn't freak out. "Jenna has been stalking Tommy!"
Mark, Caroline, Kyle, Matt, and Vicky gasped shockingly. They thought Tommy and Kim were joking, but they quickly realized the young parents weren't. They looked at each other. Tommy became nervous.
"Believe us, guys," Tommy pleaded, his voice cracking. "Please, believe us."
"All of us believe you and Kim, Tommy," Caroline said, turning to him along with the others.
"All of us believe you," Matt added in a soft voice.
Tommy sighed in relief as he held his son a little tighter. "Oh, thank God."
Kim touched his shoulder. "He's been nervous about telling all of you. He thought you wouldn't believe him, especially his parents."
"Kim, we know Tommy. He wouldn't lie about something like this. We saw he was getting uncomfortable with what he was trying to say," Vicky answered seriously. "You helped him by finishing it."
"I have to admit we didn't expect this. I remember Jenna as a nice girl," Matt commented.
"I do too," Vicky added. "I never saw any sign she'd do something like this."
"May I ask how this started?" Caroline wondered.
"It actually started last Friday. I encountered Jenna in the Hartford Café parking lot while I was waiting for Kim by the van. I started talking to her. I became uncomfortable when she started flirting with me. She gave me her dorm phone number, but I threw it away. She flirted with me again while we were talking during my break two days ago. She touched my hair and arm. She tried to press up against me, but I stopped her. I told her to leave me alone and went inside," Tommy explained.
"Last night, Jenna left a heart-shaped box of chocolates and a note on our doorstep. The note requested Tommy to meet her in the park at midnight for some fun. It told him to enjoy the chocolates until then and that they were a symbol of her love for him," Kim added, appearing as if she were about to vomit.
Kyle felt his jaw drop. "How did Jenna know where we live?"
"She followed me home after I got off work. Kim and I believe she overheard us talking about spending yesterday afternoon in the park. We have a hunch she was watching us and Caleb there," Tommy answered, his body trembling.
"That's not all. Jenna called the house five times in nearly two hours this morning. I picked up the phone on the fifth call and told her to leave Tommy alone," Kim yelled in much frustration. "She was driving us crazy."
"Before you ask how she got our phone number, we think she found it in the phone book because she knew our address. She might have gone through our trash and found it on a phone bill. She could've found our cellphone numbers on the cellphone bill," Tommy commented.
"Oh, shit," Caroline muttered in shock.
"We're going to have shred our phone bills from now on," Mark growled angrily.
"The same goes for us," Matt added.
"Unfortunately, Jenna already has our phone number. Tommy gave it to her," Vicky pointed out and looked at her husband.
Caroline glared at her daughter. "As for you, Kim, you know better than to talk to a stalker. The number one rule in dealing with stalkers is never making contact with them!"
"I know, Mom, but I couldn't take it anymore!" Kim cried frantically. Tears formed in her eyes. "I wanted to make it clear to her that Tommy would never get back together with her."
"We understand, Kim, but you still shouldn't have done what you did," Vicky responded seriously, as she turned to her. "You gave Jenna more ammo to go after Tommy."
"I'm sorry," Kim apologized and choked back a sob. "I'm very scared of what she might do."
The tears fell from the young mother's eyes. She wiped them away before letting out a small sniffle. Her parents, her brother, and her future in-laws showed much sympathy.
"We are just as scared as you are, Kim," Mark whispered with much gentleness. He huffed to himself. "Jenna could've chosen from dozens of good-looking college guys. Why go after her ex-boyfriend who is now engaged and has two children?"
Vicky bit her lip. "I say it's because Jenna realized what she lost and wants it back now."
"This situation reminds me of Carolyn Warmus. She dated attached men and became a stalker when they broke up with her. Her final lover was Paul Solomon, who was married to Betty Jeanne and had a daughter named Kristan. They began an affair not very long after they met. When he started to pull away, she killed Betty Jeanne to have him all to herself," Matt said bitterly.
"Then he broke things off with her and became involved with Barbara Ballor. She pursued him relentlessly. She called the woman's family constantly in an effort to end the relationship. She was charged with second-degree murder. The first trial ended in a hung jury. The second trial got a conviction. She was sentenced to twenty-five years to life in prison," Mark said.
"That's a crazy woman," Kyle mumbled, turning a little tense.
Caroline gazed at him. "You're right, son. It's more than likely you'll encounter crazy girls and women as you mature into a man."
"Anyway, let's go upstairs and listen to those phone messages," Mark said, getting up along with his wife, his son, Matt, and Vicky.
"I need to go to the bathroom first," Kyle said.
"That's fine," Tommy answered and patted Caleb's back. He and the others headed upstairs.
00000
Tommy, Kim, Caleb, Mark, Caroline, Matt, and Vicky were waiting for Kyle in the elder Harts' room five minutes later. They were gathered near the first nightstand. Mark and Caroline sat on the bed next to it. Matt and Vicky were seated on the front of the bed. Tommy and Kim stood next to the nightstand. Kim was holding Caleb now.
The sound of the toilet flushing caught everyone's attention. The entire group heard the bathroom door open with a loud squeak. It looked toward the doorway to see Kyle coming into the room. He came to his mother's side and sat down beside her. She, Mark, Matt, Vicky, Tommy, and Kim shifted their attention to him.
"It's about time you got here, slugger," Tommy said, putting his hands on his sides.
"Well, I had to go more than I thought," Kyle answered.
"I see," Mark commented and looked toward the answering machine, as did the others. "Let's listen to these messages."
Kim pressed the play button. Jenna's first message played after the beep sounded. Mark, Caroline, Matt, Vicky, and Kyle looked at each other, unease showing on their faces. They turned toward the machine as the message ended. The click came, followed by another beep. One more beep followed suit.
"Tommy, why didn't you call me back? We must talk about our relationship. It's very important that you call me. I need to hear your voice. Please, don't ignore this message. Call me once you get it," Jenna pleaded.
Another click sounded, and the next beep came right after. Another beep sounded a second later.
"Tommy, why won't you call me? You need to stop ignoring me!" Jenna demanded fiercely. "We have to talk about our relationship. We are meant to be together. Kim isn't right for you. I am. I know you want to be with me. Call me right now."
One more click sounded, and the next beep followed suit. Another beep came right after. Jenna's fourth and final message played. After it was finished, the final click and beep sounded. Mark sighed heavily while shaking his head in disbelief. He, Caroline, Kyle, Matt, and Vicky looked at Tommy and Kim. Caleb fussed, but he quieted down when his mother bounced him.
"Jenna has gone crazy," Matt declared.
"She really does think she and Tommy are back together," Vicky mumbled irritatingly.
"I'll be right back," Tommy said and walked out of the room. He returned with the package and the note a minute later. "This is the stuff Jenna left on our doorstep."
Tommy handed the note to Mark, who opened it. Mark mumbled inaudible words as Caroline and Kyle leaned close to him. He showed it to Matt and Vicky. They looked toward Tommy.
"Talk about trying to get you away from Kim," Mark hissed, anger filling his voice. Caroline and Kyle pulled back.
Tommy exhaled sharply. "You got that right."
Kim became serious, as did her fiancé. "Dad, we want to take this to the police."
"You and Tommy could do that, Kim, but I doubt the police will do anything about it. A gift, a note, an incident of unwanted contact, and five unwanted phone calls are nowhere near enough evidence of stalking. They need a lot more than that. In fact, it's likely they'd write this off as someone being very annoying. Most stalkers are," Mark explained bluntly.
"I see that, Dad, but I want Jenna to stop bothering Tommy," Kim yelled, frustration lining her voice.
"Your frustration is understandable, honey," Caroline said comfortingly. "Unfortunately, your father is right. The police aren't likely to do anything."
"You can go to them and make a report. They can get someone on the case. That is if you want to do that," Vicky pointed out.
"For now, all we can do is take the wait-and-see approach. It is possible Jenna will stop pursuing Tommy," Caroline said honestly.
Matt licked his lips. "You never know."
"You two should start keeping journals. You need to write down every encounter you have with Jenna, whether you make contact with her or not. Be as detailed as possible. She may leave notes on your vehicles' windshields. Keep them if you get them," Mark instructed firmly.
"Letters from Jenna could start coming in the mail, so you should keep those as well. We must keep every message she leaves on the answering machine. If the tape gets full, then it will be replaced with another," Caroline added.
Vicky held up a finger. "You two should let Mr. Kaplan know what is going on, so he can take precautions in case Jenna shows up at school. You should tell your friends, so they can tell their parents."
"We plan to do that tomorrow morning, Mrs. Oliver," Kim answered, shaking a little bit. "I hope they believe Tommy and me."
"If they don't, there's not anything you can do, except gather evidence," Matt whispered sympathetically.
Tommy and Kim nodded in agreement. She kissed the top of Caleb's head before tightening her grip on him somewhat.
"I'm going to call Kyle's principal and arrange a meeting with him tomorrow morning. He needs to know about Jenna," Caroline commented.
"Mom, I really don't want you getting Mr. Merkel involved in this," Kyle said, crossing his arms. "It is embarrassing."
"I have to, son," Caroline responded, turning to him with a serious look on her face. "Jenna might try to pose as a relative or family friend and claim one of us told her she needed to take you out of school because of an emergency. She could take you somewhere and hold you hostage. She could call Tommy and tell him she'd let you go if he'd join her."
"You don't want that to happen to you, do you?" Mark said, gazing at his son.
Kyle sighed heavily. Though he didn't like the idea of Marvin Merkel being involved in this situation, he understood what his parents were saying. The thought of being held hostage by Jenna scared him. He nodded at them.
"Mom, you can tell my principal what is going on," Kyle relented.
"Thank you," Caroline said, smiling lightly.
"At some point, all of you should change your phone numbers," Vicky suggested. "Matt and I are thinking about doing that in case Jenna starts calling us."
"Tommy, you should let Ernie what's going on because Jenna could call the Youth Center and ask for you while you are working. He can help you by making up excuses on why you can't talk to her," Caroline added.
"Of course, Mrs. Hart," Tommy answered while nodding at her.
"We will look into getting an alarm system and changing the locks on the doors in case Jenna tries to break in. We will also eliminate hiding places the best we can," Mark commented in seriousness.
"We will do all three things as well," Vicky said, gesturing toward Matt and herself. "Last but not least, someone should pick you up from work and take you home."
"Mom, I don't want people to think I am a wimp," Tommy muttered with much uncertainty.
"I understand, son, but it's for your own safety. None of us know what Jenna is capable of at this point," Vicky said with much seriousness. "If Kim wasn't pregnant, then she would be the best choice." She eyed her future daughter-in-law.
"Jason should be the one to pick Tommy up and take him home, Mrs. Oliver," Kim said, looking at Tommy, who turned to her. "After me, Jason is the one he trusts the most. Before you say anything, Tommy, this is the best way for you to be safe. You might be a karate master, but Jenna could still sneak up behind you and attack you with a deadly weapon. Nobody wants you to get hurt."
Tommy inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. Though he didn't like the idea of being picked up, he understood everyone's concern for his safety. He was aware of the many places that Jenna could hide in around the Youth Center and other places. He nodded at Kim.
"I'll talk to Jason about picking me up from work and taking me home when we tell him and the others about everything tomorrow," Tommy said.
"Thanks, Tommy," Kim whispered and kissed his cheek. They shifted their attention back to the rest of the family. "After all that, I'm really hungry now."
"So am I," Kyle commented, rising to his feet along with Mark, Caroline, Matt, and Vicky. "Let's go get some lunch."
The entire family headed out of the room. Tommy took the stuff back to his and Kim's own to put it on the bed. Everyone went downstairs and into the kitchen.