John also hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Dad. I asked my mom for help, but she wasn't interested in helping me, and she wasn't even interested in Brian. She said he won't survive."
"She is neither God nor a doctor," Steve replied.
"I don't know what to do, Dad. I didn't work this week, but I need to get back to work. Now it's not just me, I have a son to support."
"You know that I can't make any decisions alone. I need to talk to Catherine, we're a couple, and we don't make any decisions without consulting each other.
"I know, dad." John replied. That was the part that worried him. He thought Catherine hated him, but he also knew that if she hated him, she would be right. "Catherine hates me," he said to Steve.
"Don't be ridiculous, John. She doesn't hate you because she's a wonderful person and doesn't hold a grudge in her heart. She may be hurt by you, after all you mistreated her daughters. But hate is not part of who she is," Steve replied.
"Can you talk to her?" John asked.
"No. You are now going to talk to her and be humble and apologize," Steve said.
"Okay," John replied.
Catherine was sitting at the table in Steve's home office. She was checking her investments and doing some math while Emilly and Kim were in the room. Kim was describing a cartoon for Emilly.
During the break, Kim went to Catherine to place an order. "Mom, Emilly said my birthday is coming. Can I have a birthday party?"
Catherine touched Kim's face affectionately. "Yes, my love, it's been five years since you arrived bringing joy to Mommy's life. I'm going to talk to your dad about the party. Okay?"
"Ok, mommy. I love you"
"Love you too." Catherine kissed Kim on the cheek and she returned to Emilly.
"Wedding, birthday party, it looks like I'm going to be very busy in the next few months. I need to talk to Steve about all of this," Catherine thought.
She was surprised when she saw John enter the house with Steve.
"John!" Kim said and ran over to him. John picked her up and hugged her. "Hello, Kim."
Catherine was apprehensive, but then relieved when he didn't reject his sister's embrace.
"Emilly," John said to get her attention.
"Hi John," Emilly replied.
John put Kim on the floor and she went back to Emilly. He looked in Catherine's direction, but avoided looking her in the eye. "Hi, Catherine."
"Hi, John," She replied and looked at the laptop again.
"Cath, can we talk?" Steve asked her.
"What happened?" she asked.
Let's sit outside, "Steve asked.
"Okay," she replied and stood up. "Emilly, we're outside," Catherine said to her daughter.
"Okay, mom. I take care of Kim," Emilly replied.
Catherine, Steve and John and sat at the table outside to talk. "What bullshit did you do now, John?" Catherine asked.
John started to cry and didn't respond.
"It's not bullshit, Catherine. It's a child," Steve replied.
"How so?" she asked.
"John has a son. He was born premature, was abandoned by his mother and is in the hospital. The doctors don't have much hope, but we can't abandon him, Cath."
"How long was the pregnancy, John?" Catherine asked.
"Almost six months, were missing two or three days," John replied.
"Six months ...," she repeated thoughtfully.
John kept his eyes down and she complained. "Look at me while I'm talking to you!"
John looked at her and she felt sorry for him, but she couldn't help saying what he needed to hear. "Six months, and you didn't think to come here, or at least call your father and say he was going to be a grandfather? Do you think he deserves so much contempt? But the world goes around, my dear, and today you need of him," Catherine told John and was extremely irritated.
"Cath ...," Steve tried to calm her down.
"Don't come to defend him, Steve, because what he did has no defense!" Catherine stood up and turned away from Steve and John, and looked out to sea while processing everything that was going on.
John stood up too. "You're right, Catherine, I have no arguments because I know I was wrong, but Brian is not to blame for anything. I ask your forgiveness, but if you can't forgive me, help me for him."
Catherine took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "Is his name Brian?"
"Yes," John replied.
"Is his mother Natalie?" Catherine asked.
"Unfortunately, yes," John replied, showing his regret for being involved with her.
"And what do you want from me, John?" Catherine asked.
"I have no way of going to the hospital to stay with him during the week, Catherine. Now, more than ever, I need to work. I need to support him, I will have to pay the hospital, and I don't want him to stay there. alone as if he had no family, I don't want him to feel unwanted, "John told her.
Catherine thought long before answering.
"I want custody of him," Catherine replied.
John didn't answer.
"I want you to give Brian custody to me and your dad."
"Okay. I know you will never forbid me to see him," John replied.
"Of course not," Catherine replied.
"We can do this tomorrow then," John told her.
"Okay," Catherine replied.
John hugged her. "Thank you, Catherine. I know there is no one better than you to look after him."
Catherine hugged him too. "Your mom will be jealous that I would raise her grandson," Catherine told him.
"She don't care about him," John replied.
"And I'm not done yet. You are going to buy his milk, diapers, clothes, you will pay for health insurance, school and you will come here every day to see him. You will be his Father!"
"Ok, Catherine," John replied.
John also hugged Steve. "Forgive me, dad."
"I forgive you, John. But don't go back to having a relationship with that woman. She changed you and went for the worse," Steve told him.
"I left her the day she left my son," John replied.
"Okay. You'll find a good girl," Steve told him.
"I'm not interested in that right now, dad. Now I just want to think about Brian."
After John left, Catherine and Steve told Emilly and Kim everything.
"Wow!" Emilly said and Kim followed suit.
"You will be Aunt Emilly and Aunt Kim," Steve told the girls.
"This is going to be cool, isn't it, Kim?" Emilly said. She felt that Kim was a little jealous of the baby.
"I don't know, Emilly! He's not going to sleep in my bed!" Kim said and crossed his arms.
"Of course not, daughter. He's going to have his crib," Steve replied.
Steve, it's not just that. We have more news: Joshua proposed to Emilly and Kim wants a 5th birthday party, "Catherine said.
"Oh really?" Steve asked surprised by the marriage proposal.
"Yes," Catherine replied.
"But Joshua and I can wait a while, Mom. He'll understand," Emilly said.
"I hope so, daughter. I will need you to take care of your sister while I am in the hospital. But I will only be going after lunch so as not to disrupt your training," Catherine told Emilly.
"Thanks Mom."
Catherine took her hand. "I'm the one who should thank you, daughter. I thank you for helping me, for being understanding, for being my friend. And I promise you that you will be the most beautiful bride Hawaii has ever seen."
Steve seized the moment and took Catherine's hand. "I also want to thank you, Cath. You know you could have said no. I would be sad but I would respect your decision. But I knew you wouldn't let me down," Steve raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.
"We are a family, aren't we? We would never leave Brian behind," Catherine replied.
Catherine and Steve only managed to visit the baby two days later. Steve saw him in the incubator and couldn't take it. "Cath ... I can't."
"Go home, and come and pick me up at seven at night. I'll stay here with him," Catherine told Steve.
"I'm sorry. He's so small, and I ..." Steve was speaking and Catherine interrupted him.
"It's okay, go home," Catherine told him.
Steve left and Catherine sat in the chair next to the incubator. She stroked Brian's small head very lightly. "Hi, Brian. Grandma is here. You are not alone, my love. We will take care of you and soon Grandpa and I will take you home. Aunt Kim and Aunt Emilly want to meet you, dear." Catherine was thrilled and wiped away a few tears.
A nurse came over and touched Catherine's shoulder. "I'm glad you're talking to him. He needs to feel loved."
Catherine looked at her and nodded.
"We are doing the best for him. I promised his father that I would take good care of him," the nurse said.
"So you met John," Catherine told her.
"Yes, he comes here and just cries. I told him that he needed to talk to his son."
The nurse approached the incubator. "Did you see it, Brian? Besides a beautiful dad, you also have a beautiful grandma. Lucky boy, huh?"
She then looked at Catherine. " I'll be here if you need anything," she said and pointed to a counter.
Catherine smiled and looked at her identification badge. She was young, beautiful and friendly. "Thank you so much, Hannah. I feel like we'll be good friends. "