Karen pulls her car up in the parking lot of Scott Motors, she turns the
motor off and checks her make-up in the visor mirror before getting out,
her legs wobble slightly as she closes the car door and walks the short
distance to the showroom doors, she opens the door, her hands sweating
profusely.
"Dan?" she croaks as she steps inside, her mouth dry.
"Karen?" Dan replies in his usual impatient tone, walking out of his office.
"Karen, are you okay?' Dan's tone softens as he notices how pale and drawn Karen looks.
She shakes her head silently, this was not going well, last night she had rehearsed this conversation over and over again, now she can barely speak.
"Can I have a glass of water please?" she asks quietly as Dan ushered her into his office and offered her a seat.
"Yeah, sure." Dan says grabbing a glass from on top of the small bar fridge and filled it. Handing the glass to her he says "Karen what's going on, is Lucas okay?"
"Lucas is fine." she starts hesitantly, taking a gulp of the cool water.
"Then what is it Karen, I know you well enough to know that something is not right." Dan snaps getting impatient.
"Dan, I'm pregnant." She whispers barely audible.
Dan is silent, emotionless.
"Dan..." she starts, her voice breaking.
"Is it mine?" Dan asks coldly.
She nods, "There has been no one else." She sobs as tears begin to flow down her cheeks.
"Karen, I, I..." Dan couldn't find the words.
"I'm sorry." she sobs as she gets up, slowly, shakily.
"Karen, wait." Dan says quietly.
"I can't, not now." Karen sobs as she grabs her purse and leaves his office.
She fumbles for her car keys as she walks out of the showroom, finding them she quickly opens the driver's seat door, she climbs in and falls forward against the steering wheel, sobs wracking her body, a mixture of relief, the weight of finally having told him being lifted, confusion over his reaction, she had expected screaming and yelling, not whatever it was that had just happened and fear of what was still to come.
Dan watched her cry from his office, he knew better than to try and comfort her, even though after all these years, it still hurt him to see her cry, the part of him deepest inside of him the still carried a flame for her, that knew leaving her was the biggest mistake he had ever made, the part that ignored logic lit up, a second chance. Mostly though he was just confused, how could they have been stupid enough to repeat the same mistakes they had made so long ago? He needs to get out of the office, to think clearly, he already knows he will support her this time, at least financially if not at all emotionally, he quickly walks past Karen who is still sobbing and to his own car, he jumps in and drives out of the lot as fast as he can.
He can't explain to himself how he ended up at the riverside watching Lucas shoot baskets from as distance, he watches his eldest son intently trying to pick up on any mannerisms, any physical traits, anything that connects them, he can find none, part of him wants to know his new child so much, to not make the same mistakes he had made with Nathan and Lucas again, it is the same part of him that wants Karen back more than anything and all the other things he has resigned himself to having lost forever.
"Dan?" she croaks as she steps inside, her mouth dry.
"Karen?" Dan replies in his usual impatient tone, walking out of his office.
"Karen, are you okay?' Dan's tone softens as he notices how pale and drawn Karen looks.
She shakes her head silently, this was not going well, last night she had rehearsed this conversation over and over again, now she can barely speak.
"Can I have a glass of water please?" she asks quietly as Dan ushered her into his office and offered her a seat.
"Yeah, sure." Dan says grabbing a glass from on top of the small bar fridge and filled it. Handing the glass to her he says "Karen what's going on, is Lucas okay?"
"Lucas is fine." she starts hesitantly, taking a gulp of the cool water.
"Then what is it Karen, I know you well enough to know that something is not right." Dan snaps getting impatient.
"Dan, I'm pregnant." She whispers barely audible.
Dan is silent, emotionless.
"Dan..." she starts, her voice breaking.
"Is it mine?" Dan asks coldly.
She nods, "There has been no one else." She sobs as tears begin to flow down her cheeks.
"Karen, I, I..." Dan couldn't find the words.
"I'm sorry." she sobs as she gets up, slowly, shakily.
"Karen, wait." Dan says quietly.
"I can't, not now." Karen sobs as she grabs her purse and leaves his office.
She fumbles for her car keys as she walks out of the showroom, finding them she quickly opens the driver's seat door, she climbs in and falls forward against the steering wheel, sobs wracking her body, a mixture of relief, the weight of finally having told him being lifted, confusion over his reaction, she had expected screaming and yelling, not whatever it was that had just happened and fear of what was still to come.
Dan watched her cry from his office, he knew better than to try and comfort her, even though after all these years, it still hurt him to see her cry, the part of him deepest inside of him the still carried a flame for her, that knew leaving her was the biggest mistake he had ever made, the part that ignored logic lit up, a second chance. Mostly though he was just confused, how could they have been stupid enough to repeat the same mistakes they had made so long ago? He needs to get out of the office, to think clearly, he already knows he will support her this time, at least financially if not at all emotionally, he quickly walks past Karen who is still sobbing and to his own car, he jumps in and drives out of the lot as fast as he can.
He can't explain to himself how he ended up at the riverside watching Lucas shoot baskets from as distance, he watches his eldest son intently trying to pick up on any mannerisms, any physical traits, anything that connects them, he can find none, part of him wants to know his new child so much, to not make the same mistakes he had made with Nathan and Lucas again, it is the same part of him that wants Karen back more than anything and all the other things he has resigned himself to having lost forever.