"Binks?" Kendall said when Bianca answered her telephone after several rings.
"Kendall? Do you know what time it is here?" Bianca answered sleepily.
"I'm sorry… but I needed to talk… and you're the only one who could understand," Kendall answered.
"Well… go ahead… you've got me wide awake now," her sister replied, sitting up in bed and turning on the light.
"I'm… Binks, I'm pregnant…" Kendall blurted out.
"You're… oh my God… Kendall… that's wonderful… I mean, it is wonderful, isn't it? This is something you want? Does Ethan know yet? Or do you want him to know? … Have you talked to him since he found out about…" Bianca rattled on until Kendall interrupted her.
"Whoa… wait minute… slow down… first of all, I don't know how I feel about this yet. Miranda is enough for me… I don't need a child of my own. In fact, I had planned on remaining Auntie Kendall for the rest of my life," she answered her sister.
"Man… will Zach be relieved…" Bianca said.
"Zach… what… what does Zach have to do with this?" Kendall asked in apprehension.
"Until a couple of weeks ago he thought Ethan was his son… does Zach seem like a grandfather to you?" Bianca said with a laugh. "Now there's a man who deserves a baby… he's so great with Miranda."
Kendall laughed with her sister, "Zach… a grandfather… now that's a funny picture… but this baby… uh… this baby… it's not another niece or nephew for Zach."
"Kendall! Have you been holding out on me? I didn't think there had been anyone since you and Ethan… or… oh… have you decided not to… not to have the baby?" Bianca asked.
"No… I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet… I'm still working on that… but Ethan… he's not the father," Kendall answered, still trying to decide if she should tell Bianca the whole truth.
"Kendall… no holding back on me now… you wouldn't have called unless you needed to talk this out… and I can't help you if I don't know who the baby's father is," Bianca said sternly.
"Yeah… but… it's complicated…" Kendall stalled.
"So what? It can't be that complicated… my decision to have Miranda was complicated… tell me, do you care about this man? And does he care about you? Have you told him yet?" Bianca peppered Kendall with questions.
"It's still complicated, Binks… yes, the baby's father and I… we… we're friends…" Kendall said haltingly. "And yes… he knows… he's being very decent about it. He told me that he will respect any decision that I make, but if I decide to keep the baby then he wants to be part of its life."
"Kendall… do you realize how lucky you are? He sounds like a pretty good guy to me… and maybe you feel more than friendship for each other… after all, you did…" Bianca reasoned.
"Oh, boy… when you hear who it is you're gonna regret those words," Kendall answered with a short laugh.
"Now you're driving me crazy… out with it… who is this mystery man?" Bianca said in excitement.
"It's… oh, boy… I guess I'll have to get used to saying this… he's… his name is…" Kendall stalled as Bianca groaned at the other end of the line. "Zach… the baby's father is Zach Slater."
Kendall's announcement was greeted by stunned silence on the other end of the line. After a moment, Bianca said quietly, "We must have a bad connection… I could swear I heard you say the baby's father is Zach Slater."
"Nope… yep… you heard right… Zach and I… well, we… uh… remember when I came to visit you and Miranda in Paris… and I went back to the hotel to sleep off my jetlag?" Kendall told her sister.
"Yeah… after you left, Zach came over and we started working on the re-org of Cambias… because you told me that I had misjudged him," Bianca mused. "And you were right… Zach is one of the good guys, even if he does have a strange way of showing it. But if Zach was with me… how did you…?"
"Later… he saw me in the hotel lobby, and we went to dinner… you know… he can be quite charming when he puts his mind to it… anyway, one thing led to another… and we ended up in his room…" Kendall answered.
"Mm-hmm, you always were a fast worker. But neither one of you let on a thing… I thought I saw something at dinner, that night before you left… but I was sure it was my imagination… it wasn't just imagination, was it?" Bianca said.
"The next morning… we agreed to be friends… just friends… and we have been. It was only that one night… but… as we both know…"
Bianca finished, "…once is all it takes. Yeah… Mom's going to completely lose it!"
"Yeah… we had a good laugh over that… he's… he went back to his place, said to call him if I needed to talk or anything… Binks… what am I going to do?" Kendall pleaded with her sister.
"You know what you're going to do? You and Zach are going to come to Paris! I'm calling an emergency meeting of the Cambias re-org committee. The Cambias jet will be in Pine Valley tomorrow… and you both better be on that plane," Bianca answered.
"Putting us together on a plane for a few hours is not going to solve this dilemma, Binks, and it just might make things worse," Kendall answered sharply.
"You two need time and space to make some decisions about your lives… you can do that in Paris. Pine Valley is too complicated for you both right now… and it will only be for a few days. But this way you can talk about things, decide how you want to handle it, and plan how you're going to tell Mom… and Ethan… if you decide to go ahead with the pregnancy," Bianca said reasonably. "Now… you get some rest, and then pack a bag. Only essentials… we can go shopping for the rest… and I'll call Zach."
Kendall felt as if other people were taking control of her life, but saw the sense in Bianca's suggestion. Without considering further, she agreed to her sister's plan and let Bianca take charge. Being totally honest with herself, she knew that a few days away before informing Erica, Ethan… and Greenlee… would be heaven. She wondered if Zach had any idea what kind of pressure they were going to be under if they went through with this. She sighed to herself and crawled into bed, falling deeply asleep before many minutes had passed.
Zach answered his cell phone, "Slater."
"Zach, it's Bianca"
Zach hesitated briefly, looking at his watch, "Hello, Bianca. I wasn't expecting to hear from you… especially considering the time."
"I know… but Kendall doesn't bother to remember the time difference… she's resting now… but she told me… everything."
"Oh… I see… everything… tell me, have you called to say that we can't work together anymore? Or does Kendall have a message for me that she's too afraid to pick up the phone or cross the courtyard to deliver? I thought we were past all this, Bianca," Zach said coldly.
"No… no… Zach, you've got it all wrong. I told Kendall that I would call you so that she could lie down… but it's not what you think," Bianca hurried to answer. "I think you both need some time away… together… to make your decisions without pressure. I'm sending the Cambias jet to Pine Valley tomorrow, and I expect you both to be on it. Come visit me and Miranda… and take all the time and space you need with each other."
"That's very generous, Bianca, but it's not necessary. This is Kendall's decision, and I won't pressure her one way or the other. She can spend some time with you in Paris, and tell me what she wants when she returns," Zach said simply.
"No, Zach… Kendall wants you here… you're a part of this, too, and she needs you with her… she said you want to be a father to this child, and if that's true then you owe her the courtesy of being part of this from the beginning… unless you didn't really mean it," she replied with irritation.
"I'm sorry, Bianca, I guess I'm too used to having my motives and actions questioned. I meant what I said to your sister… she doesn't have to have this baby, but if she does I will be a father to my child. I will not be shut out of its life. She needs to know that before she decides to keep it… but right now this isn't about what I want," he said in the same soft voice.
"You… you want this baby? Don't you? You want to have a child with Kendall?" Bianca said in surprise. "Does she know how you feel about her?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Bianca. Kendall and I are friends… good friends… but nothing more. Now that I have faced fatherhood, though, I realize that I want a child… I want the chance to be a father… but don't read more into this than there is," Zach answered.
"Okay… okay… I'll back off… for now… but please come with Kendall tomorrow. Work this out together… spend some time with Miranda… it will be good for you," Bianca said pleadingly.
"Alright… I'll come… but don't go filling Kendall's head with hearts and flowers…" Zach replied sternly.
"I won't… I promise I won't… Miranda will be so excited… Auntie Kendall and Uncle Zach… of course, she'll also get spoiled rotten…" Bianca rambled excitedly.
"Spoiled, yes… rotten, never… not my niece…" Zach said with a laugh. "Kendall should stay with you, and I'll go to the hotel. Call them for me?"
Bianca agreed and ended the call. Before turning out the light, she left a note to remind herself to have the two spare bedrooms in the new apartment made up for her guests.
Kendall opened the door to her condo, dressed and ready to leave for the plane and her trip to Paris. Explaining why she needed to visit Bianca again so soon had made for difficult conversations with both Erica and Greenlee… but they had finally accepted that she was just being Kendall and left it at that. As she pulled the door shut, she saw Zach exiting his condo as well.
He looked at her and said, "Hey…"
"Hey, yourself," she answered with a smile.
"I was thinking… maybe you want to ride to the airport together? Or… are you afraid of being seen with each other… it might ruin your reputation?" He said with a ghost of a smile.
Kendall laughed, "I have this feeling I'll survive… but I'm not sure that your reputation can take another hit. I'll take the chance if you will, though."
"Then together it is," Zach answered as he picked up her suitcase and offered his arm. She smiled up at him and placed her hand through his arm as they exited the courtyard and entered a waiting limo that Zach had arranged the day before.
As promised, Bianca had the jet fueled and ready for take-offas soon asthey arrived. Although the reason for their visit was uppermost on their minds, by some unspoken agreement they chose to ignore it for the duration of the trip. Zach was solicitous of Kendall, making sure that she had tea and crackers, and allowing her to nap when she started to look tired.
As she slept, he spent more time mulling over their options… and listening to Bianca's words echoing over and over in his head, You… you want this baby? Don't you? You want to have a child with Kendall? Does she know how you feel about her? Zach wished he knew how he felt about Kendall… he had thought that Maria was the love of his life, that she was the woman who had seen his soul. He had been so wrong about her; could he be wrong about Kendall now? And did the knowledge that she was carrying his child make a difference in his affection.
He thought about the time he had spent with Kendall since they met in Paris… smiled to himself as he remembered their night in his hotel room… but thinking about dinners, long walks and even longer conversations, the way that her eyes sparkled when she laughed… and the daggers that flew from them when she was angry. Kendall Hart was much more than he could have ever imagined… his investigators hadn't come close when they profiled her… knowing the things she had done, and even the reasons she had for doing them… that didn't cover even a small portion of the loving, committed person that she was. Kendall loved with her whole heart and her whole soul… withholding nothing from the people that she cared about… She would make an amazing mother, and he had to admit that he could easily imagine her as the mother of his child.
"Yes, Bianca… I do want this baby… I do want to have a child with Kendall… but what does she want?" he whispered softly to himself as he looked at the sleeping woman by his side.
