"This is Jacob, Catherine's and my son."
Elena stared at them for a moment, stunned, then looked away as a rush of emotions hit her all at once. Shock gave way momentarily to delight. I am an aunt; I have a nephew! Then jealousy, envy, anger, and grief vied with each other for prominence.
Vincent has a son. He was able to father a child. He's had a home, people who love him, an education. He's been able to fall in love and be loved by a woman who knew him for who and what he was, and didn't care. While I –
She slumped forward as bits of memory and spoken sentences flashed through her mind. Concerned, Vincent handed Jacob to Mary, and went over to his sister. He squatted down and put a hand on the back of her head. His eyes widened as he somehow heard and saw what flashed into her mind – all from her past.
Seeing him where her father worked – watching him at their water cooler – an empty gray room – he was there, too – "Drink the water" – "Drink the water". . . the water. . . the water. . .
Vincent gathered her in his arms and sat down, holding her close to him.
The pain was so intense, that Elena didn't notice what was going on. All she could do was sob. When she became aware of her surroundings once again, she realized she was leaning against Vincent and shaking. She opened her eyes slowly, as she grew calmer.
"How do you feel?"
"The pain is subsiding. I'm sorry, Vincent. It's just—"
"It's all right, Elena. I think I understand. Here I am with a son, people who have cared for and about me all my life, a home. While you don't remember much of your life, and have had almost no one, no love. Now you learn that I have a son. I'm not surprised you felt jealousy and anger. It may be the reason I didn't tell you about Jacob earlier."
She thought for a minute. Then she said, "Tell me about this Catherine person you mentioned."
"I first met her when I found her in the park one night. She had been attacked and her face badly cut up. I brought her here to heal, and we formed a bond. When she left, I thought that I wouldn't see her again, but Fate had other plans. We grew closer, and fell in love.
"I became very ill about two years ago, and grew violent. I went into a dark, unfinished part of the tunnels, and she alone came after me. We loved, as she put it, and she had Jacob."
Elena felt his grief. "She died in childbirth?"
"No. Shortly after she became pregnant, she was kidnapped. He held her prisoner, for the baby. After Jacob was born, she was given an overdose of morphine. I had lost the connection during her pregnancy, which was restored when she went into labor. But I wasn't in time. She died in my arms and the kidnapper had the baby."
Elena frowned. "Then how did you find Jacob?"
The police called in a specialist in solving cases they couldn't. Her name was Diana. She located the tunnels and we met. We pooled some of our resources, and she was able to locate him and the baby. We went there and I took Jacob and brought him here. That was the last time I saw her, but I heard a shot shortly after I left. I found out later that she had killed him with Catherine's gun."
Elena was silent, considering what she'd been told. Then she remembered part of a conversation she'd had with Doris the day she arrived.
"I found you a very nice two bedroom apartment. It has a bit of a history to it. A year or so ago, the female tenant was found in her bed, dead. It was a drug overdose, and she'd just given birth. The baby was never found. Since then, it has been rented out only once. That tenant left in a hurry, because he said someone was able to climb up onto the balcony, several floors up, and tried to get in. He didn't feel safe there. No one has leased it since."
"And you thought that would suit me? Well, maybe you're right. Who was the tenant who died?"
"A lawyer named Catherine Chandler."
"Vincent, is the apartment I'm living in now the one that she lived in?" He didn't reply, but the look on everyone's face told her the truth. She smiled slightly. "When my agent drove me there the day I arrived, she told me a little about the history of the place. I put two and two together. I'm sorry about her death." She sat up and put her arms around him.
He held her closer and said, "I wish you two had known each other. I think you'd have been friends." He sighed and released her. "Are you ready to meet your nephew?"
She spent the next half hour getting to know Jacob, who fell asleep in her arms. Mary smiled, took him and left the library. Elena remained, talking with Vincent and Father, until she felt able to return to her apartment. Vincent escorted her to the tunnel entrance to the building. There, they paused.
"What do you plan to do now?" he asked.
"I think it's time for a return visit to Richland Industries. I have some questions, and I believe the answers are there."