John saw the fullness of her stomach and his knees went numb. A million questions popped into his head. She was obviously pregnant, but he couldn't tell how far along. Surely, she hadn't kept this from him, but if he wasn't the father he couldn't imagine who was. He hadn't heard any talk of Evangeline being involved with anyone else. Evangeline was a private. For all he knew, she could have gotten back together with her ex, Dennis.
When he really thought about it there was only one question that he needed her to answer. "When are you due?"
"March." She watched the color drain from his face. He reached backwards for the chair that from memory should have been behind him. He took two awkward steps backwards before he felt his back against a wall. The wall steadied him as he tried to regain his composure. He felt sick enough to throw up.
The date of conception was plainly obvious to him. They'd been careless in the beginning of their relationship, but when things started to progress, and the sex was more frequent, Evangeline had been fitted for a diaphragm. She'd worn it religiously too. The last time they were together was just a couple of days before their breakup. Things had gotten hot and heavy very quickly, which wasn't abnormal for them. John had been desperate to have her, and didn't want to wait even the short amount of time that it took for her to put her diaphragm in. He assured her that it would be okay if it was just that one time. Then he'd made love to her tenderly. It was fitting that they'd created a life. He'd never felt closer to her than he had in those moments. He wasn't able to say the words, so he wanted to show her how much she meant to him.
"Six months?" His words came out painfully slow. It hurt John to say it out loud. He finally regained his composure and closed the distance between them. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and feel the life they'd created that was growing inside of her. Evangeline's arms were folded across her chest. Touching her was definitely out of the question.
Evangeline sat on the sofa carefully. She placed her hands in her lap and took a deep breath. "You're going to want to sit for this." She avoided staring into his sad blue eyes. She'd hurt him, and she didn't feel good about it.
John shook his head. "How long have you been keeping this from me?" He tried to keep his tone even. He didn't want to get into a shouting match with her.
"Since the night of the Woman of the Year ceremony." Evangeline watched him double over as if in pain. John sat down hard as if the wind had been knocked out of him. "I know you have questions, but it's best if you just let me talk for a while. If you still have questions, I'll answer them then."
John looked at her stunned. She was in lawyer mode now of all times. She had hidden this secret from him for months. John nodded his head in agreement. He had to remind himself that now wasn't the time to be arguing.
"I'm sure it doesn't matter now, but it was not my original intent to hide this pregnancy from you." Evangeline was being sincere. She looked over at him apologetically. She could tell he didn't believe her. He was polite enough to keep his mouth shut.
"I was out of sorts after our breakup. It took a toll on me emotionally and physically. It was only after feeling unusually ill and fatigued that I took a pregnancy test on a whim. I was sure I'd gotten a false positive. For the most part we'd been extremely cautious." Evangeline too remembered the last time they were together. They hadn't used any sort of protection.
"I really didn't want to think too much of it. I set up an appointment with Lily for early in the next week, and that was it. Mom came down to congratulate me, so I was busy focusing all my attention on her." Evangeline focused on a tape mark that was on the wall. No amount of preparation would have calmed her nerves.
"You already know why things didn't turn out as expected. I was scared out of my mind, and so was Natalie. I knew what the killers were capable of, so I gathered myself as best as I could and started planning. Once the initial trauma wore off, I knew that no matter what I had to do everything in my power to protect our child. I guess on some basic level my mind wouldn't let me deny what my body knew to be true." Evangeline started to tear up at the memory. She could still recall the thick smoke that choked her and the heat of the flames at feet. The nightmares were less frequent, but Evangeline knew would not soon forget her near death experience.
"When you came bursting in, I almost cried. I can't describe how relieved I was. Though it was completely irrational, I felt as though you already knew what was at stake, and that's how you'd found us so fast." Evangeline paused a moment to gather herself. She could feel the tears welling up inside of her.
"Then you went into cop mode. You quickly assessed the situation and you went to save Natalie first. I could see that she was in trouble, but it still hurt to watch you go to her. You saved me, and for that I vowed to be grateful."
John still lamented over the choice he was forced to make. Now knowing that Evangeline was pregnant at the time, John finally knew that he'd made the right choice. Natalie had been through hell at the hands of the killers. When they found her, she was in pretty bad shape. John didn't want to imagine what would have happened if Evangeline had been tossed down that hole.
"We got separated in the shuffle once you realized Natalie had been taken again. I knew you'd come to take my statement, and that's when I had originally intended to tell you. When I was being held hostage, I couldn't help but think about my life. Being in danger gave me perspective. I decided to give us another chance. I wanted to forget about all the stuff that had come between us. I wanted us to be a family, and not just for the sake of our child." Evangeline leaned back into the sofa cushions and stared up at the ceiling.
"Then when we were finally alone together it was clear how focused you were on finding Natalie. It seemed selfish almost divide your attention. You had so much on your plate, and I didn't want to add to it."
"You should never have thought of our child as a burden to me. I would have protected you both, and still brought Natalie home." John face was stained with tears. He'd been distant with Evangeline because that what he thought she needed. To hear now that she was waiting for him with open arms was almost too much to bear.
His words had no effect on her. Evangeline continued without even acknowledging him. "Then you found Natalie, and I was so glad it was over. I was tired of being alone; tired of keeping this secret."
John could feel himself getting sick again.
"It was like a kick in the teeth to find out about you two. I was angry, jealous. Part of me didn't want to tell you out of spite, but even slighted Evangeline takes the high road. We weren't together anymore, so, even if you swore up and down that you didn't have feelings for Natalie in the past, I had no right to be jealous. Then I thought about it more, and realized I needed to keep my mouth shut. I could just see you insisting on us getting married for the sake of our child. I didn't want news of your impending fatherhood to be the end of your relationship with Natalie."
"Next time don't do me any favors." John was angry that she could read him so well.
"You can try to deny it all you want, but there was something left unsettled between you two. The favor wasn't just for you. I didn't want you to resent me from getting in the way of your happiness." Evangeline felt relieved that she'd gotten most of it out. It was almost over now. "Turns out you found a way to mess that up all on your own."
John frowned at her last statement. "Yeah, I screwed up, but so did you. I made a bad call, but so did you. I lied, but so did you. I hurt someone, but so did you. I thought I was doing the right thing, but so did you."
"John, I never lied to you." Evangeline tilted her head to the side and stared at him. I didn't let a man rot in prison. I didn't endanger anyone's life. I didn't sleep with anyone's spouse."
"And that's what this boils down to. You want to hold that against me, go ahead. It doesn't change what you did. You could have told me at any time." John didn't want to fight with her. They should be celebrating. "You know I'll do the right thing."
Evangeline sighed and shook her head. Of course, he would say that and expect that she would take his word. He wasn't the man that she thought he was. "I knew you'd say that, John, but I'm not sure that your definition and my definition are the same thing."
"I don't know what you mean. I want to take care of our child. What else is there? You need it in writing?" John didn't even broach the subject of them being together. He couldn't guess what she was getting.
Evangeline pulled a folded piece of paper out of her purse and held it out to him. His angry blue eyes met hers.
"No. I'm not going to do this with you, Evangeline." He knew now what she was getting at. She was suing him for custody and their child wasn't even born yet. So much for them working this out amicably.
"You don't have a choice, John. Get a lawyer, because you're going to need one." She walked over to him and dropped the paperwork in his lap. "Right now, as far as the law is concerned, you're not the father of this child. It would be nothing for me to be on a plane halfway across the world before you could even say DNA test."
"Is that a threat?" John grabbed the paper on his lap; crumpling it in the process. Anger that he hadn't felt in a long time burned inside of him.
"It's a promise." Evangeline stormed out of her own apartment and let the door slam behind her. She'd had automatic locks installed after she'd been kidnapped. At least she didn't have to worry about John locking up behind himself.
John sat on her sofa for a good thirty minutes hoping to calm down. It took a considerable amount of effort to stop his anger from boiling over. He kept thinking about Evangeline's betrayal. She had a list of convenient excuses, but at any moment she could have just told him the truth. In the end, she was just as selfish as he was, or so he thought. He had to get out her place before he did something he would later regret.
He drove home in a daze still processing everything that had happened. He only stopped in to see her as an attempt to get her off of his mind. Something about the way Mike kept talking about her had him curious. If he hadn't known his brother, he would have sworn that there was something between them. Then it hit him. There had been something between them, but not anything romantic. He almost wished that they had been romantically involved. Evangeline was a beautiful woman, and he wouldn't exactly blame his brother for being with her.
John raced up the stairs to the Angel's Square Motel and found himself at his brother's door. He pounded on the door furiously even after hearing Mike speaking from beyond the closed door.
Mike swung the door open and stared at his brother whose eyes were wild like a crazed animal. "John, what the," A crushing blow to the jaw cut him off.
"Michael, oh my god." Marcie rushed over to him as he stumbled backwards. "John, are you crazy?" Marcie had seen the brothers fight before, but it had never come to blows.
"Maybe, or maybe I'm just stupid for believing in family." John stood over his brother who normally towered over him. He and Mike had grown close these past few years. It had been a slap in the face to John to figure out that he knew about Evangeline's pregnancy, but hadn't said anything to him.
Mike held his jaw and smiled at Marcie. This isn't what he had in mind when he'd planned their evening. "I'm okay, Marcie. I think you should give us a minute to talk."
"I am not leaving you with him." Marcie had seen her brothers fight countless times, so a little blood didn't make her squeamish. Instead she stayed as a mediator and made sure things didn't get too out of hand. She would do the same thing for Michael and John. "Spit it out, John. You obviously came here to say something."
"I'm here about what wasn't said." John didn't realize it, but he still had the paperwork from Evangeline crumpled up in his hand.
Mike looked at John and knew the truth. Evangeline had finally told him. Mike shook his head and stood. "It wasn't my place to tell you, John. I'm bound by my oath."
Marcie listened carefully and tried to figure their coded talk.
"Bull. Don't give me that excuse, Mikey." John stepped forward but was intercepted by Marcie. She wouldn't let him in arm's reach of Michael.
"I did everything in my power, without breaking the rules, to help you figure it out. Why do you think I kept nagging you about her? I practically begged you to see her, but you were too preoccupied with your own crap to care."
Marcie looked over her shoulder at Michael. John had few women in his life, and Marcie knew all of them. He had to have been talking about Evangeline.
"Time and time again, I tried John, but I couldn't betray her trust. She was dead set on keeping her secret until she was ready to tell you. I wanted to be there for her, but you know Evangeline; she's pretty much all class. She wouldn't let me get close because she knew it would come across as a betrayal to you." Mike's body was pressed against Marcie's back. He was as close to John as she would allow.
"How noble of you, Mike." John became aware of the paper in his hand and felt his anger starting to take control again.
Marcie's eyes grew wide as she finally figured what they were talking about. "John, is Evangeline pregnant with your child?"
John smirked, but he wasn't amused. "Yeah, she's six months along and I just found out tonight. Apparently, my baby brother here has been keeping this secret for her since I'm such a terrible guy. Our baby is not even born yet, and yet she's suing me for custody. All class, right Mikey." John held on to the paper even tighter.
Mike sighed and rubbed his temples. "Just think of all the crap you've pulled, John. Can you really even blame her?"
To John that was an even bigger slap in the face than Mike's original deception. Even after knowing her plans, he still sided with Evangeline.
"You will never be able to convince me that Evangeline isn't acting with the best interest of your child in mind. You know she held off on telling you because she wanted to give you and Natalie a shot at being together. She didn't want your sense of duty to ruin your chance at happiness. Hell, she was trying to think of ways of co-parenting with you and Natalie in mind." Mike took a step away from Marcie and started to pace.
Marcie could only stand in stunned silence. She knew that Natalie had used the worst tactics to get her claws in John. She'd gotten a firsthand account from Rex. Natalie had acted shamelessly. Evangeline's capacity to forgive and forget far surpassed Marcie's own.
"I don't think a messy custody battle is in our child's best interest." To John there was no redemption in Evangeline's actions. She could say whatever she wanted, but she lied. "I'm not going to be able to change her mind. She was determined to say the least. If she's looking for a fight, I'm going to give her one." Evangeline and John had talked before about just this type of thing when she represented Kelly Buchanan. John never thought he'd find himself caught up in drama like that.
Mike stopped pacing and looked sadly at his older brother. "Don't count on me, John. I'm with Evangeline on this." Mike still felt guilty over how poorly he'd treated Evangeline before.
"Michael!" Marcie turned to look at him surprised. She didn't have all the details, but it didn't matter. John was family, so that meant they needed to look out for each other.
John felt the sting of Michael's words. What chance did he have if his own brother wouldn't vouch for him? "Then from here on out, you look out for you and I'll look out for me."
"Fine by me." Mike turned his back not wanting to watch John leave. He really couldn't see how they would recover from this.
"John, wait," Marcie called out to him, but John was already pulling the door shut behind him. He didn't need Mike. He didn't need anyone. He was more than capable of being a good father. He'd show Evangeline. He'd show them all.