Secrets of the Past
Nearly a week and a half had passed since her accident and Kenzie was pacing her apartment nervously.
"Mommy, Adam will be here, he promised," David said looking away from the cartoons she'd put on for him. Kenzie nodded, knowing her son was right but she didn't want to think about tonight.
"Ma'am," a voice called walking into the room carrying a laundry basket.
"Millie, I told you to call me Kenzie and you don't have to do the laundry every single day," Kenzie said looking at the new nanny, a tiny dark haired brunette with pale features and was so scrawny she looked like she'd blow away in a good breeze.
"Sorry, habit," the woman said and she shook her head smiling. "Most of the people I've worked for want me to work like a maid, you know, clean up and they usually don't keep me or any of their employees really around long enough to remember their names."
"Well, I clean a lot so there's no big deal there and I don't plan on firing you unless you do something stupid like the last nanny," Kenzie said and Millie smiled.
"What did she do?" Millie asked after a moment.
"Took me to the park after dark, several times, brought her boyfriend home and I found his drugs," David said and Kenzie frowned.
"Lets just say, she and her boyfriend are both currently sitting in a nice little jail cell," Kenzie said sternly. Millie nodded understandingly.
"Well, I'm currently single, and more than that, I don't like my personal life intruding on my work life," Millie said. Kenzie nodded understanding.
At that moment there was the sound of a key turning in the door and Adam walked in carrying breakfast.
"Hey Millie, Hey Kenzie, brought food," Adam said as he kicked the door closed gently with the toe of his shoe.
"Here, let me help," Kenzie said running to his aid. She grabbed one of the bags from his arms before peeking in at its contents.
"My, my, my, do you have a fascination with pancakes or something?" she asked and he just laughed.
"Nope, they are just the easiest, real meal, that I know your son eats. He's kind of picky you know," Adam said laughing and she had to concede.
As if on cue David came running out of his bedroom in his fatigues.
"Adam, your back," David called as he flung himself into Adam's just empty arms.
"Yeah, hey, I was thinking, you and me go and play that new war game your mom bought you," Adam said before he looked at the food, "before we eat of course."
"Cool," the boy giggled before he motioned to be put down. Adam responded diligently. The boy ran to the table and Kenzie smiled as they carried the food to the table. He'd even grabbed food for Millie who joined them.
They talked and ate. Then when the eating was done they talked some more. That is till David dragged Adam out of the room to play the game. Kenzie smiled as she watched them before she went to clean up, noticing Adam's distracted eyes.
"You know, if I didn't know better I'd have to guess Adam was David's dad," Millie observed and Kenzie's head jumped up, startled.
"What makes you say that?" Kenzie asked as she started running the dishwater.
"Just his demeanor. He's protective, caring, loving even. I've seen some dad's like him, others that are huge asses," Millie stated. Kenzie's eyes drifted to Adam. "What's more, if he were David's dad then he'd definitely have two parents that are in love which a lot of kids don't have."
"I… I don't… we've only been going out a week and a half… I can't… I mean," Kenzie stumbled in shock at the accusation.
"Boss, it doesn't matter how long you've been going out, you're falling for him. If you admitted it it'd be easier," Millie stated.
Kenzie was about to argue when she heard a cell phone ring. She turned to see Adam answer his phone.
--
"Hey boss," Adam said as David paused the game. "I'll be there. Give me ten minutes, maybe fifteen."
With that Adam hung up with a sigh. He was only ten minutes away from the station, even with bad traffic.
"Are you leaving?" David asked, his big blue eyes looking up giving him the big puppy dog look.
Adam nodded but then smiled. "But not until this game is done." The boy smiled brightly and Adam turned back to the game as it was unpaused. They went around for the next four minutes till the timer ran out. Then Adam stood up.
"You leaving now?" David questioned and Adam nodded sadly.
"Yeah, but I'll see you later, okay buddy?" Adam asked and the boy nodded.
"Miss you, daddy," the boy slipped and Adam felt his heart swell.
"I'll miss you too Davey," Adam said, not correcting the boys mistake. Then he walked to Kenzie who was watching from the dinning room area of the big room.
"Sorry about that," she whispered as he got close and he shook his heads.
"Don't worry about it, it doesn't bother me," he said and she smiled.
"What did I do to deserve such a great guy like you?" she asked and he grinned before answering her rhetorical question.
"You slid into my life," he responded before he pulled her into a kiss. They didn't pull away till they heard a squeal and a really loud Ewe.
They smiled and laughed then she turned back to Adam. "Be careful," she whispered and he nodded.
"Always am," he responded before kissing her forehead.
"Then how come you're always getting hurt?" she asked as he walked through the front door. He just turned to look at her and shrugged before turning forward again. With that he made his way out of the building.
He walked all the way to work and as he arrived he dropped his belongings off in the lab. Then he made his way to Mac's office to see what case the boss man wanted him to work on next.
As he got closer he saw Stella in there and he stopped right outside the cracked door. He heard every word.
"She deserves to know Mac, she's your daughter for Christ's sakes," Stella said and Adam jumped. Adam knew for a fact Mac didn't have a daughter so what were they talking about.
"Biologically she might be my daughter but she's twenty-years-old, Stella. She has had a life completely devoid of me till recently. What if Is got married and she has a stepfather who raised her? Hell, I didn't even know when her birthday was until I looked at her file which for some reason is devoid of anything personal about her," Mac said.
Adam listened intently, trying to piece together who Mac's daughter was. He knew she worked there, had to have been new. Her mom's name was Is and she wasn't very personal. Oh, and she was about twenty.
"Look Mac, she's just like you; stubborn, determined, not to mention brave. Don't you think she's probably always wondered, slightly, about her biological father? I know I did when I was her age. You have the chance to answer those questions for her," Stella said.
Just then everything they said clicked. Stubborn, determined, brave, fatherless, has worked for Mac for a short time, twenty, and her mom's name was Isabella which could be shortened to Is – everything fit Kenzie.
His stomach dropped at the idea of Kenzie being Mac's daughter. If he knew his boss he'd be pissed that they'd made-out, let alone some of the other, mature things they'd done a couple nights now. He stepped forward, knocking gently on the door. They stopped talking and turned to him.
He prayed his face hid what he was feeling. "Where do you need me boss?" he asked, his voice calmer than he felt, though that wasn't really that hard to accomplish.
"We need you to examine the evidence from the insurance broker case," Mac said and Adam nodded.
"Sure thing boss," Adam said before heading to the door. He stopped in the doorway and turned around. "Oh boss, next time you want to talk about Kenzie without someone hearing close the damn door."
He watched his boss's face drop before Adam turned away and went to his office. Internally he was screaming. Why the hell had he just done that? Back home his father would have hit him with the back of his hand. Yet, here he was telling his boss to close the door to his own office. He had to have a death wish to do something so suicidal.
Internally he knew that the Marine could and probably would kick his ass. He sighed and decided to do another suicidal thing.
He pulled his cell phone out, dreading this call.
"Storm speaking," Kenzie said and Adam sighed.
"Get Millie to watch David and come down to the office, Mac found something about you that he needs to tell you," Adam said in a quiet voice.
"What did he find?" Kenzie asked.
How did he tell her? What did he say? Finally he decided the basic truth would do. "Your father," he responded before hanging up. Then he went to work. Twelve minutes later Kenzie came storming through the building, on fire.
She came past the lab and he mouthed the words, 'love you,' and 'sorry' to her and she nodded. She slowed to look at him, obviously worried. He gave her an encouraging smile and nodded at her.
Kenzie strode past the lab to Mac's office and then disappeared out of sight.
--
Mac heard the door to his office open and he looked up. He found Mackenzie standing there looking at him.
"Adam told me you found my father; first question is how and second question is he a criminal?" Kenzie said and Mac's breath caught as he recognized her stern glare as one he often wore. "I'm guessing my blood from the crime scene that I got hurt is how my DNA got in the system so that answers question number one so answer me question number two."
"He's not a criminal," Mac assured her as he stood up nervously. He never got nervous and this was driving him nuts.
"Then why is he in the system? How did you find him?" Mackenzie asked and he sighed.
"Because, my DNA was at the crime scene too and it compared our bloods," he said trying to gauge her reaction. He watched her eyes grow wide as comprehension struck her.
"You?" she asked in obvious shock. He nodded as he watched her sit down in one of his chairs. "How is that possible?" she asked as she watched him.
He sighed and moved to the top drawer in his desk and pulled out the picture. "I knew your mother a long time ago. We had been dating for the better part of three years before we broke up. Three months later I met my future wife Claire. I only saw Is one other time after our break-up, a year later and she was holding you I do believe. She told me she was babysitting for a friend."
Mackenzie nodded before she spoke. "She use to talk about that incident, how she was so fearful that my father would figure out the truth then and there. Her fear had been that if you found out you'd be hurt. She'd never mentioned your name but had said that this secret would have killed you."
"I don't know how I would have reacted back then," Mac sighed looking at his daughter, watching her reactions as he spoke. She sighed before looking up at him.
"I'm not sure how to take this news," she finally said after a couple awkward moments. "Though I can tell you this much, Adam Ross is a dead man for setting this up."
Mac couldn't help but laugh. "Now, don't go killing Adam. I would want to have to arrest you for homicide."
She smiled before responded. "You couldn't, that would be a conflict of interest." He laughed nodding. "I can't believe I just said that." She said with a sigh before looking down.
He sighed before he caught Stella standing in the doorway.
"I take it she knows," Stella said and Mac just nodded.
"How many people know the truth?" Mackenzie asked looking at them.
"Just the three of us in this room and Adam," Mac said before answering his phone which had started ringing.
With a sigh he hung up.
"New body, I need to leave, I'm sorry," He apologized, wishing for more time with his daughter.
"No problem. I'll be in by Friday anyways. We'll get to talk then," Mackenzie promised and nodded. He watched her leave and he sighed. Now he had to wait three days before he'd get to talk to his daughter again.
--
Two Days Later
--
He watched as the nanny led the boy down the street. Anger filled him at the sight. Then moments later the exact replica of his ex came walking down the street towards them.
A man had his arm wrapped around the twin of his ex's waist. The man was pudgy, unshaven, and nerdy. He didn't look like he'd be able to stand his ground if he'd been caught in a fist fight.
'What was Mac doing with that?' The man wondered to himself as he watched the boy run happily, calling Mac mommy and the guy with her Daddy. It burned the man up.
That man was not David's father. He was not, and never would be if he had anything to say about it. Still, he had to keep his cool. He needed to bide his time.
If he wanted his son back it would have to wait and be smart.
He smiled as he flicked his cigarette away and muttered to himself.
"Let the games begin…"