Kaylee is reunited with her Grandma Debbie and gets some shopping tips from Emmett; Alex and Katie have a showdown, but who wins in the end? One father finally connects all the dots together and comes to an inevitable and astounding conclusion.
A/N: Sorry for the longer-than-normal update period. Here's a long chapter to partially make up for it. We're heading for the eventual, long-awaited reunion between the boys. Hope you enjoy this chapter in the meantime! As always, thanks to my friend, Boriqua522, for looking this over for me so quickly.:)
Next Morning – Justin's Chicago Brownstone – 8:00 a.m.
Justin poked his head inside his daughter's door, frowning when he didn't notice her in bed. Normally at this time of day Kaylee would still be snuggled there, her mass of blond hair sticking out from under the covers. When she didn't have to attend school in the summer, it wasn't unusual for her to sleep in until around 9:00. Today, though, the covers had been thrown back and she was nowhere to be found.
"Kaylee?" he called out softly. When he didn't get an answer, he walked over to the adjoining bathroom, noticing evidence of a shower having been taken recently – the stall's walls were still wet and a couple of used towels were hanging rather haphazardly on the nearby, chrome towel rack. Furrowing his brow, he wondered where she was; his apartment wasn't so big that he couldn't find her fairly easily within a few minute's time, and he would have seen her if she had been upstairs.
Turning to exit his daughter's room, he walked down the hall and descended the steps, Dali and Picasso close at his heels; they kept up a constant, soft mewing as he headed downstairs. "It's a shame I don't understand cat language," he told them softly as he paid close attention to their position to avoid tripping on them; both cats had a bad habit of walking too closely to his and Kaylee's feet, and he lived in constant worry that one – or both – of them would break a leg someday as a result. The two cats continued to purr urgently at him, probably more interested in food than Kaylee's whereabouts. "Where did she go? Huh?" He wasn't sure it would help even if he COULD speak their language, though; since returning to Chicago with his daughter, both cats had been acting quite strangely, wanting practically nothing to do with her. In fact, they had been spending more time with HIM in his studio than Kaylee recently, sunning themselves on one of the wide, marble window ledges interspersed throughout the space as he worked.
"Kaylee?" he called out again as he arrived downstairs and walked down the hall toward the kitchen; sensing triumph, the two cats scampered ahead of him and stopped right in front of the cabinet where Justin kept their cat food. He smirked; manipulative little felines…
"Okay, okay," he told them agreeably, putting his slight worry aside for a moment as their meows became more urgent. He smiled at their mewing cries as he opened the pantry and, taking out a couple of cans of cat food, hurriedly scooped out the contents into their matching food bowls with a spoon before throwing the empty containers in a nearby recycling bin. As he rinsed off the spoon and went to put it in the sink, he noticed a soiled dinner plate and a fork already there. There appeared to be what looked like remnants of the leftover cheesecake he had picked up at the local bakery recently. "What the…?" Normally his daughter wanted nothing to do with such decadent, calorie-laden sweets, but it appeared she must have come down to the kitchen at some point either tonight or this morning to imbibe in a piece of the sinfully-rich dessert. He shook his head in puzzlement as he picked up the plate and stared at the clear-cut evidencel in disbelief. About a year ago, he had let himself be talked into fixing a tofu cheesecake at Kaylee's urging; his daughter had thought it was great afterward and had eaten every bite of her slice, while he had taken one bite and promptly spit it out. There was no way she would normally eat the real thing.
"What is going on?" he murmured as he looked down at the two cats; they were too absorbed in eating their own breakfast, however, to give him any mind as he placed the plate back down in the sink and headed toward the front door. He got to within a few feet of it when it suddenly flew open; there his daughter stood, flushed, panting and sweaty, wearing a pair of cream-colored, knit exercise shorts and a plain, navy-blue tee-shirt he recognized as one his daughter rarely wore. Her I-pod was in her hand and she had a pair of tiny headphones hanging around her neck.
"Hi, Daddy!" she chirped out cheerfully as she closed the door and smiled at him. She walked over and, placing her hands on his shoulders, she reached up to give him a quick peck on the cheek before stepping back to observe his puzzled-looking face. "Is something the matter?"
Feeling sort of like he was in an episode of the Twilight Zone, Justin stared at his daughter in surprise. "Where were you?" he asked. "I thought you were still in bed."
She shook her head. "It was too nice to stay in bed," she told him, "so I thought I'd take a run around the neighborhood."
Justin's mouth hung open; it wasn't that his daughter wasn't into physical activity, but her normal interests consisted of things like walking around the zoo or the mall, or maybe going swimming occasionally. She also enjoyed going with him from time to time to the lakeside parks to stroll around the water and people watch. And, of course, there was her cheerleading, which in and of itself could be quite strenuous a lot of the time. But jogging? He had never seen her jog a day in her life. "You went jogging?" he asked in astonishment, too surprised to even think about how possibly dangerous it might be for such a young girl to be doing that on her own. Not that he considered their neighborhood unsafe, but not all criminals were homegrown and the world was a pretty scary place now.
Uh, Oh. Katie bit her lip as she noticed her father's look of astonishment, suddenly realizing the logistical mistake she must have made. Apparently Kaylee wasn't the jogging type. Back home, she enjoyed either going horseback riding or jogging on the dirt trails around the grounds every morning before she ate breakfast; it was a great way to enjoy the fresh air and get her artistic juices flowing. Invariably on her runs she would see something fascinating – sometimes it would be wildlife such as a doe and her fawn grazing on the back lawn, or a coyote scampering away from her, more afraid of her than she was of it. Or on other days, it would be right after the sun had arisen on a crisp, cool day, the dew still surrounding the multitude of plants and trees that bloomed throughout the property, the lake's water sparkling off the sun like thousands and thousands of tiny jewels. Or there might be beautiful white swans or great blue herons on the lake, gliding placidly through the water. She never knew WHAT she would see, but she derived profound pleasure from her peaceful morning communes with nature.
She knew here in Chicago the scenery would be vastly different, so she was eager to find out more about the neighborhood. When she awoke around 7 this morning like she normally did, she decided to find something suitable to wear and headed out for a run. Now, however, as she observed her father's look of surprise on his face, she knew she had made a tactical error and once more she would have to do some fancy backpedaling to avoid suspicion.
She shrugged indifferently. "Uh…Yeah, Daddy. My coach at cheerleading said if we got into jogging, it would help to strengthen our leg muscles for jumps, so I thought I'd give it a try."
Justin stared intently into her face, distinctly thinking that there was more to it than that, but unable to quite put his finger on it. Finally, he nodded. "Okay. But no more jogs without me, Kaylee Marie; it's not completely safe for a young girl to be jogging alone, even in daylight, understood? If you want to start going for runs regularly let me know and I'll go with you – somehow," he added with a smile. He wasn't that good at running – in fact, he was pretty lousy at it – but if Kaylee was a beginner, how fast could she be anyway?
Katie nodded, vastly relieved that once more she had managed to escape without arousing a great deal of suspicion. "Okay," she said with a smile as she started to head down the hallway toward the stairs. "I'm going to go change my clothes and then find me something for breakfast."
"Speaking of which," she heard her father say as she stopped to turn around and look at him. "I saw where you had eaten a piece of cheesecake earlier."
Shit. Another screw-up; she had meant to put that dish in the dishwasher after rinsing it off but she had forgotten. It had been after midnight when had sneaked down to peek in the fridge and retrieve the half-eaten cherry cheesecake sitting on the middle shelf; it had been too good to pass up. In her haste to get back to bed afterward undetected, though, she had rinsed it off but promptly forgot to put it in the dishwasher to get rid of the evidence. In hindsight, however, she realized that as smart as her father was, he would have probably realized there was another piece missing from the pie later anyway even if she had.
"Uh," she stammered out, trying furiously to think of something, anything, that would explain her sudden change in eating habits. She breathed a sigh of relief as a sudden knock sounded on their door. "I'll get it!" she volunteered just a little too eagerly as she turned around to answer the door before her father had a chance to press her about it further. Justin opened his mouth to call out to her, but it was too late; she was gone in a shot. He sighed in exasperation as he heard the door being opened.
Katie's relief at their welcome interruption turned to disdain as she realized who their early-morning visitor was. "Oh, it's YOU," She muttered with a scowl as she held the door open several inches but not enough for anyone to enter.
"May I come in?" Alex replied stiffly, irritated as well as disappointed that Justin hadn't answered the door instead.
"Why?" she asked pointedly as she glared back at him.
"Alex?" Justin called out from behind her as he walked toward the door. "Kaylee," he replied, softly chiding his daughter for her lack of manners, "open the door and let him in."
Katie pursed her lips tightly together and stared icily at Justin's suitor as she reluctantly did as her father asked, watching the man warily as he entered the brownstone.
"Justin!" He exclaimed, his face in a beaming smile. "You're never going to believe this!" He walked up and abruptly swept his boyfriend up into a tight embrace, lifting his feet slightly off the ground.
"What?" Justin answered with a laugh, a little surprised by Alex's jubilance.
Alex lowered Justin back down to the ground as he reached inside his leather jacket pocket to produce a white, business-size envelope. "Open it," he said almost smugly.
Justin eyed him curiously as he slowly opened the flap and pulled out the contents inside. "The Chicago Institute of American Architects?"
Alex beamed as he nodded. "Read what it says."
Justin scanned the contents until he came to the part that Alex wanted him to see. He lifted his gaze to smile over at his lover. "You've been nominated for one of the Design Excellence Awards?"
Alex nodded excitedly, his face alit with happiness. "Yeah! Out of 285 entries my design for the sports arena was picked as one of the ten finalists! Isn't that fucking awesome?"
Justin smiled in reaction to his excitement and nodded. "That's great, Alex! I'm very proud of you. But I'm not surprised – you know that's my favorite design of yours." The sports arena had been built with 100% green materials, and Alex had used all sorts of innovative ideas to not only bring in natural light but provide water and electricity for the facility at a substantial energy cost savings for the sports teams that it housed. The curved angles on the exterior of the innovative building had appealed to Justin's sense of artistic style at the time, so he wasn't surprised that it had been recognized as a possible award winner. He quickly scanned the rest of the letter. "Looks like you'll know soon if you won or not, huh? I see that the awards are scheduled to be given out later this week."
Alex nodded. "Yeah – I couldn't wait to tell you!" He stared intently into Justin's face as he grasped his shoulders and advised, "The awards banquet is Friday at 8:00. It's a very classy affair; five-course gourmet cuisine, a 35-piece orchestra for dancing, and a full bar. Just being nominated is a great honor whether I win or not, and they make it a point to recognize all of the nominees that night. I'd really like for you to go with me, Justin. Will you?"
Justin gazed into Alex's eyes; he still was torn over what answer to give him regarding his marriage proposal. He had promised Kaylee that he would give it very serious thought before he made his decision. There wasn't any reason in the meantime why he couldn't support Alex during this very important night for him, though. He knew how much this meant to him and how seriously he took his work, and Alex had always supported him when he had been given accolades for his art. "Of course I'll go with you," he told him with a smile as Alex beamed in response.
He glanced over at Kaylee, who appeared perturbed by his decision for some reason. "I'm sure Kaylee can stay with Mrs. Bailey next door while we're gone." Mrs. Bailey was a widow in her 70's who had lived in her brownstone apartment for the past twenty years; she had quickly grown fond of Kaylee when they had first moved here and had been invaluable to him whenever he needed an impromptu babysitter. Kaylee was quickly getting to the age where she resented the thought that she even needed a babysitter, but Justin had the impression that that wasn't what she was bothered about at the moment. She was looking over at them with a distinctive mixture of both dismay as well as disappointment for some reason.
Justin's thoughts about his daughter were interrupted as Alex leaned in to give him a kiss of gratitude, gliding his tongue over the full mouth to request further entrance; but Justin's lips remained closed to his entreaty just like the other day. To his disappointment he felt Justin pulling back as he reluctantly broke apart from him. As they did so, he spied Kaylee over Justin's shoulder, standing with her arms crossed defiantly over her chest and her back leaning against the wall, her face clearly displaying the disdain and distrust she felt for him. He returned her expression with a brief smirk of one-upmanship as he refocused his eyes on Justin to say, "Thanks. Now I have something to really look forward to at the end of the week. How about I take you out tonight for dinner to help celebrate my achievement in the meantime?" He had been dying to get Justin alone again ever since they had had to leave Canada prematurely. When Justin appeared to hesitate, he decided to pull out the 'big guns,' knowing Justin's sense of decency wouldn't be able to resist. "You can consider it a payback for flying you and Kaylee back home and cutting our vacation short. What do you say? I'll even spring for Italian at Josie's." He knew that was his lover's favorite restaurant.
Justin twisted around in Alex's arms to look over at his daughter. "It would just be for a few hours," he told her as Alex smiled over at her smugly. "I'll ask Mrs. Bailey if she could come over to stay here with you until I get back, okay?"
Katie seethed inside, not wanting her father to go but not having a legitimate reason to prevent him from doing so. She was also a little nervous about this 'Mrs. Bailey.' Her sister had neglected to tell her about this woman. "I guess," she finally said glumly and without any enthusiasm. She tried one, last desperate tactic, not having any idea if it was accurate or not as she added, "But she likes to go to bed by 10."
Justin frowned at her as Alex rolled his eyes behind him, realizing all too well exactly what she was trying to do. "I thought you told me she was a night owl?" He shrugged, figuring it wasn't too important either way. "We should be home way before then anyhow," he told her reassuringly.
Alex bit his lip, wanting so badly to tell Justin to stop letting this child control his life, but he also knew that wouldn't go over very well with his boyfriend. He pasted a pleasant-looking expression on his face before Justin turned back to him and asked, "That shouldn't be a problem, should it?"
"No," he responded, forcing a slight smile on his face. At least he would have a couple of hours alone with Justin – and without his brat of a daughter. His initial impression of Kaylee as a mere nuisance was quickly turning into something much more abhorrent; for some reason, since she had gotten back from that camp she had turned into a real headache – one that he wanted desperately to get rid of but knew that he couldn't; sort of like a recurring migraine. If he didn't want Justin so damn much, he would have been long gone by now. There had to be a way to have the best of BOTH worlds, though, and he was damn well going to find it…
"Josie's, huh?" Justin prodded him as he turned his focus back to his lover.
"I'll take you anywhere you want to go, Mr. Taylor," he told him softly. "I'll be here at 7:00 and you can tell me then."
Justin nodded as they broke apart. "I'll give the matter very serious thought," he said solemnly before his face broke out in a grin.
Alex couldn't help smiling back at him as he turned to leave. "I've got to go into work now and do a little gloating in front of my colleagues," he said with a lopsided grin. "I'll see you later then."
"Okay, bye," Justin responded as Alex turned to go, walking back into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. He failed to see - or hear – the exchange that took place as Alex walked over to the front door to leave. Katie plastered an open glare on her face as Alex stared down at her suspiciously, feeling her heart beating rapidly at his naked look of scorn but not allowing him to see the fear on her face.
Alex wanted so badly to say something to her – to put her in her place – but he somehow knew if he did that she would waste no time running straight to Justin to rat on him, and it would be her word against his. At that moment, unfortunately he didn't know if he would win or SHE would. He did know, however, that he was going to straighten her out very soon as to who was going to be running this household in the near future, and it most certainly wouldn't be HER.
He opened the door and, before he had a chance to close it, he heard it slam loudly behind him. "Damn impertinent BRAT!" he growled. He smiled, however. Let her think she has the upper hand for now, because I KNOW better…
He and Justin would have some alone time tonight at dinner and also on Friday during the awards banquet; they could discuss their future some more during both occasions. And he could also begin to broach the idea of Kaylee 'furthering her scope of experience and education' after they were married by suggesting she be sent to a private boarding school somewhere – somewhere FAR away from Chicago.
"Kaylee? Ready for some breakfast?"
Katie took a deep breath to calm herself and let it out before calling back, "Yeah, I'm coming, Daddy." Her face was red with anger. The more she was exposed to this Alex person, she more she detested him. Kaylee had warned her about him, but she hadn't been strong enough in her condemnation of him. The man was a conniving, two-faced asshole, and he was interfering with her and her sister's plan to get their fathers back together. Even if her other father hadn't factored into the picture, she would still be trying to get rid of him! Her father deserved so much better than THIS man; how could he even be thinking of marrying this guy? She had to find a way to convince her father that marrying him would be a huge mistake without giving away her true reason for doing it.
"Kaylee? I need you to tell me what you want for breakfast."
"I'll be right there!" she called out as she walked toward the kitchen, resolving to text her sister afterward to let her know that the 'enemy' was on the move again.
Same Time – Pittsburgh – Liberty Diner
Kaylee's mouth hung open as Brian walked the two of them toward the diner; she had been given what she hoped was sufficient information about the various friends that their father might be expected to run into at the diner, but she was still a little nervous about slipping up, especially after yesterday's mistake about what she wanted to eat. As much as it might disgust her, she would have to concentrate today on eating junk food, or at least something that was unhealthy and fat-driven. Her stomach was in knots at the moment, however, not at the thought of having to eat something like greasy eggs and bacon like her other father liked to eat back home, but rather the thought that for the first time since she was a baby, she would perhaps be coming face to face with her other grandma Debbie – the lady she had spoken to on the phone several days ago. Kaylee had warned her that their grandmother was a little 'over the top,' in her words, but that just made her all the more curious to see her.
She had succeeded in talking her father into letting her ride into work with him today and meeting her grandma Jen at the diner for breakfast; she had called her last night, asking if she would let her spend the day with her today while her father was working, and then he would come pick her back up here at the diner later after he was done. Her Grandma Jen, wise to what the girls were up to, had readily agreed, so at least if she started to mess something up hopefully her grandma Jen would be there to prevent her from making any obvious mistakes that might reveal who she really was.
As Brian opened the door and let her precede him into the diner, her senses were assaulted by all the sounds and colors that greeted them – there were signs and posters plastered everywhere on the walls, in addition to several works of art framed neatly along the side wall. She worked furiously to hide her shock as she immediately recognized three or four of the paintings as belonging to her Daddy; she would know his works anywhere by now. She noticed that her father didn't seem to pay them much mind, however, which led her to believe that they had been hanging there for some time. She tried not to show the surprise on her face as her father took her gently by the elbow and led her over to the counter where there were two side-by-side stools left. As they sat down, she took a few moments to crane her neck around to gawk at the circus of people eating there as her father took out the folded newspaper he was carrying and began to peruse the front page. There were all types of groups eating in the bustling diner – men with men, women with women, men with women, even some kids; some of the people she couldn't decide were men dressed as women or just ugly females. Most of those dining there were dressed fairly conservatively in either business attire or casual wear, but she did notice two leather-clad men sitting side-by-side in one of the booths, silver chains hanging around their necks and studded leather bracelets on their hands. She quickly averted her eyes as they must have sensed her staring at them and turned to look over at her curiously. This place was definitely nothing like Chicago, she quicky decided, but it was sure interesting. She would have loved to whip out her sketchbook and draw everything going on, but she didn't have one with her. And even if she had brought one, she never could have started drawing anything in front of her father, anyway.
"Hey! Waitress!" Brian groused loudly at Kaylee's side. "How about some SERVICE here?" Kaylee's eyes widened as she watched a curly-haired redhead turn around and stare back at them, her hands on generous-sized hips; the woman's eyes latched onto her and she saw the beginning of tears immediately forming as she recognized who she must be. No…Please don't give me away! She cried out to her silently as the person who had to be her grandma Debbie came rushing over to greet them. She had a pen stuck behind her ear and a multi-colored headband scarf around a wild set of curls; a bright green shirt with the words Life Isn't Good Unless It Sucks was sticking out from her bright yellow vest festooned with buttons of all sizes and colors. She jingled as she walked, the result of several, thin metal bracelets worn on her right hand.
Kaylee watched with a mixture of both anticipation as well as apprehension as her grandmother approached them; to her enormous relief, she watched as the woman stopped to seemingly compose herself before she waltzed up to them and muttered to Brian, "What the fuck do you think I'm doing?" Debbie growled. "Same exquisite manners as always." Kaylee watched as her grandmother deftly turned over a white china mug and poured a cup of coffee into it before she whipped out her order pad and pencil to announce matter-of-factly, "White egg omelet, two strips of turkey bacon, one piece of whole wheat bread, dry." She eyed Brian intently as she asked, "Sure you don't want to live on the dangerous side and add a pat of butter and some jelly to that?"
Brian sighed melodramatically as he set down the newspaper he was reading. "Deb, I'm rushed for time today; just get me my order, okay?" He turned to his daughter, noticing she seemed to be almost in a trance as she stared over at her 'grandmother.' "Katie – want your usual?"
"My usual?" she couldn't help stuttering out. What in the world WAS her 'usual?' She silently chided her sister for not disclosing that particular bit of information as she looked over at her grandmother in a silent plea for help.
"It's okay, Baby," Debbie replied tenderly with a warm smile. "I've got your back. French toast with extra maple syrup, two sausage links, hash browns and a large orange juice," she supplied smoothly. "Coming right up." Unbeknownst to Brian she gave Kaylee a quick wink before leaving as the girl uttered a silent prayer of thanks for her help.
She bit her lip, however, as she realized what her grandmother had just ordered for her; there had to be two thousand calories and who knows how many carbs in that meal! How did Katie stand all that? She wrinkled up her nose in distaste at the thought of how much fat she was about to consume. She would have to at least make a pretense of enjoying her meal, however; how she would eat a lot of it, though, was a mystery to her.
She turned her head as the alert bell jingled over the diner's front door and her face broke out into a big smile. "Dad, there's grandma," she told Brian as Jennifer smiled back at her and came walking over. She was dressed smartly but casually today in a pair of dark-blue jeans, beige loafers, and a V-necked, short-sleeved, navy-blue knit shirt. "Hi, Honey," she greeted her as she grasped her granddaughter's shoulders from behind and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so glad to see you," she whispered as Kaylee smiled back at her.
"Brian," Jennifer acknowledged her 'almost son-in-law.' "Mind if I join you?"
Brian shrugged, his hand indicating a third seat that had since been vacated next to Kaylee. "Feel free," he said. He looked up from his paper at her to say, "So you and Katie are spending the day together."
Jennifer nodded as Debbie came back over and poured her some hot water, knowing she would be wanting her usual order of Earl Grey. "Yeah, we girls are going to do some shopping while you're at work." She glanced over at Kaylee and winked at her, thrilled beyond words that the 'great switch' had occured without a hitch. Now all they had to do was successfully carry out the rest of the plan. "How about we go to the mall…Katie?"
Kaylee smiled at her grandmother gratefully as Debbie stood there, not trying to hide her own pleasure at finally being reunited with her other granddaughter. She was itching to sweep the girl up into a huge bearhug to ensure she really was there, but she knew she didn't dare reveal that she knew the truth. Inside, though, she was doing somersaults of jubilation.
"Deb? Our breakfasts?" Brian glanced down at his Rolex to note the time. "My business doesn't run by itself."
"Don't twist your ball, uh, balls in a knot," Debbie growled as she glanced over at the cook's window to make sure their food wasn't ready yet. "I'm keeping an eye on it." She stared at Kaylee, noticing how uncanny the resemblance was between her and Katie. She couldn't help staring at her. My God – if they were sitting side by side, it would be impossible for her to tell them apart, which she supposed was exactly the point…
The ding of the order-up bell sounded as she reluctantly strode away to go pick up Brian and Kaylee's orders. A few seconds later she had placed Brian's omelet and turkey bacon down and then Kaylee's more sinful, calorie-laden plate, thankful there was a temporary lull in the patrons so she could spend a little more time with her granddaughter. She noticed Kaylee raising her fork hesitantly, eyeing the stack of French toast warily as if it were a mortal enemy. Not knowing Kaylee's abhorrance for fatty, sugary foods, she couldn't help frowning a little as she asked, "Something wrong with it, Baby?" She snorted. "It can't be because it's too hot – Carlos only knows two temperatures back in the kitchen – cold and lukewarm."
Kaylee's felt the heat on her face as she noticed both grandmothers and her father staring at her. Try as she might, she couldn't imagine eating such monstrosity; the French toast appeared to be deep-fried and was dripping on top with butter. Smiling a little awkwardly at them, she thought furiously for a plausible explanation. "Uh…I guess I'm just not hungry," she finally offered lamely. "My stomach's feeling kind of queasy." At least that part was the truth.
"Are you feeling sick, Katie?" Brian asked with concern. This wasn't the first time Katie had been weird around her food; in fact, ever since she had been at that damn camp she hadn't really been herself. "I'm beginning to think you picked up something at that camp."
Jennifer had to bite her tongue to keep from snorting at that comment. If you only knew…
"Maybe you'd better postpone your shopping trip and just go home with Jennifer and take it easy instead."
"No, Daddy!" Kaylee protested, not wanting to miss out on getting to know her father's hometown better or being able to spend time with her grandmother. "I'm okay – really. I'll drink my juice," she finally decided, hoping that would at least mollify her father a little bit. "And Grandma Debbie can put my food in a carryout container. I'll eat it later."
Brian furrowed his brow as he stared over at his oddly-behaving daughter, wondering just what it was about her that made him think something strange was going on. The beseeching look on his daughter's face, however, made him decide to entrust her in Jennifer's hands as he finally nodded, wiping his mouth with his napkin as he set his utensils down. "All right, if you're sure," he told her as he looked over at Jennifer. "Make sure she doesn't overdo it." He stood up as Jennifer nodded at him, picking up the two checks so he could pay on the way out. "I'll meet you back here at 5:15." He leaned down to kiss Kaylee's cheek. "Later, girls," he called as he walked away.
Kaylee breathed out a sigh of relief as he left them. "That was a close one," she murmured as she pushed her food away from her.
Jennifer, having visited Justin and Kaylee numerous times in Chicago, immediately discerned what the problem was. "Couldn't hack all the sugar and calories, could you?" she stated knowingly. "You're going to have to try to compromise a little, though, Honey; your father's a very smart man and it wouldn't take much for him to figure out what's going on."
Kaylee scrunched up her nose. "How does she eat all this stuff?" she groused with a sigh. "I'm trying, Grandma," she countered as she stared in disgust at the pile of food. "But I take one look at all those carbs and I just can't handle it. I knew Katie liked to eat this kind of stuff at camp, but I had no idea she could eat THIS much!"
Jennifer smiled at her sympathetically. "I know, Sweetheart, but you're going to have to be careful."
Debbie squatted down to retrieve a white Styrofoam container from beneath the counter; she stood back up as she leaned on the laminate surface to lay it near Kaylee's plate. Placing a hand on her granddaughter's cheek, she couldn't help the tears that sprang once more to her eyes as she no longer tried to hide her reaction at seeing her long-lost other granddaughter. "I am so…fucking…glad to see you, Kaylee Marie," she told her softly. "It's been such a long time; too long." She shook her head in amazement. "You are the spitting image of your sister. I wasn't sure you and Katie could pull this off, but after seeing you, I think I've changed my mind. Holy shit."
"Debbie…" Jennifer warned, not sure if their young granddaughter should be exposed to Debbie's full range of flowery vocabulary.
Debbie shrugged as she cracked the piece of gum in her mouth. "It's who I am, Kiddo," she said to Kaylee. She grinned. "But I'll try to tone it down for you." She turned to look over at Jennifer. "So what's the plan?"
"Plan?"
"Yeah, you DO have a plan?"
Jennifer and Kaylee looked at each other as she admitted, "We're playing it by ear so far. But eventually we really won't NEED a plan; they'll have to return the other daughter eventually once they find out what's going on." She laughed. "And I'M certainly not going to help them."
Debbie nodded thoughtfully. "I'm not sure they're going to be too happy when they find out what's going on."
"No," Jennifer admitted as Kaylee listened intently. "Not at first. But I'm tired of them using me as the go-between to know what the other is doing. And I'm tired of them trying to deny that they don't still love each other. This will be a good way to find out one way or the other. Most of all I'm tired of these two girls being apart. That had to be the dumbest custody arrangement I've ever heard of." She looked over at her granddaughter. "It's time to work on bringing this family back together."
Kaylee smiled as she nodded firmly in agreement. "I can tell Daddy still loves him. There's no way we can let him marry that jerk Alex."
Jennifer's mouth hung open; this was the first she had heard about that. "Marry?"
Kaylee nodded. "That's what HE wants, anyway; Katie told me last night that he had asked Daddy to marry him when they were in Canada." She pursed her lips tightly together. "I don't like him," she told her grandmothers flatly.
Jennifer's head was spinning; she was aware of Justin's boyfriend, but had no idea things had progressed to that point, although she shouldn't have been too surprised – the man had been pursuing her son for years now, and despite Justin's ongoing relationship with him, she strongly suspected the man's feelings for her son were nowhere near returned. "They were in Canada?"
Kaylee nodded again. "Yeah, Mr. Big Shot took him on a vacation when I was at camp." She grinned. "I think mine and Katie's plans spoiled his, though; that and the fact that Daddy didn't give him the answer he wanted."
Jennifer sighed in relief as Debbie shook her head and asked, "How serious IS Sunshine about this Alex?" She had never met the man, but from Kaylee's tone of voice she already didn't trust OR like him.
Kaylee played with the straw in her orange juice as she replied confidently, "I know he doesn't love him; I know in my heart that he still loves Dad. But he's lonely, Grandma. And I'm afraid if we don't get them back together soon it might be too late and he just might say yes anyway." Her eyes filled with unexpected tears as she added, "We can't let that happen."
"I agree," Debbie spoke up. "I don't know who this Alex thinks he is, but he's not the man for your father," she said firmly. "Brian is." She never could understand why they had broken up in the first place; even Jennifer was sworn to secrecy, despite her repeated attempts to find out. She simply told her that Brian had broken a promise to Justin and it had been irreparable. Well, maybe back then it felt like it was, but a lot of time had passed since then. Surely it was time at last to right those wrongs. But was Kaylee right? Were they running out of time? "Maybe you should just tell your father who you really are," Debbie told Kaylee. "What would be the harm in that?"
"Well, for one thing both Brian AND my son are liable to be furious when they find out that I had a hand in switching them without their knowledge," Jennifer pointed out as she took a sip of her tea. "But then again, I guess it wouldn't have worked any other way; the rest, though, from here has to be up to you two – and your stubborn fathers. Maybe Debbie's right, though; maybe it IS time to just tell Brian and bear the consequences."
Kaylee shook her head. "I don't want him to know just yet," she told them.
Jennifer frowned. "Why? It would certainly be a step in the right direction. You've gotten reacquainted with your father again; what's the point in keeping it from him now?"
"Yeah, Baby, now you can convince your father to take you back home to Chicago – and he can talk to Justin finally and they can start to work things out."
"I know," Kaylee admitted as she began to scoop her untouched food into her takeout container; she wrinkled her nose at all the syrup and butter the French toast was swimming in. "But I kind of like him not knowing – at least for a little longer. I like getting to know him better while he doesn't suspect. I'm afraid once he finds out who I really am, he will change somehow and try to act like he thinks I want him to be, not like he really IS."
"How, Honey?" Jennifer asked her curiously; Debbie ignored the pleas of nearby diners growling for their meals, too intent on following their conversation as she leaned both elbows on the counter and stared at her granddaughter's face.
Kaylee shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. "Right now I get a chance to really get to know what he's like; what he likes to do and what it might be like to live with him every day." She sighed. "What it might be like for Daddy and me to live with him and Katie all the time." She smiled. "I even remember bits and pieces of the house now...And it's a good feeling. It feels right."
"You do?"
Kaylee nodded at Jennifer. "Yeah. I remember eating breakfast in the same kitchen, and Dad giving me a bath." She laughed. "For some reason, though, it seems like he got wetter than I did."
Jennifer's laughed softly in reminiscence as she nodded. "I remember Justin telling me what a happy baby you always were when Brian gave you your baths; he said you flapped your hands up and down so much in the bathtub to splash water all over that your father normally wound up getting drenched every time." She paused for a moment to look her granddaughter in the eyes and tell her softly, "He never stopped loving you, Kaylee; and I know he's missed you terribly, just like Justin has missed seeing your sister grow up."
"Deb! Orders up! Come ON!"
"Shit!" Debbie groused as she glanced over at Carlos' angry scowl through the open pass-through to the kitchen. "Listen, I have to go," she said reluctantly as she reached over and cupped Kaylee's cheek. "Why don't you and Brian come over for dinner sometime? I know we can't really talk about what we WANT to, but at least I can spend some more time getting to know my granddaughter again."
Kaylee nodded as she whispered shyly, "I'd like that…Grandma." She was still getting used to Debbie and calling her that, but she had decided immediately that she liked this woman; instinctively somehow she knew this woman would always protect and take care of her. She was rewarded with a bright smile as Debbie lightly patted her cheek.
"Shit," she muttered self-consciously as she wiped some sentimental tears away. She started to leave before she turned around and waggled a red-lacquered fingernail at her. "Don't you forget now," she scolded her before she finally rushed off to pick up the quickly-cooling breakfast plates.
Jennifer smiled in amusement at Debbie's show of emotion; she knew it must have been hard for her friend not to sweep Kaylee up into a vice grip as soon as she saw her, but Brian's appearance with her had promptly prevented that. Probably just as well; Debbie's greetings were legendary by now and a hazard to a growing girl's health. "She's really something, isn't she?" she murmured to her granddaughter, who seemed lost in thought. "Kaylee?"
The girl blinked as she turned to look at Jennifer. She nodded. "Yeah…I bet she can stand up for herself really well."
Jennifer laughed. "You could say that," she responded. "But you don't know how much she has been wanting to see you again."
Her granddaughter stared after her, lost in thought. "You know, now that I've talked to her some more, I think I CAN remember her. Did I used to come in here to see her?"
"Are you kidding?" Jennifer exclaimed. "Your dads had a standing mandate to bring you and Katie in here every time they were in town," she told her with a grin. "AND an order to bring both of you over to your other grandma's condo, too."
Kaylee smiled, her heart fluttering at the thought of how much she, indeed, had been loved and wanted. What had gone so terribly wrong to destroy that? "Grandma? Can I ask you something?"
Jennifer smiled. "Of course, Honey, what?"
"What exactly happened between Dad and Daddy to break them apart? They sounded like they were so much in love; like they still are. What happened?"
Jennifer looked away in discomfort; the last thing she wanted to do was either lie or hurt her granddaughter; but she was in deep enough as it was. This particular discussion was best handled by her fathers; it was not her place to delve into such a hurtful topic. "Sweetheart," she began softly as she turned back to look at her curious granddaughter. "I'm sorry; really I am. But you'll have to talk to them about that. I'm not sure even I know the full story behind it. Has your father not told you anything about it? I'm sure you've asked him about it before."
Kaylee nodded. "Yeah. I've asked Daddy before; both of them actually. They both said they still love each other, Grandma, but they won't tell me why they broke up! That's what makes this all so HARD! If they still love each other, what could be so terrible that they couldn't fix it? I thought if you loved someone you learned to forgive them for their mistakes, too."
Jennifer reached to clasp her granddaughter's hand in comfort; she wished it were that simple. "It SHOULD be enough," she agreed. "But once a heart is broken, sometimes it can be hard to mend, no matter how much you might love someone."
Kaylee shook her head adamantly. "No, Grandma; you didn't see Daddy or Dad when I asked them about the other. I don't care WHAT happened; they loved each other and they still do. And Katie and I aren't going to stop until they admit that to each other and talk over whatever it was that happened to break them up. They belong together; WE belong together."
Jennifer couldn't help smiling fondly at her tenderhearted granddaughter's determination. It was hard to argue against such conviction; it was contagious. "Maybe you're right, Kaylee," she whispered as she pulled her granddaughter toward her and curved her hand around her neck to pull her face against hers. "If anyone can do it, I'm sure my granddaughters can." She gave her a small kiss on the cheek as she broke apart from her.
"Katydid!" came a shouted greeting from nearby. "Hi, Darlin'! How's my favorite niece and her beautiful grandma?"
Kaylee whipped her head around at the sound; her mouth hung open at the sight of their boisterous greeter. He was a tall, slim man with light brown hair and mischievous, sparkling bluish-green eyes. His eyes were outshone, however, by the shimmering, body-hugging bright purple tank top and a pair of tight, shiny leather, cream-colored pants. The man smiled warmly as he sidled up to them and slid onto the next available stool. "Why, I think you've grown a few more inches since the last time I saw you, little lady!" he exclaimed as he eyed her up and down critically; the intense scrutiny made Kaylee blush slightly as she silently looked over at her grandmother for help.
"Emmett," she heard her say, and instantly Katie's description of their father's flamboyant friend sprung to her mind, although as she stared agape at him she didn't think her sister had done Emmett justice. She had never seen anyone dress like this – well, at least a man – and she was astounded by all the color. Her face slowly broke out in an amused smile; she decided she rather liked his style of dress. It certainly beat the drab-looking clothing she had been finding in her sister's closet lately. "It's only been a couple of weeks since the last time you saw her."
Emmett grinned as the words rushed out in a torrent. "I know…but you know preteen girls – only thinking about one thing. Oh, no, wait! That's preteen boys; oh, well," he added with a shrug as he turned to look over at Kaylee with a smile as she returned the expression. "She's going to be a real head-turner, Grandma, better watch out for those admirers. Although…You really should think about growing your hair a little longer, Honey – that would really go well with your skin tone."
Kaylee longed to open her mouth to tell him she agreed with him totally – she was getting used to her shorter hair, but she still missed the versatility of it being long – but she knew that wasn't possible. To Emmett, she had never HAD long hair in the first place. She finally managed a "I'll think about it" in response as Emmett nodded.
"So what are you two ladies up to today? I'm assuming the Big Bad Wolf is off to work?"
Kaylee giggled as Jennifer nodded. "Yes, we're going to take advantage of it and do some serious shopping in his absence...and with HIS Visa card, too," she added with a grin.
Emmett's eyes lit up as Kiki walked over to pour him some coffee. "Oh, the scrambled egg special," he told her as she wrote it down with a nod and left to place his order. "Ooh…I'd love to go with you! You know how I've been itching to do a makeover for Katydid here!"
Kaylee's heart beat in excitement. "Can he, grandma?" she asked eagerly as she admired the way Emmett's iridescent shirt seemed to change color under the lights of the diner. She had heard about Emmett's past role as a fashion critic on television, and after seeing his unorthodox, colorful mode of dress, she was desperately hoping he could help her put some flash into her sister's wardrobe.
Jennifer hesitated; Kaylee was supposed to be impersonating her sister, who dressed quite a bit more conservatively. She knew she hated that form of dress, though. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if they did liven up Katie's closet just a bit…
She smiled over at her dining companions. "Why not?" she decided as Kaylee's face broke out into a pleased smile of her own. "If you want to come, we could use a fashionista's opinion."
Emmett clapped his hands. "Good!" In a stage whisper, he leaned into Kaylee to add under his breath, "Now if we could just add some hair extensions…"
Jennifer laughed. "Don't press your luck, Em. Trust me – this will be radical enough for now." Silently, she hoped it wouldn't be TOO radical; after all, her granddaughter was still playing the most important role of her life.
Liberty Diner – 5:15 p.m.
Brian opened the door to the diner, craning his neck as his eyes swept around the busy room in an attempt to find his daughter and Jennifer; it was Pride Night in the Pitts, and the diner was bustling even more than normal. Every available booth and counter seat was filled with a variety of diners, from 'normal-looking' diners to drag queens to bears. No Katie or Jennifer, though. He sighed, wondering where they could possibly be, before the bell over the door clanged and an overload of color came rushing excitedly into the diner, followed by Jennifer holding two stuffed shopping bags in both hands.
Brian blinked twice; unable at first to believe this was his conservatively-dressed daughter. Kaylee was dressed in a bright tie-dyed, multi-hued sleeveless cotton shirt and a pair of the brightest lime-colored jeans he had ever seen; a silver-looped belt was hanging low on her hips and pink-nailed toes were peeking out of matching hot-pink flip-flops. A matching, cinched tie-dyed bag was hanging over her shoulder, and her ears were adorned with silver peace-symbol earrings that matched the long, silver chain around her neck.
"Hi, Dad!" Kaylee chirped brightly at him as she rushed up to him; she placed her hands around his waist as she gave him a hug.
Brian pulled back, his mouth agape in shock at his daughter's flamboyant dress. He looked over her shoulder at Jennifer as he asked, "Where's my daughter? This isn't Katie." He missed the look of apprehension on Kaylee's face as she averted her gaze; did he know?" Her father's next statement, however, allayed her fears.
"No daughter of mine would be wearing something like this. What did you do to her?"
Jennifer smiled, relieved that Brian wasn't aware of what was going on. "Emmett," she replied simply.
Brian nodded knowingly. "Oh, my God; say no more. You let that peacock go shopping with my daughter?" He took Kaylee's hand and slowly twirled her around as he took in the entire package. He had an inkling that if there was a full moon tonight it wouldn't matter; he would have no problem whatsoever finding his way back to his car. All he would have to do was make sure his daughter was with him.
Brian shook his head. "You like this outfit, Princess? I would have never thought of you as the hippie type. I think Auntie Em forced you to put this on and shoved you out the door before you had a chance to change your mind." This was about the total opposite of what he would have expected his more…tasteful daughter to be wearing. He shook his head; again this nagging feeling kept reverberating through his head that something was off, something he should know. But as he looked into his daughter's radiant face, he couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was. "You really like this," he repeated.
Kaylee beamed at him. "I LOVE it!" she cried out as she twirled around again, loving the sound of the tinkling metal-loop belt and the way the peace jewelry swung back and forth. She felt like a child from the sixties. She loved the rainbow of colors on her shirt, and the small amount of spandex in the jeans and the soft feel of the cotton felt wonderful against her skin.
As Kaylee smiled at him, Brian noticed a metal filling at the back of her mouth and frowned; he didn't remember Katie ever having any cavities at the dentist. In fact, Dr. Goodwin was always complimenting her on how perfect she kept her pearly whites. When did she get a cavity back there?
"Brian?" Jennifer asked in concern, noticing the puzzled expression on his face. "Something wrong?"
Brian stood there for several seconds, his mind counting off all the strange occurrences that had happened since Katie had returned from her camping trip; a camp that Jennifer, Justin's MOTHER, had discovered. She had pushed Brian persistently about the idea of Katie attending this particular camp until he had agreed for her to go.
"Brian…?"
He blinked as he turned his attention back to the present. "No," he finally managed to say as an unbelievable theory began to coalesce in his mind. No way…it can't be…It's not possible...
"Uh, well, we'd better go," he told Jennifer a little distractedly as he took hold of his daughter's shoulder and gently pushed her toward the door, weaving in between the bustling crowd. As they slowly made their way outside, he turned to Justin's mother to say, "Thanks for spending time with Katie today. Looks like she had a great time with you."
Jennifer smiled at him. "The feeling was mutual." She reached over to give her granddaughter a kiss on the cheek and whisper in her ear, "Remember what I told you." Kaylee nodded as she stood back up and told Brian, "By the way, Debbie said she wants you and Katie to come over for dinner sometime soon."
Brian nodded, not missing the whispered, almost conspiratorial words between Justin's mother and their daughter. "I'll give her a call," he told her as he studied his daughter intently. Taking Kaylee's hand, he said, "Come on, Princess; we'd better get going. With rush-hour traffic, it's going to be slow-going."
Kaylee nodded. "Bye, Grandma!" she called out as they walked away toward Brian's car parked nearby.
"Good luck, Kaylee," Jennifer whispered when they were out of earshot.
"So you and your grandma had a good time today?" Brian asked her as they settled into the car and he stowed her shopping bags behind the seat.
Kaylee nodded over at him; her face aglow with happiness. She idly played with the long, silver chain around her neck as she waited for them to leave, thrilled with her adventure today.
Brian nodded silently as he stared over at her, almost like he was seeing her for the first time. Yes, if he didn't look too closely he could believe completely that it was Katie. Same hair, same profile, same eye color. But too many things had happened over the past few weeks to be ignored. As he started up the car, he ticked off all the differences he had noticed and he came to a startling, mindblowing conclusion. Yes, this was his daughter. But it just wasn't Katie...
"Dad? Is something wrong?" Kaylee whispered curiously, noticing his silence.
Brian's mouth turned up into a lopsided smile as he finally shook his head. "No, Princess. I think eveything's just fine. Let's go home." Kaylee nodded in relief as Brian pulled out into traffic, lost deep in thought.
Friday Evening – Justin's Brownstone
Justin scrutinized his appearance in the narrow mirror mounted on the back of the master bedroom door, noting the expensive, classic Hugo Boss suit fit him just as well as it did the first – and only – time he had worn it. He sighed. Had it been that long ago that he and Brian had been preparing for their wedding in these suits? Since then, he had had occasion to wear a tux or two, as well as a dressy suit for gallery showings and charity events; but up until now he had never put this particular suit back on. He wasn't even sure why he had decided to wear it tonight; perhaps he was feeling nostalgic in a way. All that talk of him and Brian with his daughter earlier had caused him to dwell on what might have been. He could still recall the way that Brian had made him feel when he had told him that he looked beautiful in it. He had never told him that before, and when he had said it, his heart had promptly exploded into joy at the sound. As he stood there, the memories washed over him as well as the "could have beens." Maybe in a way, he was trying to imagine that it was Brian who was taking him out to some fancy dinner and dance tonight and not Alex.
Stop it, Justin! He berated himself as he rolled his eyes in disgust. What's done is done; it's in the past. You can't go back; you have to move forward. Taking a moment to smooth back his hair and straighten up his tie, he finally opened the door to go in search of his daughter.
Walking down the hallway, he called out her name, but there was no response. Stopping at his daughter's open bedroom doorway, he peered inside, but there was no sign of her. "Kaylee? Are you up here?"
From behind the closed bathroom door, Katie hurriedly dipped a washcloth in the steaming water from the sink and let out the plug; she reached over to hurriedly empty out the hot water in the Dixie cup nearby in which an old-fashioned thermometer was resting. Quickly wiping the instrument off with a dry towel, she gently placed it down on the vanity. "I'm in here, Dad," she called out weakly as she knelt down in front of the toilet with the wet washcloth and held onto the rim of the basin, taking her stance just as her father gingerly opened up the door.
Justin frowned in concern as he rushed into the bathroom, heedless of possibly soiling his expensive suit as he noticed what appeared to be vomit in the toilet. "Kaylee!" he cried out as he knelt down beside her and placed a hand comfortingly on her shoulder. "What's wrong, Sweetheart? Did you throw up?"
Katie's hair and forehead were slightly wet as if from sweat as she nodded. "My stomach hurts, Daddy," she croaked in a whisper. "And I think I have a fever. I was going to take my temperature…"
As Justin reached over to feel her forehead, Katie silently held her breath and hoped that the heating pad she had placed against her head a few minutes ago would do the trick.
Justin frowned as he removed his hand. "You do feel warm to me," he observed as Katie sighed to herself in relief. She wiped her mouth off with the warm washcloth for effect as she watched her father reach over to the sink and retrieve the old-fashioned thermometer. Thank God he never got around to getting a newfangled kind…
"Here," he said softly as Katie opened up her mouth and held the thermometer between her lips. Justin observed the flush on his daughter's face, not aware that it was from her pinching her cheeks repeatedly and not from any sickness. He remembered that his daughter hadn't seemed to have much of an appetite earlier today, which was decidedly not normal for Kaylee. Even though she tried to always eat healthy, she still had inherited his love of food and robust appetite; anytime she didn't want to eat, then, he knew she was either sick or something was bothering her.
"Want to sit up?" he asked her softly as she nodded. He helped her over to sit on the ledge of the bathtub while he waited for the three minutes to pass.
"Okay," he told her a few minutes later as he slowly pulled the thermometer out and turned it to read the result. "101.2," he announced as Katie silently celebrated. Yes! "You've definitely got a fever, young lady. When did your stomach start hurting? I noticed you didn't eat much today."
Unbeknownst to Justin, Katie had definitely not starved herself, though; while her father had been busily working on a piece upstairs in his studio, she had been pigging out on some junk food she had managed to stash in Kaylee's room in a couple of shoeboxes in the closet. She had managed to squirrel them away the other day when her father had been too busy to notice her sneaking out of the house and she had time enough to walk down to the corner drugstore. She had been out and back before he had even noticed. She didn't know at the time, though, how useful it would be for today's acting role.
"It started early this morning," she told him, making sure her voice sounded a little hoarse. "My throat's hurting a little, too," she added for emphasis as she handed the thermometer back to her father. As Justin sat down next to her and placed a hand on her knee, she played her trump card. "But don't worry about me, Daddy; I feel a little better now that I've thrown up." Thank God for coffee creamer and mashed bananas, she thought silently. She shivered a little as if she were having feverish chills, congratulating herself on her ingenuity.
"Kaylee, I can't leave you like this," Justin told her. He always had been a sucker when it came to his daughter being sick; he knew sometimes he could be thought of as being too overly protective, but he couldn't help it. He had already lost one daughter; if something happened to Kaylee he would never forgive himself.
"I'll be all right," she reiterated, praying her father wouldn't go ahead and leave her with that Mrs. Bailey person; the woman had been nice enough the other day, she supposed, but her idea of a good time was watching Wheel of Fortune and then eating burnt microwave popcorn during Jeopardy. "Mrs. Bailey can keep an eye on me."
Justin furrowed his brow in concern as his felt his daughter shivering violently now. "No," he told her, his mind made up as he stood up and gently pulled his daughter to her feet. "You're going to bed, Kaylee," he told her as he led her into her adjoining bedroom and pulled the covers back. "I'll go get you some medicine, and you get into bed."
"But the awards banquet…" Katie replied, coughing as she shivered.
Justin shook his head. "Alex will understand," he told her with a reassuring smile as Katie crawled into the bed and he propped her up with a couple pillows against the headboard, silently wondering if that would be the case or not. He knew Alex was eagerly anticipating this evening and counting on him to be his date. But he had to put his daughter first. It was unfortunate timing, but he didn't feel right passing on his daughter to Mrs. Bailey, good neighbor or not.
He pulled the covers over his daughter's chest, reaching over for his old teddy bear Gus. She rolled her eyes at him. "Daddy…"
He smiled back at her sheepishly. "Just thought you might want some company until I get back," he told her tenderly. "I'll be right back with your medicine, okay?" She nodded as Justin turned and walked out of the room toward his own bathroom where he kept the medicine.
As he left, Katie felt just the slightest twinge of guilt – not over spoiling Alex the Asshole's plans, but over having to lie to her father. It hadn't taken long for her to fall back into love with her sweet, caring father that she hadn't seen in so long. He had wound up being even more wonderful than she had imagined, and each lie she told to him made her feel terrible. But she consoled herself with the fact that it was all for a good cause – getting her family back together; her, her sister, and BOTH her fathers…
She pulled out her nightstand drawer to retrieve her sketchpad, flipping it open to stare at the latest drawing she was working on. It showed the familiar grounds of Britin; she and her father were astride their two horses, sitting side by side like they often were, only this time they weren't alone. There were two more horses with them, and Kaylee and her other father were there, too. Both of her fathers were smiling over at each other from the back of their horses, their love for each other shining clearly on their faces.
She sighed; it was the way she imagined they might be; the way they could be if everything turned out the way she and Kaylee hoped. She took the fingers of her right hand and slowly caressed her father's face. "I know you love him, Daddy," she whispered. "And he loves you. It won't be long now," she promised as a smile came to her face at the thought.
Her heart began to hammer, though, as she heard her father's footsteps on the stairs. Realizing she was running the risk of being caught with her sketchpad, she hurriedly reached under her mattress and shoved it out of sight, just before her father returned with a tray; a glass of water and some capsules rested on top.
Justin sat down on the edge of the bed and placed the tray down on the nightstand. "Here," he said, reaching over for the capsules and the water.
Katie hesitated. "What is it?" she asked a little apprehensively; she was allergic to so many medications, her father had to keep a running account of them taped to the inside of her bathroom mirror at home.
Justin frowned a little; it was the same flu medicine he always gave Kaylee when she was sick. He chalked it up to her not feeling well as he reassured her, "It's what I always give you, Honey. Ibuprofen Cold & Flu Jr."
"What's in it?" she asked warily.
Justin's frown deepened. "Ibuprofen, pseudoephedrine, and hydrochloride." He stared at her look of apprehension. "Kaylee, it's what you always take for the flu. Now take it; it'll help you feel better and reduce the fever."
Katie nodded, not wanting to give herself away. She knew she was allergic to Tylenol, but she had never had any problems with ibuprofen. She hoped silently that the other ingredients wouldn't make her REALLY sick as she nodded and accepted the glass of water and the two capsules, talking a large gulp of the water to knock back the medication and swallow it.
Justin nodded in satisfaction. "Good girl. Now lie down and get some rest, okay? I'll be right downstairs if you need anything, and I'll keep the door open." Katie did as her father asked as Justin gave her a kiss on the cheek. He smiled tenderly at her as she reached over and hugged Gus to her waist, wrapping both of her arms around him in a firm type of embrace.
"I'll be right here, Sweetheart," Justin told her softly as he turned and slowly strode out of the room. He paused for a moment in indecision before he walked down the hallway and entered his master bedroom to begin shedding his outfit. His tradition of never wearing it for any other occasion was apparently not going to be broken tonight.
The sound of the doorbell downstairs a couple of minutes later made him rush into his pair of jeans and brown, long-sleeved tee shirt. Still clad only in his socks and no shoes, he rushed down the hall and toward the stairs, quickly descending from the second floor. Seeing Alex's profile reflected in the outside, overhead porch light, he took a deep breath before walking over and opening the door.
He had to admit as he gazed at his boyfriend; Alex was impeccably and exquisitely dressed in his black tux, white shirt and candy-apple bow-tie. A small sliver of red handkerchief poking out of his breast pocket perfectly matched his tie and gave it just the right amount of color. The tux was perfectly matched to the other man's lean, slightly muscled frame. If it wasn't for the slight frown of surprise on his boyfriend's handsome face, he would have looked flawless.
Alex walked into the apartment as Justin silently opened the door to allow him entrance. He turned to Justin with a mixture of confusion and irritation on his face as he asked, "Justin, the dinner is in an hour! I told you I would be here at 7:00, and you're not even dressed yet!"
Justin shifted uncomfortably on his feet as he looked down at his feet. "Alex…"
"Oh, no," Alex instantly countered as he placed his hands on his hips. "Tell me that you're NOT backing out at the last minute, Justin!" Justin sighed as he lifted his gaze to meet his boyfriend's eyes and Alex had his answer instantly; his eyes flashed with anger as he asked, "Why? You told me you would GO! What happened since the other day when you agreed to it?" He shook his head in disbelief.
"Kaylee's sick," Justin told him apologetically. "She started feeling bad early this morning, and now she has a fever over a hundred and one and is throwing up. I think she has some kind of bug. I can't leave her alone like that."
Alex twisted his mouth into an expression of aggravation. "Come on, Justin! That's the oldest damn trick in the book! Don't you get it? She's faking it so you won't go with me! She hates me and doesn't want us to be together. It's SO obvious; how can you not SEE that?"
Justin sighed heavily, feeling like he was talking to an impetuous child instead of his boyfriend. "I told you, Alex; I took her temperature myself and it said 101.2. I found her a little while ago sitting in front of the fucking toilet after she had thrown up! She's got the chills and her stomach is hurting; what more proof do you want?"
"You are SO naïve, Justin!" Alex yelled. "She's got you wrapped around her little finger! Can't you see what she's doing? What do I want? I'll tell you what I want; I want YOU to act like the adult here and quit letting her pull the wool over your eyes!"
"That's enough, Alex," Justin responded with deadly calm as his temper rose. "I have a sick child upstairs; now if you can't respect my wishes to take care of her and make her a priority above your awards banquet, then I think it's time we face the facts that we want two very different things in life."
Alex glared at Justin. "What are you saying, Justin? Spit it out."
Justin clenched his teeth as his face turned red. "Fine. I'll spell it for you, then. This is IT, Alex! I should have realized a long time ago that you would never accept me AND my daughter. I told you all along that that was a condition of our relationship and you've constantly fought me on it every step of the way! Go! Go and collect your fucking design award! Just don't expect me to be standing up in the audience cheering you on!"
Alex huffed in disbelief. "This is unbelievable! I've wasted the last several years waiting for you to realize we belong together, and this is what I get? Well, fuck you, Justin! I'm sure I can find someone much better! Someone who appreciates me and doesn't live their life 24/7 bound hand and foot to their child!"
Justin's blood boiled as he tromped over to the front door and flung it open. "Get out," he demanded through tightly pursed lips. He watched as Alex stared back at him silently for a few moments as if he were making up his mind before he followed Justin over to the door. This time when he spoke his words were softer. "I feel sorry for you, Justin; you don't realize how much that little brat has tied you down. As long as you allow her to control your every move, you'll never be able to have a meaningful relationship with anyone." He shook his head. "What a pity; we could be so fucking good together."
Justin snorted. "You don't need anyone else, Alex; you have yourself; that's all you EVER needed. Now get the hell out of my apartment!" Justin barely waited until his now ex-boyfriend had left before he slammed the door in his face and sighed in disgust. He supposed somewhere in the back of his mind he always knew that Alex didn't really care for Kaylee; this just solidified his suspicion. Well, now he knew for sure. It left him feeling strangely hollow inside and just a little bereft, but he knew he had done the right thing; his daughter would always come first for as long as she needed him. If a potential partner couldn't understand that or accept it, then so be it.
Upstairs by her door, Katie silently celebrated her victory as she listened raptly to every heated word below; Alex the jerk was finally gone for good! One obstacle to getting their fathers back together was eliminated, and she couldn't wait to tell her sister. Reaching over to retrieve her cell phone, she quickly sent a text to Kaylee: Daddy and Alex just broke up! Woohoo! Details later. Hugs, K
Several seconds later, a buzz alerted her to a return message from her sister. That's gr8t! I knew u could do it! Way 2 go! I want all the dirt. CU soon. Luv u – K.
Smiling in delight over her triumph and eagerly anticipating when she would see her sister and other father again, Katie walked over and returned to her bed to play the dutifully ill daughter; her mind put more at ease, she hugged Gus to her chest as she quickly drifted off to sleep.
Britin – Next Morning
"Okay, Dad, here I am. Now where are we going?" Kaylee asked Brian as she re-entered the kitchen after changing from her new, lacy, mint green pajamas and into her tie-dyed shirt and blue jeans; that particular outfit Emmett had helped pick out for her was quickly becoming her favorite. At the time, she had had to do some fancy explaining to make her father understand her abrupt change in clothing taste, but she had finally managed to convince him that she was simply becoming bored with the same old understated clothes and just needed a change. It sounded like a lame excuse even to her ears, but it was the best she could come up with and to her relief her father had accepted it fairly easily.
Brian smiled over at his daughter clad in her colorful clothes. At breakfast a little while ago, he had told Kaylee to go get changed into 'comfortable' clothes and they would spend the day together. Normally on Saturdays Brian still had to do some work at home in his personal office, but one of the advantages to working from home was that he could vary his hours. Today, he decided he had something much more important to do.
He looked over at his curious daughter as he walked over to the French doors leading to the outside and opened one of them up. "Well, it's nothing we haven't done before, Princess, but it's been a while since the last time. It's such a beautiful, sunny day; I thought we'd take the horses out for a ride this morning to stretch their legs. I know this is your favorite time of the day to ride."
Instead of the typical, excited yelp and hug from his daughter, instead Brian could have sworn Katie's face turned a little pale as she stammered, "A…ride? On the horses?"
Brian studied his daughter carefully; her response solidified his beliefs even more as he responded with a smile, "Of course! Although, you know…You're almost becoming a better rider than I am. But that's okay; you can show your old man some pointers, then. Let's go; I've got the apples in my pockets." He patted his leather jacket; their horses always loved the crunchy treat, and were so spoiled they always expected one each time they went out to the stables to ride. If they ever came empty-handed they could expect to receive a look of irritation from each beast, almost as if they were turning their backs on them.
Kaylee swallowed the nervous lump in her throat; she had been around horses before at the fair and the only thing she remembered about them was how huge they were; even their heads were monstrous! And those eyeballs – it was almost as if they could see right through her. She thought they were creepy and intimidating; how was she ever going to approach one, let alone ride on one? And she was supposed to be a good rider, even better than her father?
"Katie?" she heard her father say as she lifted her gaze to meet his. "Come on, Princess! Time's wasting!"
Reluctantly Kaylee nodded as she followed along slowly behind her father toward the stables located a few hundred yards away. She could already see the two chestnut-colored horses placidly grazing in a grassy, fenced pasture next to the structure. Even from here they looked humongous; the closer she got to them, the more her fear mounted as Brian walked over to the fence and the animals meandered over to greet him. "Hey, Cerus," he murmured fondly to the larger one as he held the apple out; the horse's flowing mane was softly blowing in the slight breeze that was quickly warming the morning air as the large stallion nuzzled Brian's open palm with surprising gentleness. As he used his teeth to pick up the apple and put it into his mouth, Brian turned to his daughter to say, "Here, Honey – you give the other one to Eton now." He reached inside his opposite pocket to draw out the other piece of fruit and hold it out to her.
Kaylee hung back, warily eyeing the huge animal looming over them. This one had a large, star-shaped white patch of hair on his forehead, with white-ringed hooves. He was beautiful, Kaylee had to admit, but he was also enormous and he scared the living daylights out of her. "No, Dad," she whispered, unable to keep the slight fearfulness out of her voice. "You go ahead; it's okay."
Brian studied his daughter's rigid stance for a few moments before he said, "What's wrong, Katie? You always love to feed Eton his apple; he's waiting for you."
Kaylee, unable to come up with a good excuse this time, nodded as she timidly approached the other horse. Taking the apple from her father's hand, she licked her lips nervously before she reached out her trembling hand toward the beast towering over her and held it close to his head. The horse whinnied softly, torn between taking the apple from the girl standing before him that looked so much like his normal riding companion that spoiled him completely, feeding him treats all the time and lovingly brushing his long, golden-brown cascade of hair and feeling remiss that something wasn't quite right. Finally, Brian reached over and gently took the apple out of his daughter's hand to hold it under Eton's nose as the horse scooped it up into his mouth and began to eat it with a decided crunch, his lips moving back and forth as he chewed it with relish.
As the two horses enjoyed their treat, Brian turned to his daughter to say softly, "See…there's nothing to be afraid of, Katie. Or should I say...Kaylee."