"Your child? It is my child too. I am not going to let you make me out to be the villain here. I am not going to let you take my child from me. I don't know how you think that our child belongs solely to you. I am not going to let you steamroll me. I an not walking away from my child, and I am not letting you take her, either. I am willing to compromise, but you can't just take her from me. She is mine, too. I will do whatever it takes to give her the type of childhood that she deserves. I am not okay with her splitting time between two cities, flying back and fourth all of the time, or her staying with you full time. That just isn't going to happen."
His eyes widen. She looks at him in confusion as his lips draw into a smile. She furrows her brow.
"Why the hell are you smiling?" She questions him, with her cheeks burning in anger.
"You said that you felt conflicted. You weren't sure that you wanted to leave the attorney general's office," he recounts.
"So?"
"I think you just made a decision about what you want," he points out.
"Oh," her eyes fall from his face. She casts her glance downward, towards her stomach, which is concealed under her loose fitting t-shirt. She exhales, and tries to regain her composure.
"I know that in the past few minutes of conversation I have sounded rather contemptible, and I apologize. I just didn't know another way to get you to see what I see."
"Which is what?"
"Job, or no job, you are going to do whatever is necessary to protect our child, and give her the best life possible."
"You went about it the worst way possible."
"I absolutely agree."
"Why would you threaten to take her?"
"The story of King Solomon."
"Cut the baby in half?"
"Exactly."
"You meant what you said," she calls him out.
"Absolutely. I fully intend to see my child every day."
"You just expect me to quit my job to bend to your will?"
"No. That would be rather insensitive of me. I know how much the job means to you."
"So how do you think we are going to make this work?"
"If I have to move to D.C. to be with my child every day, then that is what I will do."
"What about Alexis?"
"Alexis is an adult, and D.C. is not that far away."
"Are you sure about this?"
"Are you?"
"I need some time to think."
"Okay," he agrees, scooting his chair away from the table.
"Where are you going?"
"To give you time, and some space. I don't want to smother you."
She says nothing as she watches him walk away.
Jim slides into the booth, at a diner. He looks across the table, and finds his daughter. She stares back at him with dark circles under her eyes, a look of confliction, and a heavy heart. He stares at the cup of coffee on the table in front of him. He looks in her direction, and sees nothing more than a glass of water.
"Katie, what's going on? I didn't know that you were in town. When you called me out of the blue, and asked me to meet you here, I got a little concerned."
"I need to talk to you."
"I'm all ears. Can I ask you something first?"
"Yeah," she nods.
"No coffee?"
"I'll get to that in a minute," she insists.
"What's wrong?"
"Why does something have to be wrong for me to call you?"
He shrugs, "I don't know, why don't you tell me?"
"I am sorry that I have been so distant lately."
"Lately? Katie even before you moved to D.C. you were distant."
"And, I'm sorry."
"What are we doing here?"
"I have made such a mess of everything, and I don't know what to do."
"So you came to me?"
"Yeah," she nods, as she plays with her engagement ring.
"Is this about Rick?"
"Yes," she confirms.
"You're having second thoughts about getting married to him?"
"I don't know if we are ever going to get married," she reveals.
"Ever? What happened?"
"We're not together anymore," she adds.
"So why are you still wearing the ring that he gave you?"
"I keep asking myself that, and the only answer that I can come up with, is that I keep hoping we will get back together."
"You just said you didn't think that was going to happen, ever."
"It probably won't."
"What happened?"
"I lost his trust, and probably his respect, too."
"What did you do?"
"It doesn't matter," she insists.
"Obviously it was a game changer if you two aren't together anymore."
"I thought that things would get better with time, but they haven't."
"How could they? You can't put distance between your problems and just expect them to vanish."
"I know that, now."
"Katie, why are we here?"
"I need your help."
"Help? You haven't needed my help in a long time."
"I need it now."
"Okay, what do you need? Money?"
"I need you to tell me what to do."
"Tell me what the problem is."
"I am pregnant."
"Oh. That's the problem?"
She shakes her head, "No, that isn't the problem. The problem is that I live in DC, and I have a job that I love, and Rick is here. How am I supposed to make that work? I don't want to leave DC, or give up the job, and it is unfair to expect him to move to D.C."
"Katie you don't need my help. You already know the answer to that question."