Chapter 43
Family Ties
"All I Need"- Mat Kearney
Kyle (POV)
It had been two weeks since Foss had arrived at the cabin, which meant Jessi, Nathan and I had been here for a total of three weeks. It was an unusually warm night which kept me from getting any sleep not that I had been getting much sleep anyway. I just laid on top of the blanket on the bottom bunk and stared at Nathan's bunk above me. I knew that he wasn't having any trouble sleeping because his heart rate had dropped to the point of a deep sleep. I decided fresh air may do some good. I grabbed my jogging shorts off of the wooden bench under the window and tugged them on before quietly slipping out of the room.
The green glow of the digital clock on the microwave and stove read 3:37AM. I silently unlatched the lock on the back door after lacing up my jogging shoes. I jogged along the river were the ground was relatively flat. The reflection of the moonlight danced across the river and provided just enough light to see where I was going.
Adam Baylin had been on my mind a lot lately since I had been the primary one to teach Nathan about our past. I couldn't help but feel the role reversal that had taken place in the last month. I was no longer the student eager to learn everything Adam had to offer. Now I was the teacher bringing all of Adam's plans, thoughts, dreams, values and inspirations to Nathan. Up until a few months ago I was led to believe that I was Adam's only son, and now I have a brother who would never have the pleasure of getting to know how truly inspirational Adam was.
When I had made the conscious decision to head back toward the cabin I was 15 miles out. I had already been running for two and a half hours and in that time I had clocked 45 miles. Granted Foss didn't like us to run far from the cabin so a lot was done running the same perimeter over and over again. When I reached the cabin it was nearing six o'clock in the morning and Jessi and Nathan were already out training.
"Here," Foss called, tossing a water bottle to me from the front porch of the cabin. "How long were you out there?"
"Three hours and thirty-two minutes," I called back, gulping down the water.
"Go get cleaned up—you and I have work to do," he ordered.
"What about training?" I asked, making my way up the steps.
"It sounds like you've already taken care of that," Foss smirked.
I jumped in the shower and was out in ten minutes. I made an attempt to shave but do to the dull razor I was only able to clean up the slight beard that had taken over my face. I grabbed me white t-shirt and blue jeans from my room and threw them on.
"So what work did you need help with?" I asked as I pulled the t-shirt over my head, walking into the kitchen.
"We have to make a trip into town; the food supply is getting a little low," he noted.
"So you're expecting us to be here for a while longer?" I sighed, pouring myself a cup of coffee.
"Not exactly."
"What does that mean?"
"We have a slight change of plans," he paused. "We're going to have to split up, having all four of us under one house is…dangerous to say the least."
"So what is the new plan?" I posed, gulping down half of my coffee.
"You and I will make our way out to the east coast, while Jessi takes Nathan further north."
"Foss, we can't do that to Nathan, he's just starting to develop a sense of normality. Besides it would be best if I stayed with him, he's my brother," I reminded him.
"Kyle, I've already taken all of that into account and what is best is to divide you and Jessi up. That way she can keep him safe while you keep your family safe." His voice was a little sterner.
By this point we both had finished our coffee and we were making our way out to his truck. We drove in silence for a moment until we had reached the path that lead to the main road into town.
"Kyle, I understand that you want to look out for your brother, but it is my job to make sure that you both are safe. I'm just doing what is best," he reminded me.
"I know that Foss, I just want him to be able to have some stability in his life," I sighed.
He chuckled slightly. "When will you realize that your life isn't normal, Kyle, so being able to have stability is rare, if at all possible."
"I know…" I mumbled.
"The plan is that you and I will fly to New York. Jessi will take Nathan a little further north then head into Alaska and wait out there until I give her the 'all clear' to start making her way back to Seattle. By that point I hope that you and I will have already started heading back west," he explained. "I'm hoping that once in New York it will be safe for you to see Amanda."
"Seriously?" I questioned as he pulled into the parking lot of the store.
"Only if it's safe, it won't be for long either, maybe a day if that," he harked back.
I smiled slightly, putting on the faded blue baseball cap and climbed out of the truck. He was wearing another baseball cap only his was black. There were times when I felt Foss might be a little too cautious. But like he said he was just 'doing his job'.
We stocked up on a rather large supply of everything that we felt Jessi and Nathan would need. Once we had collected the groceries we found our way to the check out. The thing about small towns was people liked to make conversation with everyone they encountered.
"Hello, and how are you boys today?" It was a lady in her mid forties working at the checkout. Her name tag said Helen.
"We're good, thank you," Foss mumbled as he waited for a total so he could pay.
"You must be new; I don't think I've seen you boys around town. Where are you from?"
"Sacramento." He was trying his best to keep the conversation short.
"California? Well what are two boys from California doing all the way out here?" she continued to pester no matter Foss's standoff attitude.
"Just doing some fishing, ma'am," he replied, getting the right amount of cash from his wallet.
"With this much food, there must be enough food here to last you a month." We were just being careful, but she was right about that.
"We eat a lot," Foss played it off. "Have a good day."
I wheeled the cart-full of bags out to the truck and we began loading them into the bed of the truck. I could tell Foss was relieved to get out of there; he wasn't the most social person. Once everything was loaded up we headed back to the cabin.
"I just don't understand why people feel the need to ask so many questions. They just need to mind their own damn business," he complained as he climbed out of the truck and began to carry in bags.
"She was just trying to be nice," I reasoned, following behind him with arms full of bags.
Jessi and Nathan were just finishing up with their training so they took their share of bags in as well. Once everything was unloaded and everyone had eaten and showered Foss gathered us in the den where all of our stuff had been set up.
"I've been talking to Christopher and he's been able to make contact with a few of the board members. Most of them are staying low, spreading out across Washington. He and I both feel that we need to divide up for a little while," he explained until Jessi cut him off.
"How long is a little while, Foss? We've already been hiding out here for almost three weeks now." She let some of her annoyance slip through.
"One or two weeks, depending on how long it takes us," he answered, sitting back in his chair.
"What do you mean, 'how long it takes us'? Takes you to do what?" Jessi was quick to ask.
"You'll take Nathan further north, while Kyle and I throw Latnok off by flying out east," he said simply.
"Won't they be watching to see if you book tickets under your names?" Nathan questioned and I smiled slightly already knowing Foss had taken care of that.
"That's why I made these," he grinned, holding up the two passports he'd had made for us years ago with false identities. According to those I was Emmett Riley and he was Robert Mayer.
"Emmett Riley?" Jessi joked looking and my fake passport.
"Foss came up with our names…" I mumbled.
"Actually, I didn't. The lady I had make these did," Foss was quick to correct.
"When does our flight leave?" I asked, stealing my passport from Jessi.
"Early tomorrow morning, so we have to get this place cleaned up then make the drive to Vancouver."
Jessi and Foss began with the den while Nathan and I went to gather our things in our room.
"That's your family," he noticed when I snagged the photo I had wedged above my bed.
"Yeah," I smiled looking down at the photo in my hand. "That's my son, Brice; he would be your nephew. And that's my wife, Amanda, your sister-in-law."
"How old is he?" he questioned, folding one of his shirts and placing it into his bag.
"He is almost five actually; he'll be five in two weeks." Part of me wondered if I would be able to celebrate his birthday with him.
"So you were 18 when he was born," he clarified. "I thought it wasn't common to have children and start a family until you were 24-28 years of age, at least most Americans."
"Well Brice is adopted, but I did adopt him when I was 18. He didn't have the best of a family before I took him in." I tried my best to keep it really simple.
"Where is your family now?" he asked, tossing a few pairs of socks into his bag.
"Right now, they're in New York. Amanda has some work to do there," I explained, folding a sweater. "You'll meet them when we're all back home."
"Home?"
"Yeah, in Seattle, that is where we live. And now that's where you'll live too," I reminded him, zipping up my bag.
By the time we had everything packed and ready the sun was only an hour away from setting. I sat out on the back porch and enjoyed the brief silence. Foss was attempting to cook a frozen pizza in the oven, so we could eat before we all were off. I rested one arm on the back of the bench and ran my other hand threw my hair.
"I could get used to this," Jessi commented, moving her way over to sit next to me. "I could also get used that beard too," she teased.
"We ran out of razors and I didn't think you would want me to use yours," I chuckled, softly.
We sat in a comfortable silence for a moment, it was nice to be able to have a somewhat playful conversation and not have it mean anything.
"So how is Elliot?" I asked, knowing she had just been on the phone with him.
"He's fine." She was short.
"Jessi, this guy…Do you…Love him?" I finally asked.
"He's good for me, he's helped me heal, and he's helped me figure out who I am," she rambled a little.
"But do you love him?" I asked again, noticing that she was avoiding the question.
"Dinner!" Foss called, giving Jessi the perfect escape.
Amanda (POV)
It had been close to four weeks sense we left Seattle. Lori and I had been meeting with, up and coming artists so we could create a client base. Today had been another crazy day of meeting with artists and lawyers but things were really starting to come together. I had one group left to meet with before I could go home, well not really home so much as Declan's dad's pent house we were staying at for the time being.
"Amanda! There's the woman of my dreams!" the band Resonance Void's lead singer, Joseph, called as he and two other men found their way to the table I was seated at in the restaurant.
"How are you doing Joseph?" I asked politely, standing to give them each a hug.
"I'll be fantastic once I can get a drink and we can get this deal squared away," he joked, plopping down at the table. "Where's your lovely business partner?"
"She had an appointment," I said, simply. "Why don't we get started?"
"As you wish." The thing about Joe was he was a big flirt.
"Lori and I were thinking that we test the water with your song 'Finding Her'. We would release it as a single then see how people react then go from there," I suggested, taking a sip of my water.
"And what if the reaction isn't what we expected?" the guitarist, Liam, spoke up.
"Well then we can do a few things, we can try another song just to try and get your name out there or we can continue on with the album," I explained their options.
"So how would we go about this?" It was Liam again who asked.
"Well we were hoping that you guys would be able to come in on Monday to record and if all goes well then by the end of next week we hope to have it playing on a few radio stations."
"That fast?" Joseph chimed in.
"Our company wants to move fast to not only get our clients known, but us as well," I smiled.
"Alternative motives, you tricky girl you," Joseph joked, with a chuckle.
"So we'll see you in the studio Monday morning?" I asked, making sure it was okay.
"Sounds fantastic, we will see you there darling."
Seeing as the meeting was over I took that opportunity to leave before they were begging me to stay longer to drink with them. I hailed a cab and had the driver take me back to the pent house.
"Hello, Ms. Amanda!" George, the door man to the building greeted me holding one of the glass doors open for me.
"Thank you, George," I smiled.
I rode the elevator up to the top floor and strolled to the right apartment door. I found Declan and Brice wrestling around on the floor in the living room.
"I win!" Brice cheered, jumping onto Declan's back.
"Oh really?" Declan challenged, pulling him off his back and tickling him.
Brice was laughing and carrying on, I was glad Declan was here to keep his mind off of Kyle's absence.
"Mom!" Brice cheered, and Declan released him and he came flying at me.
"Hey sweetie, did you have fun with Uncle Declan today?" I scooped him up.
"Uh huh, we got ice cream after we played basketball at the park," he told me.
"Really? You didn't get me any?" I joked.
"It would have melted before you got home, silly," he retorted.
"That's true," I said, kissing his nose. "Have you had a bath yet?"
"No…But I don't need one," he complained.
"Well I think you do, stinky boy." I teased. "Come on."
"I can give him a bath, if you want," Declan offered.
"No, that's alright, thank you though," I smiled, carrying Brice off to the bathroom that was in between his room and mine.
I ran the bath water and he got undressed and climbed into the tub.
"Mom?"
"Yeah, Bri?" I responded grabbing a towel from the closet for him.
"Did you know that Aunt Lori has a baby in her tummy?" he asked, rubbing the shampoo through his hair.
"Yes, I did. Why?" I was a little leery as to where this conversation was heading.
"Well how is the baby going to get out of there? How did the baby get in there? Did Aunt Lori eat a baby?" He got a little carried away.
"No, sweetie, Aunt Lori did not eat a baby." I could definitely see where this conversation was going and I wasn't one hundred percent sure if or how I should answer his questions.
"Well than where did the baby come from? I asked Uncle Declan but he said to ask you."
I sighed, part of me wished Kyle were here to answer this and the other part of me wished that Declan had just taken care of it.
"Usually when a Mommy and Daddy really love each other…" I couldn't believe I was going with the when two people love each other speech. "And when they are old enough, they decided to have a baby. That baby will spend a very long time growing in a mommy's tummy until the baby is ready to come out."
"But how does the baby get out?" he asked as I helped him out of the tub and wrapped a towel around him.
"Well there are special baby doctors that help babies to get out of their mommy's tummies," I tried to keep it as simple as possible.
"But how do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" he continued to question as I helped him with his pajamas.
"The baby doctor can use a special scanner to see the baby while it's still in the mommy's tummy and they can get a picture that will tell them if it's a boy or a girl," I explained as we walked to his room.
"Is Aunt Lori having a boy or a girl?" He asked, hopping up into bed.
"I don't know, sweetie, I don't know if the doctor has told her yet." Lori was about five months along so the appointment she had today would have been the one that they told her at.
"Oh, can boys have babies?" he asked as I tucked the blanket around him.
"No, boys can't have babies," I smiled.
"Why not?"
"Well, because boys don't have the right kind of tummy to hold a baby," I explained. "Does that answer all your questions?"
He nodded and I was relieved.
"Alright, goodnight, Bri, I love you!"
"Love you too," he mumbled and I kissed his forehead before leaving the room.
"You couldn't have given me any warning could you?" I glared at Declan as I sat down in the arm chair in the living room.
"I thought it would be more fun as a surprise," he grinned.
"Oh you just wait until you have to explain the same thing to your kids," I smirked, and his face became very serious.
"Crap…"
"So where is Lori, anyway?" I asked, noticing her lack of presence.
"Her back was hurting so she went to lay down," he said sitting up from the couch.
"So are you guys having a boy or a girl?"
"Two girls," he smiled softly.
"Twins! That's great!" I congratulated.
"I'm going to be a father of two little girls." He seemed a little shocked.
"You'll be a great dad," I reassured. "You're already wonderful with Brice."
"Brice is easy, he's a boy," he chuckled gently.
"Well you'll do just fine. I had no idea what kind of mother I would be, but Brice seems to be turning out just fine. You learn as you go."
"Thank you, Amanda." He stood up. "I think I'm going to go to bed though, that kid wears me out more that I do him."
"Goodnight Declan," I laughed slightly as he disappeared down the hall to his and Lori's room.
I went back to my room and changed into something a little more comfortable. I grabbed Kyle's old Dartmouth sweat shirt from the closet and a pair of girl's boxer shorts from the drawer. I hadn't eaten yet so I settled for a bowl of fruit and a cup of tea.
I was waiting for the water to boil and I began to think about Kyle. I couldn't help but worry about his safety, I had no idea where he was and I barely had a way to contact him. It had been almost a week since he last called; I carried that untraceable phone with me everywhere waiting for a call. It was hard to imagine that he had a blood related brother; I could only wonder what he looked like.
The tea kettle whistle blew and pulled me from my thoughts. I poured the hot water into a mug and stirred the tea a little. I turned grabbing the mug and bowl of fruit about to head back to the living room when I stopped.
There he stood, Kyle, my husband. I had to set the mug and bowl down for fear that I would drop it.
"You're here!" I had to remember to whisper so I wouldn't wake the others.
"I'm here," he smiled and that when I practically leaped toward him wrapping my arms around him and holding on as tight as I could.
AN: Hey everyone! Sorry I have really been lacking in my updates… I've been really busy this summer, I just got back from vacationing in Europe about a week ago and haven't really had much time. Anyway here is the new chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it, please comment and let me know what you think! I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but I did post a picture of what I think Nathan would look like on my profile, let me know what you think!