Chapter 44

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

"In My Place"- Coldplay

Kyle (POV)

I slid the visor up on the window to pear out of the plane and at the New York sky line. It was the first time I had seen it all lit up like that at night. Foss was sitting four rows in front of me and we made sure not to acknowledge one another once we arrive at the airport in Vancouver. When the plane landed and the buckle seatbelt sign went off I stood up grabbing my bag from the overhead compartment. Foss and I had only packed carry on, since we weren't planning on staying long.

Since we were coming from Canada we had to clear customs once we were off the plane. As I stood in line waiting to show my pass port and be cleared through, I took note that Foss was two lines over and three people behind me.

"Next!" the middle aged man called me up to his booth.

"Mr. Riley, what business did you have in Vancouver?" he asked, not even bothering to look at me.

"Medical conference," I answered simply.

"What brings you to New York?" he asked, scanning over my passport.

"Visiting family," I answered, again keeping it short.

"How long will you be staying in New York?"

That I wasn't sure about so I lied saying till the following Monday, given it was Friday night.

"Have a nice stay," he mumbled, handing me back my passport and waving me through.

Foss had given me instructions to catch a cab from the airport to a hotel in the city then to check in under Emmett Riley. Then to wander the city for an hour before heading to the pent house that Amanda was staying in.

After following his instructions it was nearing eleven o'clock in the evening. I found my way to the building that Amanda was staying at. Luckily I was able to talk to Declan before I'd left to let him know I was going to surprise Amanda so I didn't have any trouble being aloud up to the pent house.

Before the elevator doors even had time to open I could hear her heart beat steadily. Declan had also made sure to leave a key for me at the front desk. I quietly unlocked the door and set my bag down on the floor, once I was inside and found my way to the kitchen where I could hear Amanda softly rummaging around.

I leaned against the doorway just waiting for her to notice my presence.

"You're here!" She jumped.

"I'm here," I mumbled, holding my arms out for an embrace that she leaped at.

Before she or I had a chance to say another word, our physical needs got the best of us and her lips were on mine.

"I'm so glad you're here," she moaned through kisses.

"Me too," I huffed back, lifting her up onto the counter top.

Her hands knotted through my hair, as her legs locked tightly around my hips. There was a sense of urgency between us. The need between us was evident and I knew where things were going, so I hoisted her to me and stumbled into the bed room. She quietly giggled, as I plopped her down on the bed and climbed on top of her, my hands roaming across her body. I had already managed to get her sweat shirt off before we had even reached the bedroom.

"I missed you so much," I grunted as she undid my belt buckle and tore my jeans off.

"You have no idea," she sighed as my lips traveled down her neck.

Afterward she lie naked in my arms, the feeling was so familiar and had been greatly missed. I listened to her even breathing and steady heart beat. I had missed this, just being able to hold her in my arms. It calmed me to know that she was safe, that I could keep her safe. I kissed her forehead gently and she sighed clinging closer to me.

"How long are you here for?" she whispered, tracing small circles onto my chest with her fingers.

"Not very long, probably till tomorrow night…" I really didn't want to leave her.

"That fast…" I could hear the disappointment in her voice; I didn't need to see her face.

"I'm sorry," I sighed kissing the top of her head. "I wish I had more time with you. Foss wants us to start heading back to Seattle."

"If you're going back to Seattle, does that mean it's safe again?" she asked, turning her head slightly to gaze up at me.

"That's what we're going to find out. Foss wants me to get back into a normal routine again. He has been in contact with Christopher who seems to think it's settled down. But the Latnok members know that Jessi and I took all the information on anything that Latnok was ever studying."

"Why did you guys take it?" she mumbled slightly.

"Adam had once told me that Latnok was a group of visionaries. He truly believed that they were all about the greater good. In some sense they still are but their idea of what the greater good really is, has been clouded. I took the information, because part of me wants to believe that with all the studies they were working on, some of them had to be useful." I explained.

"Always looking for the good in people." There was a hint of playfulness in her voice.

"Something like that," I smiled.

"When do you think Brice and I will be able to come home?"

"How much work do you have left here?" I asked.

"We just have to get a few bands recorded, anything after that can be done from Seattle. Lori and Declan both want to fly back before Lori is too pregnant to fly. They want to start getting ready for the babies."

"Babies?" I questioned.

"They found out today that they're having twins, two girls," she informed me.

"Wow, how's Declan taking it? I know he was nervous about having just one baby."

"I don't know if he's been able to wrap his mind around the idea yet, but he'll be fine," she assured me.

"Brice's birthday is in two weeks, things should be okay by then. Why don't we plan on you guys coming home then?" I suggested, changing the subject back to our original conversation.

"You mean that?"

"Yeah, but let's not tell Brice about it. I don't want to get his hopes up, just in case. We can surprise him."

"He'd love that," she said, leaning up and kissing my cheek. "You know, today I had to explain where babies come from, to him."

"You what?" He was only four—well practically five, but still.

"Yeah, he was wondering how a baby was growing inside of Lori. It was kind of cute, he was really worried that Lori had eaten a baby and that was how it was growing in her stomach."

"So, what did you end up telling him?" I chuckled slightly.

"I went with the 'when two people love each other' story," she sighed.

"Did it work?" I asked.

"It seemed to, for now, I kept it simple. He wanted to know how the baby would get out and I explained that a doctor would help the baby out. I was a little shocked that he was already wondering about where babies come from but it makes sense with Lori being pregnant and all. He actually had asked Declan first earlier in the day, while I was at work," she explained to me.

"And Declan told him to ask you?" I guessed.

"Yeah, he did, but that was fine." She slightly yawned; I could tell she was getting tired.

I let the conversation die out until she was too tired to talk and gave into sleep. I stared up at the ceiling above us, and listened to the cars on the street below us. I didn't know if it was the moon light or the light pollution the city provided that was pouring in through the glass door to the balcony. Part of me wondered if I would be able to get any sleep, ever since what had happened at Latnok, I hadn't been sleeping much. I would only get a couple of hours, if that, at night. This didn't go uninterrupted and was anything but restful.

I focused my attention on Amanda's heart beating softly and breathed into that letting my own heart rate fall in the hopes of sleep. I let a sense of calm wash over me as I relaxed every muscle in my body. They were tighter than I had expected. Eventually I was able to sleep.

I woke up before Amanda did that morning; I gently squeezed my arm around her before slipping my arm out from around her. I silently rummaged for my clothes that had been scattered across the floor during last night's festivities. The only thing I didn't manage to find was my t-shirt that I had been wearing, and my bag with a change of clothes was still sitting in the hallway.

Lori and Declan seemed to still be in their room, just beginning to wake up themselves. Given the hour, Brice wasn't any were close to waking up. I decided to chance heading out into the hall shirtless to retrieve a clean one. I fumbled through my bag, and of course the t-shirts I had packed were at the bottom.

"Kyle!" Lori caught me crouched down in front of my bag, shirtless. "What are you doing here?"

"Surprise?" I shrugged, standing up slightly, holding a dark grey t-shirt in my hands.

"When did you get here? Why aren't you wearing a shirt? How long-." But then she stopped herself putting things together, and becoming bright red.

"I just got in last night, Declan was the only one who knew and from the looks of it he didn't tell you," I clarified, completely avoiding her realization.

"Oh!" she said. "I'm so glad you're here, I'm so glad you're okay," she said, giving me a hug.

"I'm happy to see you too, Lori. I hear you're having twins?" I smiled.

"Two girls!" she beamed, holding one hand on each side of her stomach.

"Congratulations." I grinned, and she turned to head into the kitchen.

"I was on my way to eat breakfast, but you sir are more that welcome to join me," she said over her shoulder.

I slipped my t-shirt of and followed behind her.

"Declan's still asleep?" I guessed, pouring myself a cup of coffee and a cup of tea for Lori.

"Yeah, I think Brice had been wearing him out," she joked, taking the mug from me as I joined her at the table.

"How has Brice been?" I asked, not really sure of the answer.

"You mean since you left?" she asked, sipping her tea and I nodded. "At first he was really sad that you didn't come with us. He kept asking Amanda why, and she just told him you had to work. But after a while, he kind of accepted that you had to work and that's why you weren't with him. He seemed okay with that once he understood."

"That's good, I just… I feel bad. First it was Amanda who was absent, and she had every reason to, don't get me wrong. I just sometimes I wonder what he is thinking about all of this, I know he hates it when Amanda or I aren't home," I explained, looking down into my coffee cup as I spoke.

"Kyle, you're doing the best you can. As he gets older, and you're able to explain to him more about your life, he'll understand more. And it's not like he's alone, he's been with Amanda and he has Declan and I. He's okay, don't worry," she said, reaching across the table to take my hand.

"Thanks, Lori." It was nice to be able to have a one on one conversation with Lori. It didn't happen too often. "How has everything been going with the babies?"

"Things have been great. The morning sickness, which actually lasts all day, has stopped now. The doctor says both babies are healthy and growing well," she rambled on slightly.

"Have you told mom and dad you're having twins?" I asked.

"No not yet, I was hoping to be able to tell them in person," she hinted. "Oh!"

"What? What's wrong?" I jumped, sitting forward slightly.

"Nothing, nothing. They're just kicking again; I'm still not quiet used to it." She smiled, rubbing small circles across her stomach. "Want to feel?"

Before I could say anything she had reached out and taken my hand and placed it on her stomach. It took a moment, but then I felt it, a slight kick. It was the first time I had ever felt something like that it was a strange feeling.

"That's so…" I was at a loss for words.

"Extraordinary?" she provided.

"I see the babies are kicking again," Declan took note, entering the kitchen and leaning over to kiss Lori.

"It's good to see you man," he said as he found his way over to me to give me a hug.

"You too, and congratulations."

"Thanks," he mumbled, getting himself some coffee.

Lori and Declan started into a conversation about the day ahead of them and what their plans were. I listened for Amanda and could hear the she was just starting to wake up. After a few minutes she had wondered into the kitchen to join us.

"Good morning," I beamed, stopping her as she passed for a kiss.

"Morning." She shared the same dopey grin that I must have had.

"We're right here," Declan coughed.

"Sorry…" Amanda blushed, somewhat taking the empty seat beside me.

"They just missed each other, Declan, I'm sure if you and I didn't see each other for almost four weeks we would act the same way," Lori pointed out, opening the yogurt she had gotten from the fridge.

The small talk and catching up continued. Lori and Amanda told me about how things were going with their record label. From what they had said it sounded like they had built quite the client base. Declan and I started to talk about which hospitals he had applied to do his internship with. Once he was down with the fall semester, he would start his internship in the spring.

I noticed that it was nearing nine o'clock and Brice still hadn't woken up yet.

"I think I'm going to go wake up Brice," I smirked, getting up from my seat and heading down the hall to his room.

I crept softly across the room to the edge of the big bed. I assumed that Brice was somewhere under the mound of blankets and pillows in the center of the queen sized bed. I shook the lump gently and it soon began to move. It took a minute but eventually, Brice's head did poke out from under the blankets.

"Mmmmm," he grumbled, not really paying attention to who was waking him up.

"It's time to get up buddy," I whispered.

"Dad!" It was as if all the morning groggy-ness had drained from him. "You're here."

He jumped up, wrapping his tiny arms around my neck. It wasn't until that moment that I realized how much I had truly missed him.

"I missed you, Dad!" He mumbled into my shoulder.

"I missed you too, Buddy." I felt Amanda's presence behind me, lingering in the doorway.

"Mom! Dad's here!" He cheered, and she joined us on the bed. "When did you get here?"

"While you were sleeping," I smiled.

"Can I get a dog?" he asked out of nowhere.

"A dog?" I questioned, sharing a glance with Amanda.

"Yeah, mom said she would think about it, but that we really didn't have room for one." He was practically bouncing in his seat.

"She did?" I cocked an eyebrow and she shrugged innocently.

"Yeah, so can I get one?" He gave me a puppy dog look.

"I don't know buddy, you're mom's right we really don't have the room for one…" I trailed off, if we didn't have room for a dog, how would we have room for Nathan?

"Pleeeeeease?" he begged.

"How about this: your dad and I will talk about it," Amanda interjected.

"Okay!" he cheered, hopping off of the bed and running into the kitchen.

"Hey, Uncle Declan! Guess what?" We could hear him call.

"What, Bri?"

"I'm getting a dog!" Amanda groaned when we heard that.

I chuckled and she rested her head on my shoulder.

"What are we going to do with that boy?" she sighed.

"I have no idea," I laughed and she joined in.

This was something I had missed dearly, just being able to observe the daily occurrences of my family. I loved being able to tuck Brice in at night, or wake him in the morning. I cherished the rainy days we spent indoors, Amanda and I lounging on the couch while we watched Brice play with his toys on the living room floor. Or the nights we took him to the park before bed, to wear off energy. Being away from my family just left me longing to be with them even more. It made me notice how much they truly mean to me and just how much Latnok would be able to exploit them in order to get to me.

AN: Hello everyone! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, there wasn't much to it but it was a nice fluff chapter. I've actually been thinking a lot about where I would like to see this story go and I have hundreds of ideas. My only problem is I don't want to run this story into the ground by dragging it out too long. So I guess my question for all readers is, has this story become too long and drawn out? Or would you like me to continue going in the direction that I'm heading? Or do you have some idea's as to what you would like to see? Let me know what you all think, input is greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!