Chapter 8: Ahead lies Mystery

Vincent was in a car for the first time since his accident, although he was a passenger he couldn't help but think about his accident. He listened as JT talked about random things he missed over the last few years. He took in the sites of his familiar yet changed city as they made their way to Vincent's childhood home.

Vincent looked down at the homemade Vanilla with chocolate frosting cake one of the nurses gave him sitting on his lap. It read "Good Luck". The nurses and doctors had treated him well he was going to miss them. He looked up as JT turned into the curved driveway to see Catherine sitting on his porch. He knew he would see her again he just didn't think it would be this soon after the way things left off.

She looked gorgeous even with the uneasy look on her face, she had on a light leather jacket a V-neck tee and jeans that hug her perfect curves that made Vincent wish things were different and he could just grab her take her inside and have his wicked way with her. Those days were long gone unfortunately and as quickly as it popped into his head it was dismissed just as fast.

Catherine got up and walked towards him as he got out the car, Vincent now walked with a cane which was a big step up from the two forearm crutches he had weeks prior.

"Hi," she said almost shyly

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I brought someone I wanted you to meet," she said gesturing toward the front yard of the house.

Vincent turned and saw a little boy making his way down a low hanging tree branch in his front yard. Vincent had been staring so candidly at Catherine he didn't even notice him. The brown-haired boy came running over towards them. Vincent felt his heart skip a beat and then quicken at the sight, right away he knew it was his son.

He was nervous all of a sudden he wasn't expecting to meet his son this soon. Hell, he thought he might not see him at all the way Catherine ran out of the room the other day.

"We don't have to tell him everything I just want him to know you" she looked into his light brown eyes seeing VJ's same eyes staring back at her. "VJ come here I want you to say hi to someone" Catherine called out.

Vincent bent down to his level just as he came to a stop in front of him "Hey man how you doing?" VJ stared up at him curiously. "You know what you and I have the same name," he said not knowing what to say.

He kind of hoped VJ would recognize himself in Vincent and start asking questions about why he looked so much like him. Then Catherine would have to tell VJ Vincent was his real father. After Vincent told Catherine he didn't want VJ to know about him that day he regretted saying that ever since. He did want to know VJ more than anything.

"I've seen you before," VJ says.

"You have?" Vincent was curious.

"In a picture with my mom, she showed me in her picture book. she has a lot" VJ says looking up at his mom.

Catherine Blushes. "I showed him pictures of you before. He remembers everything" he smiled.

"What is that?" VJ points to Vincent's cane.

"This is a cane, it helps me walk while my legs heal" Vincent explained.

VJ turned to Catherine "Mom can we go now"

Vincent was slightly disappointed "It's good to meet you VJ" he shook his little hand.

VJ was the spitting image of Vincent as a child he looked so much like him it amazed him. It was like Vincent made VJ on his own he looked nothing like Catherine.

"Well I guess we are going now," Catherine says as she takes VJ's hand "Welcome home Vincent," She said genuinely.

JT walked over with Vincent's cake and bag

"Nice family," He says sarcastically.

"Yeah, someone else's," Vincent says sadly as he watches Catherine put VJ in the car.

"Let's go eat this cake," JT says as he climbs the stairs and onto the front porch.

Vincent stepped into his childhood home and was taken aback at how different everything was. Although the six-bedroom house was passed down to Vincent, JT was the one staying in it. After Vincent's parents died William and Daniel had every intention of selling it but JT talked them out of it. He wanted to keep it for when Vincent woke up. Plus he always liked the house and with the huge basement it had JT turned it into his lab.

Vincent sat down at the huge kitchen island staring down at the cake. His mind was racing with thoughts of VJ and Catherine. VJ didn't know him and that bothered him so much.

"I'm sorry," JT says as he hands Vincent a plate and fork.

"About what?"

JT grabs the cake and cuts it giving Vincent a piece and then serving himself a slice.

"About what just happened out there, I can see it on your face that bothers you. This is a reason I am not very fond of your Catherine" JT says with air quotes "I feel like she should have told VJ about you and not just moved on with that cheesy Evan Guy"

"You've seen him?"

"Yeah and he is not all that great if you ask me"

Vincent's eyebrow quirked up "Why do you say that"

"Because of the way he just moved in on Catherine before you even became a father. He was waiting around for news you wouldn't wake up so that he could make your family his"

"JT I don't think..."

"No you weren't there, you didn't see how he suddenly was everywhere while Catherine was pregnant with VJ grieving over you. He stepped in while she was vulnerable and Catherine let him and she let VJ grow up calling another man dad that is foul that's why I don't respect her" JT said with anger.

Vincent ate small bites of his slice of cake as he digested JT's words.

He never knew how much JT dislike for Catherine really ran. He didn't like it because he knew Catherine he knew her heart, her way of thinking. He knew she only did what she thought was right that it wasn't to hurt anyone purposely every time he saw her he could see the guilt written all over her face and he hated to see her that way. There was this small part of him that wondered if this Evan guy was really a woman stealing scumbag like JT said he was. It would be so easier to believe that cause his dislike for him would be relevant. Vincent probably wouldn't know what to do if he found out Evan was a nice guy and was better than Vincent in so many ways. That would definitely be a blow to his ego.

"JT I get why you feel the way you do about Catherine but it is my problem I don't want anyone at odds with her"

JT shook his head "Fine I'll stay out of it" JT says as he bites into his last bite of cake. "I am going down to the lab, you need anything?"

"No, I think I'll just head upstairs get myself settled," Vincent says as he too finished his last bite.

Vincent grabbed his cane and painfully made his way up the stairs. The upstairs hallway seemed like it was never-ending after battling with the stairs. He stopped at the door of his childhood bedroom it still looked the same as he left it when he was in college before he moved out.

He walked over to his wall seeing pictures of him and Catherine and some of his friends from high school and college. He grabbed the pictures of him and Catherine and took them off the wall. He looked at them smiling reminiscing about the days when things were so good. Carrying them with him as he exited the room and went down the hall to his parent's old room which was now his room.

He walked into the room and stopped at the door as he took in the familiar room it was still set up the same as before only everything was bare. Other than photographs most of Vincent's parent's things had been thrown away or put up in the attic. The smell was the same he could still smell the light scent of his mom's White Diamonds perfume she loved so much lingering in the air. He felt that familiar sting in his heart whenever he thought about his parents. It was still raw he hadn't even gotten the chance to really grieve them. Hurt even more that he didn't get to say goodbye.

He finally walked the rest of the way into the room and sat on the huge king-size bed. His parent's room had been the biggest bedroom in the house had a fireplace it was big enough to have a small sitting area as well as a walk-in closet and bathroom. The bedroom set was still a deep mahogany wood along with dressers and matching end tables as well.

Vincent picked up his bag from the hospital and took out his bottle of pain medicine. His legs were aching pretty bad after going up all those stairs. He then got up and went into the bathroom to grab a cup of water to swallow his pills down. Once he was finished he made himself at home. He put sheets and a blanket on the bed, he put some of his old clothes in drawers. JT had brought most of Vincent things from his apartment to the house and it was already waiting in his room for when he came home. Vincent was so grateful for JT he was the best friend anyone could ever ask for. Hell if it hadn't been for JT he would have died he owed him his life.

After Vincent put up as much stuff as he could he decided to lay down for a while. His body was starting to feel fatigued with all the moving around he had done over the last few hours. He grabbed the pictures of him and Catherine he took from his room earlier and looked at them again. The first picture was of him sitting down with Catherine on his lap she had her arms around his neck giving him a big kiss on the cheek. Vincent was staring into the camera with a smirk on his face. Vincent smiled remembering that day as if it was yesterday. It was their freshman year in college they had been at a barbecue here at the house when the picture was taken. He remembers eating a bunch of ribs that day Vincent's dad made the best ribs Vincent always called him the grill master.

The second picture was of Vincent and Catherine at the prom. Vincent stared at Catherine in the picture for a long time. Catherine looked incredible. He still remembered coming to get her that night. All he knew was the color of her dress so his tux would coordinate with hers. He came in his limo so excited to see her he just knew she would look beautiful. After getting compliments from Catherine's mom and dad, Heather came down first and announced Catherine. She came down the stairs in a forest green dress her hair in an updo with curls everywhere. She had glitter in her hair and diamond stud earrings with a matching diamond necklace. Vincent's black tux with a forest green tie and pocket square matched her colors perfectly. Vincent's mouth fell wide open at the sight of her she was perfect in every way. Catherine made her way over to him with a giggle as she pushed his mouth closed. Vincent finally managed to put a beautiful orchid corsage around her waist he had turned into a fumbling fool. "You look so handsome" she had said to him and she meant it Vincent had his hair combed back in a smooth style and that tux on him he was pretty damn sexy in it.

They had an amazing time at prom danced and partied late into the early morning with their classmates and friends.

Vincent sighed as he went to the last photo Vincent and Catherine were little then, about seven or eight years old. They were standing outside in the snow with huge winter coats, plus mittens, hats, and snow boots. They had their arms around each other's shoulders with huge smiles filled with various versions of missing teeth. Catherine was missing two front teeth and Vincent had two big front teeth with a missing bottom tooth. Catherine hated that picture but Vincent loved it they looked goofy but they were goofy together. That was also the day Vincent made Catherine cry, they were having a snowball fight. Vincent and Catherine both had their wall of snow built up and had been throwing snowballs back and forth. Vincent got tired of Catherine always ducking behind her snow wall so Vincent snuck over to her side when he knew she was gathering more snow to make more snowballs. He yelled out "gotcha" just as Catherine turned toward him his snowball landed right in her face and got all in her eyes. He had thrown it pretty hard so the impact plus the freezing cold ice on her face and eyes had Catherine in tears. He remembered feeling so bad. He had boldly kissed her on the cheek for the first time just so she would forgive him. Vincent smiled remembering he said sorry to her at least forty times that day.

Vincent had been still holding the pictures when he had drifted off to sleep thinking about his and Catherine's past. It hurt so much to think about being without her now. Yes, she was still around but she wasn't his anymore and he didn't have her heart when it was apparent she damn sure still had his. As much as he hated to admit it he had to let her go he just didn't know how.