Chapter 388 – Nathan and Kayla Friday Night
It took Nathan a few hours but he got everything put away, laundry done and his room arranged, so Allie would have a space of her own. When Nathan was done, he went back out to the living room and found Doug and Lee bantering back and forth while watching a baseball game.
"What are you two going on about now?" Nathan asked, taking a seat.
"Best pitcher." Lee said "This knucklehead here is trying to argue that Mariano Rivera is the best."
"And this one is saying Tom Seaver." Doug said. "Like I mean seriously. What do you say?"
"Easy." Nathan said. "You are both wrong."
"How can you say that?" Doug protested.
"Very simple." Nathan said. "While Tom Seaver is arguably the best Mets pitcher in team history, he barely makes the top ten of all time. Again, Mariano Rivera might arguably be the most dominant closer, but that doesn't make you the best either. While they both have their place in team histories, I doubt that they would rank in the top ten all time. Rivera might, just because of his saves stats."
"Then who do you say is the best?" Lee asked.
"That depends." Nathan said. "Are we talking about the modern era? Because then I would have to say Greg Maddux or Randy Johnson. Simply based on stats, awards and pure dominance. Not to mention longevity. Are we talking about all of baseball history? Because then there is only one right answer and it is Cy Young. It is his name that is on the trophy that they are all chasing."
Doug and Lee both sat there stunned staring at Nathan for a moment. He effectively shut down any argument that they could offer.
"Well." Doug said. "I really can't argue with your logic. I don't agree, but when you put it that way, wow."
"I agree, wow." Lee said.
"Good now that is settled." Nathan said. "Can we enjoy the game?"
They were watching the Dodgers pound the Padres.
"What about Clayton Kershaw?" Doug asked.
"He is a great pitcher and in a few more years." Nathan said. "One could make the argument about him being near the top of the pitching list for the modern era."
"I would have to agree about that." Lee said.
The guys enjoyed watching the game until Nathan's phone rang. He looked at it and when he saw who it was, his whole face lit up.
"Hi, Kayla." Nathan said, walking away.
Doug and Lee looked at each other.
"Who is Kayla?" Lee asked.
"No idea." Doug said. "But whoever it is, I am glad they called. It is the first smile I have seen come to Nathan's face since he got back."
"You don't think that he met someone while in Minnesota?" Lee asked.
"Anything is possible." Doug said. "But I don't see Nathan doing a long distance relationship."
"Guess we will just have to ask." Lee said. "Wonder if Jack knows."
"Jack knows." Doug said. "Not much gets by him. He probably has already had her checked out and given his approval."
… … … …
("You didn't call." Kayla said.)
"It has been a crazy day." Nathan said. "I have been trying to get unpacked and settled as I have to get my niece tomorrow. So I have been trying to make sure she has a place to sleep and stuff."
("How is your sister?" Kayla asked.)
"Worse then I had been led to believe." Nathan said. "There is still a high likelihood that she could die. The kicker is that he beat her because in all likelihood she told him that she was pregnant again and leaving him. She lost the baby and because of her injuries, doesn't fully understand that."
("I am so sorry." Kayla said. "Sounds similar to the jackass I was dating. He threatened to beat if I ever got pregnant because he said he didn't need any more little brats running around. Which is why I left him when I found out I was pregnant. When he found out, he came after me, but some friends warned him off. I feared him every day of my pregnancy. I was afraid he would find me and do something. I basically was never alone when I went out during that time. Then when Cassie was born, I put unknown on the birth certificate so he couldn't come back and try to cause trouble.")
"You are right." Nathan said. "He sounds like a jackass. I am just worried about Colleen and what is going to happen if she survives and grasps what really happened. He just better that the cops find him before I do."
("No Nathan." Kayla said. "No, please don't do anything stupid. I need you, Colleen needs you, Allie needs you.")
"Okay." Nathan said. "I knew something was wrong back in June, but Colleen wouldn't say anything or tell me what was going on. I think she might have thought I would have been upset or angry at her. Admittedly, I might have been a bit upset, but only because she deserves better. I wanted better for her. Now I have to carry the burden of knowing that I will never see my niece or nephew and I can't really talk about it to anyone."
("I am sorry." Kayla said. "You can talk to me. I won't say anything. I wish I was there for you.")
"Thank you." Nathan said. "Being able to talk to you helps. I know you fly back tomorrow. But what were you thinking for Sunday?"
("I don't know if I have time to come into the city on Sunday." Kayla said. "There is going to be church and laundry and probably groceries that all need to be done on Sunday.")
"What if Allie and I came there?" Nathan asked.
Kayla got quiet and Nathan could hear her clicking through something on her phone.
"Kayla." Nathan said.
("Sorry." Kayla said. "I was thinking. Do you think that you could make Mass at twelve thirty? Then there is a park with a splash pad not for that Cassie loves. We could visit while the girls played.")
"Sounds amazing." Nathan said. "What Church and park, so I can program the GPS?"
("Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church." Kayla said. "And Francis G Fitzpatrick Park. Pack some snacks and drinks for both you and Allie in a cooler. Bring her swimsuit, a change of clothes and a couple of beach towels.")
"Okay." Nathan said.
("You sound unsure." Kayla said. "We don't have to do that if it is too much?")
"No, no." Nathan said. "I just don't know if I have all that stuff."
("What stuff?" Kayla asked. "Slow down.")
"I don't know if we have a cooler here at the apartment." Nathan said. "I don't know if Allie has a swimsuit or even how to size one for her."
("We can always pick one up for her." Kayla said. "Even an extra pair of shorts and a shirt would be fine. As long as she has something to play in to get wet and dry clothes to change into.")
"Okay." Nathan said.
("You said Allie was staying with the parents of another friend, right?" Kayla said.)
"Yes." Nathan said.
("Ask them to borrow a cooler." Kayla said. "I am sure they have one you can use. You can pick up some snacks and drinks tomorrow. You will be fine.")
"Okay." Nathan said. "Normally when I have Allie, Colleen sends a backpack with everything that I will need in it."
("Slow down." Kayla said. "I am sure your friend's parents have Allie's stuff. You know what she likes for snacks and juice, right?")
"Yeah.." Nathan said.
("Then if she doesn't have a bag." Kayla said. "You make one. Get a nice durable backpack. Put at least two changes of clothes in there that you will need to change according to the season. I always keep a container of snacks that I switch out monthly so it doesn't go stale. I also put a couple of books or other little things to keep her entertained. If she needs pull ups or anything like that, you put a couple in there and replace them when you use them. Don't panic. You will be fine.")
Nathan wrote some notes as Kayla had been talking.
"Okay." Nathan said. "I just feel so out of my depth right now."
("Deep breath." Kayla said. "I will be here to help you and so will your friends. One day at a time.")
"What did you just say?" Nathan asked.
("One day at a time." Kayla repeated.")
"You are the third person to say that to me tonight." Nathan said.
("Then maybe it is a sign to listen." Kayla said.)
"I guess you are right." Nathan said.
("Are you feeling better?" Kayla asked.)
"Yeah." Nathan said. "I have just felt like a fish out of water since I got back. I feel like my world has been thrown into chaos and I don't do well in chaos."
("Kids will do that to you." Kayla said. "Find a routine. It will help. Remember to take a deep breath. Things don't need to be perfect. Allie needs to know she is loved. If she is fed and happy, that is a huge accomplishment. Don't be so hard on yourself.")
"Thank you so much." Nathan said. "Just talking to you has made me feel so much better."
("I am glad." Kayla said. "You sound tired. So I am going to let you go. I will let you know when I am at the airport and when I am back in Jersey.")
"Thank you." Nathan said. "Have a good night."
("You too." Kayla said.)
Nathan hung up his phone, let out a harsh breath and ran his fingers through his hair. Nathan took a couple of deep breaths before he headed back to the living room where he knew he was going to get teased. Nathan walked out to the living room and didn't even get a chance to sit down before it started.
"Who is Kayla?" Doug asked.
Nathan took a deep breath and sat down.
"I met a girl while in Minnesota." Nathan said. "She lives in Bayonne, New Jersey. We decided to try and give it a try."
"Wow." Lee said. "The way your face lit up when she called, I am assuming you really like her."
"Yes." Nathan said.
"We will try not to tease you too badly." Lee said.
"Speak for yourself." Doug said, sticking his tongue out at Lee.
"Guys." Nathan said. "Try to watch that around Allie. The last thing I need is to explain to her mother where she picked that up."
"Sorry." Doug said. "We will try to remember."
"Thank you." Nathan said.
"So tell us about her." Lee said. "When do we get to meet her?"
"She grew up in Southwest Ohio." Nathan said. "She has a sister and brother-in-law who live in Minnesota. It was his family reunion was at the resort. Kayla came to New York right after graduation to try and make it on Broadway. She found living in the city too expensive and moved across the river. She ended up in a bad relationship with the wrong guy. She ended up pregnant and left him to start over. She moved to a different part of Jersey and has been doing well taking care of her almost three year old daughter, Cassie. Cassie is adorable and I can't wait to be a part of her life."
"Wow." Doug said. "Are you sure?"
"We are going to give it three months before we make any big decisions." Nathan said. "That will give me time to settle into a routine with work and school. We both want to make things work, but I need some time to make things work, especially with everything going on with Colleen. Kayla has told me what she wants, but is respecting my need for some time."
"Understandable." Doug said. "Lots of changes are happening right now. As much as we tease, we do hope that things work out for you."
"Thank you." Nathan said. "Kayla invited Allie and I to church on Sunday and then to go to a park for the girls to be able to play while we talk. I need to get Allie a swimsuit as there is a splash pad. I also need to get a cooler to pack snacks for Allie and I. Just a lot to do."
"Slow down." Doug said. "I think Mom already got her a swimsuit and you can borrow a cooler from Mom."
"Thanks." Nathan said.
"Allie will have plenty of clothes." Doug said. "Mom needed to take Maddie and Missy shopping for some clothes yesterday and got a bunch of stuff for Allie as well. I am sure that she got everything that Allie is going to need for a while. I was over there yesterday when they got back and Mom had several loads of laundry from all the new stuff that she had bought. Maddie said that there were three whole shopping bags with just stuff for Allie. They went to a few different places and the girls had fun picking out stuff for Allie. And before you get upset, don't worry about the money. Mom is not worried about it. So please don't stress. Ask Mom what she got and if you think that there is something that Allie still needs, you can get it or have Katie get it."
"Thank you, again." Nathan said. "Jack is letting me use his Jeep so I need to talk to him and let him know that I will be gone most of Sunday."
"Let him know." Doug said. "But don't worry about it, they can use my truck if they need to go anywhere. I think that they will be back around noon. I am not sure what time you are taking off."
"Okay." Nathan said. "I figure, I will be taking off by eleven thirty as Mass is at twelve thirty. I assume you all got Allie a car seat as well."
"Yes." Doug said. "Dad made sure she had one and Mom will put it in the Jeep for you."
"Thank you." Nathan said. "I needed a new one for her, but hadn't gotten around to it yet."
"Well." Doug said. "She has a brand new state of the art one from the NYPD."
Nathan blew out a harsh breath.
"So much to coordinate." Nathan said.
"We will help you." Lee said. "We will all find a routine and it won't be so overwhelming. I am sure you know this, but you are more than welcome to have Kayla and her daughter here."
"Again, thank you." Nathan said. "My biggest thing right now is trying to establish a routine for both me and Allie. I need to know that I can handle work, school and everything else before I get serious with Kayla. She knows that we will probably take more than we will see each other over the next few weeks, but thank you for saying it. I won't have her here until she is comfortable with it. I hope that you guys can meet her, but it might take some time."
"So Jack has met her?" Lee asked. "What did he think?"
"He didn't say much." Nathan said.
"What did he say?" Doug asked.
"That he wanted me to be happy." Nathan said. "And he warned me to be cautious, take my time and get to know her."
"So he had her checked out and is reserving judgment until he can observe her." Doug said.
Nathan nodded.
"As much as I love talking to you guys." Nathan said. "I have been up since five this morning. And it sounds like I will be busy tomorrow."
"Have a good night." Lee said. "Let us know when you leave. A text or note, just so we know where you are, in case we need."
"Will do." Nathan said.
Nathan got up and went to his room. He took a quick shower and went to bed. His head barely hit the pillow and he was out. Doug and Lee weren't up much longer and also went to bed.
… … … …
