A Second Opinion

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

      Kate turned off the car. She had a door opener that would let her into the garage but she stayed parked in the driveway. She stepped out and took it in. It was hers. It was finally hers. She thought about how she had pictured this moment yesterday morning. Nick and Lucas were supposed to be here. Nick was supposed to be carrying heavy boxes complaining about all the stuff she had. They were supposed to be quibbling over which of his things he’d be allowed to bring. 

      Instead, he was meeting with a lawyer about Lucas’s custody. He’d half-heartedly promised to come by if he had time. She had hired movers to bring her stuff. 

      Her hands shook as she inserted the key in the door. She stepped inside. The place was empty. Just like that, the last family that had made this place home were gone. Their happy memories, the things they’d rather forget. Packed up and boxed away. 

      There was no trace of them. She walked through the kitchen and family room to the back. She opened the sliding doors. The sun reflected off the water in the pool. There were no floating toys. The children’s slide had been taken down.

      Impulsively she whirled and ran upstairs to the room with the rockets and stars. She opened it. The bunk beds were gone. The assorted children’s toys were gone. But the rockets and stars remained. She touched the painted surfaces. She walked to the master bedroom. All of the closets were now empty. 

      She took a deep breath. 

      The second master walk in closet would be perfect as a file room. The office space she leased was getting full and having files at home would make it easier to work on her research study. She went to the other bedrooms. She’d leave the rocket and stars room. Claudia would visit more now that she had a house where they could stay. 

      She lifted her chin. And, if Suzanne could be a single mother, so could she. She had looked into Intra-uterine insemination using donor sperm. If need be, she could use Clomid to stimulate her ovaries. It wasn’t that late for her. And she didn’t need someone to have the life she wanted, she just needed to have the courage to make it happen for herself.

      She mapped out where she wanted the rest of her furniture and made a list of what she needed to buy. The movers would bring her stuff tomorrow. 

      She walked back downstairs and stepped out to the backyard, smiling to herself. The house had a high privacy fence and enough land to keep prying eyes away. 

      She eyed the pool. Why not? She took off all her clothes and jumped in the pool. The cold water hit her face. She squealed. It was fall and the temperatures were cool in the night so the water was pretty cold. Shivering she picked up her clothes and ran back into the house laughing. She’d never done anything this crazy in her life. 

      And she suddenly realized that she hadn’t brought any towels or clothes with her. She giggled. She’d have to drip dry.

      She walked into the house and stopped. Nick stood there. She had given him the extra keys to the house yesterday morning. He smiled when he saw her. “This is not what I was expecting.”

      She giggled. “I couldn’t help myself.”

      He pulled her into his arms. “You’ll get wet.”

      “I want to get wet.”

      His mouth came down on hers. She kissed him with everything she had, savoring every taste of him. 

      He took off his clothes and made slow, sweet love to her. The floorboards dug into her back but she didn’t care. She noted the feel of him, how he felt inside her, how his lips felt on her body. She memorized the look on his face when he orgasmed. She catalogued every inch of his body.

      When they were done, she got dressed and asked about his visit with the lawyer.

      “We called Suzanne together.”

      His face clouded. Kate’s chest hurt. “She’s calmed down since yesterday. Lucas cried for me all night which makes her realize that he needs his daddy.”

      Kate reached out and squeezed his hand. 

      “She’s not moving overseas, she just threw that out because she was angry.” He paused and looked down. “She’s willing to consider a visitation schedule where I can see him frequently, be a part of his life….”

      “…but?”

      “….but I need to move back to New York. She’s not willing to have Lucas go back and forth up the East coast, nor is she willing to let me have him for days on end.”

      Kate swallowed painfully through the lump in her throat.

      He clasped her hands. “I want you to come with me Kate. I don’t want to lose you.”

      She closed her eyes, fighting the tears that welled in her eyes. She shook her head. “My life is here Nick My practice is here. I didn’t tell you yesterday, but I got the NIH grant I applied for. It’ll help me expand my practice. Everything I’ve worked for is here. I’ve struggled my entire life to get to this point, I can’t throw it all away.”

      He hung his head. “There has to be a way Kate. We can work it out can’t we?”

      “We can have a long distance relationship. You can come see me when you don’t have Lucas.”

      He shook his head. “It will never work. You know what a surgeon’s schedule is like. It’s hard enough for me to keep a relationship when I’m close by.”

      He reached out and wiped the tears from her cheek “I am sorry Kate. I have to do this for Lucas.”

      She nodded. “You must. He needs you. You’re the only daddy he has.” She opened her eyes. “And you’re a good one Nick.”

      He kissed her head and stood up. She didn’t stop him. He put her keys on the kitchen counter and walked out. 

      She lost track of how long she sat on the floor crying. When she was done, she stood up and picked up the keys from the counter and put them on her key ring. She picked up the ‘to do’ list she had written and went to her car. It was time to establish her home.