Floe de Lir

Chapter 2

He had made a promise.

He intended to keep that promise, even if she still refused to take his calls.

"Goddammit, woman!" he said as he hung up following his short conversation with her assistant.

It had a different tone than the other conversations, though he couldn't put his finger on why.

"Still can't get through to Brenda? I told you I can call her."

"Any of you can call her, and she'd probably pick up for most of you. But none of you are the ones who promised Nat."

"Sucks to be you, McKay."

"Thanks for that thorough analysis, Sanders."

Steve Sanders held his toddler daughter on his hip as he looked down at her inquisitive eyes.

"Brenda?" she asked. "I like Brenda."

"Your godfather likes her, too," said Steve. "Too bad he screwed up every shot he had with her and now she won't give him the time of day."

"Poor Dyan," said Madeline Sanders.

Dylan McKay glared at Steve.

"I do not like Brenda," he said. "That way, anyway. I'm only trying to keep a promise to an old friend."

"Nat made you promise that because he knew you still have feelings for her," said Steve. "Everyone knows."

"Everyone's wrong," said Dylan. "Brenda and I haven't spoken in four years, and there's a reason for that."

"The reason being she hates your guts," said Steve. "Wonder why?" he asked with feigned curiosity.

"Look, whether or not she hates my guts, I know where she is. If she won't see me, I'll make her see me."

"I believe they call that stalking, bro."

"I'll just fly out to Kildare and be sure to stand where she can see me. Brenda will just assume it's a casual, unplanned run-in. That's where Donna's magazine said she was seen last. Kildare."

"Brandon's on assignment in Cork," said Steve. "They must've seen each other."

Dylan didn't want to talk about Brandon, or about the second relationship he had fucked up.

"I don't want to talk to you about this right now, Donna."

Steve's ears perked up.

"Looks like Silver and the wifey are arguing again," he said.

"Over me," came the drawn-out sigh. "I didn't know Donna would go ahead with it without David being on board, or I never would've asked her."

"Asked what, Kel?" inquired Steve.

Kelly Taylor slipped into a light sweater.

"I asked Don if she would be my surrogate," said Kelly. "She assured me David knew and was fine with it."

"Silver didn't know?" asked Steve.

"Oh, he knew," said Kelly.

"David," came the high-pitched, miserable voice, "I was only trying to help my best friend! Your sister!"

"Donna, I told you I wasn't comfortable with you carrying another man's baby when we've struggled to have one of our own, even if it was for Kelly and some anonymous sperm donor none of us will ever meet. I didn't even know you'd been inseminated until Kelly mentioned it tonight! Did you plan to tell me, or were you only going to spring it on me when your belly begins to grow?"