Baby Daddy

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty- Tristan Kane

It had been nearly a week since I had last seen Rachel or Claire. Truth be told I hadn’t really thought about Rachel since the time she has been gone. All my thoughts were on how to get Claire back, how to get the best lawyer, and how I was going to prove to the courts that I could take care of my child. I hadn’t thought about Rachel and how she might be coping with George’s death. I wondered how she felt when I left her at the hospital all alone, I wonder how she felt when she was told that the one person who truly cared for her was gone and I wonder how she felt when she didn’t have a shoulder to cry on. Without another thought I grabbed my iPhone from my bedside table and quickly dialed Rachel’s number.

“Hello?” Rachel’s voice came out of the speakers sounding as if she had been crying. 

“Hey Rach. How are you doing?” I asked. My voice filled with nothing but concern. It took a couple minutes for Rachel to respond but when she did she was full out sobbing. 

“I’m al-all al-alone again.” she sobbed into the phone. 

“Rach baby, your not alone. I’m right here.” I said trying desperately for her to understand. It took a few more minutes for Rachel to reply but when she did she sounded so broken-hearted that I couldn’t deny her of anything. So I reluctantly agreed to go over there and watch chick flicks. 

I hurriedly got dressed throwing on a random shirt but not before giving it a quick sniff to see if it was clean, it was close enough, than I got my shoes on and grabbed my wallet and keys before heading out. On the way over to George’s I made a quick pit stop at Safeway picking up a bag full of chick flick movies and also grabbing numerous tubs of Ben and Jerry’s chubby hubby ice cream. After the pit stop I drove through Starbucks picking up a peppermint white chocolate mocha for me and a salted caramel frappe for Rachel. After that last stop I arrived at Rachel’s home. I didn’t bother knocking when I arrived, I just walked right in. I searched the house not being able to find Rachel until I walked in to George’s office. There I found Rachel curled up in an oversized leather chair behind a L-shaped desk. The lights were turned off and the blinds had been drawn closed leaving the room pitch black. I could only vaguely make out Rachel’s hunched over figure. I turned, searching the wall, hoping to find the light switch. I once I found it I flipped the lights on causing the light to blind me for a moment. Rachel’s head snapped up and that was when I first saw her watering eyes. 

“Tristan?” she mumbled. I nodded me head. 

“Yeah baby, I’m right here.” I responded. Rachel hesitantly lifted herself out of the chair and walked up to me. 

“I  missed you.” She said her voice cracking. 

“I missed you too baby, I’m so sorry I left so soon. I’m so sorry  I left you baby.” Rachel looked up at  me tears pouring from her beautiful eyes. I gently sat the sack of ice cream and what not on a stool by the door, freeing my hands. Rachel gently lifted her hand up to my face and caressed it with her gentle touch. I leaned in to her hand not being able to help myself. I looked down into her beautiful eyes soon getting lost. Rachel wrapped her arms around my neck hugging me closer than I thought possible to her, I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer than humanly possible. I held onto her as if I was a starving man begging for food. At this point in time I realized how far I was really drowning  and how much I needed my air. Rachel was my air and I would  not be letting go of her anytime soon. 

~*~

Rachel curled up against me eating her Ben & Jerry’s out of the carton while we watched cheesy romantic movies. Life couldn’t be better than the feeling of Rachel’s soft ivory skin. I had one arm wrapped around the back of the couch so I could play with Rachel’s long brunette hair and one hand in my own carton of Ben & Jerry’s. 

“Rachel?” I asked hesitantly. Rachel looked up at me with her beautiful green eyes. 

“Yeah baby?” she replied. I couldn’t help but notice it was the first time she had ever had a pet name for me and I couldn’t help but love the way if flowed from her lips. 

“What happened after I left the hospital?” I asked needing to know how she coped. Rachel froze for a moment before she went on. 

“After you left I didn’t know what to do so I went and sat down. George was still in surgery and I had no one to talk with so I sat and prayed. I just needed someone to be there for me and so I prayed to my heavenly father and then I felt, I felt peaceful. Somehow I knew it was all going to be okay. Even if George had to leave me I knew he would be in a better place and I knew that he loved me.” Rachel paused a moment to catch her breath before continuing. “After an hour or so a young nurse came out and asked to speak with me. She said that George survived surgery but he had gone into a coma and currently he was on life support. I cried when she told me, no matter how strong I was a few moments before hand. I asked her the chances of him waking up. She said slim to nothing, less than a one percent chance. It was then she asked me what I wanted to do. I could pull him from life support and let him die peacefully or I could let him die slowly, either way he wasn’t coming back.” Rachel paused again trying to catch her breath, she was no longer trying to keep her tears at bay. They fell freely down her face. I squeezed her tighter to me. 

“Your doing great baby girl.” I said trying to encourage her.Rachel nodded before going on.

“It was then that I decided George needed to be with his family. I went and said my goodbye to George before  the doctors pulled him off life support. It was hard to know if I was doing the right thing but I now know I did the right thing. George needed to go home.”