Forever After (Unrestrained 5)

With that, he hung up and I ended the call and put my cell phone down. I felt so good at that moment, I wanted to celebrate so I went to the living room and saw that Kate was on the sofa holding her phone in her hand. On the carpet at her feet laid Sophie, playing with some toys. Kate did not look happy.

She glanced up at me when I entered the room and I saw tears in her eyes.

I frowned and sat beside her, watching her face, which was flushed.

“No, Daddy, I understand,” Kate said and nodded. She wiped tears off her cheeks. “You have to go somewhere you can enjoy yourself. It’s just that we’ll all miss you, and I was hoping you’d get to know Sophia more before you left. I thought you’d go in October, just before the cold weather really starts.”

I stroked her cheek, and offered her a sympathetic smile. Obviously, Ethan was talking about the move to California. Maybe he had told her the date that they were leaving. I knew how much Kate was dreading saying goodbye, especially now that his health was so fragile. Before when we went to Africa, Ethan was healthy as a bull, the stroke he had only months later not showing up in anything but high blood pressure.

“Okay, we will,” Kate said and turned to look in my eyes finally. “We’ll drive you and Elaine to the airport. No, I insist. I want to see you off and I’m sure Drake does as well.”

I nodded, even though I hated the thought of saying goodbye to Ethan. If Kate wanted to take them, and see them off, so did I.

“Okay, Daddy,” Kate said, her voice breaking. “We’ll see you then. Bye.”

Kate ended the call and then put her phone into her bag beside her on the sofa.

“They’re going to California?” I said and moved closer to Kate, knowing she’d need some comforting. “Monterey?”

“Yes,” Kate said and leaned her head on my shoulder. “They’re planning on flying out two weeks from Monday.”

“So soon?” I said, and stroked her hair. “I had no idea they were going in the spring. I thought later in the year.”

“So did I, but I guess they want to be there so Dad can be outside more and not just on his balcony. They had a realtor find a nice place on the ocean, beachfront, with a huge yard and deck. He’s hiring a physiotherapist to come and work with him when he gets there. He’s determined to be as mobile as possible.”

“That’s great,” I said and squeezed her, pulling her more closely into my arms. “I know this is upsetting, but it’s for the best. Plus, we can go for a visit anytime we like. There’s nothing holding either of us here, unless you want to go back to finish your degree in September.”

She shrugged and wiped her eyes. “I’d like that,” she said. “I can finish my thesis anywhere and my target is by the end of next year. Maybe we could go for a month before we go to Africa to visit your father’s grave. Sophie will be almost a year old.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll make the arrangements. I’m sure – I know that Ethan and Elaine will be happy to have us out there for a visit. Do you want to stay with them or should we get our own place for a month or two?”

Kate shrugged. “Maybe feel Elaine out before we decide. Dad said they got a five bedroom so there’s lots of room for us and for Sophia to have a room. Plus, if Heath and the kids come, there’s a bunk bed in a spare room.”

“Would having Sophie around make Ethan happy?”

“I’m sure it would,” Kate said and looked in my eyes. “We should stay with them,” she said finally. “If things get too crowded, we can always find a place of our own. There’s no reason we can’t stay for a couple of months, but that may be too long for us to stay at their place.”

“I’ll find a rental close to theirs and we can go for a week with them and then take our place. That way, we don’t overstay our welcome.”

Kate smiled finally. “That sounds like a plan.”

I pulled her against me and made a mental note to call a real estate agent I knew from selling my apartment in Chelsea. She’d most likely have contacts in California and might be able to hook us up with a realtor there.

I looked forward to going to California and staying for a while. Kate and I had a difficult year and now that Sophie was flourishing, I wanted us to leave behind the bad memories associated with the case. Maybe, by the time we returned from Africa, Kate would be ready to finish her thesis, and we could see where we stood at that time.

I felt quite negative about starting up my practice again in Manhattan. The case and my personal life had been far too public for my tastes. I doubted that I’d be doing much with the foundation or corporation for a while until memories of the case faded, and at least not until after the trial. I could see a couple of years of my absence from both being necessary.

I could start over somewhere new – somewhere fresh. Somewhere like California.

A plan began to formulate in my mind for a more permanent move to California. It made sense. Ethan and Elaine would be in Monterey. Liam would be close by in Silicon Valley with Maureen and Chris. If we relocated somewhere like San Francisco, we’d be close enough to be able to visit both Ethan and Liam when we wanted.

I liked San Francisco when I visited a few years ago. Besides the scenery and West Coast culture, there were fantastic hospitals. UCSF had a great Pediatric Neurosurgery program doing pioneering work in treating epilepsy and spasticity. And of course, SF had a vibrant artistic culture, in case Kate decided to pursue art instead of journalism.

I knew I could persuade her with little effort. I decided to pull together a plan and provide her with everything so it was easy for her to say yes.

As we sat together and watched the news, with Sophie babbling on the floor at our feet while she chewed on a favorite toy, I felt excited about prospects for the next year.

Over the next two weeks, I did exactly that. I contacted Vince Markham, head of the Peds Neurosurgery program at UCSF, and indicated an interest in working with them, if they had any need of my skills. He was very accommodating, and invited me to come for a visit and meet the other faculty and staff in the program.