As I drove to the hospital, I thought about Herb and Amanda, Kent and Craig and Andrew, the two half-brothers I hadn't yet met.
In the space of a week, I'd gone from having no siblings to having four.
It was a good week.
Chapter 15
KATE
Drake spent an hour with his mother and when he returned, I left for the studio, taking along some more supplies I picked up during one of my shopping sprees in the art supply store. I was excited to be back at work on my canvas, and spent at least an hour before I even looked up from my paints. I was happy with the way the painting was progressing but needed a break for something to drink. I went to the small bar fridge in the tiny kitchen area and took out a bottle of water and sat at the workbench to check my email.
There was one from a surprising source: Dawn.
I hadn't heard from her for months.
DAWN: Hey, old friend! How are you? I hope all is well. I'm keeping busy finishing my nursing courses and expect to be working this summer full-time at Harlem General. I hope to move to a surgical ward after I put in my time and get some seniority. I understand that the trial is coming up. Are you and Drake and Sophie coming to Manhattan for it? I'll be attending on my days off. Hope to connect with you when you get back if you're willing. I would love to see Sophie – she must be getting big! Love you, Dawn.
I wasn't sure how to respond. There was still a part of me – a big part – that resented Dawn for her meddling in my life when Drake and I were first together. I knew she was doing so out of what she thought was love, but what I needed wasn't a hall monitor but a friend to help me figure things out. Instead, she had been like a nun at a Catholic girl's school, scolding me for liking boys. Of course, that had been her strict upbringing but still...
At least she was no longer so prejudiced against kink. What a shock it must have been for her to realize that she might enjoy a bit of B&D now and then. I hope it humbled her and made her less judgmental. She seemed to want to still maintain our friendship and the truth was that I missed her. I missed having a best girlfriend I could gossip with. I loved Drake and he was my best friend as well as husband, but still. A woman needs a woman friend and I had no one at the moment who fit the bill.
I decided to text her back.
KATE: Hey! Long time no hear. Yes, Drake and I are planning on coming to Manhattan for the trial as soon as Drake finishes up his latest shift cycle. Drake is going to testify in two weeks, so we have to get there early so he can meet with the prosecutor and go over his testimony. I am not looking forward to the trial as you can ima
gine. It will probably just upset me, given the focus on Drake's past. But I want to be there with Drake and support him. Yes, Sophie is getting big! We should reconnect. I'll contact you when we're in town. Take care.
I just couldn't bring myself to return the Love you part and I felt bad. Before all this happened, I would have relied on Dawn to get me through any trying period in my life, but I guess we had grown apart and her attempts to break Drake and me up didn’t help. I still felt resentment that would probably never go away.
I had no idea where I might meet a new female friend, but at the moment, I was really too busy with Sophia and Drake and my art to worry about it. Life was full. I wanted to give each part of my life my whole attention and so worrying too much about girlfriends was not going to occupy too much of my mental energy.
When I was finished with my work for the day, I cleaned my brushes and locked up, taking the trash to the trash room before I left. On my way out of the small room, I ran into none other than my fellow artist, Sean.
"Fancy meeting you here," he said and smiled, standing in the doorway blocking my exit.
"Oh, hello," I said and stopped up suddenly so I wouldn’t run into him. "It's you."
"Yes, it's me. Let the bells ring out and the banners fly."
I frowned despite remembering my childhood watching Looney Tunes.
"Sorry, can't talk, gotta run!"
Then, I rushed past him and out the building entrance. Unfortunately, he followed me.
"How's the elephant painting coming? I haven't seen you around for a few days."
"It's fine. I've been busy with life. Bye!"
I slipped quickly into my car and slammed the door, making sure the window was rolled up completely and the door was locked. He stopped at the car nonetheless and leaned against it, smiling down at me through the window.
"Running away so soon? I hope you’re not trying to avoid me..."
I frowned. "Why would I be trying to avoid you?" I said through the window.
"Because I hit on you the other day. Don't be offended. I hit on all beautiful women. It's my nature."
"No offense taken," I said and pressed the ignition. "Now, I have to leave. Big night planned."