Tabitha walked out of the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn in her hand. She smiled at the man on the couch and he smiled back. Tabitha stared at him and his face came into focus. She gasped as she saw Kevinโs face. He just patted the couch beside him. What was this? Was she dreaming?
โSo, what did you pick out for us to watch?โ she heard herself say as she sat down.
โI picked The Lucky One because thatโs how I feel about you.โ
โAw. You are just too sweet. I love you so much.โ
โI love you, too. So, do you want to watch the movie, or maybe we can skip it andโฆ.โ
โI need you to tell me the truth about something. And if you refuse then Iโm done talking to you.โ โAlright. Iโll answer.โ โI keep having this recurring nightmare where Iโm with you and Mark comes in. He always rips me away from you. Heโs told me that he was abusive in the beginning. So, my question is, were you and I together before Mark and I got together? Did I leave you for him?โ โI agreed to answer one question. Yes, we dated before Mark happened. As for the rest, you have to either talk to me somewhere in private or remember.โ Tabitha was frustrated
โTabitha, come in and have a seat,โ Ellen said. โThank you, Ellen.โ โSo, it sounds like youโre having a bit of a crisis going through your past. Sound about right?โ โItโs more like the more I find out, the more questions I have. I have a man that has started coming around and telling me that he can tell me about my past. Then the dreams start. I need to know the truth about myself. I need to know if Iโm a cheater or did something bad happen to me. Itโs just...a lot. Iโm having a hard time processing everything. I even got sick on my stomach earlier.โ โYou
Tabitha sat back and thought about it. She loved spending time with Mark. He made her happy. He was so sweet and caring. It made her heart flutter with the way he looked at her. It was almost like he worshipped the ground she walked on. And seeing him with Christian was amazing. He was a wonderful father and she found out today that Christian wasnโt even his. The nightmares had messed with her but when she really thought about it, she wasnโt falling in love with him. She had already fallen in love with him. Her heart started beating faster. Why did it feel wrong to admit that to herself? โYour breathing has changed. Itโs increased. I take it that youโve admitted to yourself that you do love him.โ โYes,โ Tabitha whispered.
โSo, Mark, have you and Tabitha talked about having a little brother or sister for Christian?โ Nancy asked. Jesse choked on his water as he heard Nancyโs question. Theyโd been having a completely different conversation when sheโd brought that up. His eyes swung from Nancy to Renee. Reneeโs face was extremely red. Had Nancy already talked to her about this? Renee hadnโt wanted any more kids and he was certain it was because of him. She hadnโt said anything about it after the accident. She had been acting strange since he got here though. โUm, no, we havenโt. Tabitha is on some type of birth control. We never really discussed it after Christian because she had that device in.โ โI have a device in?โ Renee asked him.
“Renee, I’m tired of you being like this. You need to snap out of this mood you’ve been in.”“This mood I’ve been in is your fault, Jesse! Did you think you could just keep hurting me and I would be okay with it? You do whatever you want, but I won’t pretend to be happy when I’m not. I hate being here. I hate you! I want to go home!”“This is your home now!” he said and punched the wall.Renee shrunk back as she waited for him to hit her. He stood there for a minute just looking at her before he walked away. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She turned to leave the room and instead, she was being pressed up against the counter. She knew what was coming next but she closed her eyes.
Renee went to work and wondered if Kevin would be there. He hadnโt shown up for weeks. Heโd left that picture and thatโs the last sheโd heard out of him. Why had he stopped coming around? She put her apron on and went out to the front. She took over her tables and went through the motions of the day. Sheโd called the doctor and set up an appointment. She had to know what was going on. Jesse had kept to himself the past couple of days. Sheโd felt guilty for hurting him. That had never been her intention. He hadnโt even tried to touch her. She often wondered what was going through his head as he got a funny look on his face like he was planning something. It actually scared her a little bit. A couple of hours into her shift, she saw a man sit at the booth Kevin always sat at. She hurried over and he looked up. Her breath caught as she saw Kevinโs eyes. He smiled at her. Why did he have
โJesse, I want to go out Friday night. Iโve been under so much stress lately that I feel like Iโm going crazy. I want some time to myself to process everything,โ Renee said as she sat on the bed beside him. โSo, now Iโm not even good enough to talk to about your problems?โ Jesse asked, feeling his rage building up. โYou havenโt wanted to talk to me. Iโve tried talking and you usually only give me one-word answers. I donโt know whatโs happening between us but it doesnโt seem like itโs good. Thatโs one of the reasons I want some time to myself. I know you donโt know how this feels, but I hope youโll at least try to understand.โ โAnd if I say no?โ โIโm going to do it anyway. I wasnโt asking for permission. I wa
โMrs. Morgan, itโs been a while. How have you been?โ โIโve been better, Dr. Gilly. I had an accident that caused amnesia. I had to look into things to figure out who I saw for my birth control.โ โIโm sorry to hear that. You have another year before you were to come back to get another device.โ โI donโt have the device in anymore. Iโve been sick lately and a friend brought up being pregnant. I hadnโt thought about it since the accident so I looked into my medical records. I brought them with me for you to look at. I donโt really understand most of whatโs in there but I did see they removed the device,โ Renee said as she handed him the records. He looked through them as she sat there. She was uncomfortable pre
5 years later A raven-haired beauty with hazel eyes runs up. He smiled as he wrapped her up in his arms. He spun in circles with her in his arms as she giggled. He sat her down onto her feet and looked around at the people in the home. It had been hard the year and a half it had taken for his trial. In the end, it was worth it. It had been hard not being able to be with Renee when heโd been in the same state. She hadnโt come to see him even though he had tried to apologize to her. She never took his calls. His mother had seen her and Christian. She was going to petition for rights to see Christian and she had told Renee that. Renee had politely told her there was no need. All she had to do was tell her first and if they didnโt have anything planned, she was more than welcome to get him. Sheโd taken pictures of Christian and sent them to Kevin. Some of
โWhy would you do that for someone who mistreated you?โ โJesse could be an asshole but he treated me prettygood over time. I loved him and I think he deserves to be withthe only family he ever had. After this is all over, I plan to returnhome, too, so I can raise our child and my son. My child will never know their father other than a grave.โ George shook his head. This woman was either crazy or she really did have Stockholm syndrome. He knew sheโd been in a car accident at the beginning of the year and suffered a brain injury. Had that affected her judgment that much? He needed to know what happened so he needed to get the body released. They had only held it until the fingerprints came back anyw
โSarge, youโre going to want to see this,โ Nolan said. โWhat is it, Nolan?โ โThe fingerprints are back. We had them rushed because of the missing personโs case.โ George had found files in Kevinโs car that contained emails between him and a woman named Marie. It also contained a crime report involving him and a woman named Renee Kennedy. The picture showed the same woman that was at the crime scene. Heโd taken her fingerprints and that of the victim, Mark Morgan. They had detained Kevin since he was inside the Morganโs home. It had been a month and neither Kevin nor Tabitha had talked about what had happened in that house. Heโd notified Kevinโs mother of what had happened as she was listed as his emergency contact. Sheโd notified him that he should contact Renee Kennedy
Kevin went to kick the knife out of Jesseโs hand when Jesse opened his eyes and stabbed him in the leg. Kevin cried out at the pain burning up the muscle of his leg. He hit his knees and his hand went to the knife. He pulled it out right as Jesse grabbed his collar and began punching him in the face and the side of his head. Renee didnโt know how to stop the fight. She did the only thing she could think of. She dug her phone out and called 911. โ911, whatโs your emergency?โ โTheyโre going to kill each other!โ Renee cried. โMaโam, calm down. Whatโs your name?โ Renee ignored her. She rattled off her address as she saw Jesse grab the wrist of the hand that Kevin had the knife in. He twisted the wrist unti
Renee was feeling uneasy after her meeting with Kevin. He was definitely planning something and it scared her. She didnโt want him to get hurt but she also didnโt want Jesse to know he had found them. She was definitely wondering if he already knew. She bit her lip as her thoughts turned to the darker side of how things could go down. โMommy!โ Christian yelled. โIโm sorry, Christian. I was in my thoughts. Did you say something to me?โ Renee asked as she drug herself out of the bad thoughts she was having about Jesse and Kevin. โI want to go back. I want Mr. Kevin.โ โIโm sorry, Christian, but that just isnโt possible. Your daddy doesnโt know that you arenโt his son. Please, promise me, baby, that you wonโt te
โDeal,โ Jesse said as he kissed and hugged her. Renee sighed and walked away to find Christian. Sheโd take him to dinner and a movie tonight. He had been begging to go see Tom and Jerry. Since this was their night, sheโd take him out for a happy meal and ice cream too. She wondered if heโd like putt-putt golf. She hadnโt played it since she was little but it might be something heโd enjoy. They could get breakfast, play a couple of games, and then go to the park for an hour or so. With her plans set in her mind, she went to find Christian. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kevin pulled out his pocket knife and sharpened it. Heโdthought about this day long and hard. If he bought a gun, it would be premeditated murder. He sharpened the blade while he t
โWhat do you mean, โthank God youโre awakeโ? How long have I been asleep?โ โTwo days. Itโs Tuesday. My boss wasnโt thrilled that I missed two days but I explained what happened.โ โWhereโs Christian?โ Renee asked. โI took him to Nancyโs after we realized you werenโt waking up when the nurse came to check on you. Youโve been moaning and thrashing in your sleep every so often.โ โOh. Was I talking in my sleep at all?โ โNot while I was awake. Why? Do you remember anything?โ โI remember everything,โ Renee whispered. โBefore or afte
โWill you, um, will you come let the guard rail down? I need to go to the bathroom,โ Renee said as her cheeks reddened. โSure. No need to be embarrassed, baby.โ โThat wasnโt really what I wanted but I do need to go.โ Jesse put the bed rail down and helped Renee up. She leaned on him to catch her bearings. She went to the bathroom and came out. He could tell by the look on her face that she was still confused about what was happening. She regained some of her memories if not all of them, but had she forgotten the ones after the accident? โDo you want to tell me what you really wanted now?โ Reneeโs cheeks turned red again but she held her arms out.
Jesse sat out in the waiting room with Christian as they waited for the doctors to run tests. Christian had finally settled down and stopped crying. He was sitting in Jesse's lap sucking his thumb. He had started that back up after Renee had been in the accident. Now every time he was extremely stressed, that thumb was back in his mouth. It agitated Jesse somewhat but he let it go because he knew he was trying to comfort himself against what was happening with his mom. It had been hours since Renee had been brought in and no one had updated him yet. Jesse stroked Christianโs hair absentmindedly until he saw the doctor come out. Dr. Getty walked up to him and held out his hand. Jesse took it and shook it. The doctor had a neutral look on his face. โMr. Morgan, we meet again. I wish it was under better circumstances,โ Dr. Get