Her Only Son

by Shawna Platt

  She watched as her dad, sister, Sheila, and finally, her mom, get out of the car. For a moment, they all stood in silence, looking at each other. Kinsey felt the tears welling in her eyes and she took a step forward. Her mom burst into tears and rushed to her. She threw her arms around Kinsey’s neck and covered her face in mom kisses. After a moment, she looked down into the face of her grandson.

  “Oh, Kinsey! He’s just perfect! Please, can I hold him?”

  “Of course,” Kinsey said through her tears.

  Once Donna had Ryker in her arms, Curtis and Brianna came forward to hug her, then Sheila, who flipped Kinsey’s hair. “Nice do.”

  Kinsey chuckled and wiped away tears. “Yeah, I can change back to my natural color now.” She paused. “I can’t believe you’re all here.”

  She turned back to her mom, who had her face buried in Ryker’s. She looked at her dad. “What to meet your grandson?”

  He nodded slightly and Kinsey saw the tears he was trying to hide from her. She put her arm around him and walked over to her mom.

  Donna looked up, her eyes red and her cheeks flush from crying. “Oh, Kinsey, I just can’t believe all of this. What you’ve been through,” the sobs came harder and she couldn’t continue.

  Curtis leaned in and took a look at Ryker. Kinsey watched the lines of his mouth tighten and his eyes fill. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead to his wife’s. Without looking up, he reached his hand out to Kinsey. She took it and he squeezed. He didn’t say a word, but Kinsey knew what he was feeling, so no words were necessary.

  Tessa arrived with her family and she gave her statement to Carlos, who was blown away at her story. All he could do was apologize for her ordeal and ask how they could make it up to her. She told him they couldn’t bring her daughter back, so there was nothing they could do. He sat in silence as she walked out of the room.

  A couple hours later, everyone joined together in the apartment room Kinsey spent her time in while at the compound.

  Donna looked around. “It’s a nice place, honey.”

  “Yes, the compound itself is very nice.”

  Her mom wrapped her arm around her. “I’m sorry, honey. Sorry for everything you’ve been going through.” Donna started to cry again. “You went through it all alone. I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

  Kinsey shook her head. “Mom, there was nothing you could do.” She glanced at her dad and sister sitting outside on the patio. “Nothing any of you could do. You were being threatened, do you understand? I couldn’t tell you or I would have pulled you in deeper.”

  “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

  “I never thought you would.”

  They joined the rest of group on the patio and found Brianna hogging her nephew.

  Sheila whined to Kinsey. “Would you please tell her she has to share?”

  Brianna shot her sister a I don’t think so look. “She already had him. It’s my turn.”

  Kinsey laughed. “I think he’s going to be around for a while. You two will have to work out a schedule.”

  Brianna pulled Ryker closer. “I get first priority on that schedule.”

  Sheila chuckled and ruffled her hair. “I suppose.”

  Kinsey sat between her mom and Tessa and watched Brice talking with her dad. “They seem to be getting along.”

  “Oh, your dad gave him the third degree, trust me, but I think he’s winning him over. Sheila already filled us in on his visit. He cares for you and Ryker a great deal.”

  “Yeah, I know, Mom.”

  As if on cue, Brice looked over at Kinsey and winked.

  Tessa took Kinsey’s hand. “You have guts, girl!”

  “You, too, Tessa. It took a lot of courage for you to do what you did.”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t make it.” She looked down at her lap, recalling the moment of her capture.

  “I only made it because I had help.” She hugged Tessa. “I’m sorry. I truly am.”

  “I’ll be all right,” Tessa grinned. “You can’t change it, right?”

  Kinsey shook her head. “Unfortunately.”

  Tessa’s mom took her daughter’s hand. “My baby’s strong. She’ll get through this. You all will.”

  Kinsey smiled and took a deep breath. “Yes, we will.”

  On their way to the press conference, they waited with Sheila, Ted, and Margaret until their car picked them up and took them to the airport. Kinsey gave Sheila a hug.

  “Thank you for being here.”

  “Of course, but I have to get back to work. Someone has to run the bank, you know, since your replacement is leaving,” she teased. “Apparently, I’m being made temporary branch manager until you return.”

  Kinsey laughed and hugged her again before saying a final goodbye and that she’d be in touch soon.

  She hugged Ted and Margaret.

  “Thank you both for everything.”

  Margaret squeezed her hard. “No thanks are needed. You keep in touch. I want to see that baby again soon.”

  “You can count on it.”

  Everyone waved goodbye as the car drove away, with Stella once again behind the wheel.

  They’d only been driving a short time before Stella’s driving became erratic. Margaret asked her if she was all right, but Stella simply shook her head and wiped away tears they weren’t aware of until now.

  Stella looked in the rearview mirror at them. “She ruined everything!”

  Margaret met her eyes in the mirror and knew something wasn’t right. “Who ruined everything?”

  “That bitch Kinsey!” She glanced in the mirror again and the car veered toward the side of the road. “Who does she think she is?”

  Margaret sat forward and put her hand on Stella’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Stella. Please, keep your eye on the road.”

  Stella laughed and reached over to open the glove box. She pulled out a gun and waved it in the direction of the backseat.

  “She won’t get away with this! Everything is ruined now.”

  The car veered into oncoming traffic and Stella jerked the wheel. The car came to a skidding stop on the side of the road. She turned to face the back seat, still waving the gun.

  “He never loved me, you know! I tried so hard to be a good daughter.” She used the hand holding the gun to wipe away tears and continued.

  “He always told me I was weak, just like my mom. It’s his fault I can’t have children. He did that to me when I was younger.”

  She turned and stared out the passenger window of the car. “I was only thirteen years old when he forced me to have the surgery. ‘No kids for you,’ he said.”

  She turned toward the back seat again. “I did everything he wanted and it was never good enough!”

  Ted, Margaret, and Sheila sat perfectly still, not knowing how to react to Stella. They didn’t want to set her off even more. She was already losing it.

  Stella continued her raving. “Now Kinsey comes along and ruins everything! My dad is dead! The program is closing! What am I suppose to do now?”

  She bore her eyes into the three of them and screamed. “What am I suppose to do now?”

  Margaret sat forward and tried to comfort Stella.

  “Don’t touch me!” She flung the car door open and began pacing along the side of the road. “What am I going to do?”

  Ted opened the car door and slowly stepped out. He held his hands up and tried to reason with her. “Stella, put the gun down. We can help you sort this out.”

  She continued to scream as she paced. “There’s nothing to sort out! My life is joke! Everyone thinks I’m a joke!”

  She ran her hands through her hair, dragging the gun beside her head, and whispered through sobs. “I tried to be a good daughter. Nothing was ever good enough for him.”

  She looked at Ted and he saw defeat in her eyes. An intense sadness he knew he, or anyone else, could never heal. She lifted the gun to her temple.

  He took a step forward. “Stella, you don’t
have to do this. It’s okay. Let me help you.”

  She shook her head. “It’s never been okay. It will never be okay, don’t you understand?” She pulled the hammer back on the gun. “I’m nothing. I’ve always been nothing.”

  She pulled the trigger before he could get to her. Stella fell forward against him as she went down. Margaret and Sheila screamed inside the car. He yelled back in their direction. “Call the police!”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Everyone stood in front of the clinic and prepared for the press conference. Carlos would address the press first, followed by Dr. Rayner and Dr. Westcott.

  When Carlos took his position in front of the podium, the press settled into place. He took a deep breath and began.

  “First, I’d like to apologize on behalf of the government and military for the outcome of Operation Vala. Hakon, the head of the program, took actions that we were not aware of, nor do we condone in anyway.”

  Questions began flying from the press and Carlos chose the questions he thought would be appropriate to answer.

  “Is it true Hakon has been killed?”

  “Yes. Hakon was killed during an altercation yesterday.”

  “Do you have any plans to replace him?”

  “No, unfortunately, the program will be closed.”

  “Is it true there was abuse of the participants?”

  How did they receive this information, Carlos wondered. “Unfortunately, there have been reports of misconduct and we are handling those with the involved participants.”

  “What about the children who have been born as a result of the program?”

  “Dr. Rayer and Dr. Westcott will be addressing the issue regarding the children.”

  He held up his hand as more questions flew his way.

  “I’m going to turn the questions over to the doctors who have worked at the clinic since its inception.” He turned to Brice and Sorina and motioned them forward. “This is Dr. Brice Rayner and Dr. Sorina Westcott.”

  They took their place at the podium and began fielding questions.

  Sorina spoke first. “It is with deep regret that we stand here this morning officially closing Operation Vala. I have enjoyed working with the participants and I’m sorry for any abuse they have endured. Dr. Rayner and I had no idea this was taking place.”

  The question regarding the fate of the children was asked again.

  “All children who have been born since the program’s inception will be returned to their birth mothers, if they choose to take them. The others will be placed for adoption.”

  “If the program was voluntary, why wouldn’t the mothers want their children back?”

  “I’m certain most of the children will be returned to their birth mothers.”

  “How many participants are still pregnant and waiting to give birth?”

  Dr. Rayner took over. “We still have a large number of women waiting to give birth and they will receive the best care possible, all paid for by the government, and will receive the full compensation promised them.”

  “Will they remain here, at this facility, until they give birth?”

  “Yes, the clinic and facility will remain open for those participants. Once they give birth, the program will be closed. Any new participants in the program, but not yet pregnant, will be returned home, and no new participants are being accepted. Thank you for your time.”

  Brice placed his hand on Sorina’s shoulder and nudged her away from the podium. Carlos took his place again and began fielding questions to wrap it up. Brice, Kinsey and her family, along with Tessa, her family, and Sorina, all walked away, leaving Carlos to deal with the press.

  They were all walking back to the housing building when Kinsey got the call for Sheila.

  “Oh, my god, Kinsey! She killed herself!”

  Kinsey stopped dead in her tracks. “Who killed herself? Sheila, what are talking about?”

  The others stopped and stared at Kinsey.

  “Stella! She went fricken crazy in the car. She pulled out a gun and shot herself in the head. The police are here now and they’re bringing us back to the compound. I’ll fill you in when we get there.”

  Kinsey went numb and disconnected the call. She stood staring ahead and looked like she was about to pass out. Brice lunged forward and took Ryker from her arms. He handed the baby to Donna and tried to steady Kinsey.

  “Kinsey, what happened?”

  Kinsey looked at him with a dazed expression. “Stella killed herself. She shot herself in the head. The police are bringing them back to the compound.”

  The others stepped forward. Sorina placed her hand over her mouth.

  Brianna was the first to speak. “She seemed a bit off when she picked us up and drove us to the compound. I just figured it was due to everything that had happened.”

  Brice wrapped his arm around Kinsey. “Let’s go to Kinsey’s room. We’ll wait for the others to return and find out what happened.

  Ted, Margaret, and Sheila arrived back at the compound and met up with the others.

  Sheila couldn’t sit still, so she paced around the living room. “She just went bat shit crazy! I thought she was going to shoot us!”

  Kinsey sat on the couch, still stunned at what had taken place. “What did she say? What caused her to lose it?”

  Ted rubbed his hand along the side of his face. “Well, she kept talking about how she tried to be a good daughter, but she was never good enough.” He left out the part about her blaming Kinsey for everything that happened with the program. He figured she didn’t need to know about that.

  Margaret shook her head. “She mentioned her dad was dead now.” She looked toward Brice. “Only two men died, right? Hakon and Dr. Hartman?”

  Brice nodded. “Yes.” He paused. “She mentioned she was never good enough?”

  Ted and Margaret nodded in agreement.

  Brice stood. “Her dad?” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Could Hakon have been her dad, too?”

  Sorina let out a gasp. “Oh, my god, Brice! Do you think it’s true?”

  “My mom died when I was young. I’m at least ten years older than Stella. There’s no way we had the same mom.”

  Sheila piped in. “She mentioned something about him forcing her to have surgery at thirteen years old, so she couldn’t have children. Said she was too weak.”

  Brice shook his head. “That sounds like something he would say and do.”

  Tessa sat beside Kinsey, her arm around her shoulder. “I can’t believe a person could be so horrible.”

  Brice sighed and walked to the sliding glass door, looking out at the patio. “I had a sister and didn’t even know it. I would have been there for her.”

  Sorina walked over and stood beside him. “It’s not your fault, Brice.”

  “I know, but still. I can only image how much she suffered being his daughter. He hated women. Thought they were weak and only good for one thing.”

  Tessa became angry. “What about the female children born into the program? What would have happened to them if he hated women so much?”

  Brice sighed, “He would have only seen them as soldiers, doing his bidding. He would have controlled everything about their lives.”

  Kinsey was feeling guilty about her initial impression of Stella. “She drove me crazy, she really did. I feel so bad now. I wish I would have known.”

  Brice turned to her. “None of us knew, Kinsey. She kept that secret well hidden.”

  Sorina added, “I doubt she had a choice.”

  The group fell quiet for a period of time. Brice broke the silence. “I want to make sure she gets a proper burial.”

  Sorina agreed. “We’ll make sure that happens.”

  Kinsey shook her head. “How can one man ruin so many lives?”

  No one could come up with a response and the room fell silent once again.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Dr. Westcott spent the afternoon organizing the return of the babies to th
eir birth mothers. Once the story hit the news, calls were coming in from mothers wanting to claim their children. Sorina could tell there would be some who would have to be put up for adoption, but she would make sure they were placed in high quality adoption centers.

  Kinsey, Tessa, and their families remained at the facility and assisted anyway they could. The day was crazy, with participants packing up and leaving, and the ones remaining, waiting to give birth, were full of questions. Kinsey and Tessa held a small information session for the remaining participants, explaining what would happen from here.

  By the end of the day, the facility was empty except for the participants who would remain behind and the staff who offered to stay to help until the program was officially closed.

  Later that night, Kinsey and Tessa found Sorina at the clinic in the newborn nursery, examining a little girl born the night before.

  Kinsey rubbed the baby’s head. “I bet the mother is happy to be leaving with her.”

  Sorina sighed, “You would think.”

  Kinsey looked at her in disbelief. “What? She doesn’t want her? Whose baby is it?”

  Sorina shot her a quick glance. “Lisa Butler’s.”

  A look of understanding came over Kinsey’s face. “Oh, yes, I remember her. She entered the program the same time I did and sat beside me at our welcome dinner.”

  Sorina smirked. “Once her baby was delivered, she wanted to know when she’d get her money and how soon she could leave.”

  Tessa walked up and stood beside them. She reached down, picked up the baby, and ran her thumb over her forehead. She looked at Sorina.

  “What’s going to happen to her?”

  “She’ll be sent with the others and placed for adoption.”

  Tessa looked down at the little face again. “I want her.”

  There was a moment of silence as Sorina and Kinsey studied her with the baby.