by K. M. Hodge
Alex sat up in bed just as she walked out of the bathroom. His face scrunched in instant concern. “Hey, are you okay?”
She watched as his eyes traveled down to her hand holding the positive test. His hand covered his face, hiding a smile. “Katherine....”
She held up the stick for him to see. “It looks like we’re pregnant.”
He scrambled out of bed—getting tangled in the sheets in the process-- and ran to her. He lifted her up into the air and spun her around, all the while peppering her with kisses and whispering words of love against her ear.
She let herself sink into his embrace and feel the joy of the moment, which she would surely remember fondly for the rest of her life.
***
Chicago Field Office
Chicago, Illinois
October 24, 2008
3:00 PM
~~~
Alex was still floating on cloud nine when he got a call from Chris that yanked him back to earth—Doc had attempted to commit suicide. The painful reality of never being able to have a child proved to be just too much for her to bear. Chris, a stoic military man, sobbed on the other end of the phone, and for a heartbreaking moment, Alex had misunderstood him and thought Doc was lost to him forever.
Chris had called in all the favors that he could, and begged him to help protect her from the career consequences of attempting to take her own life.
Alex called Richards, who had just been promoted to Section Chief, and had him help find a way to ensure that Doc had a job to come back to. They filed paperwork indicating she had gone on a sabbatical. No one had to know the truth.
They were able to pull some strings and get her placed in a private facility, where she voluntarily committed herself.
The joy of his impending fatherhood was lost in the shadows of his grief for Doc. He couldn’t help but wonder if he would lose her now that he and Katherine were expecting. He hadn’t told Chris, and didn’t know how he could.
He was supposed to fly into D.C. in a few days, and figured he would try to see her then. He needed to know that she really was going to be okay.
***
Washington, D.C.
October 30, 2008
9:00 AM
~~~
It rained that morning, a cold, hard rain that left their flak jackets soaked through. Despite the abysmal weather, it was a very satisfying day for two men in particular. In a synchronized tactical mission, those two men led one of the ten arrest teams about to bring down one of the largest criminal organizations in the history of the United States.
As Richards, Alex, and the rest of their arrest team stormed through the fourth floor and read A.D. Fullmore his rights, Richards wore a grin so big that his cheeks might be sore for a whole day afterwards. Nothing in his entire career had been, or would ever be, more satisfying than seeing Fullmore and his cronies being arrested by his men. They would pay for the pain and suffering inflicted upon their fellow agent.
That night, the two men sat a dive bar around the corner from the Hoover Building. They spent the solemn celebration getting as drunk as possible while still staying upright. Their victory that day had come at a cost, and they mourned in silence for everyone who had paid dearly during the course of the investigation.
***
Virginia Peninsula Region Correctional Facility
Williamsburg, Virginia
October 31, 2008
8:00 AM
~~~
Alex sat in the cold, hard chair waiting for the guards to bring out the prisoner, his arms crossed over his chest to keep himself in check. The latent rage over the course of events that led to his sitting there had begun to undo him. After a day of arrests and then drinks with his boss, he was more than just a little exhausted and hungover. He needed to do this, all the same.
Seeing Scott Mitchel in chains and an orange jump suit was what he needed, and what he hoped would help him move on. As an added bonus, the Senator seemed none too pleased to see him, which just made it all the more enjoyable.
Alex picked up the phone and indicated through the Plexiglas that Scott should do the same.
Scott picked it up and spoke into the receiver through his gritted teeth. “What do you want, Alex? To gloat?” A fiery rage burned in Scott’s eyes.
Alex smiled a victor’s smile. “How are you enjoying your stay, Senator?”
Scott glared at him, and for a moment Alex thought the man would hang up and walk away, but he didn’t.
“I just wanted to see your face and tell you that you lost.” The last of his calm vanished, and his shaky voice gave away his extreme hatred of the man in front of him. “I also wanted to tell you that, despite your best efforts, Katherine is not only alive, but well. You’re going to be an uncle, not that you’ll ever see the kid, but I thought you might want to know.”
Scott’s face seemed to soften for just a moment. “She’s pregnant? Fucking whore sure didn’t take long.”
Alex’s smile slid off his face. “I’m going to make it my life’s work to make sure you never see the light of day, Mitchel.”
Scott chuckled. “Yeah, good luck with that. One day I’ll be out, and there will be hell to pay. Just who do you think I’ll go after first?”
Alex shook his head. “Goodbye, Senator.” He hung up the phone and stood.
He needed to get to work and finish up his paperwork. The sooner he could get back to Katherine, the better.
***
FBI Headquarters: Hoover Building
Washington, D.C.
October 31, 2008
6:00 PM
~~~
Section Chief Richards worked his way through the crowded bullpen to where a disheveled Alex sat at a desk, buried under stacks of paperwork. “Hey, Bailey, you hungry?”
Alex looked up through bloodshot and sunken in eyes, lost in a haze. “Hmm... what?”
Richards shook his head. “You look like shit, man. Have you eaten anything? Slept?”
Alex shook his head. He looked as if he might have come back to the office after the bar last night. “There’s too much to do. The faster I can get this done, the faster I can get back to Katherine.”
Richards nodded and handed him a cup of coffee. “Take a break and come with me to get something to eat. You have to eat.”
Alex warily pushed away from his desk. “All right, but something quick.”
Richards slapped him on the back. “Come on, man, my treat.”
Alex smiled at his boss. “Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place?”
***
Richards pulled his FBI-issued sedan into the parking lot of a small, out-of-the-way cafe called “Lucy’s Fried.” Alex had grumbled the whole way about how he needed to get back and didn’t have time for such a road trip, but Richards ignored him and reassured him that it would be worth it.
Alex pushed open the car door with more force than necessary.
“Jesus, calm down man! Smoke a cigarette or something,” Richards said, growing more and more irritated by him.
“I’m trying to quit.” He toed the gravel.
Richards cocked an eyebrow in surprise. “Oh?”
“Katherine’s pregnant,” he said under his breath.
Richards stopped in his tracks. “What? That’s wonderful, man.”
Alex smiled. “Yeah, I kind of want to be around for the kid, so I’m trying to be good.”
“Congrats, man. I’m happy for you.” He patted Alex on the back.
Alex nodded. “Well, let’s get inside and eat so I can get my work done and get back to her.”
Richards’ smile faded. “Okay, don’t get mad at me, but I have an ulterior motive for bringing you out here. Just promise me that you’ll have an open mind?” He opened the door to let Alex walk in first.
Alex stopped in the doorframe when he saw who was sitting inside, surrounded by Federal Marshals. “Fuck, Richards, really? How is he even here?”
Richards nudged him into the cafe.
“He’s being transferred to house arrest. Since he’s been so cooperative—a model prisoner, I’m told—my warden buddy is doing him this small favor.”
Alex glowered at him and asked in a hushed whisper, “What favor might that be?”
“Charles has something for you and Katherine that you definitely want.” Richards gave him a shove forward.
Alex gave Richards a look that said he doubted it, but he went in anyways and sat down. “Talk fast, Charles. I don’t have the time or the patience for your bullshit.”
Charles sighed and pushed a manila envelope across the table to Alex. “Divorce papers. All she has to do is sign them. I’m giving her everything.”
Alex didn’t respond.
Charles reached into his pocket, pulled out a key, and handed it to Alex. “This is to Moran’s storage in Maryland. All her stuff is inside. Everything that the government doesn’t seize is going to her.”
Alex nodded. “You could have sent this by courier. Why the meeting?”
“I wanted to give it to you in person. I needed to look you in the eye and say I’m sorry. I need you to let Katherine know how sorry I am. I fucked up, I see that now. I want her to be happy. I know you may find this hard to believe, considering all that has happened, but I love her. I always have, and I probably always will. She deserves someone so much better than me, though. I’m told you make her happy. Treat her right.”
Alex clenched his fists. “Are we done here?”
Charles nodded. “Yeah, I said what I needed to say.”
Alex pushed off from the table, snatched the papers and key, and stormed outside.
Richards ran out after him with a takeout bag. “Come on, man, wait up!”
Alex was fuming, but Richards couldn’t for the life of him figure out why, given that he held in his hands the means to make an honest woman of Katherine. It was good news.
Alex fished out a cigarette and a lighter, and lit up as he stalked across the gravel parking lot to Richards’ car. “I have an errand I need to run. Can you take me?” He visibly relaxed a little.
Richards nodded. “Of course, man. Where to?”
***
CIA Safe House
Chicago, Illinois
November 1, 2008
6:00 PM
~~~
Katherine paced back and forth impatiently in their condo, waiting for Alex to get home. His plane had landed an hour ago! After two days of arrests, mounds of paperwork, and a battery of tests and interviews, he was given the go-ahead to return to Chicago... back to Katherine.
He was officially out of the CIA and set to start his teaching position at the FBI’s Quantico Academy after the New Year.
Brian and Betty had spent the better part of the two days with her, but the remaining six hours she just had the posted guards outside. She was anxious for Alex to be back, having been a nervous wreck the entire time he was gone.
Just as she was about to pick up her phone and try his cell, the door lock clicked and opened. Katherine rushed him at the door, nearly knocking him down.
Alex hungrily gathered her up in his arms, kissed her, and carried her straight to their bedroom. There would be time for talking later.
***
The next morning, Alex awoke sometime past 10:00 AM. Though content curled up against Katherine’s naked backside, he rolled out of bed, pulled a small box and a manila envelope out of his knapsack, and hid the small box behind him.
He woke up Katherine and handed her the envelope. “Open this,” he said with a grin.
Still half asleep, her eyebrow cocked in curiosity. “What is it?”
Alex nodded towards the envelope, biting his lower lip in expectation.
She sat up in bed and pulled Alex’s shirt on. Once settled, she tore open the envelope, pulled out the papers inside, and gasped in surprise.
Alex nodded. “Charles had divorce papers written up. He’s giving you everything, uncontested. All you have to do is sign and initial on a few dotted lines, and you’re a free woman.” He grinned again.
A small paper fluttered from the stack onto the bed in front of her. It was a handwritten note.
~~~
Dear Katherine,
As long as I live I will always love you, but I know that I ruined what we had. You deserve someone so much better than me. I am sorry for everything and wish I could make it better, but I know I can’t. The only thing I can do is let you go.
Love Always,
Charles
~~~
Katherine reached for the pen on her bed stand, signed and initialed on all the highlighted parts, then closed the papers and sighed with relief.
Alex slid the small box he’d been hiding across the bed and in front of her.
Katherine looked from him to the box and back again in stunned disbelief. With trembling hands, she opened the box to reveal a beautiful Claddagh, a traditional Irish wedding ring.
She pulled it out of the velvet slip and held it up to the light. “It’s beautiful!”
Alex beamed as he took the Claddagh and slid it down the ring finger of her left hand—a perfect fit. Tears of joy slid down her cheek, and he swept them away with the pads of his thumbs.
Katherine laughed through the tears. “Damn pregnancy hormones.”
“I love you, Katherine. Will you be my wife?”
She nodded. “Yes.” A fresh set of tears slid down her cheek.
Their lips met in a soft, gentle kiss.
Alex, so filled with joy, couldn’t stop smiling. He looked down and touched her belly, and spoke to their unborn child. “Did you hear that, little buddy? She said yes!”
Chapter 21
Pittsylvania County Courthouse
Chatham, Virginia
November 26, 2008
5:00 PM
~~~
Though they had enjoyed their time in the cozy Chicago condo, they were both glad to be home in Virginia. Katherine would have to testify in a few short weeks, and they wanted enough time to get moved back into Alex’s apartment, which he had sublet to a colleague while they were gone. They had debated about whether to hold off getting married until the baby came or after the trial, but had decided life was too short.
It had snowed the night before, but it didn’t stop their plans. They were eager to make their family official, so with marriage certificate in hand they trudged through the snow to the Pittsylvania County Courthouse in Chatham, Virginia.
The simple civil ceremony was attended by Betty, Brian, Jason, Christopher, Section Chief Richards, and enough security to keep the President of United States safe. The added security was part of Charles’ wedding present to the young couple. He footed the bill for a high-end security detail that was on them 24/7.
Alex bristled at it, but he couldn’t say no to an offer that kept his family safe.
Through the whole ceremony, he couldn’t help brushing his hand against the barely perceptible bump on Katherine’s abdomen, like a touchstone. He needed to be reassured that it was all really happening, and not some fantastical dream.
Afterwards, they made their way to a small cottage inn to eat dinner and stay for the night. For security purposes, Charles had booked the entire inn.
Even though Alex had cut down, he still smoked the occasional cigarette; some habits were just too hard to let go. He was standing outside on the patio, shivering and smoking his first cigarette of the day, when Christopher stepped outside with two stout beers in hand.
He handed one over to Alex and motioned for them to sit down on the patio chairs. “Congratulations, man.”
They clinked their glasses together and sat in a companionable silence while watching the sun set over the small grove of trees behind the inn.
After a few minutes, Christopher cleared his throat. “I know she’ll be sad that she missed this.”
Alex swallowed back the ball of emotions rolling up his throat. “I wish she had been here, too. She would have made a great best man.”
His p
oor friend gave a half-hearted chuckle in response as he unscrewed the top of a flask, took a long swig, and chased it down with his beer. “She’ll come around.” Christopher bobbed his knee up and down.
“Katherine’s pregnant, isn’t she?” Christopher’s voice cracked.
Alex wiped away a single tear that had fallen down his cheek. “Yeah.”
Christopher shook his head. “I have to say, Bailey, I never thought I would see the day that you became a family man.”
Alex smiled, put out his cigarette, and nursed his beer. “Did you know Ellie has a picture of us in her office, of that night we sang Ebony and Ivory at the Embassy karaoke night?”
Christopher laughed. “Jesus, we were so drunk that night.”
Alex smiled at the nostalgic memory as they clinked their glasses together again. “I know you were pretty fucked-up back then, but damn we had good times, didn’t we?”
“Yes, we did, even when we were getting kicked out of every poker night the Embassy staff hosted.”
“They just couldn’t handle losing to our brilliance.” Sadness crept over them as they took another drink from their mugs.
Alex smiled. “Ellie had her hands full with the two of us idiots.”
“I have to go back to Germany next week to finish out my tour. It’s only for another two weeks but... I don’t know how I’m going to go.”
Alex shook his head. “I’m so sorry, man. I know you worry about her being alone. I wish she would let me see her.”
Christopher finished off his beer in one gulp. “Yeah, me too... me too.” He stood up and placed his hand on Alex’s shoulder. “I’d better get going if I want to make it to the hospital before visiting hours are over. I’ll bring her some cake. She loves wedding cake—always used to say it tasted like hope.”
Alex covered his friend’s hand with his own. “I’m really sorry, man. Call me when you get back stateside. Maybe we can get a poker game going.”
Christopher smiled a sad half-smile and walked back inside, leaving Alex alone with his memories.
***
Holy Cross Hospital, Psychiatric Ward
Just outside Richmond, Virginia
November 26, 2008
7:30 PM
~~~
Christopher held out his phone to show her the pictures he had taken of the wedding.