Forever After: Book Five in the Unrestrained Series

by S. E. Lund

  I shook my head and sighed. "Honestly, I hardly knew her back when we first met. We never spoke privately and I didn't remember her. It must have really bothered her that she was forgettable to me."

  If I hoped to have an apology for the way the police detectives treated me during the case, I was mistaken.

  "I want to thank you for cooperating with us during the investigation into your wife's attack. You were remarkably cool under pressure. I guess a neurosurgeon has to be, given your line of work."

  "We do," I said with a chuckle, guessing that was as much of an apology as he could give. “Oh, I wanted to ask. My wife and I are planning a trip to Africa in the summer. Do you see any reason why we can’t go ahead and book flights?”

  “The case isn’t ready to go to trial so it won’t be scheduled to start until the new year, based on how the lawyers are proceeding. You’re free to go, but it would be a courtesy to let us know how we can contact you, in case we need any further information.”

  “Sounds good,” I said. “Thanks again, Detective. I hope your case against Lisa Monroe goes well and that we don’t have to meet again under anything but personal and friendly circumstances.”

  “Me, too, Dr. Morgan. Me, too.”

  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.

  I talked to my realtor and asked her to start work on finding a rental for a few months in Monterey. I even checked out a few properties myself, bookmarking them, even printing off the specs for a couple so Kate could see what we might be able to find.

  I was excited, humming to myself as I worked away in the office while Sophie and Kate took a nap. Karen was coming by in a few hours to cook supper so Kate and I could go out and do some shopping. I planned to have a whole presentation ready for her so I could make my case.

  I was sure she’d say yes. There was nothing keeping us in Manhattan any longer, with Ethan moving and my withdrawal from the Fellowship and my other business and charitable pursuits on hold.

  Monterey…<
br />
  As I sat and examined the dozen hospitals in San Francisco, I felt a sense of elation about the future that I hadn’t felt for a while – at least since I first realized that Lisa was going to be a problem. I hoped Kate shared my enthusiasm.

  Something told me she’d be as happy as me with the idea of starting a new life together in a place where the sun always shines.

  Chapter 24 : Kate

  The day I’d been dreading came all too soon for me – the day I had to say goodbye to my father and Elaine.

  I knew it was for the best that he moved to California and live. He needed the warmth and the sunshine and the fresh air. Monterey would be exactly that. As a child, we had spent a few winters there, living in a house perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean. I loved playing on the beach, collecting shells, and watching the sea birds fly.

  It made me nostalgic for the time when my mother was still alive and Heath and I were closer, playing together because we were the only friends we knew.

  Now, my father would be moving away and leaving Drake and me – and Sophie – alone. Health and his family were always off doing missionary work in Haiti, and so I rarely saw them. Dawn and I were no longer friends.

  There was nothing left here but Columbia and my thesis. Plus, showing my works at the Ballantine Gallery, but that would be short-lived.

  I woke early that morning and laid in bed listening to the sounds of the apartment. The hot water radiators clicked and hissed. While it was getting warmer every day now that spring had arrived, the apartment was cold and we still needed heat on.

  Light crept under the curtains at the window and fell across the bed. I turned and snuggled closer to Drake, who was sleeping with his back to me. He stirred and then went back to sleep, having stayed up much later than me to work on some mysterious project that kept him busy for hours on end. I wanted to press him about it, but didn’t because he wanted it to be a surprise – whatever it was.

  Finally, after about a quarter of an hour lying in bed awake, listening for any sound on the monitor that Sophie had awoken, I got up and had a quick shower, brushed my teeth and pulled on my robe. I’d get dressed later, after we had breakfast and I dried my hair.

  I padded into Sophie’s room to find her awake and on her back, her pacifier in her mouth and her toy in her hand.

  “Hi, baby girl,” I said and smiled at her. She smiled back, around her pacifier, and shook her toy excitedly. “Time to get up?” I felt both my breasts, which were hard as rock. “Time to eat, I think.”

  I picked her up and carried her to the change table and put a new diaper on her, put her in a clean onesie, then took her downstairs, deciding to watch the early news while I fed her. She was wide awake so she wouldn’t be going down for a nap for a few hours.

  Before I could sit down, I saw something on the kitchen island – a card standing upright. With Sophie on my hip, I walked over, curious to see whether this was the surprise Drake had been working on for the past couple of days. He’d been so secretive.

  It was a card showing the UCSF campus in San Francisco.

  I opened it and read the inscription.

  Drake, we’d be happy to have you as a visiting neurosurgeon. You can consult on cases in the ER, if you would be willing, since we’re always short on specialists who want to be on call. That’s all I can offer now, but we’d be glad to have you on board.

  Cheers,

  Vince Markham, Head, Pediatric Neurosurgery

  University of California, San Francisco

  I covered my mouth and put down the card. Beneath it were plane tickets for two adults and a child in First Class, flying from JFK to San Francisco in two weeks.

  Beside the tickets, there was a sheet of paper with a real estate listing. A bi-level house with a huge deck and yard overlooking the ocean in Monterey. There was even a horizon pool that seemed to blend into the ocean and sky. It had been rented for three months starting April 15th.

  Sophie fussed, her hand on my breast. She was hungry so I took the sheet of paper over to the sofa and sat down, putting it on the coffee table in front of me while I got Sophie ready to nurse.

  Once I had her nicely settled on the breast, I picked up the listing again and examined it. Three bedrooms up, with two bathrooms, and a great room with combined kitchen, living room and dining room plus another full bathroom on the main level.

  It was lovely.

  “What do you think?”

  I glanced at the stairs where Drake stood watching me, dressed in his robe and slippers.

  “You did all this?” I said, examining the listing sheet again. “We have it for April 15th?”

  “I think we both deserve it, don’t you?”

  He came over and sat on the sofa beside me and took the sheet out of my hands. “It has a great pool, and a big deck. We can sit and watch the ocean, eat our dinner al fresco, and it’s really close to where Ethan and Elaine will be living so you can take Sophie for a visit any time you want.”

  “And you’re going to work at UCSF? On call in the ER?”

  Drake nodded. “Yeah, I’ll share call with a group of pediatric neurosurgeons. It won’t be a full rotation and I won’t have a practice, but it’ll keep my credentials up. I’ll get credit for the work I do, and so it’ll be easier once I do finish my fellowship.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Kate said and smiled at me. “It makes this day a lot easier to bear thinking we’ll soon be in Monterey, too.”

  “I know,” Drake said and leaned over to kiss me, then he kissed Sophie’s head. He stroked her light brown hair, which was starting to grow. “I figured if you knew you were going to be there soon, you wouldn’t be so sad today.”

  “What about the case? The trial? Won’t we have to be here for that?”

  Drake shook his head. “I spoke with McDonald. He only asked that we keep him informed of any travel plans we have, but he thinks the case will be delayed for quite a while. I guess Lisa’s lawyers are trying to postpone the trial as much as they can legally get away with. So, it’s unlikely that we will even need to be in Manhattan at all.”

  “Thank God,” Kate said and shook her head. “I really wasn’t looking forward to having to attend and see her there.”

  “I wouldn’t want you to go,” Drake said and brushed hair from my cheek. “It would be hard for you. You don’t need that kind of stress.”

  “Thank you,” I said and smiled at him. “You’re wonderful, do you know that?”

  He smiled and leaned in, kissing me squarely on the mouth, his kiss tender.

  “If I’m wonderful, it’s only because I love you so much. You and Sophie. You’re my world.”

  “You’re our world, too.”

  Drake leaned closer, resting his forehead against mine. Sophie seemed amused by our show of affection and reached up to grab Drake’s chin. He pulled away and kissed her tiny hand, taking it in his and kissing each little finger.

  I felt an incredible surge of love at the sight of him doting on her, how tender and loving he was. He loved children – a man who had never been mothered much, or fathered much. He’d missed having a close family and always envied those who had them.

  He’d spent his life preparing to one day be a pediatric neurosurgeon and a father and I knew he’d be the best father a child could hope to have.

  He was everything. With him and Sophie, and now with the three of us moving to Monterey for the foreseeable future, I knew I would be happy.

  Happier than I had ever been in my life.

  We finally dressed and got ready for the trip with my father and Elaine to the airport. I no longer felt sad at the prospect. In fact, I felt excited for them both because I knew that soon, in a couple of weeks, we’d be joining them.

  “Ready?” Drake asked while he pulled on his coat. “Ethan just texted that they’re outside.”

  Drake had just finished getting Sophie all set in her car seat. I glanced out the window and sure enough, the limo was waiting outside on the stre
et. All that was left was getting my coat and boots on. It had rained during the morning and was damp, so we bundled up before we went downstairs to the limo.

  We trundled down the stairs and to the waiting vehicle, the side door open so Drake could get in and get Sophie’s car seat fastened in properly. Then I followed and sat across from my father and Elaine, who were already seated.

  My father looked excited and I wondered if he already knew about Drake’s plans.

  “You already knew,” I said when I caught his smile.

  “I did indeed,” came his reply, humor in his voice. “Drake and I have been conspiring for the past two weeks to pull this off.”

  “You two,” I said and shook my head, smiling at the expression of pleasure on both my father’s and Drake’s faces.

  “We’re so bad,” Drake said. “We’re plotters and planners of the highest skill.”

  Elaine laughed and caught my eye. “You won’t believe how clandestine their activities have been since Drake decided to see if he could pull this off. The late-night telephone calls, the secret emails… You’d think they’d joined the CIA or something.”

  I laughed, happy to be able to enjoy the morning instead of dreading it.

  “Have you seen the place we’re renting?” I asked Elaine. “It has one of those horizon pools. Plus, a great view. It reminds me of our place when we were kids,” I said to my dad, who was smiling to himself.

  “That’s what I thought,” he replied. “It’ll be perfect for you three. There’s an extra room for an office, in case you want to paint or work on your thesis.”

  “There is,” I said. “Drake will be working on call, so his schedule will be erratic, but we’ll be close and I’ll be able to come by anytime Sophie and I want.”