Everlasting

by S. E. Lund

  Instead of being just delusional, I suspected she was also a sociopath and just didn’t think anyone was as smart as her. Sociopaths often thought everyone else was stupid in comparison. They over-estimated their own intelligence and underestimated everyone else's. It was a very dangerous combination because they didn't know how much they didn’t know.

  That was Lisa's failing. She was arrogant and thought she knew better than everyone -- including the police, the prosecutor, her own lawyer and the judge.

  When the cross examination was finished, I was dismissed and asked to remain available in case there was a need to have me testify again. I left the courtroom, glad to be out of that environment.

  I heaved a sigh of relief as I walked down the long hallway to the front entrance, but wasn't ready for what awaited me. At the bottom of the steps leading from the courthouse stood a gaggle of reporters with their associated camera operators, waiting for me. They approached me when they saw who I was and I wished I had someone with me, but I'd assured my lawyer that I was fine and could handle myself.

  "Do you have anything to say about the trial, Dr. Morgan?"

  "Why did you continue to work at NYU if you didn’t want a relationship with Ms. Monroe?"

  "Did your wife know about your affair with Ms. Monroe when she married you?"

  I stopped for a moment, and they crowded around me. When they were silent, their microphones shoved as close to my face as they could get without blocking their camera's views of my face, I spoke.

  "I feel very bad for Ms. Monroe's family. She and her lover killed Derek Richardson and almost killed my wife and unborn baby. She most likely encouraged her boyfriend to commit suicide. She's hurt many people and will have to pay for her crimes. That's all I have to say."

  Then I pushed past the reporters and made it to my car without feeling the need to respond to any of the questions they shouted after me.

  "Dr. Morgan, there are reports you were forced to quit your position at San Francisco General Hospital because of allegations of harassment on the part of the nursing staff supervisor. Do you have anything to say?"

  I frowned and turned to face the reporter.

  "That's completely wrong. I left voluntarily to spend more time with my family."

  Then, I got inside my rental car and slammed the door, glad of the car's tinted windows.

  As I drove away, I had to acknowledge to myself that I had given the typical excuse used when someone was forced to retire or quit their job due to a scandal. At that moment, I had to admit that I quit because of a scandal. In my anger, I drove a bit too fast and had to slam on my brakes when a pedestrian stepped out into the crosswalk and I didn’t see her until the last second.

  Luckily, I stopped in time but I got a real glare from her. A well-deserved glare.

  I pulled over when I got far enough away and tried to calm myself. I texted Kate to let her know my testimony was done and that helped. After my pulse calmed down, I continued driving.

  Back when I first considered getting involved in BDSM, I never truly thought it would mean I had to give up my career. Lara warned me of the need for the utmost discretion in my dealings with people in the lifestyle, but I always trusted myself to make the right decisions and use good judgment in my participation in BDSM. You could control yourself, but ultimately, you couldn’t control other people.

  I had the bad luck of running into a very damaged sociopath who fixated on me and could never take no for an answer. Little did I know when I had sex with her at Derek's dungeon party that I was laying the foundation for my future – a future where I almost lost the love of my life and my daughter. As it was, Kate was damaged and had PTSD. Although she was better than she had been, she would be affected by the attack for years. I had a future which was increasingly looking like I would not be able to work as a neurosurgeon again – at least for a few years.

  That hurt more than I realized. I'd often thought I could do whatever I wanted, when I wanted – that I had so much freedom due to my specialty in neurosurgery and my wealth, but I was realizing that the publicity from the trial and my past in BDSM might take away that freedom.

  I arrived back at the apartment on 8th Avenue and sat in the car for a moment, trying to let go of my stress about the trial. I didn’t want to bring that negativity into our home, so I sat in the car for a few moments and just breathed in deeply. It was at that moment that my cell dinged and I checked to find a message from Lara.

  LARA: How are you doing?

  I remembered seeing Lara leave abruptly and was surprised that she left in the middle of my testimony. I thought she would have stayed for the entire time and waited for me afterwards, but she didn't.

  I texted her back right away.

  DRAKE: I'm fine. I saw you in the back of the courtroom. Why did you leave?

  LARA: Someone I didn't want to see came in and so I left at the first chance I had. Sorry about that. I wanted to stay but believe me, I didn’t want to stay and have this person do anything to disrupt the trial. Let's just say he's a bit of a nutcase about BDSM. I'm surprised he didn't disrupt the trial anyway. He usually raises a stink and is taken out by security guards. If he saw me there, he would have gone crazy.

  DRAKE: He did nothing while I was there.

  LARA: That's good. I'm glad. If he saw me, he might have interrupted your testimony. I suspect he's really more interested in Lisa. He's on some kind of crusade... Listen, I'm busy the rest of the day today but I want to meet up with you two. Can you and Kate meet with me for dinner? I'll be in meetings all day tomorrow but afterward, I would love to relax with the two of you and have a drink, some good food and catch up.

  DRAKE: I'm sure Kate would love to see you. I'll talk to her and if we can get Dave's aunt Karen to sit for us, I'd love to. I'll let you know as soon as I hear back from Kate and Karen, okay?

  LARA: Sounds good. Take it easy.

  DRAKE: You, too.

  I got on my cell and called Karen Mills. Luckily, she answered on the third ring.

  We said our hellos and I asked if she would be able to sit for us on short notice.

  "You know I'd love to sit for you. How is that little sweet pea doing?"

  "She's wonderful. Really, we're really lucky to have such an easy baby. It's still been exhausting, which is to be expected, but she's sleeping through the night and that makes a big difference."

  "It does. I'll be there at six thirty and can stay as late as you want."

  "I really appreciate this, Karen. You're a godsend."

  "Don't mention it. How are you doing, Drake? I've been watching the news. The coverage can't be very easy on you guys."

  "It's hard but we're trying to just lay low and hope that once the trial is over and some time passes, things will get more back to normal for us."

  "How is San Francisco? Do you love it there?"

  "We do," I said. "But we miss Manhattan of course. We may come back for the good weather in the fall if we can find a better setup for Ethan. But we'll probably spend winters in San Francisco. So much better for Ethan to be able to go outside in the fresh air and sun."

  "No doubt. Okay, I'll see you tomorrow night."

  I said goodbye and ended the call. I wanted to have the details arranged before I asked Kate if she wanted to go. I knew she'd feel comfortable leaving Sophie with Karen.

  I parked my rental in the parking garage and then walked the rest of the way to the apartment, whistling to myself, feeling better than I had for a while. I had my testimony out of the way, and it was all downhill from here. The trial would be finished soon, Lisa would be convicted and sentenced and put away. The headlines would die down and then, maybe in a year, I could return to my life and continue where we left off. I still had the confidence of my supervisor at NYU if I wanted to continue the Fellowship. I could qualify as a pediatric neurosurgeon and start a practice doing what I loved. I could schedule as many or as few patients a week as I saw fit, since money was no object.

  I climbed
the stairs to the apartment, relieved that my role in the trial was over, eager to see Kate and Sophie.

  Chapter 21

  KATE

  I didn’t want to go to the courtroom and watch the trial or Drake's testimony.

  Some may have seen that as me not supporting Drake, or me not being interested. The truth was that I didn’t want to have to face the paparazzi. I didn't want to have a microphone shoved in my face and to be asked stupid and insulting questions about my sex life and my marriage to Drake. I just knew what the tabloid reporters would ask:

  How did you feel when you found out Drake was carrying on an affair with Lisa while you were pregnant?

  Did you know that your husband was a notorious Dom in the BDSM community before you married him?

  Did you ever suspect that he was secretly seeing Lisa Munroe while you were pregnant with your baby?

  How does it feel to be married to a notorious womanizer?

  Did you know about the restraining order his ex-wife filed before they divorced?

  Of course, I knew Drake wasn't the man the tabloids tried to make him out to be but some of the press picked up on those allegations from Lisa and ran with them because all Drake could do was deny them. When people looked at Lisa, they saw a beautiful young woman. Probably most of them couldn't believe that Drake wasn't having an affair with her. After all, I was pregnant. They wouldn't and couldn't know that Drake found me exceedingly sexy while I was pregnant and that it was even easier for me to orgasm while I was pregnant than before.

  If they knew that, they might understand that there was no way Drake was interested in Lisa. But I wasn't going to tell them so they continued pushing false gossip about our relationship to sell copies and get clicks on their news stories or websites.

  I didn't watch coverage of the trial on television, deliberately avoiding the news so I didn't have to see the headlines. Instead, I listened to calming music and spent my time with Sophie.

  I was glad when I got a text from him.

  DRAKE: Well, it's over. Now, we can move on.

  I texted him right back, smiling, a sense of relief filling me. He was right. Now, our lives could re-start and we both could move on.

  KATE: I'm so glad. I hope you were okay with me not coming to court. I just couldn't face seeing Lisa or the press afterwards.

  DRAKE: No, don't worry. We already talked about this and I meant what I said. I didn’t want you there. You're my wife and Sophie is my baby and none of it is anyone's business.

  KATE: Okay. I'll see you when you get home.

  He understood. I had to keep telling myself that but I just couldn’t face the prospect of having everyone watching us, watching me, and what they'd say and ask me. Drake didn't want to have to face those questions or cameras either but he had to do it. He had no choice. But at least now, it was all over.

  We could both move on, whatever that meant.

  I hoped it meant that Drake could finish his Fellowship and that he could eventually practice as a pediatric neurosurgeon. It might mean that I could finish my MA and write and paint. We could go back to living our lives, whether that was in San Francisco part of the year or in Manhattan part of the year.

  Liam could come and stay with us in Manhattan if Drake got joint custody and the rest of the time, he could stay with us in California. Because he was in school, we'd have to choose where to live that would be best for him.

  We'd work it out. I knew that Drake wanted it and so we would do whatever it took to make it our reality.

  When Drake arrived home, he came right over to me and hugged me, pulling me into his arms and kissing me. The kiss was warm but needy, like he needed reassurance that everything else in his life was okay.

  "I'm so glad that's over," he said and stroked my cheek, his eyes on mine.

  I squeezed him. "Me, too. How did it go?"

  He shrugged, sighing a bit. "As well as could be expected. Lisa's lawyer tried to make me sound like a rogue and rake, suggesting I coached her into killing you, but luckily, the judge shut her down."

  "How long will the trial go on?"

  Drake shook his head and brushed a strand of hair from my cheek. "I'm not sure. The rest of the week and then the jury will convene and deliberate. We should know next week what the verdict is and then there'll be sentencing. If you wanted, you could do a victim impact statement as part of what the judge hears when it comes to sentencing."

  "No." I leaned against Drake, enjoying the way his body felt warm and solid against mine. "I don’t ever want to see Lisa again. I'd have to see her if I gave a witness impact statement. I don't want to go to the courthouse, I don't want to be followed by reporters or cameras." I looked up into his eyes. "I just want our old life back."

  "Can't get that back, I'm afraid," Drake said, his voice soft. "But we can have our new life. It can be a better life. Us together with Sophie and maybe Liam part of the time. In Manhattan part time and in San Francisco the rest of the time."

  "That sounds like a dream."

  "We'll make it a reality." He kissed me again. "And now, Mrs. Morgan, I hope you don't mind that I made plans for us. Lara texted me after my testimony and invited us out for dinner with her. I called Karen Mills to see if she could sit for us for a few hours and she was happy to."

  I raised my eyebrows. "I'd love to see Lara. That sounds great. When? Tonight?"

  Drake rubbed my shoulder. "Tomorrow night. Tonight, I want to put Sophie to bed and then ravage you. I need you, Ms. Bennet."

  "I'm yours," I said, my body responding to the sound of need in his voice and words. "To ravage as you see fit."

  "Good, because I need you. You don't get pampered enough so expect to be pampered tonight."

  I narrowed my eyes playfully. "I thought you said 'ravage' not 'pamper'..."

  He smiled. "Ravage. Pamper. For me, they mean the same thing. You will have multiple orgasms. That's all you need to know."

  "Did anyone ever tell you that you're awfully confident in your ravaging skills?"

  He grinned. "They have. For example, you." He kissed me again. "All this talk of ravaging and I'll be unable to wait." He pulled me more tightly against his body so that I could feel his hardness.

  "Patience is a virtue," I quipped. Then Sophie let out a yelp and we turned to see that she'd crawled under the side table and banged her head when she sat up and now, couldn't get herself out.

  Drake let go of me and went right over, picking her up and kissing her cheeks.

  "That'll teach mommy and daddy to kiss and hug when Sophie's on the floor crawling around," he said and rubbed her head. "What were you doing? Getting trapped in the corner? You have to learn how to turn around. It's a great skill."

  "She's trying to pull herself up on things," I said, smiling as I watched them together. "The days of putting her down and being able to leave her are gone. We're going to have to watch her every move."

  "They are and we will. She's getting so mobile so fast. I'm glad I can be here to watch her instead of being away all the time she's awake. Maybe all this is for the best. If I was still at NYU, I'd be working twelve-hour days at the hospital and would be away from you both all the time. Now, I'll have more freedom."

  "You should still be at NYU. It's not fair that you've had to give up your career because of all this."

  "I haven’t given it up. I've just put it on hold for a while. I'll be able to go back to finish my Fellowship next year. I'll be able to work again. Right now, I have other things – family things – to figure out. I feel blessed despite the trial and everything."

  We smiled at each other and I knew what Drake was thinking. He was thinking how lucky we were to have each other and to have Sophie.

  "We are blessed. We have Sophie. You now have a relationship with Liam, and one day, maybe even Liam can live with us. I can imagine him playing with Sophie, showing her his toys and enjoying being a big brother to her."

  "You can’t believe how much it warms my heart to imagine that day,
" Drake said, his voice breaking. "I have to do everything right for the next six months so I can go before a judge and convince him that I'm fit to be a custodial parent. I hope all this dies down by then."

  Then his cell dinged to indicate a new text. He removed it from his jacket pocket and read for a moment.

  "Our cup runneth over. An invite for a special dinner at the O'Riley's place this Sunday." He glanced up at me. "Sounds like a good diversion. I know Mrs. O would love to see both of us."

  "We should go," I said. "Weren't you going to practice with the band this weekend?"

  "We are planning to practice on Sunday afternoon. I could go and then we could have dinner afterwards. We're playing on the following Tuesday night at O'Rileys to get me back into the swing of things."

  I went to him while he texted a response. "I want us to move back."

  "I know," he said and kissed me. "We have to talk to Ethan. See what we can arrange for the fall. If Maureen is going to stay with Chris, we could move Liam to Manhattan to start school in August. Ethan could spend spring, summer and fall in Manhattan and winters in San Francisco."

  "That sounds perfect. I can wait until August to return. Maybe by then things will be figured out with Liam."

  "Maybe," Drake said and sent his email message. He glanced up. "There. We've got our weekend planned. Maybe we can go to Coney Island on Saturday."

  I nodded, happy to be doing a few touristy things since we were only in town for such a short time. I wanted to move back right away, but I didn't want to leave my father and Elaine... It would be a few months and we could move back. That wasn't too long.

  I'd find more than enough to do in San Francisco to keep me occupied until then. Now all we had to do was convince my dad. It would be easy enough. After all, his entire life was in Manhattan, just as mine was. His friends, his son and grandkids. His associations. Elaine's family was there, too.