The Family Next Door

by Heather D'Agostino

  As Charlie scampered off, Hannah led Katie down the hall to her and Matt’s room. Once inside, she closed the door and sat them on the bed. Katie continued to cry as she rolled to her side, and curled into a ball.

  “I’ve never seen him like that,” she hiccupped. “He was so angry.”

  “I’m sure whatever he said, he didn’t mean it,” Hannah soothed. “This is big news. How did you tell him?”

  “I didn’t,” Katie glanced up as she heard the door open and saw Matt slip inside.

  “What do you mean, you didn’t,” he pursed his lips and crossed his arms as he stood by the bed. Concern coursed through him, for her, and for his best friend.

  “I mean,” she sat up and wiped her eyes. “He stopped at the drug store, and the pharmacist told him by mistake.”

  “Oh man,” Matt sighed. “So you blindsided him?”

  “I’m an awful person,” Katie buried her face in her hands.

  “No, you’re not,” Hannah slid closer as she looked up at Matt for help.

  “Listen,” he sat beside his wife. “Being told you’re a dad is hard enough when it comes from somebody you can’t stand, but finding out that someone you love is keeping it from you…I can’t even imagine how Patrick feels right now. I hated Megan for springing Charlie on me like she did, but now that I’ve had time to bond with him…I wouldn’t change anything about it. I love that little boy. What I’m trying to say is, Patrick will love this baby, too. You just need to give him time.”

  “He didn’t want a baby,” Katie looked over at Matt with pleading eyes. “I didn’t give him a choice here.”

  “And you think I had one?” Matt’s eyes flash. “Listen,” he tried again. “I’ll talk to him,” he stood and made his way toward the door. “I’ll find him and talk to him.”

  “Thanks,” Hannah whispered as Matt disappeared out the door.

  “What am I going to do?” Katie’s face crumpled as she leaned against Hannah’s side. “How am I ever going to get him to trust me again?”

  “This will all work out, you’ll see,” Hannah sighed as she wrapped her arm tighter around Katie’s shoulders. “Now, why don’t you sleep here tonight? You can take the guest room, and I’ll tell Matt to let Patrick know you’re here.”

  “Thanks,” Katie mumbled dejectedly as she stood and shuffled toward the door. “I’m going to go to bed now.”

  “Anything you need, you let me know,” Hannah gave a half smile as Katie disappeared into the hallway to make her way to the room next door.

  ooooooooo

  When Patrick came out of the men’s room, Tinsley was leaning up against the wall across from him. She had one foot pressed flat on the wall behind her, causing her knee to bend and her skirt to rise in front. Her head was tilted down slightly, causing her soft brown hair to billow around her shoulders. Her eyes were hooded and filled with lust. She bit the side of her lower lip as she looked up at him, standing there staring at her.

  Patrick grinned and swayed slightly in his drunken state. She was a sight to behold, and she didn’t want anything but him. His wife had turned him down so many times in the past four months that his body was craving attention. His muddled brain didn’t care at the moment that this attention was not from his wife, the one he should be with. All he wanted was to escape it all, to make all the lonely nights, the lies, and the fighting go away.

  He staggered forward, and leaned into Tinsley as his eyes dipped down to stare at her lips.

  “Are you sure about this?” she darted her eyes up to his. She wanted him, there was no doubt about that, but she wanted it to be mutual.

  Patrick didn’t say anything, he only licked his bottom lip as he pressed his body closer. The fact that they were in the hallway of the bathrooms at a bar didn’t even matter to him at the moment. He was drunk enough that he just wanted her right there.

  “You’re stalling,” he growled as he pressed himself flush with her and slammed his mouth against hers.

  An animalistic sound reverberated through him as her hands ran up his chest, and wrapped around his neck. She thrust her hips forward to rub against him as he nipped her lower lip. The aggressive Patrick, the one he’d long buried before marrying Katie, began to surface as the kiss grew. Gone were the soft caresses he shared with his wife, as rough grabbing and small bites continued.

  When he felt her hand trail down below his waist and cup him through his pants, he wrenched his mouth away. As he staggered backwards in the direction of the opposite wall, Tinsley blinked at him in a daze.

  “What’s wrong?” she gasped.

  “I can’t do this,” he panted. “I can’t…” he shook his head. “I love my wife, I can’t do this.”

  A scowl began to work its way across Tinsley’s features as she watched him battle with himself, “What the hell was that, then?”

  “A mistake,” he shook his head. “A stupid mistake.”

  “We’ll see,” Tinsley gave him a disgusted look as she straightened her clothes and marched back out into the bar to pay her tab and leave.

  When Patrick rounded the corner, he stopped dead in his tracks. There standing at the door talking to the bouncer was none other than his best friend. Matt was animated, waving his hands in the air, no doubt asking if anyone had seen Patrick. The bouncer then pointed in the direction of the bar and nodded.

  Patrick quickly made his way back to his stool just as Matt approached him.

  “Dude, you need to talk to your wife,” Matt clapped him on the back.

  Patrick turned his head to see his best friend’s pleading eyes. “I can’t.”

  “Yeah…you can. I’ve been there, remember?” Matt slowly slid onto the seat beside Patrick. “I know what you’re going through, but you need to talk to your wife,” he ordered a beer as he settled in for the conversation he was going to force Patrick to have.

  As the two friends sat in silence, Patrick began replaying what had just happened in the hallway with Tinsley. A sick feeling settled in his stomach as he thought about how her body felt against his. When the bartender brought him a water, he glanced at Matt.

  “Dude, you’ve had enough,” Matt sighed.

  Patrick dropped his head in his hands, “How could she lie to me like that? All those nights of not wanting me to touch her. Four months, man! All those days of making excuses on why she had to work late?”

  “She was scared,” Matt mumbled as he placed the beer bottle to his lips and took a long pull. “She’s been over at my place for the last two hours crying her eyes out. She thinks you hate her.”

  “I don’t hate her, I love her. But she lied to me,” Patrick lifted his head to look at Matt. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to trust her now.” The wounded look in his eyes was painful for his friend to witness. Matt had no answers; all he could do was offer silent empathy.

  When the words fell from Patrick’s lips, a sense of guilt and remorse stabbed through him, and he looked away, only to stare at his reflection in the mirror behind the bar. How could he be mad at her after what he’d just done? He was drunk, yes, and hurt, but that was no excuse.

  ooooooooo

  The longer he sat there thinking about it, the more he wondered if he would have gone through with it. Would he have cheated? Could he throw away the marriage that he’d worked so hard for? He and Katie had been through a lot in the last ten years. They’d built a friendship, turned it into something more, and then fought to keep it that way. When the universe tried to pull them apart, they’d battled back against it and became even stronger. Images of their years together drifted through his mind.

  Remorse gripped him, and his head dropped forward into his hands as the last of the anger melted completely away.

  After a few minutes, Patrick glanced at Matt again. “Oh man...the things I said to her...the things I did... I made an ass of myself... What should I do now? What if she won’t forgive me?”

  Matt shook his head and chuckled, “I can’t believe you’re the one askin
g me for advice. I mean…I’m the screw-up in this weird friendship.”

  “Yeah well…I think I’m the screw-up tonight,” Patrick groaned.

  “First, you need to go home and sleep this off. Then you need to get your ass over to my place and talk to your wife. Bring flowers, and plan to spend a lot of time on your knees begging her to forgive your sorry ass,” he slapped Patrick on the back.

  “You really think that’ll work?” Patrick cocked his head to the side.

  “She loves you, she’ll forgive you. Bring flowers though…I’ve had a lot of practice with this on her sister. Those women love flowers,” Matt chuckled.

  “Thanks man,” Patrick sighed as he reached to pull his wallet from his back pocket. “I got this,” he tossed some bills on the bar to cover their tab, and stood to put his jacket on. “Think you could give me a ride? I don’t think I should be driving tonight.”

  “Sure thing,” Matt stepped back to let Patrick pass as the two men headed for the door.

  ooooooooo

  “You’re a good friend,” Patrick glanced over at Matt as they drove along the streets of Boston heading to the McKinley home.

  “Thanks, but it’s no biggie. I figured I owed you after all the times you’ve been there for me,” Matt shrugged as he pulled the car into Patrick’s driveway. “Hey,” Matt reached for Patrick’s sleeve as he started to climb out. “Hannah called me…said Katie’s asleep at our place…I’ll make sure she stays until you come over in the morning. Get some sleep.”

  “Thanks,” Patrick waved as he stepped out of the car and stumbled toward his front door.

  After Matt had pulled away, Patrick sighed as he made his way inside. Thoughts of Tinsley and their moment in the hallway began to assail him. As the guilt settled deeper in his heart, he struggled to breathe. How could he have done that and what exactly would it mean for the two of them at work?

  As he removed his jacket, he flopped down on the couch still fully clothed and flicked on the TV. Too many things were running through his mind at the moment for him to even think about sleeping. He didn’t deserve a night of rest after the way he’d behaved earlier. Nope, he didn’t think he could punish himself enough.

  ooooooooo

  He had to prove to Katie how sorry he really was, and hope that she didn’t find out about his little indiscretion. He wasn’t sure how he’d do that, but he knew he had to try.

  Chapter 12

  The next morning when Katie awoke, it took her a moment to remember where she was. When she heard the laughter and muffled voices coming through the closed bedroom door, it all started coming back to her. She wiped at her eyes and sighed as she rolled to the side to get out of bed. She was still wearing her rumpled scrubs from the day before and was in desperate need of a shower. Her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying the night before, and her stomach growled in protest from her lack of nourishment.

  “Aunt Katie,” Charlie’s sweet voice came through the door. “Breakfast is ready if you want to eat with us.”

  “I’m coming,” Katie’s voice cracked as she responded.

  “Ok,” he called, and then she heard his footsteps as he scampered away.

  When she turned to look in the mirror that was hanging over the dresser, she frowned. She looked awful. Her hair was a tangled mess, and makeup streaked down her face. A stain from where she had spilled her coffee the day before was still visible on her top. She shook her head in disgust and rose to a standing position.

  Then, something amazing happened. Just as she was about to step toward the door, she felt a slight fluttery sensation just under her navel. At first she thought it might be a gas bubble, but then she felt it again, only this time it was slightly to the side. Her mouth dropped open as the physician side of her brain began to figure out exactly what was happening. Seventeen weeks was a little early for a first time mom, but it was still possible.

  As this new information settled in her brain, she sat back down on the edge of the bed. A smile formed as she placed her hand on her abdomen. When she felt the flutter a third time, she noticed that she couldn’t feel it with her hand. It wasn’t strong enough yet. This was something special, something that only she could experience at the moment.

  A tear made its way to the corner of her eye, and slowly tried to leak out as she thought about the fact that she was experiencing this alone. Patrick might not have been able to feel the baby, but this was something that she wanted to share with her husband.

  Her husband... that thought alone made the tears fall unchecked. How was she ever going to fix this? She had spent the better part of the night tossing and turning in bed, hoping that Matt found him. By the time Matt had returned she’d finally fallen asleep.

  After wiping the tears from her eyes, she stood, and made her way over to the door. She’d have a quick bite to eat with Hannah, and then go home to try and fix this mess. Oh, if only I hadn’t gone on and on about wanting a baby before this happened...

  “There you are,” Hannah smiled when Katie entered the room. “I was beginning to wonder if you fell back asleep. Charlie had said he woke you.”

  “Sorry,” Katie grimaced. “I didn’t know you guys were waiting on me.”

  “We’re not,” Charlie mumbled around a mouthful of waffles.

  “Charlie!” Hannah scolded. “Don’t be rude.”

  “Sorry,” Charlie’s chin dropped to his chest as he reached to take a sip of his juice.

  “It’s ok,” Katie twisted her lip between her teeth. “I don’t want him to be late for school or anything.”

  “He still needs to act like a gentleman,” Hannah narrowed her eyes at Charlie just as Matt sat down, took a huge gulp of milk, and then belched. “Ugh!” Hannah rolled her eyes.

  Katie giggled slightly, “Relax.”

  “Sorry…how are you this morning?” Hannah rounded the table and placed a plate of waffles in front of Matt as she offered Katie a cup of coffee.

  “Better,” Katie nodded. She glanced down at her stomach thinking about what happened in the room, and decided to keep that little moment to herself until she could share it with Patrick. “Did you talk to him last night?” she looked over at Matt.

  “Un huh,” Matt nodded as he placed his glass back on the table. “You guys are going to be fine. He feels terrible. We talked, and then I took him home. He promised that he’d talk to you. Just give him time. He needs to get used to the idea,” he grimaced. “Having this thrown at you when you aren’t expecting it sucks. Whatever you do, just give him time.”

  “Thanks,” Katie smiled at her brother-in-law. “I owe you.”

  “Yep…you do, and I’m going to cash in when I want to take my wife away for the weekend sometime. You can keep Charlie. It’ll help you get ready for that one,” Matt pointed at Katie’s belly.

  “Gee…thanks,” Katie rolled her eyes. “Well I need to get going. I’ve got to work today, and I really need a shower first. Thanks for everything,” she stood and hugged her sister before heading out the front door to go home.

  ooooooooo

  When Patrick awoke that morning, his head pounded in protest to the sunlight streaming into the bedroom. He groaned as he rubbed his eyes, and rolled to the side to check the time on the bedside clock. Seven-fifteen glared back at him in bright red numbers. He grumbled as he reached out and felt around for his phone. When his fingers brushed over it, he sighed in relief, and fumbled to dial his office. The phone rang twice before someone picked up on the other end.

  “Covington Heart Clinic, please hold,” a voice chirped through the line.

  Patrick scowled as he shifted in the bed. He wanted to take the day off, and spend it trying to make up for the way he acted toward his wife. After a few moments of silence, the line came back to life, “Thanks for holding. How can I help you?”

  “This is Doctor McKinley. I need to take today off. I had a family situation come up,” Patrick shifted as he moved to stand, and squeezed the phone between his shoulder and ear.
“Yes, I’ll be back in tomorrow,” he moved over to the dresser on the far wall to pull out a pair of clean boxers, his eyes flashing when he caught a smudge of red lipstick on his neck. “Thanks,” he clicked the phone shut, and leaned closer to the mirror to examine his neck.

  Panic began to set in as he scrambled to the bathroom, and turned the shower on as hot as he could stand it. He leaned over the sink, glaring at the offending mark as steam billowed into the air. The night before began coming back in pieces as he rubbed at his neck. He shook his head in disgust. How could he have done that? Sure, Patrick had been a lady’s man back in his youth, but he’d never cheated on a woman before. He couldn’t deny that, before Katie, he’d worn the title of playboy with pride. Now, after seeing the lipstick on his neck, and remembering what almost happened, he felt dirty and cheap.

  When he stepped into the shower, he moved under the almost scalding water, letting it run over him to remove all traces of Tinsley. He scrubbed vigorously at his skin until it was screaming red in protest. As he eyed Katie’s body wash, he almost squirted some in his mouth, wanting to sanitize it from Tinsley’s kiss. Remembering what it was like as a child when his mom punished him by putting soap in his mouth, he decided against it.

  As he stepped out of the shower, wrapped a plush towel around his hips, and made his way into the bedroom, the guilt began flooding back. How could he be mad at Katie for hiding the baby, when he was hiding what happened last night? He had no intention of telling her about Tinsley. Katie already didn’t trust her, this would just add to that. He still had to work, and making the already uncomfortable situation worse was not going to help.

  After stepping into a pair of clean boxers, pulling on a pair of sweats, and tugging a t-shirt over his head, he made his way down to the kitchen. Noticing the answering machine flashing with a message, he punched the button and listened as Hannah let him know that Katie was on her way home. The least he could do was cook breakfast.

  He’d just finished brewing coffee, and was starting to make toast when he heard her car pull in the driveway. Swallowing nervously, he unconsciously squared his shoulders as he prepared for the unknown of the next few minutes.