Ready Or Not Prologue

OKDeanna's Passions Fan Fiction Forum > Kay & Reese Stories > Ready Or Not Prologue - Ch 2
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Subject: Ready Or Not Prologue - Ch 2
Posted By: OKDeanna - ezOP
Posts: 325
Posted At: (8/23/03 6:48 am)
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Ready Or Not

Author: Deanna (OKDeanna)
Email: okdeanna@yahoo.com

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Prologue

"Ready or not, here I come!"

Katherine Bennett smiled as the voice of her five-year-old daughter floated in through the open living room window then chuckled a few seconds later when she heard Bryant, one of her daughters best friends, yell out whether or not Kelsey was hot or cold in the direction of her pursuit. Half a second later, Amanda, her daughter's other best friend, yelled out that Bryant was helping Kelsey to cheat.

Katherine shook her head at the familiar argument that followed then raised her arm and used the back of her hand to wipe the sweat from her brow. She definitely wasn't going to miss the arguments between Amanda and Kelsey, but she knew her daughter would. Her daughter would miss both her friends terribly.

She really hated that Kelsey had to leave her friends behind, but she knew from experience that her daughter would bounce back quickly. She'd never let anything keep her down too long. She had too much energy for that.

She shook her head again then scooted her chair back, wincing only slightly as the wooden legs scraped against the tiled kitchen floor, and slowly got to her feet. Once she was standing, she walked over to the sink, grabbed a dishcloth out of a nearby drawer, and turned on the faucet letting the cold water soak into the rag. When it was good and wet, she turned the faucet back off and rung the excess water off before reaching up to take off her glasses and using the rag to rinse off her face.

That was one good thing about leaving Texas and returning to Maine, she thought inwardly sighing as she wiped the cold rag across her face, the climate was a lot cooler there than it is in Texas. One good thing out of a thousand bad. She shook her head then drew in a slow deep breath. Maybe going home wasn't such a good idea. She wasn't at all sure she was ready for the fireworks her return was bound to cause. Her parents would go ballistic when they found out she'd kept Kelsey a secret from them and she didn't even want to think about the reaction she'd get from Kelsey's father.

It had been almost six years since she'd seen him, since she'd seen anyone from Harmony, and she knew he had to wonder about her reasons for leaving home like she did. Yes, she'd been able to hide her retreat by way of college, but she'd dropped out after the first semester and she knew they all wondered why. But they wouldn't wonder for very much longer, she thought, because soon they'd know the real reason behind not only her departure from Harmony but also her dropping out of school as well.

She turned to look back out the window at her daughter and her friends and couldn't stop the proud smile that formed upon her face. She may have had to give up college and go to work so she could support her daughter and herself, but there was no way she would ever regret it. Her daughter was the best thing that had ever happened to her. It may not have seemed like it six years ago when she first found out she was pregnant, but she'd certainly learned it the first time she'd looked into her daughters crystal blue eyes. So much trust and so much faith had been reflected in those small blue irises that she'd made a promise to God then and there to change her ways. And she had.

The moment she left the hospital with Kelsey was the same moment the Katherine Bennett emerged. Gone was the naļve seventeen-year-old self-centered, egotistical brat and in her place was the mother of a two-day-old baby girl. She still had no idea how she'd made it through those first few days without having a clue as to what she was supposed to do. The only explanation she had for the events that had taken place was that her guardian angel had been watching over her and Kelsey. It was the only thing that made sense to her. Kelsey had been conceived because of a misguided attempt to get back what had never belonged to her in the first place, but she quickly became her own private miracle. A miracle she thanked God for every single day.

"Sweetheart?" She called out with a smile, a smile that widened when her daughter's familiar blue eyes swung in her direction. "You need to come inside. It's getting late and we still have to pack up the rest of your room."

Kelsey gave her her infamous 'ah mom' look then said a quick goodbye to her friends and raced inside the house. "Do we really have to move, mom? I don't want to go."

Katherine sighed. How many times had she heard those two phrases over the last couple of weeks? She knew she'd said them herself about a thousand times. "Yes, sweetheart, we do. Aren't you the least bit excited to see your grandma and grandpa and aunts?"

"I suppose." Kelsey mumbled. "But why haven't I ever met them before? Why can't they come here? I don't want to move!"

"I know you don't, sweetheart, and I know you don't understand why we have to, but I'm hoping you'll give Maine a chance. You might find you like it better than Texas." Especially when you find out your father lives there, Katherine thought her eyelids falling closed as an image of his face flashed in her mind. Oh god, I hope I'm ready to face him again. I hope he's ready to face me again too.

And she really hoped he was ready to hear the news that they'd created a child together on that night six years ago, because ready or not, Katherine Marie Bennett was going home and her daughter was coming with her.

Chapter One - One Week later…

Katherine pulled up to the curb in front of her parent's modest two-story house then slowly reached down and shut off the car engine. Her stomach had been in a thousand knots ever since she'd seen the "Welcome to Harmony" sign a few miles back, but now, sitting in front of her parent's house, the knots grew even tighter.

Was she really ready to face all the people she'd left behind six years ago? Was she really ready to face the questions? The disappointment? The hurt?

No, she thought closing her eyes, she wasn't. But she was going to do it anyway. It was way past time she faced her demons. Way past time.

Turning to her right, she reached out and softly touched her sleeping daughter's shoulder. "Sweetheart? We're here."

Tired eyed slowly opened and looked at her and a second later, a soft yawn escaped into the air. "Are we at Maine?"

Katherine smiled. "Yes, we're in Maine. In fact, we're at your grandma and grandpa's house."

"Are we going to go in?" Kelsey asked, peeking around her to look up at the house. "'Cause I have to go to the bathroom."

Katherine shook her head then reached behind her and opened her car door. "Yes, we're going in."

At least I hope we are, she thought as she slowly exited the car and waited for her daughter to scoot across the seat and join her on the curb. What if they didn't welcome her back with open arms? What if they didn't want to see her?

Her daughter silently slipped her hand inside her own and the anxiety that had overtaken her disappeared immediately. There was no way they wouldn't welcome her back. She may have left and not contacted them, but they were still her parents and she knew without a doubt that they still loved her. She also knew they loved her daughter. She didn't know how she knew that considering they had no idea Kelsey even existed, but she knew it just the same.

Katherine drew in a deep breath then glanced down at her daughter and softly squeezed her hand. "You ready?"

Kelsey nodded and looked up at her with wide blue eyes. "Are you?"

As I'll ever be, she thought with a small smile. "Absolutely. Let's go see your grandma and grandpa, hmm?"

And just like that Kelsey let go of her hand and raced up the steps. "Can I ring the bell?"

She was about to tell her to wait until she joined her on the porch to ring the bell, but the sudden opening of the door caught her by surprise and before she knew it, she was face to face with her father. "Kay."

"Hey, Dad." She replied her voice so low she wasn't at all sure she'd voiced the words aloud. It didn't really matter though because a second later, her father's arms were wrapped around her. She closed her eyes as the last of her doubts disappeared then popped them back open again when she felt a small tug on the hem of her shirt.

"Moooom," Her daughter whined. "I gotta go real bad."

Her father pulled back immediately and the shock on his face was almost as apparent as the shock on her mother's who had just appeared in the doorway. "Mom?"

She nodded. "Mom, Dad, meet your granddaughter, Kelsey Miranda Bennett."

* * * * *

Things had gone easier than she expected them to, Katherine thought with a smile. Her parents had been positively great with Kelsey - and with her. They hadn't asked a lot of questions yet, but she knew they would and she promised herself she would answer them truthfully. There was only one question she wouldn't answer and she really hoped they didn't ask it. There was just no way she could tell them who Kelsey's father was. Not until she told him first anyway.

Her eyes fell closed as a swatch of cool air washed over her and with it came a ton of memories. How long had it been since she'd just sat outside and listened to the night? Let the quiet stillness of it calm her too overworked nerves?

Way too long, she thought opening her eyes just in time to see a star shoot across the darkened sky. She smiled. "Make a wish, Kay."

"Took the words right out of my mouth."

Katherine froze at the sound of his voice. She hadn't expected to hear it on her first night home and she sure hadn't expected to hear it in her parent's backyard with her daughter sleeping just upstairs. She swallowed hard then slowly turned her head to look at him. The boy she expected to see definitely wasn't the man standing in front of her.

He seemed taller than she remembered. And his hair looked a little bit darker too. Even his eyes looked different. It wasn't just the fact that he no longer wore glasses either. No, they seemed deeper somehow, more…mysterious. Mysterious? She furrowed her brow at that thought then shook her head, choosing to ignore her brain's demand that she allow it to search for other signs of change.

"Hello, Kay." He replied with a warm smile. "It's been a long time."

She opened her mouth, intending to answer him, but a high pieced scream suddenly pierced the night air and the moment she recognized it she took off running. She reached her daughter's side in record speed and stopped short when she saw her mother had already beaten her to it. "Mom, I can take it from here."

She could tell her mother wanted to ask her something, but she was grateful she didn't. She couldn't deal with the questions AND her daughter's nightmares. Not at the same time anyway. Katherine quickly crossed to her daughter's side - taking the spot her mother vacated - then wrapped her arms around her daughter and pulled her tight against her chest. "It's okay, sweetheart, momma's here."

She heard someone draw in a quick intake of breath and she knew even before she looked up whom she would find standing in the doorway. "Reese."

* * * * *

Reese Durkee felt the air leave his lungs the moment Kay wrapped her arms around the little girl, but somehow he still managed to draw in a breath of surprise when she spoke. "It's okay, sweetheart, momma's here."

Dear god, Kay had a little girl. Of all the things he'd imagined about her over the years somehow, her with a child was the one thing he'd never been able to see. At least not without feeling a sharp stick of pain inside his chest. The pain didn't come this time, however. No, this time the only thing he felt was surprise.

She looked up at him and the surprise on her face was as clear as the name she whispered, "Reese."

He swallowed…hard…and somehow managed to mumble out some words, but he had absolutely no clue as to what they were. He was too shocked to have said anything coherent.

"Reese?" Grace called out softly from behind him. "I didn't know you were here."

He nodded. Slowly. "Jessica called me at work and told me Kay was home and that I should come over and see her."

Grace smiled. "I figured as much. Jessica is really excited about being an aunt and I'm sure she couldn't wait to tell you."

"She…she didn't tell me." Reese replied, somewhat stupefied.

"Oh." Grace said her smile turning into a small frown. "Well, she probably just wanted to surprise you."

He certainly was that. Actually, surprised really didn't cover what he was at the moment. He wasn't sure any word could. "How long will Kay be in town for?"

"I'm not sure. We didn't know she was coming and she really hasn't said much."

He nodded. "Then…then you don't know who the father is?"

Grace shook her head. "I get the feeling he isn't in the picture and hasn't been for quite sometime."

Reese froze at that knowledge. "How old is…how old is Kay's daughter?"

"Kelsey turned five two months ago." Came a familiar voice.

A quick calculation had Reese reaching out to grab a nearby doorframe. When he finally caught his balance he turned toward Kay, completely forgetting about the fact that they weren't alone. "She's mine, isn't she? She's my daughter."

"Yes," Kay replied in a voice that belied the look in her eyes. "Kelsey is your daughter."

Chapter Two

For several seconds, as his mind tried to digest the meaning behind Kay's admission, Reese stood frozen and then somehow - and he had absolutely no idea how - he managed to remind himself to breathe. But it took him at least another sixty seconds to remember how to speak. "A daughter? I have a daughter?"

"Yes." Kay said, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "You have a daughter. We have a daughter."

Reese blinked at her use of the word we. He'd never forgotten the night they'd spent together or how regretful she was the next morning. It was something he'd never forgiven himself for. Yet hearing that they'd made a child that night, a part of both of them, he could no longer think of it as the bad judgment call he'd once told himself it was. They'd created something that night. They'd created a living breathing person and…and she was sleeping in the bedroom right down the hall from where he stood. "I…I want to see her."

"Reese?" Grace whispered, her hand gently touching his arm as he made a move to walk down the hallway toward the room where his daughter slept. "She's asleep and you're still in shock. Don't you think it would be best to wait until morning?"

"Yes, but…" He closed his eyes for a moment, drawing in a deep breath, and when he opened them again, he looked at Kay. "I want to see her. I have to see her."

Kay nodded then turned toward her mother. "It's okay, mom. Reese won't wake her."

Reese glanced at Kay, thanking her with his eyes, then turned and slowly made his way down the hallway toward the partially open bedroom door on his right. The sound of his own footsteps increased in volume with every inch of carpet he covered, but by the time he stopped outside the door, it was the sound of his own heartbeat that overran everything else.

With a shaking hand, Reese reached forward and slowly eased open the door in front of him. It only took one glance at the little girl inside, her eyes closed in peaceful sleep, for his heart to constrict in his chest and tears to blur his eyes. A second later, he parted his lips and whispered softly, "My daughter."

Feeling an unexpected tug to move closer, Reese slowly advanced into the room. He could feel Kay's eyes on him as he walked inside, closer to the bed that held their sleeping daughter, but he couldn't turn and look at her. He couldn't do much of anything except stare in wondrous fascination at the beautiful angelic girl hugging a small brown teddy bear, peace and serenity written into her young features.

Lowering himself down until his weight rested on his haunches, Reese watched his daughter pull in breath after sleep filled breath. He became mesmerized by the sound of her breathing, the shape of her face, the color of her hair. He was completely captivated, so captivated that when a lock of hair fell across her eyes blocking his view, he reached out to move it.

"Reese." Kay whispered softly, her voice drifting to him from the doorway. "Don't. You might wake her."

At her words, his hand immediately dropped back to his side and then, reluctantly, he pushed to his feet and turned his attention away from the angel sleeping peacefully in the small twin sized bed. As he began to walk back toward the door - back toward Kay - his shock over his newfound parenthood gave way to a sudden burst anger, anger that took all the self-control he possessed not to unleash.

Making sure to keep his voice low so as not to wake their daughter, Reese met Kay's eyes and angrily whispered, "You should have told me. You had no right to keep this from me."

"You're right." She nodded, her words spoken so low he almost missed them entirely. "I should have told you."

"So why didn't you?" He asked, his eyes narrowing in on hers. "Why didn't you tell me I was going to be a father? Didn't you think I'd want to know? Didn't you think I deserved to know?"

Reese shook his head then walked past her out into the hall, knowing he needed to get control of himself but not having a clue how to go about it. "How could you have kept this from me, Kay? How could you -"

"Reese?" Grace gently interrupted. "Don't you think you two should talk about this downstairs? Or maybe even tomorrow after you've had more time to adjust to the news?"

"I'll go downstairs," He answered, his eyes once again locking with Kay's. "But there is no way I'm waiting until tomorrow to have this discussion."

* * * * *

Kay cleared the last step of the stairs then drew in a slow deep breath. She'd thought about the upcoming conversation every day since the day learned she was pregnant and even though several years had passed since then, she still had absolutely no clue as to what to say. What could she say? There was no way to justify her keeping the fact that he was going to be a father from him. No way to justify waiting five years to tell him of Kelsey's existence.

She shook her head. "Do you mind if we go outside to talk? I really need the air."

He shrugged then swept a hand toward the front door. "Be my guest. As long as you tell me your reasons for keeping my daughter a secret from me, I really don't care where we talk."

Kay briefly closed her eyes at the anger she heard in his voice then quickly made her way toward the front door and opened it, stepping outside into the cool night air a moment later. She heard Reese close the door behind them and was surprised that there was barely any sound. As angry as he was, she would have expected him to shut the door a lot harder.

Then again how did she know what to expect from Reese's showing of temper? She'd never seen him angry before. Not even when she'd told him -

"Why?" He questioned, his voice holding a mixture of anger and hurt. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Kay closed her eyes. "I could tell you it was because I was scared. Or that I was confused. Or even ashamed. But that wouldn't even begin to cover it. The truth of the matter is, I was selfish. I was so damn selfish. I kept the truth from you because I was afraid that everyone would find out what happened that night and then they would know the awful things I did. All the schemes I concocted. All the lies I told. I was petrified of that. I don't think the fact that I was pregnant even really hit me until I was gone and by then I was all the things I wasn't at first - scared, confused, ashamed. I think I was mostly just ashamed at that point."

"Because you were pregnant?" Reese asked his voice sounding distant and cold. "Or because you were pregnant by me?"

Kay's eyes popped open at that and she quickly turned around to face him. "My being ashamed had nothing to do with you. It had to do with me. I did some awful, horrible things. I was so blind to so many things for so very long. I didn't see anything past what I wanted or what I thought I deserved. That night, the night we…the night Kelsey was conceived, was both the worst and best night of my life. The actions I took that night and the events that happened the next morning forced me to take a really good look at myself and the person I'd become, I didn't like what I saw. Not at all."

"I think that was the day I first decided to leave Harmony." She shook her head. "I knew the only way my parents would let me go was if I got accepted into college somewhere so I searched through all the applications I'd gotten in the mail and I filled them all out one by one."

Reese took a step closer then shook his head. "When did you find out you were pregnant?"

"The same day you told me you had been accepted to Yale." She answered with a small smile. "And the same day I found out I'd been accepted to Texas A & M."

It was also the same day Charity and Miguel announced they'd both been accepted to NYU and planned to apply for married housing, she thought her smile fading at the memory. She'd already accepted that Miguel would never be hers by then, but their announcement had still caused her an incredible amount of pain. "I knew if my parents found out that I was pregnant that I'd end up having to stay in Harmony and that was something I just couldn't do."

"You could have told me." He accused, his voice once again filled with hurt and anger. "I deserved to know, Kay. It was my child too."

She shook her head. "How was I supposed to tell you that I was pregnant when you'd just told me that you couldn't wait to go to Yale? That you'd dreamed of going there your whole life. That your father had gone there and you couldn't wait to carry on the tradition."

"That's no excuse." He said, raising a hand to run it over his face. "You still should have told me."

"I know." She whispered softly. "I was wrong to keep it from you and the only thing I can say is I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." He replied, his voice tight with emotion. "I really would have liked to have been there when my daughter was born. After all, I was there when she was conceived."

To Be Continued...

Edited by: OKDeanna at: 12/8/06 7:35 pm

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