Part Ninety-One

Kalen was still in the baby room when I got back and I went in search of the head nurse that I had met early this morning. She had asked for my autograph and then showed me how to change Kalen.

“Morning, how soon will Kalen be discharged?” I asked her.

“She’s perfectly fine, we normally discharge mom and baby together,” she said.

“Yeah but can I take her home today?” I asked.

“Of course, your wife will only be discharged tomorrow,” she said.

“Can you please get her paperwork ready, I’ve already filled in all the forms to register her,” I said.

“No problem Mr. Hawthorne. Kalen should be ready to go home within the hour,” she said.

I looked at Kalen once again and then headed to Madison’s room. She was sitting upright and eating breakfast when I opened the door.

“Have you seen her?” she asked me.

“I never left last night,” I said.

“Can we talk please?” she asked me.

“About?”

“I don’t like where we are with each other. When Kalen and I go home, things will get worse before they get better, less sleep and a new routine to fall into,” she said.

“I loved you for a very long time, Madison, for years I dreamed about you, being where we are now. And now I just don’t know how to go back,” I said.

“Kage …” she said softly and then frowned when I handed her the two separate envelopes.

“What’s this?” she asked me.

“I’m taking Kalen home. You broke my heart, Madison, and I just can’t forgive you for that, ever. I want a divorce and I’m also suing you for full custody of Kalen,” I said and turned around to leave.

“Kage … I don’t understand,” she said as my hand froze on the doorknob.

“Jared sent me a picture, one where he thought you were fat, you weren’t, you were pregnant. Then I remembered what Steve told me the first time I met him. He asked me if we were having another child and he seemed confused when I said Kalen was our first child,” I said.

“Kage …”

“I hired a Private Investigator and he found the hospital records where you gave birth to a boy, nine months after I got that acceptance letter to Berkeley. The night you said we had sex for the first time.”

“Kage …” She was crying now but it did nothing to soften my heart.

“Then he found the adoption papers where you had drawn a line through my name on the registry forms because someone had most probably told you that you couldn’t give that baby up for adoption without the father’s signature.”

“I was eighteen, Kage, I couldn’t go to College and you left me,” she said.

“You had a responsibility to me, to that boy,” I said.

“You had just started playing for the Rangers,” she said.

“There is no excuse you can come up with that’ll ever be good enough,” I said.

“Please don’t do this,” she begged.

“Did you ever wonder about him?” I asked her.

“Of course I did!”

“You were never planning on telling me. You lied to me all this time, knowing I had a son out there, knowing what I went through in foster care,” I said.

“He was adopted immediately,” she said.

“What happens to kids whose parents die? They go to foster care, Madison,” I said.

“Is he in foster care?” she asked me.

“Do you really think if my son was in foster care, he’d still be there?” I asked her.

“Please try to understand ….”

“He died, Madison! He died when he was four years old. They were in a car accident and they all died. I’ve been to his grave every single day for the past two months,” I said.

“He’s dead?” she asked me as her voice trembled.

“This is the really funny part, they named him Jeremiah Kage Clifton,” I said.

“Kage … please,” she said.

“Inside one of the envelopes is an address and a key, your stuff is being moved there today. I’ve changed the locks at the condo so don’t even bother trying to get inside. I’ve paid the whole year’s rent in advance for you. Sign the divorce settlement and you can live your life, away from me and away from my daughter.”

“Kage, don’t take her away from me,” she said.

“I hate you, Madison, and I’ll never forgive you for sending my child to his death,” I said and left her room as she called out my name.

The nurse was waiting for me by the nursery and I picked Kalen up from her little plastic cot and slung her baby bag over my shoulder. I signed all the necessary paperwork and walked out of that hospital with my daughter in my arms.

I had three months of unpaid paternity leave and I planned on enjoying every second of it. I strapped Kalen into the baby chair and I drove well below the speed limit back home. She was still sleeping when I unlocked the front door and placed her in her new crib.

I had everything I needed. Natasia and Tiffany had helped me with a list and I had made sure that I wouldn’t have to leave with her out in public unless it was an emergency. My phone was on silent and that night I hardly slept as I kept watching the video screen on the baby monitor to make sure she was okay.

“Be right there!” I said loudly at the knocking on my front door. Kalen was in my arms and I had just changed her diaper and gagged a lot.

“Surprise!” my brothers yelled and Kalen started crying at the sudden loud yelling.

“Nice Endri,” Miles said and slapped him behind his head.

“We came to surprise you at home with a nice brunch,” Luke said and looked around the living room.

“Are you on baby duty while Madison sleeps?” Castiel asked me.

“Madison isn’t here,” I said.

“Is she still in the hospital?” Miles asked.

“I don’t know,” I said as I closed the front door behind them.

“You don’t know? What the fuck kind of answer is that?” Castiel asked.

“Just take Kalen while I get her bottle,” I said and handed her to Castiel.

I made her bottle and tested it against my wrist hoping that I didn’t burn her whole mouth. We had survived the first night and so far she was a good baby. She slept four hours and then I woke her for her bottle, changed her, fed her and put her back to sleep.

Her eyes were half-way closed by the time I put the bottle down on the table next to the rocking chair. The only bad thing about our situation was the nasty diapers she produced on cue every few hours.

“Kage, what’s going on?” Miles asked me.

“I’m divorcing Madison and suing for full custody,” I said as they all stared at me dumbfounded.