Concentrated mistakes - 9. Chapter 9

I must say thanks to Larry for proofing for me. Good job man
Reviews are good.Let me know what you think.

Dane’s POV

He felt as if his world was imploding as he looked at the woman sitting and staring at him. He had told her time and time again never to come to his house, yet here she sits with that fucking silly, innocent, but conniving look on her face.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Nate can’t know about this! Not yet anyway! I need just a little more time! The thoughts kept swirling in his head, threatening to make him temporarily insane. He then remembered his short conversation with Nate. He was the one who had told him that he had a visitor; that means that ……… Dane held his breath and scanned the room.His heart pounded in his chest painfully as his eyes fell on Nate’s.

He was looking from Dane to the woman and then back again. There was confusion in his eyes as he looked at both of them. For a few seconds no one moved.

Nathaniel finally shook his head and walked forward to hand the glass of water to the woman who gulped it down thirstily. She then placed the glass down, turned and looked straight at Dane. “I am done hiding! This kid is yours and I am not going to hide away as if I am ashamed of that! Here is an idea, Dane, get used to it!”

As she delivered her little speech, Dane looked fixedly at Nate. “Dane?” He asked, looking only at him.“Nate”, he hurried over to him and tried to guide him out of the room. “Babe, let’s talk in private, I……”

“No!” He stood where he was, refusing to move. “Who is she?”

“'Babe'? Hold on a minute”, she laughed bitterly. ‘Don’t tell me that you are fucking him!”
"Shut the fuck up Zoe! Nate, just come with me and we can talk in private, please, I’ll explain everything, just ………….,” desperation was creeping into Dane’s voice as he saw the situation getting worst.

“She is pregnant with your child? Tell me that what she has said is a lie, and then I will come with you,” His voice sounded void of emotions and that scared Dane even more. “Tell me”, he insisted, when Dane hesitated.

“Baby, it’s not that simple, just let me explain”, Dane begged. Nathaniel looked at him with his emotionless eyes. Dane breathed a sigh of relief when Nate moved towards a room he used as a study area.

“Well, I’ll just make myself at home then, why don’t I,” shouted Zoe disdainfully.
Nate folded his arms across his chest as he went to stand at the window. He was not looking at Dane. “Tell me everything”, he said quietly.

Dane took a deep breath, hoping that somewhere down the road he ends up with this guy by his side again. “Her name is Zoe Frazer; she attends the same University that I attend. Eight months ago I went to a party, got very drunk and ended up in bed with her. She said she had known me for a while but, to the best of my knowledge, that was the first night I had ever seen her.” He took a deep, steadying breath and looked over at Nate. “Baby, all of this happened before I ever dreamed of getting with you”, he finished.

“And you knew that she was pregnant when?” Nate asked, still not looking at him.

Dane ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled shakily. “She told me two months ago”. He swallowed as Nate spun swiftly around to face him; he was looking at him with disbelief on his face.

“Two months ago,” he stated softly, and then exploded. “You knew for two fucking months and you said nothing!!” He yelled. “Oh, let me guess”, he was speaking softly again. “You hadn’t fucked me yet, had you?” Nate’s voice was dripping with disdain.

“Nate, come on man, this has nothing to do with that”, Dane pleaded. “I wouldn’t -----”

“What wouldn’t you do? Lie to me? Hurt me? Prove that my first assumptions about you were true?”

“Nate, just listen for a minute”, he said desperately, reaching out to touch him.

Nate exploded and this time tears were running down his face. “Don’t touch me! Don’t ever fucking touch me again! Why are you even in here with me? Your family is out there! I have to get the fuck out of here!!” He looked around the room as if he was in prison. He was taking deep heaving breaths as he moved towards the door.

“Nate”, He stopped. “I know that this looks bad right now but please know that I love you very much and---“.

“Love, really? Goodbye Dane and, congratulations”, he said in a strained voice as if he was trying to control his emotions even if it kills him.

Dane watched him walk out. He knew that Nate needed time to process this but he cannot help the feeling of dread that passed over him.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” He exhaled as he got his phone and send out a call.

“Hey, Frank, are you in my neighbourhood? No? Ok? Later man.” He dialled another number, “Jimbo, you anywhere near my house man? No nothing is wrong; I want you to pick Nathaniel up for me. He should be coming down the road from my house”. Nate does not know that most of the guys Dane works with know who he is and his relationship to Dane. He knows of the other guys’ wives and girlfriends as well. It was just like a little insurance thing where they looked out for each other’s families.

“Got him”, Jimbo’s voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

“Thanks man”, he replied and hung up.

How is he going to fix this? Can this be fixed? He suddenly remembered his very pregnant guest.
“So, you are gay now?” asked Zoe with mockery in her voice as he entered the room. “You, who had at least one orgy a week? With girls, I might add. You? Gay?” She laughed humourlessly.

“What do you want Zoe?” Dane asked tiredly. “You can’t have run out of money already.” This was said bitterly.

Dane has been supporting her financially, although there was a good chance that the child she was carrying was not his. He was always careful but that night he had had too much to drink and can’t really remember his encounter with her. She had even admitted that she does not really know who really got her pregnant. When she had contacted Dane and told him that he might be the father of her un-born child, he had freaked out.

He remembers spending a very stressful time at the clinic while he got tested and warned by the nurse who asked him personal and embarrassing questions. Lucky for him, he was clean but he had to do the tests all over again in a few months’ time. This experience was the catalyst that sent him into self-imposed celibacy for a few months before he finally met Nate. Dane had no doubt that he was in love with the younger man.

“This child is yours and you are behaving as if this is only my responsibility, and yes I know that financially you are there, and I am happy for that but there are other things as well. You missed another birthing class again. I was the only one there without a partner. Do you know how pathetic that makes me feel?” She took a deep breath when she was finished and stared at him with stormy blue eyes.

“You travelled all the way over here just to tell me that I missed a birthing class?!” Dane replied, barely able to control his anger. “What the fuck happened to calling? Is something wrong with your damn phone? And what the hell is up with this bag?” he pointed to the travelling bag on the floor, “I pay the rent on your flat so I know you are not fucking homeless!”

“Well, aren’t we in a pissy mood! Don’t blame me for your boyfriend finding out about this,” She used her right hand to point to her stomach. “Secrets always have a way of biting you in the ass, don’t you think?” she stated conversationally. Dane felt his anger increasing.

“What the fuck are you doing here Zoe?” He said between clenched teeth.

“I saw my doctor this morning; she said I should not be on my own right now, so here I am. The baby is due anytime now anyway and we should at least try to talk rationally before it comes. Have you given any thought to my proposal? In light of the fact that you are now gay, this proposal should be music to your ears. In fact I think I am making you a sweet offer, even if the kid is not yours.”

Dane looked at her with disbelief. Zoe was a mercenary. She thinks of money above all else, even her unborn child. “Zoe, this child has been inside of you for eight months now. Don’t you feel any connections to him at all? All you can think of is making a profit? You are fucking unbelievable!!”

“Don’t you look down your nose at me, you fucking pampered heir!” she said with disdain, “I could have followed through on my original plan to abort it in the beginning but I didn’t do that. Two hundred thousand dollars will mean nothing to you but that money will forever change my life. Besides, if you do not take this kid off my hands then I will sell it to the highest bidder, and you know that I will do it!!”

Dane would have credited her advance state of pregnancy with her thoughts but he knew better. She had plainly stated her intentions from day one. He had hoped that as time passed she would change her mind but she was even more resolute in her decisions. Dane had tried to change her mind but there was no budging her.

“I do not want a child now! You know this! Are you trying to change my mind again? Look, I have another couple who is interested in my proposal and they are willing to pay much more, so just stop stalling and tell me what you decide. I can’t believe we are back at this again! Decide already!”

“Don’t you think you will feel differently when he is born and you hold him? Just wait Zoe.” Dane begged her.

“You really don’t know me, do you?” She smirked. “Look, if it is yours then I get the money and I sign over all rights to you. If it is not yours then I sign him over to the other couple. If it is yours and you don’t want it then you can sign it over to me and then I will take it from there”, she spoke matter-of-factly as if she was talking about selling a pair of shoes on E-bay.

“You are not fucking human!” Dane said looking at her with disgust.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. Just make your decision so I know what my next move is. Where am I staying, by the way? I need to sleep. This conversation is doing a number on my head”.

Dane looked at her for a moment, took a deep breath then took her bag up. “Follow me”, his voice was void of all emotions. He led her to the bedroom that was downstairs. When she sat tiredly on the bed Dane spoke again, “I will call my lawyer and get the money and paper work ready. If he is not mine then you will have to find out who his father is. You do that and I will adopt him if his father decides to sign away his rights. This will have to be legal. Once you are out of this child’s life I do not want you back in his or mine!!”

“You are its father, Dane”, she said with conviction in her voice. “Where did you think I was before I contacted you?” She looked at him with amusement on her face. “I know how to pick them for sure, and you were not even in the line-up and look how this turned out. Fuck, your money makes him look like a pauper. Don’t look at me like that. Men do this shit all the time and get away with it!” She turned away from him as he walked towards the door. “The other guy I was with found out that he was sterile. He was furious and wanted me out. Imagine my surprise when I really found out who Dane Wynters was,” she finished with a self-satisfying smile.

“The paternity test will confirm or deny that”, Dane said as he hurried out of the room.

He can’t say he was surprised at Zoe’s revelations. He has come to expect anything from her. He dialled his lawyer’s number. Zoe was right, two hundred thousand dollars was really not a big deal. Holy shit, this was happening. His life was forever changed when he met that damn woman, this child will change it even more. He explained the situation to his lawyer and listen as he shed some legal light on the whole thing. Dane told him what he needed and then left him to do his job.

He took a shower and got himself ready to have another confrontation tonight. He inhaled sharply, hoping this might help to calm his nerves a bit. He needed to tell Nate everything and hope to God he has not fucked this up to the point where it cannot be fixed. He thought of the fact that in a few weeks he may be a father. Can Nate handle that? Would he want to? Dane’s hands started to sweat. Shit he felt nervous.

“I am going out”, he called out to the closed door Zoe was staying in.
She opened the door. She was wearing a pink robe which was open, revealing a short nightshirt. “Going to visit your boyfriend? Hope he forgives you. I would let you grovel first”, she laughed.

“That’s none of your business”, Dane replied, his voice was frosty.
“Okaaaaaaay then, I will make myself at home”, she smirked as he turned away from the door.

When Dane knocked on Nate’s front door it was after nine. He took a deep breath and knocked again. The door swung open and Nate’s mom stood at the door in her white uniform. Dane did not know if she was going out or coming in. “Good evening ma’am, ahhm, may I speak to Nathaniel?” She was looking at him as if he was a bug under a microscope. It made him uncomfortable.

“Ahhh”, she said softly while rubbing her chin, “another piece of the puzzle”. She stepped aside and motioned for him to come inside. “I don’t know what is going on here, but you better get your shit together!” She was pointing up at his face. Dane held his breath at the look on her face. “I have a space in my album which I labelled 'Nathaniel’s high school graduation'. I promise I will kill you if I don’t have my son’s smiling face on a photograph in that spot the day after graduation”, her voice dropped as she leaned in closer, her voice dripping ice, “I am a nurse and I can make it happen, don’t play with me!” she threatened.

“I just want to sort things out”, Dane promised.

“Good, see that you do”, she picked up her hand bag. Going out then, Dane thought with relief. She threw him a last threatening look before she exited the door.

Dane quickly ran up the stairs to Nate’s room. He knocked softly at first. He got no respond so he tried again. He heard him say something but it was too muffled. He opened the door and stepped inside. The room was dark and so he took a cautious step to where he knew the bed was. “Fuck!” he breathed as he kept stepping on items littering the floor. Suddenly the room was flooded with light as Nate used a secondary switch beside the bed to turn on the overhead light.

Both just froze and looked at each other for a while. Dane then began to look around him. The room was destroyed. Even the curtains were torn. It looked like a hurricane had passed through the room. Things from the dresser and clothes were all over the place.
Dane moved forward, stepping over a chair that was perched on its side.

Nathaniel exploded. “What the fuck are you doing here!!” he shouted. “Get out! I don’t want to see your fucking lying face again! Get away from me!”

Dane stayed still as Nate rained angry words on him. He, however, had to move when Nate started to throw items at him. A book zipped past his head; a glass vase narrowly missed his arm as he watched it shattered into many pieces on the wall behind him. By the time he turned around to look at Nate again he saw what looked like a stack of copy paper coming towards his head. He ducked but not fast enough, the stack of paper connected with his forehead.

“Fuck! Nathaniel!” he shouted as he held his head and tried to avoid the other objects. Nate had a crazed look on his face.

“I hope it fucking hurt!” Nate shouted as he looked around for more ammunition. “You lying son of bitch!” He lifted up the bedside lamp and was about to throw it but Dane knocked him off his feet and onto the bed. Nate tried to fight, claw and curse but Dane held his arms above his head, while he kept his movements under control by lying on top of him. “Get off!” Nate shouted as he twisted and thrashed in an aim to get away.

“Calm down first. Damn, you are fucking crazy when you are mad!” Dane was panting as he tried to control Nate.

Nate fought and screamed until they were both tired. Dane loosened his grip when he saw tears rolling down from the corners of Nate’s eyes. He rolled over and held Nate tight on top of him as he cried.

“I am sorry, baby. Sorry for hurting you. I’m so sorry, shhh”. He soothed over and over again.
Nathaniel was pliable in his arms as he rubbed his back, his hair and arms to comfort him. He was also trying to embed the feel of Nate in his brain because he did not know what was going to happen when he told him everything. He hoped he understood because he knew what it felt like to have Nate as his own and he fucking loved it. He loved him and want them to grow together.

He worried though because he remembered a few years ago when he was eighteen years old. Someone would have had to hold a gun to eighteen year old Dane’s head for him to do what he was about to ask Nathaniel to be a part of. He worries that Nate had a lot of wild oats to sow like he had when he was his age. He hugged the now silent man tighter as his thoughts got stormier.

I must say thanks to Larry for proofing for me. Good job man
Reviews are good.Let me know what you think.