Cards on the Table - 35. Chapter 35 King of Clubs

Cards on the Table

Chapter 35

It was 8:45am, Tuesday morning, and Michael and Kendall were seated across from Stuart Barnaby at a polished mahogany conference table that reminded Kendall of his parents’ table in Chestermere. The same reddish patina reflected the early morning sunlight coming in the long upper window of the Markham office. He found their new lawyer pleasant in appearance and demeanor, carrying his probably forty or so years well, and his salt and pepper hair lent him an air of dignified confidence that put his new clients at ease. It was easy to tell Michael liked him from the second they gripped hands in a firm shake. Pop had not steered them wrong, and Kendall had a good feeling.

“Thanks for seeing us so quickly, Stuart. Ever since we called you yesterday, we’ve been trying to formulate some sort of plan on how to proceed with Candy. Kendall and I are worried about screwing things up. Like I already told you, I really pissed her off and we need your opinion on where we stand... and what we should do.”

Kendall, sensing his partner’s nervousness, reached for his hand and gripped it gently where it lay on the table. It worked, as Michael let out a long breath and visibly relaxed.

“First of all, can I get you something to drink? Estelle could bring you a coffee, or something cold if you’d like?” Stuart offered with a disarming smile.

Kendall imagined that smile worked very well in a courtroom. “Nothing for me, thanks. Estelle already offered when she showed us in here.”

“Me, either, thanks. I’m a little too jittery to tell you the truth,” Michael admitted somewhat sheepishly.

“I understand completely.” Stuart gave them both a measured look, and Kendall noticed how his eyes rested on their clasped hands before continuing, “But you guys need to chill out a bit.”

Michael gave him a tentative smile. “Easier said than done, Mr. Barnaby.”

“No ‘mister’, please, just Stuart, like I told you. Okay, let’s get right to it. What are your main goals here?”

Kendall was quick to answer. “The safety of the baby, first and foremost, and full custody since Candy wants nothing to do with the baby after he or she is born.”

“Good, that’s what I thought,” the lawyer said, looking pleased. “These custody agreements are usually quite straightforward and tend to stand up well in court. There are a lot of existing precedents that strengthen their validity, from a legal standpoint. Therefore, the ideal thing is to work it out so Miss Kilroy ends up signing the documents. If she doesn’t, we can go to court where we will stand a good chance of gaining custody, considering all you’ve told me… but, and it’s a big one… it won’t do you any good if she terminates the pregnancy. Do you really believe she is considering such an option with her being pro-life?”

“Yes, we do,” Michael answered ruefully. “We’re scared to death she’ll do exactly that. She hinted at it yesterday when she said not to take too long getting back to her.” His nervous swallow gave away his fear, and Stuart looked sympathetic.

“You do realize this may only be a ploy on her part, to put pressure on you to gain an advantage?”

“Yes, Sir, knowing Candy, there is a good chance that may be what’s going on, but we don’t want to take any chances. Even though she’s against abortion, she is a vindictive person, and as Michael said, we’re scared.” Kendall felt the squeeze of his partner's hand.

“No ‘sirs’ either,” Stuart admonished kindly. “Okay then, that has to be your focus, gentlemen. My advice, and I always have lots of it, is to do your very best to work this out with Miss Kilroy. Money is obviously of interest to her. I know it sounds harsh, but you need to approach this as a bargaining session. Yes it’s about a child, and that may sound wrong to you, but the reality is, you need her to sign in order to guarantee the best outcome. Once she’s legally committed, she is less likely to take drastic measures.

“I must warn you though, sometimes these things go south, no matter what you do. I’m going to be totally honest here,” his level stare upped Kendall’s heartrate, and he could feel sweat trickle from his armpits, “it is her body, and she has the ultimate say in whether this child sees the light of day. I’m sorry to be so blunt, but if you want this child, you have to keep this in mind. Whatever happens, do not lose sight of that. She has to make the decision to continue the pregnancy. Your job is to convince her it’s the best thing for her, and to do so, you may have to fly by the seat of your pants. In other words, you have to be ready to take advantage of any situation. That’s what we lawyers do,” he said with a grin.

“Now, the way you describe this woman, she will need to be appeased in some way, even if you have something over her like her need for secrecy. Forty thousand dollars is not unheard of in a surrogacy agreement in other countries, and it fact it would be considered a paltry amount by many, but that is not how we've structured this agreement because of the laws against such agreements here. It is strictly about paying expenses, as is allowed, so that amount has to be seen as reasonable in a court of law. Twenty thousand is fine, but forty might be cause for questioning the legality.

The value can be equated with a year’s salary in most instances of expensing, but we have to be careful. This is certainly not a normal situation, however. There are extenuating circumstances in such a case as this, where if you filed a civil suit because of the premeditated attempt at entrapment, you would have good grounds for regaining any money paid out, as well as garnering monetary damages for pain and suffering, especially if she aborts the baby. In other words, this was not accidental, nor was it an act of God.” Kendall was absorbing every word Stuart was saying, like a sponge… their future family may hinge on what their lawyer was advising.

“I'm confused. How does that help us keep the baby safe?” Michael asked.

“Good question, Michael. My biggest point is, use a civil suit as a threat if need be. Use it as a threat for not only monetary demands, but also the threat of ugly, unwanted publicity. You have to show this woman what she has to lose if she ends the pregnancy, as well as what she has to gain by delivering the baby safely to you. I caution you that whatever you say, you have to mean. You have to speak with conviction, so be committed when you talk to her if it turns confrontational, which these things often do. They often become a battle of wills,” Stuart predicted grimly.

“This isn’t going to be easy, is it?” Michael uttered quietly.

“Likely not, Michael. Just remember to keep your focus on what’s most important to you. You want the baby safe, so you have to show her it’s in her best interest to go through with her initial decision and have the baby. I have three children so I speak from some experience. Keep in mind you are dealing with a pregnant woman. Hormones can wreak havoc with a woman’s state of mind, and things could get more difficult than you can imagine. My wife would have flashes of anger and unbelievable mood swings during one of her pregnancies, which were challenging to deal with, so I could only try my best to make her happy. If Miss Kilroy is having such issues, you may have to do some tiptoeing around.” Stuart looked sympathetic once again.

“Maybe that's the reason she was such a bitch… sorry… so difficult on the phone yesterday,” Michael speculated, his face contorted in thought.

“Possibly, and no apologies necessary, so use yesterday's behavior as your warning to keep things as calm as possible. Have you arranged a meeting with her yet?”

“No… after we talked to you, we took your advice about letting her cool down. Kendall had already come to the same conclusion. Our friend Janine told us Candy is off sick from work for a few days, so we plan to call her once we’re done here.”

“Very good. Patience in these situations can be key. She may be a different person today. I believe her desire for secrecy may be the factor most in your favor. Let’s hope keeping this private still matters to her. And it’s been my observation that pro-lifers don’t change their tune, so take some solace in that. I suggest you take some of my cards with you from the table near the door and make a point of giving her one of them at the beginning of your next meeting. It may have some influence on her, just seeing it. At the least, it will give her an indication you are taking this seriously and that you will follow through on whatever you propose or demand. If she is abrasive, it might be prudent to mention I will represent your interests if a resolution isn’t reached, and that I’ve spent a lot of time in family court with civil cases being one of my specialties.” He smiled before he continued. "Some people are rather afraid of lawyers, and the legal system itself. We can hope she is one of those.”

“Do you think we should have you talk to her first?” Michael questioned, but Kendall immediately rebelled at the idea, thinking it might be jumping the gun and forcing Candy into a corner. He was letting Michael take the reins here, but was tempted to interject. Stuart’s quick response was a relief.

“I could do that, Michael, but keep in mind we are still in the game-playing stage. Going the legal route should be the last resort because it would negate the strength of the cards you hold right now. We don’t want her to feel under attack, at least not yet. I am the next step you take, and only if you have no success with convincing her to sign the custody agreement as it stands. Do you understand my reasoning?”

“Yeah, I get what you’re telling us. We’re at the bargaining stage now, and we don’t want to lose any advantage we might have. We don’t want to go in with guns blazing. It’s all about convincing her to sign those papers.” Michael’s words triggered a feeling of relief in his partner, and Kendall’s sigh was audible as he blew out some of the tension he was feeling.

“Exactly. You have to expect there will need to be some give and take on both sides. That’s what bargaining is. You and Kendall have to do whatever you can to make it work, but you have to live with the terms you agree to. Whether you decide to give her more money is up to you... you know the legal risks of that. I will caution you, it’s been my experience that you have to draw the line somewhere. Try to make this a last stand, and make it understood there will be no more negotiating after this. If you work together, you should be able to get this done… and if you don’t, then we’ll move to the next step. That’s where the gloves will come off,” he warned. “One more thing to keep in mind, gentlemen, is that paying some money up front, before the child is born, is certainly not without risk, but it would make your case much stronger in the event you need to go to court. Any changes you might want to make to the papers we drew up can be instituted easily, so just call with any new terms you want implemented, and I'll make them... unless I see you putting yourself in legal jeopardy. I should be in the office for most of the day, and if not, Adele can take the information. We want to strike while the iron is hot if you do reach an agreement.”

Both Kendall and Michael nodded their heads in understanding. The gravity of the situation had been with them all night, but the intensity had just ramped up to another level. Kendall was rattled, but he was also determined, and he did his best to give Michael a reassuring look as they stood up to leave. Michael returned it.

They both grabbed a couple of Stuart’s business cards on the way out as their lawyer, with a friendly hand on each of their shoulders, wished them good luck.

Back in Michael’s truck, Kendall sat in the driver’s seat shaking. It wasn’t from the chill air. He was afraid to look at Michael… he needed to be strong for his partner.

“Babe, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” Michael lifted the center console and slid across the bench seat of his Silverado, thankful they had taken his truck this time. He pulled Kendall into the comfort of his body, and wrapped him tightly in his arms. “Are you all right?”

Kendall drew back so he could see Michael's face. “Honestly, I’m afraid. Stuart's right… it is Candy’s body, and her choice in the end. She may have already made her mind up and we have to be prepared for that. I want this child so bad, Ace.”

“I know you do, and so do I. I have to admit, when Stuart said these things often go south, it scared me, but all we can do is try our best. Maybe we should consider paying her what she wants and take our chances?”

Those words seemed to recharge Kendall. “No way. I’m worried, but I still know giving in to her would be a mistake. We’ve talked about this already. Candy is a taker. It won’t satisfy her, and if she thinks she owns us, she’ll keep on, and I can’t go day after day wondering what’s coming next. She would take great enjoyment out of fucking with us.” Determination flooded through him again, and he began the process of mentally readying himself for whatever they had to do. “I want to get on with our lives. I want to move into our new house and get everything ready for our child, and I don’t want the fear of what Candy might do next to ruin it for us. This should be a happy time for us... I thought this was all taken care of, and now look at us. We’re right back where we started, facing that fucking bitch again for the exact same reason. This has to be the last time, Michael.”

“Hey, I know it seems like we’re back to square one, but I don’t think we are." Michael's tone was tender. "I won’t be so dense this time,” he joked, “and we’ve done this before. I think we have a better idea of how to deal with her, and I think I can stay calmer this time. Now we have a lawyer in our back pocket and I think that will come in handy against a person like Candy. She wants to please her dad, and that tells me she respects authority. The legal system would fall under the category of an authority figure, in my opinion.”

Kendall gave Michael a look that was partly surprise, and partly awe. “When did you get so smart? That actually makes a lot of sense.”

“I’m not just a pretty face, Babe,” Michael insisted with a grin. “I’m a man of great depths, so don’t look so shocked."

“Great depths, eh?”

“Yup, and you’re welcome to plumb them anytime you want.” Michael wiggled his eyebrows in that sexy way of his, and Kendall burst out laughing.

“I’m going to take you up on that offer someday soon. Count on it,” he promised, feeling so much better than he did a moment ago. “And thank you, big guy, for pulling my head out of my ass for me. I don’t know how you do it, but you always manage to make me feel better.”

“You’re welcome, Babe, and that’s on page nine of your instruction manual. I’ve been studying it every chance I get,” Michael followed his statement up with a loving kiss. “So are we ready to put this in motion?”

“What? Plumbing your depths?” Kendall snickered, and Michael wiggled his eyebrows again before Kendall got serious. “Yeah, we’re ready, Sunshine. We’re a team, and we can do anything we put our minds to,” Kendall replied with a new degree of confidence. Once again Michael was his rock, and the thought made him smile as much on the inside as on the outside.

Candy was miserable when Michael called her from the truck. He didn’t delve in to why. He politely asked if she could meet with them as soon as possible. What he got in response was vitriolic at best. He looked beseechingly at Kendall, uncertain what to do, so Kendall took the phone.

“Candy, it’s Kendall, I’m sorry you’re not feeling well, and we certainly don’t want to be bothering you. We met with our lawyer, and wanted to meet with you one more time to see if we can resolve this, but if you’re not up to it, we totally understand. Maybe when you feel better, you can drop by our place again, but we’re sort of on a time limit as well.” Kendall glanced uncertainly at Michael, who was listening to the conversation. Candy did sound terrible.

“What do you mean, time limit?” Candy asked, a snarling edge to her voice.

“Well, look... um... you told Michael if we changed our minds we had to get back to you soon, so we contacted our lawyer and he says it’s best not to wait if we decide to file court papers. This has been really hard on us, Candy, because we thought we had a deal, and now it looks like we don’t.”

“Hard on you?” She asked indignantly. “You have a lot of nerve... you’re not the one with morning sickness all day and night. Is this a threat, Kendall?”

“Absolutely not, but we’re at the point we have to listen to our lawyer, because frankly we don’t know what else to do. We have no desire to go to court, or file a civil suit.” Kendall let that sink in while he shrugged at Michael. “We would much rather work this out between us. I think we can wait a day or two more, though, before we make any decisions, that's if you still want to get together and talk?” The two men held their breath as they waited for a response.

“Civil suit? You’ve got to be kidding me.” She waited, but Kendall stayed silent. “I can’t come over to your place. My car isn’t safe to drive. You’ll have to come here.”

“Okay, that’s not a problem. We can come there if that's easier. When would you like us to come?” Again they waited on pins and needles as she went quiet.

“Give me an hour,” she grumbled, “and then come over. There’s no time when I’m not feeling like shit, so let’s get this over with, but I already told Michael my terms and I’m not budging.”

“Right, well… we can talk about it when we get there. We’ll see you in an hour, Candy.” The click that followed was immediate, and Kendall winced at the abruptness. This was going to be an unpleasant experience for sure.

“Well, that was interesting,” Michael said sarcastically. “She’s in full bitch-mode. She says she’s not budging, and that sure doesn’t sound good to me.”

“It just sounds like Candy to me. The court talk and mention of a civil suit definitely got her interest, and she’s agreed to meet, so she hasn’t made the decision to terminate, at least not yet. Now we negotiate,” Kendall said, trying to appear positive. “It can’t be any worse than last time, although I am worried about how sick she sounds.”

“Yeah, she didn’t sound good, did she? Do you think it could hurt the baby if she’s throwing up all the time?”

“I’m not sure, but I think it’s a part of being pregnant. I know my mom had morning sickness every day for six months. Were you okay with me taking over the phone, Ace?”

“Fuck yeah. I was relieved when you did. That woman fucking hates me, and I try, but I can’t seem to be able to talk to her. You need to do most of the talking when we get there.”

“Her tone is a little better with me, so maybe I should, but you need to be ready to take over if you see something I miss. We’ll tag-team if we need to. Just keep in mind everything Stuart said to us, all right?”

“Okay, Babe. Thank you."

Kendall was shocked at how awful Candy looked when she opened the door to her apartment. Her face was drawn and the darkness beneath her eyes was disturbing. It seemed like it was an effort for her just to stand up. She gestured them in without a word.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Michael asked her right away, his face not hiding his dismay at the sight of her.

The hoarseness of her voice added to the overall picture of ill-health. “This baby is putting me through hell,” she croaked out as she walked away from the entrance towards the living room.

“Candy, are you sure you’re up to this right now? Maybe you should see a doctor?” Kendall assessed the situation and came to the conclusion she required some medical attention.

She turned back to face them. “What’s the point? It’s morning sickness. Besides, my doctor is off this week.”

“Isn’t there another doctor covering?”

Kendall could see the effort it took for Candy to speak. “I called their office, and the nurse told me the morning sickness was to be expected. They can’t fit me in until Friday, anyway. Let’s just get this over with because I need to lay down soon,” she demanded weakly.

Kendall glanced at Michael, who appeared as concerned as he was. “No way, Candy. You need to see a doctor today. We’ll take you to the emergency department at Centenary Hospital. Anyone can see you're in no condition to get into any kind of discussion. You can barely stand up,” he pointed out.

“Don’t tell me what I need to do. I’m not sitting in some waiting room for hours. I’m going to lie down and you guys can show yourselves out.” She looked almost forlorn, and for a second Kendall forgot how much he hated her.

“Hey, would you please let us take you? Pregnant or not, you need to see a doctor. You look like you’re about to collapse. Where is your roommate anyway?” Kendall had noticed the overall messiness of the apartment.

Candy looked like she was about to tell him to mind his own business, but then the little bit of fight in her faded. “She’s gone home to her family and won’t be back till after Christmas. Any more questions?” A glare reappeared on her face.

“Yes. Where are your boots and coat? Trust me, when they see you in emergency they won’t make you wait long, so please may we take you?” Kendall pleaded while Michael stood behind him.

“Oh my God. You’re not going to give up, are you?” After a brief stare at both of them, she relented. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”

Michael immediately went to the front closet and got her boots and coat, relieved she had agreed. When he turned towards her with the items, she looked at the coat and grimaced.

“Not that one, Michael, the gray one.”

He quickly complied, handing it to Kendall so he could pass it on to Candy, staying out of her line of fire. When they got to the door, she turned to Michael and did something that shocked them.

“Kendall can take me. You can stay here, Michael. I’m not going if you come.” She glared at the pair, daring them to disagree with her. Kendall didn’t know what to do, and he shot a confused look at his partner. The thought of being alone with this woman held no appeal. Was this her working another angle?

“You two go ahead, Kendall. She needs to see a doctor right away. I’ll be fine here,” Michael insisted, looking at Kendall and silently asking him not to object.

He was tempted to disagree, but Michael’s direct look got to him. “If you’re sure?”

“I am, Babe… you just make sure she gets looked after. I’ll make myself some tea… I know where everything is.” He didn’t look at Candy, but they both knew the ‘Babe’ would bug her.

After they’d left, Michael removed his shoes and coat, and went over to the couch and sat down. There was no tension in his knee, but his neck and shoulders were another story. He knew Kendall wasn’t happy to be put in such a position, and he felt bad for him. Was this a divide and conquer tactic by Candy? If it was, she was in for a surprise. She didn’t know Kendall well enough to know very few people were a match for him, and Michael had complete faith he could get the job done if the opportunity arose. There was no way she could outplay his partner. She was obviously not well and he hoped that didn’t bode ill for the baby. So much was running through his mind all at once. He sighed as he placed his phone on the coffee table in front of him and settled in for what he expected would be a long wait. Leaning back on the couch, he was the proverbial bundle of nerves. He missed his partner already.

Kendall was right. Upon arriving at the hospital, after a quiet and extremely uncomfortable drive, he was pleased the triage nurse attended to Candy almost immediately. Ten minutes later she was situated in a bed in the emergency department, an IV drip in place to replenish her lost fluids, with Kendall sitting in the one chair at her bedside. As it turned out it wasn’t morning sickness so much as a stomach virus which caused her to become dehydrated.

The attending physician treated it as something called hyperemesis at first, which would have been more serious, but he ruled that out after her initial bloodwork came back. He determined that her slight anemia was the result of her not being able to keep her prenatal vitamins down. They added a second drip to control Candy’s nausea. The doctor informed Candy she was at the tail end of the flu virus, and should feel better in the next couple of days. To Kendall’s relief, there was no danger to the baby, but Candy couldn’t leave until enough fluids and nutrients were replaced. Surprisingly, the awkwardness of sitting with Candy lessened as one hour turned into two.

Kendall returned from updating Michael to find a snoring and drooling Candy, and for one moment was tempted to take a picture to send to the man, but common sense prevailed and he refrained. He sat back down and waited. A nurse came by and took another vial of blood through the catheter already in place, but Candy didn’t waken. Two hours in total had passed before Candy’s eyes opened. She seem startled by Kendall’s presence.

“What are you still doing here? How long was I asleep for?” Her voice, though gravelly, sounded stronger.

“A little over two hours, and I wasn’t going to leave you here alone.” Kendall looked her in the eye until she finally looked away.

“Oh yeah, right… you still want to talk.” The snarky tone in her voice was something he was used to so he didn’t let it bother him. It did show him she was feeling better and that was all he cared about for now.

“That’s not the reason. It was the decent thing to do, and contrary to how you speak of me, I am a decent person. So is Michael, and if you were fair, you would see that.”

Candy looked back towards him, not quite meeting his gaze. “I don’t care for your lifestyle.”

“I’m aware of that. I don’t approve of yours either.” This time his stare was met.

“My lifestyle?” Candy asked incredulously. “I live the way God intended me too.”

“Really? He intended you to impregnate yourself in a bathroom to try to trick a man into marrying you? He intended you to put pinholes in condoms? Is that the lifestyle you’re talking about? The lifestyle where you try to ransom the baby to its own father?” There was no stopping the disgust that had slipped into his tone.

“I'm all alone in this, so what am I supposed to do, Kendall?” she challenged him with a fire in her eyes.

“You do the right thing of course... you figure out what it is and you do the right thing. If you believe in God then you must believe he is watching you, and I am perfectly fine with how he sees me conduct my life.” He stared into her eyes intently. “Are you?”

She suddenly looked flustered. “I’m tired of all this. I’m the one dealing with this pregnancy, not you or Michael.”

Kendall wanted to laugh at her childish outlook, but he didn’t. “We’re tired of this too, Candy, and you’re right. You’re the one who is carrying this baby, and that’s why we agreed to go out on a financial limb and give you twenty thousand dollars to help you get your new life started, even though we never asked for any of this. We even went out on another limb and bought a house so we would have a place to raise the baby… to give him or her a good life.” He shook his head in disgust. “Now you want to double it and I can tell you it’s not going to happen. We’re not budging either. We can’t, but even if we could, we wouldn’t.”

“Well, then the deal is off.”

“That’s your decision to make, but do you think God would approve? You’re leaving Michael and I no choice.” Kendall sat quietly after that, and Candy closed her eyes.

Five minutes later, she opened them, and focused on him as he sat there staring across the room. “Why are you still here?”

“You already asked me that. I’ll wait till they release you and then I’ll take you back home.” He gave her a direct look then. “I’m not going to leave you stranded. You’re probably going to be pretty weak for a few days yet.”

She gave him a funny look before closing her eyes again. A couple of minutes later, she re-opened them. “What are you and Michael going to do now?”

“I think you already know what, and I’m not sure this is the time to get into it,” he said, giving her a genuine look of sympathy.

She pulled herself up into more of a sitting position on her bed. “Just say it please. I want to know what will happen.”

Kendall reached into his pocket and pulled out Stuart’s card and passed it to her. “Stuart Barnaby will be representing us in court if you don’t sign the custody papers. He suggests we file a civil suit against you for damages, and those will climb substantially if anything happens to the baby… if you abort or endanger the baby in any way. We will also sue for custody and he is very confident we will win.” He handed her another card with her father’s phone number, and Lionel Davenport’s email address, and watched further shock register on her face. “He will also be contacting these two people, as a courtesy, to warn them of the impending publicity this case will bring. He assures us when the story comes out in the media, it will work in our favor. You won’t get any money, Candy... you’ll end up owing us, and the media will give you a rough ride.

“Of course you’ll have to get your own lawyer, and maybe he’ll have a different story to tell you. I can only go by what ours says, and to be honest, he seems like he can be a real prick. He comes across as really looking forward to this. It was our idea to come and talk to you first before he puts all this in motion. Neither Michael nor I wanted it to come to this. We don’t want money from you or to screw up your life. We were happy with the agreement we had and just wanted to take this baby… Michael’s baby... home and give him or her the best life we could.” He looked pointedly at the visible swell of her stomach. “It’s not a game anymore, Candy.”

Kendall expected sparks to fly from the woman... he knew he'd laid it on pretty thick, but this was war, and all that mattered was they win. Michael was relying on him.

What he got from her instead was a stone-faced expression and complete silence. Was this the calm before the storm? He watched her close her eyes again and lay her head back. He waited as he ran over everything again in his head. He came to the conclusion he had done the best he could… he just hoped it was enough. Candy was an unknown quantity.

“You win.” A number of minutes had passed, and these were the first words she spoke. She opened her eyes and stared. “Did you hear me? I’ll sign the papers, and I’ll live up to the agreement. I think it is what God would want me to do.” She actually gave him a small smile. “This will all stay private like we agreed?”

It was everything he had hoped for and he worked hard to control his reactions. He pictured Michael in his head. “Yes, the deal will remain private, I promise you. I’m glad you made this decision. It’s in everybody’s best interest, especially the baby’s. Candy... is this it, or will you change your mind again?"

“No, I won't change my mind again." She met his questioning look, and he found himself believing her. "I’m really tired. Why don’t you go call Michael, and if it’s not too late when we leave here, I’d like to sign the papers today so it’s done with. I’m going to have a little nap now. Maybe you could find out when I’ll be released.”

With perfect timing, the doctor came by to tell Candy her latest blood work was normal and that he would be sending her home with a prescription for anti-nausea medication as soon as the final bag of IV solution was emptied. Upon examination, he ascertained it would take another half-hour. Kendall listened while the doctor cautioned her to nibble and drink constantly over the next few days to build her strength back up, and to start up her vitamins again the next day. When he got to the part about bowel movements and checking her stool, Kendall took that as his cue to leave.

He called Michael from the front of the hospital, the fresh air revitalizing him. He was only now feeling the effects of the stress he’d been under. Michael picked up immediately.

“Babe?”

“Ace, the baby’s fine, and we won. She’s gonna sign the original papers. No changes. Can you fucking believe it?”

“I fucking knew it! I knew you were going to convince her, I just fucking knew it.” Michael started laughing hysterically.

“I’m glad you had faith, cause I was pretty freaked out.” Kendall started laughing too.

“Listen, Ace, can you call Stuart and ask him how late we can come in to sign the papers… Candy wants to sign them tonight. She wants to get it over with.”

“That’s amazing. I’ll call right now.”

“Thanks, Sunshine… shoot me a text when you know… we shouldn’t be here more than an hour… love you.”

“Will do… love you too, so much.”

He was ridiculously giddy when he hung up. He wished he could have told Michael the good news face to face, but it wouldn’t have been fair to keep him waiting. He had trouble keeping the smile off his face as he dialed another number. Fortunately Janine was home from work when he called. He quickly told her the events of the day and asked her if she would do him a favor and stay with Candy for the night. Janine readily agreed, saying she'd be there by seven at the latest. She had her own key, so there were no worries there. Everything taken care of, Kendall headed back into the hospital floating on a cloud of joy.

The paper signing went off without a hitch. Stuart wasn’t present, but another lawyer and Adele were there to witness the signing. Candy was subdued, but Kendall didn’t see a trace of bitchiness. All he saw was tiredness, and he found himself feeling the tiniest bit of sympathy for her. At least there was no nausea and her color was much better.

They were on their way to her apartment from Stuart’s office. Kendall was anxious to see Michael. “Candy, why did you say your car wasn’t safe to drive?”

“Because it isn’t. What's it to you?” Candy asked without her usual attitude.

“I was just curious.”

“It needs new brakes all around, snow tires, and a ball joint from hitting a big pot hole. I’m scared to drive it because I slid out of control last Saturday.”

“Why don’t you just get it fixed?”

Candy hesitated before finally answering. “I can’t afford to yet. I’ll have to wait till there’s room on my credit card. I’ll just drive it back and forth to work.”

Kendall was silent for a few kilometers. “You shouldn’t be driving around in a car like that. How old is it, anyway?”

“It’s a four year old Corolla, why?”

When he glanced at Candy, she was looking at him funny, but Kendall went on. “Why don’t you let us take the car and have it checked out? Michael’s dad has a parts shop, so maybe we can get it done cheaper than you could.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s cheaper. I still can’t afford to get it done yet.”

“Candy,” he sighed as he stared straight ahead, “I’m offering to take care of it. You won’t have to pay anything.”

His offer apparently caught her completely off guard. “Why would you do that? It’s not your responsibility and I’ve already signed those papers.”

The road was clear so he turned his head to look her in the eye. “Because it’s the decent thing to do.” Kendall turned his head back to watch the road, feeling her eyes on him as he continued his drive towards Michael.