Chapter Five

“Where the hell have you been!?” Dale yelled, launching his assault the moment Macayla walked through the front door. “Where’s Kellen?”

She fought to blink back her tears as Kelley walked in behind her with Kellen sleeping in her arms. “What seems to be the problem Dale?”

He closed his mouth tightly, his jaw flexing as he held his temper in check. “I came home and my son was gone and there wasn’t a note or any damn thing telling me where he was. That’s my problem, Kelley. How was I supposed to know she didn’t take off with my kid?”

Kelley rolled her eyes and handed Kellen over to Macayla, who quickly went upstairs to put him in his crib before heading back downstairs. “She doesn’t have a car Dale. How on earth is she supposed to take off with Kellen?”

“She can call a cab…”

“Um… Dale,” Martin called from behind him, clearing his throat as he handed him a piece of paper. “That was on the fridge… It’s a note from Kelley saying she was taking Macayla…”

“I can read the damn note Martin!” he snapped in response.

Martin shook his head and slipped by Dale and Kelley to grab his keys off of the table then took Macayla’s hand. “Why don’t you watch Kellen for a while Dale, since you don’t trust anyone else to do it… When you’ve straightened your ass up, call me.” He threw open the door and stormed out of the house with Macayla in tow.

He opened the door of his truck for her to climb in then ran to the other side to get in, quickly apologizing for Dale’s behavior as he drove down the driveway towards the main road.

“I’m gonna get fired…” she said softly, staring out of the window as the trees blurred by.

“He’s not going to fire you, Macayla. Theresa would have his head on a platter if he did,” he replied, as he reached into her lap to grab her hand, pulling it between them. He held it tightly in his as they turned down a dirt road about a half of mile from Dale’s.

He pulled to a stop at the edge of a small lake and rolled down the windows, turning the radio on enough that they could hear it from the bank and got out of the car.

She followed him trying not to stare at the way his ass looked in the well fitting jeans he wore as he climbed over a large rock and turned to help her.

Once they reached the waters edge, he sat on fallen tree, patting the area next to him for her to join him.

“Welcome to the only place I know of around here where I can hide…”

She smiled. “You can’t hide anymore cause I know where it is now…” she pointed out.

“Yes, but you don’t have a car…”

“I can walk…”

“Not on that road you won’t.” He added with warning then picked up a rock, standing up to skip it along the water. “Can I ask you something?”

Macayla looked at him quickly before looking back out at the water. “I guess…”

“I didn’t want to ask you … I was going to wait and ask Kelley but, last night you said you’d been through this before… What happened?” He watched her waiting for an answer but when it never came he regretted his prying. “I’m sorry… it was…”

“Three years ago, my husband, Daniel and my son, Micah, were on their way to see me in the hospital after I’d had to have surgery. I’d been in and out of it on pain killers for most of the day, so my perception of time was a little off I just remembered him calling as he left the house and then when I woke up a few hours later, they still weren’t there. I asked the nurse if they’d ever come by and she just shook her head and ran out of the room.”

“The next thing I know, the doctor’s telling me my husband and son had been brought into emergency a few hours earlier after an accident and neither one of them made it out.”

She wiped the tears that she didn’t realize had fallen until she tasted their saltiness on her lips.

“I’m so sorry… I knew I shouldn’…”

She shook her head. “It’s okay Martin. I just… I don’t know, I guess that’s why this whole situation with Dale upsets me so badly. At least he has a piece of Paige left, ya know. I don’t have my husband. I don’t have my son. I’m just alone. And I can’t have any more children.”

Martin looked down at his feet, mentally kicking himself for opening his mouth. “Is that why you were in the hospital?”

“Yeah… I’d had complications when Micah was born…”

“You realize this just pisses me off at Dale even more, don’t you?”

Macayla gave a soft laugh. “You can’t be pissed at him. He’s going through a lot and until you’re in that situation or have been in it before you can’t begin to comprehend it. Don’t be mad at him Martin…” she reached over, casually resting her hand over his.

He stared at their hands before turning his over and threading his fingers through hers. “You’re not alone, anymore…”

She looked over at him, surprised that he picked up that part of her statement.

“Didn’t think I heard that part did ya?” he smiled.

She laughed. “No… I tried to sneak it in there…”

“I mean it.”

“I believe you.”

Martin gave a nod. “Good. Now come here…” He held his arm out as she moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder, smiling to herself as he wrapped his arm around her back.

---

“I can’t believe what an ass you’re being about this Dale,” Kelley groaned in frustration as she stalked into the living room and sat on the couch.

Dale gave her an irritated look and turned his back to her, staring out the window as Martin’s truck disappeared at the end of the drive. “I’m not being an ass, Kelley. I’m just trying to protect my son.”

“You’re being an ass, Dale.”

“DAMNIT KELLEY PUT YOURSELF IN MY POSITION!?” He spun on her, his face red with anger and his eyes brimming with fresh tears. “I’m not going to argue with you about this… He’s my son and I’m going to decide what’s best for him. And you’ll have to excuse me for not being comfortable with leaving him with some woman that I don’t know all of the time.”

Kelley watched him calmly, deciding what she was going to say. “Then why don’t you spend some time with her. Get to know her. She’s not a bad person, Dale. She’s just been dealt some shitty cards to play with, and you should know better than anyone what that’s like. You’ve got family, friends… Kellen. Macayla’s alone. She’s been alone in this for three years. It wouldn’t kill you to try and be a friend to her.”

“She’s got friends. Martin’s eating out of her damn hand…”

“That’s because Martin can see her for who she is, unlike you.”

He shook his head. “No, Martin just wants in her pants.”

“Don’t you think you’re being a little presumptuous, Dale?”

“No… I don’t…” he fell into the recliner at his side and ran a frustrated hand down his face. Leaning forward on his knees, he put his face in his hands and the tears finally started to fall. His shoulders shook violently as he let himself break down.

Kelley choked back her own tears as she watched her little brother’s heart break again. She crossed the room and knelt in front of him and wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his back as the sobs rushed over him. “It’s okay, Dale…”

She absently rocked back and forth as she held him until he’d cried his last tear and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so sorry Kelley…”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for Dale…”

He sniffed and pulled away from her. “Yeah I do. According to Martin, I’ve been an unbelievable bastard for the last few days and I hate to say he’s right but…”

“Yeah, well, you do have a point there…”

“Hey!”

She smiled. “What?! I was just agreeing with you…”

“Martin…”

“Okay Martin. What’s your point?” She smiled up at him. “Dale…”

“Yeah…”

“What exactly are you scared of? I mean with Macayla… aside from the trust thing…”

He looked at the floor and scratched his head. “I’m afraid she’ll try to take Paige’s place in Kellen’s life. I don’t ever want him to not know who she was…”

Kelley nodded. “I don’t think she’s going to do that Dale. But you at least need to talk to her like I said. You guys need to come to a happy medium because as much as you don’t want help, you know you need it. And I’ll tell you right now… Kellen’s comfortable with her and he needs some stability.”

“I know…”

-next-

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