Chapter 5

Avery

            When I return to the office, I am met by congratulatory greetings by everyone at the precinct.  I put up a happy facade, but inside I am falling apart.  When I enter my office, all I can think about is the file I have locked away in my top drawer, and the reality of what I’ve done.  There is a knock on my door, I look up and see the Captain.  “Avery, do you have a minute?” As he enters my office, I notice he is accompanied by another officer.

            “Sure Captain, what is it?”  I am a little unsettled by this surprise visit.

            “We are starting a new initiative and have decided to assign a few of you partners.  Don’t want to hear any bitching about it, this is non-negotiable.”  Captain lifts his hand in the direction of the other officer in the room.  “Meet your new partner, Leo Bennett.  Leo, meet Avery Maulden.

            Leo and I both rise to shake hands, I notice he is the same height as me, but with brown hair and brown eyes and a slender, but muscular build.  His rectangular glasses sit high on his nose, a stylish, trendsetting appearance.  He smiles at me as we both size each other up.  “I will leave you both to get acquainted.” The captain comments as he leaves my office.  I motion for Leo to take his seat again.  We discuss his experience, which surprisingly includes crime scene investigation, but he wants to put his experience to work as a detective.  He explains to me that he is new to the area, transferring from Flagstaff.  Although the thought of having to take on a partner when everything in my life seems to be falling apart is daunting, I am excited to be working with someone with his experience.

            After the department gets my office situated with another desk for Leo, our organization of the office is interrupted by the ringing of my cell phone.  I see that it is Katie, answering immediately.

            “Hey Katie, is everything okay?”  My voice is dripping with concern.

            “Yes, Avery, everything is fine.  Hayley, Adrian and I have actually been out dress shopping, Hayley and Rick have chosen a date, June 2.”  She giggles a little, “So, as you can see, we have a lot of work to do to get her ready for her quickly approaching big day.

            For some reason, the sound of her giggling offers me some relief, allowing a small smile to cross my face.  “I am glad you are feeling up for that, I hope you are having fun.

            “Definitely. We found a dress she loves, and she looks so beautiful in it.  We also found a dress for me.”  The cheerfulness in her voice is lifting my wrecked spirits.

            “I am so glad, Katie.

            “None of that is why I was calling, I wanted to see if you wanted to join us for lunch?”  Katie’s voice sounds hopeful, making me realize how my actions the last few days must have been causing her doubt.

            “Sure, I would love to.”  I look over at Leo, “Hey, I was assigned a partner today, would it be okay if he joins us?

            “Oh wow, can’t wait to hear about that later, but sure, bring him along.”  Her giddiness is infectious.  

            “Okay, where do you want to meet?”  I finish organizing some things on my desk so we can get ready to leave as she answers.

            “We were thinking A la Carte.  The lunch is more casual, plus Wayne is there, would that be okay?”  Her voice suddenly sounds weak and unsure.

            “No, that sounds good, will give me an opportunity to introduce Leo to Wayne.”  I put my hand over the phone and ask Leo if he would be interested in joining us all for lunch.  He nods at me with a smile on his face, appearing to be glad that I thought to include him.

            “That sounds great, Rick will be joining us too, maybe we can snatch Troy away from his responsibilities long enough to join us.”  Katie sounds determined.

             “See you soon.”  I hang up, motioning to Leo for us to head out.  I spend the ride over to the restaurant telling him a little about everyone.  We pull up to the casino where Wayne’s restaurant is situated, and Leo seems surprised.

            “I didn’t realize you were friends with such influential people.”  Leo sounds intimidated, yet irritated.

            “No, my friend Troy, his dad, Luca Myer, owns this casino.  My friend Wayne manages the restaurant, A la Carte, he is the head chef.”  I am suddenly aware of the fact that I sound like I am defending everyone.

            “Oh, okay.” Leo shrugs, “Can’t wait to meet them.

            As we enter the restaurant, Katie and Hayley are already seated, with Adrian sleeping in the stroller next to the table.  They are looking over their menus, oblivious to the fact that we have arrived.  I can’t help but smile as I take in the image of Katie, studying her menu, with one hand situated on the stroller, like she is afraid it is going to take off at any moment.  As we draw closer to their table, Katie looks up, her lips spreading into an enormous smile, which causes me to lose my breath.  I smile back at her, turning towards Leo.  “Leo, this is my girlfriend Katie, our son Adrian, and her best friend, Hayley.”  

            “It is so nice to meet you both.” Leo smiles at them, appearing to spend a bit too much time checking out Hayley.  I see the exact moment he notices her engagement ring, the smile slightly vanishing from his face.

            “Hi, it is so nice to meet you.  Avery tells me you are his new partner.  Are you from around here?” My girl is quick to accept and include him in the group as I take the seat next to her.

            “Yes, assigned today.  No, moved here from Flagstaff.  I am staying at an extended stay hotel until I can find an apartment.”  He takes the seat beside me.

            “There are some apartments available where I live.” Hayley looks over at him, smiling politely, “I can give you the contact info if you are interested.

            “That would be wonderful.” Leo gives her a crooked grin.  Hayley provides him with the information as Rick walks up and joins us at the table.  He leans down to greet Hayley with a kiss, and I notice Leo eyeing him.

            “Leo, this is Rick, Hayley’s fiancée, Rick, this is Leo, my new partner.”  I dutifully make the introductions.  The two men shake hands, and Rick sits down next to Hayley, leaving an empty seat between him and Leo, which I assume will be for Troy if he decides to join us.  Hayley immediately launches into sharing with Rick that she found the perfect dress and what all she and Katie have discussed for their wedding.  Wayne approaches the table from the kitchen, concern etched on his face, looking from me to Katie and back to me again.  I slightly shake my head, letting him know the answer to the unspoken question.  “Wayne, this is my new partner Leo, Leo, this is my best friend, Wayne.”  They exchange pleasantries and shake hands.  Wayne chats with everyone at the table, taking orders, then excuses himself to head back into the kitchen.  I catch the look of concern he is giving me as he walks away.  We all make small talk at the table, most of the conversation is centered around wedding plans.  I notice that Katie keeps looking over at me.  I know she is wanting reassurance from me that everything is okay, which is understandable considering my actions of late.  I take her hand, smiling, and lift it up to my mouth, kissing the inside of her wrist.  She looks at me bashfully, which tugs at my heart.  The selfish side of me wants to forget what I know.  I look over at Adrian, who is sleeping peacefully, I smile, asking Katie how he has been today.  She tells me that all he has done is sleep, eat, and poop, which I chuckle at.  I can see her relaxing, I hate that I have caused her so much anxiety and concern.  I just hate that I am going to be the one who is going to turn her world upside down again.  

            Wayne brings out our food, sitting with us a few moments while we eat.  “Have you seen Troy?”  Katie asks, looking from Wayne to me.  Wayne seems to cringe a bit at her question, looking over at me.  We both state that we haven’t seen him.  “I was going to invite him to join us, but never saw him.”  Katie mentions with a mouthful of food, covering her mouth with her hand as she speaks.  We spend the remainder of lunch talking, again, most of which is related to the wedding.  When it is time for Leo and I to go back on duty, I give Katie a chaste kiss, smiling down at Adrian, and tell her I will see them later.  As I am leaving, I can’t help but to look back at her.  I know I need to tell her, but the selfish part of me wants more time.

            “So, that’s your girl and kid, huh?”  Leo asks, looking back over his shoulder at them as well.

            “Yep.”  I say as I sigh and exit the building into the bright sunshine that is reflecting off the asphalt.  

            “What’s Hayley’s deal?”  He asks, trying to sound nonchalant.

            “She’s Katie’s best friend, annoying as hell, and getting married to Rick.  That last part should be all you need to know.”  I chuckle a little, looking over to gauge his reaction.

            He shrugs, “Just wondering.”  We drive back to the precinct in silence, causing me to wonder if I had been rude or sounded possessive when I discouraged his inquiry into Hayley.  But my concerns are put at ease once we get back into our office, easily communicating again with one another as we worked through paperwork and getting our joint space organized.  As we are heading out at the end of our shift, Leo looks over at me, “Avery, man, thanks for including me at lunch.

            “No problem.  See you tomorrow.”  I pull out of the parking lot, heading toward Katie’s place.  A feeling of uneasiness washes over me, and I hate it.  Although I am dreading it, I know that once the opportunity arises, I am going to tell Katie the truth.  Fear like nothing I have ever felt before seizes my chest, my only hope is that she can forgive me.  I can’t lose them but realize that the chance of that happening increases with each day that I don’t tell her.

Katie

            I get home, give Adrian his sponge bath, and lay him in his bassinet I had placed by the table so that I can start dinner.  I want it to be ready by the time Avery gets home so that we can sit down and talk.  I have been wanting to discuss his moving in with me permanently, so we will both be present to help raise our little man.  I am apprehensive about asking him because of his actions and disappearance at the hospital, not totally convinced that this hasn’t been too much for him.  I am aware that he willingly added his name to the birth certificate and played an active role in naming our son, but I can’t seem to shake that something is bothering him.  I am hoping that by opening the doors of communication this evening, that he will finally confide in me what has been bothering him.  His conversation with Adrian keeps playing in my head, “I sure hope your mom can forgive me.  I don’t ever want to imagine a moment without you both in my life”.  What has he done that he needs my forgiveness for?

            Avery arrives home as I finish setting the table.  When he walks in the door, and sees me leaning against the dining room table, he smiles at me.  He quickly crosses the room, looks down at Adrian sleeping, then takes me into his arms and kisses my forehead.  “This really looks good Katie.

            I smile up at him, motioning for him to take a seat.  As I am settling into my seat, “So, you were assigned a partner today?

            Avery is dishing food onto his plate and answers without looking at me, “Yes, part of some new initiative.  I guess I drew the short straw.”  He shrugs like it is no big deal.

            I tilt my head and ask, “Do you like him?”  

            Avery looks over at me, a mouth full of food, which he quickly chews and swallows.  “He seems alright.  I was a little uneasy about it at first, but after learning about his crime scene investigative experience, I am actually kind of excited about working with him.

            “I’m glad.” I hesitate a moment, “Avery, how do you feel about us moving in together so that we can both be here for Adrian?”  I had prepared myself for shock or surprise, or maybe even some hesitation, but I was not prepared for the reaction I was getting.  He looks uncomfortable, embarrassed, and anxious.  His face looks like it is distorted in pain.  I can’t stop the burning sensation of the tears as they form under my lids, threatening to escape down my face.  How am I reading our relationship so wrong right now?  “Forget I asked.”  I exhale slowly, then get up and start clearing the table, not wanting to let him see me cry.

            As if he senses what I am feeling, Avery rises from the table and comes over to me.  Standing behind me, he wraps his arms around my waist.  “Katie, there is something we need to discuss.”  My heart sinks from the tone in his voice and the tension in his body.  I know this is bad.  All my fears and anxiety come rushing in at this moment.  It has all been too much for him.  I pushed him too much, expected too much of him.  I feel my body trembling against his, then he releases his arms from around me, takes my hand and leads me to the couch in the living room.

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