Coercion

Two more weeks went by but the impasse remained. Abby worked on Christine relentlessly to continue trying to persuade me to come around to their way of thinking. Christine was their only resource for access to me since I ignored all calls and texts from the pair. Abby moped about her day, acting depressed because I refused to have anything to do with her though she had vulnerably given me a piece of her heart. Christine sympathized with her but was powerless to change my mind. Every time she tried to bring the subject up to me, I'd either shut her down immediately or leave the house for a while.

I had just finished having lunch with a client at a restaurant near Queen's University. I was about to exit the parking lot when I saw Justin's car go by. He was driving but his sole passenger was my wife. My thoughts were running rampant. Was she cheating, or about to? She hadn't mentioned anything to me about having anything to do with him. Had he talked her into a tryst for old times' sake? I needed to know what was going on, so I decided to follow them covertly. I knew his car well. I stayed two or three cars behind him so I wouldn't be seen. After a few minutes, it was apparent that he was driving them to his house. I decided I would wait and confront them as they were walking into his house for their afternoon rendezvous.

We were about two-thirds of the way to his house when his car suddenly backfired and came to a stop. Blue smoke escaped his tailpipe. I could hear him trying to restart the engine. It was turning over but not firing. As it happened, his vehicle had come to rest on a set of railroad tracks. Suddenly, warning bells began their incessant clanging as flashing red lights signaled the automatic lowering of the gates. The extremely loud horn blows from the oncoming train warned everyone of their threatening presence. I saw Justin and Christine very animated and actively engaged in furious activity in the car. The horns blew again. The conductor applied the brakes at full capacity and the banging sounded when the long train of railroad cars surged together trying to slow down.

Moments later, I saw Justin fling his car door open, and run straight ahead across the way, in front of his vehicle, and out of the path of the oncoming train. Christine was rapidly moving from side to side as if she was stuck. I was out of my car in under a second with my legs carrying me toward the danger zone as fast as humanly possible. Other onlookers just stared at the calamity that was about to take place. The train continued blasting its horns urging all to leave the area. I flung Christine's passenger door open so hard it nearly broke the hinges. She was screaming in terror fruitlessly trying to escape. The moment she first saw me, she was shocked as she screamed my name.

"NOLAN! NO! It's too late! You'll die! Run! Save yourself!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

Ignoring her pleas, I reached over attempting to secure her release. The locomotive was almost upon us. My body went into automatic mode. There was not a single thought being processed. It was almost as if since birth, my whole life had led me to this very moment. As I stabbed my hand into my pocket, Christine sobbed, "Nolan, I love you. I don't want you to die too!"

I shouted back over the din of the relentless horn blasts, "I'm not leaving your side, no matter what! If you die, then we die together."

I instinctively flipped my pocketknife open and started sawing on the straps. The tension she was applying made it cut easier. When I felt it give, I immediately dropped the knife, grabbed her under her arms, and jerked her out of the front seat with as much force and energy as my body could muster. Her feet never touched the ground. I was running back behind the vehicle as her body sailed through the air, swinging around until she began passing in front of me. I screamed at the top of my lungs exerting a final burst of energy that would put Superman to shame. Four bystanders stood behind the lowered gate, my intended target. By this time, Christine's body was nearly horizontal from my extreme exertion.

I yelled, "CATCH HER!!" Four sets of arms immediately reached out to catch her as I made one last leap to escape the clutches of death. The locomotive collided with Justin's car and launched it forward. The back of his car struck my right leg and knocked me at a forty-five-degree angle away from the impact. I landed on the ground in agony but still alive. It took the train another sixty seconds more to finally come to a screeching halt. The men who'd caught her gently lowered Christine's feet to the ground. The instant her shoes touched the ground, she leaped toward me to determine my condition. This time, it was my good leg, not the one that had been previously injured years ago. It was clearly broken and bleeding. Christine ripped her blouse off and wrapped it around my leg in an attempt to stem the bleeding. Ordinarily, she'd have been extremely embarrassed to be seen so publicly exposed in her bra. Somehow that thought never entered her mind.

An elderly gentleman took a jacket he had in his car and placed it around Christine's shoulders, and told her to please keep it. It was hers now. She looked up kindly at the old man and thanked him. She put the jacket on and zipped it up for modesty. Justin was separated from us on the other side of the tracks due to a quarter mile of stopped railway cars that extended beyond the impact site. I was glad that I didn't have to deal with him then. I wouldn't have been very polite to him for abandoning my wife to save his own skin. In a very few minutes, several ambulances appeared, and I was on my way to the closest hospital. Christine refused to leave my side, and just as before, made damn sure I received medical attention right away. She didn't have a scratch on her.

It was déjà vu. But this time I wasn't put to sleep. I had no concussion. They set my leg with metal rods employing a local anesthetic. I simply laid back resting as they worked skillfully to put everything right again. I had never been more exhausted than I was then. It was as if the adrenalin burst had sapped me of all my energy. I could hardly move. They wanted to keep me there for twenty-four hours for observation to make sure that shock wouldn't cause any more problems. As before, Christine never left my side in the hospital room.

That night, during visiting hours, there was a light knocking on the door. Abby timidly came in with tears streaming down her face. She expressed her relief that she had not lost her two best friends. She hadn't been apprised of the whole story but Christine made sure she was soon acquainted with what she called my act of heroism. Christine had texted her earlier, requesting another top, since hers was ruined. Abby brought her one of her own and told her not to worry about returning it. Intuitively, Justin didn't make an appearance knowing his presence would only make things worse for them.

Abby approached my bedside and began sobbing anew. The mother of my unborn child was now reunited with the biological father of hers.

"Nolan, I'm so sorry for everything. You are the bravest, most wonderful man I have ever met in my entire life. I'm not a bit surprised that you would selflessly put your life on the line for another. I love you, Nolan Rierson. Yes, I still love Justin but you'll always be treasured in a special part of my heart reserved solely for you forever. I want you to know that. Thank you for saving my best friend's life. You have my undying gratitude."

The true sincerity of her words touched me. Not knowing how to respond to her, I said nothing but I did tear up when she leaned over to hug me. I allowed her to do so. Suddenly she wasn't quite as repugnant as I had considered her before. After Abby left, we were alone in the room. I felt it was time to ask Christine the question that had been burning in my mind.

"Christine, why were you in the car with Justin today? I thought you were staying away from him. Have you been cheating on me with him? Is that what you were on your way to do?"

"What? No! Oh, my God. That's what you thought we were doing? Is that what you think of me? Were you following us? Is that why you were so close by?" She questioned.

"What else was I to think? I'd just left after having lunch with a client when I saw the two of you pass by in his car. I followed you to catch you in the act. I needed to know for sure what was going on. That's why I happened to be there."

"It's not what you think. Let me explain. Ever since you said what you did at Dr. Gresham's office, Abby has been on a downward emotional spiral. She's become very distraught and depressed."

"What's Abby got to do with it? I said very little in the psychiatrist's chamber. What was it that bothered her so much? Abby already knew the truth. I was just educating the doctor."

"When you said, 'I was never in love with either of the Sinclairs. They are anathema to me'. That shook Abby to the core. She loves you, Nolan, we're talking deep, true love. During the month she lived with you, she did everything with you that Justin expected of her. At first, you were just her plaything. But as time progressed, she fell head over heels in love with who and what you are. When you denounced her as an abomination at the psychiatrist's office by using the word, anathema, her distress at your rejection grew stronger every day."

She continued, "Today was the third day in a row she stayed home from work. Justin knew that I'd stopped taking his calls so you wouldn't get the wrong idea, consequently, he came to the library today to see me. He begged me to come with him to visit Abby at their home. Since I'm her best friend, he felt certain that I would be key to snapping her out of her funk. He drove us so he could talk to me along the way, suggesting ways that I might be able to get through to her. For some reason, she seems to have a guilty conscience weighing her down. I was going to try to get to the bottom of it to help her overcome her depression. I swear to you, Nolan; I had no intention of being intimate with Justin. We talked only of Abby's well-being, nothing else."

What she said sounded reasonable, except for the part about Abby's depression and love for me. I never felt especially loved by her during the time we were together. She'd always made it clear that Justin owned all of the real estate in her heart. Yet, it was only minutes ago that Abby had openly declared her love for me in front of Christine. Perhaps there was a kernel of truth there. It was puzzling.

Chapter-21

It seemed that Abby's brief visit with me had perked Abby up sufficiently to return to work. Christine took some time off to nurse me back to health. She made sure I lacked for nothing and never had to lift a finger. She was beginning to develop a tiny pooch in her lower abdomen. I knew what it was. She was showing. I still had mixed feelings about her baby. If I hated Justin before, I hated him doubly now for cowardly abandoning Christine to die in the collision. There's no way she would have survived that had I not been there. His car had been totally demolished in the near-fatal scene. Christine took me to my physical therapy sessions, encouraging me every step of the way.

Before she returned to work, she helped me set up to work remotely from home while my bones mended back together. After a couple of weeks, I was getting around on crutches fairly well. Even so, from the moment she arrived home from work, Christine insisted upon waiting on me hand and foot. She would often come home introspective. When I asked her what was on her mind, she merely said that she and Abby were working through things. I took it to mean that she was helping Abby work through her feelings for me and how best to put me in her rearview mirror. Christine never mentioned Justin anymore, at least in my presence. I'm sure she talked about him to Abby as they tried to work out all the dynamics of the circumstances. Finally, one day she wanted to talk.

"Honey, I know I've thanked you a thousand times over for saving my life when all you had to do was stand by and let me and my baby be erased from your life in one fell swoop. That would have been the easy thing for you to do. But despite the friction between us, and in the face of our fragile relationship, you unselfishly risked your life to save mine and my baby's. I found out that day what Justin was made of. He is nowhere near the man you are. I was blinded by lust, and I owe you the deepest apology one human being can contritely offer another. I was his passenger and he should have protected me but he didn't. When you told me that day that you were not leaving my side, no matter what, and that if I die, then we die together; suddenly, it was as if the sky had opened up, and my eyes were opened for the first time in understanding what true love is. He cut and ran FROM danger. You, you stupid fool ran TO it! You taught me more in that one moment than he could ever hope to teach me in a million years."

"Christine, it was never his job to protect you, it was mine. I made a solemn vow, and I meant every word of it when I said, 'til death do us part'."

Her eyes were watering as it dawned on her just how seriously and deeply I stood by my commitments.

"Honey, I need to fix what I broke," she stated.

"Do you think I'm broken?"

"No, WE are. I tried to fix us with that clueless psychiatrist. I realized then that sometimes trying to fix something only makes it worse."

"Christine..."

"No, please let me finish this before I break down crying. I need you to hear me out."

"Okay."

"You've made it very clear that you don't want to raise another man's child. After our talks and a lot of thinking, I've come to understand that better from your perspective. My instincts as a mother, force me to love this baby unconditionally and fight for it even while it is still in my womb. When we married, it never occurred to me that I would have to fight with YOU, my husband, over my unborn child. I have prayed the Prayer of Serenity countless times. Part of it calls upon me to find the courage to change the things I can, the courage to try. Abby and I have had in-depth discussions about our babies. Part of what hit her so hard by your remarks that day is the fact that she is carrying your child. She can't help but love the man who gifted her with a shared new life, which is now developing in her womb. She's coming to terms with how you feel about her and her husband and why. She doesn't blame you for feeling that way. It took her a while to recognize it but her heart is on the mend."

Christine continued, "She would love for you to be an important, integral part of your child's life. She now understands that it is unlikely that you will change your mind. To that end, we have discussed my child at length. I want my child to be raised in a loving home. I realize that you may be unable to love my child for the reasons you have delineated. I wish to Heaven that you felt differently but I have come to accept reality. I love you more than life itself, Nolan, and I don't say those words any more lightly than you do. For that reason, if you are amenable, I've offered to let Abby and Justin adopt my baby after it's born. She swore to me that they will love both children equally as each child is a part of them as a couple." Christine went on.

"I'm well aware of your concerns about repeatedly interacting with Abby and Justin because of our shared parenting. It is for this reason that I have made it very clear to them that you and I, once we sign over all of our parental rights for adoption, will have nothing more to do with them or the children in any capacity, not as friends, not as parents, not even as Godparents. The four of them will live their lives separate and apart from us forever. They completely understand that is part of the deal, though it makes them both very sad to lose our friendship. Immediately after the adoption, Abby will resign from her position and get another job elsewhere. I will be losing my best female friend as well. I make this sacrifice out of my love for you, Nolan. I want to make it crystal clear that you come first in my life. If I don't have you, then I have nothing. I don't WANT to let my baby go but I REFUSE to let YOU go. All I ask is that you let me have my baby here at home for one week. One week to say my proper goodbye for the rest of its life. May I at least have that, please?"

I was stunned almost beyond belief. If I ever doubted her love before, she had just cleared that up for me once and for all. The outlook for the future of our marriage had just gone from a dying ember to the brightest illuminating beam imaginable. I couldn't get out of my chair fast enough. I pulled her into a loving embrace and kissed her with a passion I'd not felt since before everything had fallen apart. This wasn't a sexual kiss. This was love in its purest form. We stood there crying and kissing, never wanting this moment to end. I finally had my wife back, at last! When our eyes locked, it was as if our cracked souls were welded together again for eternity. No force on earth would ever be able to come between us again. Nolan and Christine Rierson were back!

I looked into her searching eyes again and said, "Thank you, my love, for showing me just how much you love me. As far as I'm concerned, from this moment forward, there's nothing between us any longer pushing us apart. I'll move back into the master bedroom tonight. But I want to say more than that. I know I told you that I would never acknowledge your baby in any way nor have anything to do with your prenatal care or the birth. All that has changed now. Now that I know that the Sinclairs will be out of our lives forever with no reminders underfoot to drive a wedge between us, I'll support you 100% from now on. If you wish, I'll be happy to attend birthing classes with you, and I'll be there for the birth as well. You may have your week with your baby here without a single negative word from me."

We sealed our renewed devotion with another kiss. All of the black clouds had dispersed. Rays of sunshine were the norm now. I no longer resented her enlarging belly. Each morning and evening I lovingly applied Mederma stretch mark therapy cream on her tummy and more erotically on her breasts. She offered to do it herself to save me time but I insisted on doing it myself. Did I mention that her breasts were growing larger than they had ever been?

She and Abby compared notes daily as their enlarged forms wrought changes in the myriad of ways that affect pregnant women. More than once, I had to make a food run in the middle of the night to appease Christine's sudden cravings. Although we had brilliantly resumed our sex life, I tried to be mindful of causing no harm to the unborn child. She was elated when she brought home copies of both ultrasounds. Christine was having a girl and Abby was just as thrilled to be carrying a boy. I told her I didn't need to see Abby's ultrasound. The gender information was sufficient. She understood and indicated that Abby merely wanted it available to me should I wish to see or confirm anything for myself. The girls were visiting the same Ob/Gyn practice but they were seeing different doctors.

We'd established a workable routine as a pregnant couple. Every time I gave her a foot massage, she swore she would love me until the day I die. I was glad to offer her some comfort. The months clicked by uneventfully. Christine never went anywhere without extra mini pads and a change of panties. One simple sneeze and she would pee herself. I was becoming accustomed to seeing her in what I call granny panties. Whatever she needed to be comfortable, I was okay with. Abby's baby came two weeks before Christine's. This worked out fine with Christine being able to manage work while Abby was out for a week on maternity leave. It would have been difficult to manage had they both been out at the same time. Christine asked if I was okay with her visiting Abby and her new red-headed little baby at the hospital while she was still there. With trust fully restored, I had no objection. All I needed to know was that mother and child were fine, safe, and sound at home. After her week was up, Abby returned to her post and informed Christine that while she was out, she had secured a position in the UNC-Charlotte system but would not make the transfer until after Christine returned to work after her maternity leave. Christine asked but I politely declined to view a picture of Abby's little guy. She didn't push it. I was informed that Abby had the babies' room all set up with two cribs and everything, ready to welcome Christine's daughter into their family.