Last Vacation Pt. 02

"How long will I be here?" I asked. "Can I post bail or something?"

"No bail has been set," the officer said. "You're being held pending extradition to Pittsburgh." Oh God, I thought to myself.

"What about the man who was brought in with me? Dan King?" The officer looked at her computer for a moment.

"Mr. King is currently being extradited to face federal charges in Columbus," she said. That's it, I thought. I'm sunk. The officer took me to a holding cell where I sat on a cold, hard concrete seat and stared at the walls, shocked at how far and fast I had fallen.

...

Shane:

I ended the call with Kay and laughed. I couldn't believe the nerve of the bitch. She actually expected me to help her after plotting to have me and the boys murdered. She could rot in prison for all I cared. Right now, I hated the bitch more than I had ever hated anyone or anything in my entire life.

"Talk about nerve," I said. Peter smiled and nodded his head as I drove.

"Yeah," he said. We pulled up to my house and went inside. Out of curiosity, I checked to see if there was anything new on Kay's phone. There wasn't, so I called the hotel, explained the situation and arranged to have her stuff packed up and sent home.

Afterward, we sat in the living room and I turned on the television. Peter's phone rang, and he walked out of the room for a few minutes as I surfed the channels.

"Turn on the news," he said when he came back in the room. I changed to a local news channel and we saw a reporter standing in an apartment parking lot.

"Capt. Alfred MacGregor, a highly decorated police officer, was shot early this morning, right here at this apartment complex," the reporter said, pointing to the apartment building behind him. "According to authorities we spoke to, the shooting took place during an arrest that came about as the result of an investigation into a conspiracy to allegedly sell stolen prescription drugs. Details of the arrest and the investigation have not been released, but we have been told the police chief will be holding a press conference later today."

As I watched, my phone rang. I saw it was from Bill, so I answered.

"Did ya see the news?" he asked.

"I did," I said. "What happened?"

"From what I was told, MacGregor opened the door and started shooting when he saw the officers," Bill said. "That's when they returned fire, killing him."

"So, I guess I'm safe then, right?" I asked.

"Let's not jump the gun," he told me. "I'd like Peter to shadow you for the rest of the week. I don't think MacGregor has anyone coming after you, but let's err on the side of caution."

"Sounds good to me," I said.

"Have a good day," he said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Thanks," I said, ending the call. I looked at Peter. "Guess you're staying here for the rest of the week," I said. "You need to go get anything to hold you over?" He shook his head.

"I've got everything I need," he said. "But thanks anyway." I closed my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Later that day, Peter and I went to see the boys. After we ate, I brought them all up on the day's events.

"So, is Mom going to prison?" John asked.

"It looks that way, son," I said. "Probably for a very long time." He got very quiet after that. I knew I would have my work cut out for me. It's hard enough being a single parent, but now the boys would have to deal with their mother being in prison. Thank God I have loving and understanding in-laws who love the boys as much as I do, I thought to myself.

The rest of the week went by pretty quick, now that I knew the boys and I would be safe. Marion told me Wednesday that Kay had been brought back to Pittsburgh. Her arraignment was set for Thursday, so I made it a point to be at the courthouse. As I watched, Kay was brought in, wearing an orange jump suit, her hands and feet shackled, with chains connecting to another chain around her waist. It took no time at all for the judge to order her held without bail. She sobbed as they led her back out.

Her lawyer, a public defender, asked me if I could bring the boys to the jail to visit her. I informed him that the boys had made it clear they did not want to see her ever again.

Marion informed me that the divorce papers were ready to be served and asked if I wanted to be present that Friday when the process server gave them to her. I agreed and met him at the jail. They brought Kay into the visiting area, still shackled. She looked up at me and gave a wan smile. I just glared at her.

The process server approached her and asked if she was Kay McKnight.

"I am," she said. He gave her the papers and stepped back. As I watched, she pulled the papers out and began sobbing. Normally, I would have offered to console her, but not anymore. I stepped forward and handed her a pen.

"Sign the fucking papers, bitch," I told her.

"Aren't I getting anything?" she asked, tears in her eyes.

"Not no, but fuck no," I said. "You're not going to need anything where you're going anyway."

"Can I at least see the boys?" she asked. I shook my head.

"They don't want to see you anymore," I told her. "As far as the boys and I are concerned, you're dead to us. And speaking of dead, you know your partner in crime was killed the day they tried to arrest him."

"I heard," she said. "Please, Shane, forgive me."

"No," I said. "I loved you with all my heart for 13 years or more. And how did you repay me? By lying, cheating and then robbing me of the ability to ever have children of my own. I hate you with every fiber of my being and I'll never, ever, forgive you for what you did to us. Now, sign the fucking divorce papers and be done with it."

Sobbing, she slowly picked up the pen and signed the papers on all the lines Marion had marked. When she finished, I handed the packet over to the process server.

"Thank you," he said. "I'll get these right back to Mrs. Hawkins and she'll get them filed with the court." I watched as he left then turned back to Kay.

"I just want to know one thing, Kay," I said. She looked up at me.

"What?" she asked.

"Why?" I asked. "Why did you do it?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know," she said. "Because I wanted to and I could, I guess."

"And look at where that's gotten you?" I asked. I shook my head. "You have some serious issues. But that's not my problem anymore." I looked around the stark room. "You know, I have a feeling you're going to die behind walls just like these. And you know what?"

"No, Shane. What?" she asked.

"I can't wait to piss on your grave when you do," I said, throwing her own words back at her. She began sobbing but I didn't care. "One last thing, from the boys and I," I added.

"What?" she asked, looking more forlorn than I had ever seen her before. I brought up both hands and extended my middle fingers.

"Fuck you, bitch," I said before turning away. I could hear her sobbing uncontrollably as I walked away. Too fucking bad, I thought.

Epilogue:

Kay's murder-for-hire trial went fairly quick. Because the boys had also been targeted in her scheme, she was sentenced to 25 years to life. The federal drug investigation dragged on for a few more months, and Kay was eventually given an additional life sentence for her role in what prosecutors officially labeled a criminal enterprise. She could have received a death sentence since the drugs she gave MacGregor were ultimately linked to at least two deaths. Dan was tried separately for his role and also received a life sentence.

Life for the boys and I went on. They never wanted to visit their mother so I respected their wishes and didn't push it, although Cliff and Julie did go see their daughter once a month.

It took a while to get used to being a single parent. Cliff and Julie helped a lot and the boys enjoyed spending time with their grandparents. Julie kept pushing for me to "find a nice girl and settle down," but I simply wasn't ready. After what Kay did, I wasn't sure I could ever trust or love another woman again. I did, however, get the vasectomy reversed a couple weeks after Kay signed the divorce papers, although the doctor said it could take a while before I could father any children,

A few weeks after Kay signed the divorce, Marion contacted me, saying she had something for me.

"What?" I asked.

"You'll need to come by my office," she said. So I went. When I got there, she pulled out a bottle of champagne she had in a bucket of ice and poured a couple glasses. She handed me one, along with an envelope. "Go on, open it," she said. I opened the envelope and found a check for five million dollars, signed by Dr. Winstead. I looked at her, shocked.

"How did you manage this?" I asked.

"Well," she said. "I convinced Dr. Winstead that it would be in his best interest to settle with you. After I pointed out the potentially destructive and embarrassing divorce his wife would almost certainly want and the damage to his reputation as a scholar and a healer, he decided to settle out of court rather than try to explain why he had you undergo an unnecessary medical procedure after getting your wife pregnant."

"Wow," I said. "Remind me to never get on your bad side." She laughed.

"That's your take after taxes, by the way," she said. "And he also paid all your fees and expenses."

"He must be a very rich man," I said. She shook her head.

"He is," she said. "He gave more than that to charity last year alone, so he's not hurting too bad." She lifted her glass in a toast and I joined her.

My self-imposed exile from women lasted about five years. It was then I met Laurie Reynolds, one of John's teachers. Like me, she was a single parent with one son, a year younger than John. She was also a divorcee and trusted men about as much as I trusted women. We dated for about a year until I screwed up enough courage to pop the question. She accepted and we got married a couple months later.

About a year after that, she gave birth to a girl, Sarah Jane, named after both our mothers. Tears filled my eyes the first time I held that little bundle of joy. Laurie realized that Sarah was the first child I had actually fathered and held me tight. I called the boys and their grandparents into the room and turned Sarah around so they could see her.

"Boys," I said as Cliff and Julie looked on. "Meet your new sister, Sarah Jane." They took right to her and I knew everything would be alright.

As Laurie, the children and I moved ahead with the rest of our lives, Kay's ended up going downhill and lasted just about another six years or so after Sarah's birth.

A few months after her first conviction, Kay was diagnosed with HIV and was separated from the rest of the prison population. She died from full-blown AIDS about 13 years after that initial diagnosis. With no one willing to claim her body, she was buried in a potter's field, with a simple marker bearing her prisoner number.

I wanted so bad to fulfill my promise to piss on her grave, but Laurie convinced me otherwise.

"Come on, sit down here with me," she said as I stepped on the back porch. As I sat down, she poured me a cup of her chamomile tea. I thanked her and took a sip, savoring the aroma. She looked at me for a moment before she said anything.

"Shane, I know how hard it's been for you to get past what Kay did, but you have to let it go and move forward," she said.

"It's so damn hard, babe," I said. "And it still hurts like hell."

"I know," she said. "You know if I thought it would do any good, I'd go with you and piss on her grave with you. You know that, don't you?" I nodded my head.

"Yeah," I said.

"But she's gone now and she can never hurt you again," Laurie said. "Look at it this way. Kay suffered with AIDS for almost the same length of time you were married to her. She died in that awful place, unloved, unforgiven, forsaken and all but forgotten. She's paid the ultimate price for what she did. What more could you possibly do?" I had to admit, she had a point.

"Have you told the boys yet?" she asked. By now, all of the boys had left home and were in college.

"I told John and Robert," I said. "At first, they thought I was talking about you. Then I told them I was referring to their birth mother."

"How did they take it?" she asked.

"They really didn't seem to care," I said.

"What does that tell you?" she asked.

"They've moved on, I guess," I said in response.

"That's right," she told me. "They've moved on. And so should you. Shane, you're the best husband a girl could ever want. And you're the best father any child could ever ask for. Think about it. You loved and raised John and Robert even after you learned you weren't their biological father. You accepted and adopted Mark, even though you weren't his biological father."

"He's a good boy," I said. She smiled.

"Thanks in large part to you," she said. "You taught him what it means to be a man and I know for a fact he thinks of you as his real father." We looked at Sarah, who was playing in the yard.

"Didn't you tell me once that Kay wanted that Dan guy to give her a daughter?" Laurie asked.

"Yeah, that's right," I said. It seemed like an eternity had passed since that fateful Friday night but I never forgot what she said.

"Just think," Laurie said. "If she hadn't been so stupid, greedy and selfish, you just might have given her that daughter. And Sarah would never have been born." I had to admit, she was right. I hadn't thought of the irony of the whole situation before. I gave my wife a kiss. Suddenly, I heard Sarah as she came up to us, holding a white flower with three petals.

"Daddy," she said. "Look what I have for you." I looked up as she handed the flower to me. I recognized it as a white trillium, a flower that grows in abundance in the parks here. Kay would often make small bouquets with them. I liked the white variety, but I hated the rotten odor of the red ones.

"Thank you, sweetheart," I said.

"That lady said you really like these," Sarah said. Laurie and I looked over the yard, but didn't see anyone.

"What lady?" Laurie asked.

"That one," Sarah said, pointing to the area of the yard where she had been playing. We looked, but saw no one. Chills running down our spine, we looked at each other. There was no indication that anyone had ever been there.

"What else did the lady say?" Laurie asked. Sarah shrugged her shoulders.

"She said to tell you she's sorry for everything and wants you to forgive her," Sarah said, looking at me. I still saw no one but I noticed the vegetation sway slightly, as if touched by a light breeze. We felt a sudden blast of cold air but it was gone as fast as it came. I looked at Laurie, a tear beginning to form in my eye. I nodded my head.

"Maybe it's time I do," I said, knowing it would be the hardest thing I had ever done. Laurie smiled and Sarah hugged my neck. After all, Kay was now dead and buried, a part of my past. These two girls are my present and my future, I thought, and deserved my full love and attention. "I forgive you, Kay," I whispered, looking up at the sky. Sarah hugged me tighter and kissed my cheek.

"I love you, Daddy," she said. "Thank you." She crawled off my lap and went running back into the yard. I looked at my wife wondering what the hell just happened. She smiled and kissed me full on the lips. At that moment I felt happier and more content than I had in a very long time, as if a huge burden had been lifted from my shoulders.

Maybe, I thought to myself, happiness really is the best revenge...