Looking for Daniel Mason

"That's where you're wrong Kat; I did do a lot wrong. I could have confronted you when I first found you cheated, and then I had the chance when I overheard your conversation with Grace. I didn't do either, and let it go on, I know now that was wrong of me. When I found out that I hadn't fathered our children, I found out at the same time that I was sterile and couldn't ever have given you children, I felt guilty."

Dan toyed with his plate of dessert. "You had given me my dream of a loving family and I couldn't return that gift. I held back so that I wouldn't hurt you with the knowledge that I knew what you had done. I have to admit that I did put a detective on your tail on and off for the next couple of years but never found you wanting ever again until I heard what you and Grace were talking about and got the wrong idea."

Katelyn sat back in thought, and then smiled. "So can I take this as being forgiven for my fubar?"

Dan smiled as well. "Yes Kat, you can. I've missed you and the kids these last five years. I would dearly like us to bring our back family together again."

Katie had tears in her eyes. "Thank you Daniel. You don't know how happy your words have made me. The way I see it now there's two things left to decide. One is will you honour your promise to dance with me, and two, are we going to sleep in the same bed tonight?"

Dan smiled and stood, holding out his hand, "Mrs Mason would you do me the honour of accompanying me for this next dance?"

Katie almost swooned at these words, but stood and took her husband's hand. "It would be my greatest pleasure to accompany you to the ends of the earth Mr Mason!"

It was a slow romantic melody, Daniel and Katelyn moulded themselves against each other as though the last years had never happened and just went with the moods. Katie lay her head on her husband's chest and wept tears of joy and relief as they made their way around the floor.

"Why are you crying woman?"

Katie pulled back a smidgen to look up at the man she adored. "Because I'm happy, you stupid man, I have to admit to thinking that this would never ever happen again!" He chuckled.

Katie sniffed back some tears and wiped her face. "Here's the way I see it! Accountability for Grace's conception is a moot point, something neither of us actively made happen. Not coming to you when I suspected what had happened is my mistake and one that will haunt me to my deathbed. In the same fashion, you could have done the same thing and come to me when you found out the truth. Debating what may or may not have been the outcome of those discussions back then is another moot point, water under the bridge as it were, so I see that we are even on that score. All we have left is your regret that you couldn't give me children."

Dan nodded his acceptance and they continued to dance one melody after another, taking little if no interest in the other couples dining or dancing. Katelyn was just content to be back in her husband arms again. The last song of the night had just finished and Katie was walking off the floor with Dan when she stopped.

"You know I have just remembered something that Jason said to me." The look from Dan bade her to continue and she smiled. "Not here, wait until we get back home and over coffee I'll see if I can put my thoughts into the correct words."

The drive home was shrouded in silence, both thinking their own thoughts.

Dan put the two cups down on the coffee table and sat next to Katie, something she truly appreciated. This wasn't confrontation but true dialogue between two loving people. Dan finally started the ball rolling. "Ok sweetheart, let's wrap this up. I said everything that I had to say, but you seem to think there one more point to make, so let it out."

Katie took a sip and cleared her throat. "All that's left is your perceived failure to give me children; I don't see that as a failure in the least. Jason got me to understand that not everyone sees the world the way you or I do. That statement finally made me understand the magnitude of my infidelity. For argument sake, let's reverse the rolls here. Let's say that I was the one who couldn't have children and you could. Let's say that you went out and got another woman pregnant and somehow managed to convince her to give up that child and brought it home to me."

"Here darling this is our child, you're now the mother and I would like you to bring this child up as yours!"

"That idea was so foreign to me that it blew my mind, I mean there is no way you could get the child past me without my knowing it wasn't mine. Every woman living can point to their children and say without a doubt, 'That child is mine!' The fact that we go through the pregnancy, labour and delivery gives us that confidence."

"What assurance does a husband have? He points to his child and say, 'This is my child! Why? Because my loving wife says so!' What sort of love, respect and trust do you need to be able to say something like that? How despicable and deplorable does a woman have to be to bear someone else's child and pass it off as her husband's?"

Katelyn stopped for a second gauging Daniel comprehension then moved on. "By not coming to me and confronting me on getting pregnant to Eddie, you were saying to me, 'Ok Katelyn they may be your children but I will financial and emotionally see to their wellbeing; I will be their father! In effect, it's what I would have to have done if you had brought a child to me to mother, and Daniel, I still to this day don't know if I could have done that! That takes a commitment that is just so out of this world that I find it hard to come to grips with."

Katie leaned over and kissed Dan on the cheek. "My dearest husband, when it comes to love, respect and above all trust, we women have no idea what it takes to commit that much of ourselves. I don't know how many times I've heard my friends say 'My husband has no idea what trust is all about!' I can tell you now; I know what I'll be saying to those idiots when I hear that statement again!"

Katie took Dan's hands in hers. "I have looked at this problem through your eyes darling, now you have to see it from mine. I know it's your ego that has you thinking like this, but a woman's pride is no different, and yes I gave you children, something you couldn't do for me. But you gave me something just as precious to me; you gave me a father for my children even when you knew they weren't of your making! You made them yours the day you accepted them into our family, I couldn't love you more for that if I tried."

The emotions Dan was feeling, choked him up and it took him a little time to get himself under control, he cleared his throat and quipped. "Well that certainly put paid to question five now didn't it."

"What have you decided about nine and ten?"

A smile broke out on Daniel's face. "That a yes and no! Yes, I do trust you, and no, I don't want to live my life without the woman I love!"

Dan's smile became infectious as Katie threw herself into Daniel's arms. "I will love, honour and respect you till the day I die." They came together kissing furiously as if to make up for all the lost years.

"How about it lover, would you like to sleep in our bed tonight?"

"You have no idea how I have craved your saying just those words. I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of our time in our bed!"

Dan got up and took Katie by the hand and led her to the master bedroom. "By-the-way what was it you said to me this afternoon, the English translation this time please."

Katie giggled. "You're doing it and if there's justice in the world, I'll be the one getting lucky!"

Dan turned back and looked Katie in the eye. "Ha huh, and what's that suppose to mean?"

"Just like have I said, "Plomb sur mon amour, je suis à toi de faire ce que vous s'il vous plait!" Lead on my love, I am yours to do as you please!"

Daniel nodded, "I that case then I'll take you up on your offer."

The grin on Katie's face said it all. "Ohhh yes, there is justice and I am the luckiest woman in the world."

"Just out of curiosity, do you know where Eddie is?"

Katie frowned. "No I don't, and I don't want to know, why do you ask?"

"Ohhh no reason, I just want to know encase he needs urgent and drastic surgery. But it matters not, we both know someone who will only be to glad to track him down for us."

Katie burst out laughing. "You're positively mean, and I love it. I'm sure Jason would help us out there."

Later that night while they were basking in to afterglow of a feverish love making episode Dan asked. "How would you feel about celebrating our twentieth wedding anniversary? After all I missed our fifteenth!"

Katie got up on one elbow and nudged Daniel in the ribs. "Let me remind you that you missed our fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth and our nineteenth anniversaries."

Dan smiled wickedly, "All the more to enjoy our twentieth!"

Katie punched him on the arm. "You bastard, only if you promise to show up this time, there's no way I could ever face all our rellies without you there. I can't tell you just how traumatic that was."

~...~

Jason and Gracie watched as the car pulled away from the curb and Katelyn turn to walk up the drive. Gracie commented to Jason. "This doesn't fill me with too much hope darling."

Jason patted her arm. "Don't jump to conclusions without more information sweetheart."

Katie looked tired even with a noticeable bounce to her step and Jason smiled. "Everything go as planned mum?" He enquired before she reached the porch.

Katie smiled. "Let me get inside and rest with a cup of coffee for a minute before The Spanish Inquisition convenes."

Jason took her suitcase from her and delivered it to her room, all the while hearing a barrage of questions from Gracie. What happened? Why isn't dad here? Is everything ok with the both..." and it went on and on, even as he went to the kitchen to make the coffee, "I don't understand mum, if everything is fine why isn't dad here with you?"

Katie hadn't said a word the whole time as her daughter threw one question at her after another, right up until Jason brought the tray with coffee, some cheese and crackers, setting them down on the table in front of her. "Mum will you talk to me, I'm dying here!"

Katie smiled at Jason in thanks for his patience. "Is she always like this or has she developed an inquiring mind only of late?"

Jason chuckled. "Pretty much the machine gun fire with questions has developed since we found dad. I generally let her wind herself down until she runs out of steam before I can get a word in edgeways!"

Gracie growled, "Shut up Jason and let mum spill the beans!"

Katelyn scowled. "Gracie Lynn, you apologise to your husband right this minute!"

"But..."

Her mother held up her hand as Jason's smile widened. "No young lady! You do it now or you'll be the very last person to know what went on up at the cabin between your father and me!"

Gracie huffed audibly, but relented. "I'm sorry for snapping at you Jason. I just came unglued because the suspense is killing me.

Jason and Katie smiled to one another, as Jason shrugged. "If you'll just glue that mouth of yours shut for one second and give your mother a few minutes to settle in, I'm sure she will fill us both in on the relevant details!"

Katie chortled at Jason's scolding remark. "Thank you Jason." To Gracie she defended. "While I can understand your need for information, I think you should heed your husband's advice if you want the chance to glue yourself back together!

Gracie just sat back and looked gloomy. "Yes mum!"

Katie took another sip from her cup and started. "You'll be happy to hear that your father and I have got back together!" Gracie went to ask and Jason quickly slipped his hand over her mouth. "Not another word Gracie let your mother talk."

"The reason your father isn't here is because he has gone into the office to make arrangement for Kyle Babcock to take over the reins so that he and I can retire. I'm here to organise the house so that I can move up to the cottage to be with my husband. The twins have been nagging me to go to boarding school, so they won't need me here."

Katie could see questions forming in Gracie's face but soldiered on. "You and Jason have your own life to live and your father and I both agree that if it's acceptable to you both, then you can take over the running of this house and save yourself some rent and get a nest egg together to buy a home of your own."

Katie sat back and waited for the inevitable barrage of questions from Gracie.

Gracie for her part sat quietly, much to the surprise of the other two. "Well Gracie, has that answered all your questions about your mum and dad?"

"Ohhh so I'm allowed to ask now, am I?" Gracie's tone sounded peeved, and it just made Jason and Katie laugh.

"I suggest one question at a time Gracie!" Jason quipped.

Daniel and Katelyn's twentieth wedding anniversary went off without a hitch.

~...~

Months later as Dan opened the paper and read the society page, he began to laugh. Katie in the meantime was just setting their breakfast down on the table. "What's so funny?"

Dan handed the paper to Katie and pointed to the news article.

Headlines.

Legal battle set to get ugly!

Mr Edward Douglas Carlyle is now in court fighting paternity suits from several women charging him with child support and alimony. This reporter believes that Mr Carlyle is allegedly to have made statements to the relevant authorities that he isn't the father of any the children and condemns the action of these gold diggers as nothing more than sour grapes.

The case he puts forward is that he has been sterile due to a childhood accident. The court is considering ordering Mr Carlyle to undergo fertility test, but as yet there isn't enough evidence to require this to be enforced.

Katie face lit up in an evil grin and Daniel chuckled to himself knowing exactly what she was going to do. "Just as long as you keep us out of it my love!"

Epilogue.

Daniel and Katelyn found a new appreciation of the others faults and feelings, giving them peace and harmony in their retirement.

Jason and Gracie moved into the family home and made it their own until the twins came back from college and university. They moved out not long after as they had enough to buy their own house.

Rob and Josh thought it was magic that they had the entire house to live and entertain in, and made full use of it.

A parcel arrived at the offices of the prosecuting attorneys for the women involved in Mr Carlyle's paternity battle. In it was a lock of hair and three anonymous DNA reports giving the sex and ages of the children concerned, along with a covering letter, and half a dozen signed affidavits, all attesting to the authenticity of the sample.

To whom it may concern,

The attached hair sample was taken with full knowledge and consent of the owner, one Edward Carlyle for a charity fundraiser. None of the people signing the affidavits are principles in the current court action."

Yours faithfully

A Friend.

While the sample couldn't be tested to verify the authenticity of its previous owner, and wasn't admissible in court, it was enough to have the magistrate require Mr Carlyle to supply a DNA sample by court order. The subsequent fallout from positive identification of the father to these children put Eddie's finances to the test and he probably now wishes he had bought more expensive brand of Prophylactic. After settling out of court for an undisclosed sum, he disappeared to reaches far from the media.

Since organ donations from Edward Carlyle were never needed for the children. Jason was not asked to look for him, although kept an eye out just in case.

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