2 Painful Beginnings

Chris was fuming mad. He can't focus on the papers in front of him. How could she not tell him? He only found out that she was pregnant because a classmate asked him if the rumors were true. Were friends supposed to confide to each other? Some kind of friend Kate turned out to be! 

He felt so betrayed because she decided to see Eunice and not him. Did he ever share her secrets? Chris could not believe that Kate didn't trust him. That was the most painful thing for him. 

Chris could live with the fact that she only saw him as a friend. He knew that he will eventually find someone else. But her lack of trust stung the most. 

He realized that his feelings were getting the best of him. So he slammed the book close. This earned him the glare of everyone in the library. So he quickly said, "sorry."

Eunice looked at him and said, "I know that this is not my secret to share. But I don't want to…."

Before she could complete her sentence, Chris cut in, "She just dated the f****** guy for a few months then got herself knocked up!"

"For crying out, Chris! Listen! Kate was raped!" Eunice said.

Upon hearing this, Chris snapped his pen in two. He stuttered a question, "Di….Did that bastard do this?"

Eunice shook her head. She opened her mouth. But then closed it again and kept quiet.

"Eunice!"

Everyone, who surrounded him, stared at him. So he again apologized. 

"You should ask Kate," his friend quietly said. Then Eunice added, "It's not my secret to tell."

Right then and there, Chris vowed to protect Kate. He swore that no harm will ever come to her and to her child. As he watched her dance with the US senator, he remembered their first night together. He can sense that she was still skeptical about him ...about them.

He can vividly see how she cocked her head to one side, looked at him with brows raised and asked, "when will this charade end? I'm starting to fall for you."

He heard her laugh hysterically. Although they were dating for more than a year, he was sure that she didn't take their relationship seriously. He knew that she still saw him as a friend…. Only as a friend. 

"Kate," Chris said as he offered her hand to her.

Kate raised her brow again and asked, "what are you doing?"

"It's a beautiful song. I want to dance."

He finally sensed that she was at ease. This was his cue to say, "You know that I won't hurt you."

He placed her hand on his shoulder as he placed his on her hip. Then he said, "It would be nice if this will be the song that they will play for our wedding."

"Chris, please stop it."

"Kate," he whispered as he brushed her hair away from her face, "I would like to give you and Jason my name."

"What do you mean?"

"I am sure that if the circumstances were different, Jason would be my biological son."

Chris closed his eyes to savor the memory of their first kiss. Kate had placed her hand on his cheek and asked, "you really do love me?"

She did not wait for his reply. But instead, she brought his face closer to hers. Then she opened his mouth with his. 

His train of thoughts were interrupted when he heard Kate say, "Senator, please meet my husband."

*****

"Senator, please meet my husband," upon hearing this, Kyle's shoulders sagged. After a few seconds, Kyle managed to shake the man's hand and smile. Then he said, "may I join you?"

"Of course," the man replied.

"I am Kyle Thompson," Kyle introduced himself, "I have the great pleasure of meeting the two of you. May I have the name of my hosts?"

"I'm Chris and she's Kate."

She giggled and said, "there was really no need for you to introduce yourself, Senator. You are famous even in our third world country."

"So where are you from?"

"We come from Chile."

"Newly weds?" Kyle asked as bile rose from his stomach. 

"Oh no," Kate said enthusiastically.

Her husband immediately said while reaching out to her hand, "We have been married for 18 months."

Kyle wasn't exactly surprised to see how protective (or territorial) the guy was. Kate was quite beautiful.

"But we've been together," Kate jumped in. 

"Forever," the husband cut in. 

"The joy of the honeymoon period," Kyle finally managed to say. He watched the couple with envy. He was jealous of the husband for winning Kate before him. As he begrudgingly joined in their merriment, he wished that Anna was still alive. He missed the warmth of a woman's touch. 

Very much like the couple in front of him, he and his late wife were friends before becoming lovers. He still remembered the time that Anna went to his room. He can still hear her knock and shouting, "Kyle Thompson! Let me in!"

He was not in the mood to entertain visitors. But deep inside him, he wanted to talk to someone. So he finally let Anna in.

"What is wrong with you?" Anna asked in an angry-mom voice. 

"Good morning, Anna."

"Don't you dare say Good Morning!"

"Look! What do you want from me?"

Anna took a seat and looked at him with great concern. Then she finally said, "I'm worried about you. You have locked yourself up."

"I just don't feel like talking to people."

Anna rose from her seat, walked toward him and surveyed him. She again asked, "What is wrong, Kyle? What happened at home?"

Before he could open his mouth, Anna hugged him. Her warmth embrace meant the world to him…. Meant that he was not unwanted. 

"Anyway," he heard Kate say, "I wanted this evening to be special because I found out that I am pregnant!"

"Congratulations!" Kyle said as he watched the happy couple hugged each other. They were not nauseatingly sweet. But their obvious love for each other made him empty his glass with one gulp.

*****

A part of him wanted to see Kate. But at the same time, he was sure that her husband would be with her. At any rate, she was already married. So in a sour mood, he prepared for the day ahead. 

After an uneventful breakfast, he went out of his room and down to the lobby. The day promised to be a hot one. He immediately saw Kate sitting on her own. But he didn't greet her. He was forced to acknowledge her presence when she waved at him. With that, he went to her and said, "Good morning Kate!"

"Good morning Senator!"

"Where is…."

"Chris?"

"Yes, Chris."

"He is buying another pregnancy test," she replied, shaking her head. Then she looked up at him and said, "Please sit down."

"Oh no," Kyle waved his hand and explained further, "I have a meeting with the Knesset, the…."

"The Israeli parliament," Kate continued his sentence. Then she added, "I hope you can join us to…."

Before she can continue her sentence, they heard someone scream, "Kate run!"

Kyle turned to see who it was and saw her husband wrestling with a complete stranger. The stranger had pulled out a knife and stabbed Chris. But Chris didn't let go. He again shouted, "he has a bomb."

This was Kyle's cue to pull Kate inside. 

She was trying to break away from his grip. But he remained firm. Then he heard her say, "please let me go to my husband. Please."

She finally stopped struggling with him as they watched soldiers wrestled the man who stabbed Chris, to the ground. She pushed his arm and ran outside. 

He watched an ambulance come in and take Chris away. So he went to Kate and said, "Let us go to the hospital."

He saw Kate nod. With this, he motioned his own security personnel to get the car. When the car arrived, they went to the hospital.