Chapter 27: The Secret Keeper

Outdoor Cafe, Midtown, Upstate Location....

Dr. Maureen Welch sat patiently awaiting her scheduled guest for lunch enjoying a nice cool breeze and the very wonderful surroundings that made the cafe so full of life. She was pleased to have been apart of the celebration of her dearest friend's return. His three month absence was difficult for everyone that cared about him. No one knew what to think, him being dead in a ditch somewhere and they not know it was a lot for some to take. For as long as anyone had known Hadrian Rawsone he'd simply been a kind, caring, generous, a very letter of the law family man, that patients as well as people of all walks of life seemed to resonate with. He never spoke about his upbringing or his own parents nor the fact that he might have had siblings and it never seemed to bother him whenever he was questioned about that very fact.

Maureen had been just recently out of medical school she met and began working with fellow Psychiatrist, Dr. Rawsone he was five years her junior and came off much more like an understanding older brother than a boss for most of their association complete with jokes, pranks and understanding conversations when she needed them most. She believed him to be fiercely loyal and dependable in any situation so hearing that he just up and vanished without a word to his family was a bit difficult to take without coming to the worst possible conclusion.

Hadrian was her best friend and honorary big brother in a sense and his loss was felt tremendously. So much so that she took on his clients in a bid to keep the business afloat and his reputation in tact...well as much as it had been since the issues concerning the Bortnik case. She had hoped that he would come to her if he needed to talk or vent, but he always seemed to brush off her concerns and bury himself into work.

The warm rays of the sun were doing Maureen a world of good as she patiently enjoyed her time outdoors. She smiled at her memory of running into him at his homecoming party. He always called her "Sis" in passing or "Reen" when he wanted something.

Julia Rawsone made her way toward the cafe where she'd seen Maureen waiting for her for their meeting. The past three months without her husband were difficult months and she didn't know what she would have done had she not had Maureen by her side. They didn't always see eye to eye and she often questioned the nature of her husband's relationship with the younger woman. Although, she found that she had grown a lot in the months she'd spent alone she and Maureen were never going to be besties, but she cared for Hadrian just as much as she had.

"Julia, I might have known you were coming around to seeing me sooner or later." said Maureen sipping her cup of tea as she took in the further splendor of the afternoon.

"Yes, we both knew this day was coming." replied Julia seemingly on edge. "As difficult as this meeting is, I regret that I must ask for your assistance and a favor on your behalf."

"You have some nerve asking for favors and it depends on what kind of assistance I am being asked of." replied Maureen narrowing her eyes at her colleague's wife.

Julia sighed hoping to have gotten passed Maureen's hostilities once Hadrian had returned.

"Maureen, the favor is for Hadrian...he hasn't been himself since he returned and I suggested he get counseling from you...if he's still thinking about...the baby then it's only going to get worse without it."

Maureen seemed to change her demeanor at the mention of Hadrian needing counseling.

"And the supposed favor?" she asked not in the least about to ease up on her revulsion of being asked for a favor from a woman whom she did not hold in the highest regard.

"I need to know if you plan on telling him." said Julia coming out with it. "In his current condition I am afraid it would do him a great deal of harm and he's barely managing as it is."

Maureen rolled her eyes.

She knew it was a matter of time before she heard this, especially with Hadrian being back home and seemingly oblivious to what was happening behind his back prior to his going missing.

"You have some nerve." growled Maureen not in the least letting up on her annoyance and disgust with the retired Dr. Julia Rawsone. "All you care about is how this would affect you now that you have your husband back and perceive him to be oblivious to what you've been up to behind his back once again."

"Maureen...." began Julia with tears in her eyes. "Maureen please I am begging you...I will do whatever it takes to make this up to him and you...however long I have to prove myself I will do it but please don't say anything not now...he isn't in the best condition and I'm afraid it could do him real harm to find out...please don't...he's barely holding it together as it is."

Maureen was taken aback by Julia's explanation, but she knew first hand that this secret was going to get out sooner rather than later.

"The first sign that he is well enough, you'd better tell him." she said making it clear that if Julia lacked the backbone then she would.

"Alright, the first sign that he is well enough to handle it." agreed Julia wiping the tears from her cheeks.

She'd already felt lower than dirt and had been feeling so ever since her husband disappeared. The panic she felt when he had not come home and no one had seen him filled her even now. The guilt at what she had done to him even more so.

"Good thing you didn't invite Gary to the party." said Maureen finishing off her tea. "That would have been all kinds of awkward and in poor taste."

"I know and he knows that Hadrian is back and not to come around." replied Julia for good measure.

"Good for you." replied Maureen before checking her watch. "I have to run...I'll see about fitting Hadrian in for a session or two but you know how he is...and as for your secret...it's safe with me for now but he must be told...you owe him that much after everything he's been through with and for you."

Julia nodded in agreement. She'd been grateful for the chance to speak about her transgressions to her husband herself and it was only a matter of time before the subject came up.

"Thank you." she said as Maureen took her leave. "I mean it."

"I'm not doing this for you." remarked Maureen scoffing at the notion of thanks from Julia. "I'm doing this for him, you and I both known that you don't deserve him."

Once more Julia nodded in agreement, but Maureen had already been long gone by that point.