Avery

            It has been over a month since I discovered the truth about Troy’s possible involvement in Katie’s rape.  I have not unlocked that damn drawer since sliding the file and evidence in there.  Katie is in her final weeks of her pregnancy, she visits the obstetrician once a week now, the baby has dropped, which is a good sign that the end of the pregnancy is near.  I can’t ignore this any longer.  I carefully open the drawer and look through the file and evidence again.  I can’t decide with any certainty how to handle this, without first speaking to Troy.  I pull out my cell phone, and after several rings, Troy answers, “Troy Myer.”

            “Troy, it’s Avery, we need to talk.”  I am using my most authoritative tone, “When and where can we meet?”

            “I’m working here tonight at the casino; you can come by here if you like.”  He sounds sorrowful.

            “Fine, I will see you there around seven.”  I hang up the phone, feeling uneasy.  I need to get to the bottom of this, and I need to do it now.  I need Troy to tell me the truth, no more trying to wish this away.  I can decide from there how to proceed.  Troy is my friend, he will always be my friend, no matter what he has done.

Katie

            Hayley has made plans to take me out one last time before the baby arrives, so she accompanied me to today’s obstetrician’s appointment so that we can head out after.  Things have really been coming together for me over the past month.  I found a fellow veterinarian to bring into the practice and decided against worrying about a partner for the time being.  Now that I know that everything is going to be alright at my practice once the baby arrives, I am now ready to welcome my son into the world.  Hayley and I are heading off on our last adventure together before the birth, and she pulls up at Kevin’s club.  I haven’t been inside since that night, and am beginning to feel uncomfortable, until Hayley assures me that she has booked the location for a private event.  We walk inside the building and are greeted with, “Surprise!”  I am surrounded by coworkers and friends for a baby shower that Hayley planned.  She explained that, although now questioning her decision, she had decided to have the baby shower at the club where my little bundle was conceived.  I have nothing but love for my son, and Hayley knows this, and wanted to celebrate the conception, not the rape, treating the two as completely different events.  Kevin helped her plan the shower and allowed her to throw it in the club.  I cry as I unwrap each of the gifts.  I got several little boy outfits, including an adorable little baby cop outfit, which made me laugh.  I got a high-chair, baby monitor, bottles, diapers, baby bath sets, just to name a few.  The highlight of the shower is what Hayley and Kevin had pitched in and got together, which is a stroller/car seat combo.  The remainder of the time is spent enjoying the snacks that Kevin has prepared and playing the silly little baby shower games.

            I had a wonderful time at the shower and am so thankful to have such wonderful friends and coworkers.  Hayley helps load up all the gifts and we help Kevin clean up before heading home.  I want to tell Avery about the shower and the gifts, but my attempt to reach him was unanswered, so I left an excited voicemail for him to call me back.  Hayley and I unload the gifts, carrying them into the empty guest room.  Hayley is livid that I don’t have my nursery set up yet.  I haven’t had time to shop for any of the baby furniture I need.  With the search to add a vet to my staff, and all the obstetrician appointments, I haven’t had time.  I begin to stress over this, when Hayley tells me not to worry, everything will come together before the baby arrives.

Avery

            I arrive at the casino, hesitantly walking into the lobby.  I see Troy meandering his way through the crowd, so I walk over to him, “Is there some place quiet we can talk?”

            “This way.” Troy points toward his office.  We walk in and Troy closes the door behind us.

            “Troy, I have a few things I need to ask you and it is very important that you are honest with me about them, okay?”  I realize we are about to have the hardest conversation of our lives.

            “Okay.” Troy simply states.

            “Were you outside Katie’s house several months back?  Are you the one who left the footprint for the mold that is sitting in my case file?”

            Troy’s eyes begin to water, appearing to be fighting back tears.  This is it; this is the moment of truth.  He nods his head and whispers,  “Yes.”

            “Why were you there?”  I ask, my eyes narrowing, trying to understand what could have possessed him to do the things I suspect he has done.

            “I was checking up on her.  I didn’t know you two were seeing each other.”  A tear escapes and runs down his cheek.

            “Why were you checking up on her?”  My voice takes on a more demanding tone.

            “To make sure she was okay after what happened.”  

            “You were in the alley that night, weren’t you?”  I am desperate now.

            “Yes.” Troy hangs his head in shame, but then looks up at me expectantly.

            “How could you do that to her?”  I was yelling at this point.  Troy’s head shoots up in disbelief.  “I know you were upset about your old man’s offer to Wayne, but to take it out…”  My voice trails off, I feel like I am choking, like the life is literally being choked out of me.  My fears have officially been confirmed.  I knew what I intended to do before arriving if my suspicions were correct.  I took an oath when I joined the police force, but I had taken an oath of friendship before that.  “I will take care of this.  I will make it go away.  Just keep quiet, okay?”  I order him as I leave the room.  I march out of the casino, climbing inside my patrol car and slamming the door.  After pausing for a moment, I began the full assault on my steering wheel, as I scream out my agony.

Katie

            We got all the baby shower gifts unloaded, and just as Hayley was getting ready to leave, I hunch over a bit, letting out a small grunt.  “Are you okay?”  Hayley appears concerned, “Is it another Braxton Hicks?”

            “Yeah, but this one is stronger than usual.”  I take a deep breath, then look up and smile at Hayley.  I have been experiencing these mild cramps all day.  They weren’t coming at regular intervals, so I know I’m not in labor, but they do seem to be getting a little stronger.

            “I’m going to stay with you for a bit, just as a precaution, until Avery gets here.  It is likely pre-labor contractions, but with it being so close to your due date, I don’t want to chance it.”

            “Suit yourself,” I announce over my shoulder as I head toward the couch to sit down, it has been a long day.  Before I reach the couch, I hear a sound like a cork popping from a champaign bottle and feel the gush of water as it runs down my legs.  I look over at Hayley in surprise.

            “Oh my God!”  Hayley begins hopping in excitement, “Your water just broke.  Do you have your bag packed?”

            I look over at Hayley in pure horror, I haven’t even thought about packing a bag yet, I thought I still had time.  I still have two weeks before my due date.  “I must be the worst pregnant woman alive!  I haven’t packed a bag; I haven’t gotten the nursery started!”  I begin to panic as tears form behind my eyes.

            “Don’t worry, we have time.  Let’s go get your bag packed.”  We head into my room, and Hayley begins packing a bag for me, knowing everything I will need.  I change into a clean, dry outfit as I feel another contraction that causes me to hunch over again.  Hayley loads me and my bag in her car, as I desperately try to remember what I had learned in Lamaze class.  Hayley tries to call Avery, only to reach his voicemail.  “Avery, this is Hayley.  It’s time.  I have Katie and we are on our way to the hospital.  We will meet you there.”  She hangs up and heads in the direction of the hospital, with her emergency flashers on, while I desperately try to apply my Lamaze training to breathe through my contractions.

            As realization sets in, and I find myself fighting through another round of anxiety, I try to call Avery myself.  Again, no answer, just his voicemail.  I angrily hit to end the call.  “Of all the times for Avery not to answer his cell phone.  I thought officers on duty were required to answer their calls!”  I realize I am yelling at this point, Hayley giving me a sympathetic look.

            We arrive at the hospital, Hayley taking care of the registration paperwork as the staff is getting me situated in my room.  Hayley had called the obstetrician on the way to the hospital and he will be arriving soon.  My contractions are now six minutes apart, and I have dilated two centimeters.  Where the hell is Avery?

Avery

            I drive toward Katie’s house, deep in thought over the events of the evening.  I will officially classify Katie’s case as unsolved.  I will do what I can to bury that file.  I will sit down with Katie after the baby is born and tell her the truth.  I am certain she will understand.  I arrive at Katie’s place, unlocking the door, and to my surprise, Katie doesn’t greet me at the door.  I walk back to her bedroom, thinking she may be napping, and notice the dresser drawers left open and the makeup vanity is in disarray.  I find Katie’s wet clothes on the bathroom floor, and as I walk into the living room, I see the puddle on the floor.  I grab my cell phone and realize I have four missed calls and three voicemails.  Why didn’t my phone ring?

            I discover that I had somehow turned my ringer to silent, so I playback my voicemail messages.  The first is from an excited sounding Katie, telling me all about a surprise baby shower and asking me to call back.  The second is an ominous sounding Troy, strangely advising me to call Vanessa.  The last message is Hayley, letting me know that it was time.  I hop back into my patrol car, spinning it around and speeding toward the hospital.  I call Katie’s cell and Hayley answers, filing me in on Katie’s status.  Then, after careful consideration, I call Vanessa.

            “Hey there stranger!  I was wondering if I was ever going to hear from you again.”  Vanessa answers in her usual playful tone.

            I chuckled a little, “Well, here I am.”  Vanessa playfully giggles.  “Vanessa, when was the last time you saw Troy?”  I don’t have time for all this small talk, I just need to understand why Troy wanted me to contact Vanessa.

            Vanessa sounds thoughtful, “I haven’t seen or talked to Troy since the night we were all out celebrating.  We left together, and I haven’t had contact with him since.”

            “That’s odd.”  I mumbled, even more confused as to why Troy wanted me to talk to her.

            “No, what’s odd is that you haven’t contacted me before now.” She teases, “I figured you would have called me to find out what happened.”

            “That’s what I am doing now.”  I am beginning to get irritated by this whole conversation.  

            “Oh, so you’re interested in picking up where we left off before we were so rudely interrupted?”  She replies in a sultry voice.  The phone beeps indicating an incoming call, causing me to look at my caller ID and see that Katie is calling.

            “I gotta go, we’ll talk again soon.”  I switch over to the incoming call, “Katie?”

            “Avery, where are you?”  I can tell she is struggling to breathe through her current contraction.

            “Baby, I’m almost there.”

            “Please hurry!”

            I end the call, bothered by my conversation with Vanessa.  What had she meant by picking up where we left off, and what did it have to do with Troy?  I arrive at the hospital and am greeted by Rick at the entrance, who proceeds to direct me to Katie’s room.  As we arrive at her room, we are met with the doctor.  “Good evening, Avery.  Are you ready for this?”  He jokes with me, giving a playful wink.  

            “As ready as I’ll ever be.” I reply nervously, “How is she?”

            “Well, her contractions are three minutes apart and she has dilated six centimeters.  Her contractions are increasing in intensity.”

            I nod and thank the doctor, then rush to Katie’s bedside.  She looks like she is in so much pain.  She is struggling to breathe through another contraction, with the help of Hayley, who is looking over at me like she could kill me.  I smile bravely at them both, as I reach down to take Katie’s hand.  Hayley moves to the end of the room where Rick is standing and allows me to take over.  “How are you doing, sweetie?”  I ask her, as I brush a strand of hair out of her face.

            “It hurts!”  her eyes are pleading with me, “They never said how bad it was going to hurt in Lamaze class!”

            “Have you found your focal point yet?”  I ask her calmly, remembering what they had taught me about not doing anything to set her off.

            “Nooooo” She is having another contraction, which I calmly talk her through, doing the breathing technique with her until it peaks, helping her level her breathing out again.

            “We need a focal point.” I remind her, “Remember, it needs to be something that can’t be moved, a stationary object.”  We all look around the room, the beeping of the monitor indicating that she is having another contraction.  Again, I calmly walk her through this one, telling her to focus on my eyes for the moment, breathing with her through the contraction.  Hayley excuses herself from the room as the doctor steps in to check on Katie’s progress.

            “Well, Katie, you are now at seven centimeters; Let’s see how close your contractions are.”  The doctor walks over to the monitor, glancing down at the printout tape.  “Your contractions are coming every two minutes now; it won’t be long.”  

            As he departs from the room, Hayley comes bouncing back in with a stuffed bear from the gift shop.  She hangs the bear from a hook directly in Katie’s line of vision, announcing breathlessly, “I got your focal point!” 

            I smile down at Katie, “Now we have a focal point.”  As her contractions continue to progress, they get stronger and closer together, causing Katie to struggle to get through them.  Soon they are coming one after the other, and I am unable to watch my girl struggling and hurting anymore.  I send Hayley after her doctor, and after what seems like an eternity, he returns to check Katie’s progress.  

            “Well, Katie, let’s take a look and see how you are progressing.” 

            “Her contractions are coming back to back now; she is struggling through them.  Isn’t there anything you can do to help her?”  I am practically begging.

            “Yes, there is.”  The doctor begins, “I can help deliver this baby.  She is ten centimeters dilated, and I am ready for her to start pushing.”  Hayley and Rick are asked to leave the room, nurses are called in to assist, and I am trying to appear as if I am not freaking the fuck out.  Up until this point, this was the day we had been looking forward to, that is until I found out who the actual father is.  My mind is ablaze with thoughts, but I am still hung up on why Troy had wanted me to call Vanessa.  I am also confused as to why Vanessa had wanted to pick up where we left off.  Where did we leave off?  So, I call on memories of the events of that evening nine months ago.