Righteous Obsession (33 page)

“Yes.  Believe me – it’s not something I’m proud of!” 
He was silent for a few moments then picked up his narration, “I spent six
months traveling across the country, working odd jobs.  I ended up here.  I’d
matured a lot by that point and I decided to go back to school and get my
degree.  That’s where I met your mother and we fell in love and got married.”

“Did you ever wonder about that other child?”

“Not until after Dave was born and I realized how much
I enjoyed being a father.  I started to search, but I ran into a roadblock
immediately because I didn’t know the child’s sex or birth date.”

“So, what you’re telling me is that Colin’s your son?”

“Yes,” Jeff whispered.  “I’ve known it for quite
awhile.”

“How did you find out for sure?”

“I’d managed to get a copy of Amanda’s and my divorce
decree which stated that she had been awarded custody of a minor, male child
named Colin.  The trail dried up completely after that!  Of course, I didn’t
know she’d remarried and her second husband had adopted Colin.”

“How did you pick up on him again?”

“Your grandparents.  Several months ago they sent me a
newspaper clipping about California’s new attorney general.  It mentioned he
had a wife, Amanda and two sons, Colin and Liam.   I remembered Peter Matthews
immediately.  He was always hanging around Amanda! Shortly afterwards there was
that cover story about Unforgiven in People Weekly ™ that confirmed my
suspicions.”

Caitlin nodded.  “Jemma still has a copy.”

“Well, some of my co-workers teased me about the lead
guitarist’s resemblance to me.  He did resemble me a great deal. I hired a
private investigator to check out Colin.”  He handed the manila envelope to
Caitlin.  “This is the information he got for me.”

She riffled through its contents.  Among the things it
contained were Colin’s birth certificate, his adoption papers, driver’s license
and his home address and cell phone number.  There were also many surveillance
photos. Pictures of Colin and his family, several pictures of Colin and Liam
together.  There was one of Colin with an older, very attractive blond woman. 
“Is this Amanda?”

“Yes, that’s her.”

“Gosh!  She’s really pretty!  I forgot to tell you,
Daddy, but the newscast said Colin was married yesterday morning so you have a
daughter-in-law now.”  Caitlin picked up another photo of Colin and Alethea,
walking around in what looked to be some sort of open-air market. “I wonder if
this is his wife.”

“I’m guessing she is.”

Caitlin nodded. “The newscast didn’t show any pictures
of the wedding so I don’t know if this is her, but I’ll bet it is too.” She
picked up the sheet with Colin’s address and cell number on it. “Did you ever
try to call him or stop at his home?”

Jeff sighed, thinking how much of Colin’s life he’d
missed.  “Since I’ve had his number I’ve called it several times, but every
time it starts to ring, I’d get cold feet and hang up.  The last time we
visited grandpa and grandma, I drove past his home in Sausalito three or four
times, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, but I couldn’t work up enough courage
to stop and ring his doorbell.”

“What about when he was here?  Did you try to contact
him?”

“I went out to Rosedale Mall, but I only watched him
from a distance.”

“Did you call him?”

“I tried, but when he answered I panicked and hung
up.  What could I have said?  Tell him I was the father who ran out on him
twenty-eight years ago then ask him out for coffee?”

“You’re going to New Orleans, aren’t you?”

Jeff shook his head.  “I doubt I’d be a welcome.”

“You’re still Colin’s father!”  Caitlin argued.

“Most people would say I terminated that right when I
ran out on Amanda.”

“Daddy, Colin’s an adult and if he wants to see you
then there’s nothing his family can do.”

“Cait, I have to face the fact that he may not want to
see me.  After all, I don’t have any idea what Amanda and Peter may have told
him about me.”

“They can’t erase the fact that you’re Colin’s
biological father no matter what!”  Caitlin argued.  “Daddy, if you don’t go
and Colin dies, you’ll be kicking yourself for the rest of your life!”  Though
she spoke passionately, she could see it was having little effect on him.  “If
you don’t want to go alone, I’ll go with you because I’d love to get to know my
new brother.”

“You certainly will not go anywhere near that
disgusting pervert!”

Jeff and Caitlin looked up to see that Kathleen had
reentered the room.  She strode over to them, her eyes blazing. She glared at
her husband and with a wave of her arm swept everything off the coffee table. 
“If you want to get chummy with that creep, go ahead, but I can and I will
protect our daughter from him!  I think he got exactly what he deserved and if
there’s any justice he won’t survive it!”

“Mom!”  Shocked by her mother’s vengeful and venomous
tone, nonetheless, Caitlin attempted to calm her.  “It’s unchristian to say
something like that and if Dave were here he’d agree with me.”

“If Dave were here he’d say Colin Matthews is an evil
person who brought this on himself by his own evil deeds and it will be a
fitting punishment if he dies and burns in hell for all eternity!

“Kate, I’m sorry you feel this way, but Cait’s right. 
I couldn’t live with myself if Colin dies and I never got the chance to know
him.”

“Jeff, if you leave this house for that reason you can
forget about ever coming back!”

“Mom!”  Caitlin cried.

“I’m sorry you’re hurt, Caitlin, but your father has
to make a choice. It’s either that pervert or us!”

“Kate, why does it have to be like this?”  Jeff
pleaded.  “I love you and I love our children!  I just want a chance to know my
other son too.”

“Then you’re choosing him over us!”  She snapped.

“Kate, we’re both very upset right now.  Why don’t we
wait and discuss this further when I get back?”  Without waiting for her reply
he went into his study.  He sank down on the couch, exhausted.  He felt as if
he was forty-seven going on two hundred.  He buried his face in his hands.

There was a knock on the door and Caitlin peeked
inside.  “Daddy?  Are you okay?”

“Yes.  Come in, Cait.”

She came in, shutting the door behind her and held out
the manila envelope.  “I thought you’d want this back.”

“Thanks, Cait.  Put it in the bottom drawer, please.” 
He slumped back on the couch.  “I’m so tired I don’t know what to do first.”

“I think you should call grandpa and grandma right
away before they hear about Colin somewhere else then you’ll need to make
reservations for New Orleans.  I can do that for you while you’re talking to
grandpa and grandma.  I’ll just use your computer.”

“Thanks, Cait, and I appreciate your offer to come
with me, but seeing how upset your mother is I think it would be better if you
stay here.”  He held up his hands.  “I’d like nothing more than to have you
come with me, but I don’t know what I’m going to find when I get there.  I may
not even be allowed to see Colin.”

Caitlin frowned momentarily then said, “Okay, if it
makes things easier.  Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Mom knew you had a child before you she married you,
but married you anyway.  So why is she acting like you’ve stabbed her in the
back all of a sudden?”

“It was very stupid and arrogant of me not to realize
she’d see Colin at the concert and realize he was my son. Even Jemma saw the
resemblance between us.  It must have been a terrible shock to her!”

“But mom’s ranting and raving like Colin’s some kind
of threat to our family!  I mean he doesn’t even know we exist!  Do you suppose
she’s afraid you’re still in love with Amanda?”

She knows better than that.  Whatever Amanda and I
might have had died a long time ago.  She’s got nothing to fear.”  He looked at
Caitlin.  “I do owe you an apology.”

“For what, Daddy?”

“For not telling you about Colin especially when you
told me about Jemma noticing our resemblance.”

“That’s okay, Daddy.  I wouldn’t expect you to go back
on a promise you made to mom.  How do you think Dave will feel about Colin?”

Jeff pursed his lips and expelled some air then shook
his head.  “Not good if his previous reactions to Colin are anything to judge
by.”

“But surely Dave will see he was wrong and he’ll
welcome Colin into our family.”

“I don’t think Dave’s going to have a chance to warm
up to Colin because your mother’s determined to pull in the welcome mat.”  He
picked up the phone then sighed.  “I’m certainly not looking forward to telling
your grandparents this terrible news!  They were so excited to have finally
found their eldest grandchild and they’ve so been looking forward to eventually
meeting him.  Now, I have to tell them this!”

“You’ve got to think positively, Daddy and tell
grandpa and grandma to do the same,” Caitlin urged, seating herself at her
father’s computer.  “Be sure to give them my love.”  As she reserved her
father’s plane tickets, she listened to his end of the conversation with her
grandparents.  She could tell how upset they were by her father’s facial
expressions.

Jeff hung up and sighed again.  “They’re distraught
over the news about Colin!  They were ready to get on a plane to New Orleans,
but I was able to talk them out of it.  I told them it might be too much of a
shock for him to have us all descend on him at once.  I promised them I’d call
after I‘d been to the hospital.”

“Will you call me, too?”

“When I know anything definite, I will,” Jeff
promised.

Colin’s temperature remained steady at 102 degrees
into the evening, but finally broke around midnight and by morning was only
slightly above normal.  Doctor Trumbull expressed himself as being satisfied
with the progress Colin was making.  “Colin’s temperature is down and his wound
shows no signs of any infection.  We caught this in plenty of time, but as a
precaution I’m going to keep him on the antibiotic for a couple of days more. 
I believe I can now say with certainty that he’s past the most critical point.”

“That’s great news, Doctor!”  Peter replied, hugging
Amanda and Alethea.

Doctor Trumbull held up his hands.  “He’s still facing
a painful healing process plus possible emotional complications.  I’d just like
you to be aware of that.”  He looked at them sternly.  “In the meantime, I
suggest you get some rest.  The three of you look like hell if you don’t mind
my saying so.”

The elevator dinged and Alethea’s parents, followed by
Steve, walked out and came over to where everybody else was standing.  Poor
Steve looked hassled, frazzled and very tired.

“Mom, Dad, Doctor Trumbull
says Colin’s completely out of danger!”

“That is good news, darling!”  Louisa replied, giving
her a hug.  “I’m so happy for you!”  She gave Amanda a hug too.  “I know how
relieved you must be.”

“That
is
good news!”  Steve said, smiling
broadly for a moment but then his smile quickly changed to a frown.  “At least
I’ll have something definite to tell the press.  Devon, Atlantic’s PR staff,
and I have been going nuts trying to keep them at bay and away from you, but we
haven’t been completely successful.  Mace and Jake are under siege at the hotel
and there were several reporters hanging around the front entrance of the
hospital when we arrived just now.  We managed to dodge them, but if you’re
planning to leave, I’d find another exit.”  He turned to Doctor Trumbull. 
“Doctor, can I possibly prevail on you to issue a statement to the press about
Colin’s condition?”

“Why don’t you call me later today and we’ll set up a
time that’s convenient for

“I’ll do that.  Thank you, Doctor.”

“Good.”  He turned his attention back to Alethea,
Peter and Amanda.  “As for the rest of you – go!”

Amanda looked at Peter.  “I guess it’d be all right to
leave.”

“Or we can just take a short rest in the waiting room
if you don’t want to leave the hospital, Mandy.”

“Let me call Liam, tell him the good news, and see how
he’s doing before I decide,” She replied, taking her cell out of her purse.

“Alethea, I want you to get some rest.  You’re
exhausted,” Louisa said to Alethea.  “I’ll sit with Colin while you’re resting
and if he wakes up I’ll tell him you’re resting.  Will that be alright?”

“Okay, Mom, thanks,” she replied.

Amanda came back.  “Liam says he’s fine and we should
stay here.”  She smiled momentarily.  “He says he and Vanessa are playing gin
and he hasn’t won a game yet.”

Alethea smiled faintly.  “Vanessa earned extra money
in college playing in gin tournaments so he’s playing with the best.”

They walked into the waiting room.  Alethea sat with
her feet curled under her, resting her head on her father’s shoulder.  Peter
put his arm around Amanda and she fit herself comfortably against him.  In
spite of the noise the surgical floor generated, all of them, excepting for
Beau, were asleep within minutes.

Jeff looked out the window of his taxi as it made its
way from the airport to the hospital.  He’d left Minneapolis earlier that
morning and arrived in New Orleans a few minutes before noon.  The flight had
been uneventful and generally he enjoyed flying, but his anxieties over Colin’s
condition made every delay seem agonizingly long.  His stomach rumbled, but he
ignored it.  He’d grab something to eat once he had some definite news about
his son.  He wondered what his new daughter-in-law was like.  He recalled the
business trip he’d made to San Francisco earlier that spring.  As usual, he’d
driven to Sausalito and past Colin’s house to see if he might catch a glimpse
of him and this time he had.  Colin and an attractive young woman, with blond
hair, had been outside washing a Jeep Patriot®.  He slowed down to watch them
for a moment.  They looked as if they were having fun, laughing and soaking
each other while washing the Jeep.  He wondered if this was the young lady
Colin had chosen as his bride.  Well, he was about to find out the answer to
that question.  The taxi pulled up to the front entrance to the hospital.  He
was amazed at the size of the crowd outside of the hospital.  Jeff picked out
the reporters right away, but since they had no idea who he really was he could
pass through them unnoticed.  Once inside the hospital he took the elevator up
to the intensive care floor, logically figuring that’s where Colin would most
likely be.  He saw the main desk, but there was no one at it so he continued
down the hallway, surprised that nobody had yet challenged him. Caitlin had
mentioned that the police had put a twenty-four hour guard on both Colin and
Liam’s rooms.  He looked for a guarded room, but saw none.  He kept glancing
into the rooms as he passed them and finally found Colin’s room.  He saw
immediately that Colin appeared to be in the throes of a nightmare, thrashing
and rolling around.  “No!  No!  Don’t hurt them!  I’m the one you want! 
Alethea! Liam!  No!”  He woke suddenly with a loud cry of pain, rolling over
and clutching his side.

Jeff rushed inside.  “Colin!  Are you all right?” 
Colin looked up at him but, possibly because of the drugs he was receiving, his
eyes looked glazed and unfocused so he wasn’t sure how much he realized.  “Are
you in pain?”

Colin stared up at him, but because his eyes kept
going in and out of focus, all he could mostly see was a blurred face bending
over him.  The person’s voice, for some reason, was comforting and strangely
familiar.  He licked his lips and tried to speak, but his mouth was very dry. 
He nodded in answer to Jeff’s question about the pain.

Jeff reached for the call button.  “I’ll call somebody
so they can give you something for your pain.”

Colin grabbed Jeff’s hand and shook his head.  He
motioned to the water pitcher beside his bed.

Jeff poured water into a cup, stuck a straw in it and
steadied him so he could sip it.  “Better?”

Colin nodded and whispered, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”  He helped Colin lay down again and
asked, “What about your pain?  Is it still bad?”

“Better.”

Jeff nodded.  “Good.  Why don’t you try and go back to
sleep.”  He was going to leave, but Colin grabbed his hand and held it
tightly.  Jeff couldn’t believe how strong his grip was.

“Would you like me to stay until you fall asleep
again?”

Colin nodded and closed his eyes.  His breathing
deepened, but he still held tightly to Jeff’s hand.  He continued being
surprised by Colin’s reaction, but figured it was due mostly to the nightmare
he’d apparently had.

Amanda woke up, startled at first, then she remembered
where she was and why.  She looked at her watch and saw that she’d slept
soundly for three hours.  She decided to check on Colin first then wake Peter
so they could have lunch.

“Amanda?”

She looked over and saw Alethea was awake also.  “I
was just going to check on Colin.

“Why don’t we do it together?”

Beside her, Peter stirred and woke.  He stretched then
smiled at her.  “Sleep well?”

“Yes, surprisingly well,” Amanda replied.

Beau was awake, too.  “I don’t know about anybody
else, but I could use a cup of coffee – real coffee and not the watery stuff
this hospital calls coffee!”

“That sounds like great,” Peter replied.  “I’ve heard
New Orleans is famous for its coffees.”

“Yes, it is and I know a place near the University
where the coffee is an excellent example of our finest.”

“Lead the way,” Peter said.  He turned to Amanda and
Alethea.  “We’ll be back shortly with the coffee.”

“Okay.  We’ll be in Colin’s room.”

As they walked down the hall, Alethea giggled.  “I’ll
have to remember to tell Colin there’s actually is something my father and his
father agree on.”  She thought a moment.  “I think I’ll surprise Colin and buy
him some New Orleans special blend coffees to take back home with us.”

“He’ll really enjoy that since he does love his
coffee.  I think he must have inherited that from Luke,” Amanda said.

“Luke?”

“Luke is my former father-in-law.”  She sighed.  “He
and Nora have been on my mind a lot in the last couple of days.  I’ve been
feeling so guilty for having kept Colin from them especially when it looked as
if we might lose him.  They were never anything but kind to me and I took out
my anger at Jeff on them.”

“Jeff is Colin’s biological father?”

“Yes.”

Alethea stopped so suddenly that Amanda almost bumped
into her and said, “Who’s that with Colin?”

Amanda looked into his room but could only see the
back of the man.  “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out!”  She strode into
the room, grabbed the man’s arm and whirled him around.  She suddenly paled,
her mouth dropped open in shock and she stepped away from him.  “Jeff!”

“Hello, Amanda.”

Alethea looked at the man and there was no need for
anybody to tell her that this was Colin’s biological father.  Colin’s
resemblance to him was uncanny.  She mused for a moment on the fact that she
and Amanda had been talking about him seconds before.

Amanda recovered from her shock of seeing him
quickly.  “Well, Jeff!  Fancy seeing you here!  What rock did you decide to
crawl out from under?”

“Amanda, hush!”  Jeff nodded at Colin who had awakened
at the sound of his mother’s voice.

She moved quickly to Colin’s side, brushed back his
hair and kissed his forehead.  “I’m sorry I woke you.  Go back to sleep.”

Colin’s eyes shifted uncertainly between his mother
and the unknown man.  It was impossible not to sense of the tension between
them and he knew something wasn’t right, but he felt much too tired and muddled
to try and figure it out right now.  He closed his eyes and drifted back to
sleep.  Jeff waited until Colin had definitely fallen asleep before he gently
loosened his hand.  He led Amanda out into the hallway.  Alethea tucked the covers
around him, kissed him and then followed Jeff and Amanda outside.

“I was just going to check on Colin and try to find
out what his condition was.  His grandparents are sick with worry about him and
so am I.  He had a nightmare and he woke up scared and in pain.  There wasn’t
anybody here, but me.”

“Why didn’t you turn around and leave – just like you
did before!”  Amanda snapped.

“I’m still his biological father, Amanda!  You can’t
change that fact no matter what!”

“His biological father who couldn’t leave fast enough
when he found out about his impending fatherhood!”  She sneered.  “Why don’t
you go back to wherever you came from and leave us alone!”

“I’m staying right here until I can see Colin,” Jeff
replied in a calm but firm tone.

Louisa suddenly appeared, holding a cup of hot tea. 
She looked at Jeff and Amanda then asked, “What on earth is going on here?”

“I’m sorry you had to see this, Louisa,” Amanda
apologized and then in a grudging tone she said, “This is my ex-husband and
Colin’s biological father, Jeffrey Michaels.”

If Louisa was shocked she didn’t show it.  “Hello.” 
She offered him her hand.  “I’m Colin’s mother-in-law, Louisa Ford.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Jeff replied, shaking her
hand.  He turned to Alethea.  “And you must be Colin’s bride?”

“Yes, I’m Alethea. It’s nice to meet you.”  Off to his
side, she saw Peter and her father exit the elevator. 

Peter stopped short, a look of disbelief on his face when
he saw Jeff.  He shoved the bag, containing the coffee at Beau and quickly
strode over to them.  He put his arm protectively around his wife.  “What the
hell do you want, Michaels?  Haven’t you caused enough misery for one
lifetime?”

“It’s all right, darling,” Amanda said, placing her
hand on his chest.

“I’m not here to cause any trouble, Peter.  I just
want to see my son.”

“Your son?  Is this the same son you didn’t want
anything to do with twenty-eight years ago?”

Alethea looked from Peter to Jeff and back again.  The
animosity between them was almost visible.

“Amanda, can I talk to you?”  He looked at Peter.  “In
private?”

Amanda nodded reluctantly.  “I suppose.”

“Mandy …” Peter started to protest.

“Colin woke up once and I don’t know how much he was
aware of.  Will you stay here in case he wakes up again and has questions?”

“If that’s what you feel is best,” Peter conceded
reluctantly.

“Thank you, darling,” She whispered, giving him a
kiss.  “I won’t be long.”  She and Jeff went up to a roof-top garden terrace
the hospital maintained for its staff and patients.  The air was sultry and the
view was hazy.  She leaned against the balcony, her arms crossed.  “Okay, Jeff,
what’s so all-fired important you couldn’t say it downstairs?”