ORP: Who's your daddy?

Katrina walked out of the room seeing Robert on the floor kneeling. His face was pale and her first thoughts were of a heart attack or stroke. Not now! Not when it’s going so right! Dropping the bag to the side, Kat made her way over to her husband quickly landing on her knees next to him. Feeling his head, she spoke softly, ”Robert, are you ok? Did you need me to call 911?” His pulse was quickened and she could tell his heart rate had gone up. Maybe it was high blood pressure and she needed to make sure he had a full checkup. Then she remembered that it is a requirement to have full exams once a year in order to maintain the position he held. ”Please tell, what’s wrong?” she pleaded before noticing what Robert had held within his hands.

The day of her son’s birth came rushing through the Major’s mind. She had never made it to a hospital and Ayden had been staying with her the last weeks of the pregnancy. A birth mother was also present, Ayden’s orders and Katrina gladly accepted when the day to give birth finally arrived. Fortunately for Kat, the labor didn’t last but a couple of hours before her son came out screaming for his mother. When she held little Robert Jr. for the first time, tears of sadness and joy overwhelmed the young brunette. It was shortly afterwards that the depression and alcoholism came into her life. It robbed Logan-Walker of the opportunity to bond with her son and was one of the reasons she gave him up to her brother.

Her face went pale looking down at the picture. The picnic was for the Fourth of July and all the family and friends were present. No one knew this child belonged to Robert and Katrina and it was at this picnic, she gave up custody to her brother. The thought relished through the Major’s mind seeing the look on Robert’s face. Did he recognize him? He surely couldn’t tell by a picture, could he? The look in his eyes told the entire story and now it was time to reveal a secret she wanted to keep for just a little while longer.

With a shaking tone, Katrina looked down allowing a single tear to stroll down the cheek. ”I think I know what’s troubling you.” She couldn’t look at him. She couldn’t tell him, but she had to or else this relationship would end just as soon as it started.

His words stung like a hornet’s nest cutting her entire being. In a way, she could not blame him for being angry. He had the right to know. But, there was more to it than him just being the father of a child. The safety of Robert Jr. became priority since the NID had no clue she was pregnant. When they forced her to go on leave, it was to keep her from searching for Robert. Colonel Loveridge, a close personal friend, warned Katrina of the implications if she decided to go rogue looking for her lost love. She knew the risks and the NID somehow got their hands on the information (probably an inside rat) and sent her home not fit to perform her duties.

Katrina sat fully on the floor closing her eyes not wanting to look at him. It was time for the truth. Taking in a breath, the Major began her story. ”When you went missing, I had intended on finding a way to go looking for you. Troy was against it but knew there was nothing he could do short of discharging me to stop my intentions. Somehow the NID got a hold of my plans and decided it best to send me home on a mental disability discharge until I could find help for my “psychological issues”. It was shortly after coming home that I found out I was pregnant. I kept it a secret in order to protect the unborn child from the NID. When Robert Jr. was born, he was a bundle of joy. But, I began having the nightmares. Nightmares of raising a child on my own and seeing your face in those beautiful eyes of his.”  Eyes closed tighter holding back tears, but the break in her voice implemented more hard truths were forthcoming.

”When he was about 3 weeks old, I began drinking. A couple drinks at night just to get some sleep. One thing led to another and I allowed myself to get caught up in the nightmares. Two drinks became four and four became six. Before I knew it, I was drinking all the time. I was killing myself and the baby.” Her eyes stung knowing the tears were forming inside. But, she had to continue. ”Ayden came to me and made an intervention. I started getting help. Doctor’s placed me on anti-depressants and I began attending meetings, but the nightmares just would not stop. I wasn’t being the mother I thought I could be. So…” she started taking the picture gently from his fingers letting the tears freely flow, …”I opted to give custody of him to my brother. I didn’t know what else to do. I thought you were dead and I thought I was doing the right thing for Robert Jr."  Katrina shook her head slightly, "I didn’t know when the right time was to tell you. There’s been so much hurt in my life that I wanted to wallow in happiness just for a little while. It was extremely selfish of me.”

Fingers traced the outline of her baby delicately in the picture. She yearned every day to hold him and love him like a mother should, but the pain of losing her one true love was too unbearable. ”I should have told you from the beginning, I just didn’t know how.” Kat finished giving him time to absorb all that was stated. He did have a son, but now she wasn’t so sure she had him anymore.