Lost & Found Ch. 05

Much as I hated the thought of leaving, I knew she was right; the Dolan family was widespread through the state, in positions of power and influence at all levels; Steve's arrogance and sense of entitlement was a common trait shared by all of them, and when circumstances dictated, they'd band together, just like the pack of hyenas they were. Sarah was right; we had to go, and the sooner the better.

Max caught my eye, and I nodded at him, letting him know I was ready. He leaned over and gently disengaged Kat from Sarah, his arm around her like dad used to do.

"Caitlin, your daddy and Frank's daddy were my oldest and best friends, and I love you both like my own kidsr; it pains me and Aunt Mary to let you go like this, but you know I wouldn't lie to you. This is the best way, baby-girl, this is how you protect yourself, and how you protect Frank, and Sally and Joey too, so I'm asking you to be strong for your family. I need you to be strong for Frank, to take care of him, to be his family and his friend, will you do that for me?"

Kat stared at him, her lip trembling, then squared her shoulders and smiled tremulously, nodding her agreement.

"I will, Uncle Max, I promise!"

*

We left two days later; Kat and I packed what we could of our own stuff, and as many mementoes and reminders of Mom and dad as we could, and in a frenzy of picture-taking, captured Joey and Sarah in a whole series of frozen moments, something for us to look at when we were so far away. Sarah helped us pack, although, to be honest, I did most of the packing; Sarah and Kat spent most of their remaining time together hugging and crying, and cuddling little Joey, who seemed to pick up on our sadness. I tried not to watch them together, otherwise I'd have pushed my way into the middle of that and spent all my time crying with them too.

At last the car was filled with our indispensable things; everything else would be packed by Max and his boys, and on the advice of Max, we arranged for shippers based in Phoenix to collect it all for transhipment to Reno, and then another shipper to collect and deliver it all to us once we had a place of our own; we daren't use any of the local movers, they all had some kind of connection to the Dolan clan and we couldn't afford to have any hint of where we'd gone leak back to that den of jackals.

Max would handle the sale of the house; we gave him power of attorney, and that, more than anything else, signified the end of our lives here and the breaking of our ties to Springfield; this was my father's house, my sole remaining link with both my real father and the man who took his place in my life and in my heart, my mom, Joe, all the family we'd loved and lost. Now we were truly fragmented. Kat felt it even more keenly; she adamantly refused to look at the house as we drove away, knowing full well her last link too with Dad and Mom was gone now.

**********

Part 2:

The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death - Proverbs 14:32

**********

The drive took two days; we only ever stopped for gas, food, or sleep, anxious to get it over with; Kat was silent for the first day, her head turned away from me, and her eyes hooded behind sunglasses; I thought she was asleep most of the time, and then I finally saw the wetness on her cheeks. Stopping to comfort her only burst the dam as she sobbed uncontrollably. She wasn't excited in the slightest to be moving to California, she was going into exile with me, or so she felt, only doing this to protect her family, and several times as she cried she almost asked me if we could turn around, go home, go back to how we'd been before we caused such an upheaval in our family.

For her, I would have; the sight of her so obviously heartbroken was doing all kinds of things to me, none of them good. I would have let her go in an instant if it would have healed her wounded heart, no matter what it cost my own, taken her home and tried my best to forget what we'd meant to each other, but when I wavered, Kat rallied back, refusing to let me go, reminding me that we'd promised ourselves to each other, and she'd promised to be there for me no matter what.

My company had secured a furnished, 2nd floor two-bed, one bath apartment for us in Santa Clara, not far from the office; if I felt like it, I could walk there in ten minutes, which suited me; it meant Kat was only ten minutes away at most if she needed me; as an added bonus, and something good for a change, Max's younger sister Shelley, her husband Marty, and their three young teenage daughters lived in Sunnyvale, close to El Camino, and had been told by Max we were on our way, so they were waiting to welcome us to the Bay Area.

Shelley remembered my real father clearly, and she commented how much I looked like him; it was nice to have something from our home so far away , but Kat was a little overwhelmed, especially as she'd been dreading the loneliness and isolation of being new arrivals in a strange town, and

Shelley's motherly concern caught her off-guard.

Shelley hugged her as she started crying, and she and the girls disappeared into one of the bedrooms to commiserate and generally make her feel better, while Marty and I waited for them in the living room.

For my part, I was feeling a little better; at least we weren't completely alone all the way out here on the west coast; I'd been afraid for Kat, wondering how being alone out here would affect her while I was at work, but at least now she'd have someone to pass the time with, go shopping with and talk with on the phone, someone motherly who understood how it was for young girls (and Kat was still that, just a little past eighteen) and take her around and show her the Bay Area.

Marty had just recently started working for the same company I did, in a different section, and we chatted about the company, my role, and made tentative plans to get together the following weekend for a barbeque at their place.

I soon settled into my job; sure, there were the occasional pangs of homesickness, even more so for Kat, but she was a bright, gregarious girl, and she'd soon charmed the neighbors, the local stores, even the drivers on the bus route into San Jose, her favorite shopping spot, especially the Eastridge Mall, with her three favorite stores in the whole world, Macy's, J C Penney, and Sears, and, of course, Victoria's Secret for me!

Kat soon adapted to the Californian laid-back lifestyle, the anonymity and freedom of living in a town where no-one knew you or cared about your business, and the sophisticated, bohemian exuberance of the Bay Area. The first time we went sightseeing in San Francisco, Kat was awestruck by the sights and sounds of San Francisco, Union Square, the gingerbread houses, riding the cable cars for hours on end just for the sheer enjoyment of it, poking into every little shop and boutique on Market Street, and walking across The Golden Gate Bridge, the iconic symbol of California, to view the city from the Marin Headlands, ending the day by pigging-out on the buffalo menu meatball sandwiches in Tommy's Joynt at Van Ness & Geary.

We kept in close contact with Sarah; though we'd made friends, some very good friends, especially Shelley and Marty and their girls, Sarah was still uppermost in our thoughts at all times. For the first year or so, Kat was plagued by bouts of almost crippling homesickness, and though they died away somewhat, they never really went away.

On her 21st birthday, I gave her the present she wanted most of all; a return airline ticket to Springfield. We'd been gone almost three years, so it was time she went home and connected with Sally again. I couldn't go because of work pressure; the company was going through a period of restructuring and I was snowed-under re-organizing my department, so there was too much to do for me to take a vacation, but Kat went home to see Sally, and her beloved little Joey, although he wasn't so little anymore. Joey was almost eight years old now, and the image of my father (and me at the same age), no trace of his worthless father in him, rather a Novak through and through, and already a Little-League and Pee-Wee football star, a taste of things to come.

Kat was away for three weeks, and by the time I collected her from San Francisco International, I was nursing an unfeasibly stiff and quite unbelievable erection, not helped by the sight of her slinking through 'Arrivals' looking like a vampy, trampy, femme-fatale, complete with Hermes scarf knotted elegantly around her neck, Pilot sunglasses, "Fuck-Me" ankle boots with teetering stiletto heels, skin-tight black leather mini-skirt, and a designer black leather jacket with a bandeau top on underneath, with her glorious, vivid copper hair cascading over her shoulder; heads were turning as this vision glided through the Arrivals lounge, pulled off her sunglasses, and glued her face to mine, the nearness and smell of her taking my already throbbing cock to new heights of arousal, something she noticed right away.

"Oh my, Frankie, I do believe you've got a present for me!" she grinned impishly, grinding herself against me for emphasis, watching as my eyes briefly crossed. With that she laughed, kissed me again and took my hand to lead me to the parking lot.

Getting home seemed to take forever; the traffic in Millbrae seemed to be going out of its way to prevent me getting to I-280 for the Lawrence Expressway and downtown Santa Clara. At last, however, we managed to get clear of the snarl of traffic in Millbrae and made good time home. Kat insisted I hand her out of the car, her sunglasses back on and her lips startlingly red against the porcelain whiteness of her skin, her scarf once more carelessly tied around her white throat, and her hair a cascading riot of scarlet; the sight of her taut ass quivering as she shook her hair out sent shockwaves up and down my surging cock.

I don't think I ushered her indoors with unseemly haste, but my hands were under her skirt and squeezing her ass before I'd even got the door closed! Kat was just as hungry, her leg wrapping around mine as she ground her panty-clad pussy against my giant economy-size erection, both of us panting into each other's mouths as we kissed so hard I thought we'd split our lips; we'd never been apart more than two days in the last three years, and it showed!

"Bedroom...!" she groaned between feverish kisses, and I obliged, lifting her so her legs were wrapped around my waist, but never once breaking our lip-lock, and carried her into the bedroom and collapsing onto our Queen-sized bed, my hands holding her delicious little buttocks as Kat continued to rain kisses on my lips, my face, my throat, everywhere she could reach. I hooked her panties and began to slide them down, intending to do what I always did as a prelude to fucking my sister; I wanted to taste her, I wanted to soak her pussy with my tongue, I wanted to make her scream as she orgasmed on my tongue, but Kat was in no mood for foreplay.

"No, Frankie, fuck me, fuck me hard, Oh God Frankie, three weeks, I thought I'd explode, just do it to me now, I want you inside me now!" she muttered in my ear while nibbling my earlobe. Never one to disappoint a lady, I slid upright and yanked my polo shirt off, laid down flat and kicked off my slacks, and toed-off my shoes and socks, leaving only my shorts on, with a massive tent in the front letting Kat know what she was doing to me, just in case she was unclear!

She got it right away, her eyes glinting as she yanked her mini-skirt off, unzipping and shrugging-off her leather jacket, and pulling her top off in one smooth move, allowing me to see once again her beautiful little pink-tipped breasts. That was all I needed; with an inarticulate growl I lunged for her, Kat shrieking as I grabbed her and rolled over so she was on top of me, pressed flat against me as we kissed wildly.

My cock felt three sizes bigger than normal after begging me for her for three weeks, and Kat obviously felt my need, no doubt matched by her own, as she straddled me, and with no further ceremony, slid herself down onto my stiff cock, hissing in satisfaction as she sank down on me until her bare little pussy was rubbing against the mat of hair at the base of my cock.

As she slid down she began screwing her hips from side to side, fucking me as I lay supine, totally enthralled by the sight of her gyrating above me, her fingers pinching and squeezing her nipples as she rocked back and forth on me. My hands slid around her hips, holding her to me as I began to push up against her as she ground against me, both of us straining and pumping as we relieved the tension and build-up of need over the last three weeks.

Kat suddenly stiffened, her eyes tight shut as her orgasm rose up and blasted through her, her body quivering and shuddering as wave after wave of pleasure swept through her, and her pussy clamped down tight around me, the sudden, delicious constriction setting me off, and I shouted out loud as I exploded inside her, pulse after pulse of sperm rocketing into her depths.

The feel of me exploding inside her obviously triggered another massive blast of pleasure, as she screamed piercingly as once again orgasm took her to a new height of pleasure. The convulsions in her pussy nibbled and sucked at me, milking every last drop of sperm out of me, until I slumped back, more dead than alive, as reaction to our mind-blowing mutual orgasm set in.

Kat slumped down on top of me, her sweet-smelling hair in a cloud about my face as she rested her head in the hollow of my neck, my cock still embedded balls-deep in her as our thundering hearts slowed together, and our racing pulses slowed to something more like normal. It felt like heaven to me, to lie there with my arms around the sweetest, most beautiful girl I'd ever known, and she was mine; life just couldn't get any better than this.

Kat lay atop me for a while longer, slowly squirming and stretching, and making little liquid cat-like sounds as my cock finally shrank from her. By now she'd have said something, and I started to grow a little concerned that she seemed to be avoiding looking at me. At last I couldn't stand the suspense any longer.

"Kat, what is it, there's something wrong isn't there?"

Her head popped up and a look almost of guilt flashed across her face, and my heart sank as I jumped to all sorts of conclusions. She'd met someone else, or she'd been with someone else, or she was leaving me for someone else, or she was just leaving me, period, and this had been my goodbye, mercy fuck before breaking the news to me, she was going...

Kat saw all this in my eyes, confusion now showing in hers.

"Frankie, what's wrong, talk to me, Frankie!" she whispered, suddenly looking as panicked as I felt.

"Why don't you tell me, Kat!" I husked, fearing the worst, but needing to hear it anyway. Kat looked at me strangely at my words, tears suddenly brimming in her eyes.

"Don't hate me, baby, please...!" she began, and my world dipped and spun as I knew what she was going to say next; I was right, here came the worst news I never thought I'd hear..."

"Frankie, Sarah took me to the doctor while I was there, Oh Frankie, I didn't know, please, don't hate me for this, I know we always said...!"

I cut across her almost harshly.

"What's his name, Kat, tell me that at least!"

Kat looked at me strangely.

"Doctor Fuller, who else, Frankie?"

I was aghast; he was at least 65, an old man; she was leaving me for an old man. I laughed harshly.

"I hope you're both happy together, for however long it lasts!"

Now it was Kat's turn to look at me in complete incomprehension.

"Baby, what the hell are you talking about?" she demanded, and I grinned mirthlessly.

"You...and that old geezer...what a joke!"

Now Kat was starting to look annoyed.

"Frankie, just what the fuck are you talking about? Answers, now, Novak!"

I looked into her deep, lush, limpid green eyes, storing the memory for when she was gone, not that I needed to; those eyes were imprinted on my soul. I drew a deep breath, steadying myself to say the words I never thought I'd ever hear.

"You're leaving me; you came home to get your stuff, and now you're going back to Springfield, to...him...!" I choked, unable to continue.

Kat's eyes narrowed dangerously, then suddenly widened in shock as she realised what I'd just said.

"Frankie, oh God, no, no, no, no! Baby, I can't leave you, I love you, where did you ever get...?"

Now it was my turn to look shocked.

"But you said...it sounded like...I thought you...oh God, come here!"

I gathered her in to me, holding her as tight as I could as I let all the fear and loss drain out of me; she wasn't leaving me! Thank you, God, Thank You!

Kat was hugging herself to my neck, her lips buried in the hollow of my neck, and I could feel her trembling.

"Frankie, why did you think I was leaving you? How could you ever think I'd leave you? I told you once that you were all I ever wanted, that hasn't changed, what were you thinking, baby, what did I say to make you...?"

I was feeling too happy to feel foolish, although that would probably come later.

"Baby-Girl, you asked me not to hate you, that's like the classic first line of a 'Dear John'; I thought you were home to give me one last fling, get your stuff and go..."

Kat rose up, her forearms resting on my chest so she was looking me in the eyes again, her eyes clouded, worried, scared.

"Frankie, I don't want you to hate me, but I'm so afraid you will after you hear what I tell you. I know we said we'd wait, I know you'd like us to have our own place, not this rented apartment, but it's too late. I was sick back home, so Sally took me to see Doctor Fuller, and he did some tests. Frankie, I'm sorry, I know what we said, that we had plenty of time, but that's all changed now; baby, I'm pregnant...!"

I could have smacked myself on the head like one of the Three Stooges; of course! Doctor Fuller, Mom's gynaecologist! Now I really felt stupid; two seconds later what she said actually hit me; we were pregnant!

Kat was looking at me apprehensively, chewing her lip in a completely adorable and overpoweringly sexy way, smiling tentatively as I grinned happily at her.

"Cammere, you!" I growled, pulling her closer so I could kiss her properly, and maybe bite her adorable lip as well, just a little...

She pulled away from me to look deeply into my eyes, her own emerald eyes darkening to grass-green as she looked searchingly into mine. I always knew Kat's mood from the color of her eyes, right now she was scared and apprehensive, so I pulled her in and held her tight as I did my best to kiss her fears away.

"Are you angry, Frankie? I know we agreed, and I didn't mean..." she began, but I kissed her and stopped that line there and then. When we finally broke apart, I held her close to me as we talked. We talked about Mom, about Dad, Sally, Joe, little Joey, family, reminding ourselves about our family, and now the thought of the new life beginning right here, our own little family growing day by day.

I did everything to allay her fears, because I really did want a family, with her, when she was ready; that had been my only reason for stipulating that we wait, that Kat had to be ready to take that on. She was obviously ready for it; as we talked I saw how her hand curled protectively around her smooth, flat belly, already unconsciously protecting that little spark of life glowing in there.

After that, life became normal, for us, anyway, or as normal as it could be, given our relationship; quickie courthouse wedding in Lake Tahoe, new home, mortgage, job, all the things you'd expect of a young suburban couple just starting their family. The day Kat found out she was having twins was a Red-Letter day for us, and the scan printout, with the two little hearts clearly visible, and the twin heart traces superimposed one on top of the other, is still my most treasured and carefully-kept possession, even after all these years.