Chapter 10

It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the weather was in complete contrast with Katelyn's mind-set. She had slept little the previous night, and yet she had not come up with any solutions. She did not have the slightest clue as to what to say to her husband, and thus, she felt at a loss as to how to deal with Hayley. She let herself remain in a shocked, numb state the whole day, causing Hayley to feel like there was a huge chasm between her and Katelyn. Both women; however, did their best to treat the children nicely, although they dealt with them separately, barely speaking to one another. Katelyn had explained that their daddy had been delayed and would not be coming home that day as expected, and with the resilience of youth, the children adjusted to the change in plans.

Hayley felt a physical ache in her heart. She felt as if she could actually feel it breaking. She knew Katelyn was confused and in pain, but she was so afraid of losing her permanently. Somehow, almost in spite of their agony, the day managed to pass quickly, and both mother and nanny slept soundly that night out of sheer exhaustion.

The following morning the phone rang at 7 am, and a sleepy Katelyn reached for it and woke up quickly when she saw Mike's cell phone number on the caller ID.

"Katelyn, listen, we need to talk. I'm staying at the Holiday Inn on the river--room 208. Do you think you can meet me here as soon as possible?"

"Yes, I'll be right there," Katelyn answered, as she tried to become more alert.

Katelyn threw on clothes and gave her lashes a quick dash of mascara and swiped some Estee Lauder lipstick on her mouth. She hurried down the hall to Hayley's room and knocked once but then pushed open the door. Hayley was still sleeping. Katelyn went in and stood beside the bed looking down at the younger woman. God, she's so beautiful, Katelyn thought, and her heart contracted. She couldn't give Hayley up; it just wasn't feasible, unless she could handle living her life with her heart broken into a shattered mosaic of painful pieces. But she didn't want to lose Mike, and God forbid, the children. What a mess I've gotten myself into she thought with anguish. Now I don't know how to get myself out of it.

Hayley opened her eyes and saw Katelyn standing there, and tears began to stream down her cheeks again. She sat up and raised her arms to Katelyn, and the emotionally drained brunette thrust herself into her lover's arms for consolation.

"Hayley, Mike called and told me where he's staying, and he wants to talk to me. I'm going to head over there, and you'll need to watch the kids when they get up." She took a finger and gently wiped a tear that was making a slow, liquid path down Hayley's soft cheek.

Katelyn continued speaking to Hayley in a soothing voice, "I can't part with you. I told you that before, and I meant it then, and I still mean it. I don't know what Mike's going to say, but I have to find a way to work this out. I don't know how to do that, but I have to start somewhere and talking to Mike is the first step. I'll call you when I'm coming home." With that, Katelyn left a relieved, but still-nervous Hayley and walked out to her car to make the trip downtown to the hotel.