Save the Date

42

"Are you and Steven still together?" I asked, trying to focus on my blast from the past.

"Actually... no," She picked up her hand that was holding the child as if to present him to me, "This is Cadence our child, but we are no longer together."

I must have been pointedly looking toward her very pregnant belly, because she added, "This is a long story. This guy I met on the internet... let's just say that it didn't work out but he wouldn't take no for an answer." I couldn't stop myself from feeling sorry for Lauren all over again.

"What about DNA?" I asked finally closing my mouth.

"Up until today there wasn't a match," she said, the light finally filtering back into her face, "Not that the dad matters, I'll love this little one regardless." She rubbed her belly again. "The guy that did this gave me a fake name, the profile he used on the dating site vanished and so did he. I got a phone call from a Detective this morning asking me to come in but apparently she isn't in. I'll just come back a little later."

Again my heart was aching for Lauren Pope, I couldn't believe the stroke of bad luck this woman had had in the last six years. A failed marriage (that she didn't even want in the first place) to the father of her child and then impregnated by someone so vile and then to still decide to keep the child. Lauren was the real deal and I felt sorry now that I hadn't kept up with her.

Taking out my phone I said, "Lauren, please give me your number, I think we should have lunch sometime."

She looked taken aback a bit, but her face broke into a wide smile, "Yeah sure, I'd like that."

I punched her number into my phone and made a silent vow to contact her and have her be part of my life. Even though the last few days had been disastrous, reconnecting with her would be the very tiny silver lining to an overtly dark cloud.

As she walked out the door passing McKenzie who smiled at her, something about her story nagged at the back of my mind. It was about the timing of her attacker's DNA coinciding with the DNA I had given and the similarities between our stories and the story Detective Sanches had told me. For the third time that day, my chest pulled tight.

McKenzie, who had waited at the door, saw me hyperventilating and came running to help.

"Okay sweetie, breathe, just breathe. That's it, deep breaths in, one at a time."

"The detective isn't here," I said gulping for air. My first thought was to call Luca, the second was to burst into tears. "And Lauren..."

"Lauren? The lady you were talking to? Don't worry," McKenzie tried her best to calm me and managed to get me back into the car, "We'll come back," she said soothingly, "I'll keep you safe and we'll come back."

I shook violently all the way to the car. I could barely get my hands to stop moving long enough to open my car door, "You are in no state to drive." McKenzie said taking the key away from me and steering me into the passenger seat. "Give me your phone," I obeyed automatically and watched people enter the police station. She spoke to someone in a low voice and I heard her swear a few times but it was of no consequence to me. I had zoned out from shock. McKenzie was still talking on the phone but to someone different now.

I just couldn't comprehend that maybe Chris/Robert had been Lauren's attacker. Everything just seemed to align. As shocked as I felt I couldn't help but feel a bubble of anger push through my anxiety. How dare he go around treating women this way?

Why did he think it was okay to hurt people who were just looking for love? Someone had to put a stop to it. I didn't have much of a plan but I would be ready for him. I would not let what happened to Lauren happen to me or another person on this planet.