Destiny

Part 6

"Kristen left." Lindsey said at last. "Nearly three months ago."

"What do you mean, she left?" Stevie wasn't sure if she heard it right. "Where is she? What happened?"

Mick was the only person Lindsey had told the truth besides Stevie and he already had to answer the same questions she asked. Still, he took a minute to go over the events in his head anyway before he looked at her and shrugged weakly.

"Nothing in particular happened." Lindsey began. "The first couple of weeks after we brought Will home went by fine. It didn't take long before she just... didn't really want to take care of him anymore." He hung his head low and Stevie's heart ached for him, she lay a hand on his shoulder. "I thought that it was normal, she was tired, sleep deprived. Eventually, I was doing everything by myself. I didn't think I had the right to get angry, but I did. How was she supposed to bond with her own child if she spent no time with him?" Lindsey tensed up and his breathing grew heavier. "We had a fight, a massive one. She accused me of all sorts of things that had nothing to do with our baby, because she had no way of justifying her own behavior." He sighed, rubbing at his eyes. "I went to sleep in the guest room that night. In the morning, I found her bags packed by the front door downstairs. She sat me down and told me, she's not ready to be a mother." Lindsey breathed out heavily, he noticed Stevie's watery eyes. "It's okay."

"No, it's not, Lindsey. How can you say that?" Stevie frowned, wiping the unshed tears with the back of her hand. "Everyone knows that I was never a fan of her and your relationship hurt me, but you chose her, you chose to have a family with her and-"

"Stevie." Lindsey stopped her, placing a hand on her thigh. "I'm not hurting for myself, I'm not hurt that she left me. I was never in love with her, you know better. I am angry, though. I'm angry and hurt for Will. He didn't ask for a middle-aged father, who has no idea what he's doing."

"Don't say that." Stevie whispered, her voice sounded hoarse. 

"Well, most of the time I really don't know." Lindsey shrugged. "But Will and I are figuring this out together, one step at a time."

Even thought it was the last thing Stevie wanted to ask, she had to anyway. "Have you talked to Kristen since? Is she planning to come back?"

"I haven't." Lindsey shook his head and didn't seem like he wanted to. "And she didn't say. Again, she just left. I'm not concerned about my relationship with her, Stevie." He said without looking at her, instead he focused on his son. "If anything, I'm relieved. I just don't want her to return at some point, say that she wants to be a mother to Will again and confuse him. I'm sure that soon enough, she's just going to be a stranger to him."

"I... I don't know what to say." Stevie looked at him almost apologetically. 

"You don't have to say anything." Lindsey smiled weakly. "I'm glad, I have someone to tell this to, though."

She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to disappear again. I swear."