Forgiven 2 of 4

Chapter 36

"Hey Erin, can you take Harper?" Kim didn't want Harper near the girl that was now standing on her door step.

Erin took Harper, "everything okay Kim?" She asked, Kim was visibly shaken.

"I'm fine, just take her inside" Kim said as she stepped out and closed the door, "what the hell do you want?"

Annie took a step back, "I wanted to meet my brother, I need to talk to him"

"Jay, hold her please" Erin pushed Harper into his arms, "where's Adam?"

Jay shifted the baby in his arms, "I think he's outback with Kevin" he grabbed her hand as she started walking away, "I don't know what to do with her, Erin, really?"

"She's fine Jay"

"I'm not" he muttered as he awkwardly held Harper in his arms.

Erin found Adam outside watching Kevin, Anthony, and Declan play basketball, "Adam, come here", she called out.

"What's up?"

"Kim's talking to some girl out on your front steps, she looked upset" Erin explained.

"Kim's upset?"

"Yea, she called me to take Harper inside and she slammed the door"

"Kevin, can you keep an eye on Anthony, I will be right back" he went out the gate and walked around to the front of the house.

"I just need to see him, okay. I didn't know I had a brother until" her voice trailed off, almost afraid to finish the sentence.

"Until your bitch mother stole my baby from the hospital" Kim told her, she saw Adam come from the back of the house.

"Darlin', what's going on?" He stood beside her, "who is this?"

"This is Annie Sloane, your sister"

Annie realized she had made a mistake, "never mind, forget I even came here" she turned on her heels.

"No, wait. Don't leave yet" Adam called out her, "Kim, I would like to speak with her"

"Why, Adam?" Kim was furious "she was with your mother when she had our baby"

Annie rolled her eyes " I had no idea what my mother was doing, I was told I was moving to NY and when she finally came home she had the baby with her" she explained " I didn't even know about you, not until I pressed her about who the baby belonged too"

"Adam, you don't believe a word she is saying, right?"

He looked back at Kim, "yeah, I think I do." he sat on the steps, "sit down" he pointed to the step, " does your father know you are here?"

"Adam, seriously?" Kim huffed, "I'm going inside, I can't stand to look at her"

"Kim, come on" Adam pleaded, "let's just hear her out"

"Forget it Adam" Kim went inside and slammed the door.

"I'm sorry about that, she's not usually like this, it's just been a rough few months for her, for all of us actually" he knew Kim would regret the way she treated Annie, "what my mother, well I guess our mother did was unforgivable and it scared Kim and I both and then I was hurt on the job"

"Shot, right? I read about it in the paper, it was big news" she picked at the paint on the railing "I promise I had nothing to do with mom taking your baby. I didn't know, I swear"

"I know, and Kim knows it too, at least she will" he watched as she stared off, "you never answered my question, does your dad know you're here?"

"No"

Adam stood up, "let's go inside, so you can call him"

"Umm, I don't think your wife would like that" she wasn't sure she liked the idea of walking into a house full of people, who she was sure all knew who her mother was.

"It's fine, I'm sure your dad is worried, let's go"

"Kim, who is that?" Erin asked when she found Kim sitting at the table, obviously trying to calm down.

Kim laughed sarcastically, "Adam's half sister, she wanted to meet Adam" she was so angry with Adam's mother and she knew she wasn't being fair to Annie "I'm a horrible person, I just ripped into a kid for something her mother did" the irony didn't escape her "I might be more like my mother than I would like to admit"

"Holy shit, how the hell did she find you guys?" Erin sat at the table.

"I don't know I was too busy biting her head off and Adam's too" she felt like an ass, "she's just a kid herself, I need to apologize" she stood to go outside when she spotted Adam bringing her inside.

She watched as Adam handed her the phone and pointed to the office for her to have a quiet area, "Adam, come here" she called for him.

"Before you say anything, she's calling her dad"'Adam explained and it made Kim feel horrible.

"I was wrong to lash out at her, it wasn't her fault. Just as soon as she told me her name I couldn't help it, I would love to get my hands on your mother"

"So would I, Kim" Adam told her "I know this is asking a lot but can she stay for a little while?"

"Like the night?" She wasn't comfortable with that, "Adam, I don't know"

"No, just until her father gets here"

"He's coming to get her?"

"I assume so, she's calling him now. If it was one of my kids I'd be here ASAP" Adam grabbed a beer, "I think she's having a hard time with this whole thing"

Annie found them in the kitchen, "Um, Adam, my dad isn't coming. He said for me to just stay in Chicago" she wanted to cry, her mother destroyed her life with one swift motion. She had no idea what she was going to do, she barely had two hundred dollars left and she knew it wouldn't be enough for much and she wasn't even hold to enough to book a hotel room.

"He said what?" Adam was flabbergasted, "you're kidding, right?"

" I wish I was, my mom screwed him up too, I guess" she could feel the tears well up in her eyes, "I'm sorry I came here Mrs.Ruzek. I just wanted to tell you that I was sorry for what my mother did, and that I hope your baby is ok"

"Kim" Kim told her, seeing the look on Annie's face broke her heart, she had been familiar with parental rejection and she felt for Annie.

"I'm sorry?" Annie was confused.

"Call me, Kim. I'm sorry I yelled at you before. You're the last person I expected to see on my doorstep, and it startled me" she rubbed Annie's shoulder, "go make a plate for yourself, there's plenty of food"

Adam smiled as he watched Kim, he waited for Annie to leave before he spoke, "thank you, for that" he kissed her forehead and pulled her into his arms "but now what?"

----NOTE-----

Eh, not sure about this one, I feel like I'm overthinking these chapters and having difficulty bringing my ideas to fruition.

Can't promise an update in the next few days, I'm hoping for a breakthrough soon.

Usually when I say that, I come up with something, so there's always hope....

-Kristi