I Can't

What are we going to do?

I'll raise this child on my own. I'll raise her. I feel it's a girl and if it is, I'm naming her Sara...  

Stevie finished reading, cocking her head back, as she took deep breaths, before looking at Lindsey, holding up the 'letter'. "Where did you get this from?"

"It came in the mail, addressed to me." He replied, strangely calmly. 

They were both silent for a moment. Way back in '77, when Stevie was expecting Sara, once she told Don and he reacted badly, she didn't know what to do. She was just so lost, feeling absolutely alone in the whole wide world. One thing Stevie knew for sure, was that she was not going to give up her child for a man. She was right; when she didn't do what Don wanted her to, he left her, moving onto the next girl. Stevie turned to Lindsey. She didn't know what he would have to say to her, after all, they had broken up and he was in a new relationship, yet she believed he still loved her. And he did. One night, she drove to see him, thankfully, without Carol Ann around. She broke down almost immediately once she saw him and he didn't hesitate, pulling her into his arms, soothing her. Having calmed down and being able to speak, she told him about the baby. A long silent moment followed, making her feel as if she had made a mistake by coming to him. But then he spoke up, saying that they'll raise her, together they were going to be the best parents. It was hard for Lindsey at first. All he ever really truly wanted was to make Stevie his wife and start a family with her. But when did things ever go like they had planned them? True, the baby wasn't his, but DNA doesn't make you a father, he thought to himself, it's doing everything possible to make sure you support the child, you provide for them, you teach them and you love them. He was set on doing just that. And the day Sara was born, it never once crossed Lindsey's mind that this little beautiful girl was actually Don's. No, Sara was Lindsey's.

"What are we going to do?" He asked, scrunching the piece of paper up in his hand. "Obviously someone has found out."

"I don't know. We've... we've kept this secret for twenty years. I... I had actually forgotten about it. I really had." Stevie said honestly, reaching for Lindsey, who climbed on the bed and scooted over to the headboard, cuddling her close to himself. "Whoever this was, clearly wanted to damage our relationship, the letter being sent to you."

"Yeah." Lindsey nodded, stroking her back, as she lay her head on his chest. "Do you think maybe... it could be Don himself?"

"But why? He never wanted her. When I found out he got me pregnant and then I told him, he said some of the most horrible, hurtful things to me, such as that I got pregnant on purpose to tie him down, because that's the only way a man would ever stay by my side and-"

"Don't, please." He cut her off, hating to even think about the man. "That's from one of your journals though, right?"

"It is. I mean..." She shrugged. "When he and I were breaking up, I did leave some of my things, simply because I didn't want to have to go to his place and see him again. And some of those things might have been my journals, but I surely thought he would have thrown them out or... burnt them even. Don knew I wrote a lot when we would argue and he knew my writings weren't for him, much more against him."

"What if he forgot about having them and he just found them recently. You know he would do anything just to spite people."

"But it all happened so long ago, it's ancient history! Why now? When he just got married?"

"To be honest, I've always thought he hated the fact that when you two broke up, you came back to me. I'm sure he thinks you've never told me the truth either, that you made me believe Sara is mine. I mean, nobody knows how we really came back together."

"I just don't know who else it could be. But we have to find out, Lindsey. Sara cannot know about this, she can't. It will absolutely destroy her!"

"I know, baby, I know." Lindsey sighed. "How do we do that? How do we find out?"

"Was there an envelope?"

"Yeah."

"Where is it? Maybe I'd recognize the handwriting if it's Don's."

"Oh! I'll be right back." He jumped out of bed and to his feet, hurrying to the studio and back to the bedroom again, handing Stevie the envelope, he ripped open earlier. She studied it closely, then shook her head sadly. "No?"

"No, I don't think he's written it."

Seeing her eyes well up with tears, Lindsey got back on the bed, embracing her tightly, as he rocked her gently. "Somehow, we'll figure this out. We'll get to them first, before they get to Sara or... or whoever it is they're trying to get to."

 "I really hope so." Stevie replied quietly, unable to keep the tears from falling.