The Father Who Never Knew

Chapter 5: If Only.

Hey everyone! Wow, it has been a really long time since my last post! I am so excited to be back and writing again. So, in the last chapter we were kind of hit with a bomb shell. Are you excited to see Reed's reaction? Are you sitting on the edge of your seat, hoping that this note isn't going to last any longer? Alright, well I'll let you read on. ;)

This chapter was written by the once enragedpurple. Hope you like it, guys!

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Reed stared at her like she was crazy. His brow furrowed in confusion and concentration, studying her soft features carefully.

"R-Reed?" Christina stuttered, her eyes falling to her plate, untouched salad with a fork piercing the leaves.

"This is a joke, isn't it?" Reed asked. A smiled played on his lips as he started to see her sense of humor.

"No Reed, it's not," Christina's voice took on any angry hint. Her blue eyes flitted and changed to a fiery anger.

Oh, come on!" Reed laughed, throwing back his head. His shoulders shook as he continued, "You can't honestly expect me to believe I have a son, can you?" Reed looked to her, still laughing.

"Yes, I do and can. You a son and a daughter. Why would I lie about something like this?" Christina's eyes locked with his, her anger the only emotion now. Reed stopped laughing, his smile faltering.

"Wait, you're serious?" His face calmed, his smile gone. He leaned in, looking to her as if expecting a secret.

"Yes, Reed," She sighed, leaning back, exasperated. Her anger now turned to annoyance. "James is your son and Cami is your daughter," She stated bluntly.

"Oh, so now it's Cami? Christina, if someone put you up to this-" Reed was cut off as she stood sharply. She placed her hands on the table and glared down to him.

"Why do you think I'm lying? Who in their right mind would lie about having a child, two in fact? What would make me want to lie about my children?" Christina's voice grew shrill as she scolded him. All eyes in the restaurant turned to them, all other conversation dying.

"Christina, maybe we should go talk about this somewhere else," Reed mumbled, catching a few of the people's curious gazes.

"No, no, I'm done. You believe me or you don't, I don't care anymore," Christina hissed. She pushed her chair in, slung her purse over her shoulder and stormed out. Reed stood, trying to stop her as she passed. She gave him one final glare before she tore free of his grasp and stormed out.

"Sir, are you ready for your check?"

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Reed walked the remaining blocks to his apartment in solemn silence. His thoughts and emotions were going haywire, confusion his permanent state of mind.

Why is this happening to him? Why did this have to be him and now? What did all this mean?

Reed kept his eyes to the sidewalk, seeing nothing, hearing nothing, feeling nothing. Occasionally, he would run into a person, quickly mumbling an apology. Some would gasp as they recognized him, others would curse, and yet others would say it was their fault.

Who am I really? Who am I? All these people know me...but I don't care about them. Why? Why I don't I care? Shouldn't I be willing to have more people in my life? Shouldn't I want to know who my children are?

"But then...why didn't Christina tell me?" Reed suddenly stopped, realizing he had been speaking aloud. He stepped to the side, looking around at his surroundings.

Brick buildings, eclectic offices, shiny businesses...a billboard with his face on it.

When was that picture even taken? Reed studied it for a second, trying to recognize himself. He studied his face, his nose, his hair, his lips, his eyes. He didn't recognize himself. The features seemed too hard, too cold. He'd changed.

Reed sighed, grabbing his Blackberry out of his pocket. He dialed his apartment phone, wishing and hoping Christina was there.

"Hello?" Sam answered. A hint of annoyance was still there, obviously still mad at him.

"Sam, did Christina come home?" Reed asked, unharmed by her tone.

"Don't tell me, you lost another one?" Sam snorted, obviously thinking this was funny.

"No, I was just asking. Did you get your homework done?" He changed the subject, getting a groan out of the teen girl.

"Yeah, sure I did," She mumbled.

"Sam," Reed chastised. Another groan.

"Fine, bye," Sam clicked the phone off.

Reed sighed. He had to find Christina and tell her he was sorry. Maybe it was already too late.

What could he do to make this up to her?

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Christina pulled her knees to her chest, sitting on the stone bench that she knew so well. She sighed as the shade covered her skin, her hair falling on either side of her shoulders.

She'd been harsh, she knew it, but she needed to be. If Reed was that unwilling to accept that he had children, then maybe she had made a mistake. Maybe she shouldn't have shown up helplessly at his door. She wished she could've been smarter back then. She hadn't made so many mistakes...

If only...

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