Precious Ties: The Gift

Chapter 28: The Surprise

"Where is she Rory?" Doyle demanded, stepping inside without an invitation and grabbing Rory's shoulders while looking her in the eye, "Where is my wife? You are her only friend...come on Rory....you've got to help me! ....I arrived home late last night and slept on the couch so I didn't realise she wasn't there until this morning! Her suitcases are gone, the children's closets are empty! There wasn't even a note!"

The sudden intrusion pushed Logan's thoughts of loss to the side. He quickly pulled Doyle away from his wife to shield her from the frantic visitor. "Ace you better go have some breakfast and I'll take care of things here," he instructed, leaving Rory feeling very relieved as she didn't really feel up to dealing with Doyle's emotions.

"Doyle...you need to calm down," Logan said firmly, "Come into the study and we can talk..."

"I'm not going to calm down Logan...wouldn't you be upset if you came home and Rory had disappeared?" Doyle asked as Logan guided him through the study door and sat down behind the desk.

"Okay Doyle.....Paris is safe, the children are safe...." Logan began but was cut off before he could continue.

"So you knew she left me? .....Where are they? I want to speak to Paris.....there are things that need to be discussed Logan...they must be here somewhere..." Doyle said trying to head out the door before Logan stopped him.

"Sit down Doyle! ......Paris is very upset and she doesn't want to talk right now..." Logan said firmly.

"I know she's upset....there's been a bit of a financial problem...every time we are together, it ends in a screaming match! I just wanted to explain..." Doyle said looking  remorseful.

"It's probably best if you let me pass on a message Doyle and she can contact you when she is ready to talk," Logan suggested.

"Well it's not easy to explain but I kind of overspent on a movie I was helping to fund..." Doyle admitted remorsefully. "It's all gone belly up .....had it been successful, I would have been set for life! I could have returned the money to our accounts and Paris may not have even noticed....but we're bankrupt....we've lost the house, everything in it, the cars, Dynasty Makers....it's such a mess and I'll never work in the movie industry again!"

"Surely you knew it was a pretty big risk..." Logan commented, "And what about your involvement with the actress? Paris was devastated about that!"

"I didn't intend for it to happen.." Doyle said sorrowfully, "You know what it's like Logan... we were working long hours together...it just happened ....she was young and loved my work....she didn't know I was married....I had needs....Paris was pregnant..."

"Not really great excuses Doyle," Logan commented, memories of Paris giving birth in his Lexus flooding his mind. "It's pretty serious stuff if you think about how Paris must feel....she has worked so hard to build her business....and the fact that you were fooling around with someone when she was pregnant was just the last straw! She has the children and a new baby to care for and nothing to fall back on....she says you drained the children's accounts too!"

"I didn't want to touch the kids' money......it just got out of hand real quick once Paris needed money for her lawyer.....what am I going to do Logan?" Doyle asked holding his head in his hands and beginning to sob pitifully.

In spite of what his visitor had done, Logan couldn't help feeling sorry for him. He remembered the dreadful state he had been in a year ago himself and although in the past he would have judged the man before him, something had changed in his heart and it was not possible. God had been so good to him, even though he had definitely not deserved it.

"Do you have anywhere to go Doyle?" Logan asked trying to show some grace.

"Well....my parents are going to have me for lunch ....and I guess I'll pack up some things and stay with them. .....we have to be out of the house by next  Wednesday. My folks are so disappointed in me! .....They already loaned me money and they don't have a lot! Now they'll be struggling too!" Doyle sobbed.