One Call Away

Chapter Two: Feeling Tired

Collapsing onto the bed, Caitlyn closed her eyes as she thought about the last twenty-four hours; she couldn't believe this had happened to her, she had never thought her life would fall apart like this. 

Caitlyn couldn't see herself returning to New York after what had happened, everything that she had loved about the city had been tarnished by the secret that her mother had hidden from her. 

There was no coming back from that and her entire life felt like a lie, Caitlyn didn't know if she would ever get over the fact that Richard wasn't her father. 

The look on his face as he discovered that he had been raising a child that wasn't his own had broken her heart; he hadn't been able to look at her after that and she had left crying soon after. 

Shaking her head, Caitlyn sat up and looked around the room that she would call home for the next few days; it was a nice size and she would be comfortable here while she worked out her next move. 

Tapping her feet, Caitlyn looked around not sure what to do with herself; she didn't feel like sleeping and every time she closed her eyes, she pictured what happened. 

Running her fingers through her hair, Caitlyn chewed on her lip before getting to her feet and moving over to her suitcase; she opened it up and rummaged through her things before she found her wash bag. 

She hoped that a shower would ease her mind and then she would try to get some sleep; she doubted that anyone would be disturbing her for awhile and the only person who knew where she was, was working right now. 

Stepping into the bathroom, Caitlyn shut the door behind her and set her wash bag down on the sink before moving to turn on the shower. 

Ensuring that the temperature was right, Caitlyn turned away and tied her hair into a bun; she stripped off her clothes before grabbing her shower gel and getting into the shower.

The warm water was nice and Caitlyn closed her eyes as she soaked in the water, she didn't want to think about what had happened; no matter how difficult it was to process right now. 

Once she was done, Caitlyn climbed out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself; she shivered at the cool temperature of the hotel room as she stepped out of the bathroom. 

Quickly finding some pyjamas, Caitlyn was relieved to dry off and get dressed again; she padded back to the bathroom to hang the towel up before she headed towards the king-size bed. 

Getting comfortable, Caitlyn reached for her phone and checked her messages; a part of her hoping that she would have a message from Richard but there was nothing. 

Not even an apology from her mother, not that she should have expected one; they had never been close and Caitlyn now guessed that she knew why. 

She sent a quick text to some of her friends wanting them to know that she was okay and had arrived safely; she couldn't imagine what they would be thinking since she had just taken off. 

Putting her phone down on the bedside table, Caitlyn rested her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes; she prayed that sleep would find her easily. 

There was no way that she could stand to be awake for longer than needed, she had already been awake now for more than twenty-four hours and she was exhausted; it wouldn't help her when she needed to talk with Alvin. 

Caitlyn wasn't going to let this go, she just wanted to know who her father was; she wasn't even sure right now if she even wanted to meet him. 

There were questions that she needed answering and it was only here in Chicago that she would have them answered.

***

The sound of someone knocking on her hotel room door made Caitlyn jerk awake, she groaned and rolled over reaching for her phone to check the time; she had been asleep for a few hours and she felt tired. 

The knocking on the door didn't stop making Caitlyn sigh as she rolled out of bed and made her way over to the door; she looked through the peephole and frowned before she opened it. 

"What are you doing here?" Caitlyn asked confused, she stepped aside to allow Alvin to step into her room and she shut the door behind him. 

She was sure that he would have been at work and she didn't want him to get distracted just because she was here; she was probably just going to be lazy for the rest of the day. 

"Just thought I'd check in," Alvin mused, he looked around the hotel room, he's eyes catching on the used bed before he focused on Caitlyn; he had dropped in on his way home after a rough day knowing they needed to talk. 

He had lost one of his colleagues today and he knew that with everything that was going on that he wouldn't have the chance to speak with Caitlyn while working this case. 

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way," Alvin said shaking his head, he didn't know what Lauren had been thinking when she had told Richard and Caitlyn on her wedding anniversary. 

It was something that was only going to end in tears especially after she had kept it quiet for over twenty-five years.

Caitlyn nodded her head, she had known from the moment that her mother had told her that Alvin knew and she had expected no less; she only hoped he would tell her what she wanted to know. 

There was no other way that she was going to find out who her father was, her mother wasn't likely to tell her and the only other person that knew who he was, was Alvin. 

"Are you going to tell me who he is?" Caitlyn asked, she was desperate for answers and she just wanted some ideas about who she was; she had never felt this lost before in her life.

Alvin turned away from Caitlyn, he moved across the room towards the window and looked out at the view that she had; he was silent for a moment knowing there was no point in denying his knowledge. 

"It's better that you don't know Cat," Alvin murmured, his eyes focusing on the buildings across from them and he knew that his answer would upset her. 

He truly wished that there was another way and he hated that she was in this position; but he didn't want her getting messed up in something that could lead to her getting into trouble. 

Caitlyn's face fell at his words, she closed her eyes as she felt the tears build and she blamed herself for being overtired which had lead her to being emotional about his answer. 

"I know you don't see it that way. But you need to trust me on this, the last thing I want is for you to get hurt," Alvin continued turning back to face her, he had always looked out for her and he cared for her almost as if she was his own daughter. 

Lexi adored Caitlyn and viewed the older girl as her sister, they were always talking on the phone and Alvin knew that wouldn't change now that Caitlyn was in Chicago. 

"I'll let you get some sleep and help you sort things out when I can," Alvin murmured wanting to give her some space, he hated seeing her like this but he truly believed that he was making the right decision. 

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Caitlyn nodded her head and looked away from Alvin as he passed her to exit the room; she squeezed her eyes shut trying to stop the tears from falling. 

Alvin exited the room and closed the door behind him, he had a feeling that Caitlyn wouldn't be returning to New York and she was going to need help finding her feet here in Chicago.