Stay With Me - A KathNiel Story

Chapter 28

Kath's jaw dropped and she quickly shook her head. "No... no, I'm not leaving here. My son is here!"

"I know he is and I'm so sorry, but my family is in New York-"

"Fuck you! I'm not leaving my son! He has nobody here but me! No!" Kath shoved him and Miles off of her as she stood up and she took off before either of them could stop her.

"Shit!" DJ exclaimed, kicking the wall and he ran his fingers through his hair, tugging on it.

"We have to go after her, come on!" Miles urged and they both rushed after Kath but they couldn't see where she'd gone. Classes had ended and she'd been lost in the crowd of students.

"She would have gone to be with him... to be with her son." DJ breathed, his eyes burning with tears and Miles nodded, the two of them deciding to walk instead of run after her. She couldn't have gone anywhere else and they didn't want to intrude if she wanted to be alone with him. "Am I a bad person for even suggesting it?" DJ asked, hesitant and Miles sighed, shaking her head.

"No, you just care about her and want what's best," Miles said and DJ nodded his head, the two of them getting to the path that leads to the park but they found Kath leaning against the fence to the park - she obviously knew they'd be following her and had waited for them, her head down but she wrapped her arms around DJ as he pulled her into his side, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled and DJ shook his head, running his fingers through her hair.

"No, I'm sorry... I understand you want to stay here and we will, okay? My family is in New York, but we'll move somewhere else - Burbank is meant to be beautiful and they have Disney there! You could be hired." DJ said with a comforting smile. "And it's not too long of a drive to come and see your son," DJ said softly and Kath took in a deep breath before shaking her head slowly.

"I... I'll go to New York with you guys." Kath breathed and DJ's eyes widened.

"That was a sudden change of mind... we're not forcing you to go, Kathryn," Miles assured her and Kath nodded her head.

"I-I know, but... I know how close you are to your family, DJ and New York is perfect for you, Miles... I-I don't want to keep you away from your family, DJ and our baby... our baby deserves to be around their family too." DJ could tell how much it pained her to agree to move to New York, but he knew she was serious when she talked about it being the best option for their small family. He pulled her back into his arms, kissing her head.

"I promise you, from the bottom of my heart, that we'll do something for your son... we'll do something huge, so our baby will always know that they have a big brother watching over them," DJ said softly and Kath let her tears fall, nodding her head slowly.

"Where... where are we gonna stay? I-I don't know New York." She breathed and DJ rubbed her back, neither of them attempting to pull away from each other and Miles stayed quiet, knowing that it was a moment for the two of them.

"I'll probably find a hotel for me and Miles to share, but I'll... I'd feel more comfortable if you stayed with my parents for a little while. They have a spare room with a single bed and my Mom is a retired midwife..." DJ was nervous about her reaction, but Kath just sniffled and stayed buried in his arms. She felt completely defeated. She knew it was the best option for her growing family, but she was devastated that it was on the other side of the country to her son. Her little boy was her world and all that kept her going when she was first homeless and he was going to be a big brother - she hated the idea of him being alone, nobody going to visit his unmarked grave.

"Can I say goodbye to my son before we leave? I... I don't want to leave him without saying goodbye." Kath choked out and DJ kissed the top of her head as Miles rubbed her arm gently.

"Of course you can," DJ assured her.

"We'd never make you leave without saying goodbye," Miles promised and Kath nodded, pulling away from DJ and she led the way towards the park but instead of following the path, she led them towards the trees.

"We can wait here if you want us to," DJ said softly but Kath shook her head.

"You can come." She said shakily, leading the way through the trees and DJ's heart dropped at the same time Miles's did a few minutes later when they saw the tree with a line etched into the bark - the tree that marked the baby boy's grave.

"We'll wait here... take your time, baby girl," DJ assured her, stood a distance away from the grave with Miles and Kath just nodded her head, kneeling down in the dirt by her son's grave and she let herself cry over him.