Confessions of the Fragile Heart

Chapter 25

I felt refreshed. Looking over, I saw Adalyn. She was crying. I sighed and sat up to feed her. She drank hungrily. After she ate, I took her to the restroom to give her a bath. Mom got her a special bathtub that is safe for her. I dressed her and headed downstairs. Nina was sitting on the couch with my mom and Denver. They were talking. There was a video camera behind Nina. I sighed and went back upstairs. After setting Adalyn down on the bed I took a quick shower and brushed through my hair. I dressed in a nice casual outfit and my toe socks. Adalyn was smiling when I went back to her. I put her socks on and slipped on her pink cap. I went back downstairs and joined them. Nina smiled at me. The camera guy was taking a break.

"Hi sweetie; how are you feeling?" Nina hugged me carefully over Adalyn. "Is it okay with you if we do an interview with you later?" I smiled and nodded.

"Now would be better. I just changed and fed her," I explained. She nodded and cued the camera guy. She did a quick introduction before she started the questions. They were pretty straight forward and I answered each one easily. Then, she started giving more personal questions.

"Were there any complications leading to her birth?" she asked. I looked over to where Heather was holding her.

"Well, yes; I mean, she was born premature," I answered.

"Were there any problems within the family ties before or after Adalyn's birth?" she asked. I frowned and hesitantly looked down at my hands.

"Umm... I-I umm... It's really not..." I stuttered. I looked at Nina. "Can we turn the cameras off please?" She nodded and the camera was turned off. "I need a moment." I stood, crossing my arm, and walked upstairs. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I went straight to my room. I thought of all the complications that led to Adalyn. I started to sob quietly. I leaned against the wall and slid down. Tears ran down my cheeks. Denver and Heather walked in a couple of seconds later.

"Honey, are you okay?" Heather asked. They watched me carefully. I stopped crying and gratefully took the tissues Heather gave me.

"I can't tell them," I whispered, looking at my hands. They sighed and sat on either sides of me.

"I think you would feel better if you got it off of your chest," Heather suggested. "You have so many secrets that you keep cooped up inside yourself. If you don't let them go, you'll pop." I nodded in agreement. I went to the bathroom and fixed my face. Once I was sure my eyes weren't red anymore, I made my way back downstairs. I smiled at Nina.

"Sorry, I should be fine now," I explained. She gave me a questioning look. I nodded and the camera was turned back on.

"Were there any complications in the family before or after Adalyn's birth?" she repeated the question. I nodded and frowned down at my hands again.

"Well, I... I overheard my father talking to my mother about me. He was saying how my being pregnant was bad publicity for him. I thought... that he cared more about his career than me. I, umm... I ran away after that," I started. I was having a difficult time getting it all out. "I went to Teddy's house."

"Teddy?" she asked shocked. "I thought Denver and Teddy hated each other." I sighed and gave her an amusing smile.

"They did," I confirmed. "Well, Teddy said that I needed to talk to my dad, so the next day, I visited him at his work. No one answered the door, so I just walked in." My smile disappeared as I recalled that horrible day.

"What happened Leana?" Nina asked sympathetically. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"He was... having an affair with his assistant. He finally saw me and asked me not to tell Mom. I ran out after that. I didn't realize it at the moment, but Teddy drove me back to my house. I knew I had to tell her, but I didn't want to hurt her," I said with my eyes closed. I opened them and rolled my eyes. "Then I went into labor at six months. It was too early. I woke up in the hospital. It was rough too. I had to stay for a while; until I was strong enough again. I wasn't allowed to see Adalyn for almost a month."

"That must've been hard," she said. I nodded.

"Then I almost lost Denver," I sighed. She looked confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked. I looked over to Denver for support. He smiled sadly and nodded. I sighed and looked at Nina again.

"I kissed Teddy," I started.

"Yes, we all know you do it for the show," she interrupted. I sighed again and shook my head.

"I kissed Teddy... quite a few times," I admitted. "But at the hospital, he told me he couldn't stay here. He was planning on leaving for New York that day. Before he left he kissed me in the hospital one last time. Denver saw and wasn't very happy about it."

"But Teddy's still here, in California," she said confused again. I nodded and smiled weakly.

"Denver... forgave me and asked Teddy to stay because he knew what Teddy means to me," I smiled softly and looked down at my lap. She said cut softly and the camera was turned off. I sighed in relief that it was finally over. My mom handed Adalyn to me. I smiled down at her happily. Nina watched me quietly.

"Great interview Leana," she said softly. I nodded and tried to ignore her leaving. What did I just do? Why couldn't I have just lied and said that nothing else went wrong? Mom sighed and plopped down on the couch. Dad buried his head in his hands. Denver sat quietly on the couch as well. Heather disappeared into the kitchen. Adalyn started crying. Her face turned red. I excused myself and went upstairs to feed her. After she was done eating and I burped her, I rocked her to sleep. I set her in her crib in her room and walked back downstairs. My mom looked at me questioning.

"Where's Lyn?" she asked. I sighed and curled up next to Denver. Heather had just placed a snack on the coffee table for us.

"She's asleep," I answered gratefully. Denver kissed me softly. The doorbell rang. Heather answered it. It was Teddy. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. I didn't want to deal with him right now.

"Hey, is she asleep?" he whispered. I felt Denver look at me then nod. "Rough day?" Teddy continued.

"Yeah," Denver answered. "That Hollywood News reporter, Nina, came over and interviewed us. Leana was the last to be interviewed. She had the hardest time too. They had to stop the cameras in the middle of her interview, but she eventually came back down. Leana told the reporter everything."

"Everything?" Teddy asked curiously.

"Everything," Denver confirmed. "Her dad, your house, the hospital, me asking you to stay... the whole nine yards." Teddy sighed and was quiet for a moment.

"I'll come back later," he mumbled. I heard the door open and close. I was actually very tired. I allowed my brain to rest, and slipped into unconsciousness.