Melody

Disclaimer: As you read this story, keep in mind that I try to include something for everyone, and some people are always looking for mistakes. So, if you find any errors, please remember that they are there for a reason.

Thank you: I would like to thank all the people that take the time to send me personal emails, good and bad. I'd like to answer each one but life keeps getting in the way. However, I do want to let you know that I read every single one (and respond where appropriate) and very much appreciate the feedback, comments, compliments, and even the criticisms.

All sex that occurs is between persons 18 years of age or older.

I has intended this for Loving Wives but that wasn't the way the story went, and I tend to take them where they want to go.

*****

MELODY

None of the kids were mine.

*****

I was exhausted.

I had gotten word while on the road that my son had been hit by a car while riding his bike. For the most part the injuries weren't overly serious, but there was some concern about his kidneys. I guess I didn't need to come right home but I wanted to be there and my employers were more than supportive.

I had flown all night to get to the hospital. I hadn't really needed to, I suppose, but I did. Even though they said he was expected to be fine, sometimes things just happen and I wanted to be there. Plus, if something like a kidney transplant was going to be needed, compatibility testing would have to take place. Just as well it be sooner rather than later.

Thanks to packing, trying to book a flight, and the layover I had to take, I hadn't slept in nearly 24 hours. I just can't seem to sleep on planes or in airports. When I got to the hospital, Denise wasn't there. The nurse at the desk said she'd run home to clean up a little bit because I wasn't expected to be there until later that evening. That was the exact moment I realized I hadn't called to update Denise on my travel progress. I had been in such a hurry it had completely slipped my mind.

I asked if they had someplace I could crash for a couple hours, since I didn't want to leave the hospital. They offered me the use of the empty bed in Nate's room, noting Denise had used it last night. I went in, pulled the privacy curtain around me, and was out before my head hit the pillow.

I was awakened by a conversation going on just outside my curtain. I was just beginning to stir when I heard the door open and footsteps cross the floor. I heard my wife's voice talking to Nate, who at this point was being kept sedated.

"How's my boy today?" she said to him. "I'm so sorry for what you're going through, baby."

I then heard the beep-beep-beep of her pressing buttons on her cell phone, and then the pause as she waited for the call to connect. I was still waking up so decided to just lay there until she was off the phone. I heard her one-sided conversation and it changed my entire life.

"Hey, it's me."

"I haven't seen or heard from him but he said he was coming straight home. I assume he's on his way."

"I know, but he wants to be here just in case, and I can't very well tell him not to bother being tested. Besides, he might be a match even though they're not actually related."

What the hell! And who the hell was she talking to?

"Of course he's agreed to get tested if necessary. He agreed to this kind of thing when we chose him to be the father, though he probably wishes he didn't resemble Henry so much right about now. But Henry's not stupid. If someone else is a match and he's not, he'll be suspicious."

Chose WHO to be the...oh my God! And who the hell is she talking to?

"You know Henry. He'll probably get a DNA test done, and when he finds out about Nate he'll wonder about Gracie and Danny, too. And we know how that'll turn out."

"Well of course not. I'm not gonna let Nate suffer to preserve the secret. We'll just have to deal with it. I think I can make him understand."

"It was a good idea to have the whole family tested. That way if there's no match Henry won't be suspicious."

"Okay. I'll let you know if anything changes. Bye."

She ended the call and let out a huge sigh. I was so angry at this point I was shaking. I stood up and threw open the privacy curtain harder than I intended to. A startled Denise swung around and looked me in the eyes, and I saw the worry instantly invade hers.

"My God, Henry, you scared me. What, um, what were you doing in there?"

"I was sleeping." My tone was even.

"Oh, did you just wake up?" she asked hopefully.

"No, I've been awake for a few minutes, and to answer your next question, yes, I heard every word you said. Who is it?"

"Who's...who, honey?"

"Don't play stupid, Dee. Who's Nate's father?"

"You're his father, honey."

"You know what I mean, God damn it! Who is it?"

"I...I can't tell you."

"Can't or won't?"

"Both, I guess. It was part of the arrangement. But please listen, baby, please. It's not what you're thinking."

"And just what am I thinking?"

"That I cheated on you and tricked you into raising someone else's kids because I didn't want to have yours."

"Didn't you cheat on me?"

"Well, I guess technically..."

"And didn't you hide the fact that the kids weren't mine?"

"Yes, but..."

"And haven't I been raising someone else's biological children?"

With resignation. "Yes Henry."

"So how exactly am I wrong in my thinking?"

"Because I wanted to have yours, baby, but you couldn't give them to me."

"I know we were having trouble but that's no reason..."

"Henry, you're sterile!" she blurted out.

I found myself wondering where that fist that just punched me in the chest had gone. Sterile? No, no way, no fucking way!

"Who in the hell told you that?" I managed.

"Your mother," Denise said, very quietly.

"What? I don't understand."

"You remember how, before Nate came along, I used to spend a couple mornings a week with your mom just chatting over coffee. I mentioned that we had been trying to get pregnant and it wasn't working. That was when she told me you'd had a couple of accidents while racing bikes when you were younger. You'd taken some hits to your groin and it had made you sterile. She showed me some tests she'd had done when you were 16."

"Jesus Christ! She never told me that!"

"She mentioned that. She didn't want to be the bearer of bad news and thought that maybe you wouldn't want kids. When she found out about us wanting kids she was upset at what she had done but telling you then wasn't going to solve the problem."

"So you two came up with this plan to get pregnant and pass them off as mine."

"We wanted to give you the kids you wanted and this seemed like a great way to do that. If Nate hadn't gotten hurt you may have never known."

"Yeah, and that you got to fuck someone else was just a bonus, huh? Who is it?"

"Baby, please, I only did it so we could have kids."

"Oh, so you didn't enjoy it? No orgasms or anything like that?"

"Well, no honey, I can't say that, but you know how sensitive I am."

"And did it ever occur to either of you that I might prefer a faithful wife over having kids, especially ones that aren't mine?"

"But they are yours. You're the only father they've ever known."

"Only because you and my mother manipulated and tricked me."

"But it's still the truth."

"Who is it, Denise? It's Gabe, isn't it?"

She hesitated, just for a second, and I knew I had guessed right.

"No, it's not. I can't tell you, I promised, but it's not Gabe."

"You made a promise to me first. Interesting that you're so adamant about keeping this one but that one was so easily cast aside."

I turned angrily and walked over to Nate's bed, giving him a kiss on the forehead. Despite the circumstances I now found myself in, he was still my son, just as Gracie and Danny were mine, too. Though I didn't plan to admit that to Denise anytime soon. With that I walked purposely toward the room door.

"Henry, where are you going? We need to talk."

I turned toward her with as much anger as I could muster.

"To beat the shit out of Gabe."

"Henry, no! It wasn't him. I already told you that."

"Give me another name then."

"I can't, honey. But it wasn't Gabe. Please don't do anything you'll regret."

"Well, I guess Gabe's gonna get the crap beat out of him for something he didn't do."

"Henry..."

That was all I heard as the door closed behind me. I can only assume the look on my face reflected the anger and fury I felt inside, as people were quickly getting out of my way as I stalked down the hallway. Not willing to wait for the elevator, I found the door to the stairwell and was down the 8 flights and outside in no time.

As much as I couldn't believe that Denise and my mom would have done this to me, I was equally blind-sided by Gabe's involvement. We had always gotten along very well and had spent a lot of time together when we were younger. His dad, my Uncle Richard, was gone a lot on business and he latched on to me as a sort-of older brother.

Figuring out it was him wasn't difficult. The family was forever talking about how much he and I looked alike, and we had often been mistaken for actual brothers instead of first cousins. If I was trying to fool me into thinking kids were mine, he's the one I would choose as well. He was 10 years younger than I was but we got along great. Thinking about his age caused me to do some math in my head, and I realized that as near as I could tell, he had knocked Denise up for the first time not long after he turned 18. Jesus.

Unfortunately for my planned vengeance, Gabe and his wife, Chelsea, lived about two hours away. That was plenty of time for Denise to warn him and for him to make his escape. But I went anyway because the drive would give me plenty of quiet time to think, and there was always the chance that he'd stay home and take what he deserved.

Yeah, I didn't think he would either.

I was driving a little fast I guess, because I covered the 128 miles in just over 90 minutes. Heck, it was nearly dark and the roads were fairly clear. And I really wasn't concerned with speed limits right now anyway.

I parked on the street and walked up to the small house that Gabe and Chelsea shared with their own two kids. Well, I guess Gabe actually had 5. I wondered how Chelsea would react to that news. I stepped up on to the porch and began banging on the door.

"GABRIEL, YOU SON OF A BITCH! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!"

I alternated pounding and screaming a couple more times before I heard the deadbolt unlock and the door swing open, but it was Chelsea on the other side of the door. She gave me a curious look and just waited for me to explain myself.

"Hi Chelsea. Is Gabe here?"

"No, he left right after your wife called to warn him you were coming. And keep it down. The kids are sleeping."

"Any idea when he'll be back?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Do you mind if I wait on your porch?"

"What then, Henry? Hmm? Are you going to deprive me of my husband and my children of their father? Get yourself sent to jail? Is that your plan?"

I hadn't really thought of it in those terms. Frustrated and exhausted, I just collapsed on to the bench that was sitting on their porch, my face buried in my hands. Chelsea sat next to me.

"I'm sorry for what's happening, Henry. He didn't do it to be mean, or to get something over on you. You're his favorite cousin and have always been like a brother to him. He thought he was helping, doing you a favor."

As she spoke I realized she was in on the secret, and that made me wonder who else in the family was aware of it.

"You knew."

"Gabe told me while we were dating, when we got serious. It actually took me some time to get used to the idea but he didn't want there to be any secrets."

"Except from me, apparently."

"Well, that WAS the idea, Henry. But it was done out of love, not malice. I hope you believe that."

"And who else knows about this?"

"As far as I know, only me, Gabe, Denise, and your mom. And now you, of course."

We sat in silence for several minutes. I realized there was nothing to be gained here. Even beating up Gabe, assuming I could, wouldn't change what had happened. That didn't mean I was letting him off the hook entirely, but nothing was going to be resolved tonight. Especially since he wasn't even here. I stood up to leave.

"Thanks for the info, Chelsea. It was educational. I'll see you later, I guess."

"Bye Henry."

I walked slowly down the stairs and across the lawn to my car. I really had no idea what I was going to do, but staying married seemed like a real long shot. And what about my mother's involvement in this. Dang. Just as I opened the car door...

"Henry, can I tell Gabe it's safe to come home?"

"Sure."

I climbed into my car and began the arduous journey home. It would be nearly midnight when I got there and I would undoubtedly be exhausted. I had been running high on adrenaline on the trip up here but that was gone. In hindsight I probably should have stopped at a hotel, both to rest and to give me time to think, but it never crossed my mind.

I remember very little about the drive home, but I sure remember the anger I felt when I pulled up to my house and saw my mother's car there and the lights still on. I knew in my mind that she had been helping out by watching Gracie and Danny while Denise and I were at the hospital or working, but it still reminded me of her role in all of this and I got pissed off all over again. I sat in the car for several minutes before I finally went into the house. Mom and Denise were sitting in the living room talking, but went silent when I walked in.

"Did you find Gabe?" Denise asked.

"No, you'll be happy to know that the warning call you made to your lover had the desired result."

"He's not my lover, Henry. He never was. It was a biological act done to achieve a result, and that's all."

"I hope you believe that crap you're spouting. I sure don't."

"Henry," my mom spoke up for the first time. "Please try and understand the intent behind this."

"And why exactly should I listen to my slutty wife or her pimp?"

"Pimp?" she coughed indignantly.

"Sure. You whored out my wife for a payoff. It was grandchildren instead of money but that still makes you her pimp as far as I'm concerned. Now I'm tired and I'm going to bed. Mom, you can have the couch or my side of the bed. I'm sleeping in Nate's room."

I ignored Denise's appeals to sleep with her in our bed but I had no intention of doing that. I just stripped down to my boxers and climbed into bed. As upset as I was, I was exhausted enough to fall right to sleep.

The next morning, I woke to both women sitting in the kitchen and apparently waiting for my emergence. I poured a cup of coffee and could feel their eyes boring into my back. Finally, Denise broke the silence.

"We need to talk about this, Henry."

"I think the time for talking would have been before you had my cousin knock you up 3 times."

"Please, honey. I can't change what's done. We need to figure out how to go forward."

"Really? So, I can go screw some strange woman and then come back and say 'it's in the past'? Seems like a slippery slope to me."

"That's not the same thing and you know it."

"Do I? It seems that's the same logic you're using. Sure, I screwed my husband's cousin and got pregnant 3 times, but it shouldn't matter because what's past is past. How is it different?"

"Because I did it for you."

"For me? Are you really trying to tell me you had sex with Gabe for me?"

"No, I had sex with Gabe to have babies. The babies were for you. The sex with Gabe was just a means to an end."

"And you didn't want kids, right? Mom, you had no interest in grandkids, right?"

"Henry," interjected my mom, joining the fray for the first time today. "You know that's not true. I wanted grandkids badly and when I found out about your injury I was devastated, but I came to accept it for what it was. I suppose I should have told you but I hoped it wouldn't be an issue. And of course Denise wanted to be a mom. One of the reasons we did this was her desire to experience pregnancy and childbirth. And when it worked once we did it two more times. I know you're not happy with what we did but the results were perfect."

"Perfect? My wife cheating on me is perfect?"

"Okay, not that part but..."

"You can try and spin it however you want. You cheated on me for your own selfish needs, and used 'I'm doing it for Henry' to justify it. You made a massive, life-changing decision about MY LIFE and didn't even consult me! You just decided what you thought I wanted and did it. Maybe I would have rather had a faithful wife? I certainly would have been okay with adopting. But we'll never know because you made a choice about what you wanted, not me. So spare me the excuses."

"Okay, honey, you're right. We thought it was a good plan and we were wrong. But think about where we are. I love you, the kids love you, and I know you love them despite everything. Okay, your love for me took a hit but I think it's still there. Let's accept that things are as they are and find a way to make the best of this."

"First of all, I will never walk away from the kids. But you just don't seem to get it. This isn't some minor lack of judgment. You made a major decision without consulting me, fucked my cousin multiple times, and then lied to me every single day since. That doesn't even count that neither of you felt that my being sterile was information I was entitled to. So, yes, let's accept things the way they are, and that is that I'm married to a lying, cheating bitch and my own mother is actually on her side!"

"Okay, okay, I understand why you're so upset. Can we at least put this aside for right now and focus on the health of our son? Yes, OUR son."

"Fine. There'll be plenty of time to deal with Gabe once Nate is taken care of, but I can't promise what will happen if I actually see him. Just tell him to stay away from Nate's room."

After getting dressed, I drove over to Denny's to grab breakfast before heading over to the hospital. I also wanted to get my emotions under control before going in to see him. His recovery wasn't going to be helped by being exposed to all this anger and anxiety.

When I arrived at the hospital Nate was awake. We managed to chat for just a few minutes before his fatigue overtook him and he again drifted off to sleep. I was impressed with how bravely he was facing this. I know I'd had my moments of fear and sorrow as we went through this process, and yesterday's revelation hadn't changed that one bit.

The next few days passed in a bit of a haze. I ended up checking into a hotel for a few days to get away from the constant demands from Denise and my mother to talk. My employer was being very understanding and had authorized me time off under FMLA. I was using sick and vacation leave to keep some income flowing and fortunately I had several weeks built up.

One of the things I did that took advantage of my time off was to consult a lawyer. As it turns, even though I wasn't the biological father, the fact that everyone had been acting under that assumption and I had been led to believe it was true meant I had the same rights (and responsibilities) as any father in a divorce. One of my concerns had been that I'd have no claim to visitation if Denise and I divorced. That fear had now been addressed. I wasn't planning to pursue a divorce just yet, for fear of how that might affect Nate, but I had another course of legal action to pursue.