7 Love You More Than Anything Else

KIM

I have been trained by the best. Nick is definitely the best of the best and he has trained me not to jump to conclusions too soon. So, as I sit and listen to my mother and all the ridiculousness that she is telling me.

I feel like I want to scream and let her know that she is wrong and I know what is adoption. But then Nick's voice in my head reminds me to stay calm and wait until I get the whole story. So, I take a deep breath and quietly listen to what my mother has to say

"...your father and mother loved you like nothing else in their life, you were their everything. You were born on the 19th of November and you were a beautiful baby. I have never seen two people happier to have you in their lives than they did. But something tragic happened to them the night that they took you home for the first time. They got into a really bad car accident and they died on impact, but you survived"

I can hear every word that she is saying but it is as if I'm listening to somebody else's story. Nothing of what she is telling me makes me feel as if it could be my life. I know my life. I have two parents that love me and a sister. My parents didn't die in a horrific car accident.

I feel myself shaking my head as I know in my heart that this can not be true. But then I listen as she continues.

"...we were driving just behind them. We saw everything happen..."

I can not keep my mouth shut any longer and I say to her.

"What do you mean that you were driving behind them? In an adoption, nobody knows each other so intimately. What are you not telling me?"

I watch as a tear start to fall down her cheek and I know that what she is about to tell me is even more difficult for her, than to tell me about my adoption.

"Honey, the people who died in the car accident that night and your parents, were your father's brother..."

I just stare at her and no words are coming out of my mouth. I do not even want to tell her not to call me honey because I can not believe what she just told me. This changes everything and I never thought that I could have been adopted this way.

While I am staring at her, I feel a tear falling down my cheek. Then I see her hand starts to reach for mine and I just let her touch me. It is as if I've given up trying to fight her any longer. I can only imagine how bad it must have been for them to see everything happen before their eyes.

"...so you see, we didn't even think twice and we took you into our house as our own because you are our own. I haven't told you this earlier on in your life because I didn't want you to feel like you weren't one of us. Because you always were one of us. I love you and will always love you more than life itself"

"I...I...I don't know what to say...I need to go"

All I know is that I need to get away and just take a deep breath. I walk out of the coffee shop and make my way outside. As I get outside I just walk to a quiet place where I can just think for a little while.

All the thoughts that I had about my real mother that didn't want me and how my adopted mother was forced to love me when she adopted me. That was all untrue. I think in this case it might even be the opposite. I think that she would love that baby, even more, when it is the baby of her husband's brother that died before her eyes.

Then it must be that all the love that I felt all my life was real love. It all makes sense to me now. Angie was jealous of me because my adopted mother loved me more because of the loss that she felt for the death of my father's brother. My mother had to make it up somehow to my real parents by loving me more.

Angie never got the love that I got and that is why she was jealous of me. It is sad that I am the product of her jealousy. But it does not excuse her behavior and how she had an affair with John for so many years.

It is amazing that one minute you can hate someone and the next you can love them. I can not help as a smile appears on my face as I now know that my mother really loves me. I might not have known my real mother but she is as good as my real mother.

I hate that I had to break her heart by walking away and making her worry as much as I did but it was a difficult time for me and I didn't know the truth. I think that I should learn to ask the questions first and not just run away.

I make my way back into the coffee shop in the hope that my mother is still sitting there. And of course, she will not disappoint me as she is still sitting there. She has never disappointed me in anything in my life. Why would she start doing it now?

I keep staring at her as I walk towards her while tears are falling down my cheeks. Then it is as if she realizes what I want to do and she stands up, opening her arms wide. It is the best picture that I could have seen right now knowing that my mother still wants to embrace me.

I run into your arms and she hugs me tightly as if she is afraid that I would run away again.

"I am not letting you go out of my arms again, you hear me?"

I can not help but laugh a little bit because I know in my heart that she loves me unconditionally. We just stand therefore for I don't know how long just hugging each other but none of us seems to be bothered by how long we are standing. We know that we just need to feel each other right now and assure our love for each other.

NICK

I know that if I am going to ask the Admiral if Kim can come along he would say no. So, I will be bypassing the system and just let her come with me and deal with the consequences when I get there.

I know that Kim is going through a lot of things right now and I would not be a good husband-to-be if I leave her right now in the midst of a crisis, all alone. I wish I can just stay here and let her sort it out and just be with one another in this room for a few days. But I am afraid that someone else might try to assassinate me again.

I start to gather our things and then make my way back to the coffee shop where I know she would be with her mother. I have to somehow convince her to come with me. I can not deny the Admiral's orders and I hope with my entire heart that Kim will come with me.