Part 18:

It’s All My Fault

Daddy is going to be home soon Kayden and then we can all be a family again.” Clad in one of Kevin’s worn bathrobes Lily cradled Nate in her arms rocking him until his eyes slowly fluttered closed. Once his breathing had steadied into a deep sleep she laid him back down in his crib shutting the door tightly behind her.

Running her hands through her hair she sighed.

Then walking do the master bedroom she opened the door and headed straight for Kristin’s dressing room where Mark Caudiff’s body lay, crumpled and defeated with a pathetic look on his face.

Kneeling down she wrinkled her nose at the metallic stench of the blood, which did not mix well with the sweet scents of Kristin’s powders and lotions on the bathroom counter.

Grabbing one corner of the sheet she pulled it up and over the body, covering Mark’s face as she reached for the other corner securing the two sides in a criss cross motion over his upper torso.

Then moving to he opposite side of the sheet she repeated the motion, rolling him until he hit the mirror and his body was wrapped tight like a mummy.

“Kevin will have to figure out what to do with him from here. I need a shower.” She said aloud standing up and walking into the bathroom. 

* * * 

Nick sat in a lounge chair on Kevin’s balcony watching the sun come up. Flipping over his wrist he squinted down at the heavy metal watch 5:45 a.m.

Pushing himself to a standing position he groaned at the wicked kink in his neck as he slid the glass door open and made his way inside.

“He’s not here huh?” Greeting a stone faced Brian handing him a mug of hot coffee Brian shook his head.

“How’s your eye?” Nick winced at the dark purple shiner on Brian’s face.

“Hurts like a bitch.” He replied, both men turning at the sounds of three hard knocks on the door.

“Maybe that’s him?” Nick walked to the door throwing it back.

“Sorry to disappoint you.” A.J. mumbled as Nick turned with a sigh walking back into the room.

“So does anybody have a clue what the hell is going on?” Grabbing the cup of coffee out of Nick’s hand A.J. sunk into the sofa cushions kicking his feet up on the coffee table.

Shaking his head Brian sat opposite both men in an armchair. “You both know that we’re fucked on so many levels right?”

“What do you mean?” Taking a long swig of coffee A.J. rubbed his tired eyes.

“He’s not coming back Jay. He’s gone for good.”

“He’ll be back, he always comes back.”

Deferring to Nick Brian stood again, and began pacing the room.

“He’s not coming back A.J.” Nick rubbed at an imaginary spot on the knee of his sweatpants. “He called his lawyer last night and had him draw up papers for a divorce.”

“Shit.” A.J. set down his mug of coffee on the tabletop.

“He’s psycho man and he’s out for blood on this. He says he’s taking Nate from Kristin.”

“That bitch.” A.J. roared slamming down his coffee cup, coffee swirling up and over the rim onto the glass table top.

“Kristin?”

“No not Kristin.” A.J. shook his head. “Leslie.”

“Leslie….you mean the nanny?” Brian walked back around the front of the couch waving Howie in as he poked his head through the door.

“She’s a bitch.” Seething A.J. moved over as Howie plopped down beside him running his hands through his tangled curls.

“Kevin has had only had nice things to say about her A.J.?”

“Oh wake up D can’t you see what’s going on? Nick and I know.”

“Know what? I know that Kevin and Kristin have been having some trouble since the tour started, but what does Leslie have to do with all of this?” Shaking his head Brian walked over to Nick slapping him on the leg. “What do you and A.J. know that Howie and I don’t know?”  

* * *

Kevin awoke on the floor, slumped against the door of his hotel room his head a fog.

His dreams had been filled with swirling images of Florida and St.Thomas………Kristin and Lily………Kayden and Nate. Everything from his past merging into his present, the faces of his wives, the rooms of his homes, the cries of his children, he found himself reaching out but he wasn’t sure what or whom he was reaching out for until Leslie appeared out of a black haze.

But how did he know it was her? He had never seen her before?

A light knocking at his door made him jump.

“Who is it?” He mumbled shrugging off his jacket with a wince. He was too old to be sleeping on the floor.

“It’s the front desk Mr. Richardson.” A male voice called out from the other side of the door.

“What do you want?” Kevin shot back.

“Sir I have a fax that came through for you. You didn’t have your fax machine turned on in your room so it came to the front desk.”

A fax.

The divorce papers.

“Hang on I’m coming.” Pushing himself to a standing position Kevin ran his hands through his hair trying to pull himself together as he slowly opened the door. 

 * * *

A quick decision was made that the guy’s would go ahead and do The Today show without Kevin. They would tell Katie Couric that Kevin was feeling under the weather and hope that she would take it for what it was and not pry.

When A.J. returned to his room to change for the show Kristin was still sound asleep under the tangled comforter mumbling something to herself as she flipped over to her left side.

Taking a quick shower A.J. returned to the master bedroom clad in a tight fitting black t-shirt and jeans his shoes in his hand.

Sitting on the bed he pulled on his shoe trying not to shake the mattress.

“A.J.?”

“Sorry.” He whispered. “I was trying to be quiet.”

“I was having a nightmare.” She mumbled a long delicate arm reaching out from beneath the covers to smooth her tangled curls.

“It was like my whole world was crumbling around me and-“

“Kristin, it wasn’t a nightmare.” Cutting her off A.J. dropped his foot to the floor.

“Kevin’s gone?” Her voice was sad.

“Yes he’s gone.”

“It’s all my fault-“ On the last word her voice broke.

“No Kristin,” Turning A.J. patted her trembling form beneath the covers, his voice soft and soothing as he spoke. “It’s definitely not all your fault.”

Pulling Kristin to a sitting position A.J. pushed her hair from her red rimmed eyes capturing her attention with the look of pure intensity on his face.

“You know who is doing this to you don’t you?” Shaking her head Kristin winced at the tight hold A.J. had of her shoulders.

“I don’t know anything anymore.” Tears spilled freely from her eyes.

“Kristin it’s your nanny.” A.J. cupped a hand beneath her chin so that their eyes were level with one another. “ Leslie is setting you up.” 

***

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