Noah

“So, Noah, what do you want me to do?” I turn my attention to Martha. I didn’t hear a word she said.

“Do what you think is best.”

I walk out of the kitchen, up the stairs and go check on Carly. As soon as she left the hospital, I brought her here, where I’d make sure she would be cared for. I sit in the corner chair and stare at the ceiling, rethinking the last three days.

Still, I cannot believe that Madison caused Carly’s abortion, I don’t think she would be cold as to do something like that. But apparently, that’s what happened, even indirectly, Madison is to blame. The scene I witnessed at the hospital was worthy of a horror movie, and when the nurse said she lost the baby, my world stopped. My child was dead without even having the chance to be born.

Carly is recovering well, I don’t see her crying or whining, but she is very needy. It must be normal, it’s not easy to lose a child, especially for her, who was carrying it. She looks up at me and smiles, I smile back. I don’t love her, and I haven’t been sympathizing towards her for a long time, but we are bound by a loss, it doesn’t hurt to be condescending.

Alyssa knocks on the door and walks in.

“Carly, your doctor...” she snaps her fingers, trying to remember the name.

“Kupfer? Ephraim Kupfer?” Carly asks, strangely.

Alyssa smiles, “That’s the one. He wanted to know if everything was okay.”

“Okay...” Carly replies.

“Noah, Rebecka asked you to call her as soon as possible. Excuse me.”

I walk up to Carly and kiss her head.

“Are you alright?”

She smiles, “Yes, I am. A little tired, but that’s all.”

I nod and leave. Did something happen at the club? I go to the Study and call Rebecka from there.

“Hi, Becka.”

“Hi Noah. How are you feeling?”

“Well, I’m managing.”

“We need to talk to you,” she pauses, “Preferably, right now.”

“It’s that important? Because I’m not really in a condition to decide anything, Becka.”

“It’s that important, my friend,” her tone leaves no doubt that something is going on.

“Okay. Are you at the club?”

“Yes...”

We say goodbye, I grab the car keys and make my way to the Secret Garden. There’s still daylight, it’s been a long time since I’ve been to the club at this hour. I went to court in the morning, but a terrible headache forced me back home early.

I park in front of the big house and go inside. It’s empty, it’s not open yet. Whatever it is, it must really be important. I head toward the Office and there I see Christopher, who was supposed to be in Washington, Benjamin and Rebecka, everyone is very serious.

“What’s wrong? You’re making me worried.”

Benjamin is the first one to speak.

“Noah, one day we made a pact and agreed we would always help each other, nothing would ever come between us...”

Chris complements, “And we would never fuck each other’s sister.”

I make a face, and Ben goes on, “What brought us here today was you. We love you, man. We’re family and families should protect each other, no matter the cost.”

“You’re freaking me out. Is there something going on with Alyssa?”

Rebecka says, “No, with you. We want you to know about some things, but we need you to be willing to look into it. Do you know the name of Carly’s doctor?”

“Yes. Kupfer, I think. Where are you going with that?” I ask, tired.

Chris replies, “We want to get you out of this hole, but we need you to be willing to do so.”

I nod and call a clerk at the Courthouse. I ask him for the clinic address, so I can have a talk with the doctor, whatever that may entail. Rebecka hands me a drink. They are my support system, they would never do anything to hurt me. In them, I trust blindly. The phone rings, taking me out of my thoughts. The clerk says that the only Kupfer in town is a doctor who specializes on assisted reproductive pregnancies and his clinic is not far from here.

“I’ll look into it.”

I get up and go towards the door. The weather is changing and looks like some heavy rain is coming, never a good sign. I get on the road and head for the clinic, an assisted reproduction clinic. What kind of doctor does Carly consult with for her prenatal? There is no logic to picking that place if the conception was the old fashion way. Unless...

I park and go inside to talk to the receptionist, who’s smile is wider than Robbie’s. And Robbie’s smile is wider than most.

“Good afternoon sir. How can I help you?”

“Good afternoon. I came in name of Carly Porter.”

She types something on her computer and turns to me, “What is your relation to her, sir?”

I give my best smile, a wink and I say, “I’m the husband.”

“Oh, yes. Did you come to reschedule the procedure?”

It should be a consultation, right?

“Procedure for...?”

“Insemination.”

I close my eyes and breathe, to try and control the anger inside me. I look back at the receptionist, I smile and run my fingers over her hand.

“I’d like to thank Dr. Kupfer personally for all he’s done for me and my wife. Is that possible?” I bite my lower lip and make a begging face.

“Yes, sure... I’ll announce you. Just a moment.”

As she walks into one of the doors, I type a message to a prosecutor, regarding this clinic, an investigation into what kind of business is happening here seems like a good idea.

“Sir?” I look at the smiling girl, “You can come in now.”

I walk past her and kiss her face, “Thank you, princess.”

My charm at times like these is a big help. I walk into the living room and find a middle-aged man, sitting behind the desk. He recognizes me on the spot, stands up, and extends his hand to greet me.

“Judge, how good to see you here. How’s our mom doing?”

He just issued his death warrant.

“Carly is doing well. She told me that she had an appointment yesterday and that you assured her our son is doing well.”

A glimpse of indecision goes through his eyes. He recovers quickly and goes on to play his part, “Oh yes, he’s doing great, we heard his little heart beat and everything. Her pregnancy has been very smooth so far.”

“Is this your clinic?”

He smiles.

“Yes.”

I could question the fact that we’re in an assisted reproduction clinic, but my time is precious. I want answers, I have to get this story straight.

“I’ll get to the point, Kupfer. I know Carly is not pregnant, she suffered an accident three days ago and a nurse confirmed that there was no baby,” I can see his face turning pale, “I’ll give you one chance to tell me the truth before the cops get here. If you do, I’ll have mercy on you when you get to my Courtroom.”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I reach for my cell phone and show him I’m calling the police.

“We can do it the hard way, Kupfer. Your call.”

That was enough for him to spit out the truth.

“Carly was supposed to have an insemination procedure two days ago, but she didn’t show up. As usual, I’d oversee her pregnancy to term, after all, it would have been an insemination.”

I get up and, before leaving, I ask him, to be absolute certain.

“She was never pregnant, was she?”

“No.”

As soon as I leave the clinic, the first drops of rain start falling, cooling my anger. I quickly call Alyssa.

“Hey Noah.”

“I need a favor. And it has to be quick, sis.”

“Just say the word...”

“I want you to put away Carly’s cell phone and turn off every phone in the house. She cannot have any contact with anyone until I get there.”

“Okay!”

“Aly?”

“Yes...”

“Did you know?”

I didn’t have to tell her what I was talking about.

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you had to figure this out on you own.”

“Okay,” I take a deep breath, “I’ll be home soon. See you later.”

“See you soon, big bro.”

My second stop is the hospital, to talk to that nurse. On my way there, my phone rings and I pick up through the car system. It was Benjamin, wondering if everything was okay, I said yes, and I hung up. I need to think about how I’m going to handle this from now on.

I go into the hospital and ask about the nurse, describing her to the front desk. They point me to the E.R. and I make my way there. I spot her chatting with some other nurses and laughing.

“Good afternoon, ladies. Can you lend me this beautiful nurse for a few minutes?”

They smile and walk away, leaving their friend, pale in front of me.

“I’ll be quick. From the white shade of your face, I believe you already know who I am. So, I’ll go straight to it. That woman that you confirmed the abortion, was she really pregnant? Don’t lie to me, I’ve made generous donations to this hospital and the board would be very upset if I told them what is going on here.”

“She and her friend gave me two hundred dollars to confirm the abortion in front of you.” It was easier than I thought.

“Thank you.”

I turn around and walk away from that place. Before going to my last stop, I drive around, thinking. I’ve always been a good person, I worked tirelessly for justice to be done and applied. I see all my work, developing programs with institutions, as a way to improve the world in which my children will live in. I don’t understand why this is happening to me. I like the quiet, I always hated drama and fights. When did I turn away from my life goals, from my ideals?

I park the car in front of Madison’s house. I barely ring the bell, and the door opens.

“Oh Noah...”

Madison is wearing one of her well-known tight clothes and leather jacket. The bag on her shoulder indicates that she was just leaving.

“Can we talk?”

She nods, takes a step back, and I walk in. We went up the stairs and sat on the couch, facing each other. She is thinner than before, she looks sad and these dark circles in her eyes don’t match her beauty. If she knew how beautiful her freckles were, she’d never cover them again.

“When we met at the hospital, you wanted to tell me something. What was it?”

She bites her lower lip, deciding whether or to tell me. She runs her tongue over the marks of the teeth, causing my body to react. But now it’s not the time.

“I was leaving the dressing room, she and her friend were coming in. Since I didn’t want any trouble, I went back in. The idea was for them to come in, so I could leave without them seeing. But then, I heard them talking and I froze,” she looks at me, as if asking if she could go on, I nod, and she does, “She said she drugged you and exaggerated on the dosage. She tried to masturbate you, she even tried sucking, but there was no reaction at all. So, she figured she would do an insemination procedure afterwards. She also said she lost interest in you after she found out you didn’t put the mansion in her name. I waited for her to leave the dressing room and told her I’d make sure you knew about all that,” I could see the sincerity in her eyes, “Noah, I swear by everything that’s most sacred to me, I would never threaten the life of a human being, especially an unborn child.”

I lean my head back.

“I know, Madison. At the time, I was so confused I couldn’t see anything. I went to her doctor, and he confirmed all of this.”

I get up, time to work things out at home. She comes to me and holds my hand.

“Please, forgive me for being stupid and not standing by your side.”

“I don’t have to forgive you for anything. You have your convictions and you kept true to them,” I run my hand down her face, “Everything could’ve been different. Unfortunately, life is not fair.”

“Noah, we...”

I put my hands around her face and stare at her.

“Tell me you love me, and I’ll leave everything behind,” her face loses its color, she opens her mouth a few times, but nothing comes out. I already knew. “I want more than that, Madison. I want someone who is happy to say that she loves me. Someone who won’t leave me at the first sign of trouble. I need someone strong enough to be my rock and flexible enough to lean on me. A partner who fights not only for me but by my side. I want more, I need more than you can offer me,” I give her a soft kiss on her lips and then, I’m gone.

On the way, I call Harriet.

“Hi Noah. Feeling better?”

“Yes, I am. Thanks for asking. Harriet, is Richmond already back from vacation?”

“Yes.”

“I’m going on a trip tonight, please hand over my case files to him for the next two weeks. I’ll be out of town, and only reachable by email.”

“Are you sure everything is okay, Noah?”

“Yes, it is. I just need some rest.”

“You really do need some rest, I’ve been telling you this.  Be safe, son. Anything you need, just call me. See you soon.”

“See you soon, Harriet.”

My second call is to Benjamin.

“Noah, we’re worried. Where are you?”

“I’m going home to settle this thing with Carly once and for all. Ben, remember that escape plan we talked about?”

“Yes.”

“I’m leaving soon. You and Chris will be the only ones who’ll know my whereabouts. One more thing, take care of Alyssa for me, please.”

“Don’t worry, brother, we will. Noah, is this really necessary?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, take care.”

My last call it to the mansion. Today is the day I’ll push out all the bad things from my house and restore order in my life. I park the car in the garage and go straight to my bedroom without talking to anyone.

I get under the cold water to give me the shock my system is needing right now. I lean my head against the wall and let all my thoughts run free through my head. The memories of a good relationship with Carly replaced with lies, she got to the point of drugging me. And the memories of Madison that will now be no more than just memories...

My feelings for that redhead are devastating, they mess with my structure. She is stubborn, rude, beautiful, and those freckles on her nose make her look like a naughty girl. Her big green eyes bare her soul, her red lips remind me of strawberries. Madison is the personification of sin with that body of hers.

I finish washing myself, dry off, put a towel around my waist and head to the closet.  I take out a suitcase, put a few pieces of clothing and my toiletries in it.  Put on a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt, to match my mood.  I take one last look around, I need to rethink if I really want to keep living in this museum.

I go downstairs and put the suitcase in the car. I go back and ask one of the maids to tell Martha to meet me at the Study. I make my way to the Study and sit in front of the computer. I complete a few bank transactions and send an email before Martha comes in.

“Did you want to see me, Noah?”

“Yes, Martha. I’m going on a trip soon and I’ll be away for the next few days...”

“But the wed...”

I raise my hand, interrupting her.

“I’ve taken care of everything.  I’ll be back in two weeks, tops,” I open the drawer and take out a credit card, “All of the house expenses can be charged in this card. The only way to contact me will be by email, if it’s urgent, ask Alyssa or Benjamin to send it.”

“Is everything okay, son?” She looks at me, worried.

I smile.

“I just need some rest, Martha. Take care of Alyssa for me.”

She comes to me, kisses my head and strokes my hair.

“May God be with you, my boy. May He give you wisdom to understand what you need to, and strength to go after what your heart desires,” she gives me a tight hug and moves away.

Alyssa comes in.

“Is there a problem, Noah?”

“Martha, tell Carly I want her down here right now,” she nods and leaves. I walk up to Aly, hug her and kiss her forehead, “I have to take a short trip, but I should be back in a few days.”

“Okay, What about Madison, Noah?”

“I already talked to her, Alyssa. This whole thing with Carly was all cleared up...”

“I’m not talking about this thing with Carly, I’m talking about this thing with the two of you.”

“There’s nothing more, Alyssa.”

Carly knocks on the door and walks in.

“Did you want to see me, Noah?”

“Alyssa, I’m expecting some people, I want you to host them in the room next to the Study, if you could,” I smile and my sister leaves. I turn to Carly, “Please, sit.”

She sits on the chair facing the desk, and I sit on the edge of the desk.  I take my cell phone out of my pocket, dial a number, and turn my attention to Carly.

“I had a very pleasant afternoon with your doctor, Dr. Ephraim Kupfer.”

She turns pale and stutters, “A-And w-what did you talk about?”

“He told me some interesting things about our child.”

She smiles, “Oh really? I’m glad you’re happy, dear.”

“You know, I talked to the E.R. nurse that treated you on the day you got hit.”

Her face loses all its color.

“I’m a very tolerant man, Carly, the problem is that my patience ran out when I learned about this whole mess. So, let’s get right to the point, did you put something in my drink that night?”

She gets up and pretends to be filled with indignation.

“Are you accusing me of having drugged you? I thought you knew me better than that, Noah.”

“No, I’m not accusing you of anything, yet.”

“I’m pregnant with your child!”

I start to laugh uncontrollably.

“Come on, Miss Porter,” I get closer to her, “I heard, from a confidant of yours, that you lost sexual interest after I didn’t put this house in your name, and that while I slept, you molested me...”

She takes her hands to her ears.

“Enough! I can’t believe that bitch told you, I’m going to kill Samantha. Besides, I want you to stick this mansion up...”

“It wasn’t your friend Samantha. So, this is the real Carly Porter, I’m impressed.”

“You dumb idiot. Who else, on the face of the Planet, has as much money as you and just doesn’t take advantage of it?  It was like a bad joke, me, living in filth while you live in luxury. All I had to do was come up with a story for the good-guy Noah Lancaster to sympathize with.  I took the opportunity when you stepped away to take a call and I put sleeping pills in your beer. You climbed up the stairs very groggy and threw yourself on the bed. I went after you and tried to get you hard, I even tried a blowjob, but nothing got you hard enough, and you kept saying, Madison, Madison.  It was depressing.”

“And you thought it was a good idea to show up on her birthday to break the news.”

She smiles, “That was just good fortune, I had no idea it was her birthday.”

“And after that, you went to Kupfer and got him to agree to keep the insemination a secret.”

She rolls her eyes, “Kupfer always did dirty work for Richard, it was easy to persuade him to help me with the son of the Almighty Judge Lancaster.”

“What about the nurse?”

“Nothing that two hundred bucks wouldn’t solve.”

I stare at the woman in front of me, in her purest dark essence. It was people like this who led me to fight for justice. They have no scruples, they would run over any others for the pure pleasure of possession. I don’t need to ask her why, I know exactly what motivated her, the money. Most people with dubious character are like that because of money.

I head for the door, open it and take a step back. The police chief and three other police Officers walk into the room.

“Miss Carly Porter, you’re under arrest for drugging and abusing an incapacitated person.”

She stares at me in shock.

“NO!”

“You can take her,” I say. Then, I take the phone to my ear, “Feeling better?”

“Thank you, Noah,” Madison’s sweet voice reverberates through my body.

“Take care, Red. See you later.”

I hang up before she could say anything else. Alyssa comes in and hugs me.

“I love you, Noah. I’ll always be here for you.”

I kiss her forehead, “I’m going on my trip now.  Benjamin will take care of everything, okay? If you need anything, you know who to turn to, right?”

“Yes, sure...  Be safe, Noah.”

I head for the garage, get in the car, and drive off to my first vacation in years. I turn on the radio and Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody fills the air. One of the things I love most in the world is driving, being at a hundred miles an hour on an empty road makes me feel the fulfilled.

In less than an hour, I was at my destination, my home at the Coast. My refuge, the place no one knows exist, except for my friends. I park the car in the garage and go straight to the beach. The moon is up and it there’s no sign of rain, I take off my clothes and leave them in the sand. I walk naked into ocean to let the salty water wash my body and soul, so it cleanses my heart and my mind.