Heart of the Matter---Last Chapter

Heart of the Matter

Last Chapter


Sloan was on the floor, Nate's head in her lap. “I don't know know how to bear this, darling. I just don't know how to be strong right now. . .”

Zach watched her patting her husband's chest softly. He saw the tears on her cheeks and he knew that it was over. Nate was dead.

He went to her and crouched beside her on the floor without touching her. The pain in her eyes was too sharp. Sometimes, a human touch could be too much to bear. “Sloan. He can't hear you.”

She stared at him blankly. He reached out one hand and closed Nate's yes. “Sloan, I don't know what to say to you. So I'll just shut up. But you aren't alone. We're family now. “

She blinked and became aware that he was speaking to her. “He told me he was okay, that the pain wasn't anything he hadn't felt before. He told me that he wanted to sit still and rest a moment alone. He died alone. Zach, he died alone.”

Zach heard a sharp sound from the doorway. He looked up. Kendall was leaning against the door, one hand covering her mouth. She was staring at Sloan whose head was now bent close to Nate's, her cheek against his still face.

“Oh, no,” Kendall whispered at last. “There must be something. . .should I call 911?'

“It's too late. He's dead,” Zach said softly. “We'll have to call them but give her a minute.” He rose to his feet and took Kendall's arm, guiding her out into the corridor and away from Sloan's grief.

“Come with me back to the reception. We should get the guests out of here before the ambulance comes. The medics will have to do their thing and sign a death certificate before Sloan will be able to make any arrangements. . .What should we do about the kids? The plane's already in the air. . .”

Kendall closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I don't think Nate would want to interrupt their honeymoon. But if we don't let them know, will Rob ever forgive us? And Hart. . .she has strong feelings for Nate, too. She told me he treated her as though she were his daughter. . .But to hit them with this? Now?”

“Don't call them,” Sloan said hoarsely. She walked towards them, one hand out to the wall for support. “Let's not bring them down from that honeymoon high for a day or two. They will have to come home for Nate's cremation-- Rob would hate not being there for us, not having a chance to say a final goodbye to his father,” she held out her hands to both of them, ”but I can delay the funeral for three or four days. It may take that long to arrange for transportation back to Nevada.

“ That's what Nate would have advised. I've never seen him happier than he was the last couple of weeks, with Rob working from the casino and Hart consulting him every two seconds about the wedding. At first, I thought I was alone in there.” Sloan nodded towards the study where her husband had died. ”But I wasn't alone. Suddenly, I felt the greatest sense of peace.”

Kendall went to find her mother. Erica was dancing with Senator Carstairs, but Kendall managed to get her attention, and her mother whispered something to her partner and they came through the crowd of guests.

“Mother, something's happened. Something awful. We have to send these people away, now.”

“What? But that's so rude. . .”

Kendall took Erica's arm and tugged her away from the Senator, giving him an apologetic smile. “Mother, Nate just died.”

Erica's smile faded. “Oh, God, I wasn't expecting that--Larry Carstairs, he'll help. He's good at gettting people to do things. . .” She walked back to the Senator and Kendall heard Erica asking him for a big favor. . .

Kendall looked around for Zach and he was moving from cluster to cluster of guests, speaking softly to them. As he left one group for another, the people begin to drift towards the exit of the ballroom.

JR came to her and took her arm. “Larry just told me. What can I do to help?” he asked.

Kendall leaned into him. “Nothing. Just. . .I don't know. It's so sad. To go from the dream-come-true look on my daughter's face when she was speaking her vows and the way Rob spoke those vows to her, so full of joy and pride. . .to the look of loss on Sloan's face when she was holding Nate a moment ago. . .two such opposite feelings, it's hard for me to comprehend in a way, but then I wouldn't go back and not experience that again. My wings are starting to fight to be free, and know what, I'm gonna fly now.

“ You want to know what you can do to help me, JR? Help my husband get all these people gone before the sirens start.”

JR's mouth parted. Kendall put her index finger under his chin and lifted, pressing his lips together. He reared his head back and took a step backwards simultaneously. “You're not married to Zach anymore, remember?” he mumbled.

Kendall grinned. “Want to wager on how long it's going to take me to get him back?”

JR smacked his forehead with his palm. “No. I'm not taking that one! You are crazy, know that?”

“I have been. I have been insane for far too long. I won't say I've wasted my time. I have a just married daughter who's just become a millionaire through her own hard work. And I have a few companies that I built from ground zero. Won't be giving up on those because it's just way too much fun being boss.”

“Come, on, Kendall. Get real. Zach's Vegas. You're Pine Valley. It'll never work. Besides, what about me?” He looked righteously grieved at the thought of not having her to run to every time Babe took off.

“JR, if you're smart--and you used to be really smart--maybe you'll go to Greece and join that wife of yours on her little island--you know the one she won from you last time you played Texas fold 'em.”

Kendall saw Zach watching her from across the room. He wasn't smiling. Her heart felt a little twinge of relief. Great. He was still jealous of JR--not that he needed to be. She wondered how he would feel after they were married, and he realized she never intended to let him have another moment's peace as long as he lived. Her life was about to get so much better. Was that fair? She shook her hair back over her shoulders. If someone had told her in that instant how much like Erica Kane she was, she would have laughed. No one did.

She had no trouble keeping an eye on her goal in the now deserted ballroom. Briefly, she wondered if she should check on Sloan and begin to prepare for the official goings on to come? No, she wanted to make sure Zach knew just how little chance he had of leaving Pine Valley without her.

Zach saw her coming, all fluid grace in the long peach Mother of the Bride dress, the light catching the silver highlights in her hair. She didn't look that much older than the bride had as he'd walked her down the aisle. He saw the smile on her lips and remembered how it had felt as he'd kissed her awake before dawn to make love to her again.

He wasn't sure how he had managed to stay on his feet for most of the seven hours since that last loving. She had kept him up most of the night. Was she going to try and convince him that they got along much better when they lived in separate states? He decided that he was going to put that discussion off as long as possible.

Kendall stopped halfway to her destination as said destination turned and walked away from her. A.W.A.Y. from her. She followed him as he walked back towards the study where Nate lay.

Sloan was beside Nate again, kneeling. Just looking.

Zach caught Kendall's shoulder as she started through the doorway to offer comfort to their daughter's mother-in-law. “No,” he whispered. “It's not time for words.”

He released her shoulder. “I'm going to call 911 now. Wait here. If Sloan needs you, you'll be here for her. Right?”

“Yes. I do know how to behave in times like these. I remember how mother was devastated when Chris died. When Jack died. Kane women grieve, too. We're only human.”

“I know, sweetheart.”

Then he left her there. The words she needed to say to him still unsaid.
**************************

Two months after Nate's funeral, Kendall was still in Pine Valley, taking care of her business and getting everything in order for transfering the company headquarters from Pennsylvania to Nevada. The corporate laws in Nevada actually made the transfer much easier than she had expected. An additional bonus was the sinful amount of money she would begin to save on her own personal tax liability.

Kendall rolled her jeans and tee shirt tightly before cramming them into the small canvas bag Hart had bought for her after Kendall had explained what she planned to do.

“Has my father asked you to marry him?” Hart picked at Kendall's open wound, without consideration for her more sensitive feelings. “You know, usually it's the guy who pops the question.” Hart gave Kendall a sly peep from under her naturally long eyelashes. Dark lashes as long as Zach's. Kendall swore under her breath at the unfairness of men having uselessly long eyelashes. Well, except they could pass them along to their daughters, she thought, idly.

“He's proposed to me at least five or six times in my life. I'm liberated . . .”

Hart's mouth fell open. “You? Liberated? That's a joke. Right? All right. So you like sex. But liberated? Give me a break. You're so wound up, a yoyo is a slinky toy compared to you.”

“I've practiced on you for two weeks. I can do this.” Kendall took a lace bra from her drawer and poked it into the bag, grumbling, “Don't know why I bother with those. . .”

“What if Dad doesn't want to haul your ass over a thousand miles?”

“I'll have you know your father is very fond of my--” Kendall howled when she saw Hart wrinkle her nose in disgust. “Too much info, huh?”

*******************************

Zach stood outside Kendall's house and stared up at the window of the bedroom they had once shared. He was calm. And centered. Who was he kidding? He was scared. To. Death.

Behind him, his new Harley gleamed in all its chrome glory in the early morning light. He couldn't remember if Kendall had ever confessed to riding on a motor in her life. Surely she had. Ah, she was in great shape. She could handle it . Optimistically, he had ordered two helmets and both were strapped to the machine.

He was going to give her one last chance to come back into his life. One. Last. Chance. Was he a masochist? Or what? He grinned. Was still smiling as he walked up the steps onto the veranda. He rang the doorbell. A maid in a light green uniform opened the door.

“Yes, Ms. Hart is expecting you. This way. “

He followed a few steps behind, down the hallway to the breakfast room. She opened the door for him and he murmured, “Thanks,” before stepping into the pale yellow room.

Kendall didn't bother to get up as he pulled a chair back from the little dining table. She barely looked at him as he sat down. She took a long swallow of orange juice and then wiped her mouth wth the linen napkin. “Hello and good morning to you, too,” he said.

“I don't feel very well,” she mumbled.

“What's wrong?” He was concerned.

“Nerves.”

“Why?”

“I was feeling so very confidant I could say what I wanted to say to you but now you're here and I don't know if I can because it's so very important and I'll just die if you don't feel the same way and what will I do if you don't--”

Zach came around the table and pulled her up from the chair. He silenced her by putting his mouth gently on top of hers, but Kendall didn't want that. She wanted passion and she opened her mouth and he opened his and then they were together as he pushed her onto the tabletop scattering dishes everywhere. It was a wonder no one was scalded by the coffee that spilled from her cup, but then they were on top of the table and joined as closely as it had ever been possible to join with another human being. Afterwards, she struggled for oxygen and he wasn't much better off but at least he wasn't on the bottom under two hundred pounds of muscle.

“Kendall, don't ever be scared or nervous--”

“Will you marry me?”

“Say that again.”

“Will. You. Marry. Me?”

“Okay,” he rolled off her and smiled.

“Good. Okay? You said yes?”

He smiled at her, and it was special because he let her see his joy. She smiled back at him.

“Well. Well then. Wait here while I go--freshen up? Be right back.” She waved at him from the door. He slid off the table, re-arranging his clothes. He wondered how on earth they'd managed, especially how they'd managed not to get caught out by the maid. He poured himself a cup of coffee and snagged a cinnamon roll from Kendall's plate. He ate the sweet roll in two bites as he went back towards the formal living room just as Kendall walked back down the stairs, dressed in white jeans and a red pullover under a black denim jacket. She sported black hightop boots and carried a small duffle bag.

She tossed the bag at him and he caught it with one hand, balancing the coffee in the other. He took a deep swallow and sat the cup down. “Going somewhere?” he teased her.

“Home.” she said.

And so it was.