WORTH IT! THE DRIVE
Chapter 1: DAY 1
Devyn and Nick met while she was at College in Hawaii, Devyn's roommate put her on an online chat against her will. She started talking to Nick, and that changed everything. He lived in SoCal, and was 11 years older than her, no kids, never married. She wasn't expecting anything out of this whole situation.
Devin and Nick have been talking online for awhile, they decide to trade numbers. Nick calls Devyn at her Dorm, when Devyn hears Nick's voice, something tells her this is the voice you've been waiting for, you can trust him, you will be safe.
Devyn loves the sound of Nick's voice, they talk for hours, and are absolutely hooked on each other. But the distance is going to be difficult. They share intimate conversations, explore each other's minds, and share their deepest secrets.
Devyn decides Nick needs to know something "Nick, there is something you need to know about me, I'm a virgin, and probably don't have the experience to keep up with you." He can't believe it, but he absolutely believes her.
Nick tells Devyn "Well, I admire that. I have had sex, with more than a few women, but mostly just for pleasure. Nothing serious, I did however, meet a girl a few months ago, we ended up sleeping together, and now she has told me she is pregnant, and that it's mine."
Devyn's heart stops, but realizes there's no reason to be upset and doesn't hold this against him. "Oh wow, that's a lot. What's your plan for the baby?"
Nick responds, "I want a paternity test first, as she lives in another state. If it's mine I will do whatever I can to help raise the baby, if she lets me."
Devyn hears pride in his voice, but at the same time hears heartbreak because it isn't how he envisioned having a family.
Devyn has been in college for two years, and has decided it is no longer something she wants to pursue. Devyn has been seeing someone, and he's asked her to move out of state with him. She's really thinking about moving, but wants to check in with Nick, just to see if anything is still possible with him.
She reaches out to Nick, they have not talked for a while. There were no real rules of engagement, meaning they were free to see other people since there were so many miles between them. The man she's been seeing is a good guy, treats her well and they have a good relationship, she feels strongly for him.
When she talks to Nick, she explains what's going on, "As you know, I've been seeing someone here, I really like him, and he's asked me to go back with him to his home state. I'm seriously thinking about going, you know a change of scenery, but I wanted to ask you about what our future might be. Do you and this girl have plans?"
He tries to sound positive, "I had a long talk with her, she knows it's my baby. I'm trying to get her out here, she wants me to go there, but I can't leave my job. I'm probably going to regret this but I can't leave this baby. If something changes, you will be the first to know. She knows we still talk, and that is why I haven't been reaching out to you. I'm sorry for being so distant, I miss talking to you and I really do have feelings for you, but I've gotta get this baby thing figured out first."
She tries to understand, and gives him support to do what he feels he must do. Devyn is leaving at a later date she will be flying alone, her flight has a layover in LA, she's trying to get Nick to stop at the airport so they could meet before she goes out to the Midwest.
When it comes time to leave, Nick hesitantly agrees to meet Devyn at the airport. She can't wait, it will be a long 5 hour flight. She arrives at LAX, Nick isn't at the gate. She walks around, hoping to spot him somewhere. She finds a payphone, and calls his house, his Mom answers, "Nick isn't home, can I take a message?"
Devyn wants to cry, "Tell him Devyn called, Thank You." She is heartbroken, she was really hoping he would surprise her, but he didn't. She realizes he must be pretty loyal. So she's going to be catching her next flight. Had he shown up, Devyn had decided she wasn't getting back on the connecting flight.
Devyn arrives at her new destination, Chris is there to pick her up. Several months go by, things are good, Chris asks Devyn to marry him, she agrees. Once they are married, Chris becomes another person, and his true colors begin to show.
After work one day, Chris sits Devyn down and wants to tell her what he wants. He sets down the rules, she is not to talk to other men, whether they are friends or former classmates, he makes it clear, no one but him. If she leaves the house she needs to be back as soon as she is done, and he wants to know where, when, who and how long she will be gone. Miss the given time and he will be waiting outside for her. He tells her she doesn't have to find a job right away, which he determines will keep her away from everyone, so she spends a lot of time at the house alone.
While Chris is at work, Devyn gets on the computer, and emails Nick. She tries to call him as well. She doesn't realize the trouble this is going to cause. Chris gets home, and of course checks the computer, then the phone. Devyn is in trouble, Chris takes her to the bedroom, and starts yelling, Devyn is scared, then he tells her he wants to have sex, there's no way she can say no, who knows what he would do. She lays down and lets him do what he does.
This is a repetitive situation, regardless if Devyn does anything wrong, she has no say in what happens in the bedroom. When Chris comes home from work, sex is the first thing he wants, even when he has a visitor. There's no shame, he just takes Devyn into the bedroom, gets what he wants and walks out. Leaving Devyn alone, and embarrassed as she walks out of the bedroom. He doesn't even attempt to make it enjoyable, it's all about him. She is definitely not in love with Chris, and his actions prove he doesn't really love her. He played her pretty badly, and she believed his bullshit.
When Devyn goes to bed, she cries herself to sleep, thinking how ridiculous she is, and can't believe this is what she has gotten herself into. She's gotta get out of here. If she buys a phone card, and goes to the library to use the computer, that would stop him from knowing what she is up to. And as far a sex goes, she's done, it's a solid NO from now on. She doesn't care what he says or does after, she's got to stop him from taking advantage of her.
She manages to get in touch with Nick, he's been getting the runaround from his baby's momma, Dawn. Turns out she's actually married, with children and the whole thing was a setup. Her husband sent her out to find someone to get her pregnant, and try and collect child support payments, and help pay for the trips to the Doctor's. As well any needs that she may have while dealing with the pregnancy. Nick had been taken, and he was heartbroken. Sounds like things are just as bad for him.
Devyn and Nick remain in contact through phone calls and emails, until she forgets to clear the caller ID and gets questioned about the number listed. She says a school friend called and they talked for a while, but he didn't buy it.
On his next day off, Chris has the home phone number changed. He's also put a child monitoring system on his computer, but doesn't tell Devyn. She is on the computer at home, and opened an email from Nick. Again, another mistake, but she didn't know that everything that she did was being locked into a hidden file on Chris's computer. He comes home and goes to the computer, he said he had bills to pay. After a few minutes, he yells for her to come into the computer room. Devyn walks in, seeing her inbox open on the screen, "Oh shit." she mumbles. Chris gets right behind her, pointing at the screen, "What the hell is this?" Devyn is literally shaking, she knows that this could be the biggest mistake she has made since she's been here. She obviously can't hide what it is, so she just says its emails between her and a friend from college. Thankfully there was nothing there that was sexual, just normal conversations in the emails.
A few months go by, Devyn doesn't use anything at home, and because the number has changed and things have become more monitored, she becomes more isolated and far more careful not to make Chris upset. She has lost touch with Nick, and she is desperate to find a way out of this relationship she has found herself in.
Nick continues to be lied to by Dawn, but he's caught on to her game, and really doesn't acknowledge that she's pregnant. He hires a lawyer to be there when the baby is born to do the paternity test. His lawyer has the paperwork needed, and the test is done. It comes back, Nick is the father. His lawyer calls Nick, and asks him what he wants to do. Nick will forgo all rights, and has one simple request: let his daughter know who her real father is when she is old enough, and let her decide what she wants to do with that information. This allows Nick to move on, and is no longer required to support the child, or Dawn. Nick sets up a savings account for the baby, but doesn't mention it to anyone but his lawyer.
Five years creep by, Devyn has lost all contact with Nick, she has no idea where he is or what he's doing. She thinks often of the possibility of finding him again. Today is Nick's birthday, and he is weighing heavily on her mind. She is completely aware of her situation, this is not the loving relationship that she wants, it's not even a relationship. She decides enough is enough and has to figure out a plan. Her memories of Nick make her miss him terribly. She simply lives day to day.
Now in Seattle, Washington, Nick is a successful member of the Seattle Police Department, working as the Lead Operator in their Towing Department Rescue Team. He hasn't found anyone like Devyn. He's remained single, he's not sure how the two of them lost touch. He has to find her. It's been 5 years, he finds his old electronic address book, he opens it up to where Devyn's number would be, there it is. He writes it down, and immediately the screen goes blank, never turning back on again. He knows it is an old number, his mind races, thinking what if he has lost her,
He gives himself a few day's to get the guts to call the number. Nick picks up the phone, not sure if it will be helpful, or a dead end.
An unfamiliar voice answers. Nick carefully asks "Hi, I'm sorry to bother you. I'm looking to talk to Devyn?"
Devyn's brother answers "Yeah, she's my sister, but she doesn't live here anymore, who is this?"
