"Can we talk?" Gabby asked as Elliot answered the door of his coach. He didn’t say a word as he stepped aside to allow her in. He hadn’t seen her in 3 days and was beginning to think the worse. "I know you don’t understand this but I have to be able to deal with him. I work here and so does he, we are going to see each other I can’t just avoid him. And for my own sanity this has to end."
"So you can take care of him, see him, but you can’t." He stopped short suddenly looking away from her.
"Can’t what? Sleep with you."
"I didn’t mean that, that’s not what it’s about."
"Yes you did and it’s ok." He looked at her confused. "I wish I could explain it but I can’t and I don’t expect you to understand. I just…" She sat on the couch her head dropping to her chest. "I’m tired Elliot." He watched as he realized something in her had changed. "I want to be able to live my life, a life that I’m hoping you will be in for a long time but you have to stop this. I need your help to let go and move on but if you aren’t willing to let go with me then this won’t work."
She looked up at him as he sat next to her. He took a deep breath and thought about her words for several minutes. "I know you’re right. I don’t understand how you can just forget what happened. I don’t understand what you went through, what you feel, how your life has been up till now, and I probably never will but I told you I’d wait and I will."
"Yeah, but for how long?"
He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his arms. "Forever."
A few days later Kurt walked back into the care center. "Gabriella?"
She looked up. "You sick again?"
"No, I feel better. Thank you for all you did." He paused. "I um…well."
"What Kurt?"
"Robby." Gabby’s eyes grew wide. "Is he mine?"
She thought of lieing but knew that would only complicate things later down the road. She swallowed. "Yes." She whispered.
Kurt sat and they stared at each other for several minutes. "Does he know?"
"No, he hasn’t gotten to a point where he really asks about a father."
Several more minutes of silence passed between them. "I know I don’t deserve him, looks like you’ve done real good with him." He stood. "I won’t push it. If you ever decide to tell him, I would like to get to know him but…well." He walked to the door but stopped. "I know nothing I could ever do will make up for what I’ve done, I was young and stupid and I know that there is no excuse that can make up for what I did. I wish I could just tell you why but I don’t know why I did it, it seems like so long ago." He turned looking her in the eye. "If I could take it all back I would. I am truly sorry Gabby." With that he was out the door and Gabby was left with her mind reeling.
"You’re what?" Dale asked startled.
"I know he doesn’t deserve him but Robby deserves to know about his past about his family."
"I don’t agree."
"If I agreed with you we wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t know you, Robby wouldn‘t know his uncle June, cousin Karsyn, aunt Kelly, his grandma, he wouldn‘t be learning what an amazing man his grandfather was." Dale looked away out at the track. "It’s not like I’m going to open the door to our lives and invite him in, I just think that maybe he should slowly become a part of Robby’s life, and I’m not going to do this tomorrow, it’s going to take time. Hearing Kurt finally admit what he did, that it was wrong, I don‘t know but it helped."
"What about Elliot?"
"I don’t know, I care about him."
"Care about?"
Gabby looked at him. "Yes."
"Gabby, come on." Dale gave her that look.
"Ok, so maybe it’s a little more than that but…"
"You guys haven’t slept together have you?"
"No, I can’t. I freak out every time he touches me."
"Look, I can’t say I know where you’re coming from but I do know you can trust Elliot to do exactly what he tells you he will and exactly what you want him to do. You’re strong, you prove that a little more every day." Dale looked back out at the track. "He loves you, you know."
"What?"
"Oh don’t act so surprised. He does. Gabby, let him make you and Robby happy, you won’t regret it."
Gabby took a deep breath taking Dale’s words to heart. She wanted to so badly, she only hoped it was that easy.