Chapter Text
Jessica Whitly looked over the list of possible new tenants for one of her low-end properties. Most of them seemed average to down-right unbearable but she had to pick someone to fill the empty space. She’d just about given up on finding a decent tenant when a certain name caught her eye. A name she’d hoped wouldn’t cross her path again. No…. It couldn’t be….
~20 years ago~
She stared at the pregnancy test in her hand. It had just been a hunch but the tenth positive in a row didn’t lie. Just over a month ago, Martin Whitly had been arrested as The Surgeon and her life had been a non-stop aggressive press interview since. Her son hadn’t spoken a word since and even getting out of bed was a chore, especially with little Ainsley always asking when Daddy was coming home.
And now she had this to contend with.
She couldn’t get rid of it; her reputation was crumbling as it was. But could she really bring a child into this mess? Even if the press died down in time for the birth, the child would still carry the Whitly name and face the scorn it brought. Worst of all, they would never fully understand why since everything happened before they even came in contact with this cruel world.
It plagued her mind for weeks as her life ran on autopilot. She tried her best to act like nothing else was going on, a skill she’d honed for most of her life, but even Gil noticed the way her hand just barely stopped from reaching for the liquor cabinet and he was such a good listener.
“I can’t willfully force this on an innocent child and Lord knows what Martin would do if he ever found out. But what else am I supposed to do? Just ship them off to the other side of the country once they’re born?”
“Is that such a bad idea?”
“Oh, as if I could. The media would be on it as soon as I started showing and some bastard would somehow track them down….” She buried her face in her hands. Why did life hand her such an impossible situation?
Gil gently pat her knee and she let herself lean against him. “I can help if that’s what you want,” he assured her. “I can help you hide from the media and I know a few good adoption agencies. Jackie’s been looking into them for a while. We’ll take the kids while you’re at doctor’s appointments and anything else we can figure out along the way. It won’t be easy but I’m happy to help.” He smiled gently and held her while she cried quiet tears of relief.
Maybe she could do this….
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It wasn’t easy but she doubted anything would be ever again. The media refused to back down as the trial went on, only getting more aggressive with each new piece of evidence. At some point she had to throw in some extra money to have in-home appointments because it would’ve been impossible for her to leave without someone noticing her bump.
The Arroyos were more than happy to watch the children on the weekends and she was almost grateful that Malcolm wanted to visit his father as it kept him out of the house. Ainsley wasn’t always so easy to distract but she was so young, it was easy to explain anything away. Malcolm might’ve noticed something, smart boy that he was, but if he did he never brought it up.
Her biggest problem, besides the media, was finding a home for her unborn child. There were many prospects for her to choose from at first but at least half of them cleared when they saw the Whitly name. After that, she ran into a few weirdos who either wanted to control her diet or were fans of The Surgeon. She tried not to be too picky but she wanted this child to have as normal of a life as possible. Can you really blame a mother for worrying?
Finally, finally , after months of so much stress she was afraid she’d miscarry, she found an amazing couple. They’d been trying to have a child for years but nothing seemed to work. They lived just on the other side of the state in a lovely suburb. The wife was a doctor who ran her own wellness clinic and the husband worked as an accountant at a reputable technology company. They didn’t seem to care about her name or her circumstances. They agreed to let her keep tabs on the child and to never reveal the birth parents. It seemed all they wanted was a healthy child to raise and love.
A few weeks later, Caitlyn Whitly, soon to be Caitlyn Monroe, was born. A week after that, she was safe in the arms of her parents and headed home for a normal life far away from the Surgeon’s legacy. Jessica was almost sad to see her go but never doubted her choice.
Over the years she was able to keep a distant eye on her daughter. She compiled a small filing cabinet of baby pictures, sports achievements, academic awards, and birthday cards. She provided donations to any medical emergencies and helped fund some scholarships. She couldn’t have been prouder of her long-lost child….
~Present~
The name Caitlyn Monroe stared at her from the application file. It had to be a coincidence, right? There was no way her secret child was trying to get an apartment with her. Life couldn’t be that crazy, right?
Jessica googled the name of the bakery she listed as her employment. It was new, only open for a few months but it gained quite a following due to its social media presence.
The Instagram account was mostly full of cake and cookie arrangement pictures and the Twitter and Facebook pages were no help either. Biting her lip, she clicked on one of the How-To videos boasted on the YouTube channel.
Less than a minute in, there she was, rolling out some fondant for a faerie cake. Caitlyn Monroe. The secret Whitly child. Jessica had stared at her face on lonely nights long enough to recognize it, even if it had been a few years since her high school graduation.
If she was smart, she would’ve turned down the application. She would’ve settled for someone else. She would’ve kept her daughter far away from anything to do with the Whitly family, like she always planned. She would’ve at least called Gil so she could be talked down from anything drastic.
And Jessica Whitly was smart, so very very smart. But this was her daughter, right in front of her just waiting to be met. She knew all of Caitlyn’s stats right down to her favorite anime. But she didn’t know her, never even passed her on the street before. Can you blame a mother for being curious and needing to be sure it all worked out and her child had actually turned out normal?
Congratulations, Caitlyn Monroe….
She was doing it. She was letting her secret child into a Whitly property. She was going to meet her in person when she moved in. She was just going to get a sense of how she turned out. Then they’d never have to speak again outside of business. What could possibly go wrong?