‘Who called you?’ I asked.
‘The call came through a 999 alert,’ the police officer said. ‘An Allan Faraday. How do you know him?’
I met Lauren’s gaze. She squeezed my arm.
‘He’s our birth father,’ she said. ‘Our dad.’
39
The Future
The next hour or two passed in a blur. Two ambulances arrived and Lauren, baby Ellie and I travelled in one of them to a nearby hospital. We were all examined and pronounced remarkably healthy considering the ordeal we’d just been through. My hand was badly bruised, but no bones were broken. After my X-ray, I was taken into a separate cubicle where a nurse bandaged me up. Moments later, Annie arrived. She wept as we hugged.
‘I’m fine,’ I said, pulling away and squeezing her arm. ‘Seriously.’
Annie nodded, her hands fluttering to her chest. To my surprise, the gesture no longer annoyed me. I was just glad to see her.
‘But what happened?’ she kept saying.
I explained everything, then we wandered along the ward to Lauren’s cubicle. She was lying on the bed, Ellie nestling against her chest. Jam sat on one side of her bed, Lauren’s adoptive mum and dad stood on the other. As Annie and I walked in, everyone started talking and crying – and then cooing over the baby. I picked her up properly. It was a bit scary at first, holding her in my arms with everyone watching. But after a few minutes, it felt totally natural.
After an hour or so, Allan Faraday turned up. He hung back, until I rushed over and hugged him and drew him into the room. It was weird seeing him shaking hands with Annie and weirder still watching as he and Lauren introduced themselves to each other.
‘Wow, I can’t believe I’m a grandfather,’ Allan kept saying.
I laughed at the look of shock on his face. It was funny. I knew now that Allan was never going to feel like a proper dad – or be the hero I’d wanted him to be. It didn’t matter. I would still rather he was in my life than not in it. For all his failings, he’d been loyal when it counted. And he had, effectively, saved our lives: it was his call to the police, urging them to investigate Declan Baxter’s properties, that led them to the cliff top house. He told us that the police had not only arrested Baxter himself, but were in the process of raiding his London home. ‘They’re going to find details on all the Miriam Project girls,’ Allan said.
I nodded. That was good. It was right that Baxter should be held to account for everything he had done. Not just kidnapping Lauren and the rest of us, but also manipulating the Miriam girls, and killing Natalia’s friend Lana. I felt sorry for Esme, caught up in the whole thing. But there was nothing I could do for her. Sometimes life just doesn’t allow for a totally happy ending.
After a while, I took Allan to one side.
‘We need to talk,’ I said.
‘I know.’ Allan’s face reddened. ‘I’m so sorry I didn’t explain properly about my work,’ he stammered. ‘You must think I’m such an idiot.’
I shook my head. ‘It’s not that,’ I said. ‘I was wondering if we could offer The Examiner an exclusive article on Baxter’s attempt to take Lauren’s baby. Matthew Flint gave me his card and said I should call if I got a good lead. And . . .’ I hesitated, trying to work out exactly how I felt. ‘It’s important someone tells the truth,’ I said.
‘I think that’s a wonderful idea,’ Allan said. ‘But it should be your story, Madison. I’ll help, but it’s your story.’
‘Thank you.’
At that moment Annie came over and I found myself explaining the whole history of how I tracked Allan down. I’d expected she would be angry with me about that, but she wasn’t.
‘I’m just so glad you’re safe,’ she kept saying.
The nurse was warning us that all Lauren’s visitors would have to leave in a few minutes, when Wolf came in with his parents. His father was grim-faced and seemed to exude annoyance, but his mum, who had the same hair and eyes as her son, smiled as they came over.
Wolf’s dad ignored everyone else and held out his hand to me. ‘Madison?’ he said. ‘I want you to know I had no idea Declan Baxter was still using the Appleton Cross property he sold me.’
‘It’s true,’ Wolf said. ‘He didn’t.’
I shook his dad’s hand, feeling awkward. I was aware of Annie and Lauren and everyone else watching us. Wolf was waiting and watching too, standing beside his parents. I glanced from him to his father. I believed Wolf’s dad hadn’t known about Baxter’s illegal operation . . . but had he apologised to Wolf for ridiculing his suspicions earlier? Somehow I suspected not.
I caught Wolf’s eye. He smiled – a soft, crooked smile.
My stomach cartwheeled. Oh, jeez. I suddenly realised just how awful it would be if I couldn’t see him again . . . how much I wanted to . . .
‘Are you all right?’ Wolf’s mum asked timidly. She seemed as shy as his dad was ferocious.
‘Yes, I’m fine.’ We smiled at each other and I knew that I was going to like her very much.
‘No thanks to my son, I suppose,’ his dad said. There was a sneering tone to his voice, which I recognised from when I’d met him before.
Annoyance flickered through me. ‘Actually, your son saved my life,’ I said. ‘He swam out to get me when I was drowning. And he came into the house to set us free earlier. He could have just run off, saved himself. He was brave and you should be congratulating him, not acting like he’s some stupid loser. I wouldn’t be here without him. None of us would.’
I stopped, realising that I was now standing with my hands on my hips and that everyone in the room was staring at me. I shrank back slightly. Goodness, how had I dared to speak like that to Wolf’s father? He peered down at me, his gaze at once puzzled and severe. I was guessing people didn’t often stand up to him. I wished the ground would swallow me up.
Wolf’s dad turned to his son. Wolf stared defiantly back at him.
‘My son a hero?’ I could still hear the sneer in Wolf’s dad’s voice, but this time it was edged with uncertainty. ‘What d’you say to that, Wolf?’
Wolf cleared his throat and, when he spoke, it was without stammering. ‘I guess it is true, all except the last bit. Madison didn’t need me to save her. She’s the bravest, strongest person I’ve ever met.’
I stared at him. How on earth could he think that?
‘Madison helped Natalia, the girl whose baby Baxter was going to take,’ Wolf went on. ‘Even though she was in danger a lot of the time.’
‘I just wanted to make sure she was OK,’ I said. Surely Wolf could see I’d only done what anyone would do. ‘I don’t think that was brave.’
‘Yes, it was,’ Jam said. ‘And you went after Lauren all by yourself when no-one else believed she’d been kidnapped, even though I told you not to.’
‘And you helped me give birth.’ Lauren squeezed my hand. ‘Which is a different kind of brave.’
‘And you jumped off a cliff to give me time to get away with the baby,’ Wolf added. ‘So you see, Mo, we all think you’re brave. Crazy, for sure . . .’ he grinned, ‘. . . but definitely brave.’
I bit my lip. I was so used to seeing myself as Lauren’s little sister and Annie’s overprotected daughter, it was hard to accept what they were saying.
Jam smiled. He caught Lauren’s eye. She nodded.
‘Hey, Mo,’ she said. ‘There’s one more thing you can do for us.’
‘What’s that?’ I said.
‘Be my bridesmaid when Jam and I get married.’
My eyes widened. I squealed. Annie and Lydia gasped.
‘You’re getting married?’ I said.
‘Jam just asked me,’ Lauren said, beaming. She peered down at Ellie who was wrapped tightly in a blanket. ‘And I said yes.’
‘Wow,’ I said. ‘That’s brilliant.’
‘So will you do it, Mo?’ Lauren asked.
I grinned. ‘Try and stop me,’ I said. ‘Just don’t make me wear a hideous dress.’
I glance
d at Wolf and he smiled at me and I suddenly knew we were going to be together – at Lauren’s wedding and beyond.
As the others all crowded round, wishing Jam and Lauren all the best for their marriage, it struck me that maybe what they said was true. In the past few days I had faced down my fears and taken risks.
Maybe I was braver than I thought I was.
Maybe I was ready at last to come out from behind Lauren’s shadow, rise above my fears and take a risk on getting close to someone.
Maybe I was ready to be me.
Missing Me Page 22