Chapter 5
I
The bright rays of the early morning sun filtered in through the window and fell on Alicia’s face. She felt the warmth and slowly woke up. The day was bright outside and the birds were chirping on the nearby trees. She opened her eyes wide and sat up in bed. The events of the last day seemed like a distant dream. Alicia remembered her first task for the day: she was supposed to call home in Phoenix after five long years. The very though gave her goosebumps. She decided to freshen up and have her breakfast before taking care of her business. Just as Alicia was changing into her maternity gown, she felt something. Her stomach seemed to cramp – the contractions had begun, and it was the signal that her baby would soon want to enter this world!
Alicia called out to Erin and told her what had happened. She told the expectant mother to take it easy and led her to the dining table. Alicia sat down for her breakfast of porridge and all the while, the thought of her upcoming child kept running around in her mind. She finished her breakfast and decided to clean up. There was a tray lying on the table. She placed her empty bowl and glass of water in it and started walking towards the kitchen. Just then, a second contraction gripped her. This time it was so fiercely painful that Alicia screamed out. The tray slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor, smashing the bowl and glass into pieces. Erin and a few of the other women came rushing out. Alicia was barely able to stand and needed the support of the wall. She was in a lot of pain.
Erin realized that the time had come. With the help of some of the other women, she bundled the young girl into the backseat of her rickety old Fiat. The maternity hospital was less than a couple of kilometers away and she took just under fifteen minutes to reach, driving slowly to prevent any unnecessary suffering to Alicia. The girl was terrified and the pain drove her crazy. She could not even begin to imagine what would happen next and was terrified. She wished her parents were there with her and the thought brought tears to her eyes. Alicia felt a few more contractions along the way and every time she cried out in searing pain.
As soon as they reached the maternity hospital, Erin helped her out and into a wheelchair. She wheeled Alicia into the ward and looked around, not sure where to go next. In the meanwhile, the young girl screamed out yet again and this caught the attention of the staff. An obstetric nurse appeared and wheeled Alicia away for an examination. Erin was asked to stay back in the reception area and take care of the official formalities.
“Don’t worry ma’am, your daughter is in safe hands,” the nurse said as she disappeared down a long corridor. Erin stood motionless for a while and then crossed herself. “May the Lord be with you my child,” she mumbled and then proceeded to fill up the details at the reception.
***
Erin located a phone booth outside the maternity hospital and was glad to find a telephone directory inside. She looked up Lucien Valier and found the contact number. With shaky fingers, she dialed the number on her cell phone and waited nervously as the phone rang. When a man answered, she asked to speak to either mister or misses Valier. The man politely informed her that both of them were away and would be back in another three days. He wanted to know if the good lady would like him to take down a message. Erin thanked him and said that she would call back later. She felt disappointed; she wanted Alicia to be reunited with her parents as soon as possible. Sadly, she was not aware that Lucien and Ariadne were busy in Paris. Business was flourishing and as a result, Ariadne had been prompted to expand the setup of her beauty salon and spa in Paris as well. It was the day of inauguration for her second store in the beautiful French capital.
II
Alicia’s screams were enough to tell the nurse that she was in labor. Nevertheless, she had to conduct an examination which revealed that the medics had very little time to waste. The baby wanted to come out and any delay would put the life of both mother and child at risk. They immediately made arrangements and wheeled Alicia into the delivery room. The maternity hospital did not have an in-house surgeon so they had to get her to deliver the natural way. Over the next three hours, Alicia huffed and puffed as her little offspring slowly emerged from her womb. This was not the happy occasion she had imagined childbirth to be. She was all alone in the delivery room without her parents or her husband by her side. She had to bear the pain and suffering all on her own. Alicia wept in pain, the pain that was brought by her emerging child and the pain resulting out of the absence of her near and dear ones. The nurses stood around her without anything by way of an expression on their faces. They were trained to assist the mother in her childbirth, not share her emotions during the whole process. They concentrated on their duties and did just enough to ensure that Alicia did not black out in pain. Finally someone shouted, “I can see the head!” and the nurses urged her for one final push after which she could feel a weight getting released from her inside. The baby had been delivered. Alicia was too tired to feel anything. One of the nurses gave her an injection and she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
When she finally woke up, Alicia found herself in bed inside a small room with various monitors and gadgets beeping and blinking beside her. She tried to sit up but felt too weak. Soon the obstetrics nurse who had first treated her when she arrived at the maternity hospital entered through the door. She was glad to see that Alicia was awake and smiled at her. Alicia could only smile back feebly at her.
“How are you feeling?” the nurse asked.
“Okay…,” Alicia replied. Then she remembered the purpose of her visit. “Where’s my baby? Is she alright?” she asked, starting to get worried.
The nurse calmed her down. “It’s okay! Your baby is doing fine. Just relax!” she said, and comforted the young mother. “You will be proud to know that you are now the mother of a baby girl. She is healthy and the prettiest thing I have ever seen. We will be bringing her in shortly!” the nurse informed Alicia.
Soon, another nurse walked in with a towel-wrapped bundle in her arms and handed it over to Alicia. She looked down and was greeted by a face that was as beautiful as that of an angel. Alicia kissed her on the forehead and held her close to her chest. She realized that now it would be impossible for her to give up the baby for adoption. She had fallen in love with the little girl who was a part of her own self. How could she allow a piece of her own flesh and blood to end up in someone else’s home when she was alive? Someone had informed a social worker that there was a baby waiting to be given up for adoption and he had promptly come over to hold a discussion with Alicia. However, he had to leave empty-handed and disappointed; a nurse informed him that the mother had changed her mind. The baby would be staying with her as long as she lived!
III
Ariadne had set things in order at her new spa in Paris before returning home to the States with Lucien. It was evening when they finally reached their villa in Phoenix; the couple felt very tired and ordered the butler not to call them unless it was an absolute emergency as they retired to their bedroom for a nice long rest. It did not take them long to fall asleep.
It was around eight in the evening when the landline at the Valier residence rang. The butler answered the call and realized it was the same lady who had called looking for his master a few days back.
“Hello, Valier residence,” he said.
“Hello, is mister of misses Valier at home? I would like to have a word with one of them,” the lady said.
“I’m sorry madam, but the master and lady are asleep. They have just returned home from France and have asked not to be disturbed. Would you like to leave a message?”
“Please tell them that it is something very important. I have some news about their daughter!”
The next moment, the butler was bounding up the stairs towards Lucien’s bedroom. He forgot all courtesy and good manners as he impatiently banged on his master’s bedroom door. A sleepy Ariadne answered. Lucien too followed her closely. “What is it? Why are you banging on the door like that?” she asked.
The butler wa
s an old man and running up the stairs had made him out of breath. He wheezed and gasped for breath. All he could utter in between were three words that were enough to have the couple dashing down the stairs and into the living room where the landline receiver was laid to rest on its side on a table, “Ma’am…telephone…Eugenia!”
“Hello! Eugenia? How are you? Speak to me darling,” Ariadne could not control herself as words flowed out from within. She could not believe that her step-daughter had decided to call her after all these years. Tears of joy ran down her eyes.
“Hello! Misses Valier?” an unfamiliar voice said from the other end.
“Yes, who is this?” Ariadne asked.
“I’m so glad I have managed to reach you ma’am,” the voice said gleefully. “My name is Erin Sanders and I am the manager of Mother Cares in Los Angeles. This is a shelter for the homeless women in the city. I would like to speak to you about Alicia.”
“Alicia?” Ariadne wondered. Then she remembered that it was Eugenia’s second name. “Please carry on,” she said in the receiver.
“First of all madam let me congratulate you one having become a proud grandmother to a beautiful baby girl,” the voice that identified itself as Erin was no cheerful. “Alicia has given birth to a pretty angel. She has been through a lot in the past few years and now wants to go home. I have heard everything about what she had done. I can tell you that she is very ashamed for her actions and now wants to go home. Though this is your family matter, I would request that you forgive her.”
Ariadne could not believe what she was hearing. Her eyes became moist and soon the tears were rolling down her cheeks and making a pool by her feet. Lucien was standing nearby and when she saw her crying, he thought something was wrong again. “What is it monami? Is there any problem?” he asked in a concerned voice.
His wife looked at him and indicated that everything was fine. “It would very nice Misses Valier if you and Mister Valier could come down to Los Angeles and take your daughter and granddaughter home with you. There’s no hurry, you can let me know as soon as your plans are made. Could you please take note of my number?” Erin asked.
Ariadne made the note of Erin’s contact number and shared her mobile number with her as well. Before hanging up, she thanked the lady for taking the trouble of informing them. She put down the receiver and looked at Lucien. Soon, she lost control over herself and burst into tears in his arms. Her husband could not understand what was going on. Presently, as Ariadne said everything to him, he forgot all his anger and sorrow. All of a sudden, he felt so lighthearted and jolly. The weight of the world seemed to lift from his shoulders. Lucien was not a man to show much emotion but for once he permitted his tears to flow uninhibited. Such joyous moments don’t come every day in a man’s life.
***
Erin and the other women would regularly visit Alicia and her baby at the maternity hospital to check on how they were doing. They were glad to see that both were recuperating well. Erin also learnt that she would be discharged soon and made all preparations back at the shelter to welcome the mother and her newly born. On the day that Alicia was scheduled to go home, Erin told her that she had informed both Ariadne and Lucien of her delivery. Her parents had been overjoyed to hear the news, she said, and would come down to Los Angeles as soon as possible to take their daughter and granddaughter back home. Alicia was taken aback at this news and did not know how to react. She could not thank Erin enough for what she had done for her. Soon, the little party left the hospital and returned to the shelter. Alicia retired into her room with her baby, this time with the knowledge that she would soon be back home, in her real home that she had left behind five years ago – her home in the dry arid setting of Phoenix, Arizona!
IV
While at the hospital, Alicia had decided upon a name for her little daughter. She would call her Ariadne Lucy Garvin, or Aria in short. Though she did not want to use Damien’s family name, she felt it would be the wise thing to do since legally, he was still the baby’s father. Alicia decided that as soon as she had obtained divorce from that drunkard criminal, she would change both her and her daughter’s surname to Valier. Under different circumstances, getting a divorce would have involved a number of legal and financial hurdles. Damien would have been eligible to claim compensation for his separation from Alicia. He would have definitely remembered that she was from a wealthy family so the possibility of forcing out a large sum from Lucien and Ariadne would have been a huge one. Add to that the birth of the baby who most definitely would have ended up in the care of Alicia. Once again, Damien could have demanded a fair sum to be compensated for not being allowed her custody and care. All in all, it would have been a huge tussle in court for Alicia and her parents even though her father was a practicing lawyer in the States and was familiar with the various aspects of the Federal Law. Damien’s arrest and trial, thankfully, had changed all of that. She could get a divorce without any of these hurdles and Alicia decided she would take up the matter with her father as soon as she was back in Phoenix.
First and foremost, Alicia felt that she needed to know how to take care of her baby daughter. The nurses at the maternity hospital helped her as much as they could while some of the mothers from the shelter would visit her often and instruct her on the best ways to care for her daughter. They all agreed that Alicia was a natural at caring for a baby and never required too much assistance. As for Lucy, she turned out to be a really quiet baby. She would rarely cry and no one had ever seen her throwing tantrums. She was a jolly baby and loved moving around from one lap to another. Lucy’s smile was the best thing Alicia had seen in a long time and it would fill her heart with a feeling she found difficult to explain. She was also extremely cuddly and felt like a little soft toy in her mother’s hand. Alicia showered her with lots of love and affection, something Erin was afraid would be lacking in this mother-daughter relationship. The wise old lady had a feeling that Alicia would resent the child each time she thought of who the father was but that thought had been put to rest.
V
Erin’s phone rang early the next morning. She saw that it was from an unknown number. She received the call. “Hello!”
“Hello!” the voice of a man said. “Am I speaking to Erin Sanders?”
“Yes, who is this?”
“Bonjour Mademoiselle! This is Lucien Valier, Eugenia’s father.”
“Oh hello, sir! How do you do?”
“I’m fine mademoiselle. I called to inform that I will be visiting your shelter tomorrow with my wife. We are going to bring back our daughter.”
Erin was delighted at that news. “Sure, we’ll be expecting you!”
Lucien explained that he had been trying to make a plan for their travel to Los Angeles but the holiday season had kicked in and there were no tickets available anywhere. He had finally pulled a few strings with his contacts and had succeeded in booking two seats aboard a flight to the south coast. Lucien would reach sometime late in the morning along with Ariadne, complete all formalities related to taking over the responsibility of Alicia and her daughter, and be back on their way to Phoenix by the evening.
Erin said that there would be no problem in that. “Merci mademoiselle,” said Lucien and ended the call.
Erin put her cellphone down and went to find Alicia. She was in her room playing with her daughter. The shelter owner informed her of the good news. The young girl seemed delighted at how things had been developing in the last few days. Finally, she could really look forward to being back with her parents in her Arizona home.
Chapter 6
I
When Ariadne stepped out of the cab in Los Angeles and looked up at the façade of the women’s shelter, her initial reaction was one of shock and disbelief. The place was practically falling into pieces and being held up by some patch work here and there. Many of the windows were wide open and did not have proper iron bars or shutters on them. It was hard to tell when the building had last received a coat of paint. E
verywhere she looked, all that Ariadne could see were green patches of mold forming on the walls. There was a heavy, damp smell in the air even she had stepped inside – it was almost as if the building itself smelt like a sweaty old man! Her immediate concern was towards the wellbeing of her step-daughter and granddaughter. If they were to stay any longer inside that damp, dank building they were sure to catch pneumonia.
Lucien sensed her concern and uneasy feeling. He had stepped out from the other side of the cab. Presently, he moved over to where his wife was standing and put an arm around her. Alicia voiced her concerns.
“Do you see the state of this place?” she said. “I am really worried about how well Eugenia and her daughter are!”
“Don’t you worry mon ami!” her husband said. “Mademoiselle Erin of the shelter assured me that both mother and baby were doing just fine. They are very well and healthy. Come let us go inside,” Lucien said and led his wife up to the front door by her arms.
The sound of a car stopping at the front door had alerted the women inside the shelter. A few of them peeped out through the window. All of them knew that Alicia’s parents were expected that day. They saw a couple stepping out of the car, and then they noticed their fine piece of clothing. She was wearing a silk dress with a muslin shawl wrapped around her to keep out the cold. He was dressed in a professional suit and tie, and was smoking a pipe that reflected his aristocratic position in society. The women did not need telling; they were about to witness something historic happen before their eyes. Alicia’s parents had arrived, now the young mother and her little daughter could safely return to the place she had forever learnt to call home!
The Love I Found: Contemporary Romance Mystery (Ariadne Silver Romance Mystery #3) Page 5