by Iris Blobel
Her eyes shot open wide. “Excuse me?”
“I’m your dad,” he repeated.
She had heard him the first time, but had thought her ears were playing tricks on her. Mia’s mind went blank for a minute, puzzled. Dad? As in father? Uncomprehending, she stared at him. It was like a slow-motion experience – the delay between ears and brain while the words sunk in.
That was when she hit the button.
Chapter Nine
Zach heard Mark’s mobile ringing. “You’re answering your blasted phone while your wife’s hunched over in pain?”
“It’s Mia. It’s the emergency button.”
Zach stilled. Cursed. His mind was tumbling over. “Be a good husband and look after your wife. I’ll check on Mia. For crying out loud, please say the Moon and Jupiter are colliding, and it’s all over tomorrow.”
Sophie shot him a look.
“Sorry cupcake. I meant as in—”
“Go!” she screamed at him and then again in agonising pain.
Zach checked his watch. The operator said to expect the ambulance within fifteen minutes. Another five to go. He tried to shut out Sophie’s cries and focused on getting to Mia. But it didn’t take him long to figure out why she had pushed the button. Darren’s car was parked in front of his house. Shaking his head, he made his way over, slightly relieved when he heard the ambulance in the near distance.
“Mr. Schuster. How can I help you?”
Zach went past Darren, signalled for Mia to keep the security door closed and stopped. He turned to Darren.
“Sir. I’m not sure why you’re here, but the timing is extremely unfortunate. Hear the siren? That’s for Sophie.”
“Soph!” Mia exclaimed and opened the door. Zach had no hope to hold on to her and was hoping she would at least glance up and down the road for a mini-second to check for cars before crossing the road.
With hands on hips and aggravated to the max, he tried to remain calm and certainly hoped the guy wasn’t pushing the issue. A rush of anger settled in his stomach, and the full force of years of simmering resentment was pleading to be heard. But with a deep breath he held back, knowing this wasn’t the right time or place.
“Look, bad timing. I mean extremely bad timing.”
“Is Sophie okay?” Darren asked, and Zach actually thought to hear a hint of worry in his voice.
“Mate, I cannot tell you anything. I mean, as in, I haven’t got a clue. I suppose your visit might or might not have triggered something.”
Zach could hear the sirens coming closer. He was eager to get back to have at least a few words with Mark before he left with Sophie. There was no doubt in his mind that Soph had to go to hospital. He watched Darren scratched his head just behind his ear.
“I’m so sorry. I had no intentions of–”
“Mr. Schuster. Step into fifth gear here. They need me over there.”
Darren nodded. “Okay. Look–” He looked across the road, but continued. “Bad timing. I can see that. Please give me a call later on and let me know how she’s going. But also for me to give you the reasons for my visit to Hobart.”
“Okay. I’ve got your number. Give me a call in a couple of days in case I’ve forgotten.” Zach moved over to the door, closed it shut, and looked at Darren. “I sure hope for your sake it’s worth the hassle.”
“I would have a guess it is, yes.”
The ambulance arrived and Zach left Darren standing to be with the Levesque-O’Connor family.
All of a sudden there was a burst of activity as the paramedics rushed towards the house. One of them quickly caught up with Mark, while the other one went inside. Zach rushed over and followed everyone inside as well. He felt numb with worry and exhaustion, not only for Sophie’s health and the baby's, but also for Mia, who was in the middle of it all and possibly wasn’t able to connect the dots. Which added even more stress to the girl.
“How is she?” he inquired.
Negative thoughts began to fill Zach’s mind. Should he have not told Sophie or Mark about Darren’s visit? Should he have done things differently? He cursed quietly as he took in the scene in front of him, Sophie on the floor with Mia next to her, tears freely flowing over Mia’s face.
“Can you stand up?” the paramedic asked Sophie.
She struggled to her feet, but failed. “I can’t,” she replied weakly.
He checked her pulse and asked, “How advanced is your pregnancy?”
“Thirty-five weeks. Please tell me my baby’s okay,” she pleaded.
Zach stood back, but his heart was aching to help. Mark had joined Mia next to his wife and tried to console both of his girls.
“Ma’am we need you to stay calm. Please,” the paramedic urged her as he checked her blood pressure.
Mia hugged her sister “Shh, Sophie. Please, you will need to do as the man says. Please, Sophie.”
Mark gently pulled Mia back as the paramedics prepared Sophie to be moved onto the stretcher.
“Please, Soph. For little Connor.”
As Sophie was taken outside to the ambulance vehicle, Mia followed her.
“Mia, I will need you to stay with Zach,” Mark said as he held her by her arm.
“No!” Trying to pull out of his grip, she screamed, “Sophie. I need to be with Sophie!”
Zach stepped in front of Mia and pulled her into an embrace. “Pumpkin, she’ll be fine. I promise. But Mark needs to be with her. Please–” His throat tightened, and he wasn’t able to say anything else, but hugged her. With a nod, he assured Mark he was right to leave.
****
The next few hours seemed about the longest in Mia’s life. It seemed forever until Mark rang with the first update. The doctors were still doing tests, and both Sophie and the baby were okay so far.
“Pumpkin?” Zach’s voice was quiet and fragile. “There’s someone on the phone who wants to talk to you.”
“I don’t wanna talk to anybody.”
Zach came closer and sat beside her. “It’s Father Mahoney.”
Father Tim Mahoney had been the girls’ mother’s friend back in Sydney and had reached out to them when their mother had passed away. With tender care and patience, the minister had looked after them for the next few weeks and had guided them. Then, in a twist of fate, it had turned out that Father Mahoney was Zach’s father. They didn’t have a close relationship, so Mia appreciated the thought that Zach had rung him.
She calmed down and with a soft hiccup took the phone and said, “Please tell God to help Sophie and little baby.”
Father Mahoney's soothing voice had an immediate effect on her. “Mia, my child. I am praying for you all. But Zachary told me, your sister’s gone into early labour. I believe the doctors will do their best to help this small joy to come to this world.” There was a brief moment of silence before he continued. “But remember, no matter what happens, God will never leave you to face it alone.”
That wasn’t really what she wanted to hear. “I don’t want God. I want Sophie and Connor. It’s too early to have this baby. He might not survive. Please make Him understand.”
“Connor?”
“This is what I’ve been calling the baby,” she whispered.
“Child. You need to have faith. You need to have faith in Him and I’m sure whatever He decides is the right way for your sister and the baby will be the best way.”
Mia’s chest heaved, and she began sobbing again. When she felt Zach’s arm around her, she leaned into him, appreciating his support. With the phone then in Zach’s hand, only muffled words made their way to her ears, but she didn’t hear or understand what was said.
“Righteo, I’ll forward the message to Sophie as soon as I hear from the hospital,” Mia finally heard Zach saying. “Yup, she’s at the Royal Hospital here in Hobart.” Pause. “She’s with me.” Pause. “I will do, and if you could do your thing, that’d be much appreciated.”
Mia looked up at him and noticed Zach’s tense jaws. “The praying bit,” he said, before han
ging up.
“I’m scared,” she whispered, still leaning into his chest.
“It’s early labour, pumpkin. I’m sure all’s right.” Gently, he placed a kiss on top of her head. “You Levesque girls are fighters, and I’m sure so is little Connor–” He stopped and lifted her face to look at her. “Connor? What if it’s a girl?”
That made Mia smile. “No chance! Trust me. He’s a Connor.”
Mia had no idea why she was so adamant in thinking or knowing that the little baby was going to be a boy. Nephew. That sounded so funny. She had read the books with Sophie over the last few months regarding shape, size, weight, and what else there was to read, and, yes, she was very certain to have seen a little thing during the ultrasound, which was obviously a boy’s attachment.
“So if it’s a boy, you really wanna call him Connor O’Connor?” Zach asked all of a sudden, pulling her out of her thoughts.
Mia felt a little embarrassed. She had never thought about it that way. Crap! Now she had to think of another name. And then the aching feeling in her chest came back. The worry of Sophie being in hospital, as well as the ache of not knowing what the pain had been all about. There were babies who’d been born at that stage of the pregnancy, but what if it was too early for little Connor? What if he wasn’t ready yet to come to this world?
“You’re thinking so hard, Mia, your hair is starting to smoke.”
With tears welling up again, she sat straight and turned to Zach. “They’ll be fine, won’t they?”
With a nod, he replied, “Yes.”
After a moment of silence she stood and walked over to the single chair. She needed a bit of distance.
“The man this morning said, he’s my father.”
Chapter Ten
That took him by surprise and Zach was obviously flustered by the statement. He wasn’t really sure how to reply to that. It wasn’t for him to tell Mia about her dad, and it certainly wasn’t right to leave her hanging with the words, Wait until your sister can tell you the details. Frustration and irritation grew in him, and suddenly he felt completely out of his depth.
Life for him had a straight-down-the-line motto – his dad had left him and his mother early to be a priest, and Zach had quickly learned how to survive on his own senses. His mother had learned to adapt quickly as well. Zach had never been a relationship guy, but had learned very soon that his looks were his capital and the job as an escort gave him a nice income, which in turn provided him with a nice living. His emotions were his, and his alone, controlled tightly and his responsibility.
But life had turned upside down, though, when Sophie and Mia had moved across the road a few years back. Even though he hadn’t been the right one for Sophie, their friendship had grown, and for the world, he wouldn’t want to miss having both girls in his life.
Okay, Mark as well.
Zach's life was still easy, relaxed, and sometimes quite entertaining when he had to listen to the life of a teenage girl. But being the one who was telling Mia about her dad? That was way beyond his capabilities. That scared everything out of him.
“Yes, he’s your father,” he answered in a tortured whisper. Mia’s face turned pale when he looked up after a moment of silence. “Pumpkin?”
Zach stood and walked over.
“Don’t touch me!” she screamed.
Again he tried to place his hand on her arm to calm her down.
“Don’t! I can’t believe you knew and never told me. I trusted you Zach. I–”
But her voice broke and he noticed her struggle. With her hands on top of her head she paced up and down the room.
“Soph. What about Soph?” She quickly spun around to face him. “Why didn’t she ever tell me? She’s been lying all those years. How long has she known?”
Zach grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, but she still struggled. “Listen to me, Mia. She wanted the best for you and thought it was best for you not to know.“
Mia’s eyes were wide open, disbelief written all over her face. “How long?”
“Since you moved in across the road,” he replied not looking at her.
The girl cursed like a trooper, and for once he let it go. He understood. But then, before he could react, she ran out the room, down the hall, and out the front door. Frustrated and scared, he quickly grabbed the keys as well as the phone and made a dash to the car. Yet, by the time he was on the road, she was nowhere to be seen. Angry, he punched the steering wheel with his hand and yelled obscenities. The day couldn't possibly get any worse.
****
Mia ran down the streets with tears running down her cheeks. With no idea where to go, she just ran on automatic until she came to the marina. She walked right up to the water and took a few deep breaths to clear her mind. From the first time Sophie had brought her down to the harbour, she’d loved this place. It was busy with people walking everywhere, tourists taking photos, and the seagulls eagerly trying to pinch one of their chips. But to her it felt relaxing and home. There were yachts everywhere, and she knew the Salamanca Markets would be very busy that morning.
Mia looked around and remembered why she was there. Suddenly, everything caught up with her, and it was so confusing. She had a dad. Sophie had known her dad. Why had she never told her about him? She had a right to know, didn’t she? Anger crept up in her. Anger towards everyone involved. She could’ve had a parent, a real one, for years, if they had only told her about her father. All those Father’s Days she had pretended Mark to be the one and had bought presents for him. The birthday parties she had gone to where friends’ mums and dads had been present, but she had been there with her sister and brother-in-law. Jealousy. Envy. Anger. They hit her all at once. Then, she suddenly realised for all she knew, she could have a brother or another sister.
When Mia instinctively grabbed for her mobile, she let out a sigh of relief that she had actually brought it with her. She started to flick through the numbers to call Olivia, her best friend. But what would she say? By the way, I’ve screwed things up. My sister is in hospital having a baby and I’ve run away because she never told me about my dad.
Irritated, she shut off the phone. Her anger towards her sister abated somewhat as she thought of her being in hospital. Then she quickly turned the phone on again and dialled Mark’s number. She wasn’t surprised when the call when straight to the message bank.
“Hi, it’s Mi. I hope all’s right with Soph and little Connor. Please call. Love ya all.”
Shaking her head she leaned back, not believing the message she'd just left. Love? She was angry. Tears started flowing down her cheeks again. Ignoring the look of a couple of middle-aged men, she checked her phone. A message from Zach. Where on earth are you? Call me.
Ashamed for having said those things to him, she deleted the message. No way was she talking to him anytime soon. She didn’t trust him. But deep down inside she believed he had meant well. Or had Sophie asked him not to tell her anything? And what about Mark?
Darren Schuster. The name swirled within her head. Darren. Schuster. She was sure the name had never been mentioned or hadn’t even come up in any conversations. Darren Schuster? I’m staying at the City Bay Hotel. She was sure that was what he had said to Zach the first time he had come around. City Bay Hotel. That was down the main streets, not far from the marina. She stood and walked along the water towards Hobart’s city centre.
Chapter Eleven
Zach became more and more anxious by the minute. The sun was already on the horizon, and he still hadn’t heard from Mia. He had left a message about every twenty minutes, each one angrier than the previous one. In his search for her, he’d rung both Georgia, Olivia’s mum, and Kristen, Mark’s assistant, and was about to hit the button to call the one person he would have loved to call under different circumstances. The phone rang a couple of times before she answered.
“This is Natasha speaking.”
His throat was suddenly closing up and his voice croaked. “This is Zach Taylor.
My apologies for calling–”
“Excuse me, who?”
He inhaled deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Mia Levesque’s babysitter.”
Her chuckle was a treat for his ears, and it should have made him imagine her all deliciously sexy, but at that moment, he needed to focus on finding Mia.
“I need a favour,” he said looking up and down the street, hoping to spot his girl.
She must have noticed something was wrong, he thought, because her voice sounded on full alert suddenly. “What’s up?”
“Okay, short version is, Sophie’s in hospital with an early labour it seems, Mark’s with her, and Mia’s run away after hearing some unsettling news.”
“Goodness gracious. Have you rung her friends?”
“Yup.”
The line was quiet for a moment.
“And at the end of the list is my name?” she asked.
No, it wasn’t. But he had run out of ideas and names, he needed someone to talk to. And her name had popped up on his phone. Pros and cons had gone through his head about using the number, which Sophie had added earlier that year as an emergency contact. Well, this was an emergency, and he needed help.
“Yes,” he lied.
“Do Sophie and Mark know?”
“Nope.”
He heard her sigh on the other end of the line. “Are you able to tell me what was upsetting her?”
He hesitated briefly before speaking. “Her father showed up over the weekend.”
Assuming a frown on her face on the other side of the line, he continued, “I suppose that was also the reason for Sophie having to be hospitalised. It’d stressed her to the max.”
“Pick me up in fifteen minutes. Not sure where to go from here, but let’s try and find her.”
She gave him the address, and within ten minutes he parked in front of her house. Hobart wasn’t that big and she lived close by. Natasha had expected him because as soon as he stepped in front of the door, she opened it.