Divorced! Now what?
Chapter 178

Theo

POV

My father, a man who often hid his struggles well, was not faring as well as he let on. Yet, I had hope that Bethany, a woman with a unique ability to illuminate even the darkest corners of one's soul, would be the one to lift him out of his despair. She had a way with her that had others wanting to help out, and I do not think she even knew she was doing it. I watched as she worked miracles on him.

Bethany was wonderful; she talked to him softly about what happened to her and when she found out she was not married to Bret. To her, it was a relief, and then how Bob found out, and she was there for him, some of the crazy things he did when they went out at night to blow off steam, the first few weeks he was living in this city.

Their love for all sports was the one thing that Wendy and Cynthia could not tarnish, and with that talk, Dad picked up a little; it was the same for him; no matter what Mother tried to do or say, Dad would not back down on his one day a week. That was all his. Part of his rebellion against Mother's expensive sewing room was to do up the den. He did a fine job with the den. It looked fabulous, with all the pennants, trophies around the room, and signed photos of his favorite team players.

He said once that no matter how much he spent on making the sports den, it would never reach the cost she had spent on that room and materials. Though Dad said Mum seemed to spend hours there, he does not remember in the past few years showing off the pretty dresses or even being happy about having spent hours up there. It was like she hated the room, yet she kept going to it each week to make dresses, and Dad said he never knew who she gave them to or if she sold them off. Mother was hush-hush about it all, and some days, it seemed she was angry and other days upset. It was hard to pick up what was going on with her some days; Dad put it down to a bad day at her volunteer job, but sometimes it felt more than that as if it hit her personally.

We had to go to work in the morning.

Bethany ensured Dad had everything he needed, even making some lunch he could heat up. She refused to leave until she saw him eat something, then gave him a warm cuddle. It was more than a hug; you could see Dad was affected by the attention Bethany was giving him.

Bethany headed to her lab to check that the hearts were ready and arrived a little later with the hearts to the theater with them in a unique solution. Meanwhile, I was entrusted with a new responsibility: the two children that would receive the hearts today. This was a pivotal moment in my training, a significant step towards taking over while Bethany was on maternity leave. Who knew if she would return to theater work? Robson was pleased she was making hearts, and she encouraged her to focus on that aspect and have the rest of us step up. I was hopeful that one of the younger doctors with smaller hands would have a talent for it and be willing to take on that side of the operation.

The operations went better than I expected. My hands were not as big and clumsy as I had always felt when dealing with little children when I operated on the older child, which gave me hope. Bethany is a good, patient teacher who guides not just me but others as each step is reached. I am not as worried as I was when we started. The setup and process that Bethany has perfected make the whole operation seem to go smoothly.

'Theo, this is the app I need you to learn. It will link the heart. It would be best if you got it started before digging into the chest and ensuring it will connect to it. I have set some up here, so you can practice on the dummy here. The heart responds as it connects and waits for the next step. You place the heart on the recipient and then push start. It will connect and start. I took the tablet, looked at the app, and went through the steps. She told me to do, and I let out a breath. I did not know I was holding it when the heart reacted to the activation. It was a straightforward process. Everything should go right as long as you follow the steps before you place your heart into the recipient. So far, I have a good memory, and I am confident I can do this. Most of the fear and worry I had earlier was gone. I was making this more complicated than it is.

The children were placed in a special ward away from the other patients, which family and friends could freely enter. You had to gown up to go into this one, but it was not in the lab section so that the parents could sit with them this time. Bethany was happy that the patients could handle being in the other ward and not segregated out as she had before. Bethany said she was being overcautious and preferred to be that way rather than put them in the general section and have them fail. Part of why I love her so much is that she is a caring person who goes the extra mile. How her mother and twin could be so different was beyond me; it was like Bethany received all the good while the twin took all the bad. We stayed and monitored the two patients for another hour before Bethany gave the all-clear to go home. The instructions had been handed out, and we would be called back if there was an emergency, but we did not foresee at that point that both children were on the right track to being successful and that, as usual, it would take a few days to know for sure. It comes down now to the children's recovery ability.

I stopped at our local Italian restaurant and grabbed some takeaway. I was not sure how Dad was eager to get home. Dad was sitting before the television, the sports news on loud, his phone broken in pieces on the floor, and empty glasses on the table. It appears Dad used a bottle of whiskey today to drown out his sorrow. I felt my heart break for him, knowing he has to get over this the best he can and that we are here for him. Hopefully, he will only let it get to him for a short time.

'I thought for sure. Cindy would have been mine. He murmured, and I understood he was not heartbroken at losing Mum but losing his two daughters as well was more than he expected.

'Dad?' I shook him, trying to get his attention.

'Hi Theo, I drank too much. He was not that drunk, so he must have slept some of it off already. He was not slurring, but one of us must be here for him during the day and not leave him alone for now.

'Dad, we brought dinner with us; come to the kitchen and eat with us. I grabbed his arm and helped him out of the chair, not taking no for an answer. He stumbled to the dinner table and ate like he had not eaten all day. At least he was eating, and for me, that was a good sign.

'Dad, I have some good news for you.' Bethany said, stroking his hand on the table. He looked up expectantly.

'We are going to have twins! She said, and my head swiveled to look at her. She had not even shared that bit of news with me, and it took me by surprise.

'Oh, I had better get extra beds in the nursery. He said, as if it was not a huge change in our lives, that just an extra bed would fix it.

'Dad, I know this might be too soon, but would you like to live with us? You know when the house is finished.' Bethany asked, flooring me even further with her generosity.

'Would you really want me living with you?' He looked a little taken aback by the offer.

'You would live right next door to Bob, and you can enjoy time together when five babies around you get too much.'

'Five?' He stammered, and I looked at her as if she had just gained a second head.

'Yeah, Pam wanted to hide it until Sunday sports day, but I had one of the nurses contact me because she left something behind, and I went and collected it on my break and was given the news by a very chatty woman about how Pam hit the jackpot and with us both expecting more than one child and that our houses would be very busy soon! She chuckled at that comment, and I fumed at the breach of confidentiality.

'That is five babies, five very tiny needy babies. You are going to need my help, especially when you need to do lab work. Dad sounded interested in helping us.

'I will stay here for now. I just got the den the way I like it. I would like to see if a woman out there is sport-minded like you. I have been thinking for a while about getting a divorce. Well, now I don't need one, but it's time to move on. What hurts is not Kitty; we have not been together in years, but my girls. I love Cindy, and I am unsure how I feel about all this. I tried to understand Dad's hurt; in some ways, I can; I would be gutted if the twins Bethany is carrying were not mine.

'Don't try and go it alone; let us help you through this and Bob too.' I suggested softly as Dad played with the last of his cup.

'I will, son. Don't worry, I drank my last bottle of whiskey. No more for me. That stuff gave me a headache. I think I will head to bed. Dad got up, and I walked him to his room, worried he trip on the stairs.

'Night, Dad. I leaned in and gave him a small kiss on the forehead. It was not something I would normally do, but at that moment, it just felt right.

'Night Son.'