Touching the Heart of Ace
Chapter 55

I was working on my final project, adding the ??wow?? factors, as it was mostly completed when Olivia called me. Of all the four marketing advisors I had, she and Killian were the best. Killian barely opened his mouth to add his ideas but he and Olivia, somehow managed to mould their eccentricities to a kick-ass power-packed one collective persona.

It was so surprising to see her call at 10 p.m at night.

??Sir... I know Mr. Brantley had asked me not to disturb you during school days but...?? Was she jumping around???Oh my god, I cannot believe it... Oh my god omygodomygodomygod... You don??t believe it, I don??t believe it and I have seen that a thousand times already... omyomygodomygodomygod...?? She took a breather. ??Hello Mr. Truscott, this is Olivia. Remember me? Your marketing advisor. Hello??? ??Yes, Olivia, I do remember you, we talked last week, remember???

??Oh, yes, yes... I just feel, you know; I am not important enough for people to remember me... So how are you Mr. Truscott? Have I told you, your voice is calming to listen??? She sighed. ??When I replace a boyfriend I am gonna pick one with a voice like you, so he could talk to me while I sleep, you know???

??Yes, Olivia I know. You have told me that a little over a hundred million times. So, what is this about???

??What is what about? Oh, Killian stop kicking me... Do you want to talk to him? Exactly. I am talking to Mr. Truscott. So, Mr. Truscott, what were we talking about???

God! I needed to replace myself a pet like Olivia and keep her in my pocket, without Robbie knowing of course, because he would kill her when I sleep, because he was just a jealous bastard.

??Something you have watched a thousand times already and lots of omygodomygodomygod???

There was absolute silence from Olivia and Killian laughing somewhere on the other side. ??Is he talking about porn??? I heard Olivia whispering to him and I smacked myself with the robot hand I was coding.

Ow!

??The YouTube video. Ask him to watch it.?? Thank you, Killian.

Then I heard Olivia screaming again and jumping around. ??Oh, Mr. Truscott. You won??t believe...??

??Olivia, to the point.??

??Oh, yes, I have shared a video link, please watch it and call me back.?? She hung up the phone.

God!

That girl brightens up my day, well, technically night but if the link was to a porn, I would smack her with this robot hand.

??Hi, fellas... Mel here.??

It was a Get Ready With Me For A Fancy Event; Vogue YouTube video of MelBel. I had no idea why she sent me this one, I was no big fan of Country music or make up tutorials.

??... so, I really don??t want to come across as a stuck up glittery neck rich lady but... more of a ??come talk to me, I am fun to be around vibe?? when I go for an event... And trust me, the posher I go for, more cuckoo I look like, because I am a Texan country girl at heart... so just a dab of concealer because... I have air bags for eyes and...?? She twisted her face left and right ??... the lights pick up on patches you know... so we gotta make sure it is all blended nice and well...??

Uhhh why was I watching this?

Then she took a sip of a drink... Not just any drink... our drink. Oh My God. omygodomygodomygodomygod.

??...stay hydrated guys...?? She winked and took another sip before putting it down. I wanted to scream ??PICK MY DRINK BACK UP?? but I was not annoying, but dammit, pick my drink up and show to the world the logo.

??... I have a huge appetite. Come on, I am a farmer girl, we scarf down our burgers than take small classy bites of salad... but... this is a special event and I cannot scare my fans away by chowing down... so I have to keep my appetite in check... and this drink? This is my panacea folks... I work out before going to an event... Mainly to fit the gown, but... also because of my anxiety... this drink... does not completely take away my appetite but... I don??t know... somehow settles my tummy...??

omygodomygodomygodomygod.

??... I love the vegan one the most, surprising I know... I can let go of my music but sweet tender beef... I am so hungry...?? she drunk Pro-life again... ??My gym instructor slash my dietician recommended it, she is vegan, you know Kath, everyone knows Kath... Thanks, belle, you saved me... Well, Pro-Life did... but... I am so obsessed with it... It tastes so good, unsurprisingly ??milf favoured Pro-Life??... oh my god I cannot believe I said that!?? She snorted and laughed, mindful of her makeup and she corrected herself. ??Milk- flavoured one is the second best thing in their range. Vogue edit that out! Kidding, everyone knows I am a sexy mama!??

The whole video had accumulated around 581 K views in two hours and climbing up.

I called Robbie straight away and he thought I was dying, which was close but dammit... that was our drink!!!

AAHHHHHH!!!

On Vogue, no less!

Then I called Olivia and we both chanted OMYGODOMYGODOMYGODOMYGOD together.

Robbie put us on video conference call and we danced around, well Olivia and I did; Robbie laughed at my quirky dance clutching a robot hand and Killian looked like he wanted to die and not be associated with us ever again.

??Robbie, we need to treat them, how about this Thursday? Come pick me up and we will take them to The Mer Land, they have amazing sea food of every cuisine. Bring Lia too, she loves aquariums, say yes, Daddy. What about you guys, Thursday will work for you, right???

I noticed Olivia stuck with an ??ooooh?? mouth and Killian not even looking at us. Olivia looked between Robbie and I like she had never seen us before and Killian kicked her.

??Aaah... So, you...?? Killian kicked her again and she shut her mouth.

Robbie was looking so smug and crossed his hands, triumphantly.

??Thursday works fine for us, and we love sea food.?? Killian answered timidly and Olivia was chanting something under her breath.

Then I remembered I had called him Robbie and Daddy instead of Mr. Brantley.

Oh Shit!

It was happening more frequently than before. I was slipping and spilling my secret; and I could not cover this.

I wringed my hand together and peeked at Robbie who was smiling victoriously at me.

??I will take you anywhere you want, babe. Yes, I will bring Lia, she misses her Davey too much. Oh, maybe I will call Dean and ask him to cancel your Friday class. Princess?? next vaccination date is due and she gets to be with you for three days.??

I nodded and blushed so bad, there was no way we could present ourselves as business associates in front of these two again... or I could tell them I volunteered to babysit...

??Don??t stay up too late, Angel. I will call you in the morning. Our baby is messing with the baby monitor. Miss you, my love. Bye guys. Good job!??

... Never mind.

Thankfully Robbie dropped the call before Olivia could scream.

How was I going to tell my mom?

I wanted her to know from me. I did not want to taint her character when she unknowingly defends my honour if someone points out that I was a homewrecker. There was no life for me without Lia and Robbie and my mom had every right in the world to learn that from me.

I called mama right away.

??Mom...??

??Yes, baby boy.?? She sounded so tired and breathing harder.

??Mama, how are you? Were you in bed???

??Yes, but I was not sleeping. I was talking to your dad. So, what happened? Robert told me that project is going on the way you wanted it to.??

I gulped down my tears.

??I... uh... I have something to tell you.??

??Baby boy, I am sure it can wait.??

??But mama...??

?? You sound so scared and sad and frustrated... will talking to me about this right now will calm you???

??Nooo...?? It would not, but she needed to know. She needed to hear it from me. Not like, that person in this firm told this man in that company and then his girlfriend told my uncle that your son was... ??Then it can wait.?? She said adamantly. ??You can come here and talk about that in person.??

I could not do that... I could not see her eyes filling with hatred, I could not see the pride in her eyes make way to disappointment...

??Ace, my son...??

I sniffled.

??Whatever you want to tell me, you know that it won??t change that I love you, right? It will not change... whatever that is...??

??You will hate me... you will be so disappointed in me, mom.?? I cried and heard her sniffling too.

??I can never hate you even if you kill me, Ace. You are my son, you are me, you are your dad, how can I ever hate you... but disappointed? Yes, I could get disappointed in you. I have and I will... just like I have done so many things to disappoint you, my baby...??

?? You have never disappointed me.??

??Don??t you dare lie to me Ace Davidson Truscott.??

??I am serious, mama, I cannot remember an incident where I was disappointed in you.??

??That is because disappointment is temporary sweetheart. When things or people don??t go the way we want, it is natural for us to feel disappointed. You were disappointed in me, when I could not understand your computer stuff. You were disappointed when the ??cool project?? you did for high school, flew over my head. You were disappointed when the whole nation was celebrating your victory of International Science Olympiad, and all I cared was seeing Mr. President giving you a medal. Does that mean you hate me???

No, it never did. Yes, I felt that she did not care about my ideas, that she did not listen well enough to understand my world but hate? My mom? I shivered to associate hate with mom... I could not even bear to think of hating my mom.

?? You have disappointed me in your life, my sweet precious baby... I was disappointed the day you started favouring spicy purees to my breast milk, I was disappointed when your dad can put you to sleep with a single pat where as it took me close to an hour for you to doze off. And I had to replace the boys, you called cute from Marie, that was another disappointment.?? I chuckled at how disappointed she still sounded ??Then you chose to stay in your room and play with your computer...??

??It was not playing with the comp...??

??I don??t care.??

And we laughed still watery and tearful.

??So, you see, son, you have disappointed me, I have disappointed you but we love each other and we will, till the end of time... won??t we???

??Yes, mama... I love you.??

??And I love you too. Whatever you do, there will be a chance of disappointing someone who you love and someone who loves you but if... if that is what you want... if that is what you need... the disappointment will never last... only love does and I love you, no matter what...??

I nodded and I knew she could see me through her momma eyes that followed me no matter how far I was.

??I am disappointed that Amelia is not biologically yours.??

I froze.

??It is heart-warming to watch you two together but not so surprising, because Marie always said you were her son, and Jason is not biologically mine, so that trait is in you too... but still I am disappointed, does that hurt you???

??I am sorry that it hurts you, mama, but I love her and she is mine.??

She snorted. ??Oh, a deja vu. I have heard something like that before... no wonder... Well, it is not important. Now, you understand what I am saying, right, my baby??? She yawned.

??Yes, mama.??

??Your baby, Amelia, will disappoint you too... she will stop listening to you when she is a teenager, she will disappoint you when you replace the bottle of vodka under her bed one day...?? Mama waited and I blushed.

??... I was sixteen and I liked the taste... I said sorry...?? I mumbled out.

??... and will get disappointed again when she says sorry and still keeps a bottle of vodka under her bed, just to the left corner this time instead of right...??

??I get it, I get it... Jesus, woman!??

Momma dearest laughed, at my expense. ??Still under the bed???

??Yeaaahh...??

??Why? So smart, yet...??

I blushed.

??Because you want me to know, son. It was your way of saying, ??I want to drink it, momma and I want you to know that, I drink vodka.?? And you were showing how much you drink, so I would not worry. You are a good child, sweetheart, just like Amelia is. She will get difficult as she grows but so will your love, and everything will balance out.??

I thought she had fallen asleep but then she whispered...

??Whatever you want to say, you can say that to my face... Will I get disappointed? Probably. But will I stop loving you? I can??t even if I stop breathing... Or if telling me is not something you want to do, I accept that too... though I love hearing your secrets... I love you...my swee...??

She fell asleep.

I did not hang up the phone, I heard my mom??s breathing on the other side and I did not need any other lullaby.

The celebration for our success was marvellous, and I had this elation in my mind because of mom??s words. I was flying and Robbie let me be.

Lia cried when the vaccination came around, but then her Uncle JJ, took her off to god-knows-where. We all did our blood tests, and pretended to cry so she would know we were suffering too.

I pretended to pretend to cry.

My tears were real. I hated blood tests, syringes, hospitals... well, but anything for my Lia.

Robbie kissed my boo-boo annoying me and I forgot the pain.

He was in good mood lately, might be the success of our product but I had a feeling that he was happy that Olivia and Killian knew my secret. Robbie decided to settle the amount with the investors, and asked me to handle it; because he had nothing to do with the project from the beginning.

The investors were begging me for an interest, the success of Pro-Life was blowing up the internet, the thing was advertising on itself.

Killian did an amazing job on the ads.

There was this one with Gabe having a good time in club and goes to the apartment with the girl he picked up, but he was panting and tired from dancing and the girl was expecting an amazing performance in

bed.

The ad showed a tired Gabe drinking Pro-Life and then winking, closing the door. When he tried to slip away later, she pulled him back to the bed.

??Keep up your energy.?? Gabe smiles before letting her dragging him away.

We were worried if people would mistake us for Viagra or condoms or anything sex related but Olivia and the ad director did an outstanding implementation of the idea.

Well, that increased the consumption of our product from middle aged men, serious, I was not even joking.

Yup, the idea came from Killian, not Olivia. It was always the silent ones.

??They said if you tell, Mr. Brantley will listen.?? One man was persistent.

??I don??t know where you heard that from but that is not true. I will never disobey him even if I replace some kind of justification to your wrong doings, which I don??t.?? Though we could afford to pay them the

interest.

??Please sir, my kids... I shouldn??t have...?? The man was teary eyed.

??I don??t think there is much I can do at this point. He is adamant on closing this deal once and for all, there is nothing I can give 100% assurance on.?? I politely told them and went in search of Mr. Brantley. ??Hey...?? I opened the door and saw him going through his files.

He said before I could even broach the topic. ??Please don??t fall for their tears, love, that is one way to fail in business.??

??But we are making a lot of money right now.??

??Sweetheart business like this is more prone to fluctuations, the hype will be lost in a year and another product will take lead. Make as much as you can when you can.??

??I am not asking you give them shares or anything... Just may be a...??

??No.??

??Robbie, you said I could do whatever I want with the money.?? The whole project was under our combined names but I was the only one holding the money account, and Robbie wanted it that way. ??Then why are you asking me???

??Because I don??t want to go against in you in this... and I need your approval... Come on, we talked about this remember, how we will talk out our differences in private???

??In matters related to Lia where you know better than me, this is business and I know better.??

I sighed.

I did not bother to correct him, because he was true.

??Why do you want to do this??? I shrugged and Robbie yanked me to him. ??Tell me why, Angel.??

??Promise me you will listen before shutting me out.??

Robbie nodded and pecked my lips.

??One of the investors rolled the money his late wife insured for his kid??s education... wait... you promised me.?? Robbie sighed and went back to his chair, already making up his mind. ??Another one, kind of made his friends and relatives to pitch in, and they will kill him if he does not give them some money as interest... but...??

I sat on his lap and pouted. ??... that is not the reason I want to do it, I was planning to start up an account in name of Lia and I don??t want it on the tears of two kids... She has you, she has me... and Jason and my mom and Uncle Fred who will make sure that she is getting everything her heart desires and what she needs, like education... but those kids won??t and I know you think that is onto their father but...

still the same, they will cry... I don??t want that for Lia.??

Robbie rubbed my back.

??What about you? Don??t you want the money???

??Why would I? I already have money and I have you... then there is also money I am making with Jason...??

??Tell me that again...??

??What???

??That you have me. That you know that I will take care of you.??

I blushed and tried to jump off his lap but the bastard crossed his legs and trapped in his embrace. ??Tell me.??

??I have no idea what you are talking about.??

??Sure you do.??

I ducked my head and Robbie chased my lips with his before hugging me tighter.

??My Sweet Kitten.??

??Well, we both know you will get me anything I want. So stop being so smug.??

I pushed on his chest. He peppered my face and neck with his kisses and I might have slipped a moan and making his go all frenzy.

??Sir, your 3?? O clock is here, Mr. Brantley.?? His secretary came in holding her tab and did not bat an eye seeing me on his lap being kissed to the last inch of my life. ??Mr. Truscott, they are still waiting for

you, Sir. Should I ask them to leave???

??Natalia, can??t you see, we are extremely busy.?? Robbie??s voice muffled and whiney.

??So are the people waiting for you too, Sir.??

??Ha! You said 3?? O clock, I have seven more minutes, get out!??

??Robbie...?? I hissed and pushed his face away from my chest... ??I will be out in a bit, Nat. Please don??t engage in conversations with those men, if they ask, tell them... I am busy.??

??Mr. Brantley has a 3 O?? clock, Mr. Truscott.??

??I got it.?? He had no shame to show this woman his perverted side.

??Thank you.?? Natalia closed the door and walked away like a queen.

??You need to give her a raise. And have you decided on the interest? They are waiting.??

??I am deciding.?? Seriously? Was he deciding by trying to undo my buttons?

??Robbie, you can??t... Nat wants you to go.?? ??Why do you listen to her; listen to me. When I gave your number as emergency contact this was not what I had in mind. This is the hundredth time she is coming between us.??

??And, whose fault was that???

Robbie had one day came from office around lunch time, he was asking me about some file he kept on the dining table during breakfast that he had forgotten to take, then he suddenly stopped.

??What? I did not see any files on the dining table or I would have called you.??

??Hello, beautiful. Who might you be? An Angel? A siren? A...??

I cringed real hard; ??Robbie stop it! You came all the way here to annoy me???

??I have no idea why I came here but I know why I am staying.??

What had gotten into him? I watched him trying to unbutton his office shirt and I remembered I was wearing one.

Crap!

I was doing laundry; all my clothes were as dirty as they could get while taking care of a messy baby girl. Since Robbie was at the office, I thought wearing one of his office shirts, until mine was dried and

sanitized was a good idea. It was but I had foregone the pants because the thing was long enough to cover all my bits and some more, and Robbie??s pants would never fit me properly, without hindering my

movements.

Now, the bastard was advancing on me.

??I cannot believe you. Go back to your office.??

??Sure.??

He picked me up and his hands cradled my bare butt. ??Dammit, baby, you are here to kill me, aren??t you???

??Whaaaat? You are the one who came here and...?? He swallowed my protests with a deep kiss. ??Robbie... stop... I have chores to do. You can??t... mmmmhhh...??

His hands should be cuffed, because the bastard knows how to scramble my brain.

He threw his phone away when it started to ring but it pulled me out of the trance I was in. I slipped out of his arms and ran to the stairs. ??Stay right there. I am serious, I have lots of things to get done before

Lia wakes up. You know, how she can get...??

He smirked enjoying the little hunt we were doing. ??Go back to your office, you horny bastard.??

I heard his phone ringing and I ran to my bedroom trying to get in and lock the door, but he was faster. ??You can??t just skip office day to...?? I paused.

??To??? He pushed the shirt tail up trying to see what was underneath. I swatted his hand away.

I frowned when my phone started to ring and Robbie and I froze for a moment, before he dragged me under him my holding on to my foot.

??Lie still, you juicy little thing.??

I somehow managed to push him away and ran to my phone, attending the persistent calls.

??Hello, can I please talk to Mr. Truscott???

??This is he.?? I glared at Robbie who was crawling on the bed to reach me. I bit his hand when he tried to pinch my lip.

??Oh, thank you, Mr. Truscott; I am Natalia Makarova. I am Mr. Brantley??s secretory...??

??Robbie, stop it.?? I hissed and beat his hand which was doing things he was not supposed to do.

??Sorry, Mr. Truscott, this is a matter of utmost urgency.??

??Carry on Natalia, I am sorry... It is just...?? God this annoying man and his horniness. ??Robbie...?? I hissed again when he started pinching my flesh.

??I completely understand; but we have scheduled an important conference in about an hour and half with our Japanese clients. They have come all the way long to here, Mr. Truscott. Mr. Brantley always

comes back a couple of hours later than he is supposed to when he goes home for lunch and this time I was hoping you could do something about it.??

I blushed bright fucking hard because it was like she knew why he gets late when he came here for lunch.

??Hold on a sec, Nat, I...?? I turned around to found the bastard fumbling with his zipper and I was bent on the chest of drawers, completely exposed with the shirt bunched around my shoulders.

Jesus Christ.

I turned around and glared. ??What is your secretory telling me about a meeting with your clients???

He froze for a second, before clutching my hips and turning me around again. ??She is lying. Grab the edges, love.??

??ROBBIE.?? I hissed.

??Fine! It is not an important meeting.??

??They came from Japan; you are going, important or not.??

??God! I have to fire her. Fine! The meeting is at four. Lie down. Lie down.?? He was trying to push me to the chest of drawers, face down.

This bastard!

??She says it is in an hour, and no, you are not firing her.??

??Hey! It is in an hour and half.?? I rose my eyebrow and he realised his mistake. ??Fuck... Aaah... I promise I will be quick. I need only five seconds.??

??I will lock my door at night from now on if you don??t go.??

His mouth dropped. ??You can??t do that to me.??

I glared. ??Wanna bet???

??God! I am so gonna fire her ass! But I will never replace another one like her. Dammit! Hey, I can pick your lock! Lie down. Lie down.??

I gently smiled at him and squeezed his member in my fist, he groaned and leaned to my shoulder. ??Robert Fucking Brantley, you are going to office right now, and attend that meeting, if you obey me, I will

make it up to you tonight, I promise, but you have to go now after getting that file, got me???

He nodded.

??And you will not fire her.??

He nodded, again.

I loosed my hold, petting his junior with so much love and care, because dammit, I loved that thing, and I tucked him back. ??Be a good boy, Daddy.??

He pecked my lips. ??You promised.??

??I did. Now go have your lunch. I will look for that file.??

He sighed. ??I hate her!??

I rubbed his shoulders. I shook my head at how adorably pouty he was, before kicking him out of my room.

I picked up my phone to call Natalia back and found the call still on.

Oh shit!

??H... hey... did you not hang up???

??No, Mr. Truscott. You had asked me to hold on. Should I hang up now???

??Uhh... it is fine. Mr. Brantley will be back on time today. He needs to replace that file and have his lunch.??

??That is a relief, Mr. Truscott. Thank you. I apologize for troubling you, Mr. Brantley was ignoring my calls and this is an emergency.??

??No trouble at all. I insist you call me if he... uhh...??

??That is much appreciated, Sir.??

She was about to hang up when I bit out what I wanted to tell her. ??Natalia... I... uhh...?? She patiently waited. ??Can you please keep what you heard through the phone to yourself???

Gulp!

??Mr. Truscott, whatever I hear about Mr. Brantley, will only leave my mouth for him to hear, no one else. And I don??t think he needs to hear what I heard today from me... except maybe your promise to make

it up to him tonight; which our company is deeply grateful for.??

We had been good friends since then.

The bastard made me wear his red silk office shirt before he... Well I kind of get some phantom feelings and pains when seeing red silk materials now.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I forgot I was hanging on Robbie??s neck as he slowly rocked our bodies to the song only he could hear.

??What do I get from this??? He whispered.

??Huh???

??They get money, you get satisfaction of playing me like a fiddle, what do I get???

??Anything you need.??

Anything??? He bit the shell of my ear.

??Anything.?? I was blushing so bad because making a deal with the demon was never a good idea. But I knew my demon; I knew where his dirty mind was going.

??Mmm... Have to call Jason and ask him to take our girl to the movie he wanted to watch.??

I was red as a ripe tomato.

??Fuck! So beautiful.?? He leaned in and gave me soft peck on my warm cheek. I was getting so shy and that was making Robbie more playful.

I pushed on his chest and he curved inwards with a gasp.

??I am gonna get you for that tonight, Angel.??

??Get ready for your meeting, Mr. Brantley.?? I pushed him away, only because he allowed me to. That man was a rock.

I opened the door and was about to get out when he called me. ??Baby, write them the cheque from the company account. And don??t forget the non-disclosure. Wipe out that smile, I am so going to make my

decision worth it.?? He winked at me. ??Get out of here before I completely cancel the meeting and redeem early.??

I giggled and went in search of Nat.

The man who rolled his kid??s college fund was the most thankful. I did not do it because I was a very good person but my baby deserved better.

She was the reason why I was doing all the good things my heart begged me to. I loved her and I loved myself for that.

I was never more focused on my studies, never more punctual, and Robbie, he changed for better too.

The early days of knowing him, he was angry and nothing could change his mind of going after all the materialistic things he wanted. Starting new business, destroying his rivals to the ground, always working

and making more money... but Lia changed him too...

It was so heart-warming how she could take all her da??s anger away with her eyes and giggles. He would play with her and be with her all the time, filling up the space I had emptied. He even let Janice to watch over their child because the doctor told sometimes leaving child in the care of her mother strengthened the bond.

He still worked like a man possessed, still got angry if his work was not properly done, but he had stopped doing that for showing his power, just to watch people tremble and fall on his feet.

He used to punch and physically hurt people who flirted with me when we went out, but now he would see me stand there with his baby on my hip; he would settle for a glare, or on occasions an angry

command to take their filthy eyes off me.

There was so much Robbie could change, but I knew my man, the demon was getting tamed.

My life could never get better but...

I hated when life pushed me to despair just because I was happy.

I was preparing for my finals, that was in a month and half... I had completed my project and submitted it beforehand, I had my back up project ready, just in case... the seminar was done both in hard and soft

copy...

I immersed myself in studies twenty-four seven because I was going back home permanently after my exams. I could not wait; I was going home.

Robbie was happy with the expansion of his empire, and our health drink business was running on its own, Gabe doing his wonderful job as a model and our spokesperson. Several celebrities came forward

with the awesomeness of our drink and now our production and supplies were off the charts. Olivia and Killian were doing an excellent job in making them part of our campaign.

Mom was responding well to her new medicines, her fatigue was slowly dissipating, Jason was with her, cutting down a bit on his aspirations so he could personally take care of her. Mom said he was not

letting her breath on her own; she had two loving sons.

Lia was talking in much more decipherable words... I got promoted to proper ??Davey?? from Dayee... and she switched to ??Dada?? and ??Daddy?? for Robbie and we were happy...

I was happy.

And life went for my heart to take me down.

Mommy called me when I was in library and going through some extra materials.

??Yeah, momma.?? I heard her slightly shaking. ??What is wrong???

??Nothing of real importance. How is everything going? Son, listen, did you talk to Robert an... and Lia.??

??I talked to Robert yesterday, momma... Lia a two days before, she is having a slight fever, so...??

??Son, it is nothing really, but this fever is not going down.??

??Mom, what is going on??? WHAT IS WRONG???

??Lia fell down the stairs, nothing wrong, no broken bones or wounds or anything, just three steps... but she was shaken and the fever has escalated and she is crying in her sleep for you.??

The books fell from my hands.

??Wh... what do you mean by she fell down...??

??Son, son... she is fine... she is fine... Robert is managing it well... She is at home now... but she is...??

??Where is Janice? She is with her right??? I ran down the stairs but stopped when mom did not reply me.

??Mom???

??I... uh...?? She cleared the throat. ??Janice accidently pushed Lia, and that is how she fell... now Lia will screa...??

I shook my head hard and felt my legs weaken... I felt somebody making me sit on the floor.

I had to go... my baby... My Lia... She fell down... My sweet child... down the stairs... she fell... she is tiny... she can??t fall down... my baby...

??Your kid is fine, Son... Everything is fine. She only has a fever and she needs you, now you can??t go there if you panic, right? Answer me.??

??Yes, I can??t go there if I panic.??

??Right! Everything is fine.??

??Everything is fine.?? I looked at the man in front of me as my vision cleared. ??Dean???

??I have arranged everything; we are going, as soon as you feel okay to stand.??

I stood up fast and staggered, and the kind man supported me, taking me to his chopper. ??I learned to fly, when I was only nineteen. Do you know how to fly, Son???

??No, Sir.??

??It will come in handy, you know. When I served in military, it had literally saved my ass.??

Robbie knew how to fly heli and planes; with license and all. He took me to Paris in helicopter. It was before my baby girl was born and... now she...

??Ask me what I did in military???

??My baby...??

??She is fine. Kids sometimes scare the shit out of us. My son dived to the sea without proper equipment from his private plane and scared the shit out of us. The son of a bitch had nothing on him, not even his

undies. We sent search parties. Three months. I thought I would never see him in my life again. We had lost hope. People even suggested a funeral.??

??What did he do???

??Was fucking playing Robinson Crusoe in some deserted island he had swum to. Bastard.??

I chuckled. ??How old was he???

He grumbled. ??Twenty fucking four. Asshole of a son. I wanted to abort my wife??s pregnancy. But apparently it is called murder not abortion, if the child is twenty fucking four, and can??t call it a pregnancy

after the child is out of his mom??s womb.??

I blinked twice, before laughing but soon I was crying.

??Let it all out. You have a baby, kid. And it is only a fever, I promise she is fine. But every time they fall sick I know what you are going through. My youngest son, who is twenty, now, had a stomach bug when

he was sixteen and puked for three days, non-stop. And I cried when no one was watching, because he can??t eat and I knew he could manage and it is not fatal or anything... but we worry when they are

sick.??

I wiped my eyes but it was flowing endlessly. I was scared...

Accidently pushed.

Someone pushed my baby...

Down the stairs.

Oh My God.

??... I could??t cry in front of them, still can??t... because they look up to us... all of my kids still do, one even has a kid of his own but, when he is sick, he comes to us; his parents, and ask if he would be fine

and I nod even when I get worried, because that is what parents do; worry... but we have to... you know, stay strong, for them.??

??Tell me, Sir; is my baby, really fine? I want to be prepared...??

??In the risk of losing my best student but... from one father to another, I think she needs your presence. That is all. She is fine but not all bruises are on the body, Son. And I think it would be better if you don??

t leave her alone for a while. I could arrange an apartment if you want to bring back your family with you.??

Janice pushed my baby and she got scared. She bruised my baby??s mind.

I could feel hatred fill my every pore on the skin. She pushed my baby... my kid!

I did not care if it was ??accident?? or not. She was not supposed to push her. Janice had no right to touch her much less ??accidently?? push her.

Dean was right, he was going to lose his best student.