A Family Affair - Next of Kin (2 page)

A young nurse with a noticeable brown birthmark on the side of her neck entered the room. “Hello, dear,” she said, as she prepared various instruments on the table next to the bed. She began checking Sarah’s condition and measuring her vital signs. “The hospital has just called your doctor, and he should be here in about an hour. Do you mind if I examine you now before he arrives?”

Sarah shook her head. She wasn’t sure if she would last an hour.

The nurse took her time helping Sarah onto the bed and making her comfortable, before beginning the examination. “Oh, dear,” she exclaimed, popping up after only a tentative look. She started frantically preparing her table, and gathering other items from around the room.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, dear, but I don’t think there’s time to wait for the doctor to arrive. I can see the head.”

Sarah wasn’t surprised to hear this news, but wished the doctor was there. The nurse was too young to be doing this alone, despite her calm and mature manner. “Can you give me something for the pain?”

“There’s no time, dear. You’ve passed that point. It’s just you and me, but we’ll do this together. Okay?” She seemed calm.

Sarah nodded. She had noticed that the baby’s kicking had stopped on the drive over and was glad the baby was resting. She’d heard that childbirth was just as arduous for the baby as it was for the mother. “Nurse, I think the baby has stopped moving. Is that normal?”

The nurse looked over, her eyebrows raised. “Um... let’s just concentrate on one thing at a time. Okay?”

Sarah could tell that the nurse didn’t want her to worry, but there had been a momentary flash of concern across her features.

Sarah followed every little instruction that the nurse gave, pushing when she was told and breathing as instructed. The process was overwhelming, as the baby moved in and out numerous times. But after the fourth big push, she felt the baby slide out into the nurse’s waiting hands.

Sarah waited to hear the baby cry, but it made no sound. Weren’t babies supposed to cry? “Let me hold the baby,” she begged.

But for some reason, the nurse rushed the baby out of the room. “I just need to check a few things.”

“Is everything okay with the baby?” Sarah called out to no response. There still hadn’t been any crying.

After a minute or so the nurse returned to the birthing room alone and sat next to Sarah. She reached for her hand. “Sarah, dear.”

“Where is my baby? Please!” The baby still hadn’t made a sound, and Sarah pleaded for the child to be returned.

Just as the nurse was about to explain, there were some footsteps in the hallway, which interrupted her train of thought. A baby’s cry was also heard, and her nurse raced out of the room again for the second time. Her baby was crying, and she wanted it in there with her.

Sarah could hear a muffled conversation from the hallway.

“What are you doing in here?” she asked someone.

“Just looking at the babies.” It was a male voice. He sounded young, but it was difficult to be sure.

“You shouldn’t be in here. What’s in your bag?”

“Nothing.”

“You need to leave this instant, young man.”

The nurse returned to the birthing unit with Sarah’s newborn baby in her arms. She looked shaken, as if she had seen a ghost.

“Is everything okay with my baby?” Sarah asked.

She paused and looked unsure of herself, but then nodded. “Yes, dear. She looks perfect.”

“It’s a girl?”

“Yes, a beautiful baby girl.”

“Did you think something was wrong before?”

“I did. But I… I must have been wrong. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

The nurse handed Sarah the beautiful newborn baby, and Sarah starting crying with an overwhelming joy. She put little kisses on the forehead of her baby, and named her Nicole. “I love you, Nicole,” Sarah said. “You are so perfect. My little Nikki.”

Soon after, the doctor arrived and commenced his post-birth checks. The nurse was still in the room assisting him, and Sarah remembered the muffled conversation that she had heard.

“Who was that before?” Sarah asked her. “Who was the person you were speaking to outside?”

“Just a curious boy. I don’t know what he was doing in this wing in the middle of the night, but it’s nothing for you to worry about. I asked him to leave. You just enjoy this special time with your beautiful little angel.”

Present day

Tom sat in his favourite reading chair with the newspaper in his lap, but he had only read one or two stories. He was distracted by the antics of his son which were much more enjoyable. Ellen was reading to him, and in response to her voice he was making all sorts of new sounds as if he was trying to converse.

After the birth Tom had appointed an acting CEO to manage the day to day running of the company, in order to be at home with his wife and child. That decision had been rewarding, as the time at home meant he was now masterful at changing nappies and finding new ways to stop his son crying. He wouldn’t have missed that precious time at home for anything, but alas his two months of paternity leave were coming to an end.

Ellen seemed to be adjusting well to the changes which motherhood brought, although the sleepless nights were a challenge for both of them. Elle had kindly offered to sleep with Angus in another wing of the house where Tom would not be disturbed, but he refused her suggestion. The three of them belonged together in these early months of Angus’ life. Most nights Tom even got up with Ellen while she fed Angus. He figured if she had to get up, then so would he. In any case, she found it useful to have a second person to position Angus for feeding, and he liked to think that she was glad of his company too.

Soon after Angus was born, Tom hired a nanny named Irene to come to the house every day from nine to four. He didn’t discuss it with Ellen, as he assumed she would be pleased. But to Tom’s surprise, Ellen had objected. She had not been comfortable with the thought of a stranger caring for their son despite Irene’s excellent references. Although Tom and Ellen never argued, it took a few robust discussions before they agreed to give Irene a chance. Luckily, Irene was kind and gentle with Angus, and he responded well to her care. Ellen had been won over quickly, and Irene became a constant within their daily lives. She had the ability to soothe Angus’ tears with whispers and rocking, when nothing else seemed to work.

Having a full-time nanny gave Ellen some time to herself. She could take the opportunity to nap or leave the house when needed. But Angus was always being fussed over, and sometimes by Ellen, Irene, Tom, Margaret and Estella all at the same time. It pleased Tom to see so many people caring for his son, for Angus was his son - in every way that counted. When he kissed Angus, he was filled with love for the boy. When he kissed Ellen, he kissed the woman who’d given him the life he’d only ever dreamed about, and for that he was unreservedly grateful. Angus’ unfortunate paternity was a small issue in comparison to what Tom had been given in life.

One of the most unexpected joys from fatherhood was observing the changes in his mother’s attitude. Tom would never have guessed from his own relationship with her as an adult that Margaret would be an adoring grandmother. The birth of Angus had healed old wounds between her and Ellen, bonding the family in a new and deeper way. Perhaps it was also the death of Jack that was affecting Margaret, but whatever it was, he was thankful for the peace in their lives.

However, Tom knew deep down that his life was not as perfect as it seemed. A dark cloud still hung over him. The feeling that someone had been manipulative was undeniable. Tom had adjusted to the knowledge that Angus was Kane Jarrad’s biological son, but the time was fast approaching for him to understand how the lie had come to be.

Tom also grieved for the loss of his father. He missed their daily conversations, and bore a deep-seated anger towards Kane for the action leading up to Jack’s death. Of course, Nikki was partly responsible too, although at least she’d had the decency to leave the country and stay out of their lives. Kane, on the other hand, had continued to harass Ellen until a decisive plan had been put into place. Hayden arranged for Kane to be served with a restraining order, and Tom increased security around his family and home.  Ellen’s phone number had been changed, and they were keeping her new details as private as possible.

Kane’s claim on Jack’s will was also playing on Tom’s mind. His brother had nominated a figure of ten million dollars, and the court hearing to settle the matter was still some months away. Hayden would be representing the family of course, and he was confident that the matter would be resolved in the family’s interest at that time. Jack’s will could not be finalised until then, which was frustrating. However, everyone was agreed - there would be no settlement with Kane. He would not receive one cent of Jack’s estate unless the court ordered it so. Of course, Kane’s claim was a fraction of its estimated worth, but defending it was a moral decision. Jack had had no intention of changing his will to include Kane. He spent a lifetime building his property estate and would not have wanted Kane to inherit a thing. Tom would rather donate the entire estate to charity than give even a fraction to Kane.

With painful clarity, Tom remembered the day when he and his father first met Kane at his father’s golf club. It had been such an exciting time for the two of them to discover a long lost son and brother. But the dream had quickly become a nightmare. Kane had not been worthy of a place in their lives. He had deceived them both, and Jack’s life had been lost as a direct result of the shock he suffered from hearing Nikki profess her love for Kane. Kane’s suing of the estate was the ultimate betrayal, and further evidence of his brother’s depraved character.

Tom’s focus returned to the present when he noticed that Irene was fixing the stroller in preparation for a walk. Ellen was preoccupied with dressing Angus in warm outer layers. Checking his watch, he realised it was time to leave. He had held off paying a visit to Dr Douglas Walsh after Angus’ birth in order to enjoy the early weeks with Ellen and his son. But that special time was over. Tom would be returning to work tomorrow. It was time to find out the truth about Angus’ first paternity test.

Tom approached Ellen as she looked down at Angus. Their son was becoming restless, and starting to whimper. Tom put his hand on the back of Ellen’s neck.

She reached for him. “I think he is getting tired,” she said. “Irene and I are going to take our boy for a walk. Do you want to come?”

“No, my love. If you don’t mind, I have a few errands to run before I head back to work tomorrow.” As she stood up, he kissed her on the forehead.

“When do you think you’ll be back?” she asked.

“I’m not too sure, Elle. I’ll call you when I’m on the way back if you like.”

She nodded.

But Tom sensed that something was wrong. “What is it?”

She looked embarrassed. “It’s nothing... It’s just that it will be hard for me to adjust to seeing you less. I know you need to go back to work, but I’ll miss you, that’s all.”

“It’s been nice, hasn’t it? The past two months have been important to me too. I’ll miss spending so much time with you and Angus.” He held her hands.

Ellen’s eyes became moist.

Tom was surprised. Ellen had known his leave dates from the start. “Elle, you know that the business is important to me... to us.”

“Oh, I know. I’m just being rather silly. Ignore me please. It must be the hormones in my system.” She tried to smile.

“I love you, Elle. You make me very happy.” He kissed her again.

She put her arms around his neck, and whispered into his ear, “And I love you too.”

“Why don’t you ask Estella to organise a candlelit dinner for us by the pool tonight? They say it’s going to be a beautiful day. That will give us something to look forward to tonight.”

She nodded. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. Don’t forget to call me when you know what time you’ll be home.”

“I won’t. Bye, Irene,” Tom said. “And bye, little Angus,” he added, peeking at his son who was being put into the stroller by Irene. “Sleep well.”

“He usually drops off after a few minutes,” Irene said. “He just can’t stay awake when we take him for a walk, can you little fella?”

“You won’t leave the property will you, Elle?” Tom didn’t like the thought of Ellen walking around the neighbourhood. You just never knew where Ted Blake or Kane Jarrad were.

“No. Irene and I will just walk around the garden. But if I did leave the property, you know I would take one of the security guards.”

Tom relaxed. “That’s good to hear. Okay then. Bye all.”

Since the security team had commenced operations on the perimeter of his property, Tom was much more comfortable leaving Ellen and Angus alone. Their protection could almost be guaranteed while the men were on the property. It would be impossible to enter the estate undetected, due to the high-tech surveillance systems in place as well as the guard contingent.

Tom sped off, and after a short drive his black Mercedes pulled into the visitors’ car park outside Dr Walsh’s office. Elizabeth had made an appointment, and he was a few minutes early for the allocated time. His mood was upbeat, but calm. Dr Walsh would see him today, and the doctor would be made to answer Tom’s questions. Tom had enormous wealth at his disposal, and if necessary, he would stop at nothing to learn the truth.