Just One More Time

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Jeff." The man said with a nod as the rainbow haired wrestler walked into the room.

"Not a problem, Bill. Is it my new contract?" Jeff asked. He'd been waiting for his lawyer to call him ever since he got the new contract written up, Bill had had it for a while now and he supposed that the man had just been to busy to look it over until now.

"No Jeff." Bill said shaking his head at the younger man as he ushered him to a seat in his office. Jeff sat down looking confused, he thought the only thing he'd put Bill in charge of was his contract for now. "I was sent a few things this morning of a very urgent matter. The instructions with it said to let you read this first." The man said sliding an envelope across the table.

Jeff saw his name neatly printed on the front but when he turned it over he froze staring at the name printed just under the tab. "A. Rockland… Amy…" Jeff whispered to himself, he hadn't heard from her in years though. She had disappeared from the face of the Earth years ago. He forced himself to open the envelope and pull the letter out sliding it open. Violent purple pen strikes assaulted his eyes; it was just like the letters they used to exchange when they were still friends.

June 4, 2000

Jeff,

I've no doubt it's been years since the last time I've seen you. I'm sorry for that, but I was doing what I thought was best for everyone involved.

But if you're reading this that means something has happened to me, on that note there is something you need to know. You have a daughter, her name is Margaret. You are her only family now; please take care of our daughter Jeff, please.

Love,

Amy

Jeff read the letter again and again… a daughter? Him? He looked at the date again it was the day before she disappeared, she was still pregnant when she wrote this letter six years ago. "What should I do Bill?"

"According to this she was transferred from her group home in New York to the one in town. You're welcome to go get her, or leave her until you have a paternity test done." Bill told him hoping the man would think this through.

"What if I take her and it turns out I'm not her father?" Jeff asked, it was a good solid question. He didn't want to hurt the little girl even if she wasn't his.

"She'll go back to the group home." Bill told him, "She is still young enough that she could be adopted fairly easily." Jeff didn't really like the sound of that answer; he didn't want to get her hopes up like that just to crush them by sending her away. It wasn't Margaret's fault this happened she was the victim here not anyone else. He really didn't want her in a group home, especially if she was his.

"I should go meet her." Jeff said softly. "I'm going to call my brother and have him meet me there." It was as much for his sake as it would be hers, he needed his brother's support and Margaret would probably want to meet her uncle. But god what was with that name, Amy screwed the poor kid for life.

"Do you think it would be a good idea for you and Matt to get attached? Not to mention Beth will need to be told." Bill reminded him.

"Bill if this is my daughter; I won't have her left in a home." Jeff nearly growled at the man before walking out of the room pulling his cell phone out so he could call Matt. "Matt, I need your help man."

"With what Jeff? Dad just got here, we were about to get ready for the barbeque." Matt said over the phone.

"Dude, I just talked to Bill." He reached the outside of the building and lit a cigarette. "I thought it was going to be my contract… its not. Matt I might have a daughter, and she is in the group home in town. I… I need some support when I go pick her up."

"When are you going to get her?" Matt asked he was too stunned to ask anything else really.

"Soon as I finish this smoke… so you think you can come, it shouldn't take long." Jeff said.

"Yeah just let me tell dad I need to run out for a few minutes." Matt said hanging up his own phone.

Jeff sighed taking another drag of his cigarette he leaned against his car and sighed the smoke from his lungs, "what have I gotten myself into this time?"