Have a Little Faith in Me
Have a little faith in me
When the roads gets dark
And you can no longer see
Let my love throw a spark
Have a little faith in me
And when the tears you cry
Are all you can believe
Give these loving arms a try babe
Have a little faith in me
When your secret heart
Cannot speak not so easily
From a whisper start
To have a little faith in me
And when your back's against the wall
Just turn around and you will see
I will catch your fall
Have a little faith in me
When the road gets dark
And you can no longer see
Let my love grow a spark
Chapter One
Paris, France
A torrential downpour greeted David Hayward as soon as he stepped outside the airport terminal.
A flood of water cascaded down around him. It soaked him in the short distance from the terminal doors to the waiting taxi.
"L'hotel Concorde LaFayette, sil vous plait," David instructed the driver, trying in vain to shake himself dry before plopping down in the back seat.
The taxi driver scowled through the rear view mirror and took off without a word. Nearby cars honked and splashed them as they raced by. A crash of thunder made David look out the window only to see grey-black skies surrounding them.
'Welcome to the City of Lights,' he thought glumly. He ran a hand through his wet hair and stared at the tail lights of the truck in front of them, wondering what had possessed him to come here.
'You're here for a legitimate reason,' David reminded himself. He'd signed on, at the very last minute, to participate in a biochemical research conference. 'To attend seminars that have absolutely no relevance to my areas of expertise…' he thought cynically.
He'd spent the entire flight here trying to rationalize his decision. 'I came here because some of the world's top researchers are going to be here,' he reminded himself, just as another crack of thunder made him wince. The rain pounded against the windows of the taxi with such force that David thought it might break through the glass and pour inside at any given moment.
It was lie. He'd signed on for the useless conference not because it interested him, but because it was in Paris.
Because she was in Paris.
He didn't know where to find her, or whether he'd even work up the nerve to try. But at least he could sink back in the seat and admit it now.
He was here to see her.
Palais des Congres, Paris
The next day
"Well, what do you know? Doctor Hayward! Who'd have thought!"
The tall, bald black man broke out into a toothy grin when he spotted David walking in the crowded hallway of Paris's palatial conference centre, the Palais des Congres.
David was genuinely pleased to see a familiar face. "Dr. Hathaway. It's been a while hasn't it?"
"Seven years," the black man answered. "Fresno General hasn't been the same without you."
David chuckled. "I'm not sure whether that's a compliment or not."
Dr. Samuel Hathaway, virologist and father of four, slapped David on his back with a hearty laugh. "I didn't say I missed you, did I?"
"No, no you didn't…"
"So are you catching the big one at noon?"
David raised his eyebrows.
"USAMRIID's Anderson is doing a little spiel on Marburg as a biochemical hazard on US soil, " Dr. Hathaway explained. "I hear it's going to be standing room only." The black man looked at David's convention badge. "You need a green badge just to get in."
David eyed the security guards stationed near one of the convention centre's entrance. Security for the conference was unlike anything David had ever seen. He shrugged. "Guess that rules me out then."
"Security is mind blowing here, isn't it? Who'd have thought the French could give us a run for our money?" Sam pointed out with a chuckle. "Then again, wouldn't want any Al Qaeda creeps listening in when Anderson starts talking about filling smart bombs with filoviruses, would we?"
"No," David agreed, remembering now how talkative his ex-colleague was. "Guess we wouldn't."
The black man slapped him on the shoulder once more. "It's a real surprise seeing you here, Hayward. Familiar faces on foreign soil are always nice." He laughed, "And you can take that any way you want!"
David Hayward stood in the hallway as he watched his former colleague make his way to the seminar.
'You're not the only one who's surprised,' he thought. 'What the hell am I doing here?'
Earlier this morning he'd planned to look for her.
All that it would have taken was a glance through the Paris phone book. He was sure her number was listed. And if it wasn't, there was still Robin Scorpio. He had her address with him, buried deep in a jacket pocket in his suitcase.
Instead, he did exactly what he had done in Pine Valley two days ago.
He fled.
And now he was here, attending a conference that didn't interest him in the slightest.
'This is stupid,' he muttered, slipping the bright orange conference badge off from around his neck.
"Jean-Paul est deja statione pres de la troisieme sortie," David heard a woman's voice announce behind him.
Although the language was foreign, the voice was as familiar as his own.
How was that possible?
David spun around with a gasp. "Anna?"
A pair of equally stunned, dark eyes turned around to meet his.
"David?"
She said something in French to the man she'd been speaking to, and David watched the man leave with a curt nod of the head.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him.
"I…"
He was too busy staring at her to answer.
Anna looked well. She looked calm and confident. She wore a stylish, dark blue suit while her long hair was tied back in a loose ponytail. "I…could ask you the same. How…I mean, with all the security how did you get in here?"
Her lips lifted into a smile. "I'm one of the organizers of all the security you see."
"You are?"
"I work for a private security firm. We regularly help out Interpol and the DGSE with events needing large-scale security. Events like this one." Her fingers now played nervously with a set of keys she was holding. It was the only hint that seeing him affected her at all.
"And you?" she asked. "Are you here because your latest research involves bio-chemical weapons?"
He managed a smirk. "Uh…no. Not quite."
He watched as she lowered her eyes and turned away from him. "I… I should go," she said, scanning the hallway, making David wonder whether she was on the look out for terrorists. Or maybe she was looking for the man she just spoke to. Or maybe she was just avoiding his gaze.
If he didn't say something she'd leave.
Again.
He blurted out the words before they could get caught in his throat.
"I'm here because I found out I'm a father."
-
-Lyrics are from Joe Cocker's Have a Little Faith in Me