Chapter Three
When the knock sounded at his door, Jason jumped up from the couch where he was waiting and opened it. "Carly." Her name came out of him with a sigh of relief.
Carly's eyebrows were furrowed with concern. "Jason, what's wrong? I came over here as fast as I could. You didn't sound good on the phone, and you look even worse." She walked inside and turned to face him.
Jason shut the door and walked past her to the fireplace mantel. Bracing himself against it, Jason looked at a picture him & Sam. "There's no easy way to say this, Carly," Jason began. Even though she was his best friend and she'd always been there for him unconditionally, Jason knew her feelings for Elizabeth was not going to make this easy to swallow. "I'm the father of Elizabeth's daughter."
For a moment, Carly stared at Jason, blinking and looking completely stunned. "What?" As Jason opened his mouth to repeat what he'd just said, Carly waved her hand and shook her head. "No, don't repeat it. I'm fairly sure I just heard you say that you are the father of Elizabeth's daughter." When Jason didn't deny it, Carly shuddered. "You know, I tried hard to block out that you even slept with something like that."
"Carly." Jason's voice had a warning tone to it.
Carly sighed and tried to focus. Obviously Jason hadn't called her over here to have her slam Elizabeth. "So Elizabeth lied when she said Lucky was Heaven's father," Carly stated. "How long have you known?" Gauging by the way he was telling her, he'd made his acceptance with the idea a long time ago.
"Since Elizabeth was six months pregnant," Jason answered. "She told me when we were trapped in the hotel elevator after the hostage crisis."
Again, Carly stared at Jason wordlessly. Swallowing, she finally managed, "You've known about your daughter for almost a year? Why the hell isn't she with you then?"
Jason turned around to face Carly, shrugging his shoulders as he walked to the couch to sit down. "It all made sense back then. Elizabeth didn't want Heaven raised in a life of danger. She felt the life she & Lucky could provide would be more stable, especially because Heaven would have a big brother. I didn't agree at first. But when the war with Alcazar began heating up and he kidnapped his own daughter to keep his girlfriend in line ... " Jason trailed off. "I decided what was best for my daughter was to go along with what Elizabeth wanted. I gave her up to keep her safe, to spare her a life of misery because of my job."
Carly felt a mass of emotions going through her - mostly anger at Elizabeth for the precious time she'd cost Jason with his daughter. Time that Jason could never recover. "So why are you telling me this now?" Carly asked, swallowing all of her instinctive reactions to try and be the friend Jason needed right then.
"I just filed papers suing Lucky for custody of Heaven."
"Good." Carly nodded at Jason. "You deserve to have your daughter with you." She sat on the couch beside Jason and took his hands in hers. "I know it's not that cut and dry, Jason. I know that my cousin just lost his wife and his son, and he's losing the only child he has left. But Heaven isn't his child, and even though he just suffered a huge loss, it will be better for him to lose her now than down the road. The longer Lucky has Heaven, especially as a single parent, the worse it will be for him." She paused. "Does Sam know?"
Jason nodded and tugged his hands free from Carly's to lean back on the couch. He was grateful for her words and for her support. "She didn't take the news very well. She didn't seem to want me to have custody of my daughter. Which surprises me. She's wanted a family for so long that I thought she'd be a bit happier."
Carly rolled her eyes. Guys were so dumb sometimes. "You just told her that the woman you slept with a year ago bore your child and you've known about it for almost as long and didn't tell her. And you told her you're suing for custody without asking her opinion and you wanted her to what? Just open her arms, smile and say sure? Jason, give her some time to digest the news before you expect her to be happy or even halfway normal about this."
Jason smiled. "That's why I called you, Carly. You're so smart and logical."
Carly laughed. "Yeah, that's exactly how people describe me." She stood up and walked to the window before looking back at Jason. "How can I help?"
"I was hoping you'd agree to testify on my behalf," Jason answered, standing up as well. "You've seen me interact with the boys, you can attest as to my fatherhood qualities. And," his face softened, "I was hoping you'd be a devoted aunt to my daughter."
"Of course I'll testify for you," Carly said instantly. "And I'll be the best aunt you could ever ask for." She smiled and went to Jason, hugging him tightly. "Keep me updated, Jason, and let me know if there's anything else you need me to do."
"I will." Jason hugged her back, feeling slightly more relieved now that he'd talked to Carly. Things would work out. Sure, there'd be some hurt and pain. But he was doing what he should have done a long time ago - claiming his daughter. "Thanks, Carly."
"That's what friends are for, Jase," Carly answered softly. She planted a friendly kiss on his cheek and walked to the door. "Bye." She waved and left.
Jason watched her leave, smiling to himself. Carly was still like a whirlwind blowing everywhere. He was infinitely grateful that she'd blown into his life that night at Jake's.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sam approached Lucky's front door with sudden trepidation. When she was talking to Alexis, coming to see Heaven sounded like a fantastic idea to her. But now that she was here, Sam wasn't so sure how Lucky was going to react. Sam straightened her back and raised her chin. She would talk to Lucky; try to make him understand how the love she & Jason could offer would only benefit Heaven. Raising her hand, she curled it into a fist and knocked on the door firmly.
"Coming!" Lucky's voice called. Seconds later, Lucky answered the door with Heaven in his arms. Her eyes were red and puffy, her face tear-stained. When Lucky saw Sam standing on his doorstep, his face hardened. "What are you doing here?" He immediately angled his body the other way, pulling Heaven further away from the door.
"I'm not here to take your daughter, Lucky," Sam said quietly, her eyes serious as she gazed at the man. Her heart went out to him as she took in his appearance. He looked like he wasn't sleeping and he seemed totally on edge, ready to pounce on anyone who got in his way. He was holding Heaven close to him, as if afraid she'd be snatched any second. "I only came here to see her in person."
Lucky was struggling to contain his emotions. On one level, Sam was a threat. She was engaged to the man who was trying to take his daughter away from him. On the other hand, Sam obviously hadn't been aware of Heaven's paternity before now and must be feeling an incredible amount of hurt and betrayal. "Did you know?" For the most part, Lucky wasn't even willing to consider the idea that what Lulu had told him was even true. Yet his curiosity was getting the better of him.
"No," Sam answered, biting her lip and hoping her honesty and sincerity would convince Lucky to let her inside. "Jason never intended to claim Heaven so he didn't feel the need to tell me." She worked to hide the bitterness from her tone, but anger flashed in her eyes.
Lucky hesitated another moment longer, and then stood back. "I guess a minute or two couldn't hurt. I'm trying to get Heaven down for a nap anyway." Lucky glanced at his daughter, who rubbed her eyes and yawned as if she understood.
"Thank you, Lucky. It means a lot to me." Sam walked past him into the house. She was hit by the laundry baskets in the room and the toys everywhere. Turning slightly, she raised an eyebrow at Lucky.
"I was trying to fold laundry while Heaven was playing," Lucky explained, offering her a half-smile. He closed the door and walked towards her. "My whole world's been turned upside down in the past few hours. I was trying to maintain some normalcy." And trying to figure out how to handle this, but Lucky didn't add that. "Do you want to hold her?"
Sam nodded without hesitation and held out her arms. "Why don't you fold some laundry and I'll take her upstairs and change her and get her ready for her nap?" she suggested.
Lucky hesitated as he handed Heaven to Sam. The child settled easily into Sam's arms, looking up at her quizzically. "Alright. I'll finish folding and then warm her bottle," he relented.
Sam smiled down at the little girl in her arms, overtaken by her beauty at first and not even comparing her to Jason. "Hi, sweetheart," she said softly, cuddling Heaven close. Heaven smiled widely at her and then yawned again. She leaned her head on Sam's shoulder. Sam felt a stirring in her heart as she held the little girl close to her, feeing an overwhelming desire to protect her from all harm. She walked upstairs slowly and found the nursery easily. It was decorated in pink and was quite homey. Laying Heaven on the change table, Sam talked softly to her while changing her diaper and then dressing her in some pink pajamas. Once completed, she lifted Heaven into her arms and turned to go to the rocking chair. She was startled to see Lucky standing in the doorway and cried out softly in surprise.
"I didn't mean to startle you," Lucky said apologetically. He'd been watching Sam wistfully, knowing his daughter needed a woman in her life. She took easily to Sam, and had her head on Sam's shoulder again. "I just ... it's just ... " his throat tightened as he shift the bottle in his hands and fought the emotions welling within him.
Sam moved towards him and put a light hand on his arm. "You must miss Elizabeth a lot," Sam said gently. "As much as I miss my daughter. It dulls, Lucky, but it never goes away completely. You just eventually learn how to live with it." She sighed. "Do you want to give Heaven her bottle?"
"I think she'd like it if you gave it to her," Lucky answered, handing the bottle to her. "I'll just go put the laundry away."
Sam nodded and went to the rocking chair. Settling Heaven in her arms with the bottle in her mouth, Sam watched her brown eyes begin to close as Sam rocked her. Sam sang her a soft lullaby and Heaven was soon asleep in her arms. Setting the bottle down gently, Sam stood up and laid Heaven in her crib. She smoothed a hair from Heaven's face, feeling a connection to the child that she wished she could explain. "I love you, Heaven," she whispered, covering her softly. It was true - she'd felt an overwhelming love for Jason's daughter and the sudden reality of winning custody hit her. Leaving the room, Sam headed back for the living room. "She's asleep," Sam said, handing Lucky the bottle. "I can't thank you enough for letting me see her, Lucky." Lucky had been more than generous, not only letting her in his home but allowing her to put his daughter down for a nap. For that, Sam was grateful.
"You're welcome." As Sam turned to leave, Lucky said, "Sam." Sam stopped and turned to face Lucky. Tears filled his eyes as he tried to speak. "She's ... Heaven ... My little girl is all I have left."
Sam sighed. "I don't know what to tell you, Lucky," she said honestly. "I have a feeling this is going to get ugly. If Jason is Heaven's biological father, then he has just as much right to her as
Elizabeth did. I know you've just lost your wife and son, and I know losing your daughter will hurt more than anything else. What we all need to remember here is what is best for that little girl. I can promise you that I will not let Jason or you do anything that will hurt her."
Lucky nodded, wiping the tears away but too overcome with emotion to say anything.
"Thank you again," Sam said. She turned and walked the door, looking back only once before quietly leaving.
