A/N 1: Had a request from forrestsc for another chapter tonight, so here we go - especially for you.
A/N 2: After I posted the last chapter I noticed a mistake; the month of Sophia's birth differed between what I had written for that chapter and what I had planned for Chapter 5. I have gone back and edited the previous chapter but just to reiterate; Sophia was born at the end of October; not November as previously stated.
Chapter 4
Of course, Jo disagreed with Ruth's assertion that the situation with Harry and Sophia could not be changed.
"Here's a radical idea; you could just tell him."
"Jo-" Ruth began to protest, but Jo cut her off.
"He has a right to know," Jo pointed out. "He'd want to know."
"I can't; it's been too long."
"You can't go on like this forever. What happens when Sophia wants to know more about her Dad. What are you going to tell her then? Carry on lying to her about it? She'll never forgive you if she ever finds out and she will Ruth, when she grows up and does some digging of her own to get the answers she can't get from you. If she's got half the brains you've got it won't take her long."
Deep down Ruth knew Jo had a point, but she couldn't see a way of fixing the situation. "So what do you suggest I do Jo? It's not exactly the kind of news you can tell someone in an email or a letter and I can't very well travel to London to tell him in person can I?"
"I could tell him?" Jo suggests, not particularly relishing he idea but determined to do something to help her friend; to make up for what she sees as past mistakes.
"No. It has to come from me. I'm sorry Jo, but this is too personal to go through a third party." She let out a frustrated sigh. "See, it's useless."
"Leave it with me. I'll think of something," Jo asserted
Sunday 6th Sept 2009
"I've got it!" declared Jo as Ruth opened her front door early on Sunday morning.
"Do you know what time it is?" Ruth asked sleepily.
Jo looked at her watch. "Oh, sorry. Didn't realise quite how early it was. I was just so excited by my idea."
"What idea? What are you talking about?"
Jo pushed passed her into the hallway, closing the door behind her. "My idea for how you can tell Harry about Sophia."
Ruth ushered Jo into the kitchen and flicked on the coffee pot. She poured them both a cup and sat down at the large oak table, gesturing for Jo to do the same.
"So what's this big idea then?"
"A video."
"What?" Ruth was sceptical.
"A video," Jo reiterated. "It came to me last night whilst I was out to dinner with Ben. I was sat in the restaurant and there was a group of twenty-somethings, probably on a gap year, and they were making a sort of video diary of their trip. Anyway, that's when it suddenly hit me. You could make a video for Harry, telling him about Sophia. I could smuggle it back on a disc mixed in with my CD's and give it to him. We could put videos and photos of Sophia on it too." She fished into her bag and produced a small flip screen camera. "Ben's even let me borrow this!"
"You've not told him?"
"Of course not; he thinks I want to take videos of the island. Stop panicking. Come on Ruth, what do you say?"
Ruth sat and thought about it for a while, Jo's idea did seem to make sense, but if she was brutally honest with herself, she was scared. Scared of Harry's reaction, of the consequences the video had for their safety, and of losing her daughter.
"Come on Ruth," urged Jo. "You know this is the right thing to do."
Ruth sighed, Jo was right. Despite the risks, this was the right thing to do; Harry needed to know about his daughter.
"Okay. But not today; I'll need time to think of what to say."
"Sure, but I figured we could take some footage of Sophia to use later."
Having convinced Ruth to go ahead with the plan, Jo spent the rest of her trip alternating between spending time with Ben and seeing Ruth and Sophia. She took several hours worth of footage and hundreds of photographs of the little girl in various situations; splashing about in the pool, playing on a swing, looking at a book, even sleeping and eating. She also covertly took some footage of Ruth and Sophie together; thinking Harry would appreciate seeing Ruth too, even if Ruth herself wasn't too keen on the idea. Jo also told Sophia more about her Dad, in simple terms of course and she caught up with Ruth and made her promise to keep in touch, somehow.
Finally the time came for Ruth to record her message to Harry; she couldn't put it off any longer as Jo was flying back to England the following day and needed time to transfer the video to disc. She had been a bundle of nerves, trying to decide what to say and what to wear. Eventually, knowing she couldn't leave it any longer, she emerged from her bedroom to find Jo and Sophia doing a large jigsaw on the floor of the living room.
"Ready?" Jo checked.
"No. But I don't think I ever will be."
"Well the camera's all set up; just sit yourself on the couch and press record on the remote." Jo pointed to the arm of the sofa where the remote lay. "Don't worry, I'll keep Sophia occupied." Turning to Sophia, she beckoned her over, "Come on you. Let's go for a swim."
Ruth sat down as instructed by Jo and, taking a deep breath, looked straight into the camera and pressed record on the remote.
Ruth and Sophia stood by the door as Jo collected her jacket and her bag.
"I can't believe it's time for you to go already," Ruth remarked as Jo approached them.
"Me neither," concurred Jo. "But don't worry, you won't get rid of me that easily. I've got your e-mail, so I'll be in touch." Ruth nodded, tears forming in her eyes. She'd done so well to forget much of her life before; fearing she wouldn't cope if she let herself remember, but now she was back where she had been 3 and half years ago; dealing with the grief and loss all over again.
"I don't want you to go!" cried Sophia suddenly, jumping at Jo with her arms outstretched. Jo caught the little girl and gave her a big hug.
"I'll miss you Soph," she whispered, stroking her hair. "But I'm sure I'll see you soon."
Ruth stepped forward to take Sophia from Jo's arms. She balanced her daughter on her hip with ease and used her free arm to give her old friend a hug.
"Take care Jo," Ruth whispered, tears falling freely now.
"I will," she assured. "I'll let you know when the deed is done," she added, referring to delivering the disc to Harry. Stepping away from the hug, she flashed Ruth and Sophia a smile, and made her way down the garden path. When she reached the gate, she turned back and gave them a small wave, before making her way back into the village determinedly. She was a woman on a mission; a mission to reunite two soul mates cruelly separated from each other by circumstances beyond their control. The first step; to get Ruth's video onto a disc, and then deliver the disc to Harry.
A/N 3: Don't worry, I won't leave you hanging on to find out what Ruth's video message to Harry is. It will be in the next chapter.
