Chapter 6 Declan's back story and hope for the future
20 Week
Declan sat on the bed with a birthday card beside him and an ultrasound photo of Maia in his hand. The ultrasound that day had confirmed that the baby was a girl.
"Are you okay? Are you thinking about Bill?" Kate asked, Bill was a man who worked for Declan at the UK Sanctuary and had been killed earlier that week trying to capture a red listed abnormal. Declan shook his head. "No. Well, not exactly, it's my Mum's birthday in two weeks and I was debating with myself whether or not to tell her that is going to be a grandma"
Studying Declan's face for a minute, Kate then asked, "You don't think that she will be happy?
"Oh, I think she will be over the moon that she is going to be a Grandma. My Dad? I'll not too sure."
"You don't get on well with him?"
"No, got on even less well after I signed up." Declan said looking at his tattoo.
"Why did you join the Special Forces?" Kate asked as she sat down on the bed and snuggled up to lover.
"The truth? I was a snotty teenager and one night after a fight with my old man, it seemed like a good idea, a way of escaping and seeing the world. And I knew that it would piss my dad off. So at 17, I signed up. And here I am still reaping the rewards of that dissection. My dad and I don't talk or commutate with each other in any way. But my Mum and I still send each other cards on birthdays and at Christmas. Well, most years."
"Do you regent signing up" Kate asking nervously. Declan shrugged "Sometimes. But if I never joined up, I never would have met Watson and Magnus. And then I probably never would have met you."
Kate smiled. "Well, not under good circumstances, at least." the made Declan laugh as he knew that that was very true.
She thought for a bit before saying, "Do you think that your Dad will talk to you again if tell your parents about Maia?"
Seeing the expectation on Kate's face, Declan answered as he put his hand on Kate's belly, "I don't want you to think that I want in any way, shape or form for our daughter to be a way back into my parents' good book. Okay? That boat sailed a long time ago and they can get stiffed. It's just that we are in a very dangerous line of work, and if anything were to happen to both of us, I would like to know if Maia had a safe home and family to go."
"I think that I would have to go with you on that" Kate said after much consideration. Her own mother was still refusing to speak to Kate. Her brother could barely look after himself. After thinking for a minute, she said," You should send your mother the ultrasound. Your right, and I too would feel better knowing if there was a home and a family for Maia to go to if something were to happen to us."
Declan smiled as he and Kate signed his mother's birthday card "From your loving son, his lovely partner and their unborn daughter, Maia." He hoped that the picture would open the door for him and his dad to put their differences behind them.
As he and Kate got ready for bed, Declan thought of which fairytale he knew to tell Maia tonight. Kate had been finding it difficult to sleep as Maia kept moving at night. So, Declan told her fairytales, and sometimes he sang lullabies, to calm her and half the time Kate falls asleep listening to him. He was pleased that he could help his pregnant partner to sleep.
Two weeks later, Declan got a letter from his mother requesting that he tell her everything about Kate, where they met, ect, and telling him how exited she and his father were to learn that they were going to grandparents. She thought that Maia was a beautiful name. She also told Declan that his father was looking forward to meeting Kate and Maia some day. Preferable soon. And when Maia is born could Declan please send them a lot of photos.