A/N: Thank you to everyone for your reviews, PM's, favourite author and story adds. I haven't had a lot of time to respond personally this week because my daughter is home from university for Easter. Your comments are appreciated more than you could ever know and I thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read this story.
Huge thanks as always to Purdy's Pal, DaisyDay and Jedi Skysinger for reading through parts of this for me.
Happy Easter everyone
10
Fiona was pulled from her slumber to something brushing against her face. Squeezing her eyes closed she turned her head into the pillow to try and escape the feathery intrusion but it seemed to follow her. Taking a deep breath she cracked open one eye and blinked away the light that stole her vision for a few moments until she focused on the little girl who was standing beside the bed.
"Caitlin?" she asked quickly as she reached out to stroke her arm. "Hey…"
For a moment Caitlin stood motionless causing Fiona to shift upwards to lean on her elbow. At first she thought the little girl may have had a bad dream but when she saw how her cheeks were flushed and her eyes brimming with tears, she pushed the last vestiges of sleep away and blinked to try and focus. "Are you okay?"
"Mammy," Caitlin whimpered, "I'm sorry I didn' mean ta do it—"
When Caitlin began to sniffle and back away, Fiona pulled the sheet around herself and sat up to reach for her hand. "Baby what's wrong?"
Michael opened his eyes when Fiona shook him awake and he blindly reached out to lay his hand on her bare back before he lifted his head to see their daughter beside the bed.
"What's going on?" he asked, still groggy as he wrestled with the pull of sleep. "Is she okay?"
"I don't know," Fiona told him as she shifted backwards, securing the sheet around her before she tugged Caitlin towards her. "What's wrong baby?"
"I'm sorry," Caitlin's eyes filled with tears when she slowly stepped closer only to dissolve into sobs when she flung her arms around her mother.
Fiona and Michael shared worried looks before Fiona pulled her up onto the bed and wrapped her arms around her, instantly feeling the wetness seeping through the material of the dress she had fallen asleep in. "It's okay," Fiona soothed as she placed soft kisses onto her daughters head before she turned to the man beside her to mouth that their daughter had wet her bed.
Sitting up beside them, Michael slid backwards to rest against the headboard, thankful that he'd thought to pull his pyjama bottoms on when he went to the bathroom earlier. Reaching out to lay his hand over Caitlin's back he smoothed his fingers over her shoulders. He'd only known her for three days but already he had grown attached and he couldn't ever picture his life without her or Fiona anymore. Her presence had cast aside every difference he and Fiona had fought over and replaced those arguments with joyful understanding. They worked as a team, growing closer to each other as well as their little girl, and he knew he didn't want to dwell on what life was like before her.
"Caitlin, it was an accident…it's not worth crying over."
Catlin lifted her head when she heard her father's voice and launched herself towards him, clinging to his torso when he pulled her in between him and Fiona, both of them trying their best to reassure her.
"Bu' Aunt Marie said ya wouldn' wan' me if I did it…" she wailed, "I'm sorry mammy…don' make me go…"
Fiona's eyes flared with fury when Caitlin moved away from her father to cling to her, sobbing against her shoulder. It wasn't enough that her family had caused this whole mess but Marie had gone one step further to plant ideas in her daughter's head. She tried to think of something to say to tell their daughter that it was okay when Michael leaned closer towards her shoulder.
"You're not going anywhere," he told her, keeping his voice soft as he spoke. "Not without your mom or me, okay?"
Caitlin lifted her head slowly and looked at her father with big round tears falling down her cheeks. Seeing his little girl so upset sent Michael's protective instincts into overdrive and he vowed to whoever was listening that the Glenanne family would pay for what they had done to his family. Reaching forward he swiped his thumb across her damp cheek, wiping the wetness away.
"O..kay…" she sniffed, her breath catching as she offered him a slow smile. "I…don' want ta…go…"
"You're staying right here with us," Fiona told her when she placed a kiss against her ear. "Why don't you go to the bathroom and start taking your wet things off and I'll draw you a bath."
Caitlin sniffed and looked up at her mother with big wide eyes. "Yer no' sendin' me away?"
Fiona swallowed hard as she tried not to let the anger she felt burn through to her eyes. This little girl had changed her life the second she came into the world and she was pretty sure that Michael was thinking that way too. She could feel him shift beside her and turned her head to watch him climb out of bed.
"You're staying here with us," Fiona told her with a reassuring smile. "Okay?"
Caitlin sniffed hard and swiped her face with the back of her hand before she offered her parents a slow smile. Nodding her head she took a step back and waited for a few seconds for her father to come around to sit on the side of the bed beside her.
"Do you need me to help you change?" he asked her in a voice that Fiona hadn't heard since she had been injured when she'd made her escape from O'Neill. It was a voice he usually only reserved for her, and now that she saw the look of adoration in his eyes, she knew without a doubt that they were all going to get through this.
Caitlin looked up at him and sniffed before she shook her head. "I can do it," she told him as she looked down at the dress she wore and unfastened a button before she looked up at him with a triumphant smile. "See?"
Michael looked towards Fiona and patted her sheet clad leg affectionately when she leaned in closer towards him, meeting him half way to press a lingering kiss onto his lips, only pulling away when Caitlin erupted into a fit of giggles when she leaned on the bed.
"Yer kissin' mammy," she chuckled as she held a hand to her mouth.
Fiona and Michael kept their foreheads together when they turned to look at her, both of them casting her a wide smile. Moving backwards, Michael gave Fiona's hand a squeeze before he stood up and ushered Caitlin out of the room.
"Come on, let's go and start the bath while your mom gets dressed."
"Can I have bubbles?" Caitlin asked excitedly when she gazed up at him in adoration when he held his hand on her head.
"Anything you want honey," he told her when he glanced back at Fiona who was still sitting in the bed and flashed her a wide smile.
Fiona watched the door close before she swung her legs over the side of the bed and reached for her robe. First Michael was volunteering for bath duty and now he was calling his daughter honey? Michael Westen was still full of surprises. Slipping the robe over her shoulders, she pulled the material together and tied it tight before she opened the door and moved towards the sounds of her giggling daughter.
000
Michael stared into the dark coloured liquid in Fiona's tea cup, lost in his thoughts. In three days he had become a father and turned into a man who had lost sight of the things that had been so important to him only a week ago. He had no idea how things had changed so quickly or when his priorities had altered…but he wouldn't walk away this time.
He knew that Fiona still doubted he wanted to be with her purely because he wanted to. He knew she watched his interactions with their daughter with a hint of sadness in her eyes but he couldn't seem to be able to tell her those words she needed to hear from him. He loved her, she must know by now how much he loved her. He wasn't a man who could spout out those romantic words so easily as other men, but he'd tried to show her in other ways.
He had so much to be thankful for. Fiona had given him a life, something he hadn't had before she came into it. Those days back in Ireland had been the best days of his life; he just hadn't been able to tell her what she had done for him. How could he tell her that she'd taken a man who thought he was incapable of feeling anything for anyone and moulded him into the man he was today. He was a better person because of her, and even though she thought he would have willingly given her up and walked away, the truth was, leaving her had never been an easy decision.
Caitlin's laughter echoed around the room when he heard the splash of water from the bathroom. She was singing loudly and creating a mess by the sounds of it, but when he heard Fiona singing along with their daughter he could already feel the regrets from the past beginning to melt away. It was time he showed her he could be a committed man who would stop at nothing to protect his family. She deserved to know that walking away from her had impacted his life to leave a gaping hole where his heart used to be. She had always been the one and only woman in his life, he just had to find a way to make her understand.
He waited until she was in a deep sleep beside him before he let his eyes linger over her beautiful face. He could already feel the beating of his heart thundering inside his chest when he slowly edged his body away from her. Every movement shattered something inside him and he was fighting a battle with his rebelling heart. As soon as he'd got the call to leave his mind had closed off and his body had shut down completely; he didn't want to leave her.
When he managed to move one leg out of the bed to plant his foot onto the floor, he turned his head to see if his movements had disturbed her, but she hadn't stirred. He was caught in between relief and despair. Part of him wanted her to wake up and ask him what he was doing, but she didn't move. She had been so tired lately and sleeping heavier that she used to. Some kind of male pride surged through his senses to bring the memories of their last bout of lovemaking to the forefront of his mind. He had made love to her slowly, taking his time to worship her welcoming body. He knew for as long as he lived there would never be another woman who could make him feel the way Fiona did.
Closing his eyes against the sudden well of moisture gathering there, he shifted his other leg until he could slide slowly out of the bed. Bending silently, he picked up his pants from the floor and tiptoed across to the wardrobe to pull out the bag he'd packed as soon as he'd got the call, and slowly pulled it out. He held his breath when the edge of the bag scraped across the wooden door and slammed his eyes closed, waiting for the inevitable movement from the woman behind him, but she didn't wake up.
He opened his eyes a few seconds later and turned back around to look over her features one last time, already feeling the well of emotion drowning out the thundering in his heart. He had never felt like this before and he didn't know how to control these feelings that were rampaging throughout his body. Before she came into his life he wouldn't have thought twice about leaving. Part of his job was to use his assets, take what he needed and leave before they knew what had happened, but with Fiona…
Swallowing hard he shook himself and ripped his eyes away from her sleeping form. He had orders and he was duty bound to follow them. He knew that if he stayed she would be sucked into his lies and deceits, treated in the same way as he would be, but he wasn't going to let that happen. He had to break her heart to save her and maybe in time she would understand that.
Clasping his clothes and bag tightly towards him he crept towards the door and pulled it open to step outside into the darkened living room. Glancing back one last time he felt his heart break when he saw the woman he loved still encompassed in slumber, oblivious to what he was about to do.
With a heavy heart he pulled the bedroom door closed, creating a barrier between his world and hers, knowing that he would regret this day for the rest of his life. Placing his bag onto the floor he pulled on his clothes, not bothering to make sure anything was fastened. His fingers shook as he moved, as if his body was fighting against him. Taking a deep breath he took one last look around before he grabbed the bag and headed towards the door…
The sound of the bathwater emptying brought him out of his thoughts as he glanced down at the tea he had made for Fiona. He knew so many things about her without even having to think about them. Back in Ireland he knew how she liked her tea and he'd even started taking it the same way for the time he was there. She used to like milk and sugar and even though it was something he wasn't used to, he drank it because she did. Even after he'd left her, when the façade of Michael McBride was no longer needed he still drank his tea with milk and sugar, not because he liked it but because it reminded him of her. It wasn't until Sam pointed it out to him when they met up a few months later that he realised what he'd been doing. He pushed her as far away from his mind as he could, removing every memory of her until the day she'd barged right back into his life.
"Daddy," Caitlin's voice caused him to turn around, a smile already turning his lips upwards even before he saw her.
"Hey," he greeted when she padded barefoot into the room and ran towards him. With very little effort he lifted her into his arms and placed a kiss onto her cheek, causing her to giggle against him. He shivered slightly when the water droplets from her wet hair dripped onto his neck as she tightened her arms around his shoulders.
"Can we see Uncle Sam today?" she asked with a smile when she rested her cheek against his chin. "An' nana?"
Michael held her tightly against him and closed his eyes briefly before he looked down at her. "Why don't we see what your mom has planned today okay?"
"Okay," she beamed him a smile and tightened her hold on him as she turned her head to kiss him soundly. "Uncle Sam is funny…"
"Just don't tell Uncle Sam that baby," Fiona's voice echoed throughout the room when she came towards them. "It might go straight to his head!"
"Yer funny mammy," Caitlin giggled when Fiona approached them. "Are we goin ta tha beach?"
Fiona's eyes met Michael's briefly before she moved her hand to push a wet clump of hair away from Caitlin's cheek. "Not today sweetie, nana's going to come over in a little while and stay with you while daddy and me go and take care of something."
"But I want ta go too," Caitlin whined as she buried herself closer to Michael's chest. "I don' want ya ta go."
"It's only for a little while," Fiona told her as she laid a hand on her back. "Uncle Sam's coming too…"
Snapping her head up again Caitlin turned back to her mother. Gasping in an excited breath she turned back to Michael and hugged him tightly against her before she pushed herself backwards until he placed her back onto the floor. She jumped towards her mother and grabbed hold of her hands, swinging back and forth excitedly.
"I'm goin' ta get ma new book fer him ta read," she beamed as she bounced up and down. "An' we can play wit' ma dolls."
Fiona's eyes sparkled with delight when she thought of all the teasing she could inflict on him whenever he pissed her off. The thought of her friend brought a smile to her lips when she knew without a doubt that he would do anything that Caitlin asked him to do. He was one of the best men she'd ever know, even though she would never openly admit it to him. Lifting her eyes to Michael, she watched him silently as he looked at their daughter. So much had happened in such a short time, and if she was honest with herself she was more than a little surprised that he hadn't run away.
"Let's go and get your hair dried before they get here," Fiona smiled down at her daughter and held out her hand. "Then maybe when we get back we'll go out for ice cream."
"Yesss…" Caitlin bounced up and down as she grasped onto Fiona's hand, hopping all the way back to the bedroom.
Michael watched them as they left and slowly shook his head. This whole situation was like something out of a dream and he was half expecting to wake up at any moment. Not many people had been given a second chance and he knew he wasn't going to waste it this time. He'd hurt Fiona so many times in the past, and up until a few weeks ago he was still hurting her. He couldn't walk away from her now, even if he wanted to. She was still as much a part of his life now as she was back in Ireland, only this time he wasn't willing to give her up. His eyes lingered over the empty space where Fiona and Caitlin had stood only moments ago and knew that no matter what happened he was in this relationship forever…
000
The ride over to his mother's house had been made in virtual silence, both of them lost inside their own personal thoughts. Fiona's mind was racing and she didn't really know how to deal with this latest situation. How could she tell her daughter that the father she adored didn't live with them? Up until this morning the thought hadn't even crossed her mind but when Caitlin asked her if her father could read her a story when she went to bed, she hadn't known what to say. She wasn't used to Michael staying with her for so long, it was usually the odd night, but since Caitlin's arrival he hadn't left her house.
Her eyes dropped down to her fingers as she clasped and unclasped nervously. She hadn't realised what she was doing until his hand came across the seat to rest over hers, creating a chasm of dread to fill her heart. Clasping his hand in hers she shifted in her seat to look over at him, worry radiating from her in waves.
"She thinks you live with us," she blurted suddenly. "I didn't know how to tell her you didn't."
"Fi—"
"How am I going to explain it to her Michael?" she asked brokenly when her words cut through his. "She's already attached to you…how is she going to handle it when you…"
Her voice trailed away and she shifted in her seat to look out onto the road ahead. She was on a rollercoaster of emotions, dipping from high one moment and low the next. Caitlin had reawakened every ounce of love that she's forced away, bringing everything back in one swift wave. She hadn't realised how raw she was still feeling from Michael's abandonment all those years ago. In some way she blamed herself for that loss and maybe losing Caitlin too was a punishment for all of her sins…she didn't know anymore.
"I'm not leaving you to do this alone," his voice brought her eyes back to his and she blinked slowly as if she was trying to process his words. "We'll tell her together. We'll make her understand that nothing has changed."
"Of course it's changed Michael," she told him tiredly, all the fight gone from her voice. "Everything has changed…I'm not the same person I was three days ago and neither are you."
"Fiona," he sighed heavily and pulled the car to a stop outside his mother's house before he turned to her. "Whatever you're telling yourself, stop…okay…I told you I'm not walking away."
Fiona closed her eyes against his words and bit her bottom lip as she nodded her head slowly. Part of her was dreading hearing her brother's voice and the explanations that spouted out of his mouth. She felt betrayed…abandoned…confused all in one moment and she didn't know who to believe anymore.
Michael's hand closed around hers, bringing her attention back to him. Opening her eyes she swallowed the lump that was caught in her throat and turned her hand palm up to thread her fingers through his. Nodding her head she tried to smile but her mouth wouldn't seem to work.
"I can't lose her," she told him in a voice that sounded foreign to her own ears. "What other lies has Marie been feeding her?"
"I don't know," he sighed as his eyes dropped down to their joined hands briefly before travelling back up to meet hers. "Maybe it's time we found out…"
Fiona turned to look up at Madeline's house suddenly feeling dread welling in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't the nervous type, but after Caitlin's outburst earlier that morning she was more than a little afraid of what lies Marie had told her. Taking a deep breath she let it out slowly before she released Michael's hand and opened the door. It was time to put all of the past to rest.
Michael watched her worriedly when they made the slow walk towards his mother's house and fought the urge to reach for her hand. He knew she was hurting but she had never been a woman who would openly admit it to anyone, not even him.
"I'm okay Michael," she told him quietly when they reached the front door. "You don't have to keep looking at me like I'm about to explode."
"I'm not—"
"Yes you are," she snapped when she whirled around to face him. "Just stop, okay…I dealt with all of this on my own before you even knew about Caitlin so just…stop…"
Michael's eyes widened in surprise when she clamped her eyes closed before she reached out a hand to blindly grab his arm. Her eyes opened almost immediately and the pain he saw in them almost caused him to lose his breath.
"I'm sorry," she told him softly, shaking her head as she spoke. "This whole thing is just so screwed up…it's not your fault I messed up Caitlin's life."
Michael took a step towards her and slipped an arm around her shoulder. He'd been expecting some kind of melt down from her but up until now she'd seemed to embrace their situation without batting an eye. It was in these moments when she dropped her façade and allowed him to see just how scared she really was, that he really understood what she was going through.
He had caused this whole thing years ago when he'd left their bed in the middle of the night. His actions had set off the chain reaction that had led to years of misery for both of them but if it took everything he had, it was going to end right now.
"You didn't cause this," he told her as he pressed a kiss against her temple. "I did."
"What?" she asked when she sniffed back the emotion that was already causing havoc inside her body. Lifting her eyes to his she shook her head and leaned into him, "It's not your fault I wasn't strong enough to fight my family…"
Michael's eyes snapped shut when years of regret washed over him. Whatever paths they had both chosen to take all those years ago had eventually led them back to each other. He'd never been a believer in fate before but that day in Germany when he'd met up with her again, his perspective had changed.
Stepping closer towards her he opened his eyes and wrapped his arms around her in a brief embrace before he stepped away again to squeeze her shoulder reassuringly.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked her in a soft voice that he'd only reserved for her. She turned to glance up at him and nodded silently, a determined spark lighting her eyes.
Squeezing her shoulder he pushed the door open and stepped across the fresh hold keeping his arm around her. She'd needed his support even if he was five years too late, but from now on the Glenanne's had to know that Fiona wasn't alone in this battle anymore.
"Fiona," Sean's voice came from the main room. "Michael's ma said ya wa' on yer way over."
"Yeah," she nodded, suddenly feeling her confidence returning. Turning to the man beside her she reached up to his hand on her shoulder and squeezed his fingers before she stepped away from him to turn towards her two brother's. Almost instantly she could see the guilt radiating from both of them especially when they both dropped their eyes, unable to face her.
After a few moments of silence, Sean took a deep breath and lifted his eyes to his sister and her boyfriend, still a little unsure of what to say. Tension still raged throughout the Glenanne family and when he'd called their mother to tell her what Marie had done she'd instantly wanted to talk to Fiona to beg her forgiveness for the years of torment she'd caused.
"I need ta talk ta her," his mother's voice sounded strained as she spoke. "Me poor girl has been sufferin' all these years an' I wa' tha one ta do it ta har."
"She's not in a fergivin' mood ma," Sean told her in a low voice. "Bu' I'll tell har ya wan' ta speak ta har."
"I shouldn' a forced har ta give har babby away…tell har Sean…tell har I need ta see har, I need ta talk ta har."
"I'll try ma but I wouldn' hold me breath…she's washed har hands a tha lot a us." He could hear his mother's voice break and then someone trying their best to comfort her until a different voice spoke into the phone.
"Tell har I'll be waitin' fer har call," Patrick's voice sounded as remorseful as his mother's but before Sean could answer the line grew silent and a computerised voice told him the other caller had left.
"Are ya ready ta talk ta ma?" Sean asked her cautiously when he got up from the sofa and moved towards her. "Ya know, she wants ta make things righ' between ya."
Michael watched his girlfriend's shoulders tense when Sean mentioned their mother. He knew that Fiona was a forgiving person and when she loved, she loved with everything she had. The subject of Colleen Glenanne was always one that she shut down immediately and he didn't know if she would ever be able to forgive her mother for helping Marie take Caitlin away from her. His eyes widened when everything seemed to move in slow motion when she suddenly sprang forward and delivered a punch to the underside of her brother's jaw to send him flying backwards onto the couch.
Michael rushed forward and pulled her backwards as he tried to calm her down but she brushed off his concern and pulled out of his arms. Her whole body shook with rage as slowly edge forward with fire flaring in her eyes.
"I told ya befer, don' ya ever speak har name again. She's no' me ma."
"Don' ya be throwin' yer fists at me woman…" Sean growled as he rubbed his chin when he got to his feet. His eyes blazed with anger and he moved towards her with his fist clenched, ready to retaliate but stopped in his tracks when the man standing behind his sister suddenly moved forward to cast him a warning glare. Unclenching his fist he turned away from the pair of them and berated himself for losing his temper. He'd vowed never to hit a woman but sometimes his sister just knew exactly which buttons to press. Taking a deep breath he turned back around to face her.
"She's our mother."
"Yeah, well she ain't mine," Fiona hissed as she moved forward again before Michael could stop her, ready to strike but Sean caught the balled fist in his hand before it could connect with his face again, shoving her backwards.
"ENOUGH…" he growled in frustration when he stepped away from her. "This ain't getting' us anywhere…yer angry an' ya have every right ta be but don' take it ou' on me."
"Why not?" Fiona snapped when she folded her arms across her chest. "Wha' did ya do ta help me Sean? Did ya tell Pat wha' Marie wa' doin' ta me babby? Well…did ya?"
Sean glanced back at Seamus who came to stand beside his brother and shook his head. "Wha' ya on about?"
"She fed me babby a pack a lies," Fiona told him, her voice coming out in a growl. "Caitlin thought we wa' goin' ta send har away because she wet har bed…are ya listenin' ta me now?"
"Fiona," Seamus shook his head and swallowed the lump in his throat when he glanced from his sister and then to the man who hovered by her side. So far McBride had remained silent but his eyes were already beginning to burn with rage and he knew it wouldn't take a lot to send him over the edge. "Ya need ta talk ta Pa'…he's tha only one who can tell ya wha' happened."
"Then ring him," she hissed angrily. "Ring him right now an' he can explain ta us why he le' his wife lie ta our daughter."
"I already did," Sean sighed as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "An' he's waitin' fer ya ta ring right now."
Fiona's whole body was shaking when she strode forward towards Seamus to snatch the phone from his hands without meeting his eyes. Her emotions were wreaking havoc inside her mind as she fought to hide the vulnerability from the man who came to stand by her side. She could feel Michael's eyes upon her when she looked down at her brother's number on the small screen, her thumb hovering over the call button.
Michael watched her for a few moments before he reached out to rest his hand on her shoulder, turning her slowly around to face him. He knew the two Glenanne brother's were watching their every move but he didn't care about them right now. Wordlessly he lifted his hand to her cheek, cradling her face in the palm of his hand while he stroked her skin with his thumb.
"You don't have to do this," he told her, his voice dropping to a whisper. "We can go home now, take Caitlin and leave…"
"Where would we go?" she asked in a quiet voice when she lifted her eyes to his. "You can't leave Miami and we can't take Caitlin away from your mom…"
"Fi—"
"No," she told him, silencing his words. "We need to end this now."
"Are you sure?"
Lifting her hand up to his on her face she moved his fingers to pull away from his touch. She saw his eyes cloud with worry when she took a step away from him, she needed to do this and end this chaos once and for all. When she finally pressed the call button and lifted the phone to her ear she stepped back towards him and let his presence calm her tattered nerves.
Fiona gasped in a breath when she heard Patrick's voice at the other end of the phone and suddenly lost all the power of speech. Lifting her eyes to the man before her she drew in a deep breath to finally speak her brother's name, his voice causing the anger to flare inside her once more.
"Ya have a lot a explainin' ta do Patrick Glenanne an' ya better start talkin' or I'll stomp my way back ta Ireland an' kill ya meslef, ya got tha'?"
"Fiona, I've been tryin' ta get hold a ya…Sean's been tellin' me about Marie an' I need ya ta understand tha' I didn' know anythin' abou' any adoption until O'Neill came back."
"An' tha's supposed ta make me fergive ya is it?" she asked bitterly. "Ya conspired against me tha lotta ya, so don't ya go an' think I'll be ready ta fergive ya anytime soon."
"I took care a ya babby didn' I?" he snapped back. "I sent har back ta ya."
"Ya shoulda sent har back ta me befer it came ta this," she seethed. "Ya kept har fer too damn long."
"I kept har safe!"
"By fillin' har head wit' lies?" Fiona growled angrily. "Yer misses an' yer mother took me child, I didn' willingly give har away…ya all forced me ta give har ta ya…Four years Patrick…four years ya kept har frem me, an' ya wa' goin' ta keep har…ya wa' goin' ta take har…" Fiona's eyes flooded with emotion that instantly spilled over onto her cheeks when Michael slid his hand down her arm to take hold of her hand.
He watched her worriedly when her bottom lip trembled as she clutched the phone against her ear and that was all it took for him to reach out and take it from her. Her eyes closed and she stepped towards him to bury her face in between his neck and shoulder, sinking into him when his arm came around her to pull him securely against him.
Lifting the phone to his ear he heard Patrick Glenanne yelling her name and he could already feel the swell of anger welling inside him. Fiona had been through too much alone and he was damned if he was going to let her go through all of this again.
"Patrick," he tried to keep his voice even as he spoke but after everything Fiona had been through at the hands of this man, he was finding it increasingly difficult to remain in control.
"Who is this?" Patrick asked angrily. "I want ta speak ta me sister."
"Yeah, well she's not up to talking right now," Michael told him as he clasped Fiona tighter. "So you can explain it all to me."
"An' who tha hell am I talkin' ta now? Me sister doesn' concern ya whoever ya are..."
"Oh I think it does concern me considering I'm Caitlin's father."
Patrick was silent for a few moments before he drew in a sharp breath. "McBride… Ya got a lot a nerve comin' back inta me sister's life after what' ya di' ta har—"
"What I did to her?" Michael asked, his voice growing louder when Fiona lifted her head to look up at him. "I left to save her; you took our daughter from her."
"Ya left har because yer a stinkin' coward McBride…ya lied ta har abou' bein' Irish an' ya lied ta us…I never trusted ya."
Fiona took a deep breath and held her hand out for the phone. She offered him a smile when he looked down at her worriedly but he trusted her enough to handle this. Pressing on the loud speaker he handed her the phone and stayed by her side when she looked down at the phone in her hand.
"I wan' ya out a me life Patrick," she spoke calmly and focused on the little girl who was waiting for them back at the house. "I wan' ya ta ferget all abou' me and Caitlin an' tell yer mother tha same…I don' need any a ya."
"I can' do tha' Fiona…" Patrick told her, his voice trailing off into a heavy sigh.
"Well ya don' get a choice…I don' wan' ya ta—"
"No Fiona…it's Marie, she—"
Fiona drew in a sharp breath and cut through his words before he could finish. "Don' ya be mentionin' har name ta me, Patrick Glenanne…don'—"
"She's gone," Patrick blurted, slicing through her words with regret etched in his own. "When I came back from ma's last night she wa' gone…Fiona…I think she's comin' fer tha babby."
The phone dropped from Fiona's fingers as if it had burnt her, landing onto the floor with a dull thud. Lifting her eyes to Michael's she felt his hand grasp hers tightly as he pulled her towards the door, neither of them looking back at the stunned faces of the men they left behind.
TBC