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Chapter 14

Jace offered, "So how did you two meet?"

Olivia and Natalia looked at each other and gave very knowing smirks to each other.

Natalia started, giving a head nod toward Olivia, "She tried to steal my husband."

"I was dying and did not want to die alone." Olivia replied in a defensive tone.

"He wouldn't leave me for her. He was just about Olivia's only friend. She wasn't a nice person back then." Natalia said sarcastically.

Olivia and Natalia mood changed and became more somber as they continued alternating comments in their story.

"I was in the hospital near death, I needed a heart transplant. He was rushing to the hospital to see me before it was too late."

"He was in a motorcycle accident. The head trauma was too severe…he died. He was a tissue match to Olivia and I eventually consented to give his heart to her."

"I didn't find out until after the surgery that he had died and I got his heart. Gus." Olivia said softly.

"Gus." Natalia added softly reaching over to take Olivia's hand in hers and they naturally intertwined their fingers.

"I didn't want it, his heart. I blamed myself and did not want to live. This one here, she wouldn't give up on me. No matter how hard I fought to die, she fought harder to keep me alive. She won. I found the will to live again."

"Over time, our relationship changed and we started becoming friends. Then Olivia had a set back, she had a heart attack. I thought I had lost her."

"I needed help, to recover and help with Emma, my youngest daughter and help with the Beacon. I had to nearly die to get my Princess here to accept my job offer as my assistant."

"I did take the job, but Olivia still needed more help than that. I asked her to move in here. As a border, she could help with the mortgage and then I could take care of her and Emma, allowing her the time she needed to fully recover."

"We became best friends and before we knew what had happened, we had fallen in love. It wasn't an easy road, we fought it, people were hurt; but we had created a wonderful family here and neither of us was willing to give it up." Olivia continued.

"So we got through all the obstacles of telling our family, our friends and were able to move forward with our lives; marrying, expanding our family." Adds Natalia.

"Wow, sounds something like a TV movie." Jace comments.

"In more ways that one." Replies Olivia.

"So, tell us more about you." Natalia asks.

"Well, mom and I started out in Texas. My step dad was from Nashville. Shortly after he and my mom married, he took a job that brought him back to Nashville. He had two brothers and a sister. So I grew up with cousins. We lived in the country, so most of my summers were spent roaming the woods of the property. I was very much the tom boy, into sports, riding motorcycles, etc. My step dad died when I was 13, cancer. When I was 16 I decided to become a doctor. I originally was going to specialize in Oncology, but after my surgical rotation, I fell in love with surgery."

"Anyone special, a boyfriend?" Olivia asks.

Both she and Natalia notice a solemn look come across Jace's face. Her head drops. She takes a deep breath.

"The last year of my residency, I met a woman, Becca. We hit it off from the start, love at first sight. She was a medivac pilot; she flew helicopters on search and rescue missions. We met when I began volunteering to be the ride along doctor. Within a year we were living together and we had merged our lives together in everyway. She was my wife. We both wanted children. We went the sperm donor route and I carried the baby. It was easier for me to continue working than Becca given her occupation."

Jace turned to reach into her bag; she pulled out her wallet and slipped a couple of photos out.

"We have a son, Connor. He's 10." Jace says and she slides the photos across the table to Olivia and Natalia. One is a recent school photo of Connor; the other a family portrait, a few years old based on the differences in Connor between the photos.

"Becca was very outdoorsy. She loved camping, hiking and such. About 3 years ago, she and I were supposed to join some of our friends on a rock climbing trip in Colorado. At the last minute, I had to work and I had to skip the trip. She had the highest certification you can have for rock climbing, search and rescue. So she was the anchor – bring up the rear. There were some inexperience climbers on the same side of the mountain as her group. They kept shifting their route and were getting closer to Becca's group. Too close. They had a problem with their rigging and the other group fell and became entangled with the rigging of Becca's group. The only thing that was holding all the climbers was Becca's line. Becca knew that there was too much weight on the line; they were all going to die if she didn't do something. As you can see from the photo, she was tall and muscular. She could definitely hold her own against any man. She made the choice to cut the line and save the group. I am thankful she didn't suffer."

Both Natalia and Olivia were trying to hold back the tears. Jace took several deep breaths.

"Connor and I we got through it, it was hard. I was so glad to have my mom and my step dad's family. He's quite the little man. He's really been a comfort to me since mom died."

"I'm so sorry to hear about your wife, to lose her so suddenly." Natalia offers as she gets up to hug Jace.

Olivia follows suit; after Natalia pulls away, Olivia leans in to hug Jace as well. Olivia had the feeling of contentment, that this was right. This is her sister and she is supposed to be here now in Olivia's life. They separate and each returns to the seats.

"So no one since Becca?" Olivia asks.

"Not really, I've dated some, just haven't met Mrs. Right; but I do believe she is out there, that there is another someone for me. I just have to find her." Jace replies.

"How long do you think you can stay in Springfield? How soon do you have to get back for work? Olivia asks.

"Well, I wasn't sure how long this trip would take. I took a 6 week leave of absence from the hospital. I thought that if I did find you and that you did turn out to be my sister, that I might be able to stay a while and get to know you. Planning for the best but was trying not to get my hopes you, you know?"

"What about Connor? 6 weeks away from your son?' Natalia asks.

"Well, I can go home as often as I need to and I thought he might be able to come up on the weekends to visit. He is supportive of me and the quest to find my father's family. He's excited as well, to find out if he has Aunts, Uncles and cousins."

Jace looks at her watch, "Speaking of which, he should be home from school now. He is staying with my Aunt Ginny. I'm going to go call him and tell him the news."

Jace gets up from the table and heads into the living room. Just then Olivia's cell rings.

"It's Sam." She says.

After the respective phone calls are completed everyone returns to the kitchen. Jace starts first, "Connor is sooo excited. He wants me to take pictures of everyone and email them to him so he can see his new relatives."

"That can be arranged." Natalia replies.

"That was Sam. He was, to say the least, shocked. He never really knew our father. He died shortly after Sammy was born. I guess over the years, the stories that Marissa and I told him; well he put him on a pedestal in his mind. He is excited though, anxious to meet you. He is in Bangkok right now. He is trying to finish up a photo shoot so he can be here when the baby is born." Olivia relays the phone conversation.

"So if you don't mind me asking…You each have kids? And now another one…sperm donor?

"Yes, both Natalia and I had kids early."

"We were both pregnant at 16. My family disowned me, but I kept Rafe and raised him by myself."

"My mother had just past and it was just Marissa and Sammy, so I decided to give my baby girl up for adoption. We found each other several years ago. Her name is Ava." Olivia says as she reaches for a photo of Ava and Emma to show Jace. Then she continues, "I had married a man, had Emma and then we divorced.

"We decided fairly quickly after we had married that we wanted more children. We went the sperm donor route as well. Sam donated the sperm. So we are really having a Spencer-Rivera baby." Natalia adds.

Just then the kitchen door opens and Rafe enters and was caught a little off guard to see everyone in the kitchen.

"Oh, hey."

"Come in, sweetie. We have some news for you." Natalia says.

He comes around to the empty chair between his Ma and Jace and sits.

"What's up?"

"We got the DNA test results back. Jace is Olivia's sister."

"Wow, this is a good thing, right?"

"Yes, Rafe, it is very much a good thing." Olivia replies.

The night, Olivia called Ava. She was excited to hear the news. The following day, Natalia and Olivia told Emma; who of course had tons of questions. That night Jace was back over for supper and to meet Emma. Jace did her best in answering all of her questions.

By the end of the week, the last DNA test results had come again. It was the same conclusion, positive for the same paternal markers. Jace had made arrangements for Connor to join her that weekend in Springfield. He had family to meet.

He got along great with everyone, especially Emma. It was like they had been best friends all their life. They were getting along so well, Olivia and Natalia let him stay the night with them so he could get to know Emma and Rafe better. Come Sunday, it was hard for Jace to say goodbye. She wanted to stay a while longer in Springfield. She was hoping to meet Sam when he finally made it to town.

Jace wanted to thank them for the hospitality that they showed Connor, she asked to take them to dinner. They said that was not necessary, but Jace insisted. They decided they would go the next night to Towers.

Just as they were entering Towers they ran into a few people they knew. Olivia and Natalia made the introductions for Jace. Folks were a little surprised, or course, but otherwise glad that the sisters had found each other. They had finished their meal and were waiting on dessert and coffee when Natalia spotted Doris Wolfe making her way towards them.

"Don't look now, but there is a Wolfe headed are way." Natalia announces.

TBC

Teaser, everything happens for a reason...