Book Three, Part Seven: Lunch with Derek

Mia's Point of View

"So…" He trailed off. I knew he was nervous. We were sitting in the cafeteria on the ground floor. They had better French fries. They tried to serve healthy crap in the cafeteria on the surgical floor. Guess so the people didn't reclog their arteries after having their tickers worked on. They apparently didn't care down here.

I dipped the aforementioned French fry in my ketchup and took a bite.

"Look this doesn't have to be any more awkward than it has to be. I mean, I know it must kind of suck to have this dropped on you but…" I took a deep breath. "Mom didn't want to tell you. She is scared, I think. I don't know why. I don't love you more than her. Heck, I don't even know you."

"I want to know you." He said.

"Good." I smiled in relief.

"What do you want to talk about?" He asked eagerly.

"Why did you leave my mom?" I asked.

His eyes bugged out for a moment and I couldn't help but think he resembled a frog. I almost expected a 'ribbet' to come from him. I smothered a giggle at my inane thoughts.

"Boy, you don't start off easy, do you?" He asked, clearing biding time.

"When it is about why I have never met you up until yesterday and why you didn't know I existed, then no, I won't start off easy." I said honestly.

"Are you sure you are only fifteen?" He asked in amazement.

"Yeah. Unfortunately." I said.

"No, don't try to grow up too fast. Especially now." His eyes saddened. "I have missed so much."

"Why?" I asked insistently. "Weren't you happy with Mom?"

"Very. I love your mother very much." He sighed.

"Then why did you leave her? And don't think I didn't notice the present tense Mister. I will come back to that in a minute." I warned him.

"You are so like your mom." He smiled.

"Quit deflecting." I said.

"I had a choice to make. It was very difficult, but it would have ultimately put your mom in danger, and I would rather have let her go on without me than see her hurt because of me."

"Don't you see? She was hurt. You broke her. She tries to hide that from me, but I know her too well. I saw pictures of you two. She has them in her closet. She has this…light in her eyes in them but I have never seen it for myself. I think that maybe you were her light and when you left you took it with you. I don't know." I mused.

"I never intended to do that to her. I really thought I had made the best choice for her."

"See that is where you went wrong." I rolled my eyes. "You don't make choices for other people. Do you know what I would do if Jake did that to me?"

He glared at the mention of my boyfriend.

"And I am not going to tell you right now." I said quickly. "Where was I? Oh! Yeah. You should have gone to her, told her the situation which I still don't know, and you obviously aren't going to tell me, and let her decide for herself." I concluded with a satisfied nod. Now if only calculus could be so easy.

"She would have chosen me. And I don't know what would have happened then." He told me.

I gave him a 'duh' look. Grown-ups were so stupid.

"You would have been with her, you would have helped her through her pregnancy, you would have seen me coming out of my mom's vajayjay instead of fourteen years later when I have already started menstruating and have a boyfriend that obviously has you worked up. You would not be with the Glamazon you are currently hitched too though she seems nice as far as stepmothers go…no hairy warts, that's a plus. My point is and I do have one, is that things would have been so different if you would have given her some input." I said.

Okay, dude looked shellshocked. Wonder if it was because he realized that A) I said vajayjay, I informed him I have my period every month cause really, what father doesn't want to know about THAT?, or C) He still has to tell Red about me.

My guess is D, all of the above.

I cringed. Sometimes I am too much like Mom.

I waved my hand in front of his face.

"Um…Derek?" I said.

He snapped out of it then.

"Sorry. This is just so much to take in at once. I never thought I would ever get to be a father and you are sitting here and you are so perfect, smartm beautiful and I just realized that your mom is right. I don't deserve it. I don't deserve you." He said sadly.

"Try not to go all emo on me, okay?" I asked.

"Emo?"

"You know, emotional?" He stared at me blankly. I just shook my head. "It is teenage lingo. Look, I want to spend time with you. That is my choice and one no one but me gets to make for myself. So just stop the poor pitiful me thoughts, okay? So, tell me about my family." I demanded.

"What do you want to know?" He asked.

"Everything." I breathed. I loved the family I had grown up with, but I knew from what Mom had told me that he had a large one.

"Well my mom, your grandmother, is Carolyn. I have four sisters; Kathleen, or Katie, Nancy, Amber and Mel, or Amelia. All are doctors except Mel, who is a cop."

"Why a cop?" I asked. It seemed odd in a family full of medical professionals.

"She and I watched your grandfather get shot. He died. It affected both of us, but whereas I became a doctor, she went to the legal side of things. We are each making a difference in different ways. She just gets to beat up on people while I get to fix them once she is done bashing their heads in." He laughed.

"And Grandma?" I asked.

"Nurse for twenty-seven years."

I nodded.

"Are you going to tell them about me?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Of course. Ma is going to be so thrilled."

"Do I have cousins?" I asked.

"Yes. You have five and one more on the way. Katie has three and Nancy has two and a half. They are all five and under though." He said.

"That's okay. Laura is two." I shrugged.

"Laura?"

"Yeah my cousin from Mom's sister, Molly."

He looked confused.

"Her stepsister. Well, one of them. You might have met the other one already, Lexie Pratt?"

He nodded.

"Yeah she is a good doctor, very smart." He said.

"Yeah, Lex is great. So, when are you going to tell your wife?" I asked hesitantly.

"When I get home, I guess. Though I could just do it here. Worked for your mom." He said.

"Where else would she have told you? Did you think she would ask you out to dinner or over to her house? The house she shares with Uncle Mark? Yeah I can see that." I said sarcastically.

"I know. I'm sorry. It has just been a day."

"Bad?" I asked.

"No, amazing. You are amazing." He smiled softly. "How do you want this to go?"

"I want to spend time with you, alone, but we can spend time with your wife as well. She needs to get to know me too, I guess if I am going to be a part of your life. I hope she isn't too upset about it. Don't want to cause problems, ya know? But you have to let her know something. She will not be a replacement for Mom. My loyalty is to her. I always wanted to know you, but I never really felt anything was missing. I don't mean to sound rude but my whole life is wrapped up in her." I told him earnestly.

"She did an amazing job with you." He said.

"She is an amazing woman. Speaking of which, you love her? As in present tense?" I asked, my eyebrow raised.

He groaned.

"Can we not talk about that right now?" He pleaded.

"Okay, we can talk about Jake." I faked enthusiasm.

"Let's not talk about him, either." He growled.

"How about that rain?" I mocked.

"You are funny. Really…" He teased.

My phone rang, and I dove for it. I was a teenager after all.

"Hey Mom. What? No, I am fine. Where am I? Um…eating lunch. Um…I am with Derek." I held the phone away from my ear and smiled apologetically at my father. "Mom…Mom…Mom! Thank you. Sheesh. I am fine and I will be back in a few minutes. Deep breaths Mom. Everything is fine. What? He what?" I shot him a glare. "Mom I will talk to you later, okay. Give me a few minutes. Love you. Bye." I hung up and calmly put my phone down. "That was Mom."

"I gathered." He said.

"You threatened to take her to court to take me away from her?" I asked.

"I did but I was angry. I would never do that, I promise." He said.

I nodded.

"I meant what I said. I am not going to be in the middle, so all of you including your wife and Mark better grow up fast. I am old enough to make certain decisions and I don't want one of them to be between you and Mom, because I will choose her every time." I told him.

He nodded.

"Okay. I need to go reassure my mom. You need to go tell your wife and family. Give me your phone." I demanded.

"My phone?"

"Yes, that thing with buttons on it that you talk into?" I remarked.

He rolled his eyes and handed it over.

"God, how old is this thing?" I frowned at his Motorola Razor. "You seriously need to upgrade. I just met you and already you are embarrassing me."

"Just do what you are going to do." He rolled his eyes with a smile.

"I am trying. I don't know how to work it. Is that Sanskrit?" I teased, adding my info and then pushing send. My phone rang and I silenced it and added his info to mine. "Now we can stay in touch." I said proudly.

"Good. So, can I call you tonight?" He asked.

"Sure. Nine okay?" I asked.

"Isn't that kind of late?" He frowned.

"Yeah, for a six-year-old." I said pointedly.

"Ah, then nine is perfect." He said. He just stood there like he was scared. So, I made it easy for him and threw my arms around him.

"I am glad you are here." I whispered against his chest.

"I am too. You have no idea how glad." He whispered.

I think I had an idea if his words had any meaning to them.

He still loved my mom.

Now what did I do with that information?