Love Child Chapter 5: Part 5, a london's burning fanfic

LONDON'S BURNING
Love Child ~ Part 5

"If you're gonna hit me, can we just get it over with?"

"I'm not going to hit you, Adam," Paul reassured him. "Six years ago I probably would have done! Were you there when… you know?"

"Yeah."

Adam had decided to phone Paul. Rachel had kept his address and phone number since she had been trying to convince him that he had fathered a child, all those years ago. Paul, strangely enough, had agreed to meet up and reckoned he had to come to England anyway to sort out some business. They sat on the patio of a riverside café, mutual ground. Adam had explained what had happened to Rachel. He had to keep pausing, the more he told the story the more real it became.

"But Chloe has never even met me!" Paul pointed out.

"She looks like you, if that's any help!" Adam offered.

"Really? You reckon?" Paul asked.

"Well, she doesn't look like me!"

"Oh, she must have been blessed then!"

"She is your daughter, Paul. We, me and Rachel, we only did it the once."

"Yeah, under Brighton Pier! You could have thought of somewhere more romantic couldn't you?!"

Adam shrugged. "It just happened."

"Yeah, I don't think I want to know the details!" Paul remarked. "I don't know what you expect me to do."

"She needs her father, her real father."

"Have you told her about Rachel?"

"I tried, I don't think she really understands."

"I've got a new family," Paul started. "Back at home, wife, two kids. Chloe… she's not part of my life."

"Just meet her," Adam begged. "She's a great kid."

"She had a great mother."

"Yeah," Adam agreed. "Yeah she did. Will you come and meet her?"

"What if she doesn't like me?"

Adam shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I'm gonna have to call Social Services. I don't want that, but… I can't look after a child, it's not practical with work and the pub… and it's not me!"

Paul nodded. "I'll meet her," he agreed.

The first meeting between Paul and Chloe didn't go exactly as planned. Chloe, it seemed, had finally had enough of being passed from pillar to post, from stranger to stranger. She refused to talk to Paul, and when she did speak to her father it was only to be rude to him. Adam found it difficult to discipline her, it really made him see that he was not cut out for the parenting lark, especially to a kid who was extremely likely not to be his.

Adam had no choice but to involve Social Services. Chloe was taken to a foster home. He went to visit her when he could. She was happy to see him but couldn't understand why she couldn't live with him. After all, her mum had been able to cope. He had no real answers for her. When he tried mentioning Paul, she would just throw a wobbler and storm off. He tried to make her see that she should give her father a chance.

It took a bit of convincing to bring Paul back to England. This time he brought his family, after explaining the situation to his wife Caroline. As it turned out, Caroline was much more equipped to deal with Chloe and pointed out that the girl was probably just missing her mother! She didn't seem to mind the fact that her husband had another child he had never told her about. In fact, she had known Rachel, they went to school together back in New Zealand.

They took Chloe out a few times. She ended up being their tour guide of London, after learning all about the certain places from her various school trips and the outings Uncle Adam had taken her on.

He was happy when she started to warm to her new family.

"So it's today then?" Hyper asked as he and Adam checked over the ALP at the start of duty.

"Yep," he didn't really want to talk about it.

"You're going to miss her aren't you?" Hyper noted.

Adam nodded. "Sometimes I felt like she was my own, you know?"

"Um, no I can't say I do!"

"I suppose it's the nearest I'm ever gonna get."

"Join the club, mate!"

Adam grinned.

"Hey," Hi-Ho butted in to their conversation. "Didn't you have a decorating job on not so long ago?"

"I thought you didn't want any part in that?" Hyper pointed out.

"I didn't, but er… something's come up," Hi-Ho replied. "You haven't done it yet have you?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, Hi-Ho, I have been a little busy these past few weeks!" Adam reminded him.

"Is it still on then or not?" Hi-Ho pressed.

"I dunno. Give them a call and find out," Adam offered. "You can take the job if you like. Wendy's Nurseries, I've got the number somewhere."

"Right, yeah I will, cheers!" Hi-Ho seemed happy with the prospect of earning loads of money.

"Um, did you say Wendy's Nurseries?!" Hyper asked as Hi-Ho went off towards the BA room.

"Yeah, why?" Adam turned his attention back to checking the operation of the ALP.

"I just thought you told us it was a children's nursery."

"Yeah, it is isn't it?"

"Er… no, Wendy's Nurseries is a garden centre!" Hyper pointed out.

"Is it?!" Adam asked, he hadn't known.

Hyper nodded.

"Oh…" Adam paused. "Perhaps they wanted flower arrangers then…"

They both burst out laughing as the bells went down.

They refused to let Hi-Ho in on the joke as they scrambled into the appliances to attend a fire in a block of flats. Lights flashing, two tones blaring, Blue Watch pulled out of the station on to the busy road and headed for the fire.

Later that evening, Adam would be saying his final farewells to Chloe as she left for her new life in New Zealand with her father, on the eve of her seventh birthday.