She found him on the Maru. He was staring at the coffee machine in the
kitchen like it would give him some of the answers he so desperately
needed.
"Hey," she whispered. She didn't want to speak. It was too close to
screaming.
"Hey," he answered without looking at her. She sat down beside him, not
touching him, not looking at him.
"I'm sorry," she said, barely audibly.
"What for?" He asked, although he knew the answer better than she did.
"For making this decision for you. She was your daughter and I had no right
not to tell you about her."
He nodded. She expected him to say something, anything, but he kept silent.
"I'm sorry," she repeated. He blinked. "I know, Chloe. And I want to think you were right. But apparently it doesn't matter what I want." An angry edge had crept into his voice. "What?" "I want children. I want lots of them. And I wanted to have them with you. I wanted to find us a place that was safe. I wanted to build a house for us. You could have gone to work and I would have taken care of the children. I would have built them toys and stuff." He paused and took a deep breath before he could continue. "That was the only dream I ever had about the future." "And now I destroyed that dream." She whispered. He nodded tiredly. "You know, I thought about telling you the whole time. Even when she was still alive. But I wanted to save you from this pain." He put one hand of his on hers. "I just wanted someone who looks like me. Someone where you can tell just by looking at them that they are related to me." Her eyes drifted onto the table and she looked like she didn't know whether to say anything. Finally, she shifted around a little and glanced up at him. "She looked like you," Chloe said. She pulled a flexi out of one of her pockets. "Here. These the only pictures I have of her." Harper smiled when he saw the pictures. "She really looked like me." He put an arm around her and pulled her closer. "You know when you die..." She put a finger on his lips. "Don't, okay? Don't tell me you won't be able to move or talk or to mourn me. I can't take this pain away." "Yeah, you can't," he said and they fell in silence.
"I'm sorry," she repeated. He blinked. "I know, Chloe. And I want to think you were right. But apparently it doesn't matter what I want." An angry edge had crept into his voice. "What?" "I want children. I want lots of them. And I wanted to have them with you. I wanted to find us a place that was safe. I wanted to build a house for us. You could have gone to work and I would have taken care of the children. I would have built them toys and stuff." He paused and took a deep breath before he could continue. "That was the only dream I ever had about the future." "And now I destroyed that dream." She whispered. He nodded tiredly. "You know, I thought about telling you the whole time. Even when she was still alive. But I wanted to save you from this pain." He put one hand of his on hers. "I just wanted someone who looks like me. Someone where you can tell just by looking at them that they are related to me." Her eyes drifted onto the table and she looked like she didn't know whether to say anything. Finally, she shifted around a little and glanced up at him. "She looked like you," Chloe said. She pulled a flexi out of one of her pockets. "Here. These the only pictures I have of her." Harper smiled when he saw the pictures. "She really looked like me." He put an arm around her and pulled her closer. "You know when you die..." She put a finger on his lips. "Don't, okay? Don't tell me you won't be able to move or talk or to mourn me. I can't take this pain away." "Yeah, you can't," he said and they fell in silence.