My eyes practically fell out of my head. Bryanne and her father were
sitting at the table in the lounge talking. I froze. It wasn't until
Bryanne spoke that I was able to move. I tried to convince myself that
Carter hadn't figured out he was Bry's father. But he wasn't stupid.
"Come on, Bry, let's go home." I walked around Carter, ignoring him completely, and scooped Bryanne into my arms.
"But Mommy," she said, wrapping her arms around my neck. "I was making a friend."
"Well you can make friends later," I said, more harshly than I had intended. Without even looking at Carter, I left the lounge.
We were in the ambulance bay before I heard him calling after me. I turned around. "What do you want?" I asked him.
"I need to talk to you," he said.
"There's nothing to say."
"Oh, you're wrong about that, Abby," he said with a wry smile on his face.
I just looked at him; I didn't know what to say. I had deprived him of the first four years of his daughter's life and he had every right to be furious. But I was scared of what effects that fury would have on me.
"Do you know my mommy?" Bry asked, climbing down from my arms.
Carter stared at her for moment. "We used to be friends," he said. "A long time ago. Before you were born."
Bry processed this. "Did you know my daddy?" she asked hopefully.
I grabbed her arm. "Come ON, Bryanne."
"Ow! Mommy you're hurting me," she said, jerking her arm away. There were tears in her eyes. So did mine. I hadn't meant to hurt her.
Carter was shaking his head. "You're not fit to have a child," he hissed. He squatted down so his face was level with Bryanne's. "Bryanne, my name is John. John Carter."
Bryanne gasped. "That's my daddy's name," she breathed. She looked up at me. I bit my lip to stop from crying. "Is John my daddy?" she asked me. All I could do was nod.
I watched as Carter held out his arms and Bry walked straight into them. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. He stood up and just stared at me.
I looked at the ground. When I looked back up Bry was looking at me. "Why were trying to take me away from Daddy?" she asked.
"Bry. . ."
"You said that if he ever came back I could see him. You said that."
She was right. I had. But I hadn't really believed he'd come back. "I was just a little surprised to see you talking to him, sweetie. I just need a little time to. . .figure this all out."
Carter put Bry on the ground but held onto her hand. "There's nothing for you to figure, Abby. I'm gonna make it easy for you. With your history and my lawyer, getting full custody of Bryanne should be no problem." He bent down and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you later, sweet pea."
Bry shook her head. "No, I wanna stay with you," she whined. I couldn't stop the tears from coming. I hated myself. I was crying in front of the two people who were not supposed to ever see me cry. And my four-year-old daughter hated me.
"I know, honey," Carter was saying. "But I'll come see you again. I promise. And, you know what? I can take you anywhere you wanna go."
"Disneyworld?!?" Bry said, excited. See had wanted to go since she saw a commercial on TV but I'd told her we couldn't afford it. . .which was true.
Carter nodded. "If you want. But you have go with your mother now, OK?"
Bry nodded and hugged Carter one last time. "Bye, Daddy."
I took her hand and lead her away.
************************************************
I sat at the kitchen table staring at a cup of coffee. He was going to take my daughter. I knew he'd be able to do it. But he had said I wasn't fit to be a mother. Maybe he was right. Maybe I wasn't. Maybe she'd be better off with Carter.
I heard a noise behind me. "What are doing up, baby?"
Bry shrugged. "Can you read me another story?" she asked me.
Normally I would have said no. It was almost midnight. But it occurred to me that this might be the last opportunity I had to read my baby girl and bedtime story.
"Sure, honey," I said, smiling. She reached up and I lifted her into my arms. I took her into her room and lay her on the bed. "Which story do you want?"
"Cinderella!" I picked up the book and started to read. "Once upon a time there was a little girl who had everything she could ever want. . .except a mother. . ."
Will Carter take Bryanne away from Abby? Will he realize that he loves her? Will everything just fall apart? Review and then I'll tell ya!
"Come on, Bry, let's go home." I walked around Carter, ignoring him completely, and scooped Bryanne into my arms.
"But Mommy," she said, wrapping her arms around my neck. "I was making a friend."
"Well you can make friends later," I said, more harshly than I had intended. Without even looking at Carter, I left the lounge.
We were in the ambulance bay before I heard him calling after me. I turned around. "What do you want?" I asked him.
"I need to talk to you," he said.
"There's nothing to say."
"Oh, you're wrong about that, Abby," he said with a wry smile on his face.
I just looked at him; I didn't know what to say. I had deprived him of the first four years of his daughter's life and he had every right to be furious. But I was scared of what effects that fury would have on me.
"Do you know my mommy?" Bry asked, climbing down from my arms.
Carter stared at her for moment. "We used to be friends," he said. "A long time ago. Before you were born."
Bry processed this. "Did you know my daddy?" she asked hopefully.
I grabbed her arm. "Come ON, Bryanne."
"Ow! Mommy you're hurting me," she said, jerking her arm away. There were tears in her eyes. So did mine. I hadn't meant to hurt her.
Carter was shaking his head. "You're not fit to have a child," he hissed. He squatted down so his face was level with Bryanne's. "Bryanne, my name is John. John Carter."
Bryanne gasped. "That's my daddy's name," she breathed. She looked up at me. I bit my lip to stop from crying. "Is John my daddy?" she asked me. All I could do was nod.
I watched as Carter held out his arms and Bry walked straight into them. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. He stood up and just stared at me.
I looked at the ground. When I looked back up Bry was looking at me. "Why were trying to take me away from Daddy?" she asked.
"Bry. . ."
"You said that if he ever came back I could see him. You said that."
She was right. I had. But I hadn't really believed he'd come back. "I was just a little surprised to see you talking to him, sweetie. I just need a little time to. . .figure this all out."
Carter put Bry on the ground but held onto her hand. "There's nothing for you to figure, Abby. I'm gonna make it easy for you. With your history and my lawyer, getting full custody of Bryanne should be no problem." He bent down and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you later, sweet pea."
Bry shook her head. "No, I wanna stay with you," she whined. I couldn't stop the tears from coming. I hated myself. I was crying in front of the two people who were not supposed to ever see me cry. And my four-year-old daughter hated me.
"I know, honey," Carter was saying. "But I'll come see you again. I promise. And, you know what? I can take you anywhere you wanna go."
"Disneyworld?!?" Bry said, excited. See had wanted to go since she saw a commercial on TV but I'd told her we couldn't afford it. . .which was true.
Carter nodded. "If you want. But you have go with your mother now, OK?"
Bry nodded and hugged Carter one last time. "Bye, Daddy."
I took her hand and lead her away.
************************************************
I sat at the kitchen table staring at a cup of coffee. He was going to take my daughter. I knew he'd be able to do it. But he had said I wasn't fit to be a mother. Maybe he was right. Maybe I wasn't. Maybe she'd be better off with Carter.
I heard a noise behind me. "What are doing up, baby?"
Bry shrugged. "Can you read me another story?" she asked me.
Normally I would have said no. It was almost midnight. But it occurred to me that this might be the last opportunity I had to read my baby girl and bedtime story.
"Sure, honey," I said, smiling. She reached up and I lifted her into my arms. I took her into her room and lay her on the bed. "Which story do you want?"
"Cinderella!" I picked up the book and started to read. "Once upon a time there was a little girl who had everything she could ever want. . .except a mother. . ."
Will Carter take Bryanne away from Abby? Will he realize that he loves her? Will everything just fall apart? Review and then I'll tell ya!