For two weeks Ryan's mind had been lingering over the thought of the Cohen's other child. He didn't want to seem nosy because it probably wasn't any of his business but he was desperately curious to find out more. Maybe it was the sympathy he felt for them; he didn't know. But his mind wouldn't rest until he knew a little more detail about this disaster that has caused his family endless heartbreak.
Talking to Kirsten was out of the question; he didn't want to be the cause of her steeping back over the edge again by bringing up distressing memories. He loved her too much to hurt her. Talking to Seth was always a challenge if you wanted to get a direct answer. So Ryan decided it was down to Sandy.
Expecting Sandy to be working in his office Ryan knocked on the door. "Come on in!" Sandy yelled. "Hey kid." Sandy said cheerfully, looking up from varnishing one of his surfboards.
"Aren't you meant to be working?"
"Aren't you meant to be at school?" Sandy said picking up his board.
"No classes till after lunch."
"No clients until after lunch." It seemed they both had reasonable excuses. "So what's on your mind?" Sandy asked Ryan as he walked behind his desk, board in hands.
"Um…It's probably none of my business…" Ryan hesitated, wondering if he made a mistake coming here.
"My business is your business kid." Sandy said, adjusting his board hanging up on the wall.
Ryan froze for a moment; not knowing what to say. After waiting for so long trying to find the right time to ask the questions he wanted answers to, he didn't know what to ask. "I heard Kirsten had another baby." Was all he could come out with.
Sandy turned around. "Seth finally told you about Kimmy huh?" In all honesty, Sandy didn't expect Seth to keep his trap shut for this long.
The hint of saddened look on Sandy's face made Ryan regret what he did. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have-"
"-Nah." Sandy interrupted. "I'd rather you talked to me than Kirsten."
"She's still not over it."
"Losing a baby is something you never get over."
"I know." Ryan exclaimed. That's right. He does knowSandy hadn't thought this would be the kind of thing he had in common with his son. "So what happened?" Ryan asked.
"New Year's Party of 1990, the ball dropped, a bing-bang-boom, 9 months later and Kirsten's in labour." Definatly a direct answer. "Then…we don't know" Sandy sighed. "I just remember being in the hospital room; Kirsten crying 'What's wrong with her? Why isn't she crying?'…The little ones heart just never started." He said patting Ryan's arm and shifting behind his desk, sorting some papers.
"You never held her?" Ryan said more as a question than a statement.
"One of the two things I regret."
"What's the other?"
"Having to live with never knowing what fully happened." After a second Sandy smiled. "But hey, that was 14 years ago. I try not to think about the past too much, it gets be blue."
Just then the phone rang. "Hello?" Sandy answered. "Hi honey…what's wrong…Wait! What?...Ok I'll be there in ten." He hung up. "I gotta go" He said grabbing his keys. "Something about cops at Kirsten's office."
"Is she ok?"
"I don't know. You need a ride?" He asked, sweeping up his jacket.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------After leaving Ryan at his office to cycle back to school, Sandy belted down to The Newport Group. As he walked quickly into his wife's office he saw her leaning back against her desk. Standing with her were a man and a woman-Sandy presumed two police officers.
"Sandy Cohen." He said, offering his hand to shake. "What seemingly evil deed did my father-in-law put in his will now?" He asked gleefully.
The young, black policeman spoke up, taking his visit seriously. "Mr Cohen I'm Detective Shaun Caderal, this is my partner Alyson Donata. We're here regarding you're daughter." Sandy frowned and looked over to his wife, who's face had anxious written all over it.
Sandy smirked. "My daughter?" He looked back at Kirsten who is clenching the desk behind her tightly and looking down at the floor. "My daughter died before she was a day old."
"We have reason to believe she's alive." Donata shared.
"What!" Sandy asked, totally confused.
"When the doctors in the hospital took Kimmy away to resuscitate her" Kirsten said, still not looking up, through gritted teeth "they switched babies. Her emotions were flying everywhere. She was so angry and upset but yet relieved at the same time. She didn't know what to feel. She needed Sandy to hold her right now but she knew with the officers there that couldn't happen. It made it easier if she didn't look at him.
Sandy's voice suddenly increased with his anger and he started to shout at the officers. Even though he knew it wasn't their faults. "So what are you saying! The hospital fucked up giving us the wrong baby and for the last 14 years our daughter has been healthy and alive when we thought she was dead!" HE glared at them icily. "You can't be serious!"
"I know your mad Mr Cohen" started Detective Donata "But please, try to calm down."
Sandy took a deep breath; trying to bring himself together. He firmly clenched his fists and brought them down to his sides. "Where is she?" He asked, calmer.
"In Scotland under the name McRoberts" Detective Caderal said, "The family moved back there after she was born."
Sandy sighed, still in shock. "How did this become a case anyway?" No one they knew obviously had looked into it.
"The non-biological mother looked into it." Donata explained. "Blood tests showed she wasn't related to her daughter."
"Tests were sent over to here-the place of birth-" Caderal continued "They were run through the system and your wife's name popped up."
"Mr and Mrs Cohen would you like to us to give you detail about her whereabouts?" Donata asked softly after a while. She understood the couple had a lot to take in; she wouldn't know how to react. She was shocked enough by the case as it was.
Sandy looked over at Kirsten; she looked like she was about to break down. He needed to know where his daughter was but his wife needed him more. "Give me some time with my wife." He said softly.
The detectives left, handing Sandy a contact card on the way out.
Sandy walked over to Kirsten who was biting her lip to stop from crying but she still refused to look at him. It was just like after Kimmy was born. She distanced herself from Sandy at certain times, but then moments later she would just fall into him.
As he got close to her Kirsten just collapsed against Sandy's chest bursting into tears, before he could fully reach her. A lot of caged up emotion came out of her in one instant and Sandy stood, holding Kirsten close to his body. A tear drained from his eye as he ran his hand up his wife's shoulder to her hair. She cried hard, her body jerking with every sob and her voice wailing with every breath.
"Shhh. Baby, come on. It's ok. It's ok." He whispered in her ear, pulling her closer at the back. "It's ok." Kirsten calmed down.
As Sandy pulled them out of the hug he quickly wiped the tear off his face with his shirt sleeve. He lifted Kirsten's chin up so she would face him. He breathing was still rigid and jerky. Her eyes were red and full of tear and her cheeks were soaked through. Sandy rubbed her cheeks dry with his thumb. "Are some of these tears of joy?" Sandy asked smiling, asking her as if he was speaking to a little baby.
Kirsten looked up at him, seeing his tear-filled eyes but his warm smile made her feel 90 better already. "Partly." She sniffed. "I'm so confused." She looked down, as if she was about to cry again. Sandy paced a gentle, supportive kiss on her forehead. Kirsten half-smiled and looked up at him.
"What do we do?" Sandy looked down at her blankly. He didn't know the answer.
-----
In a quiet café in the city centre of Edinburgh on a cold misty and rainy day, Helen McRoberts sat with her friends; Elaine Armstrong, Mary Millar and Lesley Ballantine.
"What do I do?" Anne asked after just explaining the whole situation to her four best friends.
"Are you thinking of telling Georgia?" Mary asked. Helen shrugged, not knowing.
"You can't do that. It'll break her heart." Elaine said. Georgia and her daughter Amy had been best friends forever. Amy was born two weeks before; Elaine and Helen lived across the road from each other and so their girls saw each other all the time. They went to the same nursery, playgroups, ballet classes they only thing they don't do together is school because Helen moved when Georgia was 18 months old. But they still saw each other at ballet which they went to since they were 2 ½. They had a big Christmas show coming up and they were leads so they were both very excited.
"But the detectives said they might be informing the real biological parents." Helen said sounding very stressed.
"Well are they close? Could they contact Georgia?" Lesley asked.
"They live in California."
"Well then there you go." Elaine said smiling; trying to put a bit of sugar on the situation.
"She does have that American Beauty." Lesley thought out loud.
"Anne, darling, speaking as a mother I wouldn't tell her until the possibility of her parents coming over arises" Said Mary Millar, the business woman of the group. She owned her own advertising company, constantly working.
"Mary's right" Lesley said "and that's unlikely that's ever going to happen. You have nothing to worry about." She said with a beaming smile on her face.
Helen sighed. "I just don't think I can lie to her."
"I know what you mean, but really, I am going to quit smoking this time." Mary declared bringing laughter among the group.
"Mary, you have said that every time we've met since I've known you." Helen grinned.
"I'm serious this time."
"You always say that" Lesley laughed.
"The longest you have ever gone is 3 weeks and it took you 15 years to get that far." Elaine pointed out and everyone laughed. The tension had finally been broken.
Helen smiled laughing among her closest friend "IT doesn't feel like we've been doing this for 15 years."
"I remember we all met at Lamaze class." Lesley said, swallowing a gulp of her coffee.
"Time goes so fast…" Elaine said.
"And yet so slow." Helen continued. They all sigh deeply. There's a moment of silent across the table as they think about their past.
"Screw it." Mary said "I'm getting a fag." She said standing up and going outside to have a smoke. The ladies all laugh pushing the unanswered questions out of their minds. For now.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ So thats the end of the second chpater. i forgot to write a note at the end of the first so ill jst add in a wee note here. plz R&R. wld love to hear thoughts and suggestions. I have the story planned out but i am welcome to ideas im sure i could fit in. This is my first fic so i need all the reviews i can get! will update often prob cos on holiday. next chptr includes; sandy and kirsten tellin gthe boys and i am hpoing to fit in a flashback somewhere so i may do it then, if not look out 4 that in the future"! kirstie xoxo