Part 24
"What do you mean she's not there? Where is she?" Fitz asks frantically. He'd been worried sick all day, unable to concentrate at work; instead he had spent the entire time watching the clock back, counting down the hours and minutes until he could ring and speak to Liv at home.
"I don't know? As planned, she left work early to go the doctors; I told her I would hurry back after work in case she needed me; seeing as she was determined to attend the appointment alone… But when I got here, she was no-where to be found?!" Abby relays worriedly.
"This is not good… this not good at all… The test must have come out positive…" He frets aloud, thinking the very worse now. "We need to find her, where could she be?!"
"Do you think she would have gone to see her father?"
"No I doubt it, with the way they've left things he would be the last person she'd turn to…"
Think Fitz, think… he silently berates himself... THINK! "Hold on, I have an idea… there's this guy, Harrison… When her father threw her out, he and his family kindly took her in for a couple of nights, maybe she went there?"
"But why? Does he know what's going on?"
"I'm not sure what she's told him? And I don't know why she would go there, when she has you, but right now I can't think of any other place she could be?"
"I guess it's worth a shot… Give me his address and I'll head over there now!"
From memory he recalls the place he had dropped Liv off a few weeks ago; thankfully Abby has a fair idea where it was… "Abby, I'm so afraid… What if something bad has happened? What if she couldn't handle the news and…"
"Hey, don't think like that… Obviously, the situation is not ideal, and being told she's pregnant on top of everything else that she's currently dealing with would be enough to push anyone over the cliff, but this is Liv we're talking about! She's a tough cookie… she won't do anything stupid… I know that much!"
"I know you're right, but I can't help but remain fearful. A baby… this is such a big deal, and I'm scared for her, I'm scared for the both of us…"
"Look, stay positive… You just concentrate on getting back here as soon as you can, because she's going to need you…"
He interjects. "Cyrus is already on it, I'm on the next flight back!"
"Good! And I'll go and look for her at Harrison's, and if she's not there, then I'm sure she'll turn up on her own; she probably just needs some time and space to get her head around all this…"
He sighs heavily… "Hopefully, that is all it is!" And then trying to remain positive he says to Abby... "When you see her, tell her I love her, and that I will be with her as soon as I can…"
"I will… Now get off the phone, let me go and look for her…"
"Yes, of course… and Abby..."
"Yes…?"
"Thank you for being there, you've been nothing but a support to both of us!"
Xxxxxx
Not wanting to waste any time in tracking her friend down, Abby hails for a cab. Less than 20 minutes later, the cab man pulls up outside the address that Fitz had given her.
"Thanks", she reaches over and hands the driver a 10 dollar bill… "You sure you want to be dropped off here pretty lady, this neighbourhood is rough…" he warns her.
"Don't worry, I can take care of myself…" she tells him, sounding far more confident than what she actually feels; she was well aware of the neighbourhood's reputation… "Keep the change," she offers, as she takes a deep breath and steps out of the vehicle.
She rings the doorbell; the lights are on, but no-one answers the first time round; so she rings it again, persistently…
"Stop ringing the DAMN bell!" She hears a voice yell from inside, closely followed by… "Harrison, go get the door!"
Phew, she thinks, at least she was at the right place…
"Yes!?" A disgruntled yet handsome, young black man greets her on the door…
"Excuse me, I'm so sorry for disturbing you…" she apologises profusely, "My names Abby Whelan, I'm looking for a friend of mine, and someone suggested she might be here with you… You're Harrison right?"
"Yes, I'm Harrison… Who's your friend?"
"Her name's Olivia?" She instantly notes the look of recognition in his eyes... "Oh Olivia, yes I know her, but she's not here…" But then it quickly dawns on him; if this well-to-do white woman, had taken a risk to travel down to these neck of the woods, unchaperoned, in search of Liv- then something bad was most definitely going down… "Why, what's happened, is she okay?"
"I don't know?" She admits solemnly; rapidly losing hope in finding her. "She's missing, and I can't find her… I don't know how much you know about her situation, but things have suddenly taken a turn for the worse, and now I don't know where she is… It's imperative that I find her, please tell me, do you have any idea where she could be?"
He thinks back to when he first met Liv... "Funnily enough, I think I might just know where she is… Hold on a second, let me grab my coat and I'll take you there myself."
Xxxxxx
He has spotted her a couple of hours ago.
He had always been good with faces, and he instantly recognised her from before. She was the girl that Harrison saved a little while back; sat beside the very same headstone she had once slept alongside in the rain. He recalls the morning when Harrison had found her, she had been in quite a state back them, a frozen, bubbling, broken mess, but above all lost. Although by the looks of it, she wasn't far off from that now. He could tell she'd been crying and was clearly distressed- but he could also tell that she needed some time alone. So instead he kept a safe distance, far away enough so that she didn't know he was there, but yet close enough to check on her in small intervals. Only now, it was starting to get dark and he needed to head home, but he had no intention of leaving her there alone; not after last time. Therefore, despite his usual self- that would normally shy away from any and all forms of personal interaction- he walks over to her; desperately trying to figure out what he should say to her. Huck wasn't exactly a people person, therefore words did not come easily, but on this occasion he knew he had to say something, and at the very least ensure she had somewhere safe to go.
"I hope you're not planning to camp out here again tonight?" He interrupts gently.
Slightly startled, she turns and faces him, wiping the tears from her eyes… "Sorry, do I… do I know you?"
"Not exactly, however I believe you know one of my employees… Harrison Wright?"
"Oh of course, you're his boss?"
"Yes, he works for me…" He offers his hand. "My name's Huck?"
"Olivia," she replies, rising to her feet and shaking his hand.
"Olivia, this might sound like a silly question, but are you alright?"
Obviously troubled, she looks back down at her mother's tombstone… "Not exactly, that's why I came to see mum; I needed her advice…"
"And…?" He questions… "Has she given you the answers you've been looking for?"
She shakes her head, "No, I'm afraid I'm still waiting... Although strictly speaking, I don't think there is a straight forward solution to this mess I've found myself in… And maybe there never will be one…"
"Well, I hope for your sake that you'll find an answer and soon, because hanging around in cemeteries at night, is hardly the safest place for a young lady to be…"
"I know, people will be worried about me, and I don't want them to be, but going back home means having to face my problems head on, and right now, I don't think I have the will to do it…" she replies, fraught with despair… "I just want to disappear".
He can't quite put his finger on it, but something about this girl really gets under his skin; like a sudden calling to rush in and protect her. And it unnerves him slightly, because he has not felt like this about anyone, not since his wife and child died. But yet this girl, is so many respects a mere stranger, somehow stirs those feelings within him once again… Is it because the sadness and confusion he sees in her, mirrors his own? Who knows, but for whatever reason it may be, to his complete and utter surprise he finds himself opening up, in a bid to reach out and help...
"Olivia, life can be incredibly hard, and I speak from personal experience… I lost my family a few years ago, and it broke me… I can openly say I'm not the same man I once was; that man has gone forever… And that's because I chose to cope by shutting the entire world out. I disappeared, much like you want to do now… I gave up on myself and everyone else around me. And I was left with nothing… Believe me Olivia, you don't want to do that… don't be like me, because giving up should never be an option."
"But Huck, if you've given up on everything, then why are you telling me this- why do you even care?"
"I suppose I see you as a kindred spirit, someone lost- like I was; still am in many ways… And I just want to help, before the hopelessness takes hold of you, and grows roots."
Absentmindedly she rest her hands on her stomach… "I've never been more scared in my life."
"I know, I can see that, it's written all over your face… So please, just let me help you, okay?"
She finds herself giving in, because there's an understanding and sadness hidden within the depths of his eyes that compels her to trust him… "Okay, but what happens now, where do I begin?"
He takes her by the hand, and gives it a reassuring squeeze. "Well considering how late it is, let's start by getting you home."
Xxxxxx
"She's not here." Abby announces hysterically.
"She's been here though, the earth is trodden down… Damn it! It looks like we've just missed her! Hopefully, she's gone home."
"Hopefully… God I hate the idea of her being out here alone, especially now, she's extremely vulnerable…"
For Harrison, it was almost foreign to witness a white person being so concerned about a person of colour. But when it came to Abby, it was clear to see that she genuinely regarded Liv as a friend, and someone that she was genuinely upset and worried about. It was a sign that the times were slowly changing. And he admired her for that, and now he had two reasons to stay and help her find Liv. "I don't live too far from here, so there's a chance that she might head back to mine, therefore I suggest we go there first… If she's not there, then I'll ask my folks to keep an eye out, and then we head back to yours."
"Harrison, that's very kind of you to offer to follow me back, but there's really no need…"
"There's every need, believe me… I care about Liv, and I want to make sure she's safe too… And as a gentleman, I wouldn't feel right knowing you're out here looking for her on your own at night… Therefore, I'm coming with you."
He was incorrigible, that much was a given. She could see why he and Liv were friends.
Xxxx
After a hot bath, and some warm tea and toast, Huck's speciality- He settles Liv into bed, and promises that he will stay in the living room and wait until her roommate; who is clearly out looking for her, returns home; to which Liv is extremely grateful. He is still rather taken back, by just how trusting she is. Ordinarily, he would have attributed it to the fact that she was feeling incredibly vulnerable right now, but yet for some unfathomable reason she believed and felt she could confine in him, and soon enough her whole story came pouring out of her- every single detail, including the fact that she was now expecting a baby. He really felt it for her, no wonder she was so desperate to escape. Not only because her circumstances were beyond overwhelming- but they were extremely dangerous too. With his Puerto Rican heritage, he could understand the level of persecution that Liv would be facing from both sides of the track; and all because she had fallen in love with a white man. The couple had their work cut out for them, especially considering her partner's marital status. In order to protect Fitz, Olivia had not divulged his name to Huck, but she did tell him that the father of her baby was a man of powerful prominence, and well known within the public eye. Which of course only made the situation more volatile in nature. And then when you took into consideration her estranged relationship with her father, and her not having a mother around either, it also meant that she was not receiving any support from her family; and at time when she would need it the most.
The poor girl was in dire need of protection that much was certain. And whether she willed it or not, he silently vowed to keep a close eye on her from now on. It was the least he could do, because after so many years in solitude, she was the only person he had managed to feel some form of connection with.
Xxxx
As promised Huck remained in the flat until Abby returned. To say she was shocked to find a strange man inside her flat would be an understatement. She immediately went on the attack, charging at him with an ornament that she had resourcefully procured from the bookshelf, until Harrison intervened, grabbing the it from her and halting her in her tracks- "Huck, what are you doing here?" Albeit he was surprised to discover that the intruder was in fact his boss, he quickly managed to diffuse the situation… "Abby, it's okay… calm down… This man is no fret to you or your friend, I promise you…"
Huck raises his hands in air, "It's true, I mean no harm," he assures her. "I found your friend in the cemetery earlier tonight, and I brought her home, that's all… I was just trying to help."
Harrison could pinpoint the exact moment when Abby's body relaxed in response. "Oh…" she breathes out, successfully disarmed.
Xxxx
Little did they know that by the end of that night, this unlikely trio would forge a strong alliance, working together to protect a woman that had for one reason or another, touched their hearts in some way, shape or form.
Liv would no longer be alone in this war- not now, not if they had anything to do with it!
