So here is chapter two, hope you enjoy it xx
I could only watch in wonder as Marie sprang up from her chair and ran to Delphine arms wide. "Maman" she shouted again. Delphine picked Marie up into a tight hug Marie had her legs wrapped around Delphine's waist and her face buried in her hair, Delphine kissed the top of Marie's head and whispered to her in French I couldn't make out with tears running down her cheeks. Delphine then walked to the sofa and sat next to me, Marie's head now sat on Delphine's chest and she sucked her thumb Delphine stroked her hair lightly, looking at the 3 year old calm in her lap but still flicking my glances clearly looking for my reaction.
"Cosima this is Marie, she's my daughter"
I don't say anything at first just stare open mouthed at the reunion I have just seen and sentence Delphine has just uttered. My gaze goes from Delphine, who looks wary, almost fearful of my response but more whole than I have ever seen her, to Marie whose face is half buried in Delphine's chest.
"I ... I ..." I try to speak to say something to sum up the utter shock I am feeling but no words materialise.
"I'm sorry" Delphine whispers her eyes are now tearful again. She clearly thinks I'm about to yell for her to get out yet again.
"Nonono it's just .. Well .. Ermm" words are still escaping me as I try to think of which of my one hundred questions to ask first "explain" I manage to utter although as soon as I said it I realise it actually sounded much more threatening than I meant it.
"Which bit do you want me to explain?" She asks I can hear a hint of caution in her voice still and she gives Marie a nervous glance on her chest.
I suddenly find the words I have been looking for and all the questions come flooding out "Explain why there's a 3 year old calling you mummy! Explain why you never thought to mention your child to your girlfriend! Explain where your husband, other kids and dog are hiding! Explain why I found her crying in a corridor at dyad! Explain everything"
" I ..." It seems now she is lost for words I realise the way my questions spilled out sounded quite aggressive. "You found her where?!" She exclaimed
"That comes at the end of the story" I said softer trying to sound more relaxed as throughout my questioning I noticed Marie's grip tighten on Delphine's shirt. "You tell the beginning and I'll tell the end"
"Okay" she says softly shifting Marie's weight slightly. "In France, about 4 years ago I'd been with my boyfriend for not long at all probably 2 months, when I found I was pregnant with her, she was accidental but it ended up being the best accident ever" she said looking down at Marie who was now dozing on her lap "my family didn't think so they basicly disowned me there and then, they were very disappointed in me, but he was great actually he told me he'd always look after me and was really supportive, things were good, too good I guess"
"Where is he now then?" I can't help but ask
"I don't know!" She says shakily "when I was about 8 months pregnant I woke up one morning and he had gone, just gone all his stuff everything, all I got was a post it on the fridge that said sorry. That was it gone. He left me 8 months pregnant with no family, completely alone."
"What! Who even does that" I question stroking her arm with my hand I can see she is fighting back tears.
"I never heard from him again. I still believed he'd come back though I stayed in the same flat and everything, but I never heard a word. I was sat in a flat alone with a screaming baby I Had no idea what to do with. Him leaving was the final straw for my parents I was no longer their daughter just some stupid girl who got pregnant then got left"
Tears were now freely rolling down her cheeks and I reach my hand up to her cheek and wipe the tears away.
"Hey" I say using the hand I still had on her face to turn her to look at me "your not stupid"
"A year and a half ago I moved her here. I'd accepted the fact that he was never coming back and I just wanted a better life for her I guess I thought I'd have a better chance away from constant reminders of him. I'd been here a month when I found dyad. They gave me a job and helped with my degree, they made it so easy because they paid for her child care and said I could have time off whenever I needed. I was simply working on the vaccines at the start I knew nothing about what else dyad where doing or what they were hiding."
"Human clones you mean" I said jokily
"I promise I didn't know, I'd been with dyad for about a year when I met Leekie he told me he had a new project to work on identifying a degenerative disease in samples"
"The clone disease?" I ask
"Oui, but I wasn't told about the clones or anything. I found out by chance I thought there was something odd about the samples and did some snooping and found a document with all the clones names, ID tags and monitors on"
"Wait what? Was I on there?"
"Oui," she replied nervously, I stiffened slightly realising that this was getting to the part where i came in.
"I took what I found to Aldous and he was so angry I'd found out, he told me that I'd put Marie in danger and I'd ruined any chance of a life for her. He said I'd have to give her up to protect her, but I couldn't she's my baby girl I couldn't just abandon her," she looked down at Marie who was now sitting on the floor at her feet playing with the tassels of the sofa throw.
"I tried to back out but they said I knew too much Aldous said dyad could offer protection for her that meant I could still see her, it was all that I wanted, her to be safe and with me. It was fine at first she lived in the dyad but I could see her whenever I wanted. Then it changed they told me they needed me to have a different role as your monitor" she said nodding to me. "I wanted to at first I was so interested by how they managed all the science but then they told me that the stakes had changed that the subjects were in danger they needed information quickly. They stopped me from seeing her when I wanted so I could only see her if I gave them useful information, that's why I.. "
"That's why you told them" I interrupted, I was beginning to understand that Delphine's betrayal was not motivated as I thought at first. I was beginning to see the side of dyad that Sarah saw the evil side which would use whatever means to get what they wanted.
"Oui, Aldous helped me though he said that he would let me see her if I..." She paused and looked uncomfortable, I gave her arm a small squeeze trying to encourage and reassure her.
"If if did something for him" she whispered quietly noting her fingers together in her lap. I was piecing things together now she had always been reluctant to talk about her relationship with Leekie now I knew why.
"When I stopped seeing him it went back to just upon me sharing information until Rachel became obsessed with Sarah. You have to understand I could leave or go against them when they still had her." She paused taking a deep breath "I've not seen her in 3 months" tears where again trailing down her cheeks "she stopped wanting information she wanted Sarah and Kira she said I could see her when I brought them in. I couldn't. A mother should never loose her child." She placed a hand lightly on Marie's head "I thought if I couldn't have her at least I could try to keep Kira with Sarah, I'm sorry I wanted to tell you, I was scared if she found I'd told someone she'd never let me see her again" she was now fully crying not just the silent tears that had been rolling throughout the story. I pulled her into a tight hug and whispered in her ear
"shush you've got her now yeah we've got her now"
