Chapter 55
Ella looked over at Roman across the table.
"Another message?" he asked.
She nodded and handed the phone over.
"Don't want to come this we. Busy. Mike." He read.
"Ok. That's interesting." He said raising his eyebrow at her. "What are you going to do?" he asked.
She looked at him.
"Sorry, I'm counting to ten here." She told him with a grimace after a few minutes silence.
She went into the lounge and dialled a number. After a moment she started speaking.
"Hello this is Elizabeth Harris can I speak to Mr Moore please?"
She waited a moment and was transferred.
"How may I help Mrs Harris?" he said to her.
"I had intended to be collecting my son this weekend for a visit home but I've just had a text from him to say that he is doing a school thing. Is this true?" She said softly.
"There is nothing planned for this weekend and as you are aware we would write to you and let you know in advance." Her son's form tutor told her.
"That's what I thought. Please tell my son I will be there to collect him at the usual time this afternoon. And may I suggest that you also inform him if he finds somewhere else to be I will be withdrawing him from school and enrolling him in a special program." She told him.
He gasped.
"I'm sure we can sort something out Mrs Harris." He said hastily.
"Yes I'm sure something will be sorted out." She said haughtily. "Please ensure my son is ready for collection this afternoon."
She hung up the phone and saw Roman grinning.
"What?" she said.
"Very sneaky Mrs Harris." He said holding out his hand.
She took hold of it and went into his arms.
"I needed this." She told him.
He stroked her hair and lent down and kissed her.
"What do you want to do until we have to leave and pick him up?" Roman asked.
"I said I would go shopping with Nic in Yabbie Creek." She told him.
He smiled.
"Want a chauffeur?" he asked.
She looked at him.
"You shopping?"
He nodded.
"I'm pretty handy carrying bags too." He told her with a smile.
He bent his head and kissed her slowly just as Nic joined them.
"Do you two ever stop doing that?" she asked grumpily.
"What's the matter Nic, are you feeling frustrated?" Ella asked her.
The other girls blushed and stormed past them into the kitchen.
"I so cannot believe you asked me that in front of my dad." She muttered.
Ella laughed and looked up at Roman who had gone pale followed by an interesting shade of red. She giggled.
"Come on." He told them picking up his keys and heading out.
Ella checked she had her wallet in her pocket and her phone.
"Nic come on." She called. "You're dad is driving us."
Nic walked out of the kitchen and looked at her.
"He's going now, but the kitchen is a mess?" she asked.
"I wanted to get an early start so I distracted him." Ella told her.
"When you asked me…" Nic said trailing off. "You are sneaky." She told her.
Ella nodded.
"A girl has to do what a girl has to do…" she told her laughing. "And this girl wants to shop."
Nic laughed and picked up her handbag on the way out.
"Is that the place Nic?" Ella asked pointing to the boutique Nic had gone for an interview.
Nic nodded.
"I pretty much convinced them I was an idiot." She said.
Ella laughed and handed her bags to Roman. She took the bags from Nic and put those with him too.
"Come on." She said and took Nic's hand
"Ella I can't." she said.
"Trust me Nic."
Nic looked at her dad who was grinning.
"Just do it Nic." He advised.
Nic laughed, nervously.
She pushed open the door and walked over to the racks. She went through the inventory, occasionally pulling out an item and looking at it. Eventually after a couple of minutes a sales assistant came to see her.
"Is there something in particular Madam is looking for?" she asked.
"Yes, is the manager of the shop in today?" Ella asked her. She could feel Nic take a hesitant step back and she turned and looked over at her. Nic raised her chin and met the curious look of the sales assistant.
"She is madam. Is there a problem?"
Ella looked at her.
"If there was I wouldn't waste my time telling you. Please ask your manager to step forward." Ella said. "Thank you." She added.
The assistant wandered off and came back moments later with the manager.
"Can I help?" she asked Ella.
"I'm not sure." Ella said. "Is this the person who interviewed you?" she asked Nic.
Nic nodded.
Ella extended her hand and the manager took it and shook it briefly puzzled.
"I'm Elizabeth Addison." She introduced herself.
The woman paused for a minute before recognition of the name hit her.
"The photographer?" she asked.
Ella nodded.
"Yes. This is my step-daughter Nicole." She introduced her. "She told me about your store and how kind you were to her the day of her interview. As you can understand she was quite nervous and the migraine medication made her woozy. It was the Locum doctor's fault. He prescribed something she doesn't normally take and well it had an impact."
The woman nodded.
"Anyway Nicole told me how nice the boutique was and how she would have loved to be part of your designer apprenticeship but well since she didn't get the position, well we are thinking of backing her first collection ourselves. " Ella continued.
"To be honest we didn't fill the vacancy." The manager told her. "We are re-advertising."
Ella nodded understandingly.
"Well that is interesting. Perhaps you will re-interview Nicole? She is currently designing her friends bridesmaids dresses but perhaps there will be time for her to come in." She told her. "And of course I would be grateful."
The woman laughed.
"I understand. How are you fixed for tomorrow afternoon at three?" she asked Nicole.
"That would be perfect." Nic said her first words during the entire conversation. "May I bring my portfolio?" she asked.
During the last interview she had been unable to present her work as an example of what she could do.
The woman nodded.
Ella smiled.
"Thank you for your time this morning." She said and led Nicole outside.
"Ella." Nic said in shock.
She laughed at the girl.
"Wear the Chanel, draw up some fab designs and you'll get the job. You know you can do it." she told her encouragingly.
Nic went up to her dad and told him what Ella had done seeing him laugh. She smiled at him.
"We need to get some lunch." Ella declared.
He grinned.
"Diner?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Nic?" she asked.
"I have an interview." Nic said in shock.
Ella laughed and put her arms around Nic.
"Yes sweetie, but would you like some lunch? At the diner?" she asked her bringing her focus back to them.
Nic nodded.
"Have we finished shopping?" Ella asked everyone.
Roman glanced down at all the bags he was holding.
"I hope so." He told them.
Nic and El looked at each other and grinned.
They walked back to where the car was parked and Roman put the shopping in the back with Nic before driving them to the diner.
"Hey Darl!" Irene greeted them.
"Hey." El said.
They went over and sat at a table and Irene came over a moment later and took their order. She brought it over when it was ready and they started eating. Roman paused and took his phone out of his pocket.
"Excuse me." He said when he looked at the caller display and went outside to answer the call.
Nic looked at Ella.
"Something going on?" she asked.
Ella shrugged.
"Not that I know of." She said.
He came back to the table grinning and sat back down and started eating.
Ella looked at her watch.
"We need to set off soon if we are to pick up Mike." She cautioned.
Roman nodded.
They stood and paid before walking out, Nic following behind.
"I can get some work done this afternoon on the dresses." She said to them. "Where is he going to sleep?" she suddenly asked remembering that Ruby was using his room.
"Won't hurt him to crash on the sofa it's only 2 nights." Ella said. "Or he can make up with Ollie and stay over there." Her tone was angry.
Roman caught her hand as they walked back to the car and gave it a squeeze. She looked at him for a moment before smiling.
"Well I'm sure Ruby won't mind sharing with me?" Nic suggested.
"We'll see." Ella said.
They arrived back at the house and Roman unloaded the car while Ella went and got changed. She walked down the stairs in patent high heels a keen length black skirt and a pink blouse. She also carried a matching handbag. Nic whistled and he took that as sign that something was designer label. Maybe he would read up on fashion he thought. But in secret, in a very tight closely guarded secret that no one would ever find out.
She tucked her hair up and pinned it in a perfect bun at the back of her neck. Pulling a glasses case out of her handbag she added a pair of Gucci sunglasses to the ensemble.
Nic purred.
Ella chuckled.
"Nicole. No." she said two words and walked out to the car.
He looked at his clothes and ran upstairs to change too, coming down in a pair of black trousers and a black long sleeve shirt.
So his wife came down looking amazing and he looked like a reject from the matrix, he thought with a grin.
"See you later." He said to Nic, walking out the door. He turned and looked back at her.
"And if you can tidy the kitchen for me I'll forget I bumped into Geoff early this morning." He said to her.
She blushed but he was gone before she could say anything.
They walked through the school to the Form Masters office. Mike was sitting on a chair outside tapping his foot on the floor. Ella didn't even acknowledge him as she knocked on the door and went in.
"Mrs Harris." The form master greeted her. "As you can see Mike is ready for collection."
"Thank you. Have you met my husband?" she asked and saw the man shake his head. "This is Roman Harris." She introduced them. "He may be collecting Mike by himself if we manage to resolve the issues this weekend." She warned.
He nodded.
"Of course. Perhaps I could show you the school sometime." He suggested.
Roman nodded.
"That would be good." He said.
They turned and went out to collect Mike.
He stood and looked at his bag.
"Pick it up Mike." Ella told him. "You can carry your own bag to the car."
He muttered something under his breath and bent to pick up his bag. They went to the car and he slung it on the back seat before climbing in. Ella walked up to him and caught hold of the door before he could slam it shut.
"Do and I will slap you. " she warned. "And the next time you call me a b*tch do it to my face. You do not say a word until we get in and then you will sit on the sofa. We are going to talk!" She told him pleasantly.
She closed the door and walked around to the driver's side. Roman handed her the keys with a grin and she got behind the wheel of the car while he went to the passenger side. She handed him the handbag and he tucked it by his feet before they set off.
They walked into the house and Ella went upstairs to get changed. She came down and looked for Mike.
"He's putting his bag in his room." Roman told her.
He came storming down the stairs and stood in front of her.
"So were you planning to tell me." He said straight out. "There is a bunch of stupid girls stuff all over my room." He shouted.
"Mike." She said angrily and took hold of his arm.
He pulled away from her and in the scuffle she fell back and thumped against the kitchen door. His failing arm accidentally caught her in the stomach and she gasped in pain.
"Ella." Roman said catching hold of her. He lifted her to the sofa.
"Get Rachel." she gasped doubling up in pain.
"El its ok." he said to her, grabbing his phone. He dialled the number and waited for Rachel to answer.
"Mum?" Mike said hesitantly.
Roman looked at him.
"I want you to go out back and sit out there." He told him. "I'm too angry to deal with you right now."
Mike looked at his mum with tears in his eyes and slowly turned and went.
"Roman." Rachel answered finally.
"Rachel we need you, El took a bad knock and is in pain." He said.
"Bring her straight to the hospital. We'll do a scan." Rachel said calmly.
"See you in 10." He said.
He lifted Ella and took her out to the car, returning to the house to pick up a throw.
He walked out back and looked at Mike.
"Come on. I have to get your Mum to the hospital." He told him.
Mike followed him out and climbed into the passenger seat. Roman put the throw over her in the back.
Roman drove quickly and lifted her out of the car carrying her to the examination room that the nurse directed him too.
She lay back on the bed.
"How is it El?" he said.
"Still hurts but is ok." she said.
He grinned.
"Liar." He said.
"Where is Mike?" she asked.
"In the corridor." Roman told her as Rachel walked in.
"Out." Rachel instructed him.
He nodded and kissed Ella.
"What happened?" Rachel asked.
Ella told her.
"Ok." Rachel said calmly. "How about describing the pain for me?" she asked.
Ella looked a t her.
"Well Rachel, it appears to be like pain and I want to scream." Ella said. "Does that describe it enough?"
"Ha ha." She said. "I meant a general pain from a fall or a cramp or squeezing sensation."
"Its general pain. It's not a cramp. And I still want to scream."
"I think this is a muscular reaction to the fall against the door rather than the pregnancy. I'm going to do an exam and then get the ultra sound in here ok."
Ella gritted her teeth and nodded.
Rachel reached out and squeezed her hand.
"Hold in there Ella." She said softly.
"I didn't mean to hit her." Mike said finally.
"Why are you really angry?" Roman asked him.
Mike looked up.
"Because all she does is stupid girl stuff and now she's pregnant it'll be even worse." He said.
"She's my mum."
"And you'll deny her being happy because you are jealous." He asked.
Mike shook his head.
"I didn't expect you to understand."
"Is that because I'm not a super brain like you?" Roman said in a deadly tone of voice.
"No. Its because you are her husband. You are going to think you got the best end of the deal. When did she last go and do a photography assignment? I bet she hasn't even bought her surfboard to the bay." He said bitterly. "She's not this person. She's cool and all you've done is trap her with a stupid baby."
"You are very good with the guilt trips aren't you, boy?" Roman said. "Just for your information. Your mother could have at any time bought her surfboard here. It would have been fun to go out with her. As for the baby, we both wanted it. If she wants to go off and take photos she can. No one is stopping her."
Mike flushed.
Roman realised he had used the past tense in reference to the baby and grimaced. He looked up and saw that Rachel had come out of the room.
He stood and went over to her.
"It ok. It's a muscle spasm caused by the push against the door. I've given her a couple of tablets. You can take her home but she needs to rest." She told him.
Roman grinned in relief.
He went into the room and helped her stand. She was able to walk to the car and he put her in the back. Mike once more got in the front and they went home. He helped her out and into the house. Mike walking slowly behind.
She turned and pointed to the sofa and he reluctantly put her there. She pointed to the other sofa and Mike sat down on it. She didn't say anything for a long time.
"I am disappointed in you." She said finally. "I thought you were better than to be jealous. I have given you my attention and love for the past 11 years and you begrudge me some happiness because I suddenly have other interests. What the hell would you have done if I'd married Dane? " She asked him.
Roman's head snapped up at that. He wanted to interrupt with the question about who exactly was Dane.
Mike said nothing.
"I asked you a question now you answer me." She shouted.
Mike's head snapped up.
"Dane was different." He said.
"Why?" She said.
"Because he wouldn't have gotten you pregnant." He said at last.
"Because he was in a wheelchair?" she laughed. "He could still function." She told him.
Mike blushed.
"You never do anything cool anymore. It's always Summer Bay and him and I hate it. I hate you and I hate the stupid baby." Mike shouted at her.
She saw Roman take a step closer but she held up her hand.
"We wouldn't be in Summer Bay if it wasn't for you Mike and I asked you before we got married so I do not accept your reasoning. From the evidence you are jealous of the baby. I won't accept your behaviour so here it is. For hitting me today Roman will decide the punishment. For the attitude you will lose the phone for a month and no Internet access. You will be home every weekend from school until the end of term when Roman and I will decide if we will remove you from the boarding school and enrol you in summer bay high." She said. "And for your information we were planning on telling you about the baby three weeks ago but you decided that you didn't want to come home so the fact you learnt about it from someone else is your own fault. Now I'm going to bed and if I hear one word about your behaviour we will be having another discussion that you will not like. Do I make myself clear?"
Mike nodded.
"I didn't hear that." She said.
"Yes." He said sullenly.
She looked over at him.
"I can wait hear all day until you show me some respect. The fact you just had to come to the hospital with me should have highlighted the seriousness of your actions. Now what do you want to say?"
He looked at her a blaze of anger in his eyes.
"I understand Mother." He said clearly.
She nodded and stood up. She walked over to him and slapped him hard round the face.
"That is the response you deserve, Now I'm done being nice. Get out of my sight until you are ready to apologise and you will not be going back to that boarding school." She said angrily.
"No." he screamed at her and jumped up.
"Sit down." Roman said clearly. "I will not tolerate this behaviour." He said and pushed the boy down on the sofa.
Ella looked at Mike.
"Are you so stupid that you can't see what your own actions are costing you? I am ashamed of you." She looked at Roman. "Make arrangements for him to sleep somewhere else tonight I do not want him in the same house as me." She said and turned and walked up the stairs.
Roman walked into the kitchen and pulled a beer out of the fridge.
He looked at the boy.
"I thought you were a super-brain." He told him. "What you did was pretty dumb."
Mike looked at him without speaking.
"To p*ss off your mother? And in such a way that you annoy me?" Roman took a long swallow of the beer.
Mike looked at him and swallowed.
"Why don't you ask me about Dane?" he taunted Roman.
"Because I don't need to know. Your mother is married to me and expecting my baby." Roman grinned at him.
Mike backed down at the reminder.
Roman swallowed the remainder of the beer.
"Move off that sofa and I will slap you." Ramon warned him, hoping that the boy wouldn't call his bluff.
He went through the back and into the storeroom lifting out the tent. It was in a black holdall and he put it in the back garden and took it out of the canvas bag and started to erect it. He stood back and looked at his handy work once he'd finished. He lifted out the lamp and tested it before he put it in the tent.
He went back into the house and saw that Mike had not moved off the sofa.
"Thank you." He told him.
Mike looked up.
"Now come with me." Roman instructed.
Mike stood and followed. Roman pointed to the tent in the back garden.
"I'll be getting the sleeping bag out and you can spend the night in that. I want you were I can keep an eye on you." Roman told him.
Mike looked at him and launched himself at him. Roman caught him and hugged the boy back.
"Cool enough for you?" he asked.
Mike nodded.
"So do you think you owe your mother an apology?" Roman asked him.
"I didn't mean to hurt her." He said tears in his eyes.
"I know Mike. That's why she told me to decide the punishment. I think she wanted us to have a chat too. She's not been very well because of the baby and if everything were going ok we wouldn't have gone to the hospital but we've both been worried. I know that it's been a lot of changes for you but you were happy about them a while ago. Has somebody been saying something at school?" he asked him.
"Ollie send me text saying something about the baby. It was only a joke but they blue toothed my phone and it went round the whole school." He confessed.
"So that has caused the attitude?" Roman asked.
Mike nodded.
"It was something about me not being needed now she was having a baby of her own. I know Ollie send it as a joke but .." he trailed off.
Roman took Mike into his arms and gave him a quick hug.
"Go up and see your Mum." He said to him.
Mike went up the stairs and into the bedroom.
"Mum?" he said hesitantly.
"Come here." She told him patting the bed.
He lay next to her and she hugged him.
He started crying.
"I didn't mean to hurt the baby." He said.
"We're ok." she said. "You are still my son and I won't stop loving you ever." She stroked his head and kissed him.
After a long moment he looked a t her.
"I hate it when you get in my head." he told her.
She grinned.
"How else is your poor old mother going to keep up with your Super-brain?" she asked.
"Ha." He grumbled.
"So what is your dad doing to you tonight?" she asked him.
"I'm sleeping in a tent in the garden."
"Oh great. That's supposed to be a punishment?" she grinned.
"Well I won't have my phone so I can't order pizza." He said.
"Yum pizza. The only food the baby doesn't hate."
"Well of course!" he said, "It is your baby!" he laughed.
"Cheeky." She told him.
"Mum I am really sorry. I would have hated myself if anything happened to you or the baby because of me." He said softly.
"I know." She said to him. She looked over in the doorway and saw Roman waiting for them and she nodded to him, and he walked in.
"Ok?" he asked.
She nodded.
He grinned at them.
He lay next to Mike on the bed.
"You know that we've done the paperwork to adopt you." Roman said to him. "If you want us to stop for a while until you are happier we can."
Mike shook his head.
"No, I want to be a Harris." He told them.
"I have a couple of sleeping bags, you could ask Ollie if he wanted to sleep over." Roman suggested.
Mike looked at his mum and saw that she nodded.
"You can have the phone until Sunday night then it stays here for the week." She told him.
He reached over and kissed her on the cheek before racing off and seeing if Ollie wanted to come over.
Roman looked at Ella.
"Did I pass your test?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Gold star." She murmured.
"Who is Dane, out of interest?" he asked causally.
"I was engaged before but it didn't work out. He'd had an accident and was in a wheelchair, I met him at the hospital when I had to take Suzanne, Jennie's Mum." She said.
"But he was functional?" Roman asked jealously.
She grinned.
"Yes. He wasn't in a place where he could take on Mike so we decided that it was better to end it rather than struggle." She shrugged. "I wasn't as hurt as I expected to be by the decision."
He reached out and kissed her slowly.
"His loss my gain." Roman grinned.
"Hey!" she said pushing at him. "I'm sharing my pain and you laugh?"
"Can't help feeling smug right now." Roman told her. "I've got the girl!"
"Uh huh." She said.
"And well that is one name from your post it note." He added and moved off the bed quickly before she hit him.
"I'm sure Ollie and Mike will enjoy sharing the tent with you tonight." She shouted at him.
Roman grinned as he lifted the sleeping bags from the wardrobe.
"You wouldn't do that to me I know how to …" he looked over at her and raised an eyebrow.
"Order your favourite pizza." He finished.
She looked at him for a long moment.
"Many men know how to order my favourite pizza." She told him softly. "Please close the door on your way out."
He looked at her quickly and walked out pulling the door shut. It caught a draft and slammed. At least that was the excuse he would use if anyone asked.