Remi
Why is the life of a sex therapist so convoluted? I know that would make an amazing book, one of which I'm sure both Jean and I could offer a lot of insight into. That being said, I doubt either of us is in the position to write something that complicated. I mean, she's just given birth and well, I know I haven't been an ideal parent. Quite frankly, it's hard to admit to myself but I've been a lot less than that. And yet when I got the call that Jean was in hospital in a bad way, I knew it was my duty to be there. Not to make up for any past mistakes, not to gain any favour. I hadn't been there in the past, but I had the chance to be there now, for my son. And now I need to find out what is going on. Otis looks extremely concerned, as any son would be for a mother who raised them as well as Jean did.
'Otis' I say to him after greeting Eric. 'Mind if we have a word privately?'
'Guys, give us a few' he says to Eric and Ola, and takes me to another side of the waiting room. When we're sat down, I turn to him.
'Otis, what's going on?' I ask sincerely.
'Well Dad' he begins. 'It's a long story.'
'As is customary for me to say in my profession, I'm listening' I reply as he begins to tell the story of how Jean found out she was pregnant and avoided telling Jakob. He tells me that everything was going okay, and she eventually told him, until it got to the birth itself. There were some complications during it, as there can be for women of Jean's age giving birth. She was eventually stabilised but remains unconscious. The baby is fine and is currently asleep in the NICU. He then tells me of the other complication. Namely that Jakob wasn't the father after a paternity test. They didn't know who it could be, until just now when Otis put two and two together seeing me at the hospital.
'Wow' I say after he finishes. 'That's a lot to take in. So, Jakob isn't the father and when you saw me, you figured it was me and that was why I turned up.'
'Yeah, pretty much' he says looking down at the floor.
'Rest assured, I am not the father' I say. 'I am merely here to be the father to my actual child.'
'It's good to have you here Dad' he says quietly. I don't exactly deserve that praise but if he feels he needs me, then I'll stay as long as I need to.
'If it's not a bad time to ask, apart from your mum what's been going on?' I ask.
'Well, Maeve went to the United States, so there's that' he says. He tells me all about their complicated relationship and her scholarship.
'Pretty bad timing' I say. He concurs.
'I need to catch Maeve up on everything, so she sees it when she lands' he says.
'Sure thing' I say, and we move back to where Ola and Eric are. I get to talking with Eric about how things are going with him when I see a doctor approach us. He delivers us the long-awaited news that Jean is awake and permits us to see her. Ola declines the offer, understandably so, and with that, we follow the doctor through the hospital, ready to see Jean and, to a lesser degree, finally find out who the father is.