Thank you to everybody who read or left kudos for the last chapter. I appreciate your feedback. You're all wonderful.
Chapter 88: Conversations that probably should've happened before labor (or conception, for that matter)
They were settled into Amanda's private room when Matt finally called. It made sense. If Daniel was doing the math right, it was a little after five AM East Coast time—an almost reasonable time for Matt to be up if it wasn't for the fact that Cory probably didn't get Matt to sleep until about two hours earlier.
"Is Amanda in labor?" Matt asked before Daniel could even say hello. "Is that why you said that I needed to call you? Please never start a text with that again."
"I didn't start the text with that. Amanda is close enough to being in labor that Dr. Sawyer has checked her into the hospital to monitor her. We're settled into our room." It was a lovely room with a sofa bed for him and Betty to rest on. Private hospitals had all the amenities.
"What does that mean?" Matt asked, and Daniel proceeded to recap everything the doctors had told him over the last few hours, including that Amanda's amniotic fluid levels were less than what they should be for one of the twins. Amanda was also already dilated 3 cm.
"I'm still confused and regret that I dropped out of med school before the classes on childbirth and delivery. The parenting class did not prepare me for this." Matt commented once Daniel was done explaining.
"I'll send you some articles. They're still running tests, but Amanda may deliver within the next two days. The babies are strong and not in distress."
"I'm glad the twins are doing well. I found a flight leaving JFK at 9 AM. I'll be in London tonight." Daniel looked over to see Amanda shaking her head no. She did not want to see Matt right now.
"You really shouldn't come here. Lindsay was unsuccessful in forcing your mom to Barbados. So unsuccessful that he tried to make Betty go in her place, forcing Betty to quit her job." Lindsay has been calling Betty like crazy ever since. He even managed to get Daniel's phone number. Daniel has been ignoring him for the last two hours.
"Isn't it good that Betty quit her job? Even I knew she was miserable there." Matt asked.
"Very good because her boss works with your mom," Daniel explained. "The situation in London is dangerous right now with your mom making a spectacle of herself at every show. Sumreen has sent me highlights from the first two shows this morning. Victoria already got into a shouting match with Lindsay."
"That is unsurprising." Despite not being at that show, Sumreen somehow managed to get a video of that. His creative director, Natalia, was at that show so she was the most likely source.
"I will have to go to at least one of my scheduled fashion shows for appearances so your mom doesn't realize Amanda's in the hospital and just show up to smother her with a pillow." Natalie and Sumreen were trying to decide what would be the best event to still do. Natalie was lobbying for a cocktail party on Wednesday mostly because she hoped Amanda would deliver by that point.
"I can't tell if you're exaggerating or believe she is capable of doing that." Matt sighed.
"Your mom already paid to have Tiffany fall down a flight of stairs when she was pregnant with Austin. Your mother smothering your new children with a pillow seems to be in her wheelhouse." Daniel said poignantly, which made Amanda shiver a little bit.
"Your sister pushed Christina down a flight of stairs herself when she was pregnant with William." Matt shot back.
"I know. That still doesn't change that your mom is unhinged." Daniel replied.
"You do have a point. All the more reason for me to be in London." Matt argued. Both Betty and Amanda were rolling their eyes. Daniel was glad he put this call on speakerphone.
"All the more reason for you to stay in New York." At that moment, Amanda held her hand out for Daniel to turn his phone over to her. Daniel did as instructed. However, he was digging his other phone out of his pocket to send a quick message to Cory to get his boyfriend and keep him from being an idiot.
"Matt, I don't want you here. I'm already in enough pain, and I don't need to worry about your mom arranging an accident at your hotel. Please stay in New York." Amanda practically pleaded with Matt.
"I don't think she would do that. I need to be with you in London. You shouldn't go through this without me." Matt argued. Amanda made an annoyed face.
"Have the private investigators found Tiffany's body yet? Do you think your mom will bury you both in the same place?" Amanda asked.
"You made your point. The babies' father should be there when they come into the world. I can get to London without her realizing I'm there." Daniel rolled his eyes at that.
"Unless I give birth when Daniel is at the cocktail party tomorrow to keep your mom from getting suspicious, their dad will be there." Daniel wasn't surprised by Amanda's words. He's known that Amanda would ask Matt to surrender his parental rights since the weekend.
"Daniel is not the twin's dad," Matt practically yelled.
"Yes, he is," Amanda yelled back as Betty rubbed circles on her back. "And not just because your mother switched the test. He has been here for me since I told him I was pregnant. Even when I was worried it would cost him Betty, he was still with me through this pregnancy. You were a few thousand miles away."
"I would've returned if you told me you were pregnant," Matt argued. "I came back for Tyler."
"Because you felt obligated. Now you want to abandon your other brother who needs you. I can do this without you, Austin can't." Amanda argued.
"Children need their father." Matt shot back.
"Children need a father who is present and doesn't leave when he gets bored or it gets too difficult. Matt, you're always wandering the universe. You never stay in one place very long."
"I've been in New York since the spring." And you already want to leave for London despite your brother and boyfriend. However, Daniel kept that thought to himself.
"Did I ever tell you that Daniel never wanted me to tell you I was pregnant?" Amanda asked, but Matt never responded. "He always wanted to raise the twins himself because he feared you would eventually lose interest and move on. I argued against that and wanted to give you a chance to prove him wrong."
"And then my mom switched the test and gave Daniel everything he wanted," Matt stated angrily.
"Her switching the test has very little to do with the current state of our relationship. You keep leaving me." One tear streamed down Amanda's left cheek. Daniel quickly passed her a tissue.
"That's not true. You're the one who stopped answering my phone calls," Matt argued.
"Because your mom threatened to kill me. I'm not holding that against you."
"But you are holding other things against me," Matt stated.
"It's been messy since the beginning when you got back with your ex, instead of trying to build a relationship with me, despite knowing full well, Betty, was in love with someone else. You only came to me after it finally fell apart for good. You could've stayed in New York after our night together but still left. We could've had a wonderful, long-distance relationship getting to know each other instead of long-distance phone sex, but you dumped me when Megan hinted that I could be back with Daniel." Daniel could see more tears rolling down Amanda's cheek as she tried to keep the pain out of her voice.
"You want to raise our children with Daniel, so there must be something there," Matt argued. Betty rolled her eyes at that comment.
"Yes, I love Daniel. But it's not a romantic love. Not anymore. Daniel is one of my closest friends, just behind Marc. He's proven repeatedly that he has my back, even helping me get a lawyer to help Marc with the Jade situation. Even before that, he was there helping me through finding out Faye was my biological mom. I trust Daniel to be there for me and the kids. He won't leave us the moment he gets bored."
"I'm not abandoning the kids once I get bored. I refuse to be my father. I love the twins. Enough that I went along with this ridiculous scheme of my aunt's to keep them safe." Matt was yelling at this point.
"Maybe you do love them that much. But I'm a different story. We could have worked through your mom switching the paternity test if I thought you would've accepted the twins if they were Daniel's babies. But it made me realize that you couldn't, and maybe you were just with me out of obligation. I don't want anybody to be with me just because they think they have to."
"I did love you," Matt whispered into the phone.
"I did, too. But that isn't enough. Children need safety and security more than anything else." Amanda replied.
"I know that. I lived through a family life where my parents didn't love each other and were only together for appearances. Even after the divorce, they couldn't even be in the same room without a fight breaking out. I don't want my children to have that either." Matt explained.
"It's better to cut our losses before it becomes completely toxic between us. Maybe, at some point, we can become real friends. I promise the twins will not have to deal with a situation like that with Daniel as my co-parent. Betty too. However, she wants to be Aunt Betty, not Mommy Betty. I'm working on it." Amanda smirked through her tears.
"And who am I in all of this?" Matt asked.
"Uncle Matt, who comes and visits a few times a year and brings the best presents from whatever part of the world he's visiting from. It would be best if you didn't come with your mother close by. You and Austin can visit after Paris Fashion Week. Hopefully, your mom will be back in New York." Daniel wishes that as well.
"Unless I decide to move to London to be closer to you, I plan to stay in New York for the foreseeable future. At least until Austin graduates." Matt explained.
"Which is good. It shows that you're putting down roots and trying to have a stable life. Do you still want to finish your law degree?" Amanda asked.
"I got so distracted by everything with my mother that I forgot to start filling out applications. I've been spending so much time with the lawyers that I don't want to finish my degree anymore." Matt told her.
"So, you changed your mind again?" Amanda asked.
"I have the right to change my mind. I'm still interested in philanthropy. This weekend, Brianna and I decided that I would be taking over my mom's former duties at the Hartley Foundation. I'm looking forward to it after the Black-and-White Ball went so well. We raise 30% more than we thought we would."
"That's really good." Amanda praised.
"Breanna is sure next year's yacht Labor Day party will be the best yet."
"At a minimum, I'm sure the food will be edible," Daniel mumbled. Betty had to stifle a giggle.
"I am hiring Gio's company to take care of the food, so at least things will be edible." Matt heard him anyway.
"It's a step in the right direction. I don't want you out of the twins' life. I dealt with that with my birth mother, and I don't want to repeat that mistake." Amanda acknowledged.
"And yet I know you're essentially asking me to sign over my parental rights to Daniel?" Matt asked.
"Yes. You love these babies and want them to be safe. Your mother doesn't want you to raise these children. I don't want to find out what she'll do if she realizes the paternity swap didn't work as she thought it did. They're safer as Daniel's children." Amanda argued.
"All the more reason for me not to give her what she wants," Matt argued.
"You'll still be around. I'm not going to keep the kids away from you. I promise they will know that you're their biological dad. I don't want them to be shocked when they stumble across it someday. I gained 40 pounds after I found out about Faye." Amanda explained.
"Granted, most of it was caused by stress eating because I was afraid I may have had sex with my unknown brother. Fortunately, Bradford was not my dad." Amanda smiled at that.
"Which we're very grateful for," Daniel commented.
"Extremely grateful for. Spencer will make a good grandfather. He's coming to work in London for a couple of months," Amanda explained.
"He's coming for you. You're letting him come. Why are you OK with him being there but not me?" Matt asked.
"I just said earlier that you can come in a few weeks once your mom isn't here. She's dangerous. Spencer is coming today because your mom won't try to kill him. If Victoria weren't a factor, I would be OK with you being here. Even Daniel is attending a few events this week, so Victoria won't realize I am in active laborer." Just then, Amanda's nurse walked into the room.
"Well, almost active labor. My nurse just came in to hook me up to more monitors. Betty or Daniel will give you updates. I promise we will keep you in the loop. Please stay in New York." Amanda was practically pleading at this point.
"OK. I'll call Daniel later to see how you're doing." Matt finally acquiesced.
"Thank you." With that, Amanda ended the call.
"Sorry to make you end your phone call early, but your heart rate and blood pressure are a little high right now. I want to make sure you are okay." Daniel looked at the monitor to see that Amanda's heart rate was very high.
"Sorry, I was having a very long conversation with my ex. He wants to come here, but I don't want him here. I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up by morning despite my wishes," Daniel wouldn't be surprised either. That is why Daniel will call Vivian and Monique later. If anybody can keep Matt from showing up, it's those two.
"This isn't the first time we dealt with this type of situation." Amanda's nurse, Jennifer, said sadly. "If you have a picture, I can give it to security."
"Not him, but his mother may be a problem. Which is why I don't want him here." The nurse looked confused at this.
"It's a long, complicated story. I will explain after you finish checking on Amanda." Daniel stated as the nurse began checking on Amanda.
"I've been a nurse for 15 years. There is not a story I haven't heard at this point."
"There is a first time for everything." Daniel said cryptically as nurse Jennifer continued working.
Xxxx
Matt threw his phone beside him as he rested his head on his pillow.
"So, I gather that Amanda is in labor?" Cory asked from beside him in bed.
"She's being monitored because her amniotic fluid levels are low, but she'll likely deliver soon. I have a bunch of articles to read." Matt sighed.
"If you asked me to drive you to the airport, I am supposed to talk you out of going. Daniel text messaged me." Cory held up his phone.
"Of course, he did. Amanda doesn't want me there. She's concerned about Victoria being in London."
"Which is a valid concern."
"Daniel is planning to make at least a few appearances this week, so my mom doesn't realize that Amanda's having the twins," Matt explained.
"Smart."
"I'm just upset I'm not going to be there. I feel like I am becoming my father. I'm not sure he's attended any of the births of his children, including mine. I'm 90% sure he was in Tokyo at the time." Matt commented as Cory pulled him to his chest.
"You have a right to be upset, but at the same time, you need to be cautious. I don't trust your mother. She went after me last week when she couldn't find you, and we still don't know where poor Tiffany is. Maybe this is not the best time to go to London."
"I know that." Matt sighed in frustration. "I just hate that I can't be there. Amanda told me that she wanted Daniel to be the twins' dad. I think that's going to last longer than the situation with my mom. I'm 99% sure she wants me to sign over my parental rights to Daniel. She obviously thinks Daniel would make a better father than me." Matt resents that implication.
"She doesn't want you to be part of the twins' life at all?" Corey asked.
"No. She doesn't want that either. She had that with her biological mother, and I think she is still working through that trauma. She wants me to be Uncle Matt. I'll bring the best presence from all over the world."
"You are good at being Uncle Matt. I saw you with Alexis Junior this weekend. She adores you." Cory was trying to be encouraging.
"I was there for her birth, so that's probably not the best example. Well, until I passed out anyway," Matt explained.
"That might be another reason why it's best for you not to be in the delivery room."
"You do have a point," Matt said just as his phone started to ring. One of them, anyway.
"It's too early for more calls." Matt grabbed his other phone out of the nightstand.
"Your ex-girlfriend is giving birth to twins in a time zone that is six hours ahead. You will get many calls at all hours of the day for probably the next week at least." Cory remarked.
"True, but this is my New York phone, so it has to be someone local," Matt told his boyfriend as he looked to see that it was Vivian.
"Hi Vivian, I know that Amanda is almost in labor and going into the hospital. Yes, I'm staying put." Matt could see Daniel calling in Vivian to keep him from going.
"I didn't know Amanda was going into the hospital, but that's not why I called," Vivian said when she could speak.
"What's going on?"
"I just had a very long conversation with Jerry, one of our PIs. Yesterday in Pennsylvania, some hikers came across a half-submerged minivan that may match the description of the vehicle George and Tiffany left New York in last month. The team is already on their way up." Vivian explained, causing Matt to drop the phone.
"Oh fuck, they may have found Tiffany's car." At that explanation, Cory switched the phone to speaker mode.
"There was a body inside. It was too burnt to know if it was Tiffany, but the team is getting her dental records. We will also go ahead and officially file a missing person's report. We would do that anyway because George's Sister filed one over the weekend for her brother." Vivian explained stoically.
"Shit!" Matt exclaimed. This was such a mess.
"What are our next steps?" Cory asked because Matt was still in shock.
"Matt, I want you to come downstairs so you're with me when I tell Austin when he wakes up. Cory, it would be best if you came too. We'll figure out the rest from there. Although I'm grateful, you won't be hopping on a plane to London right now." Any thought of defying Amanda's wishes and going to London anyway left his mind at that point. He can't leave his baby brother alone right now.
"I'm not going to leave Austin to deal with this by himself." He also wanted to prove Amanda wrong. He was going to see this through to the end. No matter what.
"I'll be there in 15 minutes," Matt said, getting up from bed and going to the closet to pick out something to wear. "I'm happy we decided to come to my apartment last night."
"Good. I will call your father while waiting for you two to arrive." Vivian explained.
"Why?" Matt doubted Austin wanted Cal anywhere near this.
"He asked that I keep him updated on what's going on. I do wonder what country he is in right now." Vivian sighed.
"He returned to New York last night because of what happened to Andie. We are 99% sure Victoria arrange for somebody to break into her apartment. At least, that's what Brianna told me last night. He should be at Aunt Breanna's house with Andie," Matt explained.
"At least it's almost a decent time here in New York. I'll see you in a little bit." With that, Vivian ended the call.
"I think I am going to be sick," Matt said as he grabbed the first clean shirt he found. He doesn't have time to think about what he's wearing.
"Maybe it isn't Tiffany's body."
"I'm not sure if that would be a better option. A body would be an answer."
"Just get dressed, and we will figure it out as we go."
"Okay. I'm just glad I'm doing this with you." Matt would hate to deal with this alone.
"I'm not going to leave you right now."
Xxx
Matt #6: This is Cory on Matt's phone. I felt it would be safer to respond here than texting you back on my work cell phone.
Daniel Amanda line #2: Probably. When you go to work today, ask Monique for one of our special phones. You're in this as much as anyone else, and you need one.
Matt #6: I would do that, but I don't know if I'm going in today. Vivian just called. A van matching the description of Tiffany's was found by hikers in middle of nowhere Pennsylvania last night. There was a dead body inside. They're not sure if it was Tiffany's or not.
Daniel Amanda line #2: I hope it's the evil stepdad. Poor Austin.
Matt #6: I'm trying not to say that out loud. Matt is not coming to London right now.
Daniel Amanda line #2: It's for the best. Just talking to Matt made Amanda's heart rate so high that the nurse checked on her. I will brief security on the situation with Victoria once we get Amanda to calm down. That's hard to do when you're already in labor. It's essential for the babies that her heart rate and blood pressure stay in a good place.
Matt #6: That would be important. I'll try to keep Matt away until she's ready to see him.
Daniel Amanda line #2: Thank you for that.
Matt #6: We're heading downstairs right now to tell Austin what's going on.
Daniel Amanda line #2: Good luck.
Matt #6: We are going to need it. Although probably for Amanda's health, you shouldn't tell her what's happening until we know more.
Daniel Amanda line #2: I would, but she was reading this over my shoulder, so too late now.
Matt #6: Fuck. Tell her sorry for me. Also, good luck with the twins. I hope you have a very smooth labor and delivery. You should also know that Matt passed out when his aunt gave birth to baby Alexis, so good call on keeping Matt out of the delivery room.
Daniel Amanda line #2: That made Amanda laugh. That's a good thing.
Matt #6: I'm sure she needed that. When we know more about the van in Pennsylvania, someone will contact you, probably Vivian.
Daniel Amanda line #2: We are standing by.
Xx
"I thought we already had the conversation about not taking business calls before 6 AM unless it's an emergency," Andie said, half-asleep from beside her boyfriend. She didn't like waking up to him talking on the phone. It happened often during their first few weeks together until she put her foot down.
"They may have found Tiffany's body in Pennsylvania." She was not expecting her boyfriend to say that.
"That is an acceptable early morning phone call." Andie sat up in bed, now fully awake.
"Vivian called Matt first. He's coming to her house to tell Austin about it when he wakes up. They're also going to be filing the official missing persons report. If the car was at least found, then there's no point in sitting on the fact we know Tiffany is missing." Cal explained.
"That's true. That poor child," Andie said sympathetically.
"Also, Amanda is in labor. However, I will probably have to get more details from my sister. Victoria only knows what Matt told her. He's staying put for the moment." That was good for Amanda, at least. You do not need extra stress while going through labor.
"It's a very busy night in the Hartley family. Or rather morning." Andie commented.
"Very busy."
"So, are we going to London or Pennsylvania?" She asked because she knew Cal wouldn't just sit here and wait.
"Not London since Victoria is still there. Although, what are the chances that you'll be able to get off a few days around Christmas?" He asked.
"Horrible." She never gets Christmas off. Probably because, in the past, she was single and didn't have any family to spend the holiday with. At least not until this year, but that probably won't be enough. "I might be able to get off a few days in December, your sister wants me to come to the Hartley winter ball. Christmas itself would take a small miracle."
"That's in early December. I'm sure you can attend if I give your boss complimentary tickets." Cal snickered.
"Probably." Andie sighed.
"I plan to be in London for Christmas, which will involve being around my ex-girlfriend. I want you there with me for that." Which was a reasonable request. It also made her happy to think he thought they would still be together in three months.
"You might have to donate a wing to the hospital, but I'll try."
"Thank you." He leaned over and kissed her.
"So, what are we doing?" Andie asked again.
"I want to drive to Vivian's in be there for her conversation with Austin. But I know he's not ready for that."
"I saw how fast he ran away when I accidentally introduced the two of you Friday night." The black-and-white ball felt like it was months ago, not just mere days. A lot has happened since last Friday night.
"I know I can't go to Austin, but I don't want to leave for Italy and pretend everything is normal." Cal acknowledged.
"If you want to drive to Pennsylvania, we can," Andie suggested. "I don't have to be at work until Thursday."
"I thought you had a shift tomorrow."
"It turns out you can get an extra day off if your house was broken into while at work. However, I don't need to go shopping for new clothes because your sister is lovely." She had a whole wardrobe already, including scrubs and sensible work shoes. They were memory foam and felt like clouds. Andie is never going to wear different shoes to work again.
"That seems like something my sister would do. She likes you. Vivian is going to call me back once she talks to Austin. She suggested that I try to get some more sleep. Once I talk to her, we can decide if we should go to Pennsylvania."
"We both know neither one of us is getting back to sleep. Do you want to try out the hot tub in the guest bathroom? Your sister sent a swimsuit. One for you as well," Andie suggested, feeling that time in the hot tub would calm them down right now.
"Yes. Sometimes, my sister can be wonderful."
"I already adore her."
To be continued…