His Brother's Son

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘And why would you look after him and not his mother? Surely it was her responsibility, not yours?’ He gave a dismissive flick of his hand. ‘You were nothing to my brother, were you?’

  ‘No, that’s not true! I loved Antonio and he loved me. He knew that he could trust me to look after Josh—’

  ‘And he couldn’t trust Tara? Is that what you’re claiming?’ he shot back. Even though he knew it was wrong to let himself be sidetracked at a time like this, it had hurt unbearably to hear Rebecca claim how much she’d loved his brother.

  ‘No, he couldn’t trust her! Tara never wanted Josh. When she found out she was pregnant, she wanted to have an abortion. She went to see Antonio and asked him for the money to pay for it!’

  The words were flowing out of her now. Felipe tried to harden his heart, but her anguish was almost more than he could bear. He wanted to gather her into his arms and tell her that it didn’t matter what she’d done because he would always love her. But deep inside he knew that it did matter. How could he ever trust her when she’d lied to him about something so important?

  ‘Antonio was desperate when he found out what Tara was planning. His affair with her had been over for some time by then, and he’d told me that he’d realised it had been a mistake. But having Tara turn up at that point in his life, telling him that she was pregnant and that she wanted to get rid of the baby, was too much for him to cope with.’

  She ran her hands over her face and Felipe realised that she was crying, but he couldn’t afford to show her any sympathy. He needed to hear the whole story then put it behind him, only it wouldn’t be that simple, of course.

  ‘Why couldn’t he cope?’ he snapped, trying not to think about the future and the fact that Rebecca could never be a part of it now. Once before he’d been deceived by a woman, but this time it was far worse. He had never loved Teresa as he loved Rebecca. His heart ached because there was no way he could deny it.

  ‘If Antonio was old enough to have got himself into that mess in the first place, he was old enough to deal with it,’ he said harshly.

  ‘Maybe he could have done if circumstances had been different,’ she said thickly. ‘But he’d only just found out that he had cancer and the doctors had told him that the treatment he needed would make him sterile. At that stage we were still hoping that he might be cured, but learning that he would never be able to father a child came as a huge blow to him.’

  Felipe could understand that. It would have been a bitter blow to him, too, although having children wasn’t something he had thought about for a long time.

  He closed his mind when an image of Rebecca—her body swollen with his child—rushed into his head. It would never happen now, not after the way she’d lied to him about Josh. Maybe she’d lied about the rest of it as well, about Antonio and the money, the way she seemed to feel about him.

  It was an effort to focus because that last thought caused him such pain. How could he believe that Rebecca really felt anything for him when her whole life might be one huge lie?

  ‘And that’s when I came up with the idea to pay Tara to have the baby.’

  ‘So it was your idea?’ He laughed softly, hoping it would disguise his heartache. ‘Why doesn’t that surprise me? What else did you plan, Rebecca? Was it your idea to write Tara out of her son’s life? You say that Tara was paid to have the baby, but I’m sure you received a lot more than she did. She was the unfortunate victim in all this, wasn’t she? Once she’d had Josh then you simply dispensed with her.’

  ‘No, you’re not listening to me! Tara never wanted Josh. She had him purely and simply for the money! Why do you think I needed that twenty thousand pounds?’

  She looked him straight in the eye and he could tell that she was willing him to believe her. ‘Tara threatened to go to court and claim that she’d been coerced into signing over custody of Josh if I didn’t give her more money. She’d had nearly every penny of Antonio’s inheritance and there wasn’t anything left. I tried explaining to her that it could end up with Josh being taken into care, but she just laughed. She told me that she didn’t care what happened to him so long as she got the money!’

  Felipe could hear the ring of truth in her voice, but he was afraid to believe her. He couldn’t comprehend that any woman would have handed over her child the way Tara Lewis apparently had.

  He realised then that he wasn’t capable of thinking rationally at that moment and the matter was too important to make any mistakes. Josh’s whole future was at stake. What it all might boil down to was whether or not he was prepared to leave his brother’s son in the care of a woman who had lied to him.

  ‘What do you intend to do…about Josh, I mean?’

  His heart ached afresh when he heard the fear in her voice, but he couldn’t afford to think about Rebecca’s feelings. It was Josh who mattered, nobody else. ‘I haven’t decided yet.’

  ‘I promised Antonio that I would always look after him,’ she whispered brokenly. ‘No matter how much you might hate me, please, don’t take Josh away from me, Felipe. I…I don’t think I could bear it if I had to give him up.’

  ‘Maybe you should have thought about that sooner,’ he said bitterly. He shook his head when she went to speak. ‘No. I need time to think about this. My only concern from now on has to be Josh. I have to do the right thing for him.’

  ‘Even if that means applying for custody of him?’

  ‘If that is what I decide will be best for him in the long term, then yes, although obviously his real mother’s wishes must also be taken into account.’

  ‘Tara doesn’t care what happens to him. I’ve told you that!’ she exclaimed. ‘Please, please, don’t make the mistake of thinking that Josh might be better off with her.’

  ‘You have told me a lot of things, Rebecca. Some may have been true, others obviously weren’t.’ His tone was uncompromising and he saw her flinch.

  ‘I wanted to tell you the truth, Felipe. Really I did…’

  ‘It doesn’t matter now.’ Suddenly, he knew that he couldn’t bear to hear any more. It wouldn’t help to know how much she was hurting and that he was responsible for it. ‘The only thing that concerns me now is Josh.’

  He turned and walked away. Rebecca was still standing where he’d left her when he reached the end of the terrace and looked back. He let his eyes rest on her for one last moment then carried on, and it felt as though a door had closed and he’d been plunged into darkness.

  There was no future to look forward to now. Oh, he would do his utmost for his brother’s child. If he did apply for custody of Josh and was successful he would love and care for him to the very best of his ability, but there would be no pleasure in it because Rebecca wouldn’t be there with him, helping him, loving him, bringing light and warmth into his life.

  How empty his world was going to be without her.

  Becky stared after Felipe, wishing with her whole heart that she could make her body obey her. She wanted to run after him and make him believe that she’d wanted to tell him the truth, but she couldn’t move. All the strength seemed to have drained from her limbs so that she could only stand and watch him walking away from her. And she knew in that moment that it really was the end, the end of her dreams and maybe the end of her role in Josh’s life as well.

  Tears clogged her throat but her eyes were dry. The grief she felt ran too deep to find an outlet in tears. Somehow she made herself walk back into the hospital and it was as though she were suddenly a stranger in the familiar environment. Everything was the same as it always had been: the quiet bustle of the ward; the murmur of voices; the smell of antiseptic that hung in the air. The world was carrying on as normal and it was just for her that life had come to a halt. From this point on she had no future to look forward to.

  She managed to get through the morning, but it felt as though she were functioning on autopilot. She was programmed to react to various situations and she did. She spoke to Diane and Tim Ryan, comforted parents whose lit
tle girl had broken her arm, gave out drugs and checked obs, and afterwards she couldn’t recall what she’d done. It scared her to realise that because it was too risky for the patients.

  She went for lunch, wondering what she should do. She would have to leave, of course, because she couldn’t stay at the clinic now and certainly couldn’t continue living in Felipe’s house. She would have to go back to England, take Josh with her, see if she could hide him away so that Felipe couldn’t find him…

  ‘Becky!’

  She jumped when someone called her name. Turning, she stared in bewilderment at the red-haired man who was hurrying towards her. For a moment she had no idea who he was before she realised it was Simon Montague.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ she asked faintly.

  ‘I’ve come to see my cousin—Richard Jeffries. Remember, the chap who broke his neck diving into a swimming pool?’ Simon stared at her when she didn’t answer. ‘Richie said that he’d met you, Becky. You must remember him?’

  ‘I…um…yes, of course. I…I had no idea he was your cousin, though.’ She tried to smile but her mouth wouldn’t seem to work and she saw Simon look at her in concern.

  ‘Are you OK? I didn’t mean to give you a shock, really I didn’t.’ He looked momentarily uncomfortable. ‘I may as well come clean and admit that I knew you were working here. As soon as I heard that Richie was in the Clinica Valdez I made the connection. But I didn’t mean to…well, upset you.’

  ‘You haven’t,’ she said quickly. ‘It’s not you, Simon. I’ve just had a bad day….’ She bit her lip when she felt a sob rise to her throat.

  Simon shot a look along the busy corridor then quickly steered her into an alcove. ‘Tell me what’s happened. And before you try to deny it, I can tell there’s something wrong.’ His pleasant face tightened all of a sudden. ‘Has Valdez done something to upset you?’

  ‘It’s all very complicated,’ she began, not wanting to involve him in her affairs.

  Simon shook his head impatiently. ‘No, you’re not going to get away that easily. I want to know what’s wrong, Becky. I thought we were friends and I want to help you any way I can.’

  Her eyes filled with tears when she heard the concern in his voice. ‘Oh, Simon, it’s such a mess. I never meant this to happen. All I ever wanted to do was help Antonio and look after Josh.’

  All of a sudden the whole miserable story came pouring out. To give Simon his due, he didn’t interrupt her even though she could see how shocked he was by what he heard. She wiped her eyes with the handkerchief he gave her and looked miserably up at him.

  ‘I’ve made a real mess of everything, haven’t I?’

  ‘No, you haven’t. I can’t think of anyone who would have done what you’ve done.’

  It was such a relief to hear him say that. Tears welled from her eyes again. She didn’t protest when Simon put his arms around her and hugged her. He gave a deep sigh then slowly loosened his hold on her.

  ‘Now we need to decide what you must do. Obviously you can’t stay here so you’ll have to go back to England.’

  ‘I know, but I don’t have any money for the fare. And even if I do go back, I’ve nowhere to live, no job…nothing.’

  ‘That isn’t a problem. I’ll pay your fare and you and Josh can stay with me while you find somewhere to live. I’ll be staying in Mallorca for a few days to be with Richie so I’ll give you the key to my flat. As for a job, well, they’ll take you back at St Leonard’s like a shot. They’ve not found anyone to replace you, so we’ve been making do with agency nurses when we can get them.’

  ‘Oh, but I couldn’t,’ she protested. ‘I don’t mean the job, but I couldn’t let you pay my air fare. And as for putting us up…’

  ‘Becky, it isn’t a problem! Really.’ He took hold of her hands and squeezed them. ‘I want to help you but, please, don’t worry that you might be giving me the wrong idea.’ He shrugged. ‘I realise that we can be nothing more than friends, but that’s OK.’

  ‘I don’t know what to say, Simon. It’s so good of you…’

  She tailed off when she caught sight of Felipe coming along the corridor. Her heart felt as though it was being slowly squeezed to pulp when she saw the coldness on his face as he spotted her and Simon.

  He passed them without saying a word and his very silence was enough to tell her how pointless it would be to go after him. He would never believe that she’d wanted so desperately to tell him the truth.

  She took a deep breath but it did nothing to ease the agony she felt. ‘Thank you, Simon. I really appreciate this.’

  ‘You don’t have to thank me, Becky. I’m happy to help.’ Simon stared after Felipe and for a moment she thought he was going to say something before he thought better of it.

  ‘I’ll sort out a plane ticket for you. What time will you be ready to leave? I might be able to get you a seat on a flight today if that’s not too soon.’

  ‘No,’ she said hollowly. ‘The sooner I leave here the better it will be for everyone concerned.’

  Simon hurried off to make the arrangements while Becky collected Josh from the creèche and took him back to the villa. She packed only the things she had brought with her and left behind all the beautiful toys and clothes that Felipe had provided for him. They weren’t hers to take and she wouldn’t give him the chance to accuse her of stealing from him.

  Tears slid down her cheeks and she dashed them away, but more kept on coming. She picked Josh up and held him close, drawing comfort from the feel of his sturdy little body in her arms.

  How long she would be able to keep him was another matter, of course. But whatever happened, she would make sure that he was never handed over to Tara. She didn’t really believe that Tara would want him, but there was always a chance that Tara might change her mind if she could see any financial benefit in having Josh.

  If it came to a court case she would tell the judge the whole story, present him with all the evidence to back it up and make sure that Josh was placed in Felipe’s care. No matter how much Felipe hated her, he would do his best for Josh.

  He would give his brother’s child all the love that he could never give her.

  Felipe made his way to Theatre and scrubbed up. It was a fairly routine operation, the removal of a gallstone laparoscopically—minimally invasive surgery performed through a tiny incision using a laparoscope. It was an operation which he’d performed dozens of times before so he wasn’t anticipating any problems, yet he found that his hands were shaking when he turned off the taps.

  He made himself breathe deeply, but the tremor didn’t stop. He could feel his muscles bunching and flickering, feel the ligaments and nerves jerking beneath his skin, and realised that he was in no fit state to carry out even the simplest procedure if he didn’t manage to control himself. But seeing Rebecca standing there in another man’s arms had already tested his self-control to its limit.

  He swore softly, fluently, and Domingo, who was standing beside him at the sink, shot him a worried look. ‘Are you all right, Dr Valdez?’

  ‘Yes!’ he snapped, holding out his hands for the sterile towel Theatre Sister had ready for him. It fell from his grasp and he stared at it lying there on the floor while images played in front of his eyes, images of Rebecca with that man’s arms around her, her slender body pressed against his, her face tilted up as she waited for him to kiss her…

  Felipe swung round, ignoring the startled looks that Domingo and the nurse exchanged. ‘I am unable to continue with this operation. Have Dr Ramirez paged and ask her to take over from me.’

  He didn’t wait to hear what Domingo said as he strode from the room. Tossing his paper hat into the waste basket, he left Theatre and made his way to the stairs. He didn’t stop to change from his scrub suit into his clothes and he saw several members of staff stare at him in astonishment as he passed them.

  He had made it a strict rule that everyone must be properly dressed at all times, but he didn’t give a damn about appearan
ces at that moment. He didn’t give a damn about anything except finding Rebecca and making her explain what she’d been doing with that man, Montague, and why he had been in the clinic. Was this another one of her schemes, another way to make use of every man she came into contact with?

  Anger ripped through him and the fact that it was mixed with a burning jealousy he hadn’t believed himself capable of just made him feel worse. He didn’t want to be jealous about a woman who had lied to him, but he couldn’t stop himself.

  He left the hospital and made his way to the villa, knowing instinctively that she would be there. He only hoped that Montague wasn’t with her because he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions if he found the man in his house.

  Rebecca was in the hall and she jumped when he flung open the door. He just had a moment to take in her tear-stained face before he caught sight of the cases at her feet. His eyes skimmed over the battered suitcase and the cheap shoulder-bag stuffed with Josh’s nappies and bottles, while a piercing pain ran through his heart as he realised that she was leaving. It took every scrap of strength he possessed to open his mouth and speak.

  ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘Back to London.’

  Her voice wobbled and he saw her bite her lip. His hands clenched when he saw that she’d bitten it so hard that she’d drawn blood. He ached to take her in his arms and kiss it better, let his lips heal that tiny wound, but he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t let himself forget what she had done.

  ‘And what if I refuse to let you leave?’ he said hoarsely instead.

  ‘You can’t stop me, Felipe.’ Her head came up and despite the tears on her cheeks and the pain in her eyes there was a quiet dignity about her that shamed him. ‘I’m Josh’s legal guardian and until the courts decide differently I’m free to take him back to England, or anywhere else I choose. It goes without saying that you have no hold over me now that I’ve terminated my contract at the clinic.’

  ‘You know that I’ll probably sue for custody of the boy?’ he shot back, stung by that last comment. He had no hold over her because she didn’t care about him. She didn’t love him; his feelings didn’t matter; it had all been an act.