“Why, I show them who’s the boss,” Joe said, “wait here.”
Joe headed into Jacob’s room and dug around in his toy box for toy guns and a few other things, and when he got back to the kitchen the two of them dressed up as soldiers.
“Right, so we’re going to go in there, and teach’em monsters a thing or two,” he said and Jacob’s eyes brightened up.
“I’m gonna shoot’em dead!” Jacob cried out excitedly.
“Here,” Joe said and slipped his baseball glove unto Jacob’s little hand, “This is a monster shield, the moment one of those buggers come your way, you hold it up like this.”
The two of them tip toed down the small corridor, Joe in front and Jacob behind him, every now and again Jacob peeked past him. Joe pointed towards the door with two fingers, and Jacob scrambled past him to stand on the other side of the door. With his eyes on Jacob he reached for the door handle, nodded once, and then shoved the door open and barged in.
Jacob followed with a tuck and roll and banging sounds erupted from the two of them as they opened fire into the room, shooting at the monsters that lurked under the bed.
“Closet Jacob, open the closet!” Joe shouted as he stood ready to aim.
Jacob opened the closet and raised his gloved hand to block any of the monsters, while Joe shot at the invisible enemy. The two of them laughed and ransacked the room, finding all the monsters that hid in the dark and when Jacob was finally satisfied that all the monsters were annihilated; he stood proudly next to Joe. Joe chuckled and looked down at the youngster. If he ever had kids of his own, he hoped that they would be just like Jacob, he thought to himself.
Much later, Joe woke up next to Jacob, his neck stiff and the little boy curled up against him. Not wanting to wake him up, he reached for a small blanket lying on the floor and propped it under his head and closed his eyes. Sleep evaded him, but he didn’t feel like leaving the room; instead he stayed with Jacob.
Chapter 9
Jacob arrived at the daycare only to have a very sad little boy hop into the passenger seat next to him.
“What’s up buddy?” he asked and turned Jacob.
“Nothing,” he said as he folded his arms.
“Sure ain’t nothing, why don’t you tell me?” he prompted again.
Jacob dug into his backpack and held out a note, it was a note about the daycare’s annual Father and Son Camping Evening, and he could only surmise that Jacob was sad because he didn’t have a dad to hang out with him. He could only figure that Chris may have been the only father figure he ever had, but whether or not he ever did things like this with Jacob was a mystery to him.
“So this Father Son thing, you wanna go?”
“I can’t,” he said with a pouty lip.
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t have a daddy.”
Joe’s heart went out to the little boy and as he read the note it was quite clear that only dads were allowed, and he wasn’t Jacob’s dad or legal guardian. It irritated him that the school would be so callous and uncaring.
“Come along,” he said and got out of the car then rounded it and picked Jacob out. Without a second thought he marched straight to the small office. Mothers and teachers alike stared at him as if he was a piece of candy, and he smirked inwardly. If ever his fame was going to count for something, today would be it.
“I’d like to talk to the principle please,” he said as he entered the foyer.
“How can I help?” the elderly lady asked.
“So, this is how I see it, Jacob here would like to attend the father and son evening, and I’ll be standing in for his dad,” he started.
“Mr….”
“Landers, Joe Landers.”
“Mr Landers, unfortunately only…”
“I don’t think you’re following me,” he looked down at Jacob, “why don’t you go wait on the bench and I’ll handle this,” then turned back, “So this is how it will be working. I’m currently the only father Jacob has, his mother is unfortunately in hospital and his legal guardian is away, so I will be attending the father and son evening with Jacob.”
“Well Mr. Landers, I’m sure that Jacob would love to attend, but the rules…”
Joe’s patience was running thin, it was time he pulled a trump card out, “Listen, it’s obvious that you have no idea who I am, but that’s fine, you can figure it out later. Now I see the playground is in much need of some serious maintenance, and I’m more than happy to fund a renovation if you let me attend the event with my… Jacob.”
The woman peered at him over the brim of her glasses, and if looks could kill he would be six feet under right now, but he wasn’t going to let some stuck up lady prevent Jacob from having a great time, he was just about to continue when another woman exited the office.
“Mary, thank you, I’ll talk to Mr. Landers,” she said and then looked up at him, “I’m Mrs. Denton, the principle of Bright Stars Daycare, how can I assist you today?”
He just promised some nobody a refurbished playground? He rolled his eyes mentally and squared his shoulders.
“Mrs. Denton, I was just explaining to, Mary, that I will be attending the father and son evening with Jacob, so if you can just confirm this, I will be on my way.”
The woman stood quietly for a moment before nodding her head, “Of course,” she said and ever so casually hooked her arm in his and guided him towards the exit, “Perhaps you can consider spending some time with the other boys too, I’m sure they would love to have such a famous baseball player in their midst.”
Un-bloody-believable, he thought to himself, the audacity of these people simply bowled him over, but if that’s what it took to have Jacob at the father and son evening, then so be it. But once Lucy was out of hospital he was going to insist she find another daycare, even if he had to pay for it. He was not going to allow Jacob to be educated by a bunch of idiots.
The father and son evening was a blast, and although he had to spend time pitching and playing with the other boys and dads, he got to spend some real quality time with Jacob. Of course, the other kids were fussing over him and just about every single one of them tried to arrange for sleep overs at Jacob’s place. In less than a day Jacob had turned from an insignificant nobody in their eyes to popular. It wasn’t exactly the best thing, since the last thing Joe wanted were for kids to befriend Jacob solely for his association with a famous baseball player. But nevertheless, Jacob was in his element and Joe was sure that Lucy had raised him to not get a swelled head over a little attention.
By seven the next morning, Joe had packed up the tent and was ready to head on back to Lucy’s apartment, he needed some serious down time to recharge his batteries. It didn’t take long for Jacob to pass out once they were home and settled and although Joe wanted to sleep as well, he couldn’t. He spent the morning tidying up the place. While he tidied the kitchen he noticed a pile of documents lying in the corner on the counter. Some envelopes with big red stamps screaming out OVERDUE, and others that appeared less intimidating, but he could only guess these were all bills and by the weight of all the overdue envelopes, she was not able to pay them. He shouldn’t be meddling with her personal affairs, but after the pile called out to him a second and third time, he gave up the fight.
She might hate him for a brief moment in time, but once she realized that she has no more debt, she’ll eventually come around and thank him.
He worked his way down the pile listing the accounts that needed immediate settlement and emailed them to his manager to handle, who of course couldn’t understand why he was taking on a charity case. But no one told him how to run his finances, or what to do with his money.
A particular piece of paper caught his eye, it was Jacob’s birth certificate with only Lucy’s details on it, she had made no mention of the father, which he found quite odd, but then again, he had no idea how these things worked anyway. Jacob Daniel Conlay, he smirked at that. Daniel was his middle name too, a warm fuzzy feeli
ng settled in his stomach and he kept on reading over the details. Date of birth – 13 June 2012. It dawned on him that he never once bothered to ask Lucy exactly how old Jacob was. For a four year old boy, he was pretty clued in with life and much more mature about matters than he would expect from a toddler. He piled the birth certificate with the rest of the papers and gathered it all up then stuck it back in the corner. Once she finds out that she has no more debt she can have a go at him, but for now, he was simply going to pretend he had no clue.
Chapter 10
Lucy looked forward to the visits from Jacob and Joe, and even though she felt like death itself, she always ensured that she looked her best. She had become friends with one of the nurses who helped her with her hair and light make-up. But today she felt less radiant. A week had passed since a partial mastectomy was performed, removing most of her left breast, and although she was able to go home, she knew that in a weeks’ time she would have to start her radiotherapy. She feared that most, but if she wanted to see her son grow into a teenager she had to do what it takes to beat this.
At least she would be home, and she could take care of Jacob herself, she couldn’t expect Joe to stay longer than he already had; besides he had a life of his own to live. The idea of telling him about Jacob had also taken a back seat.
The door to her room opened and Dr Moffat entered the room.
“How are you feeling today Lucy?” he asked as he stood next to her.
“Okay I guess,” she said solemnly.
“I know it’s very daunting but you’re lucky that breast cancer is often curable to a point where you won’t have to go through this again.”
“Often, doctor? That’s not exactly a guarantee,” she said bitterly.
He placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled, “If you do the treatments and you fight through this, you can beat it. I promise you. You have to find the will to survive.”
He was right, she had to fight, but how does one fight an invisible monster that threatens your very life, and tries to rob you of everything you ever lived for?
“I know, I just don’t feel all that well today,” she admitted and moved to sit up.
“You’ll have days like this, but once you’re home with your family, you’ll have a lot of support, and you’ll feel much better.”
She liked the doctor, but she also knew that doctors were trained to bullshit. They have a special class that trains them how to break news easily; although the news is everything but positive. Instead she smiled and nodded. Just then Jacob came bolting into the room.
“Mommy!” he cried out and leaped onto the bed to hug her.
Joe was quick enough to scoop him up before he threw himself against her chest.
“Easy there, your mommy has a little bit of a sore and if you hug her too tight she might get hurt.”
Lucy instantly snapped and reached for Jacob, “For heaven sake Joe, he can hug me if he wants to.”
Joe shrugged and then placed Jacob on the bed, “Fine.”
Lucy felt bad for a moment, she didn’t have to snap at him, he was just trying to help, but she didn’t feel like apologizing either. Jacob however, was much more careful this time as he gently hugged her, and she had to fight back the tears that threatened to spill.
“Are you excited that I’m coming home or has Uncle Joe been spoiling you?” she asked as she combed her fingers through her son’s messy hair.
“I’m happy, you can come teach Uncle Joe to make boiled eggs,” he said.
Joe chuckled and Lucy looked up at him, “He doesn’t know how to make boiled eggs? I find that rather hard to believe.”
“It’s all squishy and gross,” Jacob said pulling a face.
Joe shrugged, “I have no clue how long to boil them, if I boil them too long the shell cracks open and the egg leaks into the water, if I boil them too little it’s half raw. I’m afraid I’ll need a few lessons there.”
Lucy laughed and her eyes met Joe’s. For a moment there was a sizzle of anticipation between them and she saw that look in his eyes again, the same one that had her fall head over heels with him back at her brother’s wedding. She quickly averted her gaze and turned her attention to her son.
“I tell you what, the moment we’re home I’ll show you both how to cook an egg,” she offered and then slowly got off the bed.
Before this very moment, the thought of her left breast having been removed hardly troubled her, but now with Joe so close, she was mortified by the fact that her breast was practically mutilated. She kept her good side to him and pulled on her jumper and when Joe tried to give her a hand she quickly shrugged him away.
“I can do this myself… thank you,” she had no idea why she suddenly felt so agitated.
“Right champ, up you go!” he said ignoring her subtle outburst and lifted Jacob on to his shoulders, “best get to the cooking lesson.”
At the same time he picked up her bag and headed to the door and waited for her to exit. First thing she noticed were the nurses all huddling at the nurse’s station trying to appear as inconspicuous as ever but she knew right away that they were all fanning themselves over Joe, that irritated her even more. They were like a bunch of mosquitoes zeroing in on their victim. She didn’t dare look behind her, but she assumed he enjoyed the attention and was probably winking at every single one of them.
She tilted her chin and held her head high as she walked out of the ward and headed straight for the elevator. As the doors closed, she took a deep controlling breath, which was probably the biggest mistake ever. He smelled like sandalwood and soap, clean and fresh, the scent immediately assaulted her senses and she once again parted her lips to avoid breathing through her nose.
The quicker they got home, the quicker she could send him on his way and get on with her own life. He didn’t need to know about Jacob, she had kept it quiet for this long, why go and upset the whole apple cart now.
Chapter 11
Joe had made some herbal tea for Lucy and got her medication, while she put Jacob to bed. It was one thing being here with Jacob, but being here with Lucy was a real trip down memory lane. Although, what they had all those years back was a fly by night romance that would never have lasted, the scent that filled this small space was distinctly Lucy, a mix of lavender and well, lavender. He was never good with the different scents women liked and the only one he knew popped to mind.
Her door stood slightly ajar as he got to her room, “Lucy?” he warned before he stepped into her room. She was lying curled up under her blanket and her shoulders were shaking.
“Lucy, are you okay?” he asked again and placed her tea and pills next to her on the night stand.
“I-I’m fine,” she said and sniffed.
“No, you’re not fine, come, have some tea,” he said and reached out to touch her shoulder, but she shrugged him away.
“I just want to be alone,” she whimpered.
He could leave her be, and give her, her space. But something in his gut told him otherwise and without putting much thought into it, he toed his shoes off and lay down behind her, spooning her frail body, separated by a thick blanket against him. He wouldn’t even know where to begin, but if holding her was all he could do to ease her worry and her pain then so be it. At least she didn’t chase him away this time, he thought as he buried his nose in her hair. She just felt so perfect here in his arms. He never stayed over at any woman’s place, no woman ever stayed over at his, and he sure as hell didn’t cuddle after sex. But this wasn’t sex was it? It was something different, Lucy was also not his latest shag after a winning game, she was his friend, and he was doing exactly what friends would do, consoling her.
“You can talk to me, I want you to know that,” he whispered into her hair.
Where should she even start? She wondered as she lay in Joe’s arms. It felt so familiar, yet so strange. Why did life have to be so complicated? Telling him about Jacob could have one of two outcomes and neither of them promised anything good. He cou
ld either run because of shock or deny it, or he could accept it and the tabloids will go nuts over the gold digger from Erie who tried her luck at claiming his paternity for her illegitimate child. You have to tell him, Chris’ voice rung in her mind, reminding her that she can’t run forever, but this moment was too perfect to ruin.
“Jacob is pretty clever for a four-year-old,” he said.
She stiffened in his arms, was he fishing or was that genuine interest, “He is much more mature than some of his peers,” she said tentatively.
“Yeah, definitely your son there’s no doubt, thank god he got your brains, because if he got his dad’s brains it would have been an utter waste,” Joe continued.
Lucy turned unto her back and looked at him, “What do you mean by that?”
“I’m just saying, the dumbass that left without taking the responsibility of such a bright young boy, never deserved him in the first place.”
Lucy sucked in a breath and then scooted off to the other side of the bed and sat up.
“I don’t think he’s to blame,” she said and the way the muscle ticked in Joe’s jaw was obvious that he was annoyed, “Sometimes things just work out the way they do.”
Joe sat up and looked at her, “C’mon Luce, his name isn’t even on Jacob’s birth certificate; hell, if he was my kid I would have made sure my name appeared on that dotted line regardless of the state of my relationship with my child’s mother.”
Lucy threw her head back and laughed, “You? Seriously Joe, you hate the entire idea of kids, you made that quite clear that weekend...kids would never fit into your world.”
She had already said too much, fearful that he might have put one and one together, she got up and walked over to the window and peered into the brick wall opposite her bedroom window.
She felt Joe’s hands on her shoulders as he came to stand behind her, and her body sunk back against his, if only things weren’t as complicated as they were. She thought as she closed her eyes. Joe slowly pulled her back against him, and then he turned her around and hugged her against his chest and looked up into his eyes. He gently grazed her skin with the pad of his thumb and then ducked his head and looked deeply into her eyes.
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