THE THIRTY-FOOT FIR tree stood sentinel over the plaza. Lily craned her head to see to the very top where the star was perched, and even Jess looked up in awe. She’d noticed the framework being erected—that had been difficult to miss too—but the tree itself, with its spreading limbs, was simply enormous. Its dark green foliage had been decorated with myriad silver balls and shining stars and bells that rang when the breeze stirred the branches. A light, shaped like a candle, was attached to the end of each branch. It must have taken hours to decorate but the effort was well worth it. It was beautiful.
Lucas came to them as they stood under the tree. He had his grey cashmere overcoat on again with a black scarf wrapped around his throat. Jess had made more of an attempt to dress up tonight. She’d chosen her smartest woollen coat in a winter white and had taken time with her make-up.
‘Ladies, your timing is perfect.’ Lucas greeted them with a smile and Jess was pleased she’d made the extra effort.
Lucas had reserved a table for them on the outdoor dining terrace in front of the lodge. They had an uninterrupted view across to the tree as well as down to the plaza, where the colourful tented market stalls had been set up. Carol singers were performing at the edge of the terrace and Lucas ordered eggnog for everyone as they sat down.
As the eggnog was served Lily handed Lucas a box wrapped in Christmas ribbon.
‘What’s this for?’
‘For you,’ Lily told him. ‘To say thank you for the sleigh ride.’
Lucas undid the ribbon and lifted the lid to reveal cookies in various Christmas shapes—stars, angels, reindeer, bells and sleighs. Each cookie had been decorated with icing and had a small hole in the top through which red ribbon had been threaded.
‘Mum and I made gingerbread for the school Christmas cookie swap and I thought you might like some.’
‘Thank you, Lily, they look delicious,’ he said, as he lifted out a star.
‘You can’t eat them yet!’ Lily admonished him. ‘You’re supposed to hang them on the tree. That’s why they’ve got ribbons in them.’
‘I see that now. Have you hung some on your tree?’
‘We don’t have a tree.’
‘You don’t?’
‘I haven’t got around to it,’ Jess told him. She wasn’t actually planning on having a tree, mainly because she didn’t have any decorations for it. She hadn’t brought decorations with them to Moose River—that hadn’t seemed a necessity when she’d been choosing which belongings needed to fit into their luggage—but now that she was immersed in the festive spirit of the village she regretted her decision. It wasn’t likely to change, though. She could get a tree but she still didn’t have the money to splash out on new decorations. Of course, she wasn’t about to tell Lucas that. Fortunately Lily piped up and redirected the conversation.
‘Do you have a Christmas tree inside?’ she asked.
‘I do,’ Lucas replied.
‘I think you should hang them inside, then, so they don’t get snowed on.’
‘I think that’s a very good idea.’
The carol singers were singing ‘O Christmas Tree’ and as they neared the end of the song Lucas stood up.
‘That’s my cue,’ he said. ‘Would you like to come with me, Lily? We need to start the countdown for the lights.’
He took Lily’s hand and a lump formed in Jess’s throat as she watched the two of them make their way to the tree. He was being so sweet with her. She didn’t know what she was worried about. He would love Lily.
Actually, she did know what she was worried about. She was worried he’d think less of her for keeping the secret. She didn’t want that but there was no way around it. She knew she had to tell him the truth. She just hadn’t decided when.
Lucas took a cordless microphone from his pocket and switched it on. He looked confident and relaxed and very sexy.
‘Welcome everyone to the inaugural lighting of the Crystal Lodge Christmas tree. I’d like to invite you all to help count us down from ten to one before we flick the switch. Lily, would you like to start us off?’
Lily looked up at Lucas and beamed. Jess thought her smile was so wide it was going to split her face in two. She was looking at Lucas as if he was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and Jess knew Lily would only benefit from having Lucas as a father. There would be no downside for Lily. Jess had to do the right thing.
Lucas handed Lily the microphone. ‘Ready? From ten.’
‘Ten!’ Lily’s voice rang out across the plaza and then the crowd joined in.
‘Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!’
As they reached ‘one’, the lights were switched on, accompanied by a massive cheer. The tips of the candle lights were illuminated and now glowed brightly against the night sky. The tree had a light dusting of snow and looked magical.
As the carol singers launched into another set of carols Lucas and Lily returned to their table.
‘Did you see that, Mum?’
Jess had tears in her eyes as she got out of her chair and hugged her very excited daughter. ‘I did, darling, you were fabulous.’ Over the top of Lily’s head she mouthed ‘Thank you’ to Lucas.
‘Can we go to the market now?’ Lily asked, and Jess knew she wasn’t going to be able to sit still.
‘Would you like to come with us or are you busy?’ she invited Lucas.
‘No, my duties are all done for the evening. I’d love to walk with you.’
They strolled through the market, stopping at any stall that caught their attention. There was a good variety selling food and gifts, everything from scarves, knitted hats and delicate glassware to souvenirs, Christmas decorations, hot food and candies.
Lucas stopped at a stall selling decorations. ‘Lily, I think I need a few more decorations for my inside trees, to go with your cookies. Would you like to choose some for me?’
Lily agonised over her choices but eventually had filled a bag with a varied assortment of ornaments. Jess wasn’t sure how they would match in with the smartly decorated trees in the lodge’s lobby but seeing the pleasure on Lily’s face she knew that wasn’t the point. Lucas was doing all sorts of wonderful things for Lily that Jess couldn’t afford to do but she couldn’t begrudge him. Not when she could see how much pleasure Lily was getting from it.
Jess stopped at the next stall, which was selling barley candy. This was a Canadian Christmas tradition and one she could afford. It was also one she’d shared with Lucas years ago. She chose three sticks of the sugary sweets, one shaped like Santa, one a Christmas tree and the third a reindeer, and let Lily and Lucas choose one each.
They sucked on the candy as they wandered through the market. Lily skipped in front of them, in a hurry to see what lay in the stalls ahead. She stopped at one that displayed some intricate doll’s houses, complete with delicate furniture and real glass windows, and spent ages admiring the display as Lucas and Jess talked.
‘What are your plans for Christmas?’ Lucas asked. ‘Are your parents coming up to the resort?’
Jess shook her head. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘Really? I thought that was a family tradition for you?’
Jess had no idea what her parents’ plans were. They could be spending Christmas here but even if they were their celebration wouldn’t include her and she wasn’t going to explain why that tradition had come to an end. She stopped to buy a bag of hot cinnamon doughnut holes, hoping that would distract him from any further questions.
‘What about you?’ she asked, as Lily traded her barley sugar for the bag of doughnuts.
‘I’ll be hosting the Christmas lunch at the lodge. A buffet extravaganza.’
‘A bit different from your traditional Christmas,’ she said.
‘I’ve grown to prefer a white Christmas.’ Lucas smiled. ‘It feels more like a celebration to me.’
They had reached the ice-skating rink at the end of the first row of market stalls and they sat on a bench to eat doughnut holes and watch the ice skaters. Lily leant on the railing, leaving Jess and Lucas free to talk. Jess sat at one end of the bench, which was a long bench with plenty of room, but Lucas chose to sit right next to her.
‘What has Lily asked Santa for?’
‘It’s the same thing every year, a baby sister.’
‘I take it from your tone you have no plans to give her what she wants.’ He was smiling.
Jess shook her head. ‘I’m not doing that again. Not on my own.’
Lily came back to Jess and handed her the empty doughnut bag. ‘Can we go ice skating?’ she asked.
‘I guess so.’ Jess knew it was only a few dollars to hire the skates.
‘I might have to sit this one out. I’m a terrible ice skater. I’m Australian, remember, there’s not much ice where I come from.’
Disappointment flowed through Jess. She hadn’t stopped to think that this might be something Lucas wouldn’t enjoy. But, taking a leaf out of his book, she decided persistence might pay off. ‘Lily and I will help you,’ she suggested. ‘We can hold your hands.’
Lucas flashed his dimples at her as he grinned and said, ‘There’s an offer too good to refuse. Let’s do it.’
He scooped Lily up and she squealed with delight as he carried her over to the hire kiosk to choose skates. It seemed his charm worked equally as well on Lily as it did on her.
Jess tied Lily’s skates and then she and Lily each took one of Lucas’s hands and stepped onto the ice. Lucas struggled to get the idea of gliding on the slippery surface but his innate sense of balance meant she and Lily had no trouble keeping him upright as they skated around the rink.
They’d managed to negotiate their way twice around the rink before Lily saw one of her friends from school and skated off, leaving Jess alone with Lucas.
‘Did you want to keep skating?’ she asked him.
‘Definitely,’ he replied. ‘I’m not going to pass up an opportunity to have you all to myself.’ He pulled his gloves off his hands and put them into his pocket. He held out his hand and Jess slipped her gloves off too and gave them to him before putting her hand in his outstretched palm. His skin was warm but Jess knew she wouldn’t care how cold it got, she wasn’t going to put her gloves back on.
They did a couple more laps of the rink hand in hand and then Lucas let her go.
‘Are you going to try by yourself?’ she asked.
‘No,’ he said, as he put his arm around her waist and pulled her in closer. ‘I still need to lean on you.’
Jess knew that was a bad idea—he wasn’t steady enough on his skates yet—but before she could protest he’d pushed off and within a few feet their skates had tangled. Lucas stumbled and grabbed the railing that ran around the edge of the rink and just managed to keep his feet, but his momentum as he tried to regain his balance spun Jess around so that she was now facing him. They leant together on the railing as Lucas straightened up.
He was laughing. ‘Sorry about that,’ he said. ‘Actually, I’m not sorry, it’s put you right where I want you.’
She was almost nose to nose with Lucas and she could feel her cheeks burning but it wasn’t from the cold. It was from being so close to him. Jess lifted her chin and looked into his forget-me-not-blue eyes. She could feel his breath on her cheek. Warm and sweet, it smelt of cinnamon doughnuts. She was close enough to kiss him.
Lucas dipped his head. She knew what he was going to do. But she couldn’t let him kiss her. Not here. Not yet. But she couldn’t move away. She was transfixed by his eyes. She held her breath as she watched his eyes darken from blue to purple as he closed the distance.
Jess felt something tugging on her coat.
‘Mummy, I feel sick.’
Jess looked down. Lily was beside her. ‘Lily? What’s the matter?’
‘I feel sick,’ she repeated.
Was she dizzy from skating? Jess wondered. She did look a bit pale. Jess let go of Lucas to put her hand on Lily’s forehead. She felt warm but Jess found it hard to tell if that was just because of all the layers she was bundled up in.
‘Too much sugar, probably,’ Jess said. ‘We’d better get you home.’
‘I can’t walk,’ Lily grumbled.
‘I’ll give you a piggyback,’ Lucas offered, and Jess looked at him gratefully.
Lily didn’t need to be asked twice. She whipped her skates off, pulled her boots back on and wasted no time hopping onto Lucas’s back, where she held on tight and buried her face in his neck as he carried her home.
‘You’re making a habit of getting us home safely,’ Jess said, as Lucas put Lily onto the couch.
‘I’m happy to be of service,’ he said with a smile. ‘Are you going to be all right?’
‘We’ll be fine. Thank you.’ It wasn’t quite the ending she’d pictured to the night but there wasn’t anything she could do about that.
Jess was browning onions to add to the meatballs she was planning to make when there was a knock on the apartment door. ‘Can you answer that, please, Lily?’
‘Who is it?’ she called out to Lily as she heard the door open.
‘It’s a Christmas tree!’
Jess wiped her hands on a tea towel and stepped out of the kitchen. A pine tree filled the doorway. ‘What on earth …?’
Lucas’s face appeared around the side of the tree. He was grinning at Lily. ‘G’day.’
‘Lucas!’ Lily jumped up and down and clapped her hands as she shouted. All trace of yesterday’s illness had well and truly disappeared. ‘Who’s the tree for?’
‘You. I thought it might cheer you up if you were sick but you look like you’re feeling much better.’
‘I am better but, please, can I still have it? I love Christmas trees, they’re so pretty.’
‘It’s not pretty yet but it will be once we decorate it.’
‘That’s very sweet of you,’ Jess interrupted before the excitement took over completely, ‘but I haven’t got time to be fiddling around with a tree.’
‘What’s the problem?’ Lucas asked, as he leant the tree against the door frame and stepped into the apartment.
He looked as disappointed as Jess knew Lily would be but as much as she would have loved to have a Christmas tree she hadn’t the budget for one. She’d thought about decorating the room with a small pine bough and maybe spending an afternoon making kissing balls with Lily as a compromise, but that was as far as she’d got. ‘It’s always so difficult to get it secure and then in a couple of weeks I’ll just have to work out how to get rid of a dead tree.’
‘That’s why I’m here. I will make sure it won’t topple over and I promise I will dispose of it when you’re ready. All you need to do is tell me where you’d like it.’
‘Lucas, have a look.’ Jess waved an arm around at the cramped living space. ‘There’s nowhere for it to go.’
‘Why don’t I put it in front of the balcony doors? How much time do you spend out there in this weather anyway?’
He smiled at her and Jess remembered how it had been when she’d been seventeen. She would have given him the world when he’d smiled at her. She had. And she thought she still might.
But she wasn’t ready to give in just yet. ‘I like to look at the village lights,’ she protested.
‘How about, for the next three weeks, you look at the lights on the tree instead?’
He made a fair point but she didn’t have any decorations and that included lights. ‘I don’t—’
‘Have lights,’ Lucas interrupted. ‘No dramas. I do. I have everything you need. Just say yes.’
Did he have everything she needed? Should she say yes? It was a tempting offer.
‘Please, Mum?’
Why was she refusing? She’d dreamt of giving Lily a perfect Christmas and Lucas was here, offering to help make that happen. She’d offer him one last chance to excuse himself. ‘I’m sure you’ve got better things to do too,’ she said to Lucas.
‘Nope. It’s Sunday. I’m taking the day off. This’ll be relaxing.’
Jess laughed. ‘You think? Why don’t you go out snowboarding? Wouldn’t that be more fun?’
‘It’ll be snowing for the next four months, there’s plenty of time for that. Christmas is in three weeks, which makes this a priority.’
She couldn’t resist a combined assault. ‘All right, if you’re sure.’ She gave in. ‘But you and Lily will have to manage without me. I’ve got a mountain of mincemeat waiting to be turned into dinner.’
‘No worries. We’ll be right, won’t we, Lily?’
Lily nodded her head eagerly.
Jess would actually have loved to help but she’d already said she didn’t have time. But Lucas didn’t argue—he didn’t seem to mind at all, leaving Jess feeling mildly disappointed. Had he only come to see Lily?
Lucas tossed his coat onto the sofa and then Lily helped him to carry all the paraphernalia into the apartment. He’d brought everything they would need, including all the decorations Lily had bought at the market the day before plus candy canes and some of the gingerbread. The tree was only small, maybe a touch over five feet tall, and Jess had to admit it was perfect for the compact apartment.
Jess watched out of the corner of her eye, unable to resist an opportunity to watch Lucas. She forgot all about the onions on the stove as she watched his arms flex and his T-shirt strain across his shoulders as he hefted the tree inside and fitted it into the stand.
The smell of burning onions eventually returned her focus to the kitchen and she pitched the singed batch and chopped a second lot as Lucas and Lily trimmed the tree. He had even brought Christmas music—Jess could hear it playing on his phone while they worked.
‘What are you listening to?’ she asked.
He named a well-known Australian children’s group. ‘This is their Christmas album.’
‘Why do you have their music?’
‘I downloaded it for Lily. I thought she’d enjoy it,’ he explained. ‘Surely you recognise the songs, even if you’re not familiar with the artists?’
‘I will by the end of the afternoon,’ Jess quipped. ‘You seem to have it stuck on repeat.’
Lucas laughed and the sound filled the space. It was a lovely sound, better than the music, and Jess wished she could hear that whenever she liked.
‘We like it, don’t we, Lily?’
‘Yes, it’s fun.’
Jess felt even more left out as she listened to them laugh and sing along to Lucas’s music. But she’d had six years of having Lily to herself. It was time Lily got to know Lucas.
But was she ready to share? What implications would it have? He said he’d come back for her but what if he changed his mind? What if he only wanted Lily? What if he wanted to take her away? What was best for Lily? Should she turn her world upside down? Could Lucas give her things that she couldn’t?
She knew he could.
He already had.
The tree was finished and Lily had switched the lights on. It looked very pretty and lifted Jess’s spirits. ‘Would you like to stay for dinner?’ she invited Lucas. ‘We’re having spaghetti with meatballs.’
‘I don’t want to be rude but I don’t eat pasta.’
‘Oh.’ Her heart dropped. It seemed he didn’t want to spend time with her.
‘Would it be all right if I just had the meatballs?’
‘I don’t want spaghetti either,’ Lily said, but Jess wasn’t all that surprised. Lucas was Lily’s new idol so, of course, she’d want to imitate him. She hadn’t stopped talking about him all day and it had almost been a relief when he’d arrived at their door. At least then Jess hadn’t had to listen to Lily’s running commentary any more, but having Lucas there in the flesh had added other frustrations. She could see him and smell his winter-fresh pine scent but she couldn’t touch him.
Lucas and Lily sat opposite Jess with their bowls of meatballs sprinkled with cheese. Jess could see some similarities. Lily may look just like her but her green eyes were more changeable. Tonight, sitting next to Lucas, Jess could see that flash of forget-me-not blue in them. It was odd that she’d never noticed that before.
Looking at them sitting opposite her, Jess had another glimpse of what it would be like to be a family, and she wondered what Lucas would say if she told him the truth tonight.
But she couldn’t tell him in front of Lily. Despite how he’d treated Lily over the past couple of days, she couldn’t assume that his reaction would be positive. Being nice to an old friend’s daughter was one thing, finding out he was a father might be another thing entirely. Jess couldn’t risk upsetting Lily if Lucas’s reaction wasn’t what she hoped. This wasn’t a conversation she could launch into on the spur of the moment. They needed time alone, without interruption. She needed a plan.
Perhaps she should ask Fleur if Lily could have a sleepover with Annabel. She didn’t like to ask for favours but given the circumstances it was probably her best option. Either that or get Kristie to come up to the resort to babysit. Kristie had been right. Lucas deserved to know the truth.
Christmas was fast approaching and Lily’s calendar was chock-full of activities, far more so than Jess’s was. In the past week alone she’d had the Christmas cookie swap, a Christmas lunch, yesterday had been Annabel’s birthday party and tonight she was supposed to be going back to Annabel’s for a sleepover, but right now it didn’t look as though that was going to happen.
Lily had started vomiting after the party and fifteen hours later she hadn’t stopped and Jess was beginning to worry. She called the clinic for advice as she spooned ice chips into Lily’s mouth. She tried to think what she would advise a stressed parent in this situation if she was the nurse who took the call, but sleep deprivation and worry made it difficult to think clearly.
Donna answered the clinic phone and put her straight through to Cameron.
Jess explained the situation and Lily’s symptoms. ‘She’s been vomiting since four o’clock yesterday, she’s complaining of abdominal pain—that’s not unusual but she’s extremely lethargic.’
‘Do you think it could be her appendix?’
Jess had thought about that but Lily’s symptoms didn’t fit and she’d just assumed it was a usual childhood stomach ache, which Lily seemed to get plenty of, but what if it was more serious than that?
‘I’ve checked but what if I’ve missed something?’
‘I’ll come over as soon as I can.’
Jess sat with Lily and fretted while she waited for Cameron. This was one of the things she hated about being a single parent. There was no one to share the worry with.
‘Has she had a temperature overnight?’ Cameron asked when he arrived.
‘No.’
‘No, not now or, no, not at any stage?’ Cameron clarified.
‘Not at any point.’
‘Any urine output in the last four to six hours?’
‘No.’
‘When was her last bowel movement?’
‘Yesterday?’ Jess wasn’t one hundred per cent sure.
Cameron examined Lily and checked for signs of appendicitis. ‘I agree with you. I don’t think it’s her appendix. How quickly did she get sick after the party?’
‘Pretty quick. A couple of hours.’
‘Too soon for it to be food poisoning. And no one else has had any gastro?’
Jess shook her head. She’d spoken to Fleur and between the two of them they’d rung and checked with the other parents.
Cameron motioned for Jess to follow him out of the bedroom. ‘I think it would be best to take her down to the hospital. They should run some tests. She could have a bowel obstruction but she’ll need an X-ray to check that out.’
‘A bowel obstruction!’ That was not good news.
‘It’s one possibility and I think it should be investigated. The hospital will be able to run blood tests and get the results faster than I can up here on the mountain. I can treat her for dehydration but that’s treating the symptoms, not the cause. Would you like Ellen to drive you? She’s not working today.’
‘Thanks, but I’ll call a friend.’ Jess didn’t want to impose on Cameron or his wife any more than necessary. She had made plans to have dinner with Lucas tonight and it looked like she was going to have to call him to cancel but she hoped he would offer to drive them down the mountain. ‘If he can’t take us, I’ll call Ellen.’
‘All right, I’ll let the hospital know to expect you.’
Just as she’d hoped, Lucas offered to drive them. She’d rather he was with her than Ellen. They were both busy and probably neither had the time to spend being her taxi service but Lucas had more invested in Lily—he just didn’t know it yet.
Lily didn’t vomit at all on the hour-long trip to the hospital, which Jess was grateful for. Lucas dropped them at the entrance to the emergency department and went to park the car. The hospital was small. At the bottom of the mountain it was still more than an hour out of Vancouver, but it did have modern facilities. Jess carried Lily inside and walked straight up to the desk.
‘This is Lily Johnson. Dr Cameron Baker was calling ahead for us.’
The nurse on duty took them straight into a partitioned cubicle. There wasn’t a lot of privacy but Jess knew most patients in an emergency department had bigger priorities than to be fussing about privacy. Jess ran through all Lily’s symptoms with the nurse while she took Lily’s obs and then listened as the nurse repeated them to the doctor, who had introduced himself as Peter Davis.
‘This is Lily. Age six, weight sixteen kilograms. She has been vomiting since yesterday afternoon but nothing for the past two hours. Complaining of stomach pains. Afebrile. BP normal. No diarrhoea.’
‘Current temperature?’
‘Thirty-seven point two.’
‘No allergies?’ He looked at Jess.
‘No,’ she replied.
‘What has she eaten?’
‘Nothing since yesterday afternoon.’
‘What did she eat yesterday?’
‘I don’t really know. She went to a party but none of the other children are sick, I checked.’ Jess knew the doctor was thinking about food poisoning as one option.
‘Has there been any gastro at the school?’
‘No. Nothing.’
‘No major illnesses? No surgeries?’
Jess shook her head again.
‘Any episodes of rumbling appendix?’ Peter continued to question her.
‘No, and her GP didn’t seem to think it was her appendix. He thought she could have a bowel obstruction.’ Jess was getting distressed. She didn’t want to tell the doctor what to look for—she knew there was a routine, she knew he would want to eliminate more common possibilities first, and there was no need to run unnecessary tests if Lily’s problem was something simple, but she wanted to make sure he didn’t miss anything or ignore something more significant. A bowel obstruction could be nasty and Jess really hoped it wasn’t the case but nothing else seemed to fit.
‘No diarrhoea, you said?’ he asked as he conducted the rebound test, checking for appendicitis.
‘No.’
‘Can you cough for me, Lily?’
Lily coughed obediently and didn’t show any signs of discomfort.
‘Is there any past history of recurrent diarrhoea or blood in her stools?’
‘No.’
‘I’ll run a drip to counteract her dehydration and organise an abdominal X-ray. See if that can shed any light on the situation.’
Jess held Lily’s hand as the nurse inserted a canula and connected a drip. Lily was very flat but that might have been related to lack of sleep. Jess wasn’t feeling so bright herself.
The nurse fixed a drip stand to a wheelchair and helped Lily into the seat, explaining she would take her over to the radiology department. Jess walked beside the wheelchair and tried to keep a positive frame of mind, but it was difficult when she could see Lily so pale and quiet, with needles and tubes sticking out of her.
Jess waited as the X-ray was taken. Then she waited for the result.
‘The X-ray was inconclusive,’ Dr Davis told her. ‘We’ll do a CT scan next but I’m not sure we’re looking in the right place.’
‘What do you mean?’ Jess was confused.
‘Her pain has eased considerably and she’s stopped vomiting. I don’t think it’s all as a result of the medication. I think she may have purged her system of whatever was upsetting her. Has she ever had any allergy testing done?’
Jess shook her head.
‘Is there any family history of allergies or gastrointestinal problems?’
‘She’s a fussy eater with the usual childhood stomach aches but no allergies that I know of.’
‘Any auto-immune deficiencies?’
‘Not on my side, but I’m not sure about her father’s side.’ It was obvious that the tests weren’t giving the doctor the answers he was expecting but Jess didn’t have any other answers for him. She would have to talk to Lucas. She had to know what was wrong with Lily and Lucas could hold the key. ‘I’ll see what I can find out,’ she said.
Knowing Lily wouldn’t be able to see her while she was in the CT scanner, Jess returned to the waiting room to see if Lucas had appeared. She needed to find him. She needed answers. The time had come. She had secrets that needed to be told.
He was in the waiting room when she returned. He stood up when she walked in and came towards her with his arms open. She stepped into his embrace.
‘How’re you doing?’ he asked. ‘How’s Lily? Do they know what’s wrong?’
‘They’re still not sure. The doctor was thinking appendicitis or a small bowel obstruction but the X-ray was inconclusive. They’re doing a CT scan now but the doctor seems to be leaning towards an allergy of some sort. He was asking about her family history but, of course, I only know half of the answers.’
‘Well, there’s not much you can do about that,’ Lucas said, ‘unless you can track down Lily’s father.’
Jess took a deep breath. The time had come. ‘I have,’ she told him.
‘What? Have you spoken to him?’
‘Yes and no. Will you come outside with me? I need some fresh air.’ She knew she had some explaining to do but she wasn’t about to go into the details in the middle of the emergency department. Jess stepped out through the automatic sliding door. There was a bench just outside. She sat and waited until Lucas was sitting beside her.
It was time.
‘I know where Lily’s father is,’ she said. She took another deep breath. ‘It’s you. You’re her father.’