Jack spent that day and evening in his son's nursery, vowing to be everything he will ever need in life, a father, a friend, the biggest support, and even a mother. He will be everything that he could, and even everything that he couldn't... he will find a way to become what was necessary.
When that night Marry came into the nursery, she found Jack standing beside Eric's crib just watching him. She came closer quietly, took Jack by a hand, and led him out. She didn't stop dragging him behind her until they reached the kitchen, where there was food served on the table.
"You have to eat something. It won't do you any good if you starve yourself. It will be less good for the little one up there." she made him sit. Jack knew Marry was right, and he was thankful for her mere presence here, taking care of him and his son. Marry was his nanny when he was little, she took care of him better than both of his overachieving parents ever did, and there was no time in his life when
In the next three days, Jack was working from his home office and taking care of his son. Marry was of great help, she was teaching him everything that she knew about babies. Marry had experience and was in his earliest childhood memories. She also cooked his favorite meals even though he objected, he didn't want her to exhaust herself.Robert came by again, bringing him everything that his PI managed to find. Hiram used to be an FBI agent, but he kept in touch with his old colleagues since he started his private practice hence had no trouble finding everything that concerned Margaret Colt and Jennifer Lewis. It turned out that was the real name of the girl he married. Jennifer had a few aliases, and Margaret's name was one of many that she used in her not that long life.Jack gave his instructions to Robert about everything that he needed him to prepare for tomorrow morning and after Robert left, Jack took the file his friend brought with him and went into his office
Jack walked around the town for a while, allowing a moment to himself to just not think about anything or anyone, to be alone. He couldn't even remember the last time when he could afford such a luxury. After more than an hour of aimless strolling around, he ended up on the city beach. By then, the sun was at its zenith, but the breeze coming from the sea made the hot day bearable. He took off his jacket and rolled the sleeves up to the elbows before he took a seat on one of the benches placed along the shore.Jack gave himself a few more moments of peace before he pulled his phone from the pocket and dialed the landline number in his home that he knew Marry is going to pick up. She refused to have anything to do with the cellphones for years now, and no one could make her use one.On the third ring, Marry picked up and informed him of every single detail about his son, from how much he ate to how long his nap lasted. After bidding goodbyes to her, he contacted his PA for
Maggie didn't know what to tell her mother about everything that happened yesterday. She couldn't tell her the truth because she knew Rebecca will be worried, and she couldn't lie to her either.Earlier that morning, Maggie gave her resignation to the restaurant manager and said goodbye to her colleagues, and did the same with the club. On her way to the hospital she was trying to think of what to say to her mother, and not make her worry too much.Maybe she should give a call to Jackson and ask him? But she didn't even have his number. He left last night after she agreed to his plan, saying just that he will send someone to pick her up from the airport. She was supposed to fly to Chicago tomorrow, and she had just enough time to pack a few things, quit her jobs, and talk to her mother.Rebecca was surprised to see Maggie again today. She didn't expect a visit before the next week."Mom, I need to tell you something..." Maggie said slowly, avoiding her mother's e
"You did what?" Robert was shocked, "Have you gone crazy?"It was Tuesday afternoon, and Jack had just arrived at his office when Robert came by. His friend was expecting him to bring signed divorce papers and the forms for full custody of Eric, but Jack had none of those.When Jack landed in Chicago, it was after midnight, so he went straight home. This morning he didn't rush to come to the office, he spent a morning with his son, and now when he had a load of paperwork to go through, his best friend was bugging him about something that even he did not understand."You do realize that you just made things a lot more complicated than they were?" Robert pressed further."I know." Jack sighed. "I know…""Then why did you do it?" Robert shook his head in disbelieve."I can't explain it because I don't even understand it myself. I just followed my instincts…""Your instincts?" Robert interrupted him, "What instincts? You don't even have them! You are the most ration
"Miss? Miss?" the flight attendant was trying to get Maggie's attention. After she called her a couple of times, she gave up and reached for Maggie's shoulder, which seemed to do the trick because Maggie snapped out from her deep thoughts and looked at the girl standing next to her."Miss, are you ok?" Maggie heard the girl's question and quickly nodded her head. "Would you like something to drink?" the girl asked again."Coffee, please." and she smiled a little. The flight attendant served her a cup of coffee and moved to the next passenger.Up until a second ago, Maggie was lost in her thoughts. No wonder that poor girl thought something was wrong because she knew she looked like hell. No matter the bottle of cheap wine she drank last night and how tired she was, Maggie didn't get much sleep, an hour maybe… She went to bed around midnight and tossed and turned until the break of dawn. When the sun was starting to show its first signs, restless sleep cre
Jack came home from the office around 6 p.m., and he went straight to the nursery. Eric was awake. Marry was holding him when Jack entered the room, and the joy painted the baby's face as soon as he saw his father. He smiled with his characteristic toothless smile and started to giggle and to move his little legs like he was trying to go to Jack.Jack's heart melted, and he immediately went to Marry and took the baby in his embrace. His one night stand with Jennifer was a mistake, the one he will forever be careful not to repeat. But Eric? Eric was a gift, and he was worth it. If Jennifer were alive, he would do anything to make it work with her for Eric's sake. Now? He will have to figure out things on his own..."Is she awake?" he asked Marry."No," she answered, not taking her eyes from the baby, "I checked on her maybe a half an hour ago, but she was still asleep, so I let her be."After Jack had dinner, he played with his son for a while, bathed him and fed him, and
Maggie and Jack spent the morning in Eric's nursery. Both of them were quite surprised by the baby's reaction when he locked his eyes with Maggie's. He wanted to jump from Jack's embrace to get to Maggie, he giggled and smiled and tried to reach her with his small hands.But Maggie never reached for him, she couldn't. Her heart clenched, and she swallowed hard. Her eyes filled with tears. For some reason, she felt trapped, like a bird in a cage. Her discomfort was evident on her face, and as soon as Jack noticed it, he turned the baby towards himself."New nanny is starting next week. She will be spending whole days here, and you won't have any obligations concerning Eric." Jack said.Maggie nodded her head. It's not like she didn't like babies, no. She always thought they all were cute. She just never had any experience with them and was scared of hurting them unintentionally."Speaking of obligations, I'm still waiting for you to explain
The next morning, Maggie woke up to the sound of buzzing. It took her a minute to fully come to her senses and figure out where she was and what was that sound that she was hearing. She sat in the bed and reached for the phone that was vibrating on the nightstand."Hello," she spoke in a deep and raspy voice. There was nothing but silence coming from the other side. Maggie repeated "Hellooo," but there was no answer, so she hanged up.With every night she spent in this bed, she loved it more and more, because she was waking up rested and relaxed. She skipped dinner last night, and the loud growling in her stomach was reminding her that she was due to put some food in it.After did her morning routine, Maggie took her phone and headed downstairs to the kitchen. The sight that she found there pleasantly surprised her. She was greeted by the heavenly sight of a table filled with homemade pancakes, waffles, full plates with bacon and eggs, and all kinds of fruits. T