Chapter four

Phoebe got out of the elevator and headed towards the private ward of the Lockwood hospital. On reaching the door, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves before opening the door. She'd done a good job with her makeup so it would be hard for him to know she’d been crying.

His grey eyes were the first thing that caught hers as James raised his head to see the person who was intruding on his privacy, his facial features softening into a smile on seeing that it was his daughter.

“Come on in. I have missed you, my child,” he said as he motioned to the little stool nearby.

“Good day, Dad. How do you feel today?”

“What can I say? The old man is waiting for the day he will meet his Sarah,” he replied as his gaze darted into space.

Phoebe ignored him as she walked to the seat. Sarah, her late mom died five years ago during the premature birth of her sibling. In their need for another child, they had ignored the doctor’s warning to get rid of the pregnancy as it was dangerous, and she had to pay with her life. Phoebe hasn't recovered from her passing yet and that was the reason she disliked coming to see her father as he wouldn't let any talk go by without calling his lover’s name. Could she blame him though?

“The doctor said you are out of danger and would be discharged in a few months,” she changed the topic as she took her seat, brushing out stray strands of her hair away from her face. There was silence between them for a while as James studied her expression, with his having a worried look.

“Come sit with me, my child,” her father finally broke the silence as he tapped lightly on the edge of the bed. When she was seated, he took her hand in his and started rubbing on it familiarly.

“What is eating you up? You seem tense,” he asked with a questioning tilt of his head to the side, studying his daughter's exterior demeanor.

“Nothing Dad, just work stress and all. I am just happy to hear that you are finally out of danger.” Phoebe was quick to cover up. She knew she couldn't hide her pregnancy from her father for long but she would do him good by not giving him any heartache to his healing heart. She would let him know at the right time, once he was fully recovered.

There was another moment of silence as James stared at the TV that was playing in low volume. If not for the way life decided to turn its back on him, why on earth would his only baby be working her ass off to get money for his treatment. He had a quick flashback to the good times with his wife and child giggling on the kitchen counter while he made them dinner, causing him to sigh.

“Remember how we used to play tea parties and princesses? Huh?

“And how you'd do my makeup afterward? That's the memories I have of you. No matter how much you grow, you will always be my little girl. And I want you to know that I love you so much and you can talk to me about anything.”

Phoebe looked out of the window as her eyes became teary. After she'd succeeded in blinking a few tears away, she brought them back to meet her father's.

“What's wrong with you Dad? Are we in some kind of TV show? she asked, chuckling for the first time as she held on to his hand that had been caressing hers.

James smiled as he watched his daughter's mood change. They stayed that way for some time, smiling at each other in a lovely way.

Phoebe proceeded to feed him the food she came with as they discussed many things ranging from the new presidential election to her work to his health. Soon it was evening and she bade him farewell, promising to visit again at the soonest. James made a huge drama of asking her to lean in for a kiss and even when she thought it to be dramatic, she did as he instructed.

As soon as she got out of the hospital premises, her thoughts went back straight to Trevor. What was she going to do with the child when he'd made it obvious he wanted nothing to do with her, pregnancy or no pregnancy? Raising a child single-handedly would be so much work. Could she do it alone? Can she be responsible for a child? Can she give it a good life? Running her hands on her flat belly, a tear slid down her cheeks.

“It's you and me now….” she murmured amidst sobs but was interrupted by the crash that followed. She'd bumped into a passing truck.

A frown marred her face as she alighted from her car, ready to give the person who clearly didn't go through a driving school a piece of her mind. She had so much in mind and luckily, have found an outlet in the person of the driver to vent out her anger and frustration. But she should’ve let it go as the moment she was out of the car, the truck’s door was thrown open to reveal two hefty and angry-looking men. They looked at themselves as if having some sort of eye conversation and she felt bile rise in her throat. She sensed danger and instinctively turned to run back to her car but it was too late. Before she could make a step, a pair of strong hands yanked her off the ground, making her flare her legs in the air as she screamed at the top of her voice.

“Let me go!” But she knew it was pointless as the street wasn't that busy and it took long for a car to drive past. And it clearly wasn't these men’s first job either as they succeeded in pushing her into the truck in a space of minutes.

“Let me go! You've got the wrong woman!” she screamed as one of the men tied a blindfold to her eyes.

“I suggest you shut up or else I would gladly help you do that,” he barked, as the car took off at high speed. Phoebe didn't need anybody to tell her to keep quiet as she was sure it wasn't an empty threat.