Chapter Three

Oscar was sure he could feel pretty much all of the two hundred and six bones in his body. He didn't travel first class, but for business it was usually a few steps up from economy, unfortunately there had been nothing other than coach class, and he had spend over seven hours with his six foot frame folded into a chair designed to accommodate someone far shorter than him. That was after eight hours getting from his sisters to JFK. He felt old, and wrinkled. Like the jeans and shirt he was wearing.

Someplace over the Atlantic he'd spoken to his boss, he could work remotely from 'home' for a few weeks, after that they may need to call on him, bit a few weeks was more than he hoped for. He'd also managed to find an apartment lease for a couple of weeks in a block that he was assured was a few streets from her.

Once he cleared immigration, Oscar hailed a cab, which drove him across the city to the same suburb as Nate...his son.

He was so nervous. En route he sent a text to Janis' sister, telling he was coming over soon, if he made that arrangement, he couldn't back out, because part of him wanted to bury his head in the sand, pretend that it wasn't happening. He really wished he was anywhere but there...in his life he'd always had control. Finding out about Nate was bad enough, but then he'd lost him for two years...but now...how would the boy take to him? He was terrified to find out. He couldn't begin to imagine how that boy would be feeling, his son...he couldn't imagine how Nate was feeling, to lose his mother so young. He only hoped that he'd accept him as a father.

He glanced at the last text from Lizzie.

'Nate is not on best form, he seems bewildered...understandably. Of course you can come here any time, but can we hold off on explaining who you are...just for a while. He has a lot to deal with.'

He wasn't lying in his response, it was her way, she led things, she was the boss. He stood wholeheartedly behind her, after all, he didn't know Nate, he wouldn't recognise him in the street. He pulled out his wallet, in the inside pocket was a folded picture, the only image he had of himself, holding the toothy and smiling toddler, blonde curls, blue eyes, more like him that his mother, that was for sure.

A honk from outside indicated that a taxi had arrived, so he grabbed his phone, wallet and the keys to this apartment, and headed out into the now dark rainy afternoon.

The house was LITERALLY two streets away and he felt a little embarrassed to pay the cab driver what was a minute fare, and all too soon he was at the front door and his hands were sweating, his head pounding.

The door opened and there stood a woman. She looked young, early twenties, and she was similar to her sister, dark hair, and behind the puffy cheeks he could see warm brown eyes, sad, but warm. As she looked up at her from hooded eyes, he could feel how sad she was, how hard this was for her.

"Hi I'm Oscar Wicker..." He extended a hand and watched as she slowly slid her hand into it.

"Lizzie Breen, come in. You must be exhausted."

He shrugged, "I'm sure you haven't had more sleep that me."

That made her smile, albeit sadly, "that sounds about right. Can I get you a coffee? Tea?"

HE followed her along the corridor, into a kitchen, "coffee sounds great, I might actually stay awake."

She gestured to the table and Oscar took a seat and watched her as she moved around the kitchen making them a drink. When she finally stilled waiting for the coffee to brew, she turned to him.

"So what happened to Janis? Are you able to tell me?"

Lizzie had to squeeze her hands into fists, she hated this. She had no idea what this man could do, he could take away Nate, and that would mean she lost everything. But you brought him back into Nate's life...that was YOUR decision. And it was, but that was because it was what Janis wanted, and what was right for Nate. She knew that deep down.

She steadied her breathing then met Oscar's eyes. It was like looking at an older Nate, blue eyes, blonde hair - though his was closer cut and more controlled than his son's. He was handsome, but then she didn't expect anyone that hooked up with Janis to be anything but, she'd always been the glamorous one, and every boyfriend she'd had, had been beautiful.

"She...uh...was hit head on by a car that had clipped another and spun into her path. There was nothing anyone could do...the doctor said that she was unconscious at the scene but died on the way to hospital."

A tear escaped her eye and she swiped at it.

"I'm so sorry..."

She sighed, "it still hasn't really sunk in...I keep expecting her to walk in a whirlwind of perfume and jangling jewellery."

"How has Nathan taken it? Stupid question..."

She shook her head, "no it's not. He's only a baby...he doesn't fully understand...he wanted her to read him a story."

Lizzie watched as he gasped, taking in what he could, "I don't know what to say to him."

"Like I say, I think that you should introduce yourself as a friend...there's time to tell him who you are...I just don't think that we should be confusing him more than is necessary."

He nodded as they heard a bang from one of the other rooms, then a tornado of blond hair and red fleecy hoodie came flying into the room.

"Aunty Liz...I swung REALLY high!"

She squatted down to his level just as he swung his arms around her neck, and pulling him close she inhaled the scent of him. "You're too strong young man, getting to be a big boy!"

He preened himself in her arms as she gushed, "you are icy cold young man. Too long outside. You want some hot chocolate to warm up?"

As he nodded, she let him go and he turned. It was the first moment that he noticed his father.

"Nate, this is Oscar, he's a friend coming to see how we are."

Nate nodded then looked at Oscar coyly.

"You want to sit up here?" Oscar pushed a chair out next to him ignoring how his hand was shaking, and watched the reaction of the little boy. But then he knew that he couldn't force this. Instead he looked back to Lizzie and she gave him a sympathetic smile.

Handing him a mug of coffee, she moved around making a hot chocolate, and Oscar was rewarded with Nate climbing up beside him.

"You ok?"

He nodded, "been climbing."

"In the garden?"

Again he nodded, "wanna see?"

Oscar beamed; he knew that he was, as he nodded, "I'd love to."

Nate reached for his hand and pulled him out the door and his heart surged.

But for Lizzie, that was heartbreaking for a different reason. Of course she wanted Nate happy, well rounded, and confident. But despite his English accent, this man lived in the US, and she couldn't bear the thought of losing him. Suddenly she regretted contacting Oscar. Then, in the same breath, she chastised herself. Nate deserved family people who loved him surrounding him. She was an aunty, way down the ranks.

Cradling the mug of coffee in her hands she followed the squeals and shouts through that hall and into the lounge. From there she could watch the two males interact. Nate was climbing up the red plastic frame until he was the height of Oscar's shoulders. Then without warning he jumped off and anchored himself around the man he didn't realise was his father's neck and screeched. Oscar looked petrified for a moment, but Nate's laughter was infectious, and she smiled as the two laughed together, looking so identical that it pained her.

Then Oscar looked up and met her eyes, and she could see the level of emotion there. They had to talk, sort things out, but now this was Oscar's time to cheer up his son. Nate deserved it.

It was early evening, they'd need dinner, but she wasn't ready to force food into a child whose current hate was vegetables into something sensible. So she called the local take away. Who didn't like pizza? But she also ordered potato wedges, chicken wings, ice cream and two litres of diet coke. She had beer in the fridge, and a couple of bottles of wine. She needed to get to know this Oscar, and find out how serious he was, and how prepared he was to take on Nate.

Biting her tongue she returned to the kitchen and sat at the table with her coffee and drank it slowly. She was at the bottom of her second cup and three chapters into her latest book when she heard the two giggling as they walked in from the back door.

"Have fun?" She asked as the two males stopped in their tracks.

Nate was the first to speak, "he's cool, he can lift me SO much higher than you!"

She smiled at that, it hadn't escaped her notice that Nate missed a male influence in his life, and this Oscar seemed on first impressions to be suitable father material. Not that Lizzie was about to give this boy up. He needed to be vetted, to be questioned. Nate was four years old, and it hadn't been until she'd opened the bag of Janis' belongings by the hospital and found his name tucked away in her purse, that she even realised that Janis knew who Nate's father was. When she called him, this Oscar out of the blue, he instantly asked about his son. So he knew about him too, but had never come to see him...never darkened their door for the past two years. She had no idea what that meant, what sort of man abandoned his child? And why would he think he could walk back in as though nothing had happened?

As the two boys had a drink, her phone rang and she moved into the lounge to take the call.

"Hi Lizzie, this is Cheryl Malone, I'm your sister's lawyer. Sorry to be contacting you at this terrible time, but you are executor to her will and we need to discuss the details of that. Could you make a meeting tomorrow?"

She sighed, "of course, what time?"

"Would ten am suit?"

"Perfect, I know where you are. I'll be there."

The knock of the door stopped her from returning to the father and son in the kitchen. This time it was the delivery of pizza. Taking the food and paying the delivery man, she carried the boxes, rather precariously into the kitchen, to be met with whoops of excitement from Nate.

"I loooovvveeee pizza!" he squealed running around the room.

Oscar chuckled, "I'll take note of that."

And it was that comment that annoyed Lizzie, he knew so little about his son, but he seemed to be storing up any snippets for when he took his away. She couldn't even begin to imagine that happening, the boy meant everything to her.

Oscar watched as Nate's aunt interacted with the boy, when he'd arrived she'd been friendly, almost glad, but now she was distant, filled with animosity and he wondered what had changed. But before he could figure that out, he'd be distracted by the antics of his son, his happy, beautiful and intelligent boy. Janis had done a good job; he couldn't deny that, even if he wasn't happy that he'd been so deliberately excluded from his life.

Lizzie had insisted that Nate not know who he was, and he could see why that was important, at first. But the boy was good; he seemed well rounded, accepted of all that had happened. She may be underestimated him.

After the meal that they'd shared, Lizzie turned to Nate, "ten minutes to bedtime darling boy, you want to go get your pyjamas?"

Nate looked up with sad eyes and Oscar groaned, would five minutes more hurt tonight? He wasn't sure it wouldn't. As the boy walked out of the room, he turned to Lizzie, "I think I should tell him who I am."

Lizzie's eyes turned black as she scowled at him, "WHAT? You are joking." When he shrugged she shook her head, "for whose benefit? Yours?" She let out a pah of laughter, "Mr Wicker, I'm sure you think that you know everything about Nate, and what's best for him, but you don't. He's just lost his mother, the boy is distraught."

He shook his head, "he's not, he's been happy and chatty all day, he's enjoyed spending time with me."

"He's devastated, he just may not be thinking of it every five seconds, routine and normality is vital for him, which is why telling him who you are when this is so fresh is wrong. I'm sorry, but I can't agree on any level."

"I'm his father!" Oscar hated that he was getting angry, but he was frustrated.

Lizzie merely shook her head, "then act like one. But his needs above your own, the way a true parent should. He needs support and comforting, not change and drama."

At that moment the kitchen door opened and they both turned to see Nate in his Spiderman pyjamas, tears rolling down his face, in his hand was a book.

Lizzie jumped up and ran to him, "oh darling. It's ok."

He shook his head, "no...she ALWAYS reads me this book. Why can't she come home Aunty Lizzie?"

Scooping him into her arms, she carried him from the room and he could hear her voice in the distance talking, explaining.

Oscar felt a sense of foreboding wash over him. He'd got it wrong. Nate was as traumatised as the aunt had predicted. Suddenly he realised that he was way out of his depth, he knew nothing about being a father, the only kids he'd had contact with had been his own young niece and nephew.

She was right; he didn't know what was right for her. That was so blatantly obvious. What the hell was he doing here?

It took ages to settle Nate into bed, but then Lizzie anticipated that, and knew that it would be the case for weeks if not months. Re entering the kitchen, she bit down the desire to gloat, to sing 'told you so' at him gloatingly, she wasn't that childish, and when she entered the kitchen, she couldn't do that.

Because it was empty.

He'd left.