Didnt see it coming || Liam O'donovan

Chapter thirty eight

"No."
Tracy looked down at Liam. They had just finished reading the letter. If you went up into the attic in that moment,you would have seen one careworker procrastinating her college work by finding out something life changing about one of the kids she works for,the kid himself,the kids girlfriend and best friend,all not knowing how to process the contents of the letter Tracy just read.

"This has got to be a windup" Liam muttered

Riley took the letter from Tracy and re read the last sentence.

"I know this will come as a great shock,but I would really like to meet up and talk... call me when you're ready,your big brother Jack."
She looked down and saw something else

"There's a mobile number Liam" she said quietly
"I bet it's Elektra" was Liam's response.

"We have to show this to Mike" Tracy began,before getting cut off by Liam immediately
"No."
"He has to know he's the head care worker!" Tracy exclaimed. Liam had to work very hard not to roll his eyes. "It's a scam." He stated,growing rather impatient at the queasy feeling in his stomach some meaningless letter gave him. He threw away the idea of family long ago- and even if this Jack bloke really existed,Liam wasn't giving in that easily. He had been abandoned,had to make his own way, and now that he has Riley and Frank he has no intentions of any additional family. Except maybe a dog. A dog would be nice. He really should visit shadow down at Lily's-
"Liam are you even listening?" Tracy yelled
"What?" Liam broke out of his thoughts
"Don't you care that you may actually have a brother out there?"
"It means you could have a family" Frank put in. Liam looked up at him in disbelief. "Don't be so soft it's a fake."
"Alright,I'm gonna look into it." Tracy said. "But if this Jack does exist,I'm gonna have to inform Mike"

"Alright,but you're wasting your time" Liam shrugged
Tracy shook her head and left the attic,leaving the three alone.
Frank sat down next to Liam,looking down in silence. Riley didn't look like she'd be leaving her thoughts anytime soon.

—
—
A whole day of World War III between Liam and Elektra later,Liam was almost relieved at the prospect of listening to Tracy tell him what she "discovered" about his non existence brother.
But then again the battle with Elektra had been an almost welcome distraction. Thinking about it made him feel sick. Care homes were all he had ever known. People becoming his family was what the word was to him,not someone being born as his "family."

Liam,Tracy and Frank were all back up in the attic. Riley was absent,she had gone to Nina's school to watch her in her first school play.
Tracy had an old newspaper in her hands. An article written in it almost sixteen years ago,talking about a baby boy abandoned outside of a hospital.

"The dates match and that was where you were found. No pressure,but I could ask Mike if he could set up that meeting with you and Jack."

Liam clenched his jaw. Was he supposed to be feeling happy about all of a sudden being given a damn about?

"Look who is this Jack anyway? You can't just pitch up and expect me to play your family" he shot
"I don't think he was saying that" Tracy assured sympathetically. "He was just saying he wants to meet. But if you need time that's fine."

"I don't need time, I don't need this bloke I'm happy here." he blazed. "Look i might moan about this place but it's still home."
"It can't be your home forever."
He tossed the newspaper down and walked out.
He knew he'd be leaving the dumping ground sooner or later,he'd be sixteen soon. A government flat and college wasn't his idea of how he wanted his life to go but he knew it's be necessary in the beginning. He wasn't sure how he felt about waking up to an empty flat,putting frozen meals in the microwave,instead of waking up to the noisy maddening kitchen with Gina's meals. He wasn't even sure whether college was for him yet alone what he'd want to study. Riley would be sixteen a few short months after him,so the being apart wasn't too much of an issue,as they'd hopefully be in the same building. No they had too be.That could all go on without that Jack bloke. Frank was his only brother.

He stomped downstairs and oh thank God the one person he actually wants to talk too is home.
He went up and without a word kissed her,as if her lips could magically make him forget about long lost brothers. (They can).
He knew she was about to ask him about what Tracy found out,so he attacked her lips again before she could. Not the shabbiest way to get shut up.
Riley wasn't too stable on the idea of Jack either and hated having Liam feel this way and knew better than to talk about the J word just yet.
She broke the kiss and muttered against his lips
"Don't know about you but Pizza and that new Amazing Spider-Man movie that just got released sounds real tempting."
Liam smiled softly "it's past my curfew I don't fancy that council woman's face too much"

"Blanket fort in my room it is then".

—
—
Frank knew he should be feeling guilty about seeing Jack with Tracy behind Liam's back,but he couldn't help feeling hopeful for his best friend.