Ice and Fire

Chapter 6 ~ Lachlan

After more than an hour of huffing and puffing I began my way back to the hotel. Walking in to my room, I began to remove my clothing and threw them into the hamper, the hotel has a dry-cleaning service that I happily used every time I stayed here. Completely naked I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, but before stepping in I send Samantha a quick message. It was 10 in the morning so I did not expect her to answer. After hitting send I made one quick call and as I placed my phone on the counter it rang. Looking at the caller ID, I took a big breath and braced myself. Like the idiot I can be I answered.

"Laura. How may I help ye?"

"I'm so glad you answered, I wasn't sure you would." I waited for her to continue. I wanted to get rid of the call, of her, quickly. "I am not disturbing you am I?"

"I was about to step into the shower. Later in the morning I have a few meetings." I looked at my watch wondering how long this was going to take. "What do ye want Laura?" Before asking I knew exactly what she wanted, but I had to hear it from her.

"I want to see my daughter. And I think you are..."

My mind went blank and I couldn't hear anything she had to say. Not even letting her finish her much rehearsed speech I cut in by asking, "Why? Why now?"

"Does I really need a reason to see her own daughter?"

My anger was rising and I was having much trouble keeping it down and being naked and cold was not helping. "That may be the case with what one would call a normal mother, but may I remind ye that ye, Laura are nae a normal mother. Ye left yer two-year-old daughter with me one night without her things nae even an explanation." My voice was rising and If I did nae stop and get a hold of myself I will be screaming into the phone. "Listen we have gone through this same conversation already. All I need to know is the truth. Why do ye want to see Deborah now? Why after all these years?"

"I...I..." She stuttered in searched for the right thing to say to me.

"When ye have found the right answer call me back. And not something I want to hear, but the TRUTH Laura. I will not put my daughter..."

"She's my daughter too."

"Aye! She is, but ye haven't been her mother in 8 years. I don't want to put her through this without some honesty form ye. Do I make myself clear?"

"I understand."

I was about to hang up when she quietly asked, "Does she know I exist?"

"Of course she does. I am nae a monster. I have never lied to her and I am nae starting now."

"Will you tell her of our conversation?"

"As much as I would like to keep this to ourselves I will tell her that ye called and that ye wanted to see her." I pressed the loudspeaker button on my phone and began going through my computer, looking for an email. When I found what I was looking I opened the files and started going over them.

"Listen Laura, if ye really want to see her give me the honest truth. It's not for me, it's for her. I don't want her getting hurt. Do ye understand?"

"You promise you will truly let me see her?"

"If the truth won't hurt her more than ye lies, aye I promise."

She took a big breath and began to tell me her story since the day she left Deborah at my doorsteps. I listened to her for the next 30 minutes, still naked and on the sofa in front of my computer. Trying to listen to her lie to me. She didn't know it, but following the days that she abandoned Deborah in my care I had a private investigator do every research possible on her. I wanted to know what I was dealing with and I was not going to be taken by surprise. Through the years the PI kept tabs on her and on a monthly basis I received a detailed report. I knew exactly why she left Deborah and why she wanted to see her now, but I just wanted for once to hear the truth out of her mouth.