The Surrogate

Intervention

Tuesday August 23rd.

Seb knew it would be tough to leave his new little family but he's not been prepared for just how much of a wrench it is as he packs the final bits into his case.

There's so many mixed emotions jangling round inside him - that tingling excitement to be getting back behind the wheel of an F1 car again and happiness to be seeing all the people in his team who've become good friends during his time at Aston Martin. But it also feels bittersweet because every race weekend is now filled with 'last times' and every race that goes by is one race closer to retirement from the sport he loves. Then he thinks of one of the main reasons behind his decision and it makes him smile - he's a father now and he wouldn't change that for the world. This in turn gives him serious anxiety and pulls at his heart as he thinks about leaving Holly and Emilia behind. He wishes they could come with him, not least because it would mean he could still keep an eye on Holly who's been withdrawn once more since Imogen left to go back home to her adoptive parents.

He's struggling to figure out exactly how she's feeling and what she's thinking. Saying goodbye to Imogen had been tough for her and he knows that Holly is missing her but whenever he mentions them both looking in to the process of her getting Imogen back full time, she seems to shut down and either go quiet or change the subject. And as for Emilia, he's been at a loss for what to do and he's grateful that his mother has arrived to help out while he's away. It's been impossible for him to get Holly to interact with the baby apart from when she's been breast feeding and he's literally been left holding the baby.

He's tried to tell himself that this is what his life would be like if Holly had remained as nothing more than his surrogate. She would have left to go back to her own life in London by now, a quarter of a million pounds richer, and he'd be settling into his new life as a single dad with the help of his family for childcare while he finishes his last F1 season. It hasn't helped though and Holly's reluctance to be a mother to her own flesh and blood, along with her up and down moods, is leaving Seb feeling increasingly worried to the point he's done something that he might regret. He's had to intervene for everyone's sake.

Right on cue he hears Holly call out from downstairs that someone is at the gate, pressing the buzzer. His stomach churns and he takes a deep breath before leaving his case on the bed and rushing down the stairs to let the vehicle in.

After speaking to the woman on the intercom, he begins to mentally prepare himself for Holly's wrath and he hovers anxiously in the lounge with her looking at him questioningly from the sofa while Emilia sleeps soundly in her moses basket which is currently fixed on to a white frame to keep it off the floor.

"Expecting someone?" she asks curiously, staring him fully into his eyes. The fact that he looks anxious and somewhat shifty has piqued her curiosity and suspicion. She knows she hasn't been coping well and that she's detached herself from the baby and that she's not even bothered to hide it. She has an ominous feeling about who this visitor is.

He stands firm with one hand on the door, ready to let the doctor in and tries to disguise the anxiety in the voice, "please don't hate me for this," he begins.

She stands up, her stomach churning, and she pulls at the hem of her pale pink t-shirt as it dawns on her what he's done. Even though she doesn't know what to think about it, her first emotions are dread and then bitter anger. "You're fucking kidding me," she mutters before raising her voice to yell, "you're fucking off to Belgium in about half an hour and you do this?! I told you, no doctors! I'm fine! There's nothing wrong with me!"

"What's going on?" Heike asks as she wanders in from the kitchen, a mug of coffee in her hand, "you'll wake the baby shouting like that."

Theres a knock on the door and without saying a word, Seb opens it to reveal a smartly dressed woman in a charcoal grey shift dress and black heels, carrying a large, black, rectangular doctor's case. "Good morning," she says cheerfully, "I'm Dr Bachmann, I believe you're expecting me?"