Acceptance

Chapter Part 8

Chapter 8

Jaz felt a great deal lighter of heart now that she had Kasey and Chrissy back in her life. She didn't exactly visit them at the main house as they would make a point of coming to see her or making sure they were out and about when she was. They didn't ask her about her baby for which Jaz was grateful, but they did hint at whether or not she'd come to a decision about leaving.

Jaz looked at the mass of brochures that Cord had left on the kitchen table where Jaz wouldn't miss seeing them. It looked like he'd had Eli take him to every travel agent in town to collect them. She spread them out across the table and laughed. There were brochures for trips to the Gold Coast, Uluru, Tasmania, New Zealand and Disneyland.

If Jaz was entirely honest with herself she had no idea what to do or where to go. She'd always wanted to travel, or upgrade her qualifications, attend medical and healing conferences so she could get to know people on a face to face basis not just online. And now. Now that she had a chance to make decisions for herself without her brothers telling her she 'can't'. She was somewhat at a loss.

"I'm not going to rush into anything. I've at least got until Phia has her baby to make a decision, so there's no rush." That being said, Jaz indulged herself by looking through the brochures.

Jaz became so engrossed on the brochures that she was doing startled to hear a knock on the front door. Uncertain as to who it was she came to her feet moving quickly to the door. A small pang of panic set in when she realised it was Nate and for several moments stopped breathing trying to take back control of herself.

When calm returned Jaz opened the door, stepped out onto the porch closing the door behind her, in effect showing him he was not welcome inside. Crossing her arms in front of her Jaz looked him in the eye, "What are you doing here Nate?"

"Jaz just want to talk. I..."

Jaz shook her head. "I don't think this is a good idea. You should leave."

"Jaz. I just want to talk. I won't push. I won't argue. But I need answers. Jaz I need to know."

Jaz could feel herself beginning to shake. After all these years it still hurt to think about how much pain he'd put her through. "What exactly is it that you need to know Nate? Is it how lonely, how isolated I was all those months when I was forced out of my home, away from everything I knew, everyone I cared about? Away from the one man I actually believed loved me."

Jaz took a breath, glaring at him, "Or did you want to know what it was like to be pregnant and studying to be a doctor in a city far away from home and not being able to tell anyone. Being so afraid that if I did my loving brothers would do what they deemed was the right thing again, and take my child away from me to be brought up by someone more appropriate." She pause so her words would sink in. "You know, so I wouldn't sully the great Romanoff name."

Nate opened his mouth to speak, but Jaz raised her hand cutting him off. "Perhaps you'd like to know what it was like to go into labour alone, then to rely on the friendship and strength of the only person I trusted with my secret to help get me through my loss. Or do you want to know how I survived it all. How I was able to bottle it all up and not feel for so long. I had only had a few hours with my son, Nate."

Jaz sighed before continuing never once taking her eyes off Eli." You and Phia will have a life time with your child. Now tell me what exactly is it you want from me?"

Nate saw the pain in Jaz's face, saw it grow with each word spoken, but he needed answers, needed to know, hell he had a damned right to know. This was his son too, but looking at her now, the pain, the anguish he wasn't sure if he could...