A New Beginning

Chapter 53: Lost and Found

Chapter 53: Lost and Found

Emma comes home a bit shaken from her meeting with the private investigator. Holly had come over to watch over Sybil with Thomas, whose birthday was a few days away.

"Are you alright Emma?" Holly asks.

Emma doesn't respond at first. She's really pale and completely zoned out. Thomas and Sybil play on the floor of the living room as Emma sits down in her father's favourite spot, a place where he often did a lot of his legal thinking. She was concerned about how she was going to break the news to Rose that her fiance was still looking for her, but also how she was going to have to protect her family and friends. What Cal had done to them was unspeakable and downright murderous; abducting Sybil, holding Rose at knifepoint, holding all of them at gunpoint, shooting Peter, having Jack arrested and basically sentenced to death and shooting at the couple while the ship was filling with water... she definitely feared for her life and for those she loved. She still had nightmares about that showdown...what if Cal had followed through on his threats... What if Cal found them now, she could not imagine what he might do to them. Murder Jack and the three of them and then drag Rose against her will to marry him. It was fortunate that she was able to negotiate with the PI to protect those closest to her, but Emma still wondered if it would be enough. Emma does her best to hide the tears she's shedding that she doesn't notice Holly standing in front of her trying to get her attention.

"Emma?" Holly says again.

"Sorry Holly, I've had a long day."

"I can see that; you look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Not really a ghost, but something has come back to haunt us."

"What is it?"

Emma swallows hard. She doesn't want to drag Holly, Carl and little Thomas into this situation. They weren't on the Titanic, they didn't interfere with someone's engagement, they weren't almost shot at by a jealous fiancé. They didn't deserve to have their lives ruined by this man.

"I'm not sure I should tell you," Emma says, biting her lip. "It might risk your safety..."

Holly goes pale and turns to Thomas.

"Thomas, why don't you go with Sybil upstairs and play in her new room?"

"Why Mommy?" the boy asks.

Holly opens her mouth to speak and then closes it. She doesn't know what Emma's so afraid of, but she doesn't need her son overhearing everything and blurting things out as young children often do. If what Emma is afraid of does put them at risk, she doesn't need to scare her son.

"Because the adults need to talk," Emma says quickly.

"But why?"

"We just need to talk alone, it's nothing to worry about..." Emma says.

"Please, Thomas..."

"Yes Mommy," Thomas says. Holly scoops up Sybil and takes her upstairs to the nursery, with her son following behind.

Once the children are settled, Peter's sister sits down next to Emma.

"What happened Emma?"

"Do you remember Rose's fiancé?"

...

When Peter comes home later that night, his arms filled with papers, his hat, the mail and his briefcase. He hangs up his coat and hat and he finds Emma half asleep with Sybil in her lap in the living room. He drops his briefcase to the floor next to the couch and then leans over to kiss Emma quietly.