Hold my heart, it's beating for you anyway

Chapter 34

We head back home a couple of hours later. I settle Anwen in her cot a for a nap and join Jaime on the sofa. I feel my eyes getting heavy again and as Jaime's arm goes around my shoulders there's a knock on the door. I jump in surprise and Jaime gets up to answer it. I hear a woman's voice and although I recognise it, I can't place it at first. I stand up somewhat shakily and walk towards the door.
"Elizabeth" I stammer, looking at a face I haven't seen in quite some time.
"Hello Cate" says the haughty voice I once dreaded hearing. "Where is my son?"
Jaime grabs my hand and pulls me to him.
"You'd better come in" he says to her. She follows us through and Jaime offers her a drink as I'm shaking too much to be of any help at the moment. She asks for a glass of water and the minute Jaime leaves us she starts.
"Where is he Cate? Why are you shacked up with someone else? You told me you would never hurt him and I trusted you. It seems I was stupid to do that."
Tears are streaming down my face. Jaime hears what she's said as he comes back through with her drink.
"There's no need for false accusations" he says politely.
"Well, you tell me where my son is then."
"Elizabeth, he passed away a year ago. I rang you endless times. I wrote to you in the end but you never replied. I thought you were still angry with us and I didn't know what else to do. I tried to let you know" I sob, my voice finally cracking. I see she's turned paler than she already was and she reaches out for the water with shaking hands.
"They're buried not far away if you want us to take you there" Jaime says. Her head shoots up.
"They?"
"We had a son Elizabeth. Rhys. He was with Owen when the crash happened. I'm so sorry. Owen told me he'd told you but maybe he couldn't get in touch with you either. It had been a long time" I whisper, not trusting my voice to be strong enough to speak.
Anwen starts crying over the baby monitor so Jaime goes to get her.
"You have a baby with him already?" she asks in disbelief. I shake my head.
"She's Owen's. She was conceived the night before the crash. Jaime has officially adopted her now. Her name is Anwen." Jaime carries her through to me and I see Elizabeth look at her. I hand her over.
"She has Owen's eyes" she says, a tear running down her cheek. I nod. I had noticed that too.
"I met Jaime a few weeks after I lost them. I took a job with his friend Tony to be a nanny and housekeeper. I didn't know I was pregnant for a few weeks and when I found out I was, Jaime offered to support us. I don't know where we'd be without him."
I stand up and go to sit next to her. I take her hand in mine. She breaks down completely at this point so I take Anwen and hand her to Jaime, pulling my ex mother in law into my arms as she sobs for the son she disowned and the grandson she never knew. We cry together when there is another knock at the door. Tony. Jaime must have texted him. He holds Scarlett's hand and I introduce him to Elizabeth.
"This is Tony. He was desperately ill and needed a new heart. Somehow, fate or something, I don't know, he ended up with Owen's heart. I didn't know at first. But I knew something. It's hard to explain. But Owen's death meant Tony lived and Scarlett has her daddy."
She looks him in the eye. And gasps. She sees it too. He holds his arms out to her and she allows this stranger who has her sons heart to comfort her.