The Unexpected Has Arrived! (Unexpected, #2)

Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

The next day, I spent most of the afternoon in Geelong, with Tahlia, at MediCare™. After all the physical therapy, I needed to fill out countless areas of paperwork for the government. This would ensure a cheaper, more affordable, price tag for me to pay with the limited money I had.

"Hi. How can I help you?" the receptionist at MediCare™ kindly asked.

I gave her a card the hospital had given me which she eagerly took.

"Yeah..." the friendly lady trailed off.

She stood from her place behind her computer, approached a nearby filing cabinet, and came back with a form containing a number of pages stapled together.

"Here you go," she smiled, handing me the form and a pen.

"Thank you," I replied.

With that, I sat on the provided chairs along with many other members of the public. Tahlia found a stash of toys to the side of the room and began occupying herself with them.

I'd finished filling in the front page of the form and turned over to the second page. I groaned internally at the amount of detail it asked for.

Just then, a pregnant woman led her two young sons into the room and headed to the receptionist. She asked for a particular form and then took a seat beside me.

"You boys can go play if you like," she offered her sons with complete adoration.

The younger boy, who was probably Tahlia's age, looked over to where Tahlia was. "But, Mummy, that's a girl."

"That doesn't matter, Jesse," the mother replied, rolling her eyes, "Tyson will be there with you."

With that, the young brothers slumped over to where Tahlia was already playing. The boys joined in eagerly, mingling with her straight away.

"You don't mind, do you?" It took me a moment to realise that this woman was talking to me.

"No, not at all," I answered, smiling at Tahlia's smile. Taylor would have killed me if he'd seen her with boys. Two at that!

The mother smiled. "She's your daughter?" she directed to Tahlia, playing happily with the boys, somewhat bossing them around now.

"Yeah, that's my Tahlia," I answered, watching her smile and laugh with the boys.

"She's beautiful," the mother told me. "I've been wanting a baby girl for so long. I hope this one's a girl this time," she said, directing to her pregnant figure.

"Wow, three kids. That'll be a handful," I said in amazement.

She laughed. "No, this will be number five," again, she directed to her belly.

My mouth gaped open in shock. Well, not shock of having five children, but the onslaught of reality that came washing down on me.

Families can have multiple children.

I can have multiple children.

"A mother's love is whole no matter how many time divided," she told me, looking at her children in awe before attending to the form in which she had to sign.

It all seemed to obvious. I'd grown up with five other siblings and Taylor and Courtney had always been there for each other.

Who would Tahlia have to grow up with?

I'd always valued the love and support my siblings and I held for each other. Dallas had always been there to support me, and I'd always helped my sisters and Caylus when Mum and Don weren't in the right frame of mind to do so themselves. Taylor had always been there to support Courtney, but it had usually ended up with Courtney caring for Taylor.

When the inevitable came - when Taylor and I ultimately left this earth, who would Tahlia have for family? I didn't want her to be left alone in the world.

That didn't mean I'd have to have another five children like my mother, but at least another one, maybe two, was what I came to desire in that short instance I spoke to this stranger.

* * *

That afternoon, Taylor drove Tahlia and me back home after he'd finished sorting out his university courses for next year. Just as I was about to get myself out of the car and head inside the house, Taylor put his hand over the buckle.

"Hold on a second, will you?" he pleaded.

"O...kay..." I said, unsure of what was going on in his head.

He chuckled lightly before racing out his door and around to Tahlia's side. I turned around and watched him the whole time.

Taylor unbuckled Tahlia from her seat and raced her up the stairs to where Becky stood in the front door frame. He raced back down the stairs, jumping them all completely, surprisingly eager to get back in the car.

He jumped in through his open car door and hurriedly buckled his seat. I watched in a shocked stupor the whole time.

Taylor started the car up again, and sped out the driveway. He seemed in a rush to get wherever he was driving immediately.

"Do you think you could maybe tell me where you're taking me?" I asked after we'd driven out of Bannockburn and started down the Midland Highway towards Geelong.

He grinned at me devilishly. "It's a surprise."