Count On Me

Part Twenty

"We went on a bus and saw the Upstate Building!"

He laughed, "the Empire State building, now that is really cool."

Nate nodded, "then the EmEm shop, I love EmEm's"

Oscar smiled, M & M's, typical. A kid's dream.

The cruise was early evening, family friendly, and so far it was working well. Nate had eaten all his dinner, and though she was wistful, gazing out of the panoramic windows, she too had demolished her meal.

"He loved the horse and cart ride too."

Oscar looked up at Lizzie, "cart? Those horse owners will kill you! Did Cinderella ride in a cart?"

Nate laughed, "it was a carriage Aunty Lizzie. Made from a pumpkin."

"Surreal," she sat back in her seat, her arms across her chest. "I don't know whose most random, you or him."

He smiled at the humour in her eyes.

"We should have come in the warmer weather really; this weather doesn't make it great for you doing the tourist thing."

Lizzie shrugged, "this was impromptu, and I'll just have to come back again. We all will."

The words hung between them rather awkwardly, the future, THEIR future had suddenly thrown itself into their conversation.

"We have to talk."

She nodded, "but not now, not in front of Nate. Can't we just enjoy the evening?"

The boat dropped them high on the west side, not far from their hotel. This time they took a cab back to the hotel. Nate was asleep within moments, once again after having kisses off them both. When Lizzie emerged from the bedroom, Oscar was sat on the sofa with an ice bucket in front of him, bottles of beer protruding from it.

"Beer?" She'd had some wine at dinner, but she was a long way from tipsy, so she nodded, watching as he flipped off the top.

She drank it gratefully, a long slug before finally meeting Oscar's intense stare.

"I can't not have him in my life Lizzie, you have to know that."

She nodded, "I expected that."

"But I know that you love him too..."

Scoffing, she sat forward, "I have been everything to him Oscar. We are best friends, not Aunty/nephew. You knew Janis, she wasn't mother material."

"I can't be part time, just visiting..."

The pain built up in her throat until she struggled to swallow anything, "Manchester, it's all he's known. That's his home."

"It's a good life here."

Lizzie knew that she was the legal guardian of Nate, but she also knew that when the lawyers found out about Oscar, they would grant him custody...probably. Though she'd fight it.

"He's lost his mother; we just need to keep things normal for him."

He groaned, running a hand through his hair, "I know. That is really important."

Lizzie nodded, "I can't just up and leave. And anyway you can stay with us, in Janis' room. Nate would love that."

As much as she hated her job, it was still all that she had. The bills from Janis, her mortgage...they all added up, and she needed to work, and she needed to make him see that.

"But then you and him could come over here, spend longer times with us."

Standing, she put down her empty bottle, and shook her head, "there's no solution here Oscar, and we can sit and hash it out, or I can go to bed and wait for the papers to land on my doorstep that say you are taking him from me. THIS is why I can't play at being friends with you."

"Don't go, don't run off, Lizzie. I came here to try and make work easier, and until I know how flexible they can be to me...then I can't make plans, neither of us can. Will you trust me?"

She sighed, "I don't think that's worked out well in the past. Why should I start now?"

He groaned, "because I don't want to disrupt what is so important between you both. I am trying my best to get a longer shift over in the UK, but I have no idea if I can wangle it...but I want to."

Lizzie offered a half smile, "so that covers 'shifts', what happens in between?"

He ran his hands through his hair, "I don't know, Lizzie. I really don't, but I'm trying."

As she lay in bed that night, on the verge of tears...again, Lizzie thought through all that he'd said. And in the cold light of the darkened room, she could see that at least he was trying, she, to date wasn't. But she didn't know what she could do. She was financially stuck, the cost of the funeral, plus supporting Janis and Nate the last two years, coupled with the fact that she couldn't commit the time and effort at work that would see her be promoted at work. Again due to the amount of time she had spent being a substitute for Nate's mother.

Now all that would be what contributed to her losing him.

She thought about running away, waiting until Oscar was out, then head home, hide...but she couldn't go anywhere. She was stuck, stranded. All she could do was wait.

She heard Oscar stir the following morning, but stayed curled up in bed. Lizzie didn't get out of bed until she heard the door to the suite close. As she was pouring a mug of coffee, her phone buzzed.

"Hope you don't hate me, we will work this out. Should be finished work by about three. If you take the ferry around the Statue today, I could meet you to go to the Discovery Center at Times Square? I'll send you a link to the exhibition there; I think it's perfect for Nate. Then dinner - with no serious talking?"

She sighed, toying with the phone for a moment, then thumbed a reply.

"We can't ignore an elephant this big."

His reply was instant.

"True, but this is a vacation. When I know how flexible I can be, then we'll know where we stand. I don't want us to fight."

The sentiment was nice, in an ideal world she'd not want to fight him either, but life wasn't that simple. Before she could reply, another message arrived.

"I know you, don't over think it. Please."

Lizzie smiled as she read it; he DID know her, better than most.

Oscar had been in meetings all day. His patience and mind were about to blow. Walking out to the water fountain he filled a cup of water and drank it gratefully. His bosses weren't keen on his ideas, he'd had to sell his soul, but if they came out of the office very shortly smiling, he was going to feel more hopeful. He spent so much time overseas as part of his job, that if he didn't move his catchment area from the US and the Pacific rim then he'd never see his son even if they all moved to the States. That was a given.

Until a month ago, he cared about nothing more than hedonism. Travel, fun, pure indulgence. Now? Now he wanted the complete opposite. He wanted this family, he wanted more.

But that wasn't easy, he couldn't expect Lizzie to give him up, or to move...only for him to be away for weeks. They knew no one, would up root everything. That left him begging for a move to Europe, the post he was looking for didn't exist, but he was willing to negotiate...his future depended on it. And he was trying his best to make himself a valuable commodity that the company could not live without. He'd never intended to go back to Europe, let alone somewhere like Manchester. But life dictated, or rather fate. If they said no, he wasn't sure what he'd do. But he knew one thing, he couldn't live without the boy...and Lizzie had grown on him too.