Broken

Chapter 15

Two weeks later...

Nathan's POV

"I don't know, man. I just need to be sure that the baby is mine. I know I didn't argue when she claimed the baby was mine, but I've never really believed that story. Heck, I can't even remember having sex with her. Something seems quite fishy to me, but I don't want to raise an alarm" I took a sip from my drink and looked Jack, my childhood friend in the eye "what do you suppose I do?"

"I don't know, man. Ask her?" He replied

"Jesus, Jack have you been listening? I don't wanna raise an alarm. How am I supposed to ask her? Do you suggest I walk up to her and say 'oh, hey Helen. I've been meaning to ask. Is Charlie my son?' Hell no"

"Okay, okay" he cleared his throat "it's easy. All you have to do is dab a cotton swab in his saliva and leave the rest to me. That, or you could get a few strands of his hair. Whichever will do"

"Okay, good. Let's say I get it by tomorrow. When will the results be ready?"

"It usually takes about 24 to 72 hours. I'll need a sample from you too, though"

"Sure. Thanks, man" I emptied my glass and signalled to the waiter "alright, I gotta go" the waiter came with the check, and I paid for I and Jack's drinks and got up.

I got out of the restaurant, got into my car and headed to Abbie's school. I know she'd be badly hurt if the tests come out negative, because she has grown to love Charlie. A strong bond grew between both of them so quickly, that Charlie doesn't cry whenever Abbie carries him, and Abbie feels reassured that everything will be alright whenever she's with Charlie. Charlie makes Abbie happy, and I want her to be happy.

I pulled over in front of Abbie's school and checked the time. I arrived just in time to pick her up. When I looked up, I saw students rush out of the building, eager to go home. I waited patiently for Abbie, and after waiting for about 3 minutes, I saw her with Ray and Sophie. She wore the brightest smile ever. These past few months have been hard on her, and amidst all the chaos, she finally found something that makes her happy. It breaks my heart to know that that thing may be snatched from her very soon. I have to tell her. Telling her will break her, but she will be shattered if she unexpectedly gets the news when the results get out. She smiled even brighter when she saw me and she hurriedly said her goodbyes to her friends. She got into the car and stretched to hug me and give me a peck on my cheek.

"Someone's happy" I said, as I started the car

"Why shouldn't I be happy, dad? I just wrote my final exams. I'm done with highschool!" She exclaimed, and sat back, looking relaxed. I love seeing her this way. This is the Abbie we used to know before all the family drama. She was so happy, and I didn't want to ruin it.

"That was today?! I'm so happy for you, princess" I said, while driving away from the school

"Yes, dad. It was today. I'm so happy right now"

"I'm glad you are. So, where do you want to go?"

"Everywhere!" She exclaimed

"Okay, then. Sit back and enjoy the ride" I had no idea where to take Abbie, but I knew it had to be somewhere special. Somewhere that makes her happy, and somewhat sentimental. In no time, I found myself driving to the park. I used to bring Abbie here after school when she was much younger. We used to have ice-cream and cotton candy, play on the swing and the seesaw, after which we would go home. As a little girl, Abbie loved ice-cream, and her favourite flavours were chocolate chip and mint, and I used to get her one scoop of each. On some days, we'd have both ice-cream and cotton candy, while other days, we'd have just cotton candy or ice cream.