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.
Judging by her reaction, one could tell that Abbie still loves this place. She had a brighter smile when the park was in sight, and she got down from the car so quickly. This is the Abbie that I prefer. Not the sad and depressed Abbie, but the happy child I raised. I'm glad she's smiling again. I hate to rip that smile right off her face, but I have to tell her the truth. If she knows what's coming now, she may not be as hurt as she would be when the truth gets out. I draped my arm on her shoulders and pulled her closer as we approached the ice-cream truck.
"Good day, sir. How may I help you" the lady at the other side of the truck asked, beaming with a plastic smile.
"Good day. I'd like two scoops of chocolate chip and mint ice-cream for the lady, and 2 scoops of butterscotch for me" Abbie looked surprised when I made her order for her
"You remember" she said, smiling
"Of course, I do. How could I possibly forget?"
"I don't know... It's been ages since you got me ice-cream. I thought it might have slipped your mind"
"Well, it didn't"
"Here you go, sir" the ice cream lady said, while she gave us our ice cream.
"Thank you," I looked at her name tag "Rosie" I paid for our ice creams and left a tip for her "keep the change," I said, and she nodded
"Thank you sir. Do enjoy your ice-cream"
"Sure thing" Abbie and I went straight to the swings and sat on them while we ate our ice cream.
Silence took over, as I tried to figure out how to tell her about the DNA test. I had to tell her anyways, so I guess I had to get on with it. I decided to wait till she was done eating her ice-cream, because I wanted her to enjoy it. While waiting, I also ate mine.
In no time, we finished our ice creams, and I watched Abbie take light swings on the swing. She has grown up so fast. It feels like just yesterday, when I had to give her little pushes. "Sweetheart, there's something I have to tell you"
"Yes, dad"
"Well, ever since Helen mysteriously popped up in our lives claiming to be pregnant for me..." I paused a little to see her reaction. She stopped swinging and paid keen attention to what I was saying "I suspected that the baby may or may not be mine, but because of everything that was going on at that time, I decided to keep my suspicions to myself.
"To start with, I have no memory, whatsoever of sleeping with Helen. The only memory of Helen I had before she popped up with a pregnancy that was allegedly mine was meeting her at the bar. That night, I remember her throwing herself at me, and the next morning she was laying naked on my chest when I woke up. I was so confused. When she suddenly called me to say we had to talk, I was even more confused, because I didn't recall giving her my number or collecting her's that night. Later on, it occurred to me that she might have dialed her number on my phone when I was asleep that night. Since the birth of Charlie, you've been your happiest. I know how fond of him you've grown, which is why I owe it to you to find out the truth about all this before you get too attached to him.
"I know you've been through a lot lately, and I promise you that this little bit of hurt is the last I'll ever let you get"
"It's okay, dad. If there's one thing all this drama has taught me, it's how to get back up after being hit. I think I can handle one last hurt. So, when do you want to get the test done?"
"Jack says if I provide what he asked for, the tests will take 24 to 48 hours. My plan is to give him tomorrow, because the earlier the better, I guess"
"Okay. What did he ask for?"
"Since it's a secret DNA test, he said a swab of cotton dabbed in Charlie's saliva or a few strands of his hair would do"
"Okay, then. Leave it all to me. Let's get to it, shall we?
With that, Abbie stood up and gave me a look that said 'are you going to sit here all day or what?' I got up from the swing and we walked to the car together. I'm very appalled by her reaction to this and the maturity with which she handled it. I'm even more appalled by her willingness to participate, but I'm also scared. I'm scared that one day, all this constant bad news will have a bad effect on my baby girl, if it hasn't already affected her.
Charlie's birth managed to get her out of depression, but depression doesn't just go away amidst the constant factors that makes people depressed in the first instance. I think Abbie needs to talk to a professional about all this, and I'll make sure I get her a therapist as soon as possible.
*
Thanks for reading. I'm pleased to announce to you that Broken will be wrapped up in the next chapter. Yes, guys. The next chapter will be the last chapter. Thank you so much for reading this far. I have another story story coming up after broken. I've not put it down yet, but I have it all in my head right now. Stay glued to your phones, and don't forget to vote. Thank you!