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Chapter
24: Meet My Folks
Upon arrival at the Hayes' household, the mood in the limo was a somber one. No
one had spoken a word since Faith had told Ben and Daniel about the cancer. She
was surprised herself that they hadn't been notified. Morgan did have a tendency
to blurt a few very private things out on some occasions, but keeping this
secret must have been like keeping the sinking of the Titanic a secret.
Faith took Hope from Daniel's arms and was feeding her a bottle when the car
stopped. The driver came from around the front and opened the door for them.
Morgan was the first to get out followed by Ben, Daniel, Darren, and finally
Faith and Hope. Stepping outside felt like stepping into a furnace. The
temperature must have been at least 100oF. Faith could already feel the sweat
drops forming on her forehead. At least the breeze coming off the ocean cooled
her off a bit.
With Darren standing beside her and the others following behind, they followed
the path that led to the spacious mansion Darren's parents owned, one that he
had bought for them from the money he had made from all the albums he and Daniel
had sold while Savage Garden was still together.
Faith took a deep breath as they reached the door and Darren knocked. She could
feel her heart begin to beat a little faster as they waited for what seemed like
an eternity. Faith started to squirm, her body unable to stand still even for a
few seconds until the door began to creak open. She stopped, becoming ridged and
absolutely still. She'd be wringing her fingers out if Hope wasn't in her arms.
"Mom!" Darren exclaimed as the stout woman with long blond hair
appeared at the door, a wide smile on her face. She walked out onto the porch
and hugged him.
"Daz!" she replied, kissing his cheek. "How are you? Oh, it's
been so long since I last saw you. Why did you have to move to America?"
"Well, here's the reason," he answered, taking Faith's arms and
pulling her in front of him. "Mom, this is Faith. Faith, this is my mom,
June."
"Pleased to meet you," Faith said as she tried to extend her hand
without letting go of Hope.
"Pleased to meet you too," June slowly replied, sensing that there was
something wrong with this picture. She was about to say what was on her mind,
but Darren managed to interrupt her.
"So, where's everybody? Where's Dad?" he asked, leading everyone into
the house.
"Your father and your brother are out fishing while you sister is sitting
in her room with her leg up on the bed reading a book. And don't worry about
her, she's okay. That fall didn't really hurt her all that bad. Nothing a cast
can't fix," she explained as she led them to the spacious living room.
"I knew Tracey was clumsy, this just proves it," Darren told his
friends.
"What happened, by the way?" Daniel asked as he made himself
comfortable on the couch.
"She was walking down the stairs not watching where she was going and just
fell like a rock. And she was only three steps from the bottom," June
answered, heading for the kitchen.
Ben, Daniel, and Darren were snickering while Faith and Morgan couldn't find the
humor in the accident.
"You're so mean!" Morgan said as she slapped Ben in the arm.
"That's not funny. She could have seriously injured herself."
"Okay, I'm sorry," he replied, shutting up.
Faith cleared her throat to get their attention. With all eyes on her, she began
to speak. "So, when are we gonna tell them?" she asked.
"When my dad gets back. I'm not about to tell my mother without him around.
He's the voice of reason and the only person in the world who could possibly
understand the situation," Darren replied, sitting back on one of the other
open couches.
"Let's hope you're right. I don't want anything to happen the way it did
with my parents," Faith whispered.
"Darren, could you come to the kitchen for a moment?" his mother
called. He looked over at Faith with a worried expression on his face.
"Yeah, mom. What it is?" Darren asked, standing in the doorway leaning
against the heavy oak frame.
"Why is there a baby with you?" June asked without hesitation.
"Can we wait until Dad gets home?" he whined, knowing where this
conversation would go if his father didn't arrive.
"No, I want to know, and I want to know now," she answered.
"Mom, please. Wait until Dad gets home. He needs to hear this as much as
you do."
"Oh, God. It's yours isn't it? And you're not even married to her."
"Mom! Don't go jumping into conclusions like that! I said wait for Dad, and
that's what I'm planning to do."
From the living room, Faith could easily hear the conversation. She looked over
at Morgan with a painful look in her eyes. Morgan wrapped her arms around
Faith's shoulders and whispered, "It's going to be okay. Don't worry.
They're nothing like your parents."
"But do you hear what's going on in there? His mother already figured it
out. I know what's going to happen next. I'm going to get in the middle and he's
going to get kicked out just like I did," Faith started crying just as
Darren was heading back to the living room, fuming.
"God! Sometimes that woman can be just so. UH!" he started to say as
he sat down on the couch beside Faith. Looking over, he realized that she was
crying. "Honey, what's wrong?" he softly asked as he pulled her away
from Morgan.
Faith pushed away from him, her tear stained face indicating that this was the
last place she wanted to be. She stood up, her body trembling as she started to
pace. "I know where this is going," she mumbled. "I know where
this is going. I don't wanna be here when it happens! I'm leaving." Faith
started to run for the door, her tears flowing over her eyes as she pushed the
door open and sprinted outside.
"Faith!" Darren yelled as he followed her. Reaching the door, he ran
into his father and brother.
"Darren! Nice to see you again," his father began to say. Darren
glanced at him, but kept running after Faith. She was already halfway down the
drive when she fell to her knees and sank her head into her hands.
"Faith!" Darren said as he dropped down beside her and wrapped his
arms around her shoulders, gently rocking her back and forth to stop her crying.
"Shh. It's okay. Stop crying. Everything is going to be fine."
After a bout of hard coughing, she finally looked up at him and answered,
"Nothing is going to be okay. Everything is fucked up! I can't tell which
way is up and which way is down anymore! I have no family, I have no money, I
have nothing!"
"Shh. Calm down," Darren kept trying to comfort her. With his hands,
he moved the hair away from her face and wiped her dusty, tear stained face.
"You have me, and I love you, and that's all that matters." With that,
he kissed her. After pulling away slowly, he picked up her frail body and
carried her back into the house.
After laying Faith down on a couch, Darren kissed her again, reassuring her that
everything he said was true.
"What's going on?" Darren's father asked when everyone had settled
down. "Who is she?"
"Dad, this is Faith," Darren finally introduced. "Faith, my
father, Robert."
"Pleased to finally meet you. You're even more beautiful that Darren made
you out to be."
"Thank you," Faith replied in a fragile voice. Her throat was still
raw from her crying session.
"And over there is my brother, Pete," Darren pointed to the guy behind
his father holding two fishing poles and a tackle box. Pete waved his hello and
started for the garage.
"Well, you're father's home. I think it's time you told us what you
wouldn't tell me," June said as she stood beside her husband.
Darren sat down on the floor next to Faith and took her hand. It was the moment
of truth. At least he and Faith had their friends around so that what happened
with Faith's parents didn't happen with his.
"Well, first off, the good news. Faith and I are getting married in less
than a month," Darren said.
"Oh, my God! And this is the first time we're meeting her? I can't believe
this," June replied, becoming more upset as the events unfolded.
"Wait, there's more. The thing is, Faith also has a brain tumor, an
inoperable tumor and she's dying. She only has a few months left, at the
most," Darren continued to explain.
"That changes many things," June said, her expression unchanged.
"One more thing. And Mom, don't get pissed. That's all I ask of you,"
Darren answered. "It's about the baby. To answer your question, it is
mine."
"Oh, God! I knew it! Darren! How could you?" she nearly yelled.
"June, calm down. At least they're getting married," Robert
interrupted before she really started a fight.
"But he's not ready to settle down! He's still got his career to worry
about! How's he supposed to take care of a baby and a sick wife?" she
argued.
"I'm thirty years old, Mom. I'm not a little boy anymore. I've learned to
balance my life and take care of myself along with the people I care
about," Darren said as he stood up to face her.
"But you don't even know if it's really yours! And I'm not about to accept
a child that was born out of wedlock. I want proof that it's your baby,"
June demanded. "I want a DNA test."
"What!" Faith almost shouted as she shot up off the couch. "How
could you not see that Hope looks almost exactly like Darren when he was a
baby?"
"Unlike your family, ours still has some values," June answered.
"I have no family!" Faith spat. She almost immediately started crying.
Darren grabbed her and held her back from running again.
"For crying out loud, June. Leave the poor girl alone. And as for Darren,
he's a grown man. He's got every right to live his life the way he wants to. And
if he wants to get married and have kids, then I support him," Robert
butted in before his wife let out another outburst. "Let me see the baby
and make the judgment myself if it's really part of our family or not."
Faith turned around and took the little bundle out of Daniel's arms. Looking
down at her, she smiled with sad eyes and gently handed her over to her
grandfather. "Her name is Hope," Faith said with a shaky voice.
Robert took her into his arms and began rocking her back and forth as he
examined the child. "Aw, she's got Darren's nose and his ears, and she
definitely has your eyes," he cooed.
June stole one peek, but remained unconvinced. "I'm not accepting her until
that test is done," she defiantly said.
Faith and Darren looked at each other, helpless and angry.
Chapter 23: Learning To Accept
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