Forgotten Love (Derrien Island Trilogy) (23 page)

“Hello?”

“Natasha,
its Ashley!

“Ashley? How are you? I thought you were going to call me last week to arrange your flight to come visit me
,” said Natasha jovially thinking of the wonderful time she and Ashley planned to have shopping and reconnecting with each other.

“Listen, our plans will have to go on hold for a while,
I have some bad news for you. I hope you are sitting down.”

The gravity of the tone in Ashley’s voice caused Natasha to sit up straight in her seat.

“Oh no! Is it Marcus? Did something happen to him?” said Natasha feeling the blood drain out of her face.

“No, Natasha, it’s your father! He was playing cricket for charity today at Lombardo Field when he had a massive heart attack.”

Natasha felt slack jawed as tea
rs began to well up in her eyes and the stab of pain near her heart caused her to clutch her chest.

“No Ashley, it can’t be true!” she agonized
raggedly.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this over the phone, but Natasha, you have to come home right now. The doctor’s have given him only a few days to live and your mother is completely devastated”, said Ashley now crying into the receiver
as well.

“Oh no! No, this can’t be happening! Ashley no!” cried Natasha as the tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

“Text me your flight info and I will pick you up at the airport, the doctors are saying that he does not have much time, so you need to hurry!” warned Ashley.

Natasha disconnected the call and stoo
d up looking around frantically and glanced at her watch.

“Lucas
, I need to get back to the airport right now, I have to go home!” she cried loudly grabbing her purse and while attempting to stand knocked down her glass in the process.

A few patrons at the nearby tables looked around to see wh
o was causing the commotion.

“Ok
ay, let’s go!” said Lucas quickly, trying not to draw any more attention to them as they left the restaurant. He could not help overhearing that something tragic happened and that it may have involved Marcus. As much as he disliked the man and wanted him out of the way he did not want the guy to die tragically and chided himself inwardly for that split second of hope. As they left the restaurant, they were lucky enough not to run into any camera men. Natasha did not realize as yet that she was fast becoming a star and paparazzi were looking for any and every reason to take the pictures of the rich and famous at their worst. Before leaving, he left a tip for the waiter told the host to cancel their order. Lucas patched a call through to his driver to come immediately and held Natasha as she broke down in racking sobs against his chest.

“Natasha, tell me w
hat is wrong, let me help you,” said Lucas.

Between her blowing her nose and more tears he was able to get broken bits of the story that her father had suffered a heart attack
.

“Ok
ay, it’s going to be alright. I will take care of the travel details.”

Lucas
was not going to let Natasha fly home alone in her condition so he called his personal assistant and asked her to cancel his appointments for the next few days.

“Lucas you don’t have to do that for me.
I will be fine, I can get home alone,” protested Natasha between sobs. “Ashley will meet me at the airport.”

“Natasha, I am praying that all will be well when we get there but I am going with you, I don’t think you should be alone right now. Think of me as a shoulder to cry on. I promise not to get in
the way of you and your family’s business,” he swore realizing he meant every word except where it regarded Marcus Nicholls. There was no way that he would allow Natasha to return to Derrien Island vulnerable and in need of a loving embrace without him there to give it to her. He wanted her as his and was willing to play hardball if it came to that. He would make sure that she saw her family but that any connection she shared with Marcus would be snuffed right out.

They finally
reached the airport after making a quick stop at Natasha’s home to collect her luggage. Once they purchased tickets for the next available flight Natasha texted Ashley with her expected time of arrival on Derrien Island. She also called her personal assistant and head of her management team to cancel her appointments for the rest of the week.

It was 1:00 a.m
. and for the first time in months Marcus had settled into a restful sleep. The sound of the telephone beside his head jarred him awake and he groggily reached out to drag the receiver back into bed to his ear without opening his eyes.

“Hello”, he slurred still not finding his voice as yet.

“Marcus, look I am sorry to wake you up, this is Ashley!”

“Ashley
, it’s really late, what’s up?”

“Yeah I know
sorry, but this is really urgent. I thought you should know that your father-in-law Reverend Mitchell is in the hospital. He suffered a massive heart attack today and the prognosis is not that good.”

Marcus sat up and rubbed his eyes sobering up quickly as Ashley spoke.
No one had contacted him with this news and he was their son-in-law. He felt slightly offended by that but pushed it aside quickly because this was not the time to harbour those kinds of feelings.

“I already called Natasha
last night and she is flying back home and will arrive later this afternoon. I know that she will probably kill me for telling you this but I didn’t want you to miss an opportunity to be there for her, you know what I mean?” stated Ashley meaningfully.

Natasha was on her way home?
That did not give him much time to implement his plan and he wished it was under better circumstances. She must be really distraught by the news.

“You know I would be there in a heartbeat if she would let me.
What can I do to help?” he offered.

“I really want this separation thing between you guys to be over. Frankly, every time I think about it I feel like strangling you both. So
anyway, I thought that you could use my jeep to pick her up from the airport. She is expecting me and you could use that time to show her that your relationship is not over by being there for her and supporting her. She sounded really upset on the phone! I know she will probably kill me for this but I can’t help thinking that you should be the one there instead of me!”

“
I would have to stay out of sight until the last moment for this to work Ashley and even then Natasha could be really offended by the deception,” he remarked still not confident about this plan. It could backfire and worsen things between them again.

“Her mind will be focused
on getting to the hospital and she will be too much in a hurry to make a fuss anyway. I think you are the one she needs now!”

“Okay, I’ll do it!” he agreed.

Ashley gave him the necessary flight information and he scooted off the bed to write the info down on the notepad he kept near the phone.

From the information that Ashley gave him, Natasha would be arriving in the afternoon around
four thirty.

“
I will come by your place around four to get your jeep then. I hope this plan does not make things worse Ashley!”

“
Nothing ventured, nothing gained my friend. I will leave the outcome of this totally up to you guys! You know, I always liked you with Natasha because you guys balance out each other even though it seems like you are both too stubborn to see that. Look, get some rest because you will need it later today!” replied Ashley before hanging up.

With this news
, all thoughts of sleep fled far away from Marcus’ mind. Natasha’s father, a generally robust man had always seemed so indestructible to him. It was hard to imagine him now as anything but that. Ever since Natasha married him, her father had openly resented their relationship. He was a hard man who was set in his ways and he constantly held Natasha’s pregnancy and rushed marriage against him even though it happened years ago. It did not help matters now that he and Natasha were separated and she was pursuing a singing career. He could only imagine the gossip and her father’s embarrassment as people remarked on how little influence he had over his own daughter’s life now.

Despite this
, Marcus knew that Natasha loved her father and even though he was generally cold toward her she never forgot his birthday or a Father’s day. In a way, she always seemed to be trying to pay back a debt to him that could never be repaid. A debt she should never have been made to feel she had to pay at all.

“Natasha
, you must be so devastated by all this,” said Marcus aloud and to himself, simultaneously rubbing a hand across his face. In doing so he felt the incredible growth of stubble on his chin and jaw line and realized just how unkempt he had become lately. He went in to the office twice a week now and had spent more time here writing at all hours to finish his last book on time. Being at home gave him time to think and it confirmed that he did not have to work as hard as he did before. In fact, these last two months when he called in to check with the managers a few times his businesses were running like clockwork still. To prove to Natasha how serious he was about relocating with her, he would need a career with some flexibility and he was beginning to see that he could allow his staff to run the restaurants here with some guidance from him occasionally. Also writing was something that he could do anywhere in the world.

Marcus got up and switched on the light
and looked into the mirror. Sheldon was right he looked like a wreck. He needed a haircut, a shave and from the look of his slightly bloodshot eyes, a good night’s rest.  He still found it difficult to come to terms with who he had become without her and lately he had been wondering who really needed who more. He always thought that Natasha was the one who needed him but now he was not so sure about that. He made a mental note to deal with his appearance later in the morning but the first thing he needed to make up for was the sleep deficit that had made him look like a crack addict. Whether he felt like it or not he was going to lie in bed and sleep and dream of what his future could be like with Natasha in it again.

“Let me take that bag for you, you look exhausted!” offered Lucas as he lifted the strap of Natasha’s carry-on bag from her shoulders when they emerged from the arrival Lounge at G.D Matthews International airport on Derrien Island.

The brightness of the
late afternoon sun and the warm balmy air slightly scented with saltiness was so welcoming that Natasha instinctively took in a deep breath of the scent of home.

“Thanks Lucas, my shoulder is a little sor
e”, she said rubbing it gently, while allowing him to take the bag. She shielded her eyes with her hands while scanning the crowds that had gathered to collect friends and relatives, for the face of her friend Ashley.

“What time did Ashley say she would pick you up?” aske
d Lucas also scanning the crowd nervously. I can get us a car quite easily and you can meet up with her later.”

“
That’s not necessary; she said she would be here now. Let’s walk further down here, we might see her closer to the parking area,” replied Natasha still looking for her friend.

Lucas sensed that something was not quite right and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was about to experience something that he would find particularly distasteful. It would be so much easier if he could get Natasha to see that a life with him was the best option for her. Then he wouldn’t have to worry about her husband erasing all of his work in this one trip.

As they walked down to the end of the arrival’s hall, Natasha could see a jeep that looked a lot like Ashley’s but her friend was nowhere in sight. She walked toward it quickly and just as she was about to tell Lucas that she thought she’d found the jeep, Marcus walked around the front of the vehicle to stand facing her and to her surprise he was smiling. His smile faded a little though once his eyes drifted to take in the man standing at her side.

Natasha gasped
out loud in surprise to see Marcus there instead of Ashley. He looked so good, even better than he did in her dreams. He was a little thinner than when she last saw him but still very attractive and undeniably magnetic. She found herself quickly rehearsing the things she had always loved about his features; his thick black eyebrows, and his kind eyes which were always reminded her of the glossy black shine of a grand piano. They might have as well been the piano itself because looking at him her heart was quietly singing in her chest, that she had truly missed him. If only he knew how much. Once again she was unprepared for the intense emotions she would feel seeing him again. Consumed by her fearful thoughts of not getting home in time to see her father, she did not contemplate what she would do if she were to see Marcus while she was on the island. She knew that seeing him would be inevitable but she did not count on it happening this soon.

“Welcome home Nat!” he said softly
, returning his focus to his wife and away from the man who stood slightly behind her looking fiercely protective of her. He assumed this was Lucas, the good friend who right now looked anything but friendly toward him. Marcus had little time to care what Lucas thought and maybe they would have a chance later on to talk man to man when Natasha was not present. It was as though some silent agreement passed between them before Marcus turned his attention quickly back to his wife who was still staring at him in complete shock.