The Birth Of Eve (8 page)

Eve woke up the next morning with the same hollow feeling
inside, she missed Nathan already. She wondered what had been so urgent that he
had to leave in such a rush. The house seemed quiet noticing the time she sat
up, Tara must have left already without saying goodbye; she was really stressed
last night. It was probably good that she could focus on her friend for a few
days, Nathan and Michael had taken all her attention recently.

Thinking of Michael she wondered where he had been
yesterday, apart from her trip to London she had not gone a day without seeing
him at some point. Eve slipped her robe on to go down stairs when she felt
something in her pocket; she slipped out a little red book. Eve had totally
forgotten the diary she had put in her pocket in the garage. She took it
downstairs with her made a drink then sat in the conservatory to read it.

The diary was from the year 1989, Eve was born in the
September of that year. She began skimming through January; Leila must have
been seeing Michael then, she wondered whether there were any mentions of him.
As Michael never discovered her pregnancy that would mean his departure would
have been in the next few weeks. Reading through January she was surprised to
find no references to Michael at all, in fact she only spoke of Ian and Izzy.
They were worried about Isabella’s state of mind, apparently she had become withdrawn.
Ian wanted Leila to take her to a Dr; as he was that concerned. Eve wondered if
Izzy had worked out her mother’s secret and that was what had unsettled her. It
fitted with her dad’s reason for them breaking up; he had said Leila was
concerned about Izzy.

February was much the same and then March was almost blank
apart from one single entry a small passage on the 18
^th
;

I feel so guilty, how did I not see this, how did he hide
it. My poor baby what are we going to do with her? Ian wants to kill him, I
don’t blame him he deserves it. We have to put Izzy first now forget him he has
gone. We can’t change what he did, and we can’t undo it. All we can do is deal
with it…….

Eve was a little confused Leila didn’t sound like a woman
who had just broken up with her true love. Reading the earlier extracts Eve
didn’t sense any unhappiness in her relationship with Ian. Eve was about to
read the next entry when Michael knocked on the window startling her. She
looked at the clock and realised she had been so engrossed the time had flown
by. Although she was still in her robe she let him in curious as to why she
hadn’t seen him the day before.

“Eve sorry did I make you jump? You were deep in thought,
that book must be fascinating.” Eve wrapped her robe tight feeling a little
exposed

“It is a diary of mum’s I forgot it was in my pocket I was
just reading about Izzy and how distressed  they were over her state of mind.
It is no wonder the two of you decided to break up” Michael was staring at the
diary as if it was the most sacred book in the world. Eve made a snap decision

“I will go and throw my gardening clothes on, you put the
kettle on and if you like have a read you may find some answers about me, and
it is from the year I was born.” Michael was visibly moved by her offer so she
left him to it and went upstairs. By the time she came back down, a drink was
made and Michael was holding the diary looking confused.

“Eve did you find the other pages? Some are torn out just
after the entry you were reading, it seemed to me Leila was going to explain
but the next two weeks are missing” Eve snatched the diary off him scanning it
thoroughly. She had not noticed any pages gone, yet you could see the edges
remaining, she couldn’t understand it at all.

“I didn’t notice at all, maybe it was too painful and she
ripped them out, I am so cross that box has gone to the tip, maybe the pages
were loose. Sorry Michael I thought you may find out how I came to be, are
there any references to her pregnancy in there?”  Michael shook his head, Eve
was gutted she was so excited when she found that this morning. They drank in
silence then Eve broached the subject of his disappearance yesterday. Michael
looked exhausted now she had time to look properly, he must be burning the
candle at both ends.

“I was helping in a soup kitchen in Manchester, part of my
missionary work; I have to do a certain amount of help in the local community.”
Eve was quietly proud of her new father, he was so different to her but so far
she hadn’t managed to make that father daughter connection. Perhaps it would
grow in time, she had a lot of barriers to remove before he could get as close
as he would like. He began to talk about her trip to LA again; it was obvious he
was trying to talk her out of going. Eve found this possessive controlling
nature of his extremely frustrating.

“I appreciate your concern Michael; but this is my future I
intend to grab every opportunity that comes my way. Nathan will look after me,
now don’t pull that face, whatever you think of him he does care. I will only
be gone for a week at the most” He was looking even more perturbed

“I thought you said a few days, I hope it isn’t a week! And
what if they offer you the role you could be away for up to six months.” Eve
was mightily pissed off now, this man had only known her a few weeks and he was
trying to tell her what to do.

“For goodness sake I had a life before I met you; I am not
going to alter my path just because you have appeared. I will take the role if
I want it, there are such inventions as air travel know. If you want to be in
my life then you have to allow me to live it or this will not work.” Eve
noticed that same expression flicker in his eyes that had disturbed her that
first day. She shivered as he regained his composure

“Sorry Eve I will behave myself. I actually called in to
tell you I will be away until Saturday at a convention so I guess I don’t have
a right to have a go at you. I am leaving this afternoon so I called to say goodbye,
I will leave you to get on with your gardening.” As he stood to leave Eve felt
a pang of guilt and rose to give him a hug, they didn’t say anything but his
face told Eve he had forgiven her.

“Oh by the way Eve, those are beautiful flowers you put on
Leila’s grave, how did you know Freesia’s were your mothers favourite?” Eve
just stared back blankly at him shaking her head.

“They aren’t from me, I haven’t a clue what flowers she
liked, maybe it was a neighbour who knew her” Michael looked confused but left
after wishing her well. Eve wondered who the flowers were from, whoever it was
had either made a lucky guess with the choice or it was a person who knew her.
Eve decided to visit more regularly in case whomever it was showed up again.

Tara was still quiet when she came home that night; Eve had
prepared a roast chicken for their dinner. Noticing her glancing at the door
every five minutes Eve wondered if she was waiting for Michael.

“Tara I forgot to say Michael has gone on a seminar he will
be away until Saturday, did you want to talk to him about work or something?”
Tara relaxed visibly

“No not at all, to tell you the truth Eve I was thinking of
going to stay with Sue over the school holidays. I think you and Michael will
bond better without me getting in the way. I miss our times on our own so maybe
once he has spent some quality time with you he may just back off a little?
Sorry if that sounds harsh but I can’t relax in the evening and slob around
when he is here. You aren’t offended are you?” Eve grasped her hand across the
table

“Tara I hadn’t guessed it was annoying you, I thought you
loved having him around” she noticed her friend blush and tears spring to her
eyes. Damn him he had obviously rejected her, she should have stepped in
sooner. Eve had noticed Tara’s attachment instantly and was cross that Michael
hadn’t spotted it and prevented it getting that far.

“Hey I will speak to him, make sure that in future he
arranges a visit with us so you have the option to make yourself scarce. Tara
he annoys me too sometimes, he turns up during the day too I was still in my
dressing gown this morning.” Tara smiled gratefully, happy her friend didn’t
want her to go into detail over her reasons for wanting to avoid him.

“I still want to visit Sue, you will be in LA anyway won’t
you so I would rather spend time with her and Jo than be here alone” Eve agreed
it was a great idea, and then her phone rang. Eve was nervous when she realised
it was Nathan, they hadn’t spoken since he ran out on her.

“Eve I am sorry I haven’t spoken sooner, I had to attend to
an emergency with Sasha” Eve felt herself bristle, for someone who was causing
him so much grief he was still prepared to drop everything for her, she
realised he was silent and acknowledged his statement so he continued.

“I thought you had hung up for a moment, I know you will be
furious but it wasn’t just an attention seeking demand, she actually went into
labour. It is Eight weeks too soon but luckily they have halted it and she is
being kept in under observation. The doctors have her on a drip to prevent her
contractions; they want her to be four weeks further along before she gives
birth. Sasha is furious and threatening to discharge herself. She doesn’t care
about the baby; we have drawn up a contract so she gets money for each week she
remains.” Eve was horrified

“For goodness sake what kind of woman would not want to take
care of her unborn child, I would have tied her to the bed not paid her.” she
was partly disgusted with Nathan for going along with her demands.

“I know what you are thinking but we have what we want now
she has signed the baby over, so as soon as she arrives we will have full
custody.” Eve was thrilled for him and smiled at the news the baby was a girl.
But she was also curious we? Was he expecting her to play a part in this and
asked Nathan as much?

“My mum is flying over after she is born Eve and when she is
fit and well she will live with her and my dad in LA and obviously I will spend
as much time as I can over there with them. She is my daughter and I have to do
right by her; especially as her mother has rejected her.” Eve was torn, but the
sentiments rang true, she knew what It felt like to be rejected by her mother.
Eve respected the fact Nathan was going to make up for that any way he could.
This also raised a question over the future of their relationship, between work
and his daughter; her father and Tara there was not going to be much left for
the two of them.

“Eve we will talk when I come over, I want to come back
Saturday for the night, I can’t be away too long but I think we need to talk
about how this affects us and you most of all.” Eve felt tears threaten; she
said her farewell and sat back in front of her now cold meal whilst Tara looked
on concerned. Eve filled her in on the conversation and Tara passed no
judgement but simply supported Nathan’s plan, despite knowing what that could
mean for Eve.

“At the end of the day Eve, we both know that the centre of
this is that little girl, you don’t matter compared to her. If you and Nathan
have a connection that is special, then it will work out, you could play a part
in her life too. She may be the medicine to heal your wounds Eve, the chance to
feel like a mother when you didn’t have one yourself. Don’t end it with Nathan
because the road looks bumpy, stick with him and support him because he has
taken a massive risk and he deserves credit for that.” Tara was spot on as
usual and the girls spent the night on the couch with a rom com, restoring the
balance of their friendship. They hadn’t been able to fully settle into their
new home with everything that had happened since her mother’s body turned up.

Eve was hoping for a quieter few weeks to come; although
Rory’s murder still hung over her. Detective Newton was not a man who let coincidences
go unnoticed; she knew he would be back to talk with her again soon. Her dreams
were strange that night, she was back at the bottom of the stairs, her mum was
crying. Michael suddenly appeared telling her to get to her room and at the top
of the stairs was the woman in the baseball hat holding her hand out to her.
Eve awoke with sweat pouring off her; she wished she had Freud to cuddle, maybe
they would get a new kitten the house felt empty without him. Drifting back to
sleep she could hear Tara crying in the other room, not wanting to intrude she
left her alone. Tomorrow she and Tara needed to get back on track; a stay with
Sue would do her friend good. Eve couldn’t wait to see Nathan again; she must
make him see how much she wanted to be a part of his life no matter how small
that part would end up. Saturday couldn’t come fast enough.

It was three o’clock Thursday afternoon when the call came;
Eve will never forget the fear and panic she felt when Sally told her why she
had called.

“Eve darling don’t panic but Nathan has been taken into
hospital, he was attacked as he left the hospital. Luckily someone came to his
aid so he got away with just head injuries and a few bruised ribs. He is asking
for you so I have arranged for a car to collect you. Be ready in an hour and
pack an overnight bag, you can stay with me.” Eve was in shock after she hung
up the call, running upstairs she threw essentials in a holdall and sent a long
winded text to Tara. She was gutted to be deserting her again and didn’t like
leaving her alone. She called Sue who agreed to come over; especially once Eve
explained her recent heartbreak.

The drive to London took forever Thursday rush hour on the
M25 was horrendous. As the time dragged on Eve was feeling more and more
anxious, she wanted to know that he was okay, and find out what had happened.
From what Sally said, it sounded like he could have been killed if someone
hadn’t arrived in the nick of time. Eve’s imagination was getting the better of
her so she was relieved to finally be dropped outside the hospital. As she
stepped out of the car she was swamped by photographers, she hadn’t put this on
her list of worries so was totally unprepared for the onslaught.

Battling against the barrage of men she fought her way to
the entrance where luckily two paramedics saw her plight and made a path for
her. After thanking them she made her way to the front desk where she was
directed to the recovery suite. On the way she met Sally;

“Oh Eve I was just on my way outside to fend off the
vultures, I bet you were mobbed, I am sorry I wasn’t there.” Eve swept her
apology away and followed her to Nathan’s room as they arrived at the door she
turned to Eve.

“Don’t be alarmed at his appearance he is not as poorly as
he looks, the doctor says he can leave soon” Eve was pleased that was until she
saw him. Nathan’s face was swollen on one side, he had two black eyes a split
lip, and he was covered in bruises. Eve sat beside him and took his uninjured
hand in hers, Nathan opened his eyes and the moment he saw her he tried to sit
upright.

“Nathan lie still, what are you doing? I am here now and I
am not going anywhere until you do” Nathan relaxed and raised her hand to his
lips.

“I am so glad you are here, I am sorry to drag you away from
your father” Eve frowned at him, Nathan couldn’t resist making a dig at Michael

“Nathan behave, anyway Michael is away at the moment so he
won’t even notice that I’m missing” Nathan squeezed her hand tightly

“Sorry I can’t resist, I am aware he is away as he called me
yesterday afternoon.” Eve didn’t even realise her father had Nathan’s number

“What do you mean he called you, I haven’t given him your
number?” Nathan looked across at Sally who politely excused herself.

“He called to beg me to give you some space, he wants time
to bond and he can’t do that with me in the way apparently. He asked me to
postpone LA, I tried to explain that it wasn’t my call in the first place,
Christopher arranged it. He suggested you are vulnerable at the moment,
discovering your mum’s body and meeting him. He feels you are not in a place to
commit to a relationship at all but you feel obligated to me because of my help
launching your career.” Eve was astounded, how dare he interfere, she had no
clue how to handle him at all. LA would be good for them, sometime apart but
looking at Nathan there was no way he would be fit enough to travel.

“Nathan, tell me about the attack, I will sort Michael out.
I want to know what happened to you last night, who did this to you?” Nathan
told his tale; he was leaving after seeing Sasha. He used the rear exit as his
car was round the back, as he walked between the cars he was struck from behind
with a baseball bat over and over until he lost consciousness. Apparently a
woman saw what was happening and screamed which scared the attacker off. The
man didn’t steal anything so the motive is unknown. They both stared at each
other thinking the exact same thing; whoever it was wanted him dead.

“Eve I get hate mail and death threats on twitter every day,
jealous men, obsessive women. You name them I’ve had them, it is part of the
job.” Eve was still unsettled, could this be linked to Rory? Why were two men
in her life targeted within a week? Was she the link between the two? If so she
could understand someone protecting her from Rory but Nathan?

“Eve don’t over think this it will drive you mad, I know you
have had a few strange weeks but you can’t take the blame for all of it.” Eve
sighed Nathan knew her better than she had realised. Sally walked back in the
room with news of Sasha; Eve had forgotten she was in her too.

“Sasha is now settled in a luxury suite, she will be fine
for a few weeks. She has her own private nurse and I have arranged for her to
have her own assistant to fetch and carry for her. You can stop fretting about
her now and decide what your next move is. The publicity here will be nonstop
whether you stay with Eve or at your flat. Have you considered going to your
parents and combining the meet with Christopher at the same time?” Eve looked
from one to the other she had assumed the trip would be off.

“That’s not a bad idea I could recuperate there; my mother
will love fussing over me. They would also be overjoyed to meet Eve” He looked
at her quizzically “What do you think? Go home pack a suitcase and we can fly
out there tomorrow.” Eve was stunned, mildly terrified but very excited

“I would love to but are you sure they won’t mind me staying
too?” He reassured her that his parents would be delighted; so Sally set about
booking flights. Eve was ordered to return home to pack so after a swift kiss
she returned to the car she had arrived in. As she relaxed for the long drive
home she had a sudden doubt, Michael would be very upset especially if he
wasn’t home to say goodbye, her heart thumped a little. For goodness sake why
did she feel scared like a teenager wanting permission to go to a party?

When they pulled up outside Lilac Cottage it was late and
very dark, there were no lights on so she assumed Sue and Tara were already
asleep. Grabbing her bag the driver arranged to call at eleven the following
morning to take her back to Nathan. As he drove away Eve spotted the reporter
hanging around as usual, she waved at her deciding if she was to be a permanent
fixture she may as well be friendly. The woman tentatively raised her hand then
briskly walked away. The house was silent so Eve went straight upstairs and
stripped off for bed.

The morning dawned and it was now May, the sun was rising
earlier and the smell of freshly cut grass was always permeating the air. Eve
felt invigorated and couldn’t wait to fly to LA later that night. Eve and Tara
had been abroad together twice, once to Magaluf for a week’s binge drinking and
a trip to Rome for Tara’s dissertation on the Vatican. Long haul flying was not
something Eve knew much about, she couldn’t imagine being cramped in those tiny
seats for over ten hours.

Eve could hear Tara downstairs making breakfast; she
probably didn’t even know Eve came back last night. Pulling on her robe she
went down to greet her friend and tell her about her trip away, at the foot of
the stairs a letter had been put through the door. Eve picked it up noting the
envelope was blank she slid out the note which was printed off a computer. It
wasn’t directed to anyone it just read;

Has anyone wondered where the old vicar is?

Turning it over in her hand she wondered what the point of
it was. Michael was staying at the vicarage with the current vicar. He had told
her he was poorly and that was why he was covering. This must be some nosey
neighbour stirring gossip, maybe they didn’t like her father’s approach to
sermons, and he was quite modern for the older generation to cope with. Walking
into the kitchen she greeted a very surprised Tara and threw the note in the
garbage.

“Eve, when did you get home? I didn’t expect you for days.” Eve
scrutinised her friends face, she was pale drawn and her eyes were sunken.

“Tara are you feeling okay? You have been so withdrawn
lately; I am starting to worry about you.” Tara brushed it off as her time of
the month which Eve happily accepted as a logical explanation. Eve made them
both a drink as she filled Tara in on her hospital visit and the attack. Tara
looked like she was about to throw up as she described the injuries Nathan had
endured.

“Eve that is horrific you must have been so upset when you
saw him, I think LA is an excellent plan. You don’t need to worry about me I
have only two days in college next week and then I can take off to stay with
Sue. By the way I stopped her from coming over last night, I know you were
worried but actually I really needed some time alone.” A knock at the door
disturbed them, Eve went to open it and there was her father standing in front
of her. This was perfect she could put him in his place, and inform him she was
about to leave. Suddenly she felt nervous again, she stood aside so he could enter,
and Tara stood immediately and grabbed her coat heading off to work, rather
earlier than normal.

“Eve I heard about Nathan so came home early from my
seminar. How is he? I guess that means your trip is on hold for a while.” Eve
sensed he was very happy about that fact and she was quite happy to burst his
bubble.

“Actually it has brought the trip forward” She noticed his
bravado slipped a little “Yes, Nathan has decided the best place for him to
recuperate would be at home with his family; they live over there you know.”
Michael looked on edge

“So he will be going alone, that is probably for the best
Eve, his reputation with women is not the best and some distance may clear your
mind a little. Rumours of pregnant girlfriends and his cheating ways don’t make
for husband material.” Eve stared at him aghast at the audacity of his comments
and anger flared deep within her.

“Michael, you may be my biological father but I survived
twenty five years without you. I do not need you to walk back in to my life and
try to control it. I know you phoned Nathan and warned him off, that is out of
order Michael, you seriously need to back off or we won’t have any relationship
at all. I am going to LA with Nathan tonight.” Her dad looked like the top of
his head was going to blow off

 “There is nothing you can say that will stop me so take
that look off your face. The other thing you should know is that yes Nathan got
a girl pregnant, but she tricked him, hoping he would have to marry her.
Secondly he has paid her to keep this baby so he can take care of it when it is
born; she is currently in a luxury suite being cared for as she was at risk of
premature labour. Nathan is paying for her to remain in hospital to protect her
and the baby. The girl in question has already signed papers to give him full
custody of his daughter the moment she is born that makes him a hero in my book.”
Eve watched as a number of emotions flitted across Michaels face, he took a
moment before he finally responded

“The baby is a girl?” Eve nodded wondering where this was
headed “Then she will be like a surrogate granddaughter if you two can make
this work won’t she?” Eve frowned; this was a turn around, not one she was
comfortable with.

“Well then it sounds like he is perfect for you, you must make
this work; that child needs a mother too and you can’t have a child of your own
this may be your chance” Eve felt like he had slapped her across the face, how
did he know that? Tara! She must have told him more details than Eve had. How
dare he turn this round to infer Eve should be with Nathan to get her hands on
a baby? Deciding not to part ways after a huge row she ushered him out of the
house, before she said something she may regret and so she could pack. Michael
looked apologetic as he said goodbye

“Eve, tell Nathan I am sorry; for the attack and for being
so judgemental, I will make it up to you when you return. Perhaps I could cook
for you both.” Eve grabbed the opportunity to answer the question in the
anonymous note.

“Could we eat over at the vicarage? I take it you still stay
there? Is the current vicar still poorly?” Michael definitely looked shaken at
her questions

“He is bed ridden and no we would not eat there he has a
nurse to tend him and the place smells of death.” He shuddered and Eve took his
word at face value. As she watched him walk away she spotted the female
reporter following him at a distance. Eve closed the door focusing herself on
the task at hand, her ride would be here in an hour so she needed to get
cracking.