twenty two

She smiled as they took their seats in the coffee shop; this time she wasn't dressed in suits, she wore black jeans and a pink sweater.

'I know you are a bit confused about how I know everything.' She sat down as they got acquainted. O'Brien started.

They spend almost like half an hour talking and Pearl was happy this woman liked her and one thing that was on her mind; she always loved William.

She walked to the car as soon as the lady excused herself, right now, she should go home and query Sophie for not telling her the truth but it wasn't her fault, if she hadn't done it, she would never be free.

She sat in the car, paused for a minute before her hand reached for the ignition about the start the car. She stopped when she found a note struck in the middle of the radio and speaker, she picked it; it was a note and it read;

'In case you forget, Good luck, summer beach house.'

She looked at the note, she would have called Sophie and ask her but there was no need, what address could this be, she slut in the key into the ignition and the car rode to life.

She stopped beside a house; she had been a bit worried she hadn't seen or hear from William about Katie, was she okay?

She walked to the gate, knocked but no one answered. she pushed the gate opened and walked to the front door and knocked; if she didn't know the person, she would apologise and leave but if she knew the person, what would she asked; how did your address get to Sophie, how did it get to Sophie?

She rang the bell. It took like few minutes for her to relax on her toes and for the person to open.

'Good afternoon....' She stopped when the door opened and a set of small hands went around her.

'Jacob?' She bent to look at his face.

'Pearl!' Jacob hugged her as she bent over to his height and hugged him tighter.

'We missed you.' Jacob said with cheer.

'We?'

He nodded as she looked at him for a long time. trying to figure out something, anything. 'Come in.' He said and made way for her to enter.

The house didn't look like anything like a house William could live in, William was more like the rich type. He was used to horses, stables, cows, and ranch.

She looked around as he walked with her.

'Where is William?'

Jacob smiled at her. 'Dad is inside with Katherine.'

'How is she?' Pearl asked him because she could only remember her daughter as the girl; who climbed on that stand to defend her.

'Katherine has been sick for a while.'

She looked at the little boy; with a worried expression 'What happened, what do you mean sick?'

'Pearl, Katherine has been throwing up a lot, dad says it is because of environmental changes but she is getting pale and she hardly eats or play with me.'

She looked at Jacob; when did this all happen?

'Where is she?'

Jacob walked up the stairs as she followed closely behind; this couldn't be serious, this couldn't be happening to Katie.

She followed him into a room; she which assumed was his and she watched him walk to a bed beside the window because technically, there were two beds in the room. She watched him move towards the bed while she stood by the door trying to locate her daughter.

Her eyes stopped moving when she saw Katie's body lying down not moving, she reached for her and touched her hand, that moment Katie stirred, she sat beside her and kissed her hand. When did all these happen, why did all this happen, what have she done to deserve this?

'Dad said he was going to get her medicines.' He informed her.

She nodded still focused on her daughter, her temperature was high and she was visible shaking although she was wrapped with heavy blankets, then she heard footsteps from the bathroom.

It was William.

'Jacob, I told you not to disturb Katie, she is sleeping she will be awake soon.' He said making his way into the room, he stopped when he noticed Pearl on the bed; finally she was back.

He felt relieved and calm at the same time. He nodded and walked to the bed stand and looked at Katie and back at her.

'Katie is having typhoid, but she will be better.'

She looked at him; 'he really loves you, didn't you know that?' she remembered the words Lucy told her earlier today when she spoke of William. She had said that William never paid any attention to her like he was doing to Pearl now. Was this proof of his love for her; damn it, he was taking care of her daughter like his.

'What have you been giving her?' She cleared her throat before spoke.

perhaps her feelings we're starting to betray her voice.

'Medication prescribed by the doctor.' He answered without looking at her face.

She looked across where he sat, there was a bottle of medicine in it; she looked at him.

'How long has it been?'

'Two weeks now.'

She shook her head, regretfully. 'I didn't know.'

'I didn't want to worry you, you had too much problems already.'

She sighed if she pursued this, where will it lead. 'William, Katie does not take medicine, tablets I mean…..she takes injections.' She said lightly. not to crush the efforts he was making trying to help her get better.

He looked at her and looked at Katie who still was asleep.

'No wonder, she always threw up, dad.' Jacob told him.

He turned to Pearl. 'Why didn't you tell me, earlier?'

'I didn't know she was sick beside you didn't tell me.' She answered defensively.

'I felt I could handle everything.' He defended himself.

'Which apparently you did.' She said as she turned to the girl on the bed; she should be thanking him.

He stopped; this was not helping. 'How long will it take to get the injection?'

She shrugged. 'If I leave here, I will be able to get it.'

He didn't need her to wait. 'You should get it now.'

She nodded and was about to stand up when she heard her princess's sweet voice.

'Mom.'

She moved closer as she kissed her face and her hands. 'Honey, I'm here now, I will not go ever again.'

'Do you promise me?' Katie said in a small voice.

She smiled as she nod, nod and nod. She kissed her daughter who swiftly drifted back to a lazy sleep.

'You should get the injection now.' He informed her.

She nodded and stood up.

The water began to boil, he turned off the gas and poured the water into two tea cups; finally Jacob went quiet; he had said he would watch Katie.

Now, Pearl was here and in his friend's kitchen; what were they thinking?

'William, I know It is much too late but….thank you.'

He looked at her as he gave her, her cup.

'There isn't any need for you to thank me; I was doing it because I wanted to not because I had any obligation I needed to fulfil.'

'But you said so yourself, we are your responsibility.' She quoted him.

He nodded. 'You render, I reward.'

She sighed and dropped her cup. 'I know I haven't been grateful enough but I want you to know that I am indeed grateful to you for trying so hard to get me out of there.' He looked at her; great she had found out.

'I know everything, O'Brien told me.' She said a man would never do anything he didn't consider right of the woman he loved.

'I made it clear that I was responsible for you and I wanted my son's teacher to be in one piece, just as the day she came here. I did everything spoke to your grandmother, got a new lawyer to help defend your case because it felt like the most moral human thing to do.'

She shook her head.

'You didn't just do all that; you took care of my daughter, you told O'Brien everything that I didn't have time to tell her.'

'Yes, because I did my research, I didn't want to see.....'

'Your son's teacher ends up in jail.' She completed for him.

Why did it sound so miserable to her, it hurts that he think of her only as his son's teacher, she watched him drop his cup and move to her.

'For a crime she did not commit.'

'So you believed I didn't kill Richard that I couldn't have been able to.'

He nodded his head. 'Funny enough, I believe so, you could but you didn't have the courage, you were not the devil.'

She looked away.

'Your life with him hasn't been the best but because you could do anything in the world for Katie makes you the best mom.'

It was good to hear that from him;

'But I lied, I lied to....'

'Everyone tell a lie once in a while, you lied to save yourself and Katie, most of all you were doing it for her.'

'William, I didn't mean to I was just doing what I thought was the right thing.'

'Why are you apologising, there isn't any need, Richard is dead, Katie will remains with you and you will have a normal life...….' Where he couldn't fit in. just couldn't. But why not?

'But you won't forgive me...'

He sighed and looked away; he wasn't sure he could answer that question; he could tolerate anything but not a lie especially from the one person he thought he loved.

'I didn't get the chance to tell you, I wanted to explain everything but every time you looked at me, every time you moved close to me, they seem to disappear, when I finally decided to tell you, I was caught, I hadn't kill Richard, he wanted to get rid of me.' She tried to explain as she moved close to him.

'Pearl…..'

'William, I never meant to lie, I told you the truth...….'

He looked at her as he remembered the words she had said; Damien Harper, she was divorced, couldn't she have told him the truth, he waited to hear it but she didn't say it.

'William, doesn't take lies so easy, he won't be able to forget if he forgives you'

'William, I love you.' She let the words come out; this wasn't how she had been planning on telling him, this wasn't the state she had been planning on telling him, but yet it sound like a broken bottle in an empty room; sharp and cutting through the flesh.

She watched him smirk and looked at her.

'So, I am your hero now; saving your butt out of jail, saving your daughter and now, you are going to what? Marry me then we would go live far away, like as if nothing happened to forget all the pains?'

She looked away. 'Those same lips that uttered those lies, still have more lies and what would you call them….white lies? To save who from whom this time?' He looked at her.

'I love you', are words that come straight from the heart not one reads from a script to another actor, you don't deserve to say those words.'

'Dad?'

They both turned as they heard the sleepy voice of Jacob up the stairs.

'Grandma is asking of you, she is on the phone, please answer it.'

'Alright, Jacob, go back to sleep.'

Then there was quiet.

'I have no problem with you staying here, I never did.' He said and walked away.

She felt her heart throbbed fast then before, she pressed a hand close to her chest; she had really hurt him and she was hurting in the process.

'Hello Grandma.'

She moved closer to the door to see him as he answered the phone; when Lucy had told her; she had once dated William but it didn't work out because practically he wasn't ready to get in a relationship and now that they finally met, she thought, there could maybe be a slight chance for her and William but he didn't glance her way. She loved him.

'Grandma, I want you to stay there, I am going to bring home a surprise.'

What surprise was he taking home?

'You will love the surprise.'

He hung up and dialled a number and it was answered almost immediately.

'Hello, mom.'

She had missed times she had with her mom and grandmother.

'Are you excited?'

She felt her phone vibrate and she answered it; it was Sophie; she asked where she was and asked if she was okay and she told her that Nick told her for lunch and dinner at least they were friends now. She told Sophie she won't be coming back today that she would stay with Katie and she was fine with it.

As soon as she was inside the room, there was a knock on the door; she went to answer it; it was William and he was holding a big t-shirt which however she guessed was his.

'Change into this at least, you will be able to look at your best tomorrow.' He said and handed it to her with a nod, he walked away.

Pearl gently locked the door behind her, after she changed into the big t-shirt; she slipped into the bed in the guestroom. She turned towards the opened window; what a beautiful sight, the stars were lovely in the sky and the moon so high and mighty, she turned such a beautiful sight.

'I love you.'

She did love him very much, why couldn't he believe her?

'I love you', are words that come straight from the heart not one read from a script to another actor, you don't deserve to say those words.'

Maybe he was right, but it just didn't stop her from having the feelings that erupted in her.

He sighed as he tosses and turned.

'She love me, does she even know the meaning of those words.'

He sighed and shook and shook, this was going to be hell of a night.