chair and rubbed his hands over his face. "He took a picture from Sarah's room - one of her and Nathalie. He asked me if that was Nathalie and then asked me if she was his mom, telling me that Sarah had always told him his mother was her sister."
"And you told him? What else did you tell him?" Nervous anger permeated his tone.
"Of course I told him" he shot back. "He figured it out and Sarah has always answered his direct questions."
"Did you tell him she was here? That she was sick?"
He shook his head. "I don't know what I'm going to tell him if he asks about his father. Or more questions about Nathalie."
"How about the truth?" he snapped.
"It's complicated, you know that."
Andrew angrily shook his head. "Truth is simple - it's
the lies that are complicated. And you two are going to devastate that little boy when your house of cards comes tumbling down."
"Personalizing a little much there, aren't you?"
"Maybe," he admitted. "But it doesn't mean
I'm wrong." Pulling away from the door he shuffled across the room and flopped on to the couch. "You have no idea," he said quietly, "absolutely no idea what it does to you to find out that the people you
love and trust have lied to you about the most basic of things."
"It might not be the same for Jack," Eric offered.
"I don't know why you think it would be different. My
grandmother and my mother both lied to me. Until I was 12, I truly thought my mom was my sister - every adult in my life who was supposed to love and protect me participated in that lie. And I stumbled on the truth. It felt like the entire world crashed around me, you know that," he reminded him. "I
don't understand why you want Jack to feel like I did. If he figures it all out before you tell him you could lose him for good Eric."
"But Sarah-"
Andrew interjected. "Sarah is afraid of losing Jack." He paused. "Look, even though I may not agree with her method of dealing with this, I believe Sarah is trying to do the right thing. But she really believes that once Nathalie knows the truth she will take him back to
Africa and she will never see either of them again. She's trying to protect herself."
A small smile ghosted across his lips. "For two people who can't be in the same room without the temperature dipping 20 degrees from
the chill, you seem to know a lot about the inner workings of Sarah Grant."
He dismissed the comment with a wave. "You guys need to tell Jack, sooner rather than later and you need to stick to your plan to tell
Nathalie after her surgery."
"It must be nice to have all the answers." Eric said softly.
"Glad you finally realized it after all this time."
"Ass." Eric retorted with a smile tilting the corners of his mouth.
A mischievous grin covered Andrew's face for a moment before his eyes turned serious. "Be careful, dude."
Eric paused. "I'll try." Drew nodded in
acknowledgement that that was all Eric could offer.
As the door softly closed behind his friend, Eric privately acknowledged that he was already failing.
#
Looking up from her book, Nathalie smiled nervously as Andrew strode into her room. Her friend had clearly blossomed into a self-confident and talented doctor. His talent had never been in question when they were in school but his confidence had been more difficult to find. He
seemed to have finally found the footing that had been eluding him.
"Hey" she greeted him as she closed over her book.
Giving her a small smile, he pulled over a chair to her
bedside and sat down. "How's the pain?"
With a small shrug, she pursed her lips together. "Not bad. Maybe a 6 or 7." Spotting the file in his hand she gave him a knowing look. "MRI results?"
He nodded.
"It's bigger?"
"Almost another millimeter. I've booked you for surgery on Saturday."
"Oh" Her gaze dropped to her lap as she pulled
anxiously at her fingers.
"You okay?"
Without looking up, she nodded. "Yeah," she replied hoarsely.
"Would you care to try again?" he asked gently,
touching
"And you told him? What else did you tell him?" Nervous anger permeated his tone.
"Of course I told him" he shot back. "He figured it out and Sarah has always answered his direct questions."
"Did you tell him she was here? That she was sick?"
He shook his head. "I don't know what I'm going to tell him if he asks about his father. Or more questions about Nathalie."
"How about the truth?" he snapped.
"It's complicated, you know that."
Andrew angrily shook his head. "Truth is simple - it's
the lies that are complicated. And you two are going to devastate that little boy when your house of cards comes tumbling down."
"Personalizing a little much there, aren't you?"
"Maybe," he admitted. "But it doesn't mean
I'm wrong." Pulling away from the door he shuffled across the room and flopped on to the couch. "You have no idea," he said quietly, "absolutely no idea what it does to you to find out that the people you
love and trust have lied to you about the most basic of things."
"It might not be the same for Jack," Eric offered.
"I don't know why you think it would be different. My
grandmother and my mother both lied to me. Until I was 12, I truly thought my mom was my sister - every adult in my life who was supposed to love and protect me participated in that lie. And I stumbled on the truth. It felt like the entire world crashed around me, you know that," he reminded him. "I
don't understand why you want Jack to feel like I did. If he figures it all out before you tell him you could lose him for good Eric."
"But Sarah-"
Andrew interjected. "Sarah is afraid of losing Jack." He paused. "Look, even though I may not agree with her method of dealing with this, I believe Sarah is trying to do the right thing. But she really believes that once Nathalie knows the truth she will take him back to
Africa and she will never see either of them again. She's trying to protect herself."
A small smile ghosted across his lips. "For two people who can't be in the same room without the temperature dipping 20 degrees from
the chill, you seem to know a lot about the inner workings of Sarah Grant."
He dismissed the comment with a wave. "You guys need to tell Jack, sooner rather than later and you need to stick to your plan to tell
Nathalie after her surgery."
"It must be nice to have all the answers." Eric said softly.
"Glad you finally realized it after all this time."
"Ass." Eric retorted with a smile tilting the corners of his mouth.
A mischievous grin covered Andrew's face for a moment before his eyes turned serious. "Be careful, dude."
Eric paused. "I'll try." Drew nodded in
acknowledgement that that was all Eric could offer.
As the door softly closed behind his friend, Eric privately acknowledged that he was already failing.
#
Looking up from her book, Nathalie smiled nervously as Andrew strode into her room. Her friend had clearly blossomed into a self-confident and talented doctor. His talent had never been in question when they were in school but his confidence had been more difficult to find. He
seemed to have finally found the footing that had been eluding him.
"Hey" she greeted him as she closed over her book.
Giving her a small smile, he pulled over a chair to her
bedside and sat down. "How's the pain?"
With a small shrug, she pursed her lips together. "Not bad. Maybe a 6 or 7." Spotting the file in his hand she gave him a knowing look. "MRI results?"
He nodded.
"It's bigger?"
"Almost another millimeter. I've booked you for surgery on Saturday."
"Oh" Her gaze dropped to her lap as she pulled
anxiously at her fingers.
"You okay?"
Without looking up, she nodded. "Yeah," she replied hoarsely.
"Would you care to try again?" he asked gently,
touching
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