6. Nicole
NICOLE
There’s noise around me. Everything’s dark, though, and I can’t seem to get my eyes to open.
I concentrate on what I can hear. Lucky.
He’s talking to someone, telling them I must be in shock.
He’s got to be speaking to Teresa, our Irish neighbour and resident guardian angel.
She called to tell me Lucky had fallen over and cut his eyebrow.
Thankfully she’s a retired nurse and was able to pop some steri-strips on it until I got home.
I manage to groan when I think of my baby boy being hurt. Lucky’s voice rings out again. “See, told ya. It’s a shock seeing a famous footballer in ya house. Dat’s why she fainted.”
Famous footballer?
My head spins for a second and then the penny drops. Shit! Owen was here. Lucky was talking to him. I snap my eyes open and sit upright way too quickly and the world starts to spin around me again.
“Would ya slow down there, Fainting Frannie. Ye just passed out. Slow movements and sip this.” Teresa's thick Irish accent scolds me as she hands me a mug I know has a strong cup of tea in it. In her eyes, tea solves everything.
I take the cup tentatively and look at Lucky, who’s sending adoring looks at his goalkeeping idol.
It seems his mothers obsession was hereditary.
I let my gaze skip past Owen, shame and guilt washing over me.
Even though I tried to tell him he had a child, I still feel guilty it’s taken this long to get them in the same room.
I’m trying to cling to the fact that he doesn't actually know he’s just met his son, but I know I’m kidding myself. One look at the two of them together and there’s no denying they share DNA. I take a small sip of the tea and wince at how sweet it is.
“Tis for the shock. Ye needed sugar.”
“Not that much,” I grumble, and lower my eyes when Lucky giggles and Owen smirks at him. I lean forward a little and place the mug on the very small coffee table in my very small living room, which looks even smaller with the giant athlete in it.
“Lucky, come on, we need to get to the hospital and have them check that cut out.”
He scoffs at me and folds his little arms over his chest, emulating the bigger and grumpier version standing next to him.
“Mum, I’m fine. I wanna stay and talk to Lockheart.
He’s upposed to sign my gloves. Da kids at school ain’t gonna believe dis.
Can you take a picture of us?” He bounces on his toes, forgetting he’s supposed to be copying the grumpy stance of his idol and instead doing his best impression of an over excited puppy.
“No, honey. We have to go. And I’m sure Mr. Lockheart is busy.” Without looking at him I know he’s frowning, I can feel it burning into my skin. But I need him to leave. I’m not sure I’m ready to do this now. “Thank you for making sure I was okay.”
“I’ve called the team doctor to come here and check both of you over. She’ll be here in a minute. I didn’t want you to have to get on a bus, not after you fainted. Plus I think we need to talk, don't you?”
I wince at his words and nod slowly. I’m saved from any more awkward conversations as someone rings the doorbell and Teresa goes to open it.
“Hi, Lockheart called me to check out two of his friends. I’m Dr. Sheen, lovely to meet you.”
“Oh such good manners ye have, my girl. Come in, come in.
The wee boy over there, Lucky, wasn't so lucky and cut his eyebrow on a rock. Mind you, I cleaned it up with antiseptic, put some petroleum jelly on it and a couple of steri-strips. Used to be a nurse before I retired, I did.” The doctor smiles at Teresa and comes into the room, shooting an inquisitive look at Owen who just stares back blankly.
“Can I take a look at your eyebrow, buddy?”
Lucky looks to me for permission so I smile and nod. Even though I feel anything but calm and happy, I school my face so he thinks I am. He steps forward and comes and sits next to me on the sofa.
“It’s okay, Baby. The doctor just wants to check that Teresa did the best job for you, that's all.”
He smiles at me and then turns his head towards the doctor. She smiles her thanks and gets to examining Lucky.
The silence in the house is palpable, and I swear my heart’s racing so much everyone in the room can hear it.
“Right, Teresa did an absolute bang up job on that, so I don’t need to do anything. Keep it clean and change the strips every day. Keep it dry if you can, but that doesn’t mean you can skip baths, Mister.”
Soft laughter fills the room as Lucky beams back at Dr. Sheen. The slight hint of confusion graces her face and I know it’s because Lucky’s smile is identical to Mister Grumpy standing behind her.
“What about his mum? She fainted.”
Owen’s voice makes me jump slightly. I shake my head and start to play down what happened, but as I lock eyes with Owen I quickly stop.
The look he’s giving me is the same one he used to give me in the bedroom before he’d demand something.
A look that sends tingles down my spine and gets my heart racing quicker.
“I-I did faint…” My voice is barely a squeak and I clear my throat trying to infuse some of my backbone into it. “But it’s because I haven’t eaten anything all day and the shock of… seeing my baby hurt just made me get dizzy, that's all. I already feel better after the tea I had.”
She nods at me but reaches into her bag and produces a blood pressure cuff. Rolling my eyes as she raises her perfectly sculpted blonde brow at me, I pull my sleeve up so she can take my blood pressure, huffing as I do.
“It’s a little low, but if you haven’t eaten that could be why. Have some food and if you feel dizzy again contact your doctor.” She stands up and after making me promise I’ll eat something, she leaves. Silence fills the room again.
“Lucky, do ye fancy coming over to mine for dinner? Ye know I cook way too much food for just meself now, don’t ya?”
I open my eyes widely at Teresa trying to telepathically tell her not to leave me alone with Owen, but she ignores me and grabs Lucky’s hand.
“Will Lockheart still be here when I’m back?” He eyes our guest warily and the hope in his voice makes me feel bad about wanting Owen gone.
I grimace when Teresa tells him, “I tink ye’ll be seeing a lot of Lockheart, Lucky,” as they walk out the front door.
Silence looms around us again, except this time it's me that fills it awkwardly. “Thank you for calling the doctor to come here. It saved me hours waiting at the emergency room. Did you need anything else? Because I really need to keep an eye on Lucky, you know?”
“I do need something, actually. Nico, I need to know why the fuck you didn’t tell me I had a son. And why I’ve missed out on six years of his fucking life!”