Page 86 of The Facilitator: Part 2
“It’s mostly Daniel’s, if we’re to be honest. Okay, so he was supposed to wait until I died before he got his grubby hands on it, but I’d prefer Jerry had the money. I have enough, Lauren. There is still a sizeable chunk for my granddaughter,” she said, giving Gabriella awink.
“Grand…” Mackenzie said. He looked to Alex who held his palmsup.
“I was forbidden from speaking about it until her ladyship deemed it safe to. I guess she has. And we don’t know if it’s a girl or a boy yet,” Alex said. His grin spread so far he looked like theJoker!
“Well, I’ll be…” Mackenzie stood and pulled Alex into ahug.
The stiffness, initially, from Alex settled as he hugged Mackenzie back. The British elite didn’t do open affection. I laughed. Mackenzie then walked around the table and he took Gabriella’s hands in his. He helped her to her feet and just smiled at her. I wanted to cry tears of joy at the love of friendship that flowed between the two. He kissed her cheeks and then placed his hand on herstomach.
“Hello, you in there. I can’t wait to meet you,” he said. He smiled and then lefther.
“I think we need to go,” he said, rather quietly. Gabriella went to speak. I gently shook my head at her notto.
“I’ll call you later,” I said, as I gathered mybag.
Mackenzie drove us slowly home. He didn’t speak on the way and I just let him be. As we walked through the house, he kicked off his shoes and pulled off his socks. He wanted the feel the sand under his feet. He’d told me before, it grounded him. I let him go alone for a few moments. I watched him sit, bring his knees to his chest, and rest his head on the arms he’d crossed over them. He looked out to sea, and he just sat andstared.
I padded barefoot across the garden and onto the sand. I lowered myself behind him, placing my legs at either side. I wrapped my arms around him and rested my cheek on hisback.
“I want to take all your hurt,” Iwhispered.
“You can’t, but thank you. I didn’t think it would affect me in any way, but it did. It was a jolt that went right through me. I’m sorry, I just needed to distance myself for awhile.”
“Don’t apologise, please,” Isaid.
“I can’t give you the joy I saw in her face. I can’t give you the fluttering in her stomach she’s going to feel. I can’t make you a mother,” he whispered. “I can’t make myself a daddy. I can do anything I want, Lauren, but I can’t do the one thing Ineed.”
I had no words for him, only tears. Those tears weren’t for me; I’d reconciled not being a mother when I decided I wanted Mackenzie. He needed to do thesame.
We sat and watched the waves, the sun shimmering on the top of the sand causing mirages. We didn’t speak. We both hurt in our own way, but we shared that with eachother.
* * *
It wasin the early hours of the morning that we heard shouts. Mackenzie woke before me. He was out of the bed, pulling on his jeans, when I was startled into a sittingposition.
“Whatthe…?”
“It’s Daniel. Will you stay here?” heasked.
“Err, no.” I slid off the bed and grabbed my own jeans and a T-shirt. Mackenziesighed.
Shouts demanding Mackenziecome down herewere followed with bashes against the front door. Mackenzie grabbed his phone and sent a text. He didn’t tell me to whom. I followed him down the stairs and he stopped halfway across the livingroom.
“Please, Lauren, stay here. He’s likely to get violent. I can’t deal with that if I’m worried about you. Do you understand me?” He had grabbed myarms.
“Don’t fight with him. Just call the police,please?”
“This has been a long time coming. I’ve texted Alex, he’ll call the police, don’tworry.”
“Then stay in here,” I said, as another barrage of thumps and kicks to the front door happened. I wasn’t sure the locks wouldhold.
“Soon enough he’ll kick down the door. Stay here, I mean it. Don’t make me have to worry aboutyou.”
All I could do was nod my head. I wrapped my arms around myself as Mackenzie strode to the front door. I covered my mouth to quell the scream as he pulled it open sharply and punched Daniel clear in the face. Daniel fell backwards on the veranda. Mackenzie followed him out. He reached down and grabbed the front of Daniel’s shirt. I watched as he raised his fist again; at that point the front door began to naturallyclose.
I could hear Daniel shouting about losing everything. His voice was heavily slurred, and I wasn’t sure if it was drink, drugs, or losing half his teeth as I imagined he might have. I ran to the window and looked out. Although dark, I could see the bare back of Mackenzie and the prone form of Daniel. Mackenzie stood over him. I saw him look back at the front door before he leaned down. He appeared to be checking for apulse.
“Oh fuck,” I whispered tomyself.
