"Oh my god! Relax!" Victoria let out a heavy sigh.
"It's scary!" Xavier protested making Richard and Henry laugh.
"Everyone else did it, you can too! This is the only chance you have to hold her before Zach wakes up. Cooperate!" Victoria nagged. Zach was accompanying Amy in napping.
"But she's so... tiny!" He grimaced at this. She ignored his protests and placed the child in his hold.
Victoria went to sit down next to Henry. She trusted he would figure it out on his own. What kind of uncle can't even hold his niece?
George walked in and stopped; a smirk stretched on his lips and Xavier knew he was up to no good. He shook his head no but George walked on to where Xavier was seated and took his camera. He chuckled as he held it up to his face in readiness to take a shot. "You look like you're constipated."
"Oh my God! Breath!" Victoria shouted at Xavier.
"Don't you dare!" Xavier said through gritted teeth.
Snap! He looked at the picture and chuckled, "We should have this framed."
Xavier glared at him but he responded with a smirk.
"Henry", Victoria scolded. Xavier relaxed thinking his mother was taking his side when she quickly stood up and run to George excitedly. "Let me see!"
The two broke out laughing and his face turned ugly. George and Victoria got into it as they looked at more pictures he took.
"Ooooooh! When did you take this?" She asked in amazement. George showed him a picture of Zach and Amy sleeping. He was spooning his wife as they slept.
"Ah! Not too long ago", he answered.
"How did Zach not know?" Victoria was amazed at this. Even George was puzzled seeing the serenity on his face captured in the picture.
"He knew. Look at the next picture", he said. And just as Xavier said, there was a picture of Zach who, though had his eyes closed, his brows were furrowed.
"Oh yeah. This is more like him", Victoria nodded. She knew her son was a light sleeper so there was no way he would t have known someone was in the room.
The two continued to look at the pictures as Xavier was left in the same position holding his niece. Suddenly, his phone started to ring.
"Whose phone is that? Henry?" Victoria glared around the room as Roserie made sounds like she was about to cry. She was startled by the loud sound.
"It's mine. I need to get it", Xavier said. Richard went over to carry her and Xavier finally relaxed as he took his phone.
"Was it not a call?" Victoria asked curiously.
"I set an alarm", he said.
"What for?"
He only smiled as he typed away on his phone. Victoria only shook her head as she turned to the two older men.
"Will you guys be alright? I need to check on Stella."
The other woman had been in the kitchen making a little of everything for dinner. Suzy and Trevor were keeping her company as they were familiar with each other. Victoria originally agreed to look after Roserie but now being alone with the men, she felt it better to be with the women. And the grandfathers could not stop dotting on their little grandchild. They did not get tired of carrying Roserie around.
"We'll be alright", Henry answered as he looked at Richard who nodded.
Victoria went to Richard and took the baby to kiss her little forehead before giving her back to him and going her way. George, unable to hold his curiousity, went to sit next to Xavier.
"What?" Xavier asked without looking up from his phone.
"Are you going to talk or should I find out myself?"
"It's nothing", Xavier said with seriousness and only for a smile to stretch on his lips a second later.
"'Nothing' must be really hot."
"Smoking."
Xavier paused and looked up from his phone as he realized his slip up. He turned to George to defend himself when the former suddenly received a call. He patted Xavier's shoulder with a smirk playing on his lips before excusing himself to answer the call.
Xavier focused back on his phone. He rubbed his thumb on his lower lip as he contemplated on whether to send the message or not. He knew he needed to put her at ease.....
But why did he have to put her at ease? She was the one who misunderstood his actions when he jumped into the river. His heart started to beat wildly when an image of Lorraine flashed in his mind.
But what if she she's just another Nicole or worse? He didn't know anything about her yet he wanted to do something he swore he would never do after the Nicole fiasco: entertain a woman. Yet here he was. Why was he being like this? It's because.....
'No. No way', he mused. It was absurd, too absurd he found it funny.
Meanwhile, George went from the corridor he was to the now known as recovery room where Zach and Amy were sleeping after his call. He lightly slapped his phone on his palm as he walked over. He gave a soft knock and waited. A few seconds later, Zach opened the door and closed it behind him.
"I just received word on Joanne Harper. I need to go to West Village as soon as possible", he said as he gave Zach his phone.
Zach's brows furrowed when he saw the information and he slowly nodded, showing his approval.
"Are you going to tell Amy?" He asked carefully.
Zach fell silent. He knew how important this person was to Amy. He could vividly remember that night how her face lit up when she talk about the woman after he suggested that they look into her background.
Flashback....
"Although we were treated the same, she secretly paid a little more attention to me. She had gone as far as naming me after all I was a child who had no name or background.
"She was the librarian at the orphanage and allowed me to secretly play online games there. All the tournaments I had won, she kept them a secret for me and helped me grow into the person that I am. She handled my finances. Of course, I knew she would take a little bit for herself but it was the secrecy I appreciated the most.
"I was drawn to her. I started to wish she was my mother but she told me it was because I was just pitiful. It stung, but I still liked her and she still helped me. When I left for NYU, she told me to never return because of how much I had suffered there."
Zach chuckled in amusement as he realized something. "But when things went wrong, you went back to the one place your enemies thought you would not deliberately go to since they had your information?"
Amy chuckled too. "You know me so well."
"Mmmm.... So you think Joanne might know something about you?" He guessed why she suggested the woman.
"I don't know..... But I would like to think so. When I look back to the way she treated me.... She deliberately made me look like I was not a special case while secretly helping me become A.J. I overlooked it then but now that I know I might be connected to the Dark Waters, there could be something I'm missing. No, I'm sure there is something."
End of flashback...
"I'll handle that", Zach said to George.
Just then, the sound of Roserie crying greeted his ears. He gave the phone back and walked ahead to the lounge. George left knowing he had Zach's approval.
"Try singing to her", Richard said from where he was seated.
"Like what?" Henry asked as he rocked Roserie in his arms while pacing around the room.
As Richard was wracking his brain, Zach suddenly appeared and gestured with his hands to hand over the crying child. Henry did so and everyone fell in shock when Zach started to hum as he rocked her while wiping her tears and going back to the room.
Everyone: "..."
"What did I just see?" Xavier asked as he recovered from shock.
"What song was that?" Henry asked.
"I choose you by Sara Barailles", Xavier answered with a show of his phone. "I used a song tracker."
When Zach reached the room, Amy was already sitting on the bed. She had woken up immediately Zach left the bed. Hearing her daughter quiet down her sobs because of Zach's humming, her heart melted right away. Roserie was crying but not as much as before.
"I think she's hungry", he said as he handed her over to her mother.
"Awww. There you go", Amy wiped her tears and started feeding her.
She looked at her child and fixed her beanie that had moved. She wiped more tears that fell as she fed. Finally, the tears stopped rolling and Amy looked at Zach. He had on a serious expression more than usual. He was rapping his fingers on the spot beside where he was seated.
"Did something happen?" She asked curiously. He looked at her, debating whether to tell her or not. "You can tell me."
"A..... report came in on Joanne", he started, unsure whether to deliver the grave news.
"What.... What happened to her?" There was evident fear in her tone but she still wanted to know.
"We just found out that she has cancer and only has a few days to live."
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