Chapter 19

"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for." Tom Bodett.

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Chapter Nineteen

"Shh, be quiet, lady. My Papa is sleeping!" hissed a young voice not so quietly.

Luke immediately stirred. He did not have a clue what time it was. But as he blinked his eyes, he realised that he could see it was light in the hospital room. How strange it was to see.

Luke then realised that it had been Jamie that had spoken.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Master James," replied Mrs Dawson comically.

"My name is Jamie," Jamie insisted. "Mama likes it better. James is for when I am a man."

"Oh, I see. Very sensible," agreed Mrs Dawson.

Luke had fallen asleep at some point. All he knew was Jamie's fever broke at some point during the night.

Luke had been obsessively checking his temperature and watching his breathing for hours. It happened suddenly. His temperature began to drop and his breathing began to steady. He was no longer shaking or sweating. Within minutes he slipped into a calm sleep.

The relief that Luke felt was incredible. He could not describe the fear he had felt, but he would not wish it on even his worst enemy. Jamie was alright, and he would live.

Luke lifted his head to find a pair of brilliant blue eyes staring back at him. Those eyes were framed by unbelievably long eyelashes that only young children had. His nose was small and pink, and his cheeks had a healthy flush to them. He was smiling, showing off a set of little, white baby teeth.

Jamie was a little person. Jamie was his little person. Luke could not have gone his whole life without seeing his son. Though honestly, if he went blind again tomorrow, having this one glance of him was worth it.

"Papa cannot see me even if his eyes are open," Jamie explained to Mrs Dawson. "Mama says that Papa sees only with his heart now. But I can see him."

Luke smiled. Jamie had experienced God knows what with Mary. He had been brought to hospital on the brink of death. He was still too skinny for Luke's liking. But even after his ordeal, he was still a happy child. He liked that children were able to heal so well.

Luke looked Jamie directly in the eye, their identical irises meeting. "I can see you, Jamie. I am all better now," Luke said softly.

Jamie's eyes widened. "Your eyes are fixed?" he gasped.

In so many words. "Yes," Luke confirmed.

Jamie beamed and scrambled to climb onto Luke's lap. Luke knew that he should probably have stayed put, but it was hard to refuse his son when he was reaching for him. Jamie proceeded to inspect Luke's eyes, peering at him very closely.

"He woke up about twenty minutes ago," explained Mrs Dawson, "with oodles of energy when he realised that it was you by his bedside." Although Luke could not see Mrs Dawson past Jamie's head, he could hear the emotion in her words. "You have a very special boy there, Captain. You and Isabella have done marvellously."

Luke looked upon his son, though at this distance it was hard to focus. But the care Jamie took at only three years old proved just how well Isabella had done. "It was all Isabella. I cannot take any of the credit. She is better than me in every way. Jamie is all her."

"It seems I have missed a lot."

Luke could hear the genuine regret in Mrs Dawson's voice. It was clear that poverty had changed her. For the better, he prayed. She had been a selfish woman when he had known her. Annaliese was a bargaining chip. Isabella was to be next. Mrs Dawson had raised pretty daughters for wealthy husbands, and that had been all that was important to her.

But they had connected the night before. As he feared for Jamie's life, she experienced the same fear for Isabella. It was different then his own fear for her. Luke had hope. Mrs Dawson was imagining the worst. Perhaps Luke was in denial.

Nevertheless, this was not the same Mrs Dawson that he had once been acquainted with. Perhaps it was not his right to make this decision, but he was making it anyway. "Jamie, do you know who this woman is?" he asked his son.

Jamie craned his little neck to look back at Mrs Dawson. Mrs Dawson already had tears in her eyes. He shook his head. "The lady that speaks to Mary?" he guessed.

Hearing that woman's name spiked the fury within. "No," he said patiently. "Your Grandmamma is my mother. Well, this lady is your Mama's mother. Your other Grandmamma."

"I have two Grandmammas?" he exclaimed.

Mrs Dawson promptly burst into tears. "It is nice to be properly acquainted with you, Jamie," she blubbered.

At first, Jamie was quite timid around Mrs Dawson at the revelation as to who she was. But he quickly moved past it, and was happy to be held by her in between the visits from the doctor.

Doctor Harris came in to check on Jamie early that first morning, and then every so often throughout the next few days. He was very pleased with Jamie's miraculous recovery. That was the word he had used. It was unusual for children of Jamie's age to recover from dangerous fevers, so he was a very lucky boy.

The only issue was Jamie's weight, which was quickly being taken care of. Jamie was brought food frequently, and he ate heartily. The speed at which he enjoyed his food told Luke just how hungry he had been while under Mary's control.

After the first night, Mrs Dawson could only come to visit of an evening time. She had reluctantly informed Luke that she needed to work in order to pay off their debts. Her husband, Mr Dawson, was currently in debtor's prison, and they had no hope of improving their situation with him behind stone walls.

As soon as Jamie was well enough to be seen by the police, a detective inspector who was involved with Jamie's London search had come to visit.

Detective Inspector George Carlisle was a large, intimidating man who wore his uniform proudly. He looked terrifying, but spoke softly.

Jamie cuddled into Luke's side as DI Carlisle attempted to get information from Jamie. As much as Luke wanted to protect Jamie from any fear, he wanted this information as well.

The police had gathered all the information they could from the workers in Mrs Dawson's factory, but Mary had not revealed anything incriminating. Jamie was the sole source of where she might be, and what she might have been planning.

"Jamie, can you tell me about Mary?" DI Carlisle asked. "What was she like?"

Jamie looked to Luke for reassurance, showing Luke fear in his blue eyes, so he nodded encouragingly. "She was grumpy," he whispered. "She did not like my hair." The black grease was an obvious disguise.

"She was grumpy, was she? What was she grumpy about?" prompted the DI.

Jamie shifted uncomfortably. "She was grumpy when I asked for Mama. She did not like it when I did that. I stopped for a while," he mumbled.

"Well, that was not very nice, was it?"

"No," agreed Jamie. Jamie looked up at Luke, suddenly frightened. "Is she coming back?"

Luke tightened his arm around his son. "No. Absolutely not. This policeman's job is to ensure that Mary never harms you again."

"Your father is right, son. In order to do that, you need to tell me everything you remember. Do you think you can do that?"

Unfortunately, Jamie's memories did not stretch far. He remembered being hungry and alone, and he remembered Mary's bad moods. Jamie had no idea where Mary might be, or where she might have gone.

Once the police had interviewed Jamie, the newspapers had caught wind of the story. The news that young Jamie Cassidy had been found alive essentially sent the entire country into celebration.

It was not long before hundreds of well-wishers had left cards and gifts outside of the hospital for Jamie. It was the publicity that brought Matthew, Eleanor, and Commander Lockwood to the hospital. They had been coordinating with police on the other side of the city, but were relieved, nonetheless, that Jamie had been recovered.

"I cannot believe that we are looking at each other," remarked Matthew. Luke's brother had aged a little since he had last seen him. Though it had only been a matter of weeks since they had last spoken, it had been years since they had seen each other. He looked very much like a father, with crinkles at his eyes from smiling.

"Incredible what a little debris in the eye can do," replied Luke, equally as relieved to be seeing his brother.

Commander Lockwood was just has happy to see his Captain practically back to his old self.

Luke was happy, but only as far as the situation could permit. There was still dread inside him, pulling him towards Bath. Seeing Eleanor was such a frightening reminder.

"Thank you all for your efforts," Luke said gratefully to all three of them. It did not escape his attention that Commander Lockwood seemed to position himself close to Eleanor.

"You would have done the same," replied Commander Lockwood.

"And I wager with more success than us," added Matthew regretfully. "I am so relieved that Jamie is alright, but we scoured the bloody country and were useless. We are so fortunate that he was found." Luke could see the genuine turmoil within his brother. He felt guilty for not finding Jamie earlier.

"We have the ending we prayed for," Luke said calmly. "There is no need for guilt."

"How was Jamie recovered?" asked Matthew. "How did he end up here?"

Luke spied Eleanor awkwardly. "Well, we do have an unlikely hero, or rather heroine." He took a deep breath. "Your mother, Eleanor. It is a long story, but she realised who Jamie was, and got him the medical attention he needed just in time. I am indebted to her."

"Did you say Eleanor's mother?" checked Matthew. "Annaliese's mother?" His eyes darkened. "That woman has no business being anywhere near our family."

"Well, she is visiting tonight so you will need to move past your apprehensions quite quickly," snapped Luke.

"Mama is coming here?" Eleanor froze.

"I feel I am missing some crucial information," admitted Commander Lockwood.

Luke sighed. "A lot has changed, especially with regards to their situation," he said firmly. "She has done me a great service, and the least she deserves is a little cordiality," he implored. He swallowed loudly. "As soon as Jamie is well enough, I want to go to Bath." He closed his eyes to keep from welling up. "I do not know what we will find, but it is now time for Jamie and I to be with Isabella, and I would like for Mrs Dawson to be given the chance to make amends, and to be with her daughter regardless of the outcome."

"I do not like that woman," Matthew said decidedly, "but, it is your right to decide." He nodded stiffly. "I will make sure Annaliese is aware of this decision." Luke knew she would not take it well.

Eleanor had gone very quiet. Luke wondered at what it must be like to be so estranged from one's parents. "We heard from Annaliese not three days ago, Luke," she said softly. "She said that Isabella was still unconscious, but had a little colour back in her cheeks." She smiled subtly.

Luke smiled. "I am coming," he said under his breath. "Wait for me."

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Hope you enjoyed it!

I started to write this chapter a week ago. I've got time on Tuesday and Wednesday nights now I've finished uni for a few weeks. I got about a page done when my brother bursts into my room going "Laura, I've got to write an essay by tomorrow or I fail Year 12!" I'm not even kidding.

I was having deja vu. My other brother had a similar panic two years ago when he did Year 12 and needed to write a final English essay to pass.

I look at his essay that he failed, and he legit wrote a paragraph and then wrote "When can I do my resit :)". Cheeky bugger.

I then proceeded to write an essay on a book I have never even read/heard of, and I honestly think it was better than some of my uni essays. My brother provided me with the examples/evidence and I turned it into his saving grace lol. He turned it in the next day and it was an immediate pass, with a "Why couldn't you have written this in the first place?" Hmm, I wonder why :P. I have now passed Year 12 English 3 times. I think there should be a "Best Sister Ever" award or something hehe.

But anyway, he graduated last night! All 3 of us are now done and dusted with our beloved high school. At one point, my Year 11 history teacher, Year 7 English teacher, and my Year 12 maths teacher were all on stage at the same time. Memories! I was snapchatting my friends sneaky stalker pics of our old teachers lol.

Sigh. I miss high school. If any of you are still lucky enough to be in high school, enjoy it while it lasts. Your parents are right - they really are the best years of your life. Don't grow up and pay for things like insurance. Enjoy your youth. This is coming from a very wise 22 year old ;)

By the way, I'm coming for you Europe! December 2017 baybayyyy. I'll be the dorky Aussie tourist taking pictures of everything. You can't miss me.