Chapter 53: A Listening Ear

For just a little while, the heavy, lingering worry that usually dominated the Avelino household was gone. The focus shifted entirely to a brand new beginning of life.

Julian wished that his brother was standing there next to him making a joke about how she looked like him as a baby or something.

But looking at his family gathered around the baby girl, Julian knew that whenever Clancy finally made it back, he would be coming home to a very good place. Or at least one better than how he had left it.

Julian felt a profound sense of relief wash over him as he watched his father gently trace the edge of the baby’s blanket. It was a rare moment of absolute stillness for their family, a quiet peace that everyone had desperately needed for months. They had a long road ahead, but today was perfect.

****

Clancy was still in the hospital with his daughter when he was called for a meeting. And for the first time, he sent a representative, his personal assistant, Patrick, to go on his behalf.

The meeting was not urgent, it was just one of those things he had always attended by himself. But not this time. This time he had an excuse to not go. He had a family to be around for.

After the day he had lunch in the cafeteria with his son, he was making sure that he showed them that he was a man of his word.

If it meant showing up consistently for one hundred days, then he would. Just so he could show them he meant it when he said that he was there to stay with them and for them.

On the day he received the news of his brother’s child, he was with Selen. They had just walked out of Diana ’s room after she had fallen asleep and were waiting outside her door in case she needed anything.

They could not manage to be in the room for hours unending and they could not help but feel pity for her because she had to stay in there.

Her body was still recovering and they did not want to risk her body to infections or viruses, it was after all a hospital with lots of sick people.

Clancy’s phone had been ringing consistently but he continued to decline the call. "You should take that, it could be urgent" she said as she motioned to the phone in his hand.

"Hello, Julian" he said as he answered the call and stood up from the chair he was previously on.

Selen could not help but try to eavesdrop on his conversation. She remembered Julian, and she remembered the silence in her suffering.

"Wow, congratulations. I- I am sorry, I forgot that she was due anytime soon. I should have checked in, the baby is my niece after all. But I just have a lot going on right now and-" he was saying over the phone.

It seemed like his brother interrupted him and he was silent. Julian was not taking any offence to Clancy.

It did not matter if he had issues with his brother or not, his niece was innocent. And he was in a better place to be at peace with everyone.

Selen could still hear Clancy. Was it true? Did he have a baby? What did she care? She was done with them anyway.

"I mean it when I say this, it would be an honour to be her god father, but I do not think that I am the right person for the role. I could barely be there for my own kids and I would hate for her to feel my negligence and incompetence as well" he said.

Clancy had now moved further away from Selen’s ear shot, and she would not have heard him if she had not scooted closer to the end of the bench.

Clancy believed that Selen could not hear him and that she did not care enough to know what he was talking about with his brother, which was why he did not suspect that she would be eavesdropping.

Selen felt a split second of pity for Clancy as she heard what he said. "Did he really see himself like that?" She wondered. "Fine, if you insist then. I will tell you by tomorrow, I just need to sleep on it" he said.

"Yeah, it is a big deal. Congratulations, brother. It is a blessing to be able to witness the birth of your child" he said and hung up shortly after.

Selen hurriedly went back to where she was previously seated when he was with her and held an expressionless face.

She watched him as he calmly walked in and sat back down without any expression on his face.

"Thank you for making me take that. It was important" he said. And that was all he said to her and they fell back into their usual silence.

A little part of her hoped that Clancy would tell her about the baby to satisfy the part of her conscience that made her feel guilty for eavesdropping, but he said nothing.

How could he anyway? She had cut them all off. And the only reason why he was there was because he gave her an ultimatum with her daughter’s life on the balance.

The boys soon came rushing in with Newton and their nanny Sarah. "Hey kiddos," Clancy said as he got up and went to them.

"Hey," they said simultaneously. They had not given him a title yet so they found a way to go around it- by not attaching a title.

"How was school today?" He asked as they both walked toward their mother. "School was good," David said as he hugged his mom.

"But we miss Diana in school," Daniel whispered his answer. "Hey, come here, baby," Selen said and stretched her hand to him.

"I know you miss seeing her in school, and very soon, she will be able to join you in school again. You will be able to have school lunches together. Everything will be back to normal again soon" Selen said to both of them.

She was not just saying it to them but also to herself... everything would be fine.