Lost and Found

Chapter 3

Rose's POV

Nights in The Bean are always eventful to say the least, it was 6 hours into my shift, and at 10pm I had already thrown three rowdy punters out for starting fights. In the bean I was known as a hard arse, I was not afraid to throw you out on your arse or swill you for grabbing my arse, these things happen weekly. The regulars know when I’m on shift not to act like idiots because I will sling them out, I got respect and it made me feel strong and empowered. Another hour had past and I was growing impatient, I only had three hours left of my shift, but I was missing Bella tonight, I missed her always when I am away from her, but sometimes, like tonight I missed her even more. The crowd of the night was starting to die down and there was regulars and a group of uni students left. I was humming and swaying my hips to the music when I heard a little cough come from behind me, as I turned and saw who was there, the wind left my lungs and I felt sick to the bottom of my stomach.

“Hello Rose, long time no see huh beautiful?” this voice that has haunted my dreams for the last two years is in front of me speaking as if we are friend. The bile slowly creeps up my throat, I am shaking with rage. I turn and look him dead in the eye.

“What do you want?” I had no time for pleasantries with scumbags like him so I wanted to keep this as quick and short as I could. Shock appeared on his face, but only for a second, then he flashed me that panty-dropping smile which I once loved.

“There is no need to be like that, I am a paying customer and i think I deserve the same treatment as everyone else.”

The more he spoke the more I felt myself getting riled up and wanted to punch him in the face. “Come here,” I waved his face closer so I could whisper in his ear. “Why don’t you order a drink, and then crawl back into whatever hole you climbed out of, like the deadbeat you are.” He pulled away quickly. “how’s that for customer service” I smirked.

He looked me coldly in the eye. “You’ve changed.” With those two little works, two years of anger was released all at once.

“well, you know what Theo I have changed. Having to go through a pregnancy on your own and bring up the child on your own for two years. Wondering if you did the right thing, while seeing your child ill and protecting them from the world. Yeah, I have changed. I am stronger, I am more resilient, and I am not as naïve as I was, so I don’t let assholes like you walk all over me and my child. So yes Theo, I have changed, but you wanna know one thing.” I stood quite for a minuet to see if he had anything to say. “You are still the same stuck up little boy who cares for no one but yourself.” I haven’t released I was shouting until I noticed Jeffery stood behind me with his hand on my shoulder. Theo’s eyes had darted from Jeffreys hand to my face, and a glint of jealously washed over my face. Have that you d**k. I was going to let him think whatever he thought, I’m not going to correct him. There was a pregnant pause between everyone in the bar, when Jeffery finally spoke. I can understand if he though me and Jeffery were together, Jeffery towered over my 5 foot frame at 6”2, he was built like a rugby player and was covered in tattoos, if I didn’t know him I would be scared for him. Jefferys husband was even scarier. John had to be 6”4, about 20 stone of pure muscle, shaved head and tattoos as far as the eyes could see. However, when it came to me and my bean they were softies. John even had let Bella draw on him with marker and had it tattooed.

“I think you need you need to leave now, you’ve done enough already and I wont have you upsetting my girl.” This endearment had been something Jeffery had called me since I started working at the bean, he and john took me in and became like my surrogate dads. I had always loved the nickname, but I loved even more now I see the look on Theos face when Jeffery said it.

Theo starred down Jeffery. Theo wasn’t small, it had to be on par with Jeffery for height, but Theo was a lot slimmer than Jeffery. “Excuse me lover boy butt out, this is between me and the mother of my child.”

Both Jeffery and I scoffed. Jeffery couldn’t hold his tongue as well as me. “Mother of your child? As I recall Rose is a single mother who has been doing everything for the child since the day the baby was born, even when” I stopped Jeffery before he give any detail away about Arabella, I didn’t want Theo knowing anything about her, he didn’t deserve to know anything about my sweet little girl.

Theo quickly spoke up. “When what?” I shook my head at Jeffery not to say anything. Theo was getting red in the face; he never did like being left out of the loop. “Fine, ill leave.” with that he stormed out of the bar into his car and hurtled off. Suddenly everything hit me at once and I fell into jefferys arms.

When I finally came too I had the worried faces of Jeffery, john and Kirsten all in my face. It took me a minuet to realise and then I started shouting. “Kirsten, where is Bella? Please tell she is not here, he was here not an hour ago please tell me she is okay, don’t tell me he’s got her.” Tear started to stream down my face. I knew I was being dramatic but I couldn’t help it, the thought of loosing my baby girl was too much to handle. It had been my worry since she was born that he would come and take her away. That’s why she has my last name, and he is not on the birth certificate I didn’t want him having a claim to her what so ever. Kirsten knew what to do when I get this hept up, she wrapped her arms around me tightly and just rocked me back and forth. I fought her, but she was used to this she just held me until I had finished crying and could breathe again. It was like she was my comfort blanket.

When I was younger I had a blanket which was blue and white and had flying elephants on it, I took it everywhere with me. When I would have a slap from mother, or a fag burn from mother pimp, I would cry into the blanket so she wouldn’t hear me, because if she heard me crying she would “give me something to cry about” as she put it. One day Darrell, mums pimp, caught me crying into it after he had belted me, he took it off me and set it on fire right in front of me while my mother stood there and laughed. Since then Kirsten had been my blanket, I would cry into her when thing got bad and she was aways there. I pushed away the memories of Shelia and Darrell and focused on the people around me that loved me.

“Rose calm your dramatic ass down, Sara is with Bella, she is okay. I don’t even know what happened today I got a phone call from John saying Jeffery was like a raving banshee because you had passed out and they couldn’t wake you. Now why don’t you tell me what is going on and why you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” She kept her eyes fixed on me as I told her about Theo showing up and everything that was said, Jeffery nor john said anything while I continued to ramble on. Once I had finish john was the first to talk.

“I’ll kill him.” He boomed as he started to walk out of the door, Jeffery grabbed a hold of him to stop him from doing something stupid. John was shaking with rage it was the angriest I had ever seen him. Kirsten was silent, it is the quietest id ever seen her, I feel like I was in a parallel universe.

“Jeffery get off me before I hurt you babe, I don’t want to hurt you because of that fucker.”

“Then you need to pack it in john, Rose doesn’t need you going to prison for killing him. Granted he’s a piece of s**t but she needs you.” He spoke to John firmly which was a shock, Jeffery always p***y footed around john because they were like teenagers. John said nothing just pulled Jeffery into a bear hug, they were all worried about the same thing as me, Theo coming in and taking Bella. They loved her just as much as me.

“Who the f**k does this dead beat sperm doner think he is!” it was finally Kirsten who was screaming, she started pacing, everyone knows to run when Kirsten starts pacing. “I’m going to find him.” With that she stormed out of the bar. Jeffery, john, and I all run after her, afraid of what she might do. As running after Kirsten, I assure john and Jeffery I remember him speeding away, but god was I wrong, there he was in the car park, he must have come back. Kirsten makes a beeline straight for his Porsche, and sticks her foot straight into his headlight. Here we go.

“Hey!” Theo shouts. “You know you will have to pay for that Kirsten. And I see you are still as hot headed as ever.” He chuckles at her, he actually chuckled. If he remembers anything about Kirsten, he should remember that laughing at her is like holding a red flag to a bull. s**t was about to hit the fan. In a split second she makes her way around the car and socks him straight in the face. His head whips to the side and he grabs his nose. Kirsten doesn’t slap….she punches. I send pleading eyes to john, who gets the hint and goes to grab Kirsten.

“What the f**k?” Theo screamed surprised he had been hit; it was written all over his face. He turns to me, “this is the company you keep around our child.” At this point I lose it. I walk calmly to him and in one full sweep smack him square on the face. Yes, I slap, two-year’s worth of anger. “What is it with women smacking me today?”

Suddenly every emotional I felt towards this man was realised. “Our child. OUR child, I think you mean my child. You have no claim over her at all, you weren’t there Theo You left me when I needed you, you walked out and didn’t care for me or your daughter. Yes, your daughter. You left me deal with the pregnancy, working every hour god would send to support my baby. You left, you didn’t look back or care what happened to us. I was left to put up with nearly loosing her and going through surgery after surgery with her.YOU WERENT THERE!” at this point I was screaming. “I held her when she cried, I sang to her, I rocked her, I loved her. You did nothing, absolutely nothing. Yes, you may have the money to care for her, but you are not a dad, not parent. You see those three behind me, they help me raise my daughter, they picked me up when you let me fall, they were there when she nearly died, when I nearly died Theo. They helped me buy a house, they helped me finish college, they help me plan birthdays and Christmas’ not you. So don’t stand there for one second and pretend you care for me or her because you don’t. so, Theo, you could drop off the face of the earth for all I care because you are dead to me and my daughter.” I turn on my heels and head towards the bar. I turn around and look at him through my tears. “Although Theo I do have to thank you for something, you gave me the most beautiful baby girl ever, and you will never know her. Not as long as I’m alive.” As soon as I was behind the doors of the pubs, I fell to the floor and let the sobs rip through me. It was like he left me all over again. I felt three pairs of arms around me and felt the love. If he was back what was I to do now, I have to think about everything. I think leaving is the only thing I can do, not only to save my daughter, but to save myself.