Chapter 8

Chapter 8

S carlett's mother was a prominent doctor at the Sparkle City hospital. So going to find her wasn't too much of a difficulty. She spent more time at the hospital than she did at home. While she did see patients, Enid Oliver-Penn's true passion was in research. She hoped to one day single-handedly find a cure for cancer. So far, she hadn't been able to achieve that goal, but it didn't prevent her from continuing to try.

Scarlett walked down the familiar hall leading toward her mother's lab. She'd had to go there often to have a conversation with her, and the sterile environment had become a regular place for her to visit. She reached the entrance to the lab and stared into the room. Her mother's head was bent over a microscope. Her dark auburn hair was pulled back into a braid. She wore a white lab coat, a light blue sweater, and black pants. Scarlett lifted her hand and rapped on the door three times. Her mother lifted her head from the microscope and met her gaze. A smile formed on her face, and she strolled over to the door to let her in.

"Hello, dear," she said and hugged her. "I didn't know you were going to stop by. We haven't had a chance to talk in a while. How is your new album coming along?"

Scarlett lifted a brow. "I didn't realize you were aware I was going to start recording again."

"Faith mentioned it the other day when she came to the house for dinner. The twins make a point of having a dinner with Bart and me at least once a week. He likes to check in with them whenever possible." Bart hadn't been horrid to Scarlett, but it had always been obvious he cared more for his own daughters. Little things, like having them over for dinner and not inviting Scarlett.

"I haven't started recording yet," she said. "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Her mother went over to the microscope and pulled the slide she'd been examining out of it, then stored it in a container. "What can I help you with?"

"My father," she said. There was no point of stalling the inevitable. "I met him."

Her mother froze and set the container she'd been holding on the counter. "That's not possible." Her face lost all color. "He doesn't know you exist. He was never supposed to find out."

"Why not?" Heat filled her cheeks, and she clenched her hands into fists at her side. Scarlett dug her fingernails into her palms. Pain shot through them, and she had no doubt she left little half moons in her flesh. She didn't understand any of it. What reason did her mother have to lie to her about everything? "Is Thatcher Wyatt really my father? If he wasn't supposed to find out, how does he know now?"

Her mother sat down and dropped her head into her hand. She pushed her fingers into her auburn hair and sighed. "I think it's my fault. I wasn't thinking…"

Of course it was her fault. The entire debacle could have been prevented if her mother had been honest with her. "Perhaps you should explain a little what you mean." She had a feeling her mother wasn't talking about the same thing Scarlett had been thinking about. She didn't apologize for keeping her in the dark. Her mother had seemed to think it was perfectly acceptable to keep her father a secret from her.

"Remington Wyatt is my patient," she began. "I've been treating him for a while, and he…" Her mother met her gaze. "His prognosis isn't good. He's terminal unless he gets a bone marrow transplant. I considered telling you a while ago, but I couldn't, or perhaps it is more that I'm to selfish to admit my mistakes." She sighed. "So, to ease my conscience, I told him enough to give him something to search for. It appears he found you."

"This would have been so much easier if you could have been honest with me." She shook her head and then glared at her mother. "Is the reason you kept it a secret because Thatcher Wyatt had a substance abuse problem?"

Her mother nodded. "I met him at a time in his life that he… Well, he wasn't in a good place. I was working on his wife's case as an intern. We crossed paths at a bar a couple months after she passed, and we had a few drinks together. One thing led to another… I'm sure you can guess the rest."

Yeah, Scarlett wouldn't have any trouble filling in the blanks. She wished her mother had handled the entire fiasco a little differently. "You should have told me."

"When I found out I was pregnant, I considered telling him, but after careful consideration I decided it was best for you that I kept him out of your life. He wouldn't have made a good father to you. After his wife died, he barely took care of the son he had with her, the woman he adored."

She sighed and twisted her hands together in front of her. Her mother glanced away from her and stared at the wall, then paced a little inside the room. She stopped when she neared Scarlett again. She probably never intended to tell her any of this. Scarlett wondered if talking about it now was difficult for her and if that was why she fidgeted.

"I'm not perfect. I tried to do my best for you and for Thatcher. He didn't even remember our night together. I saw him in the hospital a couple months after that, and he looked right past me. It seemed the best that I move on and pretend he wasn't around to be a real father to you."

Scarlett didn't know what to believe. Why had this seemed like a good idea to her mother? It was so…convoluted. An excuse, and not a very good one at that. Was she hoping Scarlett would feel sorry for her? If so, she'd be waiting a very long time—like never. Scarlett forced herself to listen to the rest of her mother's story. She hadn't stopped speaking, but Scareltt had blocked her words out.

"I heard he cleaned up after that, but I couldn't allow him to be a part of your life. What if he slipped up and hurt you in the process? No. I stand by my decision." She met Scarlett's gaze. "I hope you understand that."

The muscles in Scarlett's cheeks hurt from clenching her jaw tight as she listened to her mother. She hated everything her mother had said, but she couldn't ever hate her mother. She didn't know what she would do if she'd been in her place. There was one decision she could make. "Can you test me to see if I'm a match? I'd like to help my brother if I can."

"Of course," her mother said.

After her mother drew her blood Scarlett quietly left her in the lab. If she was a match, her mother would call her. In the meantime, she needed some time alone.

Scarlett had a rideshare drop her off at the beach, the one place she felt comfortable when her world seemed to be falling apart around her. Something about the tumultuousness of the ocean made the storm inside of her calm.

She wished she could stop the raging emotions from overwhelming her. The last time she'd felt this much off kilter had been when JD had abandoned her, and she still hadn't fully gotten over that. JD still unsettled her, and she couldn't seem to erase the love she had for him from her heart. That was why she kept pushing him away. If she spent too much time with him, she'd crumple in his arms and admit how much she still needed him.

Now she had a brother she never knew about, and she might be the only one that could save him. How many more surprises could she possibly take? What other shocks could she expect to be thrown into her life? She shook her head and started down the boardwalk. At this time of night, the beach was nearly empty. That was one of the reasons she liked taking her walk at night. No one would recognize her, and she could find her equilibrium in peace.

The tears she'd been fighting for hours threatened to come. She couldn't keep them from falling anymore. It was time to give in to them and let them help her heart heal. Scarlett wiped away the tears that had spilled down her cheeks. She'd sworn she'd never let herself give into the urge to cry again. It turned out she wasn't as hard as she liked to believe. A part of her was grateful too. What kind of person would she be if she didn't feel anything? If she'd been hard, she might not care enough to help Remy.

She stopped at a railing and leaned into it. The tears flowed freely now and almost violently. She'd been holding so much in for too long. Someone pulled her into their arms and she let them. Scarlett probably should have stopped to wonder who would dare touch her without her permission, but she was past caring.

"Sshhh," a man said softly. "I have you."

Scarlett recognized that voice. JD was holding her. She should be surprised, but somehow she wasn't. Maybe he was the one person she needed at this particular moment. He had always been the one man she loved, and even with his betrayal, that hadn't changed. Scarlett pulled out of his arms and glanced up at him. He lifted his hand and wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

"Please stop crying." His voice held a hint of anxiety in it as he spoke. The moonlight spilled over him, giving him an almost ethereal appearance. "I hate seeing you cry."

He always had. "Is that why you left a note and ran away from our wedding? You were too weak to see the damage you left in your wake? Running away with my best friend was a dick move."

He flinched as if she had slapped him. "That's not exactly what happened?"

"You didn't leave town with Shayla?" She tilted her head to the side. "What part do I have wrong?" Her voice radiated anger as she spoke. Perhaps her tone was a bit too harsh, but she did still have some pent-up anger. It might be time to finally forgive him for that. Not until she let him stew a bit first though.

"You're not wrong," he began. "I was a coward. I should have been honest with you and not run away as I did. Shayla did leave with me. I don't know what she thought might happen, but all I did was offer her a ride out of town. Nothing transpired between us. I never would have dishonored you that way. I love you."

Scarlett sighed. "You have a funny way of showing how much you love me." She turned away from him. Perhaps this wasn't the right time to have this conversation. She wasn't certain there ever would be. He'd never lied to her in the past, so she did believe him. Leaving with Shayla had been wrong, but he wasn't the type to cheat. That part of his departure had always felt wrong to her. So if he said he hadn't done anything intimate with Scarlett's former best friend, then he hadn't. That didn't mean she was ready to let go of her anger or distrust.

"I know I cannot apologize enough for the mistake I made. I've regretted it from the start, but I didn't know how to fix it." He sighed. "I don't expect you to forgive me, but I'd like for us to at least find a way to be civil to each other."

She turned to face him. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared out at the ocean. JD was a beautiful man. Her heart thumped in her chest and she softened a little. She needed to talk to someone, so why not him? "You didn't ask why I was crying."

He jerked his head toward her. "I figured if you wanted me to know, you'd tell me." JD moved closer to her. "Do you want to talk about it? Has someone hurt you?" His jaw clenched a little as he spoke.

"Why, will you go beat them up for me?"

"If you want me to," he said and then smiled. JD lifted his hand and brushed a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. "Tell me what is going on with you."

"Remy is dying," she blurted out.

"What?" He pushed his eyebrows together. "I didn't realize he was sick." He lifted his hand and covered his mouth. "Is there nothing that can be done for him?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "He needs a bone marrow transplant. I guess they have had difficulty finding a match…" She placed her hands on the railing and stared at the vast ocean. "I don't have all the details. I didn't think to ask more questions, but apparently its up to me to save him..."

"Is that why he's been hanging around you so much?" His voice had an eager tone to it. As if that information was somehow good news to him. "I don't understand though. How is it you're the one person that might be able to help him?"

"Because he's my half-brother."

JD was silent. She had expected him to have more of a reaction to that news. It had been such a shock to her. Scarlett turned to face him and found he'd moved closer to her. He lifted his hands to her face and cupped her cheek in his palm. She leaned into him, comforted by his presence. "I know you. If you can help him you will. So tell me what it is that has you so upset."

"My mother lied to me," she said. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "How could she have kept this from me?"

JD leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers. "We're all human, and we make mistakes. I'm sure she believed she was protecting you. Your mother loves you. Try to forgive her."

Scarlett nodded. "I'm working on it."

"Good." He pulled her into his arms. "Now why don't you let me take you home."

Scarlett basked in the warmth of his embrace. God, she'd missed him. "Will you stay with me?"

He froze a moment, and she almost took back the invitation. Instead, he mumbled softly, "I'd be happy to. I'll take care of you."

She allowed him to lead her to his motorcycle. He placed his helmet on her head and then got on the bike, and she followed behind him. Scarlett wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. She wished he had a helmet for himself. At least her place wasn't far from the beach. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to drift. Inviting him to stay with her was perhaps a mistake, but she refused to regret it. She needed JD, and she wouldn't make any apologies for it.