4. Delta

Chapter 4

Delta

M aeve stared at her phone after saying goodbye and thank you to Jackson and Doc, waiting for Quinn to call. Was she really ready for this call? Especially knowing that Quinn had already said that she wouldn’t ever take care of Ciara, even if the surgery went poorly for her. How could Quinn say she’d rather Ciara be placed into the foster care system than take care of her? Maeve just couldn’t fathom it. Of course, Quinn didn’t know Ciara. Didn’t know how great she was.

The ringing of the phone startled Maeve. It was an unknown number, which she normally wouldn’t answer. But she assumed it was Quinn. She calmed her thoughts, along with her suddenly racing heartbeat, and then tapped the accept button and brought the phone to her ear. “Hello, this is Maeve.”

There was a pause before a voice spoke.

“It’s Quinn.”

Quinn’s voice sounded raspy, but it was still recognizable to Maeve.

“Hi. How are you?” Maeve asked .

“Better than you if those two men you hired were telling the truth.”

“Yes, they told you the truth.” It felt odd talking to her. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to ask her sister, but it was like she was talking to a total stranger. Where should she even start? “It’s nice to hear your voice.”

“Yours, too,” Quinn said. “Besides the aneurism thing, you’ve been okay?”

“Yes. Ciara and I are good. She’s an incredible little girl. She goes to preschool. She has friends, loves to wear dresses, and loves the color purple.” She heard a sigh from Quinn. “Quinn, this surgery is serious. The risks after it are serious.”

“I’m sorry, Maeve. At least they found you have it. I wish Dad could have known before his ruptured. I guess medical knowledge and diagnostic testing are better now than when Dad died.”

“Yeah,” Maeve agreed. “I’m really being careful to not let my blood pressure get elevated, and they have me on meds to prevent it, since that’s a risk until the surgery.”

“Why haven’t you scheduled it yet?” Quinn asked.

Maeve heard the judgement in her voice.

“I need to be sure Ciara will be provided for if I don’t make it or can’t take care of her after, but Jackson said you wanted me to know your life couldn’t accommodate Ciara.” Her voice trailed off, not knowing exactly how to phrase it or not sound judgmental in how she said it.

“Look, I guess I can be here with you if you want, when you have your surgery. I just can’t stay. And if anything happens, I can’t take Ciara with me. It wouldn’t be fair to her. My lifestyle is what it is, and it’s not a good one for any kid.”

“Okay, I get it,” Maeve said, even though she didn’t. “I’d like to see you while you’re in town. Would you like to meet Ciara?”

“No, that’s not a good idea. Maeve, why don’t you adopt her from me? No more of this guardianship crap, just be her mom. It’s what you are. And you’re going to be fine. You’re going to come through the surgery just fine.”

“I’d like to stay in touch. We both said things before you left that I’m sure neither of us meant. I didn’t want you to go away and stay away. I’ve missed you. You’re my sister and I love you.”

Tears filled Quinn’s eyes. She choked back the emotions that were rising, threatening to cause a breakdown. She hadn’t cried in years. “I love you too, Maeve. Look, I have to go right now. Let’s talk again soon and figure it all out.”

“Sure,” Maeve said, a wave of disappointment washing over her.

“I’ll call within a few days. I promise.”

“If not, I’ll call you. I have your number now,” Maeve said with a soft chuckle. “Take care of yourself.”

“I will. You, too. Bye.”

Maeve had tears streaming down her face when Quinn ended the call. She saved the number, creating a new contact. Yes, she had a phone number now for Quinn. She would give her two days, and if she didn’t hear back, she would call Quinn. Maybe she’d send her a picture of her and Ciara.

Maeve knew that finding Blain would be harder. She had little information on him to give Jackson. She also knew that Angel and Elizabeth were right. She couldn’t put her surgery off until he was found. Once she composed herself, she called the surgeon’s office and asked for the scheduler. She was shocked to hear that she could be put on the schedule as early as next week.

Next, she called Elizabeth with the date to make sure it would work for her to have Ciara for a few days. Elizabeth assured her it was fine.