"Hey, mama." Sean leaned away from the camera for a second. "Guess what I got to do yesterday."
"What, baby?" Kathryn rubbed her belly.
"The headmaster let us choose two items to represent our family. I got a stethoscope and..."
We watched intently as he leaned out of the frame once more. He came back with a huge smile on his face.
"What is it, son?" I asked.
"A gold hard drive! I asked the headmaster to get me one."
I sort of stared at the screen before laughing. Sean didn't know. I am such a bad father. Kathryn kicked my leg and glared at me. What? It is funny. My son picked a hard drive and didn't know his father was in big trouble because of a gold hard drive. I can't with my family anymore.
"Why are you laughing?" Sean asked.
"Sorry." I pursed my lips. "It's cute. I like it. Do you get to take it home with you? I'd like to keep it in my office."
"Really?"
"Really. It wouldn't be right if I didn't. I actually love it."
Kathryn chuckled. "Sean, when is your next break?"
"I don't know. Headmaster Yang said he'd inform you guys when the next holiday came up."
I nodded and took a deep breath. Today was going ok. No bad news and I felt like everything was going my way. I wasn't expecting a call from Wade and Watson today. Nor was I expecting any bad news. Just ruined my day.
"Baby, I'll be right back. Sean, don't hang up without me."
"I won't, dad."
I left the room and put the phone to my ear.
"What?" I barked.
"Jackson escaped," Watson said.
"What?" I hissed.
"Yeah. I went back after the police left and checked the footage. He escaped just before I walked in after you."
"...Oh. You don't know where he went?"
"Nope." Wade sighed. "I tried searching the cameras in the neighborhood with no luck. Who knows where he is now. I'm hoping he doesn't have the drive. I don't like being held captive by him."
"Even if he does have it, he won't be able to crack the passcodes."
Passcodes. I forgot about that. Even if Jackson was able to crack them, he wouldn't be able to see anything at all. If he didn't get the password to stop the virus, he won't have anything against anyone. Brad would be safe. My family would be safe. I'll never admit it again, but Wayne would be safe. We need him even if we don't want him.
"We can talk about this later," I said. "I'm on the phone with Sean. Probably the last time I'll be able to speak to him before things blow out of proportion."
"Alright. We'll see you later." Wade hung up before I could confirm anything.
I walked back into the room with a smile on my face. Sean was talking about something that he seemed to like. The look in his eyes said everything. He was content. I thought sending him off back to France would make him angry with us, but he's doing better than I expected. The headmaster is apparently doing everything he can to protect our son.
"--and can. I can't wait to show you guys. Headmaster Yang said I can pick it up in a couple of days," he was saying. "And since I'm passing all my classes, do you think it's possible I can come home early for the wedding?"
"Of course you can, bud," I said. "Your mom and I miss you so much already."
Sean beamed and leaned forward a little.
"Did you get our present?" Kathryn asked.
"Which one?"
"The blanket and scarf."
Sean left the screen again. I heard him searching around for something in his room. Another voice could be heard and I assumed it was his roommate or a teacher asking him something. We got our answer when a little boy's face appeared on the screen.
"Bonjour, Monsieur et Mademoiselle Nguyen." The boy waved with a big smile.
"Marcel!" Kathryn exclaimed. "Comment vont tes parents?"
"Ils sont super! Mieux que la dernière fois."
"That's good. Tu a une belle journée, chéri."
Marcel left the screen with a smile. Sean came back with a gray scarf and red blanket. He held it up and nodded.
"I can get in it! That's so cool. Everyone is saying they want one now."
"Ah, but that's the thing," I said. "We're not their parents. It's for you and only you. And I expect to see it when you return for the wedding."
"Of course you'll see it. I'll go pack it right now, so I won't forget to bring it."
"It's fine to have it if you ever need it."
"Alright, your daddy and I have to go. Don't forget to text me before you go to sleep."
"I won't, mama. Je vous aime!"
"Nous t'aimons aussi, bébé."
Once Sean was gone, I dropped my smile and heaved a sigh. Kathryn looked at me and rolled her eyes.
"It's hopeless!" I cried out. "We're all doomed. I'm going to jail and no one is going to be here to help you with the baby! I'll never be able to marry you. What has this world--"
"Cameron Omar Nguyen!" Kathryn smacked me. I stopped talking and stared at her in shock. "Get a hold of yourself. Nothing's going to happen to us. What are you even yapping about?"
"...Watson and Wade called. Jackson's gone and he probably has the drive." I pushed my fingers through my hair. "What if...what if he snitches on us? What if he gets past our firewalls and passcodes? We're doomed!"
"What the hell is wrong with you today? You've never acted like this under pressure. Never. Jackson has nothing on you. He gets himself in trouble if he says anything. Stop being a baby."
"Baby. Baby..." That was enough to calm me down. I was going to be a father in another eight months. I needed to be in my right mind. "Why don't we go baby shopping?"
"Ooooh." Wade and Watson walked into the room. "We were going to talk to you about Lexi."
Lexi? Why would they want to talk about Lexi? She has never been a person of interest to them. Me? Of course. Why would they want to reveal themselves to her?
"She's not doing therapy," Wade said.
"What? How would you guys know that?" Kat demanded.
"If she loses her kids," Watson started. "You can say goodbye to ever seeing the hard drive."
"Huh?" I scratched my head.
"Jackson's planning to get the passcodes and give information about us to the government. If Lexi doesn't have anything to fight for, she's going to accept the fact that she's going to jail. Luca's gonna get away."
"Shoot. Let's go!"