It seemed like a shock to her, she slightly discoloured and returned to the call, he watched her fumble with the buttons and asked him to sit down.
George was hesitant, he didn't know who this woman was but he had the feeling she didn't trust him, given her gesture, who was he to decline.
He looked around and sat down, his hand tightened on his knees when a french bulldog showered his fingers with kisses, that seemed to calm his nerves, he didn't mind giving it a pat or two, the lady flapped her robe once again then appeared to have forgotten she was wearing clothes, then again it was cold outside, she hung it and offered him a plate of churros.
George forgot that he was hungry and he ate with milk to go with it waiting, he grew stiff with nervousness when she started to talk, occasionally his eyes roved to the clock and her mouth seemed to move but he couldn't pick up what she was saying.
A girl with two pigtails and bows running with her arms stretched sideways imitating an aeroplane paused at him in the middle of the room, she grimaced at him.
"Who are you?"
"Daphne, that's no way to treat a visitor, go and say hi"
She ran over the toys on the floor to hug him, George's head lowered at her move and hugged her back.
"I know where mommy keeps the chocolate cookies if you want"
"But I like churros" He argued playfully and her arms tightened around him giggling.
"You ate the whole plate"
"Did I?"
"I'm not so sure, mom's expecting"
"Now Daphne" She cautioned dropping a napkin, this time George saw the small prominent bump on her stomach and grinned.
"Good on you, ma'am"
She chuckled and blushed at that putting a knowing hand to her stomach smiling.
"I'm Marlee Stevens"
"This is Ocho" Daphne pointed at the dog who barked at his name. "It's Spanish for eight, we adopted him when he was eight weeks old. You never told me your name"
Daphne looked to be eight years and she griped for his attention with her round big eyes. She snorted with her face twisted
"Hmm, George sounds funny but how about Geo? Nah, too childish"
She suggested swinging her legs on his lap looking down, Marlee huffed at her kid and smiled as she kept him occupied, he looked troubled and he wasn't here with them, he constantly assured Daphne that he was listening and patted her hand while she ruffled his hair.
She noted beside his affinity towards children, his looks and the colour of his eyes, in suspense, George's mannerisms were unlike his, she was apt to stay in sight worried about Daphne making him uncomfortable.
"Do you have a_"
"Daphne!" She retorted and Daphne's eyes same as hers widened in terror.
"I was gonna say a dog, Ocho likes to play"
George laughed "Wish I did"
The door clicked open and he turned to the man at the doorway in a brown coat, dark hair and blue eyes, they lowered when Daphne ran into his arms, lifting her.
"Pop"
"I'm your dad, not your grandpa"
She shrugged when he let her down and gave Ocho a nuggie.
George swallowed when he walked into Marlee's arms and turned to him.
Connor locked the door behind him "Who's this?"
"Hi_"
"This is Geo," Daphne said
"That's the same thing you said when you brought a turtle home and it snapped your finger."
"Dad, he was just hungry"
"That's my little animal doctor, I bet you took good care of Ocho while I was gone, did you spray out his cage?"
She bit her lip "I'm not doing that"
"I paid you five bucks"
"You bribed her to clean his cage?" Marlee folded her arms frowning and he kissed her cheek patting her stomach.
"I'm tired, Alec wanted me to pick him up and I couldn't be happier about leaving work early, thanks, sweetums."
"Uh-huh..."
"Alec!" Daphne exclaimed and George paled at the next who showed up with a bag full of groceries.
"Marlee, where did you keep my keys and what's so important?" He asked searching his pockets,
He tilted his head trying to look at the visitor and paled at him, he looked exactly like Dale except with highly defined cheekbones and darker hair, his eyes teared up getting up.
Alec glanced at him with narrow eyes.
"Do I know you?"
~~~
Nervous, she came home, Scott was nowhere to be seen and dad wasn't home, her head was in knots and she didn't know what to do. George's words had her in pieces and seemed to affect her greatly, now he was missing, she groaned covering her eyes reminiscing her sentence the other night.
'I don't care, get out of my life!'
She felt sick with dread, what if he did something drastic or worse? her stomach knotted and she clutched it when the pain got worse, rolling on the floor.
Scott caught her sneaking in from the back and he couldn't find anything to show for the clothes, he barged in and panicked seeing her gripping her stomach in pain.
He touched her arm where she was and she cried at the gnawing.
"It hurts... really bad"
She groaned, he knew the complications and the pain was unbearable.
"Cramps?"
"I had that days ago, this is worse"
He hurried to the cabinet to get honey and fed it to her, she winced shuddering when he helped her to the car, she could barely walk.
"I'm surprised you can talk," He said as he drove to the hospital and she groaned rolling in the back seat.
"Hurry!"
"Hold on," He said and parked at the hospital where Etta was taking a break with a girlfriend named Pim, her eyes strayed to a car that screeched to a stop nearly smashing into the doctor's Cadillac.
"Scotty?" She stood up straight.
~~~
George stepped back appalled "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come here"
"George!"
He ran outside and shut the door running down the lane, 'Didn't you want to know everything?' He heard a small voice in his head tell him and he stopped wiping his eyes, he straightened his shoulders and turned stiffly to see Alec on the pavement gazing at him in shock then walked over to him.
George shook when Alec pulled him into his arms, tears rolled down his face.
"It's you" He whispered stroking his hair, he wished he would've been able to carry him as an infant and maybe teach him a few lessons about pastry and make dinner together as he grew up. All those years were void in his head, he was so heartbroken that he thought he wouldn't be able to move on.
George pushed him away in anger.
"You knew about my existence and you didn't come for me, why!?" He barked and Alec's shoulders dropped with a guilt-ridden expression.
"You pushed me away and dad_Dale messed me up, he destroyed me!
Was this how you planned on repaying me? My family's tearing apart because of you!"
He touched his head and laughed in utter confusion, he didn't know who his family was anymore.
Was Rose his mother or his aunt? It was a funny question. It rang in his head longer than he thought possible.
"George_"
"Dad had a twin, it all makes sense now."