Her sweet girl

Things that only Carolina will ever know

etabacchi thanks for helping me with the plot for this chapter.

14th of November
Unknown PoV:

The paper in my hand had turned yellow, dozens of crinkles. I looked up at the house in front of me. The same address. The same red brick building. Behind this door she'd be waiting for me. I looked down at the letter again, realizing that right now would be the last time I could dream about meeting her and her reaction to seeing my face in real life. I walked up the small stone path leading to the suburban home and rang the doorbell.

A lady in her mid fifties opened the door, her hair tied up in a bun. She looked just like I remembered her. "Hey Sheila."

The woman stared at me. "What are you doing here?" I held up the letter. "Carolina wrote me a letter." She looked at me in disbelief. "My daughter died three years ago." Now I was shocked. "Can I come in?" The blonde sighed but she let me in.

"Want some coffee?" "No thanks." I looked around to see some childhood pictures of Carolina, but no toys, no pictures of another child. What happened? "How did Lina die?" I asked, looking around at the pictures of the tall blonde, with ocean blue eyes.

"Drug overdose. Ever since she met you and your friends she wasn't able to get off of those things." I had figured that she had died of drug use, but still wanted confirmation. "I'm sorry that I was such a bad influence. I really am. I regret I wasn't there for her when she was pregnant or for the baby later." "She never had a baby." She answered and I just looked up in disbelief. "But here in the letter she wrote that she was pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby." I handed her the and she started to read through it.

"She wasn't living at home during that time, I don't know if she was pregnant at that time. After you went away she moved around and stayed in the city from what I know. We had to call the cops a few times to bring her back home. She was just seventeen back then." 

I could hear the regret and pain in her voice. "I didn't go away. I went to prison and that's where I've been for the last six years." I looked down. "I'm sorry I never knew that. She told us you moved away." "No I didn't and I definitely wouldn't have left if I knew that she was pregnant. I would have stayed and helped her get clean. I should've been here. I should've been there for the baby."

I regretted so much but for the past five years I had always wanted to be in my child's life and now I didn't even know where the baby had gone. The door opened. "Sheila. I'm home." Caroline's dad came in. "What are you doing here? Sheila, why is he here?"

I got up from the couch and walked towards the door. "I'm sorry, Sir. I'll leave now." "You killed my daughter and you think you can just turn up here." "David. He was here to see her and look at how she wrote him a letter before she died. She had a baby." Sheila showed him the letter and he looked back at me. "Is that true?"

"Yes. This letter is the only reason why I survived rehab and being in jail the past six years." He didn't seem fazed by that information, maybe he couldn't process it, as he was still staring at the letter. "We could've a grandchild."

"Sir. Could I have the letter back please? I'll try to track down the child with the help of Social services, but I need proof that I am their father." He looked reluctant. "Could we meet them, if you found them?" I nodded. "If it's possible for me and you to meet them. I'll tell you everything I find out. I promise."

I gave them a smile before walking towards the train station to head to New York City. 

20th of December 
Taylors PoV: 

"How am I supposed to tell her?" I asked Joe, looking over into the living room, where the five year old was playing with the cats and creating a mess.