Fatebound

Chapter Twenty-Three: Lockets

When Miranda woke up, the first thing she noticed was that Brea had woken up as well.

Immediately she jumped up off of her seat and went to her bedside with concern written all over her face.

"Brea are... are you ok? How are yer feeling?"

She urgently asked, to which Brea gave a tired looking smile.

"I-I'm ok. Thanks to you apparently." She replied, Causing Miranda to sigh in relief as she pushed her hair back with her hand.

"Nah, it was thanks to Hamish as well." Miranda replied, to which Brea gave the older man a smile to signal her appreciation.

Miranda looked back at Brea, her eyes swarming with a thousand emotions as Brea looked back at her, her cheeks growing red as she could f bring herself to look away either.

"I-" they both spoke at the same time, but when they both looked down awkwardly, Amanda scratching at her neck and Brea biting her lip, Hamish cleared his throat.

"Er, Miranda... do yer think you could give me a moment with Brea?" he asked sounding just as awkward as Miranda felt in that moment.

She sighed, gave Brea a smile and Hamish a nod.

"Of course. Brea... we'll talk later?" She asked nervously to which Brea shyly nodded, causing Miranda's shoulders to relax a little.

As much as she didn't want to leave, and as much as she had been hoping to tell Brea everything she'd had to say while she had the courage to say it, she knew just how important finding her father had been to Brea, so she wanted to make sure that she found out about Hamish sooner rather than later.

Miranda sighed as she resigned herself to wait for a phone call, respecting Brea and Hamish's time together and just hoping that Brea would still even want to talk to her after all that had happened at the castle.

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Back in the hospital room, Brea tried to give a polite smile towards Hamish as he asked how she was feeling. If she where being honest with herself, she would have admitted that she was still feeling horrible. Her mind was a rush of thoughts about Miranda, castles, forests and rain, and more Miranda. The later she didn't know quite what to do about, but she knew that she would surely have to take her up on I'm her offer to talk later on.... If she could get up the courage too that-is.

"I'm... ok thank you Hamish. Thank you again so much for helping me. It was silly of me to get so lost you must think me a bit foolish."

She said with an embarrassed laugh.

"Not at all. Yer should hear about what I used to get up too back in the day. I was quite the adventurer."

Brea laughed at that.

"I'm sure." She replied with a smile.

"Hey er, that necklace of yer's it's very beautiful, do you mind if I see it?" Hamish suddenly asked, having actually noticed as soon as they had found her, when it had hung lossley out of her sweater. 

Brea looked at him in a little hesitation and surprise.

"Sure." She said as she gently took it off and handed it to the man.

"It was my mothers actually." She murmured as she looked at the man with a wistful smile. 

"Was?" Hamish asked, looking at her with desperation in his eyes.

"Yes she... well she passed away last year." she said as her smile faltered. 

"It still doesn't feel quite real. She was my best friend." She finished as she wiped tears from her eyes. 

Hamish nodded sadly, as he tried to hold back his own tears.

"Is there a photo in it?" He asked, breaking the silence between them. But Brea shook her head.

"I've checked." She said.

"Just a blank piece of paper."

The older man nodded, but proceeded to open up the locket anyway as he gently pulled out the paper and turned it around.

"But sometimes." He said.

"You have to look deeper, to find what's been hiding in plain sight the whole time."

Brea noticed that the man's hands had begun to shake as he nervously placed the piece of paper back inside of the locket and handed it to Brea, who gasped as she realised what it was.

It was a photo of her mother! With a man Brea didn't at first quite recognise.

But as the cogs started turning in her mind, she looked back up at Hamish, at the photo again, than met his eyes, her own ones glistening with unshed tears.

"Dad?" She asked, her voice full of emotion, and Hamish nodded as she realised that he too had been crying.

"I'm so sorry Brea. If, if I'd only known I would've been there... I would have..."

But before he could finish Brea had pulled him into a hug.

"That doesn't matter, none of it does. Besides, you had no idea about me, and were here now aren't we? We'll just have to make up for lost time."

Hamish nodded as he hugged his daughter back.

"Would yer think about maybe staying in Skye for a bit longer? I'd like to get to know my daughter and spend as much time with her as possible."

Brea smiled, relief flooding her senses.

"To be honest, I was already sort of planning on staying." She said as she couldn't help but to think again about Miranda and to wonder what she was doing right than.

Her father chuckled.

"That wouldn't have anything ter do with that young woman who was going out of her mind with worry for yer would it?"

He asked, to which Brea blushed.

"Maybe..." she mumbled out, making him laugh even more and give her a cheeky grin.

"Well, If yer want some fatherly advice.." he started.

"I'd tell yer to go for it. Ter tell her everything. How yer feel, how she makes the sunshine, and how yer would do anything just to be with her."

He sighed at that.

"I'd tell yer to tell her everything I shoulda told yer mother years ago. Because if yer don't, believe me Brea, you will regret it."

Brea nodded, a newfound inspiration in her eyes as she made to get out of the bed.

"Your absolutely right. I must tell her and I must do it now, before I loose my courage and run away again." She said as she quickly found her clothes and went into the bathroom to change into the sopping wear garments.

"Er Brea, don't yer want ter rest a bit more first?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Don't want yer getting sick." He said but Brea simply smiled.

"I'm fine dad I promise I'll take it easy but this simply cannot wait. We'll talk more later?" She asked with a hopeful look in her eyes, he waved her off with a smile.

"No worries love, go get her." He said and as she hugged him gratefully, he chuckled as she rushed out of the hospital room.

"Young love." He mumbled with a grin on his face, hoping that his daughter would succeed where he had once failed.