Adaptation

Phone Calls

Warning: Language and Drinking

Vanessa stretched as she hit the button on her alarm. Beside her Lin mumbled something incoherent and she rolled her eyes.
"Lin, it's time to get up. We have to catch the plane."

"Why did someone think scheduling a flight this early would be a good idea?" Lin grunted as he got out of bed. 

"That would be you darling. You wanted to reach Virginia as soon as possible." Vanessa smirked. " Now hurry and get dressed,  your parents will be here to keep Sebastian and we've got a plane to catch."

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Kate slammed the front door shut before she entered her kitchen. She threw the envelopes on the table before sitting down with an exasperated sigh before taking an asprin for a forming headache. Bills after Bills littered the table. Putting herself through College to get a Masters degree had not been cheap. Especially since getting a job was not easy. Perhaps if her father had paid or at least helped her pay she wouldn't be in the financial  hole she was stuck in. However,  if Blackwell had been a good man, a good father, she wouldn't be as protective of Liz. Elizabeth was wise beyond her years , a fact that everyone in the small town knew. Liz could not be swayed by any teenage boy who spoke promises of love. In fact, Elizabeth didn't trust most men, she had learned at a young age that men were dangerous.  There had been several instances with Kate's boyfriends and neither Kate or Liz were in a hurry to repeat any of that EVER again.

Kate heard the door open and close softly as Liz walked through the door accompanied by a Chocolate Chesapeake Bay Retriever. The dog, Liberty, jumped up and down in excitement.

Liz was bent over with her hands on her knees smiling, " Hey Liberty! Did you miss me?"

The dog was running laps between her legs as she walked. All 80 pounds of the dog were literally vibrating with excitement.
"Hey, mom. I'm going for a run." Liz said as she dropped her book bag and lunchbox on the table.

"Uh huh. Be safe." Kate said, not looking up. 

Liz put her headphones on and jumped of the porch. She started her daily run when she reached the driveway. Music began playing through her headphones and she ran down their mile long driveway before taking a left and running to the small country store another mile and a half up the road.

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Kate's breath caught in her throat as she answered the phone and heard his voice.

" Hello, is this Kate?"

Her world came crumbling down.
"What do you want? " She growled out.

"Kate, I got a call, from the court. They said I have a daughter. A daughter that you hid from me." Lin somehow managed to keep his voice even.

"Look we, no she, is just fine without you. She has been for sixteen years.  Besides you have a life! You left and married that lawyer women. You also have your own kid. You of all people should know how it feels to protect your child from danger!" Kate's voice rose.

"I'm not a danger to her! She's my fucking daughter!" Lin's anger was finally released.

"Why are you doing this?" Kate's broken voice pulled at heart.

"She's my daughter who I never got to know. I never got to hold her in my arms. I deserve that much and so does she. Christ, you knew what it was like to have a horrible father but at least you had one!" 

"You won't take my baby away from me you bastard!"  Kate screamed into the phone.

"I don't want too! I just want to know my own daughter."

"No. That isn't going to happen. And if you think about trying to come anywhere near my family you'll wish you hadn't. So stay away!"

"I'm in Virginia and I will pursue this legally. Does she even know who I am?"

"No. I've told her nothing. Besides she'll never meet you, not if I have anything to do with it. Bye." Kate hung up the phone before throwing it across the room.

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Vanessa put her arms around her husband as he angrily shouted at nothing in spanish. "Lin, you shouldn't have told her we were in Virginia."

"I know, I just can't believe she would do this."

"Well, I've contacted the court and they have set a mediation date so the summons should be sent out today."

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Liz waited in line at the country store to pay for a Mountain Dew. Did drinking one a day defeat the purpose of her run? Yes. Was she going to stop any time soon? No. She smiled at the woman at the register as she paid before turning around to start the trek home. Out in the gravel parking lot she saw some football players sitting on their tailgates in a circle. 'Probably underage drinking' she thought.

"Hey, Elizabeth!  Need a ride home?"

Liz looked up to see her best friend's brother Luke.

"Sure, thanks!" She smiled as she jumped into the jacked up Jeep. 

"I was suprised to see you see you here." Luke smiled at her.
"Dude, you take me home like once a week. Either you have a lower IQ than I thought or you've had one to many concussions." Elizabeth laughed.

"Ouch. So did you here about Kasey and Clarke's break up?" Luke asked trying to start a conversation.

"Yeah, getting caught with her mother? That's a bad idea. I wish a man would try that with me. He wouldn't be around much longer."

"Oh, I know, Stacey told me to tell you to come spend the night soon. Don't be a stranger ,yeah?"

"Got it. I'll be over to see my bestest good buddy soon! And tell her I said that! "Elizabeth smiled and waved as she go out of the car. Luke waved as he backed out of the end of her driveway. Liz walked to the mailbox and pulled some more mail out and walked up to the house. She read through the letters. Electric bill, credit card, car insurance. She stopped when she reached a thick yellow envelope labeled , First Class Government Mail. She stepped into the house and yelled, "Mom! I got some more mail! It's from the court house! " when she didn't receive an answer she walked up the steps to the second floor. "Mom? What's wrong?"  Liz's concerned voice questioned her mother upon seeing Kate sitting on the bed with a bottle of wine.

"I know it's from the court. Give it here." Kate held her hand out for the letter. "That bastard. He actually did it." Kate spoke before taking another swig of wine. "Well, looks like your daddy wants to be a real man. " She slurred slightly as she looked at her daughter.

"Mom, I don't understand. " Liz sat on the bed next to her mother.

"Lin, wants to take you -"

"My dad's name is Lin?"

"Look, he thinks he wants you. But trust me honey, he doesn't. This is a publicity stunt so that he'll look good for that play of his."  Kate huffed as she read the court summons. " Well fuck."

"A play? What? What else do you know? Is he coming here? " Liz fired question after question.

"Elizabeth Jackson Blackwell,  you can't seriously want to meet him? I was the one who raised you! Loved you!"

"I- I know it's just, I'd like to meet him, I think. I don't know and besides he can't just... take me right? That's not how this works." Liz stuttered at the thought of meeting this man Lin.

"Well , looks like your gonna meet him wether you want to or not  Tuesday. The court has set a mediation date. Better dress nice for daddy dearest."

"Oh. Okay." Liz couldn't believe it. She was meeting her father! Did she even want to though? Would he like her? And apparently he had written a play. She had two days to prepare herself for what could be a life changing event.
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