Complications // A Falice story

Chapter 52

"You know?" Alice asked quietly after a long pause in their conversation if it could be called that so early. Michael nodded his head and Alice frowned before she spoke again. "How long have you known?"

"I've been suspecting it ever since you called to get an appointment." Michael said so calm it angered Alice, mostly because she had a feeling that he was lying and she called him out on that. "A few years."

"A few years?!" Alice asked in shook and it must've made Michael feel some sort of way because just a second later she discovered it was a lie.

"You were eight and I saw you on TV by chance. You looked like your mom so I looked into it and I realised that there were too many coincidences for you not to be my daughter." Michael explained Alice and her mouth was slightly opened in shook. He knew for over thirty years about her and he didn't make an effort to get to her. Michael also sounded too calm for the situation and it drove Alice crazy, she figured it was because he was a doctor and he had to be calm in certain situations but still.

"But you didn't try to contact me." Alice felt her heart ache as she said so. All she could think about was that she didn't matter enough for him to come and look for her, help her with her mother and maybe if he were there Alice would've had the chance to be an actual child.

"I had a lot on my plate, sorry." Michael did seem sorry, but the words he used, the way he said them it wasn't enough, not even close.

"Awesome." Alice shook her head in disbelief and blinked a few times because she didn't want to let the tears in her eyes to roll down her cheeks.

"Look Alice..." Michael paused as he moved closer to her and when he reached to touch her arm Alice stepped back. His hand was still in the air for a few seconds but eventually he let it fall to his side. "I can't have this kind of conversation here." He pointed around his office, he never felt comfortable bringing personal issues at work and even though it was definitely different than it usually was he still decided against talking there.

"What do you propose?" Alice asked looking away from her father as he came up with an idea and when he said it Alice almost choked.

"You go to my house, my wife is there-"

"You can't possibly be serious." Alice cut him off and Michael looked at her like his proposition was the normal thing to do, but Alice didn't think so.

"My family knows about my past, it won't be a problem I can assure you of that." Michael said with a small smile and Alice hesitated. She wasn't sure it was a good idea, but that was actually why she went there. To meet her father and her half brother and sister, even Abigail, Michael's wife. "I'll give you the address." It was either the look on Alice's face who said it all or Michael was just used to having thing his way.

Michael wrote the address on a piece of paper and handed it to Alice. She took it and without a word she walked outside and made her way to her car. She typed the address on her GPS and drove to Michael's house. When she got there Alice checked her phone and saw a few missed calls and texts from FP so she quickly wrote him that she was doing fine then she got out of the car.

Alice looked at the big house, it had two floors, it was white with a bright red door and it was surrounded by flowers. For a short second before she could stop herself wondered how it would've been if she had lived in there. "Stop it." Alice whispered to herself as she shook away the thought. She walked to the door and knocked a few times then waited. It felt like hours until someone got the door even though it was only a few seconds.

A black haired woman opened the door. She was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, her hair was tied up in a messy bun and she had no make up on. Alice assumed immediately that she was her father's wife and Alice had to admit that she was gorgeous. "Hi, I'm Alice, I..."

"Michael texted me." She smiled at Alice and Alice sighed, relieved that she didn't have to tell her and have an awkward conversation. "I'm his wife, Abigail." The woman leaned forward a little like she wanted to hug Alice, but she seemed to decide against it and instead she held her hand out and shook Alice's. "It's nice to meet you Alice, come in."

Abigail moved to the side and Alice entered the house. As Abigail took Alice's jacket Alice had the chance to look around the hallway they were standing in. There were plenty of pictures of Abigail and Michael and also a lot of them with their kids. Alice couldn't help but feel a little jealous over that. "Michael shouldn't be at his office for long. He shouldn't be there at all since a friend is filling in for him, but he wanted to be there today since you had the appointment.'

"Oh." Alice had no idea what to say so she just stuck with 'oh' because it was simple and meant literally nothing in that case.

"Would like some coffee? Maybe some tea?" Abigail asked trying to fill the silence and Alice managed to smile.

"Coffee would be great, thank you."