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Hearts of the Past and Present

Annette Greene

Chapter 7 – Annette Greene

“How long have you known Beth was yours?” I asked Pete as we walked around the inside perimeter of the prison’s fences.

“From the second I laid my eyes on her at the motel, I knew it was the daughter who never really was mine.” Pete said as he walked beside me, hands in pockets.

“Beth is the same age as Sarah, you’re going to have to explain this to me from the beginning, the very beginning.” I said; my mind was puzzled.

Pete took a deep breath before he dove deep into his past, “I met Annette, Beth’s mother, in a bar one time, me and your Aunty Heather were in a dark place. She was awful to me, so moody and depressed; she was full of anger and aimed it all at me. I just thought she was being wicked when in fact she was pregnant, but neither of us knew at the time.

I left the house that night and went to the pub. Sat at the end of the bar was this pretty looking woman, this said looking woman. We got talking and we went to a hotel. I cheated on Heather while Annette cheated on Hershel, this went on for weeks. We’d meet up with one another in secret, telling our other halves it’s a doctor’s appointment, we’re at the dentist or it was a work thing. Both of our marriages seemed to be in tatters and near an end, we needed someone to talk to and we found each other.

The hour I found out Heather was pregnant with Sarah, I broke it off with Heather and she understood fully. Heather’s pregnancy hit me like a ton of bricks, it knocked sense into me and I couldn’t wait to go through what we did with Jake, we could be a family again.

Annette and I stayed friends, and friends was all it was. There was a special bond between us, we helped each other out in our time of need. When she rang me and told me she was pregnant, I said congratulations and she replied with you too. I thought it was so strange because she knew Heather was expecting weeks ago and told me then.

She explained that she was pregnant with my child, she worked out all the dates and it had to be mine. I felt like the world was crumbling at my feet, I would lose Heather, my son and unborn child, Annette would lose Hershel and his daughter Maggie who she loved like her own.

I arranged to meet up with Annette and discuss the future, like if she were to keep it and if so would I be a part of the baby’s life. Of course she kept the baby, and she said I could see the child but she was going to explain all to Hershel eventually, she was just letting me know.

I was a complete coward, I couldn’t tell Heather that I had got another married woman pregnant and it was someone she most likely knew. It’s a small town, she’ll pass her in the street, smile and say hello. I couldn’t tell her and lose my family, everything I have ever loved.

Sarah was born, and I had never seen something so beautiful and I had never been more in love with my wife. Two months later, Beth was born. Annette rang and told me when it was safe for me to visit, I came and broke down. Beth looked like Sarah, Sarah looked like Beth. Tiny fingers, pink skin, light hair, blue eyes. I have carried the blonde hair and blue eye gene, the one your mother gave to you and so I have gave to Beth and Sarah.

I would visit Beth weekly, it was tough at first but soon things settled and we found ourselves in a routine which lasted a lengthy three years. The secret of Beth’s father had become too much for Annette to handle and she told Hershel everything.

I knew of Hershel, I knew he was a nice man with a good job, a big old house and he usually was very level headed but when he found out Beth wasn’t his and she was truly mine, Hershel hit the roof. I was in the bar which I met Annette in at the time, Hershel stormed in and knocked me out unconscious in one swing.

Hershel stayed with Annette, he understood that he wasn’t treating her well and he could understand why she did what she did. As a good man, of course Hershel raised Beth as his own, and not mine. I didn’t see Beth again, all I got was yearly photographs of her, mostly when she was a child but the time she hit 12/13, I got a photo once a year although I could never forget my daughter’s face.

I had no intention of making Beth cry and turning her world upside down, but you’ve got to see it from my point of view; my wife and two children are dead, I have one child left on this earth and she doesn’t even know I am her father, she needs to know, she needs to know I love her and I care and I’m sorry I couldn’t be there although she has had a great father in her life, one that has done a better job than I could ever do.”

The image of my Uncle Pete with another woman, with a blurred face since I never knew Annette, whirled round my mind with a million questions. I could see this man living a double secret life and it was painful for him. It broke his heart every time he walked met up with Annette and held his daughter Beth in his arms, and it broke his heart every time he returned home to the smiling faces of his wife and son and also when he held his other daughter Beth.

I imagined him contemplating telling Heather everything every night as she slept next to him, but truthfully I think he did the right thing keeping it quiet, Heather would have left him and took the kids with her, leaving him with nothing.

I then saw things through Pete’s eyes, watching him watch Beth and Hershel together, seeing his daughter alive in this wretched world but to look at another man who she believes to be her father. That is probably the most painful thing in the world, loving something or someone so much and they don’t even know. I’ve had a taster of that myself.

A thought dawned on me, “Does Hershel remember you? Does he know you are the father of his child?”

Pete shrugged his shoulders, “To be honest, I’m not sure if Hershel does know that the Pete who is Beth’s father is the Pete who is sharing a cell block with him. He hasn’t said a word to me, just small talk.”

“Maybe that’s the sign that he does know you are Beth’s father, him not talking to you. I doubt he’ll be over joyed to see you and be sharing his bottled water with you, but it’s the apocalypse, he has to live with it.” I said.

“He’s lived with it for 17 years.”

We walked in a non-awkward silence for a while, both of us wrapped in our thoughts. I needed the time to get my head around things, having Pete as Beth’s true father meant that Beth was my cousin! I have another family member; my heart felt like it had swollen up.

It was always difficult and almost strained relationship with Beth because she looked so much like Sarah, I already cared for her like I did with Sarah, but now I really do and can love her like a cousin because she’s family. At the same time, my heart ached. Where I had gained a member, Maggie had lost one. Maggie had lost her half-sister, someone she had grown up with and I hardly doubt she knows the truth about Beth’s dad.

I had to ask the obvious questions to get thing straight, “So Beth is your daughter?”

“Yes.”

“Which means that she’s my cousin.”

“That’s right,” Pete nodded.

“Can I go talk to her? Tell her I know.” I asked.

Pete’s eyebrows knitted together in thought, “I don’t think you should love, Beth doesn’t believe me. She thinks I’m just making it up and that I want her to be a replacement of Sarah as I haven’t gotten over the loss of my family. I don’t think she’ll ever believe me, she only would if it came from her ‘father’.” He did air quotes with his hands when he said father.

I nibbled on my lip, “I think we have to tell Hershel.”

“No, not so soon. Leave Beth be, she’ll be traumatised from my supposedly crazy outburst, let her think things through and in a few days we’ll think about it then.”

This was very reasonable, I agreed on it; next week we’ll drop the bombshell firstly on Beth and Hershel then unleash this family mess onto the rest of the group who had to know.

All this drama had occupied my mind so much I hadn’t even thought of Daryl, Rick, Michonne and Carl and how they were doing on their run. I only remembered about them when I heard the sound of thick tires against the stones of the drive way.

I rushed over to open the gate for them, Pete helped me secure the gate back and they pulled up in front of the prison.

“All in one piece?” Pete asked as everyone stepped out of the car, Pete and I quickly made our way up to them.

“We’re okay,” Rick smiled pleasantly and pulled Pete in for a man hug. “It was a great run out, we have backpacks full of shit we desperately needed.”

Carl looked to his father and gave him a stern look, Rick just laughed.

I literally jumped into Daryl’s arms, I couldn’t help myself. I was so relieved he and everyone else was okay, I also felt a little guilty for not thinking of him much today. He returned the hug with tight arms around my waist.

“Ya miss me like Lily?” He asked into my hair.

“’Course,” I said in my best Georgia accent, repeating one of the last words he said to me today.

“I told ya I’d see ya soon,” Daryl said, clearly chuffed seeing how I had missed him so much.

“Soon didn’t come quick enough.” I replied.

I let go of Daryl before things got intense between us and awkward for everyone else, I adjusted my shirt which had risen up when I reached for Daryl’s neck and started to talk; all eyes were on me anyway, “Did you get the baby food?”

“Enough for months,” Carl smiled, looking pleased with how todays run turned out.

“Good stuff! Need some help bringing it all inside?” I offered but Pete quickly jumped in.

“Why don’t you head on inside Lily, I can help them.” He added a wink on the end and I did as I was told. Somehow, today’s revelations with Pete had brought me even closer to him, he needed someone to confine in and I was his best person.

“Okay,” I brushed Daryl’s arm before I left which was responded with raised eyebrows from both my uncle and Rick.

I ignored them and returned to the prison to Maggie, Glen, Hershel and Judith; Beth had locked herself away in her cell. I sighed to myself but put on a front and joined the others.

Notes

I hope this chapter had cleared up questions and you know get what's going on! :-)
Tell me what you thought about it x

Comments

Girl, its been like 4 months since u last updated.

ElyseStyle ElyseStyle
6/6/14

Girl, its been like 4 months since u last updated.

ElyseStyle ElyseStyle
6/6/14

Love it, Lily and Bella bonded how sweet anyhoo great chapter can't wait to read more update as soon as u can :)

MoMo_chan92 MoMo_chan92
1/23/14

@Alice_Weekes
thank you! :D

walkingrosie walkingrosie
1/23/14

@SierraaDixon
Hahaha thank you so much!!! X

walkingrosie walkingrosie
1/23/14