Double or Nothing Pt. 05

She gave Harmony a soft smile as Harmony gave her a napkin from the table to clean up her face.

"Deal," replied my estranged daughter.

We sat for a few minutes, and Melody just held onto me, leaning on my shoulder and now and then turning her head to kiss my shoulder. Finally, after the third time, I drew her up and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. Mackenzie, who had been watching, giggled.

"Well, I guess it's true. My dad does have a thing for redheads!"

We laughed, "I think that's obvious, Mackenzie," Melody said, "your dad is married to us."

"No, I mean redheads as mum was a redhead too!"

Melody cocked her head with a questioning stare. "We've met Carol. She's not a redhead. She's a dark blonde, almost brown."

I blushed, knowing where this was going, as did Mackenzie. Now Harmony was giving me the questioning stare, then both my wives looked at me, "No way!" they said in unison, that way that only identical twins could say when they put two and two together.

"The carpet doesn't match the curtains." I blushed, laughed and shook my head.

Melody slapped me, "You dog, all these years, and you said nothing."

"Well, to be honest, I've been spending most of my time thinking about two other redheads and trying to forget my ex-wife."

It was correct to say as I got bedroom eyes from both my girls and a 'Dad too much information' look from Mackenzie.

Melody looked back at Mackenzie, "How did you know Mackenzie?"

She looked embarrassed. "Well, I suppose you guys are pretty open about your bodies, and I'm learning that I can't be embarrassed, in hospital." She sighed, "When I was fourteen, I went to ask Mum about something. I am usually a brunette when I have hair, but I was a light red colour below. Mum told me then it wasn't unusual, it does happen and that I got my colour from her.

We all laughed, but Mackenzie suddenly got a disturbed look.

"Dad," her tone had gotten serious again. "If I had known even half of what I know now back then, that mum was already having an affair with the dickhead, and was going to make us leave you and try to adopt me. I would have given her what for and chosen to stay with you for better or worse. I've missed so many years of feeling this loved, cared for or that I'm more than just a burden."

We looked at her questioningly, while we knew the dickhead would never love her like a real daughter. We always thought Carol looked out for her daughter first. Finally, Mackenzie took a deep breath.

"I know that Mum loves me and she cares. But even with my cancer, I am more about status to her. At first, I was the new daughter of then Doctor Dickhead." We all smiled at the reference. "Then in the last year, it's all been, 'my daughter has cancer' and working the sorrow angle. But Mum is still about her, and I feel like I am just the reason for her to gossip.

"But in just the last few hours, I've been able to talk, cry, and laugh. It has hurt as much, if not more, than the cancer treatment. And I have not liked reliving some of the things I have done to my dad." She glanced at me then looked down at the table again. "But I haven't felt like any of you were rejecting me. With Mum, when it got hard, she would walk out of the room and leave me to deal with it myself. It was like she was ashamed of me."

She looked at all of us.

"I have done all of you wrong, Dad in particular, but I was so rude. I need to apologize to the three of you because even with everything I have done wrong, and even if none of you ever forgive me, I have felt more love here in less than a day than seven years with Mum and Dickhead."

All of us fell silent.

"We will get there, Pumpkin, it's going to take time, but we will get there, okay?" I said my wives were nodding.

'So why is your last name now, Brown?" Harmony asked Mackenzie.

"It was Carol's maiden name," I responded before Mackenzie could reply. Mackenzie just nodded.

"After everything I had done, I couldn't contact Dad to ask if I could take the last name, Other, back, so when Mum divorced, Dickhead I removed the last name, Morrison, from my name and went with Mum's madden name." A sob escaped her lips. "Even then, Mum wasn't happy. She thought that I should keep the dickheads last name as because he had adopted me, I was his legal daughter, and she thought part of his estate should be mine since Mum wasn't going to get much in the divorce."

We sat silently for a few minutes, all of us lost in our thoughts.

Then we changed the topic to happier things. We told Mackenzie stories about our years together. We recapped our meeting, talked through dating and some of the early reactions we got to the three of us getting around town. We told her about some of the trips we did to the US and Europe, how the girls tried to teach me to ski, and how I kept falling over till I discovered snowboarding. Finally, we just sat and told her of our lives day to day with the kids.

Around ten, I could see that Mackenzie wanted to keep talking, but she was past tired. I walked her to a guest bedroom, showed her the bathroom and towels for the morning.

"Grampa's room is the next door down, and ours is the one next to the kids' room if you need anything, okay, Pumpkin?" I looked at Mackenzie.

Before I could respond, she smashed herself into me. I wrapped an arm around her, "I love you, Daddy." My twenty-two-year-old daughter told me. I tightened my arm.

"I love you too, but you need sleep. We'll talk more in the morning. Alright?"

"Alright." She responded.

We said a last goodnight, and when I walked into my bedroom, the girls were already in bed. I took a quick shower and threw on a pair of light cotton boxers. I slid into the middle of the bed, and my girls snuggled in, one on each side.

"I checked the kids a few minutes ago," Melody said and smiled. "None of them are in their beds. They are all on a pile on the ground. Uncle Paul set it up for them."

I kissed her, "Thank you, My Love. I feel bad that all this happened on family BBQ night."

"Don't be," Harmony said and leaned in for her kiss. "Tonight, was unexpected, but I saw a miracle that I never thought I would see."

Both Melody and I raised our eyebrows at her

"I saw our man's soul restored. For as much as we both love you, the hole that Mackenzie left was one we could never fix, and tonight we saw a part of you restored."

That night I fell asleep with my wives in my arms, and I slept deep and peacefully.

The following morning, the family got all the kids ready for breakfast in town. Harmony, Mackenzie and I headed into the hospital early to get my test done for marrow and plasma compatibility with Mackenzie's treatment. It would take about two days to get the full result set back.

Carol called Mackenzie, and Mackenzie let her know that she was with me getting the test done and that she would let her know where we were later. I could feel a gap between mother and daughter that I had never seen. I got that sense following our conversations the night before. It was possible that as Mackenzie and I were reconciling which brought us closer, the rift between her and Carol would widen, caused probably by what we were learning was manipulation of not just me but a then fifteen-year-old girl.

We caught up with everyone at one of the Bathurst breakfasts places we liked to frequent, Everyone in the family was there. I smiled seeing three generations of family together. It was mayhem, kids running around, parents and grandparents having coffee and the serving staff trying to look after everyone.

One small thing I found was that Mackenzie was always on one side of me or the other during those early days. Melody or Harmony would relinquish their spot so Mackenzie could sit next to me. A few times, when we would each have one of our four children on our laps, little Grace, in particular, would always gravitate to Mackenzie, and I often found her following Mackenzie around when she could. Out of my four, she took to her older half-sister and always wanted to be around her.

Carol came to join us at one point but didn't stay long. I think it was the hard looks my girls gave her and that Mackenzie kept telling her that she was fine and didn't need her constant attention. So, when Carol started to talk about how hard it had been with just the two of them and how Carol had to give up so many things for Mackenzie's treatment, everyone ignored her, even Mackenzie.

Two days later, when my tests came back, the shit hit the fan with Carol. I was a perfect match to Mackenzie, and if done immediately, we could work into Mackenzie's treatment schedule without too much fuss. Mackenzie's doctor was already in Sydney, so I arranged for a week off work, and I would take Mackenzie to Sydney for the initial procedure in forty-eight hours.

"You've got to be kidding, Terry, Mackenzie, and I can't just up and go to Sydney like that. We need things... I need to be able to arrange things so I can be there." Carol was bitching at me as we told her what we would be doing. So, we were sitting back out on my back deck again, just the two of us, while Harmony helped Mackenzie pack a few things and Melody took care of the kids with Paul and Kim.

"Carol, this isn't a negotiation. This is happening regardless of your schedule. We have an opportunity to do the procedure the day after tomorrow in Sydney."

"Terry, there are things to sort out, hotels to book. I can't get there, so it can't be done." I could almost feel her stamping her foot under the table.

I smirked, "That doesn't matter. You don't need to be there."

"What.... What do you mean?" Asked my ex-wife.

"You're not the one having to undergo the procedure. Mackenzie and I are. And as for flights and accommodation, I'll cover all of that."

"But I need to be there."

She was getting flustered, and some of her old anger came through.

"What right do you have to say what I can or cannot do with my daughter." My ex-wife scolded me. "Remember she's not even your daughter anymore, so fuck off, Terry, she can't go till I say she can!" Carol crossed her arms, glaring at me.

"Mother, would you truly stop me from getting the best treatment because it doesn't fit your schedule or social life?" Mackenzie said, walking up and joining us. "And don't you dare take that tone with someone who can save my life, regardless of him being a stranger, a friend or your ex-husband."

Carol backpedalled, not having seen Mackenzie standing there watching the last couple of minutes of our conversation. "Well, no, Dear, of course not. Terry was being stubborn. So, I was laying out a few facts for him." Carol was flustered but gave me a knowing smirk.

Mackenzie came and sat down beside me. Carol could barely hold her emotions in as Mackenzie reached down and held my hand.

"So, these facts," Mackenzie started. "It sounded to me like you were rubbing it in Dad's face that you forced him to give me up." Mackenzie's eyes narrowed. "Or is it more that your coerced your teenage daughter to sign adoption papers that took me away from my father."

For a few minutes, the girls traded barbs until Mackenize lost it.

"YOU LIED, MOTHER!" she spat, screaming the words.

"All these years, I thought that Dad didn't come near us because he didn't want us. I thought he ran away and never spoke to us because you and the dickhead told me he was just a poor plumber and not a real man. But it was YOU! You're the one that lied. You cheated on my father with that pathetic excuse for a man."

My daughter had been thinking over the past few days, and she let go at her mother. Carol wasn't sure what was going on.

"When Dad and I spoke the other night, and as we've continued chatting the last few days, we have talked about many things." Mackenzie let the comment lie with the three of us for a minute.

"Through talking to him, I now understand that you never loved Dad. And, if we look back on what you did to me and how you manipulated me, it was almost as bad as what we did to him. I honestly doubt you even love me." Mackenzie angrily told her mother.

"Mackenzie, Sweetie, how could you..." Carol said, she was losing control of the conversation so quickly.

"Easily," she cut her mother off, "These last few days reconnecting with Dad, talking with Melody and Harmony, meeting my little brothers and sisters." She smiled at me. "I have gotten more love and acceptance here than any time I have with you or that dickhead of a man I am ashamed to have recorded as my legal father."

"Mackenzie Grace Brown!" Carol said, becoming indignant, pushing the chair back and standing. "How dare you. Who's been the one taking you to the hospital, making sure you get your medication. Who drove you here so we could beg my ex-husband and your former father to save your life?"

"Yes, Mother, that was you, but let me ask you this. Was there ever a time that you took me to the hospital that you didn't take a selfie of yourself for Facebook or Instagram? Has there been a time you weren't seeking pity from the hordes online at my expense? Was there ever a time picking up my medication that you didn't seek a 'poor me' from the staff about your situation with Dickhead or how he's not supporting you with my illness?"

Carol's mouth started flapping, but no sound was coming out.

"And it took me, yes me! Almost six weeks to get you to drive here to ask Dad. You refused to do it, saying that Dad wouldn't want anything to do with us. Both you and Dickhead haven't given a care in the world about me if it wasn't convenient.

She looked back at her mother, "On paper, it may say that the dickhead is my father, but I know who raised me. Despite everything you and I did to him, how we treated him, he never batted an eyelid before arranging for the test and then arranging a procedure to try and save my life."

"That's not fair, Mackenzie, not fair by far." Carol protested. "It was me who arranged for your care, and it was me who got us out of Stephen's house when he went to jail. I was the one who drove us down here. Just because Terry's a match doesn't mean he can take you away from me without talking to me!"

"He IS talking to you, mother!" Mackenzie said, getting exasperated. "That's what this conversation was supposed to be about. There is an opening that Dad and I can get the procedure done when it will be effective before my next treatment. He's willing to do this for me. Why aren't you?"

Carol had nothing to say, then looked at me, her eyes narrowing.

"I knew it!" she proclaimed, "This is all your doing, Terry. Not even a week after we come here to beg you to help, you turn her against me."

"I'm doing no such thing, Carol," I replied calmly.

"Bullshit, Terry, my daughter couldn't function without me a week ago. Now she wants to fly to Sydney with a man who hasn't given her the time of day in seven years."

"MOTHER!" Mackenzie exclaimed. "This has absolutely nothing to do with you. So, for once in your entitled life, can you just shut up and understand that I NEED this procedure, or I am going to DIE!"

We watched as Carol deflated. Mackenzie changed tack.

"Mum, do you remember about six months after we left, Dad?" Carol suddenly glared at her daughter. Mackenzie held up the hand for a pause. "Yes, Mum, we left Dad. He never left us. His coming down here directly resulted from what we did to him."

She let that sink in a moment, then kept going.

"Do you remember right before the divorce was final, I was begging you to take me to see Dad? You again told me he was happier without us. So, you and the dickhead took me to Sydney to distract me. You both took me out, but you know what?" Carol looked at her, "You never once asked what I wanted to do. I was crying for my father. You took me to dinner and a show, but it was about you and him. Not about me."

Carol shook her head. "No, it wasn't, Sweetie. It was about you. You were just a teenager. How were you supposed to know what you wanted to do?"

"You ask," Mackenzie replied angrily. "You ask me, I would have loved to do a thousand things, but you know what the kicker was on that trip?"

She paused for dramatic effect.

"That night, the dickhead, decided that he would take you out without me later in the evening. And you didn't even bat an eyelid. In fact, you laughed at the idea. You left a devastated fifteen-year-old girl alone for hours in a hotel room, never asking if I wanted to come or if I could order room service. You didn't even check on me when you got back."

She shook her head at the memory. Carol had a blank look on her face. I tried just to stay neutral and hope neither of them saw me.

"When we got back to Maitland, the dickhead berated me in front of you for my having the gall to order some ice cream while the two of you were out. Do you remember what you said when he told me off?"

Carol looked down, shaking her head.

"You said," and she took on a pretentious tone pretending to be Carol. "Stephen darling, she will know her place better next time and ask before doing something for herself that affects us."

I joined Mackenzie in a glare at Carol.

"Know my place." Mackenzie said softly, "That's what you said. After that, you and Dickhead went to court, and you didn't get what you wanted, so you both threw Dad under the bus to everyone around you. I was still hurting but went along with it because I was confused. I loved you, Mum," she groaned, "And with you making me think that Dad didn't want me, I tried to cling to you and make you happy, to make Dickhead happy, even though I was desperate. You and I were both wrong."

"Look, Mackenzie." Carol flashed her eyes at me, looking for support, but got nothing but a blank stare from me in reply. "This is not the time or the place..."

"Are you kidding, Mum? Seven years, not including the time of your affair, and we can't talk about this. It's just the three of us. Everyone else is letting us be, if not now, when?"

Carol again started making fish shapes with her mouth. Finally, I decided it was time to jump in.

"Look, Carol, I think you need to understand that Mackenzie has a few things to work through like both of us. More even than you and I. We were adults at the time. But Mackenzie had to deal with all of this as a teenager."

"She didn't," Carol retorted, "We gave her everything, clothes, trips, the best schools."

"What about love?" I replied.

"She.... She had that too. Stephen and I loved her. We gave her everything we had."

"I think you are confusing what love is. After every conversation, don't you see it? Don't you get it?" I sighed for dramatic effect. "Carol, our daughter never needed things. She never needed to be an ornament to be used and put back in the cupboard for next time. She needed time and consideration. Love as a parent means accepting what she needs over your desires."

I glanced over at the house where my wives and children were. "I have learnt over the past seven years that love means doing everything for everyone else because it shows them you care about them, it means accepting who they are or what they do, just because they are someone you want to be with."

I sighed and shifted my gaze back to Carol. "When you turned up the other day with Mackenzie, you both told me about Mackenzie's cancer. I had to dig through so much hurt that I even thought of saying no." Mackenzie gasped and squeezed my arm.

"I thought both of you were out of my life for good. Indeed, now I have a good job where I am appreciated, four incredible kids to fix the mistakes I thought I made. In addition, I have a love of two great wives where even one of them gives me far more love than you ever did.

It was my turn to rant, so I drove my point home.

"Years ago, I was sitting out here with Kim, talking about my girls vs. both of you." I looked at Mackenzie, patted her hand holding mine, then looked back at Carol. "At the time, I was falling in love with both of them and was having a hard time reconciling in my head that I could be with both of them at the same time. Finally, on the back of one of my comments, Kim looked at me and said, 'double or nothing, eh?' At the time, I agreed. But it means a lot more to me today than it did back then.