Arrowheart

Chapter Seven

When the meeting ends, everyone starts filing out of the room while Stephanie and Mary insist on talking to me on my way to my office.

Elizabeth: "Alright, I must meet my father and daughter for lunch. You two hold down the fort while I'm gone."

Mary: "Of course, ma'am."

She goes back to her desk.

Stephanie: "I still need to get the invitations for the next fashion show. The models have been fitted with the outfits, and a pamphlet sample has been drawn up for you to review."

Elizabeth: "Alright, leave the sample on my desk and pick up the invitations on your way back from your lunch."

As I walk out of the elevator to leave the building, my phone rings. I pull it out of my purse to see Thea is calling me.

E: Hey, Thea.

T: Liz, I wish this was a social call, but it's not. My mom is in the hospital. She was shot at.

E: Oh my god, I'll be right there.

I hang up and get in my car, telling my driver to take me to the hospital before calling my father.

E: Hey, Dad, sorry, but I need a rain check for our lunch. Moira was just shot at and is in the hospital.

M: Alright, no problem. Let me know if she is okay. I'll watch Hannah for you.

E: Thanks, Dad.

M: Of course, we can reschedule for a later date.

E: Love you, dad.

M: Love you too, sweetheart.

I hang up and walk into the hospital. When I get to Moira's room, Oliver is just about to leave, till he sees me and stops.

Elizabeth: "Oliver, I was just coming to see your mom. How is she?"

Oliver: "Yeah, yeah, she's fine. She has a grade 2 concussion, but the doctor said she can come home today."

Elizabeth: "Thank goodness. I was so scared when Thea called."

Oliver: "Well, luckily, she's fine. Thank you for coming by, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth: "Of course."

He nods before walking past me, but I stop him.

Elizabeth: "Oliver,"

Oliver: "Yes, Liz?"

Elizabeth: "We should talk soon."

Oliver: "Sure. I'll try to stop by your place later tonight."

He quickly leaves, and I go into Moira's room to find her sitting in the hospital bed and Thea in a chair beside her.

After checking on Moira, I go home to find my father with my daughter in the living room.

Elizabeth: "Hey, I'm back."

Hannah: "Mommy!"

She drops her toy and runs to me. I catch her in my arms, picking her up and holding her tight.

Elizabeth: "Hey, baby. Did you have fun with Papa?"

Hannah: "Yeah, we had a tea party."

Elizabeth: "Really, that sounds like so much fun. I can't believe I missed it. Why don't you get ready, so we can see LiLi."

Hannah: "Okay."

She hurries off to her room as my dad walks over to me.

Malcolm: "How is Moira doing?"

Elizabeth: "She has a grade 2 concussion, but they released her from the hospital."

Malcolm: "I'll stop by to see her later tonight. I have some business to attend to."

Elizabeth: "I guess I'll see you later."

Malcolm: "Yeah, we'll have lunch soon."

He hugs me before saying goodbye to Hannah and leaving. I call Stephanie to inform her of the situation and that I won't be in for the rest of the day. Then Hannah and I go to the Queen's mansion.

~Malcolm's POV~

I return to my office, where I receive an email from an old associate of mine.

?: The boy is doing well in training. It won't be long before he's ready to make his first kill.

Malcolm: I'm not surprised. He is my blood, after all.

He sends me a photo of my grandson training with a bow and quiver, targeting moving cardboard men.

Malcolm: "That's my boy."

~Elizabeth's POV~

When we arrive at the Queen mansion, Hannah goes up to Moira's room while Oliver and I go into his room for a private conversation.

Oliver: "What was it you wanted to talk about?"

Elizabeth: "I need to talk to you about Hannah."

Oliver: "What about her?"

Elizabeth: "We need to decide what to do about our situation now that you have returned from the dead. She keeps asking me when you will move in with us, and I have no idea what to tell her."

He looks hesitant as he takes a deep breath, and I'm honestly nervous about his response. I bite my lip as I put my hands on my arms, as a 'trying to comfort myself' method to feel less nervous.

Oliver: "You're right. We need to discuss this, but I don't have the time right now. I have to take care of some business for my mother. I don't know when I'll be back. But I promise we will continue this conversation when I return."

I sigh, knowing he is just as nervous as I am about it, but at least he can escape for now. It's just frustrating because I want to get this conversation over with. But of course, he doesn't have time for it. I leave the room with him but go into Moira's room while he goes downstairs.

Upon entering her room, I hear The Little Mermaid on the TV and spot Hannah sleeping beside Moira while she is reading a magazine. She puts it down as I walk over to her, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Moira: "Let me guess, Oliver had to leave suddenly?"

Elizabeth: "Yup. It's almost impossible to have a serious conversation with the man."

She pulls me into a hug.

Moira: "Yes, I have had the same problem with him. However, seeing Dr. Lamb again made me remember the day Oliver came home. Dr. Lamb told me that the Oliver we'd lost might not be the one they'd found. I think it's easy to forget that he lived apart from civilization for five years."

Elizabeth: "I keep forgetting to think about that when things keep coming up with him. Of course, he's restless around here. You're right. We really should try to remember that more before judging him."

After my father showed up to see Moira, I went home with Hannah. I'm getting ready for work the following day when I hear a knock at my front door. I open it to find my brother on the other side.

Elizabeth: "Tommy, what are you doing here?"

Tommy: "Can I come in? I need to speak with you."

Elizabeth: "Of course."

I let him in and pour him a cup of coffee as he sits at the breakfast bar. He takes a big sip before nervously looking up at me.

Tommy: "Our father froze all my accounts and canceled all my credit cards. My car got repossessed, and I need to move out of my apartment by the end of the month."

I look up at him, completely stunned. He seems scared, and who could blame him?

Elizabeth: "Oh my god. Did you try to talk to Dad about the situation?"

Tommy: "Yeah, he called me a joke and wrote me off while doing a fencing lesson. He cut me off completely."

Elizabeth: "What can I do to help? Do you want to share my trust fund to help you get into a stable position?"

Tommy: "No, that's the easy answer. Normally, I would accept in a heartbeat, but I talked to Laurel and I'm gonna try to go into business with Oliver. But until then, can I borrow one of your cars until I can buy my own?"

Elizabeth: "Of course. Whatever I can do to help, just let me know. If you want to stay here till you find a place, that's fine too."

Tommy: "Thanks Ellie, but I'm staying with Laurel."

Elizabeth: "Well, I'll tell you one thing, there's no way I can even look at our father right now. Please call me anytime, day or night, if you need me."

I hug him, and Hannah comes running out of her room as we separate.

Hannah: "Uncle Tommy! Uncle Tommy! Are you here to play with me?"

Tommy: "Yes, I am, you little cookie monster."

He picks her up, smiling at the sight of her. At least Hannah can help him keep his mind off it for a while. I kiss Hannah's cheek and hug them both before I leave for work. Originally, I had planned to bring Hannah to work with me, but it will be good for Tommy to watch her now.

When I reach my office, Stephanie comes in with some files in hand.

Stephanie: "Hey, how is Moira doing?"

Elizabeth: "It wasn't as severe as I originally thought. She had a concussion, but they let her go home. She's doing just fine now."

Stephanie: "That's good news. Oh, here are the invitations you asked for."

She puts one on my desk for me to look over. I also look over the pamphlet.

Elizabeth: "Good work. These are perfect. Go ahead with printing the pamphlets and send the invitations as soon as possible. Also, I have been thinking about something for a while now. How many of our employees have children that we know of?"

Stephanie: "I don't know, but I can find out for you. Why do you ask?"

Elizabeth: "For two reasons. I was thinking about starting a clothing line for children and opening a daycare center for our employees' children. Sometimes it's hard to find someone to take care of Hannah for me, and it's not exactly feasible for me to take her to work with me all the time. I was lucky my brother showed up today."

Stephanie: "I see your point. It would make sense to open a daycare here. The second floor of this building isn't being used right now, so maybe that floor will work. I'll look into it for you."

Elizabeth: "Thank you. Please do that as soon as possible, and I will talk to the board of directors about a children's clothing line once we have some designs drawn up. Have Mary assign a couple of people for the job."

Stephanie: "Alright, I'll let her know."

I thank her again as she leaves. I look at the photos of Hannah and the only one I have of Liam. Sighing and wiping away a stray tear, I return to work before receiving a call from Thea.

T: Hey, Liz.

E: Hey, Thea, did something happen with your mom?

T: Kind of. Walter's back from his trip.

E: Well, that's good. Thanks for letting me know.

T: No problem. I'll see you later.

E: Okay, bye.

After hanging up, I continued my work until Mary came in.

Mary: "Hey, Elizabeth, I have good news for you."

Elizabeth: "And what could that be?"

Mary: "Apparently, someone else in my section has been thinking the same about a children's clothing line since the last time she saw your daughter. She has a few designs for you."

Elizabeth: "That's good. Send them to me as soon as you get them."

Mary: "I have them right here for you."

She hands me a file which I leaf through as she continues.

Mary: "Also, there's a new restaurant opening tomorrow night called Table Salt, and I thought you, Stephanie, Peyton, and I could go check it out. I already made a reservation. We could all use a girls' night out."

I chuckle at her comment.

Elizabeth: "Of course, we can. I'll ask Moira and Walter if they can watch Hannah for me."

Mary: "Why not ask Oliver? Hannah wants to spend time with him, doesn't she?"

Elizabeth: "Yeah, but he's always busy lately. I can't trust him to show up and stay."

Mary: "Fair enough. Honestly, it seems he doesn't even want to spend time with anyone sometimes."

Elizabeth: "I've had the same thought. But we must cut him some slack after he has been alone on an island for five years."

Mary: "True. I forgot about that. Well, let me know if you need anything."

Elizabeth: "Thanks. Also, these sketches are excellent. Have her create a few more and send them to me. You can send these to the tailors for now."

Mary: "I'm on it."