Chapter 42: THE TALK

The two friends reeling under a myriad of distressing emotions, took a walk to the park, trying to make out heads and tails of the shocking matter at hand.
We are often self-medicated when we sit through our friend's painful emotions.
"I feel miserable, thinking of how it could have been, of how I thought it would be," an overwhelmed Audrey said as she was not only hurt but had been deeply traumatized by Dmitri's actions.
In spite of having achieved so many triumphs in their lives - the awards, the fame, the fortune and the honorary degrees, there had always been a void in their life that they could never fill- a void that only their first love could fill.
"After seeing Dmitri with Hazel, not only my heart ached but I'm also guilty of feeling jealous of them," Audrey confessed her innermost feelings of how hard it was to deal with romantic rejection.
"It's only natural for jealousy and bitterness to crop up when you see the love of your life with another person. We are humans and we just can not become saints by crushing our natural instincts," Rachel replied, knowing quite well that it's just a function of our monkey-mind for survival drives.
"Why is Infidelity so painful ?" Audrey questioned with a sob as Dmitri's betrayal had hit at the core of her being.
"The intensity of the pain shows how deeply your heart has honored your love," Rachel said while embracing her bestie.
Not only Audrey was left with pain, but was left with distressing questions, "How could he ?" and the deeper question of, "Why did he betray her trust to begin with ?"
"It's traumatic to know that Dmitri could stoop to this level and keep my baby a secret from me- the baby's mother, while enjoying life with his childhood friend," a grief-stricken Audrey choked out between her tears.
"I've been in this situation and I know, finding out that your love has cheated on you and has moved on with someone else can be devastating," Rachel replied as she could easily relate to every thread of Audrey"s mental fibre.
"That too, when I had given him my heart, as well as the most intimate part of myself ! It's excruciating to feel replaced and disregarded," Audrey added with distressing emotions. "It was pretty agonizing to see what I saw yesterday but the only silver lining is that my daughter is alive," she added with a sniff.
"You're right ! Remember all isn't lost ! You don"t have to grieve the loss of your baby now, as you're a mom to a toddler. Process that feeling and enjoy the same," Rachel said as she tried to help Audrey with her kind words to ease her back into some semblance of normalcy.
"I need my baby back ! This revelation of my secret baby is a shock to me ! I'm going to confront Dmitri," Audrey resolved as she explained her inner turmoil to her confidant, Rachel.
"Of course, this revelation is shocking to say the least but before confronting Dmitri, you need to analyze the situation with a calm mind and then approach this matter to reach an amicable solution in order to get your baby back," Rachel coaxed as she wanted Audrey to accept the truth and be on firm ground.
"For three years I had this lingering attachment to my past, a resurgence of desire to rewrite my fate, anxiety and regret that I had lost everything in a moment when I was unconscious," Audrey said.
"We need to find the truth of that eventful day when you were unconscious before we jump to any conclusions," Rachel advised her to recollect the sequence of events of Audrey"s delivery day.
"True but it is easier said than done, Rachel," A dismayed Audrey replied. "For the last three years I've been trying to unravel the mystery of all the happenings surrounding my delivery. Whenever I had attempted to intellectually make sense of it, I've only failed and felt more miserable," she woefully added.
"Audrey, I suggest you should get those hospital records checked where you delivered your baby. The mystery of your baby girl will be solved from that starting point only," Rachel recommended.
"Yes ! I'll inform one of my trusted acquaintances living in that city to get the hospital records for me ! I'm going to get them investigated today itself," Audrey perked up a bit at the prospect of finding out the truth after so long !
"I don't understand, why you never visited the hospital to check the records to know the findings of your daughter's health parameters when she was born," Rachel asked in amazement.
"Rachel, my parents confided in me that I had lost my baby because of Dmitri's negligence, so I never went for an investigation of the matter thinking he could be in trouble and that was the same reason my parents gave me for not pursuing the matter with the police," Audrey explained her side of the story.
"Audrey, there is some link missing in the chain. Don't you think so ? And let us try, how we can get better in our judgment by analyzing the facts you stated," Rachel suggested as the stakes were higher now.
"What do you mean by that ? Don't talk in riddles. You're quite logical and bright in practical life. Help me envision what the eyes of your mind can see," Audrey asserted.
"I don't want to suggest anything but there are a few things which are not adding up, especially after the revelation that your daughter is alive, if you see from my side without being biased," Rachel remarked.
"Rachel, what are the loopholes in this whole incident ? I plead with you to help me as my mind isn't making any sense out of this," Audrey pleaded.
"Now listen carefully and find answers to my questions with a calm and composed mind," Rachel said in a firm, serious tone.
"Fine ! You may ask the questions now," Audrey nodded after composing herself and calming down.
"Firstly, you were unconscious but not your parents, so why did they allow Dmitri to walk away with the baby ? Secondly, your parents must have signed the legal documents for the procedures and events that happened on that day for hospital records. Then how come they couldn't see that the baby you delivered was healthy and not stillborn ?" Rachel questioned as Audrey"s mind raced for a logical explanation for those questions.
"Why didn"t I think that ?" Audrey wondered out aloud.
"Sometimes, we don"t fall for false news just because we"re dumb. Often it"s a matter of letting the wrong impulses take over, as we're emotionally a mess during the moments of anxiety," Rachel responded.
"Why will my parents lie ?" Audrey countered as the questions took on a life of their own, each question further eroding her confidence.
"You know them better ! Also, you told me that your parents had buried your baby but they didn't take you there as you were not in the right frame of mind. The ultimate question is whose baby did they bury if yours was alive ?" Rachel asked.
"Why are even the smartest among us so bad at making judgments about what to trust and what not to ?" Audrey brokenly questioned, sorrow of a different kind embedding her heart this time.
Rachel encouraged Audrey to impartially evaluate and analyze the facts related to her daughter so that she could draw realistic conclusions and make an objective judgment that would help her make a decision.
"For three years, I never thought of all this. But, after seeing my daughter, all these burning questions have become relevant," a startled Audrey responded.
"Humans like to think of themselves as rational creatures, but much of the time we're guided by emotional and irrational thinking," Rachel replied.
"Think, why on earth Hazel would want to steal your baby, become a stepmom and not have her own kids with Dmitri, when she herself is a gynecologist and quite young ?" Rachel questioned, forcing Audrey's grey cells to work.
"God forbid ! And I hope not but maybe she can't become a mom !" Audrey retorted.
"Then, as a couple they can go for surrogacy, that is what they both are specialized in. They need not dare to offend your dad, who is quite an affluent person of your city, by using his daughter as a surrogate, " Rachel countered.
"What if it was still a nefarious design planned by Dmitri ?" Audrey asked.
"Of course ! We'll get everything interrogated unbiased. Now it should be easy to find Dmitri with Calvin's help after all his friends know him," Rachel replied.
"Yes, let's hear everything from the horse's mouth then," Audrey agreed. "The sooner, the better," she added.
"You are approaching this matter in the best way possible inspite of going through so much that life has suddenly thrown at you. I am so proud of you, Audrey !" Rachel hugged her.
"Thank you but this would not be possible without you, Rachel !" Audrey hugged her back. "Right now, I'm not able to figure out any meaning of what has happened in my life. Do you even think that my life has any meaning left ?" she asked as she now needed to be more organized in her mental space.
"Maybe there isn't a meaning to life ! Maybe there's only a meaning to living !!" Rachel replied.
Audrey shrugged before they heard a voice.
"Mommy ! Mommy !" Alex screamed as soon as the hotel's babysitter came to the park to drop Alex for playing with Rachel and Audrey.