Chapter Sixteen
It was very late at night and a tired and haggard Zachary returned home from work and went up to check his dad in his room. He was fast asleep and his 24 hour nurse updated Zachary about his dad's day.
Satisfied that his dad was fine, he went to the kitchen and drank a glass of warm milk and went up to his room to sleep. Thoughts of Sera invaded his head and he decided to check his messenger and Facebook account to see if River answered his last query about Sera's whereabouts.
River hardly checked her Facebook account so when he saw Julianna's wedding photographs in her account, he was surprised. Carol and Julianna had tagged River in their posts. That was the reason why so many photographs popped up at the same time. A new hope filled his heart. Maybe Sera had also attended the wedding.
He minutely checked each and every photograph. He froze when he saw a photograph of Sera with a baby boy. Did she get married already? His hopes were dashed at the thought.
He checked the other photographs of her and the baby. He zoomed upon them. It was then that he saw the striking similarity between the baby boy and himself. The boy was an exact replica of him!
He gasped and sat transfixed as realisation struck. The boy didn't look more than one year and a few months old. That meant only one thing. The little boy was his son, his own flesh and blood. Tears of happiness streamed down his face. He had a son? He couldn't believe his eyes.
The last two years had been a nightmare for him. After his degree he completely took over their business empire. He hadn't forgotten Sera. In fact his feelings for her increased manifold. What started as an obsession turned into love and he had no control whatsoever over his own heart. His heart beat for only one woman, Sera and he knew that he couldn't make Rebecca happy, even if he married her.
So, he thought of baring his soul to Rebecca and be truthful to her. He spoke to Rebecca and told her about his feelings for Sera. Rebecca confessed her feelings for some Greek tycoon whom she met a year back. So they mutually cancelled the engagement and since their parents didn't accept it, Rebecca took the extreme step and eloped to Greece to marry the man she loved.
Zachary went to meet Carol and got Sera's address in Huntsville, Alabama. He visited Sera's parents and found out that Sera had left home. They didn't know where she went. He went to River's grandparents house too but they didn't help him either. He would have stayed a few more days and found out where they went but when his dad called him back to Vegas due to an emergency, he had to return.
Upon returning he found that his mom had a severe brain stroke and was admitted to a hospital. For two hectic days he and his dad tried every possible medical treatment to revive his mom but nothing worked and she breathed her last breath.
His dad couldn't face his mom's death and he too had a serious heart attack. Within a matter of a few days, Zachary's world crumbled. His father needed constant care as he lost most of his flexibility. His speech was also affected and he needed help with the day to day activities. His treatment continued and Zachary appointed round the clock nurses to take care of him.
He had to give full attention to his businesses as his dad couldn't help in any way. Rebecca's dad pulled out of the contract and Zachary underwent huge losses. He worked extra hard to overcome the losses incurred.
Despite all these upheavals in his life, he still contacted River and asked about Sera's whereabouts. But she never answered his calls or replied to him. He had stabilised his businesses as well as his dad's schedule. He thought about pursuing Sera when his dad underwent a second heart attack. This made his condition worse than before. The treatments became more rigid and his diet and daily activities were strictly monitored. Zachary engaged the best doctors for his treatment.
After a meeting with a prospective client, he went straight to his dad's doctor to submit his dad's latest reports and discuss his treatment. He had just returned home when he found out about his own son.
He became desperate to search for Sera. He thought of asking his best friends Russell and Rowland who were River's brothers for help. If they could tell him River and Sera's whereabouts, he would go and get her. He would ask Russell and Rowland to take turns and look after his business and his dad in the meantime.
Feeling satisfied with his decision he went to sleep remembering the innocent faces of his love, Sera and his baby son.
The next day, early in the morning, he called Russell to Rowland's house and went there to meet both of them. "Hey Zach, how's uncle Fred now?" Asked Russell.
They had helped Zachary at every step of the way the last two years. Zachary was indeed indebted to them. "Worse than before. His saturation level isn't normal. His potassium and sodium content is very low and blood sugar levels need to be constantly monitored," he informed.
"That's really bad. Have you spoken to doctor Gregson?" Asked Rowland.
"Yeah, just last night, I had a talk with him," said Zachary.
"Is there anything serious that you need to discuss today? Let's sit over coffee while you tell us," said Rowland. He made coffee while his wife, Sharon was upstairs looking after their new born baby girl. Rowland's older son, who was one year old was getting ready for school. His housekeeper's voice could be heard as she got him ready.
Rowland handed a mug of coffee to Russell and Zachary. "I just wanted to know Sera's whereabouts. I'm tired of asking River. She doesn't respond at all to my calls or my messages. I can't leave dad and my work for long and hunt for Sera and woo her back. Yesterday night I saw photographs of Sera and my baby son on River's Facebook account. I've got to find them and bring them home. I love her, bro, please help me," said Zachary as his eyes filled up with tears of frustration and grief.
"Both River and Sera are in Montana at my granddad's ranch. I will give you the address. Go get her," said Russell.
"I can't leave dad alone. You both have to look after dad and my company till I return," he said.
"Would you mind if we rope in Maxwell as well? Three of us could take turns and look after uncle Fred and your work too. That way our work wouldn't be hampered, " said Rowland. Maxwell had become good friends with Zachary whenever he went to meet Carol for any update on Sera. Maxwell helped when Zachary's parents were at hospital. He met Russell and Rowland then and the four of them bonded well.
"Fine, I'll talk to Maxwell today and we can meet in the evening and I'll explain how everything needs to be done," said Zachary.
"Sure, call us," said Russell.
Rowland wrote down the address of his granddad's ranch in Montana. Zachary thanked him and returned home. He spoke to Maxwell, explaining everything on his way to his office. They decided to meet in the evening at Zachary's office. He informed Russell and Rowland and they agreed to see him at his office too.
The whole day, Zachary wrapped up as much work as possible. In the evening he updated his three friends, what needed to be done. He took them to his home and introduced them to his dad and the nurse. He updated them about his dad's ongoing treatments and also handed them a list of emergency numbers that they might need.
His friends left and he booked the next available flight to Great Falls.
"Wait Sera, I'm coming to get you and my baby. This time, I'll ensure that you don't get to leave me again," he whispered as he went to sleep for a few hours before his flight.
