Blood Will Tell Chapter 1

Rafael had reached the end of his patience. He'd tried to out-wait his daughter, but the teenager's recent reticence around him was breaking his heart. Perhaps he hadn't always been at home as much as he should have been, but he'd always tried to be a good father, always felt like they were close. But now, she was avoiding him, and he had no clue as to why. He wanted to respect her privacy, give her time to come to him, but... whatever it was was upsetting her, and he just couldn't stand that. So, finally, he called her into his office after she got home from school.

"Daddy?" she asked, wrapping a curl around her finger and refusing to look at him. "Is... is something wrong?"

He sighed and leaned forward on his elbows, uncertain how to begin. It was the day before her sixteenth birthday, and he didn't want to upset her further, but he simply couldn't take her pain any longer. "Raeka... sweetheart... I will not pry." His light Spanish accent was normally barely noticeable, but now it lent a soft edge to his words. "But..." He spread his hands helplessly. "You've always come to me before. You've always trusted me before."

Raeka took a deep breath, shivering. "I'm... I'm afraid to tell you." She didn't pretend not to know what he was talking about. "I... I need to. I should. But I'm scared." She looked up at him, finally, her big green eyes, so like her mother's, wide and frightened. Her nostrils were flared, and he could see the trembling of her jaw muscles from where he sat.

He frowned, worry filling his face. "Mija, you know that I would never hurt you, or let anyone hurt you. No matter what you did."

She bit her lip, her free hand coming up to grasp her elbow. "I know you won't hurt me. But... but I'm afraid you might not love me anymore."

"Raeka! That's ridiculous! There is nothing that you could do that would make me not love you anymore. Nothing." He stood up, shoving the chair back abruptly against the wall, and hurried around the desk. "Why would you think such a thing?"

Raeka looked at him, trembling. "R-really, daddy? You're s-sure?"

He reached out and pulled her into his arms. "Of course I'm sure."

She threw her arms around him, holding on desperately as she buried her face in his chest. "I don't want you to leave!" she said, her voice muffled. "Please don't go. Please don't go."

"What?" he asked, pulling back and staring down at her in confusion. "Carina, what on earth is wrong?! I'm not going anywhere, I promise!"

She looked up at him, cheeks streaked with tears. "You don't know yet. And I'm scared to tell you, but I know I should, and I feel guilty..."

He reached up and wiped the tears away. "Tell me, mija. Nothing can be so bad. Tell me, and we will fix it, I promise you."

Raeka sniffed. "We did blood typing in class a couple of weeks ago. In Biology." His blood chilled at her words, but he didn't interrupt. "So... I found out my blood type, and I know you're AB negative..." Her voice trailed off.

"And you were neither A, nor B, nor AB?" he asked, making an effort to keep his voice calm.

"O negative," she whispered. "So I'm... I'm not really your daughter. I can't be. I made her do it twice just in case there was a mistake."

He tightened his arms around her, thinking rapidly. "No," he said firmly. "Soy tu padre para siempre. It doesn't matter at all. You are my daughter, understand? I do not care."

"But..."

"But nothing. You are mine," he said. "It is as simple as that. I won't let anyone take you away from me." His jaw clenched, and his golden brown eyes glittered dangerously. "I will see to the legalities first thing in the morning." Carefully, gently, he kissed her forehead. "Now, querida, I think you should go see a movie, perhaps hang out with your friends. Maybe you could spend the night with one of them, eh?"

Raeka sat up carefully, looking at him. "No, Daddy. I knew what it would mean if I told you. I'm not going to run away from the consequences of my choices. I'll go to my room... I don't think I want to be around for what's coming, but I'm not going to run." She wiped the tears off of her cheek with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

He pulled her close, stroking her hair. "Shhhh, little love. I will take care of it. I will not be lied to, and I will not allow you to be lied to. I will have the truth. But I do not want you here, sweetheart. I want you safely away, at least for a few hours. It is not your choices that are lacking, Raeka."

She shook her head. "I'll stay in my room. But I can't run away, daddy." She looked up at him. "I can't."

"Sweetheart... 'running away' implies that you've done something wrong and are trying to avoid punishment. You have not. And I do not want you to be punished for something that is not your fault."

"I have to stay." She looked him in the eye. "I knew what you would do when I told you. I'm not going to try to avoid the consequences. I'll be okay, Daddy."

He sighed in exasperation. "Mija, what do you think I'm going to do, hm?"

"You are going to yell at her," Raeka said soberly. "You are going to be very angry with her, especially... I don't think you will hit her, but you might. You will be very angry." Raeka looked at him. "And you are right to be angry. I am angry. I cannot even tell you not to hit her... it would be hypocritical of me to do so. I want to slap her and yell at her and ask her why she would do such a thing to me, to you.... But she is still my mother, and I still love her, even though I very much think I hate her right now."

Rafael closed his eyes, letting the anger drain from him... temporarily, though, as there was no way to subdue it forever... and took a deep breath. "She is your mother," he said calmly. "Whatever else she is, or she has done, she is your mother. And you should be able to love and respect her as such. We will... work something out. This is not your last chance to see her. And this is not something that you should overhear, for the sake of that love and respect."

Raeka met his eyes. "If I left, I would simply exchange knowing for wondering. Do you really think I could think about anything else? I will stay in my room, and I will not come out unless you call me."

"Why should you be punished for her acts?" he asked. "No. You will go, and you will stay gone at least... " He glanced at the clock. "At least two and a half hours. After that, you may return, and go quietly to your room and tend your own business. If it bothers you so much, the idea of what I may do, then I'll confess to you my 'crimes' tomorrow, and you can feed your guilt then."

"Please, Daddy." She looked at him, her eyes wide. "It's not what you will do. It's the not knowing."

"I will not leave, mija," he said. "Why the hell should I? This is my house. I paid for it. I built part of it. I made it to be a home for you. It, and I, shall always be here for you."

She licked her lips. "Promise me, Daddy. Swear you won't leave!"

Rafael hugged her tightly. "I will not leave, Raeka. I am your father. This is your home. You will lose neither. I swear it."

"Then... if I have to."

He smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "And here I thought I would never see the day when you objected to going to the mall. Go, mija. I will still be here when you come home."

She pulled away, walking unsteadily toward the door, then turned and dashed back, hugging him tightly. "I'm your daughter. No matter what anyone says."

He lay his cheek against her soft curls. "No matter what."

She hugged him tightly. "I'll take my phone. Call me if... if anything happens I should know about."

"Go on, sweetheart. Everything will be... taken care of."

She left, and he was alone in his office.