10

He entered the doctor's surgery and followed the signs until he reached the unit he was looking for.

He waited patiently as the queue slowly dwindled, and was finally served.

"Oliver Best. I'm here to collect paternity test results."

He waited for the receptionist to find his envelop and sank into the nearest chair.

His hands were shaking, he realised, as he tore the envelop open. He stared at the paper for a moment, before he felt his face pale.

Negative.

He hissed in an angry breath; he wasn't Lily's father, after all.

That whore must have somehow switched the samples that were given to the surrogate.

He brooded for a moment, before his mind cleared.

He'd just have to convince the girl some other way.

As he walked to the exit, he noticed a woman sat alone on the end of a row of chairs, sobbing quietly.

Struck with an idea, he went over to her.

"Are you alright?" He asked her gently.

She gulped and sniffled a little.

"Bad news?" He asked, motioning to the envelop clutched in her hand.

The women shook her head frantically.

"No. Good. Very good." She managed to give him a weak smile.

"I'm glad." He smiled indulgently back at her. "You look like you could use a drink."

"I should get-"

"Just a quick one." He insisted gently. "To recover your nerves, before you tell the father."

After a second's hesitation, the woman nodded.

He watched her slide the paper into her bag and, when she turned to unhook her coat from the stand beside the door, his hand darted inside, snatched the paper, and shoved the positive result quickly into his own pocket.