Page 47

NOW

August 2023

Lily

DNA Clinic, Docklands, Dublin

Lily arrived fifteen minutes early for their clinic appointment at 12pm, but it was clear she wasn’t the only early bird. She found Zach pacing up and down the quayside, scrolling through his phone. His shoulders were rounded, and his eyes darted up and down the street, looking out for her, she assumed. And when he spotted Lily his face broke into the lopsided grin, she now associated with him. He jogged towards her, pulling her into a quick hug.

‘Am I glad to see you! Every nerve is on edge,’ Zach said.

Lily could sympathise. She’d only managed a couple of hours’ sleep the previous night.

‘I know! But wasn’t yesterday lovely? I’ve never seen Mum and Dad so happy and relaxed.’

‘I’ll never forget it,’ Zach agreed, then held up his AirPods. ‘Best present ever!’

Lily looked up at him and frowned. ‘I feel like everything is about to change, Zach.’ Her stomach flipped and turned, as it used to before she was due to sit her exams in college.

Zach face crumpled. ‘I think it already has changed.’

‘What’s wrong?’ Lily asked. ‘I mean, other than the obvious.’

‘Jenny called again and demanded that I not collect the results.’

‘I do sympathise with her. It must be scary, waiting to hear the news,’ Lily replied. ‘But it’s unfair of her to blame you for something you have no control over.’

‘She doesn’t see it like that. And when I told her that it didn’t matter if I stayed home today, you would come in for the results anyway, she started to cry. She said she’d never forgive me for bringing this to them all.’

A bike whizzed by on the cycle lane, and the sound of cars moving along the busy road filled the air. Lily shrugged off her light denim jacket. The sun had exploded into the blue sky from behind the clouds hanging low all day.

‘That’s a good sign.’ Lily said, pointing upwards. ‘It will all work out. You’ll see.’ But she felt a shiver run down her spine as she spoke.

Zach’s phone beeped, alerting him to a text. He paled as he read it. ‘It’s from Jenny.’ He cleared his throat and then read the text out loud.

‘Zach, it’s clear that you have no intention of doing what’s right for your family. I don’t know what you are looking for, but I hope you don’t lose everything in pursuing this crusade. You left me with no choice following our call yesterday. Ally and I called to see Mom and Dad. We’ve told them both about what you are up to. Mom crumbled in front of us. That’s on you. And, for the record, she said emphatically that she did not steal anyone else’s child.’

Lily winced as Zach’s voice trailed off. She could only imagine how distressing this was for him.

‘Well, your mother would deny it all, wouldn’t she?’ Lily said.

‘I suppose. What a bloody mess!’ Zach replied. Then his phone rang, the sound piercing the air between them. ‘It’s Mom!’

They both looked at the phone ringing repeatedly, unable to take their eyes off it until, mercifully, it finally went to voicemail. But, less than thirty seconds later, it rang again. This time it was Zach’s stepfather, Dom.

‘Put it on silent,’ Lily advised.

Zach did as she suggested, and then they stood looking at the doorway to the clinic.

‘I suppose we should go in,’ Lily said, making her way inside, with Zach following behind. Once they’d given the receptionist their details, they took a seat and waited.

‘Dad’s still ringing,’ Zach said, holding up his phone. ‘Hang on, there’s a text from Mom now.’ His jaw tightened as he read, ‘Zach, stay away from the Murphy family. I need you to trust me on this. Call me back urgently – Mom.’

Lily felt a flash of anger at this woman again. How dare she tell Zach to stay away from them ? As if it were they who were the dangerous ones. ‘Your mom has some cheek.’

‘It makes me even more sure that I’m right,’ Zach said, his face flushing with anger.

Ciara Shanahan poked her head out of her office and down the corridor. ‘Zach, Lily, you can come in now.’

‘You ready for this?’ Zach asked.

‘Nope. Yes. Maybe.’

They both giggled nervously at Lily’s words. But then Lily stood up and held her hand out to Zach.

‘We’ve got this. Together.’ They walked side by side into Ciara’s office.

‘I won’t ask how you’re both doing. I can see by the matching looks of fear on your faces that you are not in the mood for chit-chat. So I’ll get straight to the results,’ Ciara said. She picked up a brown folder and opened it, taking out an A4 sheet.

Lily watched her face, looking for a clue as to what she was reading, but it was impassive, giving nothing away.

‘We wanted to determine if you both share one common parent. In a sibling test, we calculate a sibling index, and if this is less than 1.00, then it indicates that you are not related. If the index is greater than 1.00, then you are related, either as half or full siblings, depending on the number.’

Zach squeezed Lily’s hand so tightly that she winced in pain.

‘The number is less than 1.00. You are not siblings.’