Chapter 57

~~ LILY ~~

“Lily, please talk to me.  I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s gone wrong.”  Lucien had been asking me this question since he’d collected me from Michael’s house after he’d left me in tears.

I couldn’t speak.  My tears wouldn’t stop flowing as I cried all over him.  One minute everything was fine and I was so happy and the next Michael had told me to leave.  I thought that he loved me and would welcome our child, but no.  The minute I’d blurted out that I was pregnant, his whole demeanor changed.  I hadn’t known what to do, so I’d rang my friend, Lucien to come get me, and I was still sobbing all over him.  I needed to tell him and perhaps he would know why Michael reacted the way he did.

With a slight adjustment, I was out of his arms and sat up in the chair.  I wiped at my tears and blew my nose.  I turned to Lucien.  “I told Michael that I’m pregnant.”  His eyes widened.  “I love him, Lucien.”  I started to cry again.  “I told him and he told me he was going out and to be gone when he got back.  Why would he say that to me?  I thought he loved me, too.  He’s never said, but the way he looks at me makes me think that he does.”  I took hold of Lucien’s hands.  “Do you know why he acted like he did?”  Lucien turned away, but kept my hands in his.  “Lucien please, if you know, please tell me, it’s killing me.”

Lucien pulled me back into his arms and stroked down my back while I cried.  “How pregnant are you?” Lucien asked.

“Close to five weeks, but I conceived about three weeks ago.  They date the pregnancy from the first day of your last cycle.  Lucien, if you knew what was going on would you tell me?” I asked him.

“Lily, please don’t ask me that.”

I sat up.  “You do know,” I accused.

“I’m not actually sure.  I have an idea, but I need to talk to Michael first.”

“I feel sick,” I groaned.

Lucien shot up from the chair and carried me to the bathroom just in time for me to lose everything down the toilet.  When I was finished, I just stayed on the bathroom floor in a heap, crying.

“Do you think you’ll be all right if I carried you through to the bedroom?”

I just nodded.

Lucien picked me up in his arms and carried me to his bedroom then laid me on the bed.  He covered me up with a fleece blanket and walked back to the bathroom, only to return with a wash cloth.

He sat on the side of the bed and wiped my face while I watched him.  He was a really great guy.

“Thank you for taking care of me.  I didn’t know who to ring.  Perhaps I shouldn’t have rang you, because you’re Michael’s brother,” my voice hitched, “but I needed you.”  Tears welled up in my eyes again.

“Lily, we’re friends, okay?  I’m glad you rang me, I really am.  At first you frightened the life out of me when I saw you. I thought something had happened to Michael.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to keep apologizing…. Lily, can I ask you something without you screaming at me?”

I moaned.  “Okay.  I promise no bodily harm.”

He took a deep breath and met my eyes.  “You’ve lived with Michael now….”

“Twenty-five days,” I interrupted.

“Twenty-five days.  Is there any chance that you could be further along than three weeks?”

I shook my head.  “No.  I conceived about three weeks ago, but I’m five weeks pregnant.”

“All right.  Sorry, you’ve already told me that.  So there isn’t any chance David got you this way?”

Why was he asking me these questions?  “You don’t believe me, do you?  That this is Michael’s baby?”

“I….”

“Don’t say anything.  David had a vasectomy four years ago.  There’s some disease that runs in his family and it can harm an unborn child, so he didn’t want to put himself or anyone else through what his parents went through twice after he was born.  He was pretty anal about it, because he still insisted I used the pill and him a condom.  I ran out of the pill and didn’t bother to replace it.  The only other man I’ve had sex with is Michael and we never once used protection.  Does that answer your question?”

“Sort of,” he replied.

I just looked at him.  What did he mean, sort of?  What kind of an answer was that?  Yes or no would have been more appropriate.

“Listen, Lily. I need to go find Michael to make sure he’s okay.  I’ve text my mother and she’s on her way here to stay with you.” I panicked.  “It’s okay, she’ll look after you, but I don’t want to leave you here alone, okay?”

“I guess.”

“Try and rest.  If you need anything, I’ll be out there until my mother gets here.”

“All right.  Tell him I love him. Ask him if he’ll please come and talk to me in the morning.  I need to know why he reacted the way he did.”

“Don’t you want to talk to him tonight?”

I shook my head.  “No.  I need to rest and think. I’m not sure I can handle seeing him tonight.  He broke my heart, Lucien.  Nothing has ever hurt as much, but I still love him.”  I started crying again.

“I know you do.  I’ll tell him and make sure he waits until tomorrow to come and talk to you.”

“Thank you.”

Lucien gave me a hug before he walked out of the room and shut the door while I cried myself to sleep.