Chapter 21: Chapter 21

TWENTY ONE- WHAT ABOUT US?

The pattering sound of rain woke Louisa up from her deep slumber. She groaned tiredly, lazily feeling her bedside table for her phone so she could check the time. It was two thirty a.m., and she didn't even have to go to work early as she had called her assistant the night before, explaining to her that she had a family emergency and therefore couldn't make it to work at her usual time of eight o'clock.

The woman got up to close her curtains, and grabbed her bathrobe, heading to her daughter's room to make sure the curtains had been closed over there as well. Isabel slept soundly... she didn't even stir when her mother turned on the lights. Louisa silently closed the curtains and waltzed towards the young teen, pulling the covers over her shoulders gently and giving her a kiss on the forehead.

She stood there for a moment, looking at the girl as she slept, lost in thought as she recalled what had happened the day before.

William finally knew he had a daughter!

Gosh, she found it hard to believe how easily she had told him. In fact, now that Louisa thought about it, she felt she had been a bit hasty in disclosing the secret. The man was definitely going to want to be part of his child's life now but was that what she wanted? She didn't really know.

She imagined how life would be like living together as a whole family... with William as her husband and she his wife, and couldn't help but smile. Now, that wouldn't be so bad, seeing as she still felt something for him... but then thoughts of Chris involuntarily wafted in, interrupting the seemingly blissful scene. She remembered how thoughtful he had been at the hospital... offering to come drop her at home with her car and then go back in a taxi to get his since she had seemed very tired and was in no condition to drive(his very own words.)... She thought about how he had popped up unannounced at the hospital just so he could spend some time with her, and how he had held her in his arms after they had left Naa Larley with Mike as they walked to her car.

She really couldn't deny it. She felt something for him as well... what it was exactly, she couldn't tell.

Louisa sighed again, then looked down to see her daughter stirring. She tried to tiptoe out of the room so as to not wake the young girl up, but it was already too late.

"M-mum? What are you doing here?" Isabel groaned tiredly, squinting at the bright light that met her poor eyes.

"I'm sorry honey, I came to close your windows and curtains but then your covers were off so I tried to fix them as well." Louisa whispered sheepishly as she watched her daughter sit up in bed.

"You were staring at me real hard when I woke up, with this weird smile on your face." Isabel paused and scooted to one end of the bed so her mother could join her. She continued when they were both comfortable

"You know, it was really creepy... You standing there smiling like that." She finished with a long stretch and a yawn. Her mother laughed.

"I'm so sorry once again love. But trust me, there are way more creepier things out there than a mother lovingly staring at her child."

Louisa got in the covers and pulled her daughter close, lightly brushing a hand over her hair.

"What time is it?" She heard her daughter ask.

"It was two thirty when I left my room, it should be around two forty-five by now." Louisa guessed, reaching for the A.C remote to turn off the air condition.

"You should go back to sleep Isa. You have about four hours before you have to wake up again."

Isabel looked up at her mother expectantly, "Can I skip school today mum? You ruined m-"

"Nope. You're going to school, even if there's an earthquake, so that's that." Louisa interrupted, rolling her eyes at the pout that appeared on her daughter's pretty face.

Mother and daughter cuddled against each other and soon drifted off in a blissful sleep.

○●○●○●

Louisa had lunch in her office that day; her lunch partner was still stuck in the hospital but, she was hopefully going to be released in the evening.

She was cleaning up after her meal when her assistant knocked and peeked into her office.

"Mr. William Blankson here to see you Louisa. Should I bring him in?"

Louisa looked up in alarm, and then allowed herself to relax.

"Please let him in. Thank you." She instructed.

She stood up and smoothed her clothes; she was in an African print straight dress today but even though she knew she looked resplendent, Louisa couldn't help but feel nervous.

With a brief knock, William entered her office looking handsome as usual in a deep blue suit.

"Hello Louisa." He greeted, pausing briefly in his strides to properly check her out, though he didn't blatantly do it... despite really wanting to. He didn't want to get on her bad side, seeing as they were just becoming cordial, and he didn't want to ruin things.

"You look really beautiful, Lou." He commented instead, shoving his hands into his pockets in a state of nervousness. He grinned when he saw the woman lost for words for a brief moment and gave her a little while to find her bearings once more.

"Uhm. Thank you very much Will." She managed to reply, signalling for him to take a seat and settling into her own chair as well.

William cleared his throat awkwardly and began. "Uh... so, how is Naa doing?"

Louisa looked at him in surprise. That was actually very thoughtful of him; she had really thought their meeting was going to be all about Isabel but the man at least had some manners... then again, William always did, they met because of it after all.

"Oh, she's great. It was just tiredness, and she'll hopefully be discharged today." She replied optimistically, sending a little smile his way, leaving the poor man smitten with her toothpaste commercial smile and cute dimples.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he nodded in understanding. He cleared his throat after a while and began,

"Alright Louisa, so you know why I'm here. I want to meet my daughter, but first tell me about her. What is she like? What was she like as a child? What does she like? What's her personality like?" He paused his excited rant when he noticed how Louisa was staring at him and run a hand over his hair nervously, cringing inwardly at his constant use of the word "like".

"I know I'm rambling, but I- I just can't help it." He defended.

"I've missed so much of Isabel's life... an- and I don't know if my meeting her will be a good thing or not you know." He unbuttoned his suit and placed his arms on the desk, head bent for a moment.

Louisa's gaze softened when she glanced at him when his head came up, and noticed the tears in his eyes.

"...but I want to try, I want to get to know her. I want her in my life... it was like I wasn't living, and truly, I don't think I was, but news of having a legacy with you... a child with you, the love of my life has given me hope... given me something to live for, and for that alone I'm grateful."

Louisa's hand reached out to touch his in comfort. "I understand Will, and trust me... you'll get to meet her, and soon. But I have to have a talk with her first." She explained quietly.

William stood up. "Believe me Louisa, I understand, but how long is it gonna take?" He began to pace, slightly agitated.

"Look," he pinched the bridge of his nose, "You probably wouldn't understand, but you've had Isabel with you this whole time, a-a-and I've had-- nothing!"

Louisa stood up at the proclamation. "I'm trying so damn hard to understand you but you're making it so difficult!" She screamed in frustration.

Edging towards him slowly, menacingly, she whispered angrily. "You know, I get that you did what you had to do... what you felt you should do, but put yourself in my shoes for a minute." She leaned against her desk, arms folded.

"Your boyfriend, vanishes into thin air... without so much as a goodbye, and you're left shattered."

"Louisa-"

"Hold up. I'm not done." She interrupted, index finger held up in the air.

"It doesn't end there," she continued, "But you find out that you're pregnant, right when you've just landed a new job at the most tough-to-get-into law firms in the country."

She sighed heavily and continued. "Times were quite hard... You have complications in your pregnancy, yada, yada, yada... You lose your dad, blah blah blah and now said boyfriend... definitely an ex now, waltzes back into your life, trying to pressurise you into quickly doing something you have to slowly jump into. What are you going to do, huh?" She asked, inching right into his personal space, jabbing her index finger in his chest questioningly.

"Because believe me, a lot of people will think me stupid for even talking to you right now." She reached out for his hands gently.

"All I ask for is a little more time before I introduce you to Isa, Will. It's not an easy thing I'm going to do, trust me... especially when I've told her some lies I'm not very proud of, and will probably shatter the foundation of trust she has had in me for so long."

William pulled her into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Louisa... for everything, especially for what just happened. I truly understand you, believe me, I really do. It's just-- I let my frustration get the best out of me."

Louisa felt so much better, especially now that she had gotten everything of her chest.

"That's quite alright. We all do that sometimes." She conceded, sighing contentedly in his arms."

"Louisa?" William broke the hug and looked into her eyes... She looked right back.

"What about us?" He asked.

"What happens with us, will you ever forgive me for what happened and take me back?" The look on his face was so intense, Louisa realised just then that her answer to that question could literally make or unmake him.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Uhm Will, the focus isn't on you or me right now, but on our daughter. Let's deal with her first and then we can talk about anything else, later." She finished, trying to step out of his arms... trying to being the keyword here. She didn't really want to, and William could tell by the relaxed set of her shoulders, and so he didn't let go.

It was in this position that Chris met them when he stepped into the office after a short knock; William and Louisa, locked in a lovers embrace, and it seemed like there was no place they'd rather be.