I always wondered what happened in that gap of time between Will and Louisa playing around after the wedding and when they returned home and encountered a distraught Camilla. I will fill in the blank...
Will couldn't take his eyes off of her all night. For once, she was allowing herself to have fun. Her eyes, her laugh, her hair...the way she tilted her head, the way she looked at him; it was as if he was still the Will he was before the accident. There was no pity in her eyes. He was just a man.
Will knew she wouldn't be in any condition to drive this evening as she chatted and sipped pimms with Mary. This actually made him happy. She needed this. She deserved this. They'd figure things out. He wanted her to just be a girl...who didn't have a care in the world...well, maybe only cared about him. :)
Will discretely moved outside of the tent to use his voice activated phone and call the adjacent hotel that had been reserved for wedding guests. Will and Lou hadn't intended on staying the night, so they had not made arrangements. When they answered the reservation line, they informed him that they had one room available. This would have to do. So Will gave them his card number and set aside the room for them while Lou rested off her night of fun. Will didn't mind spending some time alone with her at all.
Will quietly returned to the party and Louisa caught him peripherally. She quickly bounced up from the table and nearly flew to him. She had missed him. They smiled at each other and flirted. She teased that he would never have looked at her under other circumstances. Boy he thought...what a waste his life had been before because it was true. She invited him to dance. It was almost as if they had a magnetic soul connection at that moment. They danced, they laughed, they made plans for a trip. Will felt complete. She made him feel confident and virile. Oh did she ever. He let her know that she didn't have to worry about driving. They would stay the night at the hotel. She briefly panicked. He soothed her. He assured her that he trusted her and that everything would be ok. She believed him. They quickly departed the reception and used the excuse that Will was feeling tired. Rubbish. Will and Louisa wanted to be alone together. She stayed on his lap and threw caution to the wind and rolled downhill with intrepid speed, laughing all the way.
When they arrived in their room, they both giggled with nervousness. There was definitely a chemistry there. Will assured Louisa that he would be respectful of her and reminded her that 1) he really couldn't do anything and 2) she has a boyfriend. This is something she had momentarily allowed herself to forget.
Louisa was a bit inebriated, but nonetheless, was able to complete some clinical tasks that were necessary for Will's well-being. She had never completed some of these necessities, but he allowed her to cross that intimate line and did not feel any regret. This actually made him feel closer to her. She had done something that only his father and Nate had done and had seen parts of him that only they and past girlfriends had seen. He was ok with this. She was ok with this.
Louisa stripped him down to his undershirt and briefs for comfort. She pulled out a spare undershirt of his that she had put in his medical bag to wear herself. She positioned him in bed and lied down next to him. They smiled and looked into each other's eyes.
He lifted his arm as far as he could and twitched his fingers to touch her arm. She responded and moved closer to him.
"Did you have a good time today?" he asked. "You looked beautiful."
"I did, but you must be blind." she responded.
"Please don't say that about yourself. You are very beautiful and very smart."
She blushed.
They started talking; talking like an old couple who had a long history of love, trust, and support between them. He felt it. She felt it too. There was nothing unnatural or forced about this moment. It felt perfect. Louisa had never had someone treat her as someone important the way that Will did. She revealed to him that she actually was good in school. She got good grades. She also doodled and scrawled on her schoolwork and wrote poetry and worked with textiles. Her family never believed in her. They though she was aloof and they pushed Treena forward. She hung back. He assured her that he saw that talent and intelligence in her the moment he met her. She listened to him. She hung on his every word and he on hers. He never felt this way. He was talking to a woman, revealing his thoughts, his dreams, his heart...and she was truly listening to him. She wasn't thinking about his surname or his bank account. She gave him advice, she answered him...they pulled each other in closer.
He was tired, but didn't want to sleep. It was more important to him for her to continue talking...sharing...opening up to him, discovering. The more he listened, the more he regretted all of the time he had wasted when he was whole, on shallow and thoughtless women because of his closed-mindedness. At this moment, even more, he envied Patrick. He had never wanted to be with someone so much, in this way. For now, he would take what he could get.
The more she spoke and listened, the more she was drawn to Will. She lamented that she had been so reclusive and regretted her current relationship status.
The night passed in what felt like the blink of an eye. She made him feel safe and he made her feel safe.
The next morning, they pulled themselves together as best as they could and got in the car to go home.
Louisa knew she wasn't looking her best when they pulled up to the castle and Camilla was anxiously awaiting. She questioned them. Louisa hung back and allowed for Will to respond to his mum. The shock on Camilla's face when Will responded that he was old enough to stay overnight at a hotel without permission was comical and priceless.
The next morning when she reported to work, she received word that Will had been rushed to the hospital. She ran to him.