Luke Girardi pulled up in front of the same diner he had stopped at several
months ago. But this time he knew for a fact that Grace was here, and he
had to talk to her. He sat in his car for a moment, thinking, trying to
figure out exactly how to word what he wanted to say to her. There was no
easy way to do it.
He climbed out of the car and headed inside, after glancing around her realized Grace wasn't there. Maybe she lied to him about it.
"Hey." Chloe greeted him. "What can I do for you?"
"I'm looking for Grace." Chloe watched him for a second and bit her lip. "She told me she worked here, and lived in an apartment around here. I really need to talk to her. Please." Luke pleaded with her, and Chloe relented.
"Okay, just a second and I'll take you over there."
Chloe knocked softly on Grace's door. "Grace, it's me." She called.
"Come in Chlo." Grace called from her place still in bed.
Chloe walked inside and looked at Grace who was laying oh her side with her back to her. "Just wanted to see how you were doing, and tell you that daddy said you could take the day off."
"I'm fine Chloe, and you don't have to do that. I can still work."
"Not necessary. I'll see you later." Chloe left Grace's apartment quickly, leaving Luke inside.
Luke stood inside of the door, watching Grace. Looking at her for the first time in months. She was breathing slowly, her hair longer than it had been the last time. He opened is mouth. Then closed it again.
"Grace." Her upper body wrenched around and she stared at him with wide eyes.
"What are you doing here Luke?"
"I needed to talk to you."
Grace sighed softly. "About what?"
"I want to know if we have a chance of being able to work things out because I forgive you Grace. I don't understand why you did... what you did. But I love you Grace. I love you so much. I don't want to loose you."
Grace sat up slowly, and looked at him, while she was sure to keep the blankets against her, concealing her swollen belly. "You honestly think we could be okay?"
I don't know." Luke walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "But don't you think it's worth a try?"
Grace watched him for several long moments before sliding her hand over to his. "I love you too Luke. "He smiled at her. "But I don't know if it's enough."
"Why not?" Grace bit her lip. "Grace? Why don't you think that it's enough?" Luke pushed the question.
"Because Luke... I'm pregnant." His eyes went wide; he smiled halfway, before frowning.
"You don't know who the father is, do you?" Grace bowed her head and shook it slowly. "That's great Grace. You don't even know who the guy was; you screwed him, and got pregnant!"
Grace wanted to tell him, but she knew it would make matters worse. "I'll have a paternity test done as soon as I have the baby. I'll call you and let you know if it's yours."
Luke stood up and just stared at her. "You've got it all figured out don't you? I don't know how I could ever love someone like you."
Grace jerked her head up. That hurt. But she didn't blame him. She hurt him.
"I'm going back to Arcadia now. I originally came here to just let you know I was going to propose to Glynis. Because I can at least trust her not to cheat on me." Luke knew that he was hurting her, he saw the pain evident across her face, but he was so angry with her. He didn't care about her cheating on him anymore. Well he did, he loved her, and it hurt, but he forgave her. But finding out that she was pregnant, looked to be about eight months, it meant she got pregnant right before she left. For all he knew, after. So she was still cheating on him up until four days before their wedding.
And it was all a lie. He wasn't going to propose to Glynis; in fact he'd broken it off with her before he came to find Grace. Glynis knew that he was in love with Grace, that no one would ever replace her, and she'd accepted that.
"Well... I hope she makes you happy." Grace whispered before throwing back the blankets from her bed and padding across the room and into the bathroom. He heard the lock on the door click shut and sighed. Luke ran his hands through his hair before leaving her apartment and going back to his car. And then he started driving back to Arcadia.
Grace gripped her stomach with one hand; the other held the edge of the counter. Pains were shooting through her stomach. It was too early. Too early. She wasn't in labor yet, she couldn't be. She swallowed hard, as the tears started rolling down her cheeks. Luke's words had hurt her more than the pains in her belly though.
Half an hour later the pains hadn't stopped, but rather had gotten worse. She walked out of her apartment, then down the stairs, taking each step very slowly. Pausing for a moment once she had both feet on the solid surface before attempting the next step. It took twenty minutes to get down the stairs and across the street. The pain was almost unbearable.
"Chloe." Grace sobbed as she walked into the diner. Chloe ran to her side.
"What's wrong?!"
"The baby... it hurts. Chloe something is wrong."
"Oh god." The girl whispered. "Let me go get daddy, and we'll take you to the hospital."
Another hour passed after Grace arrived at the hospital. She was on her side, trying not to scream, or cry out. She didn't understand anything the nurses or doctors were saying. All she knew was that she was in pain, and it wasn't going away. "Chloe..." She whispered to her friend who was sitting beside her bed. "Call Luke... please."
He climbed out of the car and headed inside, after glancing around her realized Grace wasn't there. Maybe she lied to him about it.
"Hey." Chloe greeted him. "What can I do for you?"
"I'm looking for Grace." Chloe watched him for a second and bit her lip. "She told me she worked here, and lived in an apartment around here. I really need to talk to her. Please." Luke pleaded with her, and Chloe relented.
"Okay, just a second and I'll take you over there."
Chloe knocked softly on Grace's door. "Grace, it's me." She called.
"Come in Chlo." Grace called from her place still in bed.
Chloe walked inside and looked at Grace who was laying oh her side with her back to her. "Just wanted to see how you were doing, and tell you that daddy said you could take the day off."
"I'm fine Chloe, and you don't have to do that. I can still work."
"Not necessary. I'll see you later." Chloe left Grace's apartment quickly, leaving Luke inside.
Luke stood inside of the door, watching Grace. Looking at her for the first time in months. She was breathing slowly, her hair longer than it had been the last time. He opened is mouth. Then closed it again.
"Grace." Her upper body wrenched around and she stared at him with wide eyes.
"What are you doing here Luke?"
"I needed to talk to you."
Grace sighed softly. "About what?"
"I want to know if we have a chance of being able to work things out because I forgive you Grace. I don't understand why you did... what you did. But I love you Grace. I love you so much. I don't want to loose you."
Grace sat up slowly, and looked at him, while she was sure to keep the blankets against her, concealing her swollen belly. "You honestly think we could be okay?"
I don't know." Luke walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "But don't you think it's worth a try?"
Grace watched him for several long moments before sliding her hand over to his. "I love you too Luke. "He smiled at her. "But I don't know if it's enough."
"Why not?" Grace bit her lip. "Grace? Why don't you think that it's enough?" Luke pushed the question.
"Because Luke... I'm pregnant." His eyes went wide; he smiled halfway, before frowning.
"You don't know who the father is, do you?" Grace bowed her head and shook it slowly. "That's great Grace. You don't even know who the guy was; you screwed him, and got pregnant!"
Grace wanted to tell him, but she knew it would make matters worse. "I'll have a paternity test done as soon as I have the baby. I'll call you and let you know if it's yours."
Luke stood up and just stared at her. "You've got it all figured out don't you? I don't know how I could ever love someone like you."
Grace jerked her head up. That hurt. But she didn't blame him. She hurt him.
"I'm going back to Arcadia now. I originally came here to just let you know I was going to propose to Glynis. Because I can at least trust her not to cheat on me." Luke knew that he was hurting her, he saw the pain evident across her face, but he was so angry with her. He didn't care about her cheating on him anymore. Well he did, he loved her, and it hurt, but he forgave her. But finding out that she was pregnant, looked to be about eight months, it meant she got pregnant right before she left. For all he knew, after. So she was still cheating on him up until four days before their wedding.
And it was all a lie. He wasn't going to propose to Glynis; in fact he'd broken it off with her before he came to find Grace. Glynis knew that he was in love with Grace, that no one would ever replace her, and she'd accepted that.
"Well... I hope she makes you happy." Grace whispered before throwing back the blankets from her bed and padding across the room and into the bathroom. He heard the lock on the door click shut and sighed. Luke ran his hands through his hair before leaving her apartment and going back to his car. And then he started driving back to Arcadia.
Grace gripped her stomach with one hand; the other held the edge of the counter. Pains were shooting through her stomach. It was too early. Too early. She wasn't in labor yet, she couldn't be. She swallowed hard, as the tears started rolling down her cheeks. Luke's words had hurt her more than the pains in her belly though.
Half an hour later the pains hadn't stopped, but rather had gotten worse. She walked out of her apartment, then down the stairs, taking each step very slowly. Pausing for a moment once she had both feet on the solid surface before attempting the next step. It took twenty minutes to get down the stairs and across the street. The pain was almost unbearable.
"Chloe." Grace sobbed as she walked into the diner. Chloe ran to her side.
"What's wrong?!"
"The baby... it hurts. Chloe something is wrong."
"Oh god." The girl whispered. "Let me go get daddy, and we'll take you to the hospital."
Another hour passed after Grace arrived at the hospital. She was on her side, trying not to scream, or cry out. She didn't understand anything the nurses or doctors were saying. All she knew was that she was in pain, and it wasn't going away. "Chloe..." She whispered to her friend who was sitting beside her bed. "Call Luke... please."