Louis stared at his son in shock, sure that he must have heard what
Elmer had just said wrong. How could Elmer have possibly fathered Lona's
baby? Unless they had changed the rules of biology lately and forgot to
inform him, sex was called for to make a baby and Lona would never.
"What did you just say?" He stammered. Yes, he definately had to have heard what Elmer was saying wrong.
Elmer looked at his father with a slight bit of confusion. He could have sworn that he explained things clearly but maybe he didn't.
"The baby's father, that would kind of be me, Dad. Now could you please do something to help Lona?" He was barely able to keep panic from overwhelming him as he looked down into her pale face. Lona always seemed so strong and capable but now she looked like a broken china doll.
Okay. Louis was sure he heard his son correctly that time but it still wasn't quite sinking in for him. Elmer was the father of.... He slowly shook his head even as his hands moved on autopilot helping Hook and Chris tend to Lona. How could his son have possibly fathered Lona's baby?
All he had heard from Elmer ever since the boy had entered the hospital was related to Lona and to his attempts to win her. Never once had he heard that one of those attempts had succeeded though. And the baby? If Elmer was going to be a father, why wouldn't he have told him? Had their relationship really deteriorated that far that his son wouldn't share something so important with him? He glanced over at Elmer out of the corner of his eye. Things had always been complicated with them. Elmer had been such a sensitive child and Louis knew that he hadn't been the best father but it just felt like he could never find a way to break out of the old ways of dealing with Elmer. Then when Edgar died, it seemed like things became even worse. Were they really that bad, though? So bad that his son wasn't able to tell him something so important in his life?
Then there was the baby. Louis carefully looked at the little creature snuggled into his son's arms. He thought he might see a slight family resemblence but.... Why wouldn't Elmer have told him? Or more importantly, Lona? Okay, his relationship with his son was shaky einough that he could just slightly believe that Elmer might not have told him if he was going to be a father, might not have thought he would have cared.
Lona, though, he had always considered her a good friend. Didn't she know him well enough to know that he would have been thrilled to get the news that his son was going to be a father? Why wouldn't she have told him if....
His gaze narrowed slightly as he puzzled over the entire matter of Lona not telling anyone. That was the part that made no sense. Okay, Lona was a bit reclusive and focused on her experiments at times but she still did socialize with the other doctors. She wasn't reclusive enough that she could hide a pregnancy for nine months, so how.... This entire thing made no sense but the baby definately appeared to be Lona's. His gaze narrowed just a bit more, anxiously checking the baby for any sort of family resemblence. Was that baby his son's though or maybe.... Elmer was devoted to Lona and would do anything to help her. Could his son maybe be claiming the baby as his to protect Lona from someone worse, someone that had possibly hurt her? He shook his head slowly as thoughts rushed unbidden to his mind. If the father had hurt Lona or maybe if she didn't know who the father was.... Had she acted any differently over the last few months? Surely there would have been some sort of change if she had been.... He closed his eyes for a moment, not even wanting to think about it, to think about someone hurting a person that he considered a dear friend and he knew that his son considered much more.
"Dad?" Elmer looked anxiously at his father. Why wasn't he saying something, asking questions about the baby, or saying something, anything?
Every moment that passed with his father looking so intensly at the baby caused Elmer's fears to grow. What if his dad didn't want a grandchild,
reject the baby like he had been rejected or worse said something to Lona and hurt her! no, he wouldn't let anything like that happen to Lona and their baby. Okay, his father didn't want him,. That fact nearly destroyed Elmer when he thought about it but he could somehow learn to live with it.
It didn't mean that he was going to let his child go through that same thing though. His father could just figure out how to be a better grandfather than he had ever managed to be a father.
Elmer looked down at Lona once more. He wanted her to be the only other one to hold the baby for awhile but surely she wouldn't mind too much if he let his father.... He reached out, before he had time to second guess himself, depositing the small bundle into his startled father's arms.
He anxiously watched as his father looked down at the baby. Surely if he held it, he couldn't reject the poor little thing.
Louis almost jumped in shock when Elmer suddenly pressed the baby into his arms. Why was Elmer giving him.... He started to press the baby back onto his son once more. He had never been very good with babies, had always been too afraid of hurting them to spend much time with them, even with his own sons. Just then the baby gave a little gurgling coo, though,
causing Louis to look down at it. He slowly surveyed the little creature in his arms, slowly letting the small fingers and toes mesmerize him before snapping back to reality and looking over at his son, who was staring at him with an anxious expression awaiting his reaction.
He slowly reached out a finger, leting the baby grasp it in its tiny fist. Okay, he still wasn't sure exactly what was going on with this entire baby situation, wasn't sure if his son was really the father or not but honestly, did that really matter in the big picture. He slowly shook his head as he considered it. Why in the world was he thinking so much about the details? Elmer was safe and sound when he could have easily have had to have been planning a funeral for his only remaining child. And the baby, did it really matter if Elmer was the father or not? He obviously loved the child already and that ought to be the only thing that mattered.
He adjusted his grip on the baby, cuddling it to his chest as he reached out and drew his son to him in an embrace. This was going to be just fine.
All they had to do now was get Lona fixed up and everything would be fine.
"What did you just say?" He stammered. Yes, he definately had to have heard what Elmer was saying wrong.
Elmer looked at his father with a slight bit of confusion. He could have sworn that he explained things clearly but maybe he didn't.
"The baby's father, that would kind of be me, Dad. Now could you please do something to help Lona?" He was barely able to keep panic from overwhelming him as he looked down into her pale face. Lona always seemed so strong and capable but now she looked like a broken china doll.
Okay. Louis was sure he heard his son correctly that time but it still wasn't quite sinking in for him. Elmer was the father of.... He slowly shook his head even as his hands moved on autopilot helping Hook and Chris tend to Lona. How could his son have possibly fathered Lona's baby?
All he had heard from Elmer ever since the boy had entered the hospital was related to Lona and to his attempts to win her. Never once had he heard that one of those attempts had succeeded though. And the baby? If Elmer was going to be a father, why wouldn't he have told him? Had their relationship really deteriorated that far that his son wouldn't share something so important with him? He glanced over at Elmer out of the corner of his eye. Things had always been complicated with them. Elmer had been such a sensitive child and Louis knew that he hadn't been the best father but it just felt like he could never find a way to break out of the old ways of dealing with Elmer. Then when Edgar died, it seemed like things became even worse. Were they really that bad, though? So bad that his son wasn't able to tell him something so important in his life?
Then there was the baby. Louis carefully looked at the little creature snuggled into his son's arms. He thought he might see a slight family resemblence but.... Why wouldn't Elmer have told him? Or more importantly, Lona? Okay, his relationship with his son was shaky einough that he could just slightly believe that Elmer might not have told him if he was going to be a father, might not have thought he would have cared.
Lona, though, he had always considered her a good friend. Didn't she know him well enough to know that he would have been thrilled to get the news that his son was going to be a father? Why wouldn't she have told him if....
His gaze narrowed slightly as he puzzled over the entire matter of Lona not telling anyone. That was the part that made no sense. Okay, Lona was a bit reclusive and focused on her experiments at times but she still did socialize with the other doctors. She wasn't reclusive enough that she could hide a pregnancy for nine months, so how.... This entire thing made no sense but the baby definately appeared to be Lona's. His gaze narrowed just a bit more, anxiously checking the baby for any sort of family resemblence. Was that baby his son's though or maybe.... Elmer was devoted to Lona and would do anything to help her. Could his son maybe be claiming the baby as his to protect Lona from someone worse, someone that had possibly hurt her? He shook his head slowly as thoughts rushed unbidden to his mind. If the father had hurt Lona or maybe if she didn't know who the father was.... Had she acted any differently over the last few months? Surely there would have been some sort of change if she had been.... He closed his eyes for a moment, not even wanting to think about it, to think about someone hurting a person that he considered a dear friend and he knew that his son considered much more.
"Dad?" Elmer looked anxiously at his father. Why wasn't he saying something, asking questions about the baby, or saying something, anything?
Every moment that passed with his father looking so intensly at the baby caused Elmer's fears to grow. What if his dad didn't want a grandchild,
reject the baby like he had been rejected or worse said something to Lona and hurt her! no, he wouldn't let anything like that happen to Lona and their baby. Okay, his father didn't want him,. That fact nearly destroyed Elmer when he thought about it but he could somehow learn to live with it.
It didn't mean that he was going to let his child go through that same thing though. His father could just figure out how to be a better grandfather than he had ever managed to be a father.
Elmer looked down at Lona once more. He wanted her to be the only other one to hold the baby for awhile but surely she wouldn't mind too much if he let his father.... He reached out, before he had time to second guess himself, depositing the small bundle into his startled father's arms.
He anxiously watched as his father looked down at the baby. Surely if he held it, he couldn't reject the poor little thing.
Louis almost jumped in shock when Elmer suddenly pressed the baby into his arms. Why was Elmer giving him.... He started to press the baby back onto his son once more. He had never been very good with babies, had always been too afraid of hurting them to spend much time with them, even with his own sons. Just then the baby gave a little gurgling coo, though,
causing Louis to look down at it. He slowly surveyed the little creature in his arms, slowly letting the small fingers and toes mesmerize him before snapping back to reality and looking over at his son, who was staring at him with an anxious expression awaiting his reaction.
He slowly reached out a finger, leting the baby grasp it in its tiny fist. Okay, he still wasn't sure exactly what was going on with this entire baby situation, wasn't sure if his son was really the father or not but honestly, did that really matter in the big picture. He slowly shook his head as he considered it. Why in the world was he thinking so much about the details? Elmer was safe and sound when he could have easily have had to have been planning a funeral for his only remaining child. And the baby, did it really matter if Elmer was the father or not? He obviously loved the child already and that ought to be the only thing that mattered.
He adjusted his grip on the baby, cuddling it to his chest as he reached out and drew his son to him in an embrace. This was going to be just fine.
All they had to do now was get Lona fixed up and everything would be fine.