Elmer felt like he could stay like that forever, just holding Lona
and the baby snuggled in his arms, not really talking, just holding them
and letting them feel how much that he loved them. A family. He couldn't
believe that he suddenly had a family. Okay, he had had his dad but this
was just different. And before the happenings of that night, he hadn't
been really sure that his dad even cared for him so.... He reached down,
letting the baby grasp one of his fingers in her tiny hand. How in the world could he have something to do with making something so perfect?
"You're absolutely sure that she's alright?" Lona whispered as she looked down at the baby. She looked healthy enough but Lona just couldn't shake more than a little bit of worry. She had been so frightened that she was going to lose the baby and considering the amount of blood that she knew she had lost.... "Should she even be down here? Shouldn't she be upstairs in the nursery or something where they can keep an eye on her and see if anything's...." Panic, definite panic, was slipping into her voice now.
"Lona, Hook and my dad both took a look at the baby. Believe me,
she's fine." Elmer said softly as he gently kissed her forehead. He still wasn't quite able to believe that his normally cool, collected Lona was panicking this much. "And they thought that you might be more comfortable down here anyway." Elmer hesitated slightly now looking carefully at Lona before speaking once more. She still looked so pale and weak. He really,
really wasn't sure if he should bring this up now or not.
"Might as well tell me what's on your mind." Lona was starting to definitely tire but from the way Elmer was looking, it seemed that they had something likely serious to discuss first.
"It's just.... What are we going to tell people about the baby?"
Elmer said quietly. "They're going to be kind of surprised and well.
What are you going to say about the father?"
Lona wasn't really sure how to answer that question. She had been so frightened that she would lose the baby or have some other horrible thing happen that she had really had no time to consider explaining the situation. Of course, this was the hospital where a giant anteater roamed around at will and there were more than their fair share of earthquakes.
How hard would it be to convince everyone that they had missed a pregnancy?
If they could miss that anteater and he was much bigger.... The father though, that was the problem. Lona looked up at Elmer, not really sure what to say. He said that he loved her, that he wanted to take care of her and the baby but did he really mean it?
"Lona, I love you and all I want to do is to take care of you and our baby." Elmer whispered as he leaned down and gently kissed her before bracing himself to continue speaking. "If you would rather not tell anyone though...." He closed his eyes to keep the tears that he felt starting to form from falling. He could feel his little girl's hand wrapped around his fingers. He didn't know how he could give that up if Lona didn't want him but at the same time, after how close he had came to losing her, how could he force her into a situation that she didn't want to be in? "It's up to you, okay? I won't say anything if you don't want me to."
"Elmer?" Lona looked up at him with surprise. She had thought that he would be ready to boast about what had happened, that he had finally won her. He had been trying for long enough to do that, after all.
Now when he had won he was trying to back out?
"I love her." Elmer leaned down, pressing a kiss against the baby's soft little head before looking at Lona once more. "I love both of you and you don't know how happy I would be for us to be a family. If it isn't what you want, though.... I would never hurt you, Lona. I promise that I would never hurt you. So, if you don't want to tell anyone that I'm the father, then I'll go along with that, okay?" Elmer felt the tears starting to build to the point where he didn't think that he could hold them back anymore. He reached around, adjusting the pillows so that Lona could sit propped up in the bed before sliding out from behind her and standing. "Listen, one of Michael's friends sent some tea down for you to have when you woke up. I'm just going to go and get it together, okay?
Just think about things."
Elmer slumped to the floor as soon as he was out of sight of Lona,
the tears starting to flow. The baby had been in his arms almost constantly since she was born and to walk away from her, to leave her like that even if she was with her mother.... And what would he do if Lona said no, that she didn't want him to admit to being the father? How could he stand to see his little girl every day but to never be able to tell anyone about her, to never be able to really be her daddy? On the other hand,
though, how could he risk hurting Lona by insisting on claiming responsibility if that wasn't what Lona wanted. "Please, Lona." He whispered softly. "Please, we could be so happy together. Just give me a chance."
letting the baby grasp one of his fingers in her tiny hand. How in the world could he have something to do with making something so perfect?
"You're absolutely sure that she's alright?" Lona whispered as she looked down at the baby. She looked healthy enough but Lona just couldn't shake more than a little bit of worry. She had been so frightened that she was going to lose the baby and considering the amount of blood that she knew she had lost.... "Should she even be down here? Shouldn't she be upstairs in the nursery or something where they can keep an eye on her and see if anything's...." Panic, definite panic, was slipping into her voice now.
"Lona, Hook and my dad both took a look at the baby. Believe me,
she's fine." Elmer said softly as he gently kissed her forehead. He still wasn't quite able to believe that his normally cool, collected Lona was panicking this much. "And they thought that you might be more comfortable down here anyway." Elmer hesitated slightly now looking carefully at Lona before speaking once more. She still looked so pale and weak. He really,
really wasn't sure if he should bring this up now or not.
"Might as well tell me what's on your mind." Lona was starting to definitely tire but from the way Elmer was looking, it seemed that they had something likely serious to discuss first.
"It's just.... What are we going to tell people about the baby?"
Elmer said quietly. "They're going to be kind of surprised and well.
What are you going to say about the father?"
Lona wasn't really sure how to answer that question. She had been so frightened that she would lose the baby or have some other horrible thing happen that she had really had no time to consider explaining the situation. Of course, this was the hospital where a giant anteater roamed around at will and there were more than their fair share of earthquakes.
How hard would it be to convince everyone that they had missed a pregnancy?
If they could miss that anteater and he was much bigger.... The father though, that was the problem. Lona looked up at Elmer, not really sure what to say. He said that he loved her, that he wanted to take care of her and the baby but did he really mean it?
"Lona, I love you and all I want to do is to take care of you and our baby." Elmer whispered as he leaned down and gently kissed her before bracing himself to continue speaking. "If you would rather not tell anyone though...." He closed his eyes to keep the tears that he felt starting to form from falling. He could feel his little girl's hand wrapped around his fingers. He didn't know how he could give that up if Lona didn't want him but at the same time, after how close he had came to losing her, how could he force her into a situation that she didn't want to be in? "It's up to you, okay? I won't say anything if you don't want me to."
"Elmer?" Lona looked up at him with surprise. She had thought that he would be ready to boast about what had happened, that he had finally won her. He had been trying for long enough to do that, after all.
Now when he had won he was trying to back out?
"I love her." Elmer leaned down, pressing a kiss against the baby's soft little head before looking at Lona once more. "I love both of you and you don't know how happy I would be for us to be a family. If it isn't what you want, though.... I would never hurt you, Lona. I promise that I would never hurt you. So, if you don't want to tell anyone that I'm the father, then I'll go along with that, okay?" Elmer felt the tears starting to build to the point where he didn't think that he could hold them back anymore. He reached around, adjusting the pillows so that Lona could sit propped up in the bed before sliding out from behind her and standing. "Listen, one of Michael's friends sent some tea down for you to have when you woke up. I'm just going to go and get it together, okay?
Just think about things."
Elmer slumped to the floor as soon as he was out of sight of Lona,
the tears starting to flow. The baby had been in his arms almost constantly since she was born and to walk away from her, to leave her like that even if she was with her mother.... And what would he do if Lona said no, that she didn't want him to admit to being the father? How could he stand to see his little girl every day but to never be able to tell anyone about her, to never be able to really be her daddy? On the other hand,
though, how could he risk hurting Lona by insisting on claiming responsibility if that wasn't what Lona wanted. "Please, Lona." He whispered softly. "Please, we could be so happy together. Just give me a chance."