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After picking up Billy from daycare, finding someone to watch him, dropping him off there, and going back o the hospital, Wilson was finally back in Cecilia's hospital room. He had only been there for a few minutes when there was a knock on the door and a nurse walked in carrying the most beautiful baby Wilson had ever seen.
She was a little on the small side, compared to all of the rest of the babies Wilson had seen in his lifetime. Other than that, she was perfect. She had a faint covering of thin blond hair all over her head, thickening into tiny ringlets by her ears. Her nose was adorable, and those eyes. They were a blue-gray color, and so full of mystery and wisdom, even though she was less than a day old.
"I figured you might want her," the nurse said, "since you have company."
Cecilia grumbled as she received the baby. She didn't really want her right now- it would be too awkward she assumed.
The nurse left and Wilson felt free to talk. "She's gorgeous."
"Thank you."
"What's her name?"
"Juliet."
"That's pretty," he commented. "Any Shakespearean reference?'"
"Yes, actually." She smiled; she didn't think anyone would notice. "We read that play in ninth grade and I fell in love with it. The writing, the plot, everything. It was brilliant. Ever since then, I've been fascinated with English- reading, writing, that whole bit. And besides the fact that she kills herself at the end, I really liked how strong she was through the rest of the play. I wish my daughter will be as strong and courageous as her namesake was."
"That's great," he told her. "I like it. Now you can share that with her. I don't' even know why my parents named me 'Wilson.'"
"I'm 'Cecilia' because it was such a pretty and different name." She rolled her eyes, "eh."
Wilson laughed and the baby cooed in Cecilia's arms. "I never knew you were a literary."
"I'm not. I just like that stuff."
"I see." Their eyes met and the passion became too much. They both looked away after a long moment and their eyes fell onto the bay.
"Look, she's asleep," Cecilia said with awe.
"See, I knew you could do it."
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Cecilia returned home when she was scheduled to, Juliet in tow. The Colonel, in a slight moment of compassion, came to pick Cecilia up and transport her back to the house. That was the last act of kindness that anyone remotely related to the family of her child's father would do for her. For the next two weeks, Cecilia got about a total of twenty, twenty-five hours maximum of sleep in those fourteen days. Juliet cried no stop and Cecilia was exhausted and frustrated. After three days had passed, she found herself crying along with her.
Whenever she heard movement in the house, she would get very angry and depressed. It wasn't as if she expected them to do anything for her, but it would have been nice if they offered- or even peaked their head in her room. They didn't bother to feed her, either. She was a big girl, a mother now, but that still angered her. She knew it was petty, but every time she snuck out of her room at night to grab a sandwich and a bottle of spring water from the fridge, she would get so angry with the Camdens.
She thought of her living situation constantly. If Cecilia was this unhappy herself, she certainly couldn't bring her daughter up in this environment. She never really thought of what she would do after the baby was born, but she always toyed with the idea of leaving from there and getting her own place. She'd cleaned out her savings account before she left GlenOak to use in Buffalo, so she had more than enough for first and last. All she needed now was an inexpensive place in a nice area.
No, that wasn't all she needed. More than a place to live, she needed help. There was no way she could do this by herself. It was becoming more and more impossible as the days went by. When she thought of help, Wilson was the next thing that came to mind. He seemed like the type of guy who would give you his left arm if you really needed it. She hated to use him or abuse his kindness, but in the back of her mind he was always some sort of option. He'd bend over backwards to help her in a pinch and Cecilia knew that.
-
She changed Juliet's diaper and her cying changed to faint whimpering. She picked the child's pacifier off of the bed next to her and put it in her mouth. She let out one final wail before finally quieting down. Now was her chance for a little quiet time. She could either use it to get some sleep, the most productive way to use her time, or she could do what she really wanted to do. Ultimately, she chose the latter.
Cecilia picked up the phone and dialed his number quickly. It was a Saturday at 10:00 in the morning, so she had a seventy-five percent chance of reaching him. She knew that he went out to run errands on the weekends, but he usually stuck around during the morning hours and picked up. Even if she couldn't get in contact with him, at least she could still get in a nap. It was a win-win situation for the new mother.
"Hello?" a little boy's voice said into her ear.
Good, they were home. "Hi Billy. It's Cecilia. How are you?"
"Where have you been?" he asked kind of rudely. Cecilia shrugged it off. She knew that he didn't like her, for whatever reason that was.
She was unaware of how much information Wilson told Billy, so she didn't want to just blurt out anything concerning the baby. "I've been really busy." At least that wasn't a lie. "Could I talk to your Dad?"
"I guess so," he mumbled.
Cecilia heard Billy put the phone down, presumably on the kitchen counter, and within a minute Wilson answered the phone. "Are you OK?"
She smiled. "Well hello to you, too."
"Sorry. Hi. Are you OK?"
"Define 'OK.'"
Wilson snickered. "It'll be OK. How much sleep have you gotten? Does she sleep through the night?"
Cecilia scoffed. "Through the night? I'm lucky if she sleeps ever."
"Then I take it you haven't gotten much sleep yourself."
"Nope." She sighed. "I can sleep through her crying a little bit, but I don't like to do that. If I start doing that all the time she'll end up wailing for hours and I won't know."
"I doubt that," he said laughing. "Besides that, though, you all right?"
She thought before she answered his question. Either she could pour her heart out to him or lie. "I'm…I don't know. It's hard to form a coherent thought right now. But I guess I'm not as good as I'd like to be."
"Do you want me to do anything for you?"
Cecilia smiled. See, he was helpful. "No, I think I've got it covered for now. Maybe later though."
"OK, you know wear to reach me."
"I know." She sighed. The conversation was ending; her moment of adult-normalcy was over. "Wilson…"
"Yeah?"
"I've really missed talking to you. And seeing you. And kissing you." Her mouth blurted out the words before she was able to think them through. She didn't regret what she said, though. It was the truth.
"I've missed you, too. But all those women I keep on the side, they make it easier to get by."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure they do." Juliet dropped her pacifier and started to scream again. Time for some food. "Well, I have to go now. I'll call you again when I get a chance. "
Wilson's shoulders slumped on the other end. He hated for her to leave. He felt so incomplete without her. "OK. You take care."
"Thanks, I will. Bye."
She hung up the phone and held it close to her heart. Everything in the world was tuned out. There was shuffling in front of her door; that brought everything back into focus. Suddenly, it all clicked. Wilson, wanting to leave. She finally knew what she was going to do. Still without calming down Juliet, she reached for her purse. After fiddling through it for a moment, she found the scrap of paper she was looking for. As soon as she fed Juliet, Cecilia was off to call a lady about an apartment with the best location in all the town.
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A/N: This chapter is weird. Next one will be better I promise. If not that one, then the next one.
And for all of you who are champing at the bit for Wilson and Cecilia realize their connection (a la The Camdens,) just wait. You're time will come. Patience is a virtue. Wilson and Cecilia have to get a little closer before we can travel down that road. Traveling, road, HINT HINT!
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Reviews will tranquilize Juliet for the moment, putting her closer to a deep sleep and Cecilia in the direction of her sanity.
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