Chapter Twenty-four

Shortly after the revelation that Odette wasn't actually pregnant, Logan was called away to his father's bedside so the doctors could explain the treatment plan they had devised for Mitchum. Rory had wandered the corridor for a few minutes, and then decided to go in search of Paris and the coffee that had never materialised.

As she waited for the lift, Rory became aware of someone standing next to her. She turned slightly, and smiled at the pretty brunette standing next to her. The woman half-smiled back, before her expression turned to one of shock and she hastily turned away. Rory frowned at the unexpected reaction. Do I have something in my teeth? she wondered idly as she tried to work out the woman's reaction.

The lift arrived, and Rory entered. She watched as the other woman hesitated on the threshold, before she sighed and also entered. Rory was completely thrown by the negativity she thought she could feel. What's her problem?

Deciding she wanted to find out, Rory spoke. "Hi."

The other woman looked almost horrified by the gesture. "Um, hi."

Unsure how to proceed, Rory decided to try the classic 'do I know you' routine. "Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but you seem familiar to me…"

"Oh, we've never met."

What is that accent? Rory couldn't place it. "Are you sure?"

"Oui, I'm sure. I know who you are, though."

Rory felt a sudden dawning of understanding as she realised that the woman's accent was French. Not too noticeable, but French all the same. "You're Odette."

It was a statement, not a question. Odette nodded, and at that exact moment the lift juddered to a halt. Rory stepped forward expectantly, thinking the doors would open. Nothing happened. You have got to be kidding me. Rory reached out and pushed the button to manually open the doors. Again, nothing happened.

Turning back to Odette, Rory tried to keep the panic out of her voice. "I think we are stuck."

Odette shook her head. "No, it can't be."

Rory shrugged helplessly. Odette moved forwards purposefully and tried pushing numerous buttons with no success. Finally, she rang the emergency alarm to notify someone that they were stuck.

Rory sighed. "So…"

"So."

"Look, I'm-" Rory started to speak as Odette cut across her.

"Rory, I-"

Rory smiled. "You go first."

Odette took a deep breath. Her features settled into an apologetic expression. "Rory, I'm so sorry. The whole pregnancy thing, it was all Mitchum. I just wanted him to leave me alone. So, I agreed. I really am sorry."

Rory was taken aback that Odette was apologising to her after she had stolen her fiancé. "It's ok, really. I should be saying sorry to you."

"No, it's not. And you did me a favour. I bet Logan never told you that I have my own Rory. There's a guy… I love him. I was actually relieved when he told me about you and the baby. It set me free. My family- they were the ones who wanted us to marry. But we never did, deep down."

Suddenly, Rory saw everything with a clarity she hadn't had before. The whole engagement had been a dynastic plan for both sides. Rory felt lighter as some of the guilt she had been carrying around lifted. "It doesn't excuse what we did. I never meant for this…"

"I get it, you know. You and Logan, it was meant to be."

"I think I loved him from the start, you know?"

"We have a saying for that in France. Coup de foudre. Like a bolt of lightning, love at first sight."

Rory nodded. "I like that."

The two women smiled at each other. Then Rory dropped to the ground as a pain ripped across her stomach like she had never felt before. Odette dropped to her knees by Rory's side. "Rory? What's wrong?"

Rory screwed her face up against the pain as tears sprang to her eyes. "I don't know… the babies! Something's wrong."

Odette leapt back up and rang the emergency bell again. A voice sounded over the intercom unit, and Rory heard Odette explaining the situation in hushed tones. Then she dropped back to Rory's side. "An engineer is working on the lift as we speak. We should be out of here soon. Someone is going to find Logan, and a doctor will be waiting for us as soon as we are free."

Rory nodded her understanding as another spasm of pain shot across her stomach. "Thank you."

"How bad is the pain?"

"Really bad. I'm scared, Odette."

Rory curled up on the floor of the lift in a foetal position cradling her stomach. Odette sat beside her and stroked her hair, trying to comfort her. "It's going to be ok, Rory. I promise."