"I've never seen her like that," Maxie said when Carly walked back into the main room of the suite. "I've never seen her move so slowly or act so submissively."
"He broke her," Carly said sadly. "He completely shattered her into a million pieces. And while Lulu is a fighter, I'm not sure if she'll be able to put everything back together again."
"What do we do now?"
Carly shrugged and shook her head. "Give her time. Let her sleep. Believe me, sleep is the best thing for her now."
"I can't just sit here," Maxie said quickly. To emphasize her point, she paced the room.
"I'll stay," Carly replied simply. "The girls are fine with Viola. You can go if you want."
Maxie shook her head. "I'm going all right. I'm going to chew out Johnny for hurting my best friend. Lulu stood up for me so many times and its time I return the favor."
"Be careful," Carly warned. "Johnny had a shock too."
"He can't blame her for her choices," Maxie replied pointedly as she reached for her purse. "I'll be back in a little while." She reached for the door knob, glancing back at Carly. "And don't worry; I'm not going to chew him out. I'll just open his eyes a little,"
Carly shook her head with a slight smile. Lulu was very lucky to have a friend like Maxie who would go to battle for her, she thought. Despite her warnings, Carly herself was ready to fight for her cousin.
Maxie had just beaten her to the punch.
Sighing, she dropped into a chair and picked up a magazine. She was prepared to wait as long as Lulu needed.
GH*GH*GH*GH*GH
Johnny sat in his office, his head cradled in his hands. He still couldn't believe it. It just didn't seem real. But it was, he thought, he was a father. Lulu had given birth to his child five years ago.
Part of him wanted to hate her; wanted to hate the fact that he'd been shut out for so long. But he knew that she had done it for a reason.
He just wished that he understood her reasoning.
Would it have been so bad, he questioned, for him to know about Amelia? He would have been a good father. Despite his own childhood and parentage, Johnny knew that he would do everything in his power to be a good father.
He couldn't hate her, he thought. Johnny knew that even after all the years had that gone by, he still loved her. And now that he knew they shared a child together, he wanted her more than ever.
But now, he was afraid that she would run even further away.
Johnny was certain that she would allow him to be a father. She'd already said that he was welcomed to play a role in Amelia's life. But she hadn't said anything about what this change meant for them; for their relationship.
He loved her. There was no question about it. No woman in the years since had ever made him feel the way she made him feel. It was as if they were two halves to a whole, however cliché that sounded.
Standing up, he walked to the window and looked out at the snow-covered ground. He was prepared to do anything to get them back. He wanted the whole package. It was a given that he wanted the opportunity to be a father, but now he knew that he wanted the opportunity to be Lulu's husband.
GH*GH*GH*GH*GH
Maxie parked her car in front of Johnny's auto shop. She killed the engine and stepped out, slamming the door in her haste. She was more than a little pissed, she thought to herself as she walked toward the door.
She still couldn't believe how Lulu had reacted to her confrontation with Johnny. She acted as though she'd just been through war or some debilitating illness. It was as if Johnny had just broken her into a million tiny pieces.
She reached for the knob and shoved the door open. Johnny was standing at the window across the little office. He turned as she stepped inside.
"Maxie—"
She shook her head and held up a hand. "I came here to yell at you for the way you treated Lulu," she said calmly, forcing herself to stay collected.
He frowned, stepped away from the window. "Treated Lulu? I didn't do anything. She's the one who lied to me for six years."
"I just came from Lulu's suite at the Metrocourt. She looked as though she'd been through war. Her movements were wooden, she was barely speaking. Right now, she's sleeping it off. You broke her."
"I didn't do anything," he protested, but she cut him off again.
"That's just it. You didn't do anything. You didn't ask her why she did what she did. You just accused her of lying to you. You just bit her head off." Maxie paused, blew hair out of her eyes. "She knows that her decision was wrong. But at the time, it was right. Can you really blame her? She never wanted to get pregnant. But she did the right thing by having the baby and raising it."
"I would have helped her. I wished that I could have been there, raising Amelia with her."
Maxie shook her head. "That's just it. She didn't let anyone help her. Not me, not her family, no one. She's done everything on her own. She's dealt with her mistakes. But now, now everything she knows is different and she doesn't know what to do. You claim to love her, but then you attack her for lying."
"She kept my child away from me for five years."
Maxie nodded, studying him. "I know. She knows that she was wrong to lie. It was hard for her." She smiled, thinking of her god-daughter. "Amelia plays the piano. Her teacher says that she has a great deal of natural talent." She raised her eye-brows. "And where do you think that comes from? Not Lulu, that's for sure."
"I just can't believe she waited so long. I've missed out on so much," Johnny said sadly.
And it was then that Maxie realized that Johnny loved Lulu; that he wanted to not only be a father, but to be a family.
"You still love her? Even after all she's done."
He nodded. "More than life itself. Maxie, I want both of them. But I don't know how to convince Lulu of that. She said that I am free to be part of Amelia's life from now on, but she didn't say anything about us."
"That's because she's convinced that you two won't work."
"How can I convince her otherwise?"
"Tell me what you just told me," Maxie said, her heart hopeful again that her friend would still have the chance to be happy. She walked toward him, laying a hand on his cheek and staring into his eyes. "And for the record, you may have missed the first five years of Amelia's life, but you're just in time for the rest of it. Be happy with what you do get to experience; don't dwell on what you missed."
"Do you really think I have a chance?"
She smiled now, reaching for the door. "I really do. And I will be first in line to give Lulu a little nudge. But she's really hurting right now. So it may take some time."
She stepped outside and shut the door behind her. As she climbed into her car and started to drive away, her mouth curved into a smile.
There, she's done her part as loyal friend. Now it was up to Johnny to prove his love. And in the end, it was up to Lulu to open her eyes and her heart.
GH*GH*GH*GH*GH
When Lulu awoke, the world outside her window had long grown dark. She sat up, struggling at first when she couldn't remember where she was.
But then it all came back to her. The skating rink, Johnny, Amelia, her lie.
She wanted to roll over and forget about everything, but the adult in her knew that that just wasn't possible. Setting her face, she pushed back the blankets and threw her legs over the edge of the bed.
She forced herself to rise and walk into the bathroom. When she looked in the mirror, she saw the same woman she'd always been. Yet, she felt so different. She washed her face and reapplied her makeup. She needed to be ready to do damage control.
When she walked back into the bedroom, she stripped off her clothes and pulled fresh jeans and a sweater from the wardrobe. She finished dressing and ran a brush through her hair. She wasn't in the mood to do anything else.
She could hear the murmur of the television when she opened the door and started for the main room. Carly and Maxie were sitting on the couch, staring mindlessly at the program on the television.
She cleared her throat to announce her entrance and walked to the side counter to pour a glass of water. The water cooled her flaming throat as both women turned off the television and jumped up to face her.
She eyed them over the water glass. She knew that they were worried about her. But she was Lulu Spencer. She dealt with her issues. She was strong and despite how she had seemed after the confrontation with Johnny, she was back in full force.
"How are you?"
Lulu set the glass down on the counter. "I'm tired, but other than that I'm fine. I'm ready to do damage control."
"Give him a chance, Lulu," Maxie said softly. She glanced at Carly who gave a small nod. "He loves you," she added.
Lulu sighed, bit her lip. "I know. And I feel the same way. But we have a lot to talk about; a lot to deal with. I know we won't be walking down any aisle for a while."
"But you think that that's a possibility?" Carly arched an eyebrow. She could see that Lulu was steeling herself for a fight. "You think that you could possibly marry him someday."
"Yes, I do. But like I said, there's a lot to deal with. There's a lot involved. Not to mention Amelia," Lulu replied, then glanced at her watch. "Speaking of which, have you talked to Viola? I mean, Amelia should probably come home soon."
Maxie shook her head. "Amelia's fine. She's not going anywhere until you go and talk to Johnny. You need to sort out your life before you spring any of this on your daughter."
Lulu sighed, knowing that Maxie was right. "Fine, I'm going now. You two don't have to stand guard anymore. I'll be fine." She walked to the chair where her coat was draped and slipped her arms into it.
Carly and Maxie got their own coats on and gathered their things. Carly walked up to Lulu, pulled her close in a hug. "I believe that you can work this out, Lulu. I'm here for you if you need me."
Lulu smiled. "Thanks. But I'll be fine. Things are actually looking up. We'll just have to see how Johnny feels."
"He loves you," Maxie said, hugging Lulu. "Don't hate him for it. He's mad that you lied, but I think he understands…a little, anyway."
Lulu raised her eyebrows, "I'm going to pretend that you didn't go and interrogate him."
Maxie grinned ruefully. "Guilty. But you were seriously wiped. Now go. Get your life sorted out."
Lulu nodded and walked out of the room toward the elevator. Maxie was right. Johnny had shattered her world, but she was beginning to see things more clearly.
Maybe the pieces weren't as broken as she'd first thought.
GH*GH*GH*GH*GH
Okay, so this story is definitely nearing the end. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. As always, please review!
