Chapter 9: Apologies
Logan and Veronica pulled into the hospital parking lot. Logan idled for a few seconds before turning off the engine.
"Maybe I should wait here." He reasoned. Veronica turned to face him, shaking her head.
"Oh, no you don't. If I go, you go." Veronica pulled on his arm, but he stayed put.
"Veronica, I don't think I'm ready to talk to Lilly about this whole thing yet." His eyes were pleading with her, but she wasn't about to let him get out of it that easily.
"Fine. You wait here, and I'll go in and see Lilly. Duncan will probably be in there, so I can talk to him if Lilly falls asleep or something. Just me…and Duncan. Talking, sitting, all alone…" Veronica rambled. Logan hissed, and was out of the car in seconds. He walked around and opened Veronica's door for her, offering his hand to her.
"What made you change your mind?" Veronica asked sweetly. Logan scowled at her.
"You and Duncan will be in a room by yourselves over my dead body." Logan growled. Veronica merely laughed.
"We have classes together, you know." She reminded him. Logan rolled his eyes.
"You may not have noticed previously, but I'm in the majority of those classes. And the ones I'm not in, Lilly is. Good try though, Mars." Logan responded. Now it was Veronica's turn for an eye roll.
"Oh, please. Like he's really gonna throw me on the floor and have his way with me and then I'll get pregnant and we'll have a shotgun wedding and I'll live my happy go-lucky life and forget all about Logan Echolls." Veronica sneered at the very idea. Logan, on the other hand, squeezed her hand.
"Can't take any chances. I didn't pay this much attention to Lilly, and look where it got us." Logan pointed out. Veronica was struck silent by the truth of this statement.
They entered the hospital and walked towards the elevators. Logan and Veronica were on Lilly's floor a few minutes later, and Logan hesitated as they neared her room.
"You go in first. I need a couple of minutes." Logan pushed Veronica towards the door. She glared at him first, before walking in unaccompanied.
Lilly and Duncan were both watching T.V. with blank looks in their eyes. They both lit up when Veronica entered the room.
"Hey, Lils. How are you feeling?" Veronica asked, sitting in the seat beside Lilly's bed. Duncan scooted his chair, and suddenly was directly beside Veronica. The proximity immediately made Veronica wish Logan had come in with her.
"Better. Eli's still pretty pissed. He hasn't tried to see or talk to me since this afternoon." Lilly sighed. Veronica rubbed her arm. It was clear that Lilly had fallen in love with Weevil. Veronica was pretty sure Weevil returned the feeling, but had been very hurt by Lilly's betrayal.
"I'm sure he'll come around. He got a tattoo for you, for God's sake." Veronica reassured Lilly. Lilly nodded, although her eyes said that she didn't 100% believe in what Veronica was saying. Duncan had scooted just a tiny bit closer, and his knee brushed Veronica's. Veronica crossed her legs, moving a tiny bit farther out of Duncan's reach.
"Yeah, I guess. I hope the baby is his." Lilly lamented. Duncan patted his sister's hand, obviously hoping for the same. Veronica, on the other hand, snorted.
"What?" Duncan and Lilly asked at the same time.
"Well, just yesterday, you were praying it wasn't Weevil's. Talking about how he couldn't afford to support you and a baby." Veronica reminded. Lilly balked.
"After the way Aaron took the news, I've obviously changed my mind. With good reason." Lilly barked. Veronica immediately regretted bringing up Lilly's past feelings on the father of her child.
"I'm sorry Lilly. I'm just stressed out that it is Aaron's kid." Veronica softened. Lilly nodded in agreement.
"I know what you mean. He's got no fatherly inclinations. It's a wonder Logan turned out okay." Lilly reasoned. Duncan smiled, and Veronica scoffed.
"Logan turned out better than okay, Lilly. He's perfect." Veronica cooed. Duncan looked towards the T.V. again, pretending not to have heard Veronica. Lilly laughed.
"Okay, Ronnie. If you say so. I think Weevil is the epitome of perfection, but to each her own." Lilly giggled. Veronica joined in her laughter.
"And I think Lilly is." A voice said from over by the door. Everyone turned to see Weevil standing there, holding a bouquet of purple tulips. Lilly's face shined with happiness at the sight of him, and she accepted his flowers gratefully.
"I didn't think you were coming back." Lilly whispered. Eli laughed.
"I was pissed, Lilly. But, I'm over it. A girl as pretty as you has to have plenty of suitors. I'm just glad you picked me." Weevil leaned over Lilly and kissed her sweetly on the lips. Veronica and Duncan pretended to be fascinated by the commercial on the screen, in an attempt to give Weevil and Lilly a private moment. Duncan turned to Veronica.
"I think you're pretty perfect Veronica." Duncan said in a hushed tone. Veronica stiffened as Duncan touched her shoulder gently. Before she could protest, someone had pulled Duncan's hand off of her.
"Were you not listening DK? She called me perfect just a minute ago. Not you." Logan snarled. Duncan turned red and stalked out of the room, under the pretense of getting a soda from the machine.
"Thanks." Veronica told Logan. He shrugged.
"And now you see what I was talking about earlier. He shouldn't have lied either. You're 100% perfect." He chuckled. Veronica smiled and took his hand in hers.
"C'mere lovebirds. I want us all to be together." Lilly called from across the room. Veronica and Logan walked over to her. Lilly's eyes filled with tears when Logan approached her.
"I'm so sorry, Logan. I don't know what I was thinking. Can I plead temporary insanity?" She joked, but her charade was paper thin.
"Hell yes. I'll pretend my dad seduced you or something. No problem. And if it is his kid in there, I recommend you blackmail him." Logan suggested. Everyone laughed.
"I'll keep it in my mind, but I'm hoping it's someone else's." Lilly looked shyly towards Eli. He grinned back at her.
"Are you getting a paternity test?" Veronica asked, breaking up the romantic moment. Lilly's face turned pale.
"I…I'm not ready. I just couldn't take it…if…if" Lilly was at a loss for words. Tears were quickly falling down her face. Veronica felt terrible for asking. She'd never seen her friend this upset, and it killed her a little.
"You'll be able to tell right away anyways. If it looks like this rich boy over here, it's sure as hell not mine." Eli snickered. Everyone laughed, even Lilly, although she was still crying a little.
"Don't worry about it, Kane. This baby will have plenty of love, whether it's a PCH/09er combination, or your ticket to a great beach house." Logan joked. Everyone laughed. Duncan returned, and felt slightly left out of the group, the fifth wheel, the single man in a room full of soul mates.
