Here's chapter 9, sorry again for making you wait. Enjoy.
Chapter 9
Falling Hurts
Olivia stood in the doorway and was wondering why everyone had stopped talking. It was something that had happened a lot since her Mum had died, if she went into a room people stopped speaking. She saw Luc looking at her. Her father. Only she didn't feel like he was her Dad. He hadn't been around long enough for her to get to know him. Luc had been in and out of her life for as long as she could remember. He looked upset - the woman sitting next to him looked sad too. The dog followed closely behind her heels. Rolo was always at Olivia's side. A blue and tan border terrier with a cheeky, cheerful affectionate nature. He soon saw the new visitors and greeted them with bounding enthusiasm.
"Rolo come here now!" Olivia yelled firmly. Olivia walked over to the dog and plucked him off Eddi's lap. "Sorry, he just gets really excited when he meets new people for the first time."
"That's OK, he's lovely. I really like dogs." Eddi smiled warmly at Olivia. Luc gave Rolo a belly rub as the dog rolled happily on his back. Luc couldn't take his eyes off his daughter. She had shoulder length blonde hair a kind gentle face and the dark brown eyes inherited from him.
"How old is he? I'm guessing he's only young." It was the first time he had ventured to speak to his daughter since she had come downstairs.
"He's two, it was his birthday a week ago." Olivia gets down on the floor and strokes Rolo's creamy coloured broad head. He responds by licking her face, making her giggle.
"I used to have a dog growing up I spent as much time as I could playing with her."
"What was her name?" Olivia doesn't look up. Strangely Luc feels more comfortable with less eye contact. It sounds ridiculous but he feels less cornered like this. Luc was beginning to enjoy this tete a tete with Olivia. "Her name was Bella, she was a chocolate brown Labrador." Eddi was smiling at this conversation. She knew Luc had been worried about this meeting ever since he had arranged it. Linda and Malcolm weren't exactly happy about seeing Luc but the atmosphere was starting to feel a little less tense then when Olivia and Rolo had first come down.
"Hey, how about we all go to the park, Rolo would like a love a run?" Malcolm was determined to make this into a nice normal day. "Then we could have some lunch, what do you say kiddo?"
"Yay! Can we take the Frisbee please Grandpa?" Olivia was now grinning broadly from ear to ear.
"We can! Lets go and get some fresh air."
"Luc catch." Olivia threw the Frisbee at her father who had suddenly realised as it whizzed past him at speed this was going to be hard work. He lunged at it with arm stretched out his fingers nowhere near it. Grasping only at thin air for about the 20th time.
"That was rubbish! Eddi's much better at catching then you." Luc shot Eddi a look. She raised her eyebrows and smiled that knowing smile of hers.
"Beginners luck, more likely."Luc said breathlessly.
"You're just not made for sport. Where as,I was captain with both by netball and hockey school teams." If there was one thing Eddi enjoyed it was taking the Micky out of Luc.
"Well I always need practice in order to master such intricate skills." Luc was starting to warm to the feeling of having 'fun.' "As a nurse I didn't expect you to mock the afflicted." He replied dryly.
"It's not life saving surgery, although catching a Frisbee seems to have found you out." Olivia was now playing a game fetch as Rolo ran excitedly after the bright orange toy. Before rolling over on the grass. Malcolm and Linda were sitting nearby on a park bench watching the scene. Linda looked less relaxed then her husband.
"I hope Luc isn't not going mess our Livi around. She's been through enough lately."
"To be honest he's been better with this whole scenario then I imagined." Linda gave a cynical glance. Her husband was always the more forgiving of the two.
"Before you go nuts, I will never be Luc's biggest fan, but maybe he deserves a chance to prove himself a worthy father. He seemed pretty genuine when he spoke to us earlier. Eddi seems nice enough so maybe she's having a good effect on him."
"I will have to reserve my judgement, Luc Hemingway needs to show me he is a decent person, something which he hasn't done in the past."
"So as hard as it it for us we need to give a little. Don't we?" Malcolm probed very carefully.
"I suppose so, for Olivia's sake if nothing else." Linda finally conceded.
Half an hour later Linda took the first small steps of 'giving a little' when she offered Luc and Eddi some lunch. Luc and Eddi were more than surprised but gratefully accepted. Even if they feared making forced stilted conversation at the table.
The ice breaker soon came when Olivia asked Eddi. "Why do you have a boy's name?"
"It's short for Edith, I was named after my grandmother. But I always preferred Eddi for short."
After that the chatter flowed more easily with Luc asking his daughter about schooling and her various favourite subjects. Under the table Eddi entwined her fingers in Luc's almost as a sign of encouragement, a gesture that was not lost on him. He responded by giving her hand a gentle squeeze. Luc hadn't imagined he'd ever be in this position, he still had a mountain to climb – and getting to know Olivia properly wasn't going to be an easy task. But he would have patience with her and give her time to adjust to hopefully having him around more often.
The day was coming to an end. Luc and Eddi both thanked Malcolm and Linda for their hospitality and they said goodbye.
"Will I see you again soon?" Olivia asked Luc with uncertainty. This man had been a part of her life only in short sharp bursts. Luc knelt down to her eye level. "I'd really like to see you again, if you don't mind too much?"
"No, I'd like that too – and so would Rolo."
As it was getting late, they decided to park at a local campsite for the night before driving back to Holby the following day. As they lay together in that small bed, Luc held Eddi close.
"I want you to know how much your presence meant to me today."
"Don't be daft I love you, you silly sod!"
As always your opinions are very welcome, good or otherwise thank you. One more chapter to go.