Chapter 21

Bright Thursdays In Geneva

Yeah, it had been a great idea. Although she didn't forget one single thing. Denny's smile, Denny's eyes, Denny's kisses were still on her mind most of the time she was awake. And when she fell asleep, she dreamt about him ... She missed him and she had a feeling that soon she would miss him even more ...
She let out a sigh. She knew she had done the right thing ... Then why did she feel guilty sometimes?
A man's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Danny! Come back here or you'll be grounded!"
She smiled realizing who it was. Danny and daddy as she had secretly dubbed them, walked in the park every Thursday around the same time she did.
When she had first heard 'daddy' calling the little boy 'Danny', which sounded so much like 'Denny' she thought fate had found yet another cruel way to mock her. But she eventually got used to the two of them walking by her bench every week.
Danny was a cute little angel with blonde curls and sky-blue eyes, while daddy was a tall young man, probably in his early thirties, who seemed a little unsettled around his kid. The boy, on the other hand, clung to him for dear life.
That was the reason why she was so surprised to see Danny running away from his father. Before he could get any further the little boy tripped and fell.
Lynn picked him up and was met with teary eyes.
"Aww, ne pleures pas, petit ... Voila"1 she said and took out a perfumed tissue from her handbag to wipe his face.
He stopped crying for a moment but then saw his father approaching and started again.
"No go home, papa!" he wailed through tears and buried his head in Lynn's sweater.
"Oh, so you speak English" Lynn observed trying to distract the child.
But his father answered for him.
"Yes, he speaks English and he's also not behaving right now. I'm sorry Madame, I'll take him" he said, but as he reached for him, Danny wailed even louder and kicked his feet like mad.
"I don't think he likes that" Lynn observed getting a hold of the boy's little feet which had barely missed her belly. "Let's sit down for a while and maybe he'll calm down" she suggested and they both sat on the bench.
"I don't know what's gotten into him. He's not usually like this" he said pointing to Danny who sat in Lynn's lap head buried in her chest still not looking at his father.
"I know he's a quiet child. I've seen you here before" Lynn said smiling.
"We've seen you, too" he said returning the smile.
He remembered the first time he had seen her so well. It had been January, right after the school term started. An older lady whom she resembled a lot accompanied her the first few times, probably her mother or older sister... His heart used to skip a beat every time he saw her and that was something that hadn't happened in a long time ...
But weeks passed by and he soon realized she was off limits.
"Really?" she asked jokingly. "I've practically witnessed your son learn to walk" she continued smiling at the memory of the wobbly Danny from a few months before.
"And I practically witnessed your baby grow" he said pointing to her belly. "Speaking of which, I hope Danny didn't hurt you ..."
"How ... um ... oh, no, I ... I'm fine" she managed to say realizing he obviously said 'Danny' not 'Denny'. Definitely forgotten, huh, Lynnie? she thought. "I've heard you calling him that" she said.
"Well, his name is actually Darius, but he's been called Danny since before he was born" he explained.
Lynn noticed something in his voice when the word 'born' came out, but couldn't really put her finger on it.
"Darius is quite an unusual name ... but a very nice one, too" she observed smiling.
"Since I already introduced my son to you, maybe it would be nice to introduce myself, too. Rudy Fuchs" he said extending his hand.
"Lynn Winston" she answered and shook his hand.
They sat in silence for a while until Rudy spoke again.
"How about the little guy over there" he said pointing to her belly, "Does he have a name yet?"
"How do you know it's a little guy?" she asked smiling once more.
"Believe me, I know. I have two. I can tell this is a little guy" he answered half serious making her laugh. It was safe to talk about kids, he wasn't flirting anyway. For Heaven's sake she was pregnant, you don't flirt with pregnant women because they're usually married, too. He glanced at her hands and noticed she didn't wear a ring or wedding band. But that didn't prove anything. Her fingers are probably swollen from being pregnant and she took the ring off ...
"You have one more son?" she asked finding it harder and harder to look away from his eyes. He had nice eyes, dark blue, slightly different from his son's. And he also had nice lips ... "Okaaay, Lynn, back off, married man" she told herself. Married being the operative word. Way more dangerous than med students. She took a quick glance at his hand. Yup, there was a wedding band.
"Yes, Max. He's 9 years old"
"I've never seen him with you two"
"He's at school. Boarding school, actually. I see him on week-ends ... Those are the only times I get to spend time with them both, plus walks in the park every Thursday with Danny ..."
"That explains why he clings to you like he's afraid you might leave him. I couldn't help noticing." she shrugged.
"Probably ..." he admitted a hint of sadness in his voice.
"I understand him completely. My parents are both doctors. Not too much time for family. But we turned out fine, my sisters and I, we had each other".
"Yeah, my boys are pretty close, too" he said.
"What about their mother? Do they get to spend time with her?" Lynn couldn't stop her curiosity.
"No. She died" he answered curtly.
"I'm sorry" Lynn said suddenly feeling bad for asking.
"Thanks" he answered.
"You know, there are two of them in store for me, too" she told him trying to lighten the mood.
"How come?" he asked not quite understanding.
"I'm having twins" she explained smiling.
"Oh ... so there are two little guys in there" he said pointing to her belly once more. "Any names?"
"I don't even know if they're little guys. They might as well be girls or one of each" she laughed.
"Either way you must have names picked up. Come on, I'm curious. Let's hear them out." he pleaded.
"Well ... I like Noah for a boy and Deanna for a girl. So if they're one of each ... And then James or Matthew for a second boy. I don't have anything for a second girl, though" she said.
"Maybe your husband does?" he offered.
"Maybe he would have" she agreed. Then added "That's if I were married. Which I'm not".
Suddenly the day seemed brighter to Rudy. She wasn't married and by the way she said it ... maybe the father wasn't part of the picture at all? Could he take his chance and ask? But he didn't get the chance.
"I think he's fallen asleep" Lynn said gently handing Danny to him.
He took the sleeping child from her and as he stood to leave he asked
"Would you like to have coffee with me sometime?"
"Not before the babies come" she answered but seeing his disappointment she continued "I'm only allowed to drink milk by then".
He smiled and waved before turning to leave. The day was bright after all.

Chapter 20

A New Life

It was a sunny day in Geneva and the blue of Lake Leman had a nice, calming effect on Lynn, who sat on a bench watching fellow second year students passing by, chatting animatedly about the first summer exam.
She liked to watch them from a distance and try to guess who did good and who didn't by the looks on their faces. After all, she was preparing to become a psychologist. She came here almost every day and sat on her favorite bench by the water. Maybe moving to Geneva had been the best idea her father ever had. The memory of that night was still fresh …

“Mom, I need to tell you something”.
“Can't it wait till morning, baby? I'm a little tired with the wedding and everything” Ellen said.
“No, mommy, it's important. You too, daddy” Lynn called for James. But she suddenly felt very dizzy and had to sit. She placed her hand on her abdomen and closed her eyes waiting for the dizziness to pass.
Both Ellen and James noticed.
“Honey, what's wrong with you?” James asked concerned. “This is not anemia, is it? Are you sick? Come on baby angel tell daddy what's wrong and we'll fix it” he told her taking a seat beside her and wrapping his hand around her shoulders while his wife's gaze fell on Lynn's hand and her eyes widened in disbelief.
“It's not anemia, daddy. It's … it's … Oh, God!” she whispered and broke into sobs.
Ellen sat on her other side and placed her hand on hers.
“Baby, whatever it is we'll deal with it. Daddy and I are here now”.
Lynn looked at her with teary eyes and saw her mother fighting back her own tears. She realized that she knew. Ellen had figured it out.
“James, she's pregnant” she said calmly.
“I'm sorry daddy! I'm so sorry!” Lynn cried.
“Shhh ...it's okay baby, don't cry” Lynn clung to her mother, while James watched them both stunned. One meaningful look from his wife was enough to bring him back.
“Big girls don't cry” he told Lynn like he used to do when she was little.
“Daddy is right, baby” Ellen said “No crying...”
“I'll try ...” Lynn promised whipping her tears.
“Okay, then” James smiled “Tell us about it. Does Denny know?”
Lynn nodded.
“And that's the problem” she said ant waited for them to say something but they were only looking at her with encouraging smiles.
“He wants to do the right thing for … the … baby” she settled for the singular form “Even give up school if it's necessary ... And I don't want him to do that, give up his dreams ...”
“Baby angel, you love each other, maybe things will work out ...” James offered.
“No, daddy, he told me he'll take care of us, do what's right, what he's supposed to do, but not once did he tell me he loved me ...” she said starting to cry again.
"Oh, baby" Ellen tried to soothe her "You'll be okay, shhh ..."
Lynn sighed then said in a much stronger voice
"I have to take care of this myself, without him knowing where I am. The worse part is that I won't be able to face him again after this, which means I can't go back to Stanford ..." Then she turned to her father.
"Daddy, I'm sorry, I know how proud you were of me for going to Stanford but ... maybe ... I can transfer?"
"I'm sure we'll figure something out" Ellen said, "Now tell me what did the doctor say?"
"Um, she prescribed anti-nausea medication and ... rest?" Lynn answered shrugging.
"And the fainting?"
"Well, she said I'll have to be monitored closely to prevent risks and later possibly preeclampsia. What's that, mom?" she asked, somehow relieved that she could finally talk about her pregnancy with someone she really trusted, someone who had gone through it four times and wouldn't hide things from her.
Ellen's face turned serious.
"Baby, preeclampsia is a quite rare condition and it's first sign is high blood pressure ..." Ellen explained.
"My blood pressure's not elevated. In fact it had always been too low." Lynn assured her mother.
"I know, baby. Anyway this conditions usually appears much later into the pregnancy, but I'll run some tests when we get home. Just to make sure you're alright. Okay?"
"Thanks, mommy" Lynn whispered hugging her mother.
"Geneva" James said suddenly.
"Huh?" Lynn turned to him.
"Excuse me?" Ellen asked too.
"You could go to Geneva" he continued. "Remember that old friend of your mom and I, that was supposed to be Abby - Sue's godmother but couldn't because she was stuck in India due to some epidemics?" he asked.
"You mean Tante Corine?" Lynn seemed to remember.
"Yeah. She's living in Geneva and had been bugging your for mom and I for years to allow one of you to go to college there ..." he explained.
"James, you can't send her away" Ellen protested.
"No, mom, actually I think it's a good idea. It'll help me forget ... I'll have a new life. Really, if the university there accepts me and Tante Corine won't mind I'll love to live there at least till I finish college ..."

Chapter 19

An Empty Bed

Denny awoke the next day with a sinking feeling that something was terribly wrong. Why was Lynn's side of the bed empty? Why wasn't she there? Where was she? He soon realized that she hadn't slept there at all. Maybe she didn't feel well and slept in her parents' room. He got dressed and went looking for her. When he knocked at the door and got no answer he started to worry. The reception desk seemed to be his last chance …
“Excuse me Miss?”
“Hello, Sir. What can I do for you?”
“My name is Daniel Hampton and I'm staying in room 2113. Could you tell me where I could find Dr. James Winston? He and his wife are in room 2121.”
The young hotel employee took what Denny felt like forever to check.
“Sir, Mr. and Mrs. Winston checked out” she finally said.
“What?” Denny felt like he was missing something “When? Why?”
“Um, last night after their daughter's wedding. They said it was an emergency ...”
“Um ...” he couldn't make out the words, he couldn't think straight. “That … that's impossible, you see. Their daughter, not the one who got married, the other one, she's my … my girlfriend ...”. He sounded pathetic, he knew it. But he had to find out where Lynn was so he went on “She would have told me she was leaving, she … she wouldn't have left without me ...” he said.
“Oh, um, you said your name was Hampton?” the woman asked.
“Yeah ...” he answered annoyed.
“There's an envelope for you, a letter … from Miss. Winston ...” she said handing it to him.
He took it from her and clutched it in his hand. It took him a few minutes until he finally worked up the courage to read it.

Dear Denny,
I am sorry I left without a word. But I knew that if I saw you my determination would dissolve.
I thought about what you said wanting to do the right thing for me and the babies and I reached a decision. I hope you will understand how hard it is for me to do this but it is for the best. The right thing for you right now is to finish school and focus on your career, become a hot shot doctor like Mark says. So, I don't want you to think about our little 'problem' anymore because I'll take care of it for both of us.
Our little 'arrangement' wasn't working anymore anyway because I kind of broke the rules when I fell in love with you.
So, my dear friend, study hard, be a great doctor and … watch out for stalker girls, will you?
And Denny ... please, forgive me!
Love,
Lynn

He stood there clutching the piece of paper that used to be Lynn's letter for a long while. He had no idea how much time had passed since he came down there. He went back to his room and packed his bags in a blur and soon enough he was on a plane back to California. It wasn't just her decision to make, they were his babies, too. And he hated her for doing this to him ... If she wanted to be alone, then that was exactly what she was going to get. He'll leave her alone. Forever.

Chapter 18

Chapter 18
Ours

Billie collapsed in an empty chair besides Carolyn.
“I'm exhausted” she breathed “I haven't dance so much in my entire life. Hey, where's everybody?” she asked her best friend noticing that the reception hall was almost empty.
“Well, your parents took Lynnie – Doe back to her room about three hours ago, because she needed some rest and Kathy – Lee and Abby – Sue left with the Russian hottie right after your third waltz” Carolyn answered. “But don't worry, they still love you” she added.
“Very funny” Billie mocked her.
“So, where's Prince Charming?” Carolyn asked.
“He's calling his mom to check on Andy. And his name's Richard, by the way”.
“Speaking of Andy, you put up quite a show saying 'I do' while holding the child” Carolyn observed.
“He was crying” Billie shrugged.
“Yes, he was. And that was the perfect opportunity to let everyone know how you've managed to bound Richard the way no other woman could”.
Billie was stunned. She never expected her best friend to talk like that, or to assume that she had tricked Richard into marrying her. She took a deep breath trying to calm down when she felt a hand on her shoulder and Richard sat down next to her.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yeah ...”
“You look quite pale if you ask me” Damien said crashing in a chair across the table a glass of champagne in his hand. “Weather it is the dancing or you've got morning sickness seeing as it is morning already” he continued checking his watch, then laughing madly at his own joke.
Richard gave him a warningly look while Billie blushed.
“Oooh! I got it right didn't I? You knocked her up” Damien went on oblivious to Richards glares and Billie's shocked look. “Is that why you had to marry her? Oh, wait, I forgot, there's already a little rugrat in the picture ...”
Billie couldn't listen anymore. She stood and stormed out of the hall.
“What did I say?” Damien asked, alcohol obviously keeping him from thinking straight.
“Rae!” Richard called but she was already gone.
“I'll go talk to her” Carolyn said standing up ready to follow her.
“No” Richard refused her offer “You've said enough yourself” he said bitterly. “I'll go. She's my wife.”
…..................................................................................................................................
He looked for her everywhere but she was nowhere to be found. He panicked for a second, then he remembered. There was one place he was sure he would find her. He entered the honeymoon suite, where they were supposed to spend their first night as a married couple before leaving for Greece for five days. He found her watching Andy sleep peacefully in his baby cot.
“I sent your mother home” she said acknowledging his presence.
“Rae ...” he called placing his hand on top of hers “I'm sorry”.
“It's okay, he's drunk” she said avoiding his gaze.
“But Carolyn isn't” he observed.
“You heard her?” she asked this time looking at him.
“Yeah”. He wrapped his arms around her. “You didn't tell her about Andy ...” he said.
“No” Billie admitted “She was in Scotland for a year and we haven't talked much. I only told her that we were getting married and we wanted her to be our son's godmother. She assumed Andy was ours and I let her believe that ...”
“Andy is ours” he said shrugging. “And I haven't told Damien either” he confessed.
“But he's your best friend ...” she said.
“You are my best friend” he said and kissed her. “And the mother of my child” he kissed her again. “And my beautiful wife. Now do you think Andy would mind me borrowing his mommy for, um … the wedding night?” he whispered kissing her neck and jaw line.
“I … I think he would be okay with that ...” she said swallowing hard.
“Is his mommy okay with that, too?” he asked between kisses.
“Mmmm …” was all he got from her.
“I'll take that as a 'yes'” he chuckled and scooped her in his arms and carried her to the king sized bed in the other bedroom.