Page 14 of Prognosis Do Over

More than anything, baby doll.

Lou searched Candy’s dear little face. She had her father’s brown wavy hair, and his brown eyes, and those incredible lashes. She also had his smile and his quick wit and his sense of humour. But her chin was all Delvine, and Lou had seen it jut determinedly on more than one occasion—just like her mother’s.

‘Not as much as you,’ laughed Lou.

‘Hey!’ Will protested good-naturedly. ‘I heard that.’

Lou looked up and saw him lounging against a verandah post at the top of the wide staircase, his hands thrust into the pockets of his cargo-style shorts. He looked all warm and happy and relaxed, just like the Will she remembered, and she was thankful there were only five steps. Her knees were shaking so badly she doubted she could climb any more.

‘We’re round the back,’ said Candy, tugging on Lou’s hand once they drew level with Will. ‘We made lasagne ‘cos I remembered how much you like it.’

Lou didn’t have time to greet Will as she responded to the pull of Candy’s hand. Which was just as well. What would she say? Sorry for dropping two bombshells on you yesterday and then crying all over you?

‘It’s so good to see you again, Lou’ Candy said, as she walked along and held Lou’s hand. She put her skinny arm around Lou’s expanding waist and giggled. ‘Daddy was right. He said you had a big fat tummy.’ She giggled again.

‘Candy!’ said a horrified Will, who was following the two girls. ‘You weren’t supposed to tell Lou that.’

Lou laughed and squeezed Candy’s shoulders. ‘It’s okay, sweetie. It is pretty big.’

‘Sit here next to me,’ said Candy, stopping at the solid wooden table Lou and Will had bought together, and pulling out a heavy wooden chair.

‘I’ll get us a drink,’ said Will. ‘We made some ice tea. I didn’t think you’d want wine?’

‘Ice tea would be lovely, thanks.’ She smiled at him.

Will escaped into the kitchen gratefully as a surge of feeling overwhelmed him. She looked lovelier than ever today. Her hair was down, a slight crinkle effect from wearing it in a plait rippling through the streaks of blonde. Just thinking about her losing her glorious mane made him crazy. If he’d only kept his trap shut yesterday she would never have agreed to having her hair shorn. Good cause or not.

He could hear Candy’s excited chatter, and was reminded of how many good times they’d all had together on his back deck. In this house. It seemed like a million years ago now. He picked up the tray and went to join them.

‘How long till the baby comes, Lou?’ asked Candy as Will plonked the drinks on the table and distributed them.

Lou looked at Will questioningly. ‘It’s okay, I told her about the surrogacy,’ he said.

She nodded, and hoped it wasn’t too complicated for an eight-year-old to grasp. It certainly was difficult enough for some adults! ‘Another ten weeks,’ Lou said, smiling at Will’s daughter.

‘What are you going to call it?’

Will sat opposite her and took a long swig from a bottle of beer. Lou was caught unawares by how distracting watching him drink was, and swallowed, finding it hard to concentrate on the question.

‘Neve for a girl. Charlie for a boy.’ Jan and Martin had at least decided that before the plane crash.

‘What about middle names?’ Candy asked.

Lou took a deep breath as memories of her older sister were stirred. ‘I thought it might be nice to have Jan or Martin.’

‘Daddy told me about the plane crash. It’s so awful, Lou,’ she said, her dear little innocent face marred with sorrow. ‘I really liked them. Martin gave the best piggy-backs.’

Lou laughed, and could feel the prick of tears as she remembered how much Martin had made Candy giggle when she had ridden on his back. Jan and Martin had adored Will’s daughter, a decade of infertility causing them to spoil her rotten.

‘What exactly happened?’ asked Will. ‘I meant to ask you about it yesterday, but the whole surrogacy thing threw me a bit.’

He could see a faint trace of moisture in her eyes and realised that five months wasn’t a lot of time to have elapsed. ‘Oh, Lou,’ he said, reaching across the table and touching her hand with his. ‘I’m sorry. You don’t have to talk about it if you’d rather not.’

Lou smiled at him, touched by his concern. ‘No, it’s okay. It just feels a bit raw still sometimes.’

‘Of course,’ he said gently. ‘She was your big sister and you loved her.’

Lou swallowed a sudden lump in her throat and nodded as she shifted her hand out from under his.

---