Page 5 of Prognosis Do Over

This time she laughed. Lydia would, she had no doubt. ‘Thanks, I have it under control.’ She hung up, still smiling.

‘Lydia?’ She nodded. ‘She doesn’t like me much these days.’

‘No.’

‘I wasn’t aware I’d done anything to upset her.’

Lou shrugged. ‘You didn’t. You left. You upset me. It’s enough.’

‘What else could I have done, Lou? Delvine was making it impossible. You were miserable. I wasn’t...we weren’t making you happy anymore.’

‘You did what you had to do, Will. I understand that. But it still hurt.’

‘So I do the only decent thing and I’m the big bad wolf? That’s hardly fair.’

Lou nodded. ‘That’s what friends are for.’

‘Do they all hate me?’ he asked, feeling slightly apprehensive about working with a hostile staff.

She shook her head. ‘Only about seventy-five percent.’

The phone rang again, and it was the pharmacy checking on supplies. She replaced the phone and felt more on an even keel now the initial hostilities were over and they’d settled into polite chit-chat.

Will shook his head. ‘Candy’s going to flip when I tell her you’re having a baby. She was just lamenting only yesterday how she didn’t have a little brother or sister to play with. You’re going to be her favourite person...but then I guess you always were.’

Lou smiled, thinking about Will’s gorgeous eight-year-old daughter. ‘How is Candy?’

‘Good,’ he said. ‘Surprisingly so. I thought she might be more upset...withdrawn...But she’s amazed me. I’m lucky she’s so resilient.’

Lou loved the way his mouth, his entire face softened when he talked about Candice.

Just as well she was over him.

‘How long will Delvine be gone for?’

Harold Yates, the Medical Director, had filled Lou in on Will’s new circumstances. Delvine had found herself a rich property developer and had decided to relocate to Italy with him.

‘At least two years. Probably more.’

Lou shook her head. How could she walk out on her daughter, a sweetie like Candice, for such a long time? But then Delvine had always had the maternal instincts of a spider. And it wasn’t the first time Delvine had done a runner. She had taken off for two and a half years when Candy had been one, leaving Will a single dad.

She felt the bulge of her belly and knew that although the baby inside her had never been a part of her future plans, it was her responsibility and she could no more walk away from that than fly to the moon.

And the baby wasn’t even hers.

Lucky for Candice she had a father who doted on her and was one hundred per cent committed. Hell, despite the custody arrangements, he had practically raised her. When Lou thought about the interference and stress Delvine had caused in Will’s life, their life, she wanted to spit.

‘She signed over custody to you?’

He nodded. ‘I think she was looking for an out. Again. She was relieved I wouldn’t sign the passport application. To be honest, I don’t think she’ll ever return.’

Lou nodded. ‘Are you back in the house?’ Will had a beautiful federation-style Queenslander, in the trendy suburb of Paddington.

He nodded. ‘Why don’t you come over this weekend? She’s dying to see you.’

Lou swallowed. She’d do anything for that little girl. But this? So soon? ‘I’m kind of busy.’ She fobbed him off. ‘I’ll see how things pan out.’

There was another awkward silence. He looked so good. A year had been too long. The things she’d wanted to do with this man...to be with this man. Her tiredness was making her sentimental and emotional and she suddenly felt like crawling into his lap and bawling all over his chest.

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