"Your Dying... But I love you..." - (Chapter 200 onwards)

Chapter 314 - "DNA...?"

Chapter 314 - "DNA...?"

Clara's PoV

I showed Lilly the photo that I took last night, and she showed me some pictures of John shopping this morning.

Apparently he was having the time of his life shopping for baby stuff.

It was even more frightening when he stepped in my room that afternoon with a rucksack of clothes and baby grows for her.

We were all chatting when Alex stepped in the room and smiled nervously.

'Can I speak to these two on their own for a sec?' Alex directed at Lilly. I nodded in confusion as Lilly left and shut the door behind her.

It didn't even occur to me why she was in here and why she had that look on her face until I realised what day it was.

'How can we help?' John mumbled, as he stood in the corner, but moved back towards the bed a little.

'I need you to both be okay to talk. Because what I'm about to say isn't good news I'm afraid' she smiled sympathetically. But John was already mentally over that barrier.

'Where are you going?' I snapped.

'I have to get out of here. If she tells me the truth it will spoil everything. Just let me pretend that she's mine. Just let me pretend please' he said suddenly.

I've never seen a man burst into tears - but John did. He wiped his cheeks to keep his dignity and couldn't look anyone in the eye.

'You realise we have to inform the police?' She questioned.

'Sorry I don't get it. What's going on? There's clearly something you two know that I don't'

'Clara we ran the paternity test. The results of the DNA test have come back and they have come back as clear as day' she smiled weakly and my eyes widened.

That face in ruins that was looking at me from the corner of the room was the reason I didn't want to run that test. I knew it was a terrible idea at the beginning of all this.

'Please god tell me she's John's? Tell me she's John's Daughter?' I begged, but she had a solemn face, that didn't confirm that of good news.

'We knew this could be the case'

'God I can't do this' I said. 'She's John's Daughter! She is. Don't listen to them. Whatever happens she's your little girl' I said looking desperately at him.

'But not biologically' he whispered through tears and stormed out the door.

'Please you have to re-run the test. Please' I begged.

'Autumn doesn't have your blood type Clara' she confirmed. 'Your blood type is B. We know that' she nodded.

'I know that. But John's an O and she's an O. She's his Daughter' I cried.

'I'm sorry but she's not. Not according to the DNA tests. You can see them yourself if you want' she said handing me the most nerve racking piece of paper ever.

"Jonathan Robert Smith - 20/01/1996 - 00.00% EXCLUDED
Felix Strachan - 18/04/1991 - 99.99% - NOT EXCLUDED"

"Why do the police need to get involved? Why does anyone. Me and John will be fine. We'll do this' I said trying more to convince myself than her.

'We need to inform the police and social services. I'm sorry but she isn't his Daughter. It breaks me to say it but she isn't' she said leaving me to wallow in my own thoughts.

It took me so long to get over the rape. So long.

I can't have given birth to something that I love so much that has no biological relation to someone else that loves her so much.

'He can still have rights to her. He can still be a legal Father figure. I can help sort that - but his name cannot go on that birth certificate'

I couldn't take all this in. It was making me feel physically sick.

My Daughter was up in the intensive care unit. Fighting for her life, and the one person who can look after her and wants to look after her isn't even related to her.

'How soon can social services grant him that? How long until he can have a legal status over her? Because if I'm making decisions about her survival... I'm not doing it alone' I sniffed.

- - -

'Dude stop. Your going to hurt yourself more' Richard said, finding John as he was mid punching a brick wall. 'What are you doing?'

John flung the piece of paper on his chest very hard and continued to punch the wall once again.

Richards eyes widened in shock but not completely. Everyone already had their suspicions.

Everyone kind of assumed. It was just now that it was being confirmed.

'What does it matter? What difference does it make?' Richard asked, wanting now to get to comfort Clara. It's her that's going through this too but he  couldn't leave John punching the wall.

'I am nothing Richard. Nothing. I'm worth Fuck all to this situation now!!!' John shouted, but Richard managed to grab John's wrists.

He looked down at the peeling, bloody skin and shook his head.

'Just calm down. It's okay'

'It's not okay Richard. We made so many plans. We had a future together raising our little girl. But that's nothing now because she's not our little girl!'

Richard couldn't pretend that he understands what John's going through. He felt for Autumn as if she was his Daughter well.

'John I love her as much as you do, I've been through more than you have in this pregnancy - I knew right from the start - but the fact that she's the Daughter of some scum bag doesn't make me love her any less' Richard said. 'I can't pretend it's going to be easy. But that little girl is more like Clara than any one else. The fact she's got Clara's hair, and Clara's eyes'

'You don't understand. I do love her. That's what hurts the most... But I can't do anything. She's in intensive care and my opinion now counts for Fuck all now' John mumbled. 'We talked and talked, knowing this day would come. The day where we knew the truth but neither of us prepared ourselves for what was staring us right in the face'

Richard sighed, pulling some tissue from his pocket and carefully covered John's right knuckle which had clearly taken the brunt of his anger.

'The worst part is I knew from the Fucking start. As soon as I got the due date I knew. The dates for us didn't match up. I knew all along she wasn't mine and just kept burying it. Kept telling myself that she was mine'

'Clara's talking to social services. Their doing everything they can to run through you having legal Father status over her'