Tools of the trade.

Chapter 12 What's the story?

"Can I come in?" 

"Uh..."  She looked at him worriedly.

"Please?"   Her heart clenched at the sorrow and pain in his eyes and she found herself moving aside to allow him through the door.

"Sure." Was the only response her shock muddled mind could muster.

He stepped in and took the baby carrier straight to the spare room before coming back and meeting Lola-who was still in shock- in the kitchen.

"Coffee?"  She offered.

"Yes please." He yawned.

He plonked himself down in a chair at her kitchen table and started massaging his temples while she made the coffee, and was barely awake by the time she set it down in front of him.

"Thanks." he said quietly, before practically sculling the whole cup in one go.

"Not sleeping much huh?" Lola enquired,  to which he snorted in reply.

Lola didn't want to push him so she sat quietly waiting for him to speak again, but he was so tired that he fell asleep right there in the chair. She didn't know what to do. Joel was supposed to be picking her up and they were supposed to go to her sister's house.

She tapped Stag's shoulder to try and wake him up, nothing.  She tried again this time calling out to him quietly at the same time. Still no luck. So she poked him in his cheek and his head snapped up quickly.

"Sorry, sorry I'm awake." he said groggily, but she knew it was only temporary.

"Listen, Stag, hey!" she shook him he was dozing off again. " Hey, go to the spare room and sleep. I have a family function I have to go to Joel's picking me up in ten minutes, I'll take the uh baby..."

"N-No!" He shouted out panicking, his eyes darting all around the room.

"Hey it's okay" she said soothingly "I won't hurt it I just tho..."

"Her.  She's a girl... And she stays with me, she needs to stay with me. I promised....I promised." He rambled. Lola swore she saw a tear leak out the corner of his eye.

"Okay, hey, it's okay, Stag, honey I-I won't take her away.  Look, just give me a few minutes to call my sister Rosie and tell her I can't make it to the party, okay?  Oh and Joel should be here soon, maybe he can help with....whatever this is  "  She gestured towards him and spoke reassuringly so as not to aggravate him anymore.

"Who's Joel?"

"Oh, sorry,  he's the doctor that saw me when I hurt my ankle."

"Going a bit above and beyond the call of duty there isn't he?" Stag huffed. He knew Dr Dickhead had a little thing for Lola from the minute he carried her into his office.

She chuckled "Yeah he kind of asked me out when I went back for a checkup and we've been sort of hanging out ever since. He's a really nice guy. "

Stag raised his eyebrows,  but said nothing. Ha nice he thought bitterly. Wasn't so nice when I brought Amelie in.

Amelie. That thought brought back all of the pain and sorrow that had been plaguing his mind for the last three weeks. He felt his face crumble and put his head down onto the table in the hopes that Lola didn't notice or just assumed it was because he was so tired.   He didn't trust his voice enough to speak yet without cracking, so he stayed there silently waiting for his emotions to pull themselves together. He didn't want to look like a wimp.

Lola saw the emotions cross his face one at a time,  from blank to mild surprise,  to anger then finally pain and deep sadness.  Her heart clenched. She wasn't afraid of him, she knew deep down in her soul there was no way that he was the one who assaulted that poor woman. But she wanted to know what was going on, for real. Was he the real father of that child? If not, who is this Amelie person? And what was she to him? But how does one ask these questions without coming off as rude or accusatory?

She didn't even get the chance to think on it anymore as the doorbell rang.  She got up to answer it and Stag shot up out of his chair at the same time.

"Please,  don't tell him I'm here."  he pleaded.  Panic and fear clouding his expression. "They'll take her away from me, I know it."

She narrowed her eyes. "Stag, What the hell is going on?"

"I'll tell you, just....please get rid of him. Please Lola, please? " The desperation in his voice tugged at her heart and she found herself nodding as she walked to the door.

Five minutes later she returned to the kitchen thankfully without Dr Dickhead in tow. When she was gone for so long he had panicked a bit. But he trusted her for some reason,  he knew he could count on her and that she would understand. Maybe even help him.

"How'd you get him to leave? " he asked.

"I told him I was sick."

"Why did it take so long to tell him that,?"

"Because Stag,  he's a doctor!  He didn't want to leave me sick and alone.  He wanted to check me over and take care of me, but I told him no. I have lied and probably upset someone who has been nothing but good to me so you'd better have a good explanation for. ..whatever this all is." She sighed finishing her rant.

" You better sit down."  Was his reply.

Lola complied,  she knew he was dog tired and didn't want to waste time being petty. Plus the baby could wake up any minute now and she really wanted to know the story.

"Go on then." She said.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  He couldn't really put it off anymore, but he was scared she wouldn't believe him.

He decided to just jump into it.

"The baby isn't technically mine."

"Okay..Whose baby is she?" She asked.

Stag bit his lip as though he was contemplating whether or not to tell her the whole story. In the end he decided that he had to if he ever wanted her to trust him enough to help.

" She's.... my father's. "

That was unexpected. Lola's eyes widened in shock and she just sat there a few moments taking in the info.

"Your...."

"Yep, my father. Shocking isn't it"

"But, but..." She had no idea how to respond to this.

"Look I know I have to tell you the whole story from the very beginning in order for you to understand,  and I will, I promise, but do you mind if I catch a little bit of sleep first while the baby is sleeping? I haven't been sleeping well lately but maybe with you here..."

"It's fine Stag, I can see your about to drop. Go in my room, take a shower and get some rest, and I will look after her if she wakes up. I take it you have everything she needs in the bag? Bottles formula, nappies, wipes and whatnot."

"Yeah, it's all there. And Lola... Thanks."

"For what?" She asked.

He walked over to her and placed a quick peck to her lips. "For listening,  for helping, for not judging me- I know your mother saw me that night, and I'm sure she would have mentioned the state that Amelie was in- Thank you for not turning me away when I showed up on your doorstep. And finally thank you for just.. being you."

Then he gave her a quick hug and walked away to her room.

Lola was dumbstruck.  No one had ever thanked her for just being her before. She wiped a stray tear from her face and went to check on the sleeping little angel in the spare room.  She decided to move her into the living room, so that she could hear her if she woke up, and so that she wouldn't disturb Stag's sleep,  God knows he needed it.