26 Weeks
"How are we feeling today, Elodie?" The doctor asks as he enters her room, smiling as she holds a thumbs up sign to him. "Are you ever going to talk to me?" He chuckles.
"Not likely, she didn't talk to me for like two months after we met, and others it took a lot longer, some nearly a year and a half." Luke laughs. "She hasn't been complaining about anything though, and seems to be more herself everyday. We're both ready to know when I get to take her home mostly."
"Let's schedule an ultrasound on your kidney for after lunch and I may be able to give at least an estimate of that timetable after that. Our big concern is the kidney needing more help."
"Sounds good to us." Luke nods, turning as Elodie grips his arm softly, a conversation passing between their eyes.
"Oh, Elodie actually wanted to know if we could get in touch with the girl who donated the blood, Stella something. She said she would be interested in meeting El once she was awake." Luke asks.
"I can get the message to her." The doctor nods, smiling before leaving the room again.
"Thank you." Elodie sighs, shifting slightly in the bed. "I am definitely ready for our bed and my seven hundred pillows." She adds with a chuckle.
"As soon as we can, I'll take you home and tuck you in. Miss piggy will curl up beside you and we will get to order all the stuff for our princess Atlas's room."
"I love that plan." El sighs, running her hand over her swollen belly.
"Me too." Luke smiles, pressing a kiss to the side of Elodie's stomach, smiling as he earns a kick to the mouth in response. "I love you so much, Atlas Blu Hemmings." He mumbles.
"She loves her daddy too, we both do." El smiles, brushing a couple of his curls back. "You know, Crystal has offered to come stay with me for a couple hours so you can go home and get a good shower and some real rest. It would be okay."
"I don't want to go home without you two. And the shower here works well enough." He counters.
"Not for your hair."
"Eh, greasy hair never hurt anyone. I'll shower once you're home with me. I can't be gone and have something happen here while I'm so far away."
"Nothings going to happen, Lu. I'm okay, Atlas is okay."
"It's been four days and we are still here, El." He points out.
"Precautionary measures. We'll be home soon." She giggles.
"Don't laugh at me." He pouts.
"But you're cute, and your concern for us is enduring."
"I can't lose you, Elodie. I can't, and for a few hours this week I had to face the idea that I might. I don't want to be away from you now, not if it's too far to hear if you call for me. I can't, not until you're back on your feet. I'm sorry." His tone falls slightly, vulnerability oozing from his words.
"Hey, don't apologize, Luke. I can't even fathom what you went through Sunday night. The idea of losing you or our baby isn't even comprehensible for me. I was just suggesting you could go home to help you feel better, but if it's not going to help, don't go. I have no problem keeping you close, but I think you already knew that. I'm so sorry for what you've had to deal with mentally and emotionally this week, and for keeping you cooped up in this hospital room with me, but I'm so grateful you're here too."
"Of course I'm here. I'll always be here, beside you. Whether it's at home, on tour, in this hospital, anywhere. Wherever you are, pretty girl, that's where I want to be." He pushes, tightening his hold around her hand. "The greasy hair can wait, as long as yours is greasy mine will be too, because I am not leaving here without you. I can't."
"Okay." She nods. "Maybe next time Ash and Brooke come by she can braid your hair for you like she did mine." She jokes, "I'd do it, but right hands down for the count right now."
"Maybe." He chuckles, both of them looking up as a soft knock comes at the door. "Come in." Luke calls loud enough to be heard.
"Hey," Stella's face appears in the doorway, smiling softly. "I heard you wanted to see me again?"
"Elodie wanted to meet you." Luke nods, waving her into the room. "El, this is Stella, the girl who donated her blood to save you and our baby." He's surprised as he turns, seeing Elodie rather emotional as she stares at Stella, her hand lifted to cover her open mouth, eyes squinted slightly.
"Wow, you weren't kidding were you?" Stella chuckles nervously, "Our eyes do look very similar."
"I definitely wasn't exaggerating." Luke nods, offering the open chair to Stella. "El is pretty shy, but she asked to meet you after I told her about what happened, and I know you wanted to meet her too."
"I mean, ya. I've been curious all week about this whole situation and if somehow we could be related or something. There's too many coincidences for me not to be curious." Stella nods.
"El grew up with a flaky mum who lost her to foster care when she was six, and she's never even been told her biological dad's name, so at this point anything is possible really."
"Where are you from, Elodie? I know Luke told me but I can't remember what he said."
"She was born and grew up in St. Louis." Luke smiles, "Her mom got pregnant during her senior year and El was born the following July. That was 1999."
"My dad grew up in St. Louis too, but he moved out west a couple months into his sophomore year of high school. So their family could be closer to his brother's college commitment for baseball." Stella chuckles, "They've been out here since."
"Her dad was supposedly an athlete, what year did they move? Do you think there's a chance this uncle could be her dad?" Luke glances up to Elodie whose face is filled with wonder, confusion, and just a hint of fear.
"They would have moved in the fall of 1998. So that way, it lines up. But I know my uncle there's no way he or my grandma would have left St. Louis if they'd know he was going to be a dad. It's just not them."
"Your mum told you she'd told your dad she was pregnant, right?" Luke glances to El quickly, who nods and then sighs heavily.
"The only way we are related is if my family didn't know about you. I believe that with my whole heart, they are the most loving and kind people. Is there any chance your mom would have lied to you in telling you he knew?"
Elodie rolls her lips into her mouth, knowing for a fact there is a definite chance her mom could have lied, nodding as she lets out the breath she'd momentarily held.
"Have you ever tried finding your dad before? Or doing one of those DNA kits to see if you could find any matches?" Stella asks softly. Elodie shakes her head no, her eyes dropping to her lap before meeting Stella's again. "If we both did one, it would tell us if we have any matches, if we could be cousins. And I can talk to my dad, and my uncle, to see if they would be willing to do them too. My dad already knows a little bit about this week's situation, it was too weird not to bring up." Stella nods.
"What do you think, pretty girl? Do you want to pursue the idea of maybe discovering a bit more about your biological family?" Luke turns to Elodie. After a moment Elodie smiles softly, nodding as her eyes gloss.
"Let's exchange numbers, ya? And we can make sure to get the same kind of kits. I know my family would be happy to embrace you if this turns out how it seems to be leaning." Stella reach's out softly to rest her hand on Elodie's leg.
"Here," Luke pulls his own phone out, opening the new contact screen and handing it over to Stella.
"Thank you for wanting to meet with me, Elodie. I think I would have gone insane with wonder if you'd decided you didn't want to know." Stella chuckles as she types her information in quickly, handing the device back to Luke.
"Thank you for donating the blood, and for accepting my curiosity and coming to visit with us a couple times this week. We'll get everything situated with ordering a kit soon. I don't think any of us want to wait for this news." Luke smiles, shooting a quick text to Stella informing her it's his phone number.
"Definitely not. And I'll dig around a bit in my dad's old things and my grandma's stuff in the attic, see if I can find anything from before they moved that would link us even more." Stella nods.
"We'll keep in touch." Luke nods.
"I should get back to work, but please, feel free to reach out for anything related to this weird situation. I'm eager to learn how it all fits together too."
"You do the same, not that we have much information, but anyway we can help, we'd love to." Luke nods, standing with Stella as she moves to leave the room.
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What kind of drama could possibly come from all this new information and possibilities???
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~M =)