Christopher was patiently waiting for her to confirm the results. He had gone at lengths to buy five test kits. She came out, not looking at him. "what is it?" he asked getting impatient. He slightly pushed her away not harshly and walked in. He saw the kits on the top of the counter. And to his horror every single one is positive. He took the tests in hand and rechecked them, surely not everyone was faulty, that means he is...
Christopher walked out of the bathroom and looked at Pia. She was not looking at him at all. "Pia, listen to me very carefully. I have too much on my plate right now. Last thing I want is a child." She looked up not saying a word.
"It is not the right time, we just got married, we can plan one in future, but right now I don't think I am responsible enough to raise a baby." She didn't looked surprised but for the first time he saw something dark pass on her face and then her expression transformed into angry one.
"Plan one? Plan one? What you want to plan about this Christopher Royce Woodland? You could have taken proper measures, you could have told me before hand, but no, you forgot. You forgot to tell me that you wanted to plan a baby, if you wanted one in future that is. But you don't want an accident to take most of the time of your life do you? So you will plan one instead, if it suits and fits in your schedule, like if I have fit into your schedule." She shouted.
Christopher never saw her this mad. "You don't want my baby, fine I don't want your help raising it too. I can do it alone. Sure I have to cut my shifts short and there would be many things I have to think for later. But I am not abandoning my child." Christopher wasn't sure what to say that would not worsen the already bad situation. "I didn't meant it that way Pia..." He tried to hold her but she pushed him away.
"It was the last thing I wanted my husband to treat my child as unwanted but, it's alright. Nothing new situation for me. Don't bother to find the time to fit into your schedule. I don't need you to help me with this. Or anything else. I have my paper due on Monday and a class to teach, who actually appreciate the work I do for them. Thank you for all that you have given me, Mr. Woodland." With that said she slammed the bathroom door on his face locking it.
Christopher was tongue tied. All that came out wrong, he didn't meant he will not look after her or the baby, or that he don't want to have a family but it was too soon, he just wanted to spend few more years with her before diving into family life. She took it wrong and now... he messed up everything yet again.
After that day Pia seldom talked to Christopher. He wanted to clear things between them, but she wasn't very keen on listening. It was like they are standing on two shores of oceans, with no way to bridge the gap in between.
He saw her teaching the class, how patiently she had explained all the techniques to the students and the students too were listening mesmerized. She was showing a little. Her abdomen had a little swell on it. She time to time talked to the child, he listened hiding behind her door.
Her class ended, and the students got out one after another. "Miss Ray" A boy came inside. He noticed he had something in his hand. "Yes Josh" Pia said. Another thing, she had memorized the name of every student she ever taught.
"here is little something, since we don't know the gender yet, my girlfriend knit these for you. It is to keep the baby warm" She smiled. "Thank you, Josh, and give Alana my love." Pia said. One thing he concluded that Pia was loved and respected among his colleagues and his students. She walked out as usual giving him no second glance.
He saw she was walking inside the hospital. It had been few days since he had been to home. He was still thinking how to converse with her. She waked in hurry and suddenly she sipped. He ran towards her to save her but someone was already there to hold her.
"Be careful Pia, you are not alone anymore." Christopher saw Forrest straightening her. "My bad, have a class to teach and didn't looked at the wet floor, as always clumsy me" And both of them laughed. But it sent a wave of jealousy through this body, Christopher wasn't the one laughing with her.
It was someone else, his best friend to be exact. "Here, I brought you the sandwich you were carving from days, and yes I told them to add extra special sauce." Forrest said. She inspected the contents and said "You forgot to bring me my drink" Forrest smiled
"Sorry my bad, was in hurry, so truce? I can take you there next time How about tomorrow after the appointment?" She nodded. And then they walked their separate ways. It didn't settled well with Christopher, how freely they were conversing with each other. When she conversed with him, it was always strained, she always holds herself back. Like she was afraid of him.
Someone almost collided with him "Sorry I didn't..." Pia stopped looking into those cold grey eyes of his. She moved back stopping at a distance. "I didn't meant to be in your way Sir, sorry if I had any way caused inconvenience." She said and he held her hand,
"You can tell me too you know? The things you are carving lately? I can too bring them to you." She pulled her hand away. "I didn't wish to disturb you. Sir, and Forrest volunteered himself, I never asked him to do anything for me." She was again calling him by his name. And Christopher was again demoted to acquaintance zone.
"I thought I was your husband, Little pixie" She smiled "Sadly, one time I thought this too Sir" With that said she left him alone thinking the meaning behind those words of hers. He returned to his cabin to see the research progress report in front of his desk, lying there for three days without any glance from him. And then there is her research paper, which he had gone through numerous of times. Still he cannot help but go through her words again.
He heard his phone ring and he picked up. "Woodland" "Still sounding so angry Mr. Woodland, what happened, my friend ignored you again?" He wasn't very happy hearing her voice. It is as if all of them live to mock him. Maybe they do.
"What is that you want Miss Seth?" He asked. "One meeting, that is due for very long Mr. Woodland." Disha said. "Alright, name the place" He said. "Same place where you met all of us before," "Ok, half an hour for now would it do for you?" He asked. "Sure, looking forward to this meeting Mr. Woodland"
Christopher was hoping to finally found something that will help him solve the puzzle, that is his dear wife. He saw Disha was waiting for him already. He made his way towards her table. "Here I am Miss Seth, tell me why you had dragged me all the way from my office and from my work"
Not to mention his lovely wife whom he was now only have privilege of watching her from afar only. "Looks like you were busy ogling my friend from afar, but I don't blame you Mr. Woodland, when she doesn't want you around, you cannot get around her no matter what. She is what we call is Stubborn"
Christopher shied, "What can I do? I always get to have the stubborn and determined one." He said. "You told her you didn't wanted the child, your own flesh and blood, she felt abandonment, yes she did" Christopher looked at Disha.
"She took it in wrong way, I never said I will not have a child, I said we will have one, when get stable. I never thought she would take it this much seriously. She isn't talking to me, not only that I hardly see her around me."
She chuckled looking at his miserable self. "can you blame her? She had rough childhood, one of them being abandoned by her own father and then her mother's family too had not very much happy about carrying her burden. No wonder she is very defensive about her child. She doesn't want to suffer them the same fate Mr. Woodland." Disha said. "Well what can I do? She wont let me come close to her. And I would have never abandoned my child."
"Your statements stated otherwise, your action had spoken louder than your words, no wonder pia had suffered from anxiety attacks in these past few weeks." His expression was priceless. "Don't tell me your friend Forrest didn't told you about this?" Now he felt betrayed, his own wife and his best friend sharing secrets? Disha laughed,
"looks like you are not very much needed in her life Christopher. My friend had been on her own for so long that she doesn't thinks she needs someone with her." Christopher wasn't very happy knowing this.
No he wanted to help her, but Pia was stubborn and she will die alone and not ask for his help. That much he had noticed about his wife. "She will not let you, you have to push your way through, you have to force yourself in her life. Show that you care. She needs you Christopher. And she will never admit it. Her nightmares are getting worse." Disha said looking at him. "I too want to help her, but if she don't let me than..."
"You have to try and make her understand, that you only wished to know her a little better before diving into the family life. But you never would abandon your own baby. Only then she will let you get closer to her. Maybe, she will. My friend have lots of trust issues Christopher, and judging from how you behave sometimes, that is your problem too. You need to be patient. My friend is fragile. Don't break her more than you already did, If I can ask you one thing I will ask you to make her happy."
"What happened in her past? Was it just abandonment? Or there was something else?" Christopher asked. There are many things that are even unknown to us. She haven't told us everything, Christopher she is very good at hiding things and her pain. If you really want to help her you have to get her to trust you first. How you will do that it is totally up to you. If she once makes up her mind that you are not Important to her, then she will never open up to you." Christopher now felt very bad. Not being able to part of her existence wasn't something he was looking for, not now, not ever.
"She has a appointment tomorrow and I am going to be there with her. I think it is a good place to start, and I will make her realize that I will never abandon her or our baby that way." Disha nodded, hoping it was enough to break the ice that had settled in their relationship.
Christopher needs Pia as much as Pia needs Christopher and if rumors' are true, he needed her more than anything in his life. Because he too got some scars of his own, scars he refuse to acknowledge or show just like her. They need each other to look past those scars to accept that maybe sometimes it is better to let someone share their burden.
She looked at Christopher who was in some deep thought. "Christopher, don't worry, there is nothing unachievable if you try, and beside you do love her, don't you?" Love? It was a very foreign concept for him. He never known how to love someone, or ever felt love for anyone. But somehow this girl had made him feel everything that he never did, jealousy, possessiveness, guilt, every emotion that was not anger.
"I know you do Christopher; you need to just walk forward and accept it. It will let you deal with all that you do feel about her." Disha suggested picking her purse and settling the bill. "Think about it Christopher, the more you run from these feeling, the more difficult it becomes for you to see past these."
With that said she left him alone in his own little world, thinking that she might be right. And that he might need to acknowledge whatever he feels for her, otherwise he may lose more than just his wife, he can lose only person that may ever can stand up with him side by side. And not give a second thought about it.
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