Joanne Suggwell One Shots 3

The Alternative

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ MY RECENT BOOK 'THE BENCH' AND YOU INTEND TO... DO NOT READ AHEAD. THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS.

Now that's out of the way. I'm not a complete monster so I'd like to offer you a peace offering of an alternative ending to 'The Bench' as a 'happy 2021, I'm still sorry' present.

I really hope you enjoy and it answers at least a couple of questions.

Joe had a noticeable bounce in his step, as he walked down one of the quieter corridors of St Tomas' hospital, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. They were spring flowers, tulips, and they were for Dianne.

After an apparently quick labour baby girl Clarence was here. Dianne had let him know with a picture of the pair of them just after six am. Joe had immediately wanted to go and see her but due to hospital visiting times and his schedule he had to wait for his meeting, with Caspar and a client, to finish before he could come and visit. He had already briefly spoken to Dianne on the phone, checked she was alright and had everything, at around 8, when he had woken up, but he knew nothing of how it had happened nor anything about the baby other than she was a girl.

It was lunchtime by now and the baby would be nearly six hours old. He was so excited, having decided on the drive over to St Thomas' that he was going to tell her how he felt. Tell her that he loved her and try, if she would let him, to finally kiss her after months of working up the courage. The nurse had let him in- Dianne had put him on the visitor's list and he was hurrying to her room- too excited for words. He couldn't wait to find out what had happened to lead to her having the baby, she was supposed to have three days still, what she looked like and even, he selfishly thought, how Dianne felt about him. He had a feeling she fancied him again, she was certainly cuddly and had let him know that she missed him regularly. He wasn't sure though but his excitement was exponentially more than his nerves to find out if he was right.

He reached her room and knocked, hearing the love of his life say “come in.”

Joe opened the door, stepped past the curtain and there she was.

She was partially reclined, head turned towards the door. On her chest was a little baby, whose feet were poking out from a blanket. She was resting on the remainder of Dianne’s bump, tucked into the hospital gown. Dianne’s smile was sleepy but grew when she saw Joe.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” Joe chuckled, “you had a baby!”

“I had a baby,” she confirmed, taking one hand off the baby's back waving him forward, “flowers! For me?”

“Yep. Oh, hi little one, Di, she's gorgeous, a she right?”

“Yep, a little girl. Here, grab a chair and wash your hands, I'll peel her away,” Dianne said, kissing the baby's hat covered head.

“No, don't disturb her, it's okay. You're in bliss, I can tell,” Joe said, crouching so he could see the baby's face. It was mostly hidden by the gown but Joe could see some dark hair under the hat.

“Joseph do it, please.”

Joe did as he was told and sat down arms held out nervously, suddenly remembering he had never held a baby who was this young before, “Joseph, this is little Lily. I’ve got no clue for a middle name for her but she weighs six pounds four ounces, and” Dianne slipped the baby from her chest and into his arms without so much of a peep from her, “she came at six am”. Joe drew the baby closer and looked at her properly for the first time in the light shining through the small window in the room. She had gentle features, a small nose and delicate eyelashes, “what do you think?”

“Di,” he looked up at her, shameless tears in his eyes, “Di, she's perfect. She's, hi Lily,” the baby had opened an eye to look at him, “you're beautiful baby, you are.”

Joe sniffed and looked up at Dianne again, laughing, he hadn't expected to cry seeing this baby that he had been anticipating since Dianne mimed about her all that time ago in the little café. “You big softy,” she wrapped her arm around him and pulled him forward for a hug.

“She's just so... sublime, so, what happened to get her here?”

“A lot. My waters broke at midnight, in Oliver's room. I came in at five, probably a touch late-”

“How though, how did you get in?”

“Taxi?”

“Dot.”

“I didn't want to bother anyone.”

“Bother anyone,” Joe whisper shouted, “Dotty, you had a baby coming out of you?”

“I know, I know, mum said the same. Anyway, I delivered her.”

“You? You delivered her?”

“On my own at six on the dot in the little triage room. I did press the midwife button but she was coming and nothing was going to stop her.”

“Lily Clarence, honestly, no Luke?”

“He's in Ibiza, with Jess I believe according to Jake. We picked her name together. He called and he said he's trying to get back. He knew she'd come, its three days before my due date.”

Joe squeezed her hand, “don't stress too much.”

“Oh Dot, I'm so proud of you, honestly, so proud I could just...”

'Kiss you’ his mind dutifully finished. And suddenly his plan, that had rushed from his mind the moment he saw Dianne and Lily was back. It was now or never.

“Could just what?” Dianne asked, adjusting her gown that has slipped slightly.

“Could just...” he put a hand on her face and went for it, pressing their lips together for the first time in more than a decade, “kiss you.”

Dianne smiled against his lips and then pecked them, “about time Sugg,” she whispered, as Lily grunted between them, “sorry Lils, we just really had to do that.”

“Yeah, sorry Lils.”

“Can I check, that was an ‘I really, really like you kiss’ and not something else?”

“It was,” he stroked her cheek with his knuckle and leaned in again, simply pecking her, “sorry it took so long.”

Lily started whining at this point so Dianne slipped her from Joe and, after asking if he might turn away just for a moment, started feeding her. “You can look now, I just, I know you've seen them but I don't know, they now sag.”

Joe couldn't help but laugh, “I'm sure they're great.”

“Very kind of you, I did mean it when I said you can look, I'm not bothered. Anyway, what was I saying?”

“I was apologising for taking so long.”

“Ah yes. I must say I thought you were going to do that at the wedding.”

“I chickened out.”

“So did I,” she moved over with a wince and patted the side of the bed. Joe slipped his shoes off and sat next to her. He wrapped his arm around her and smiled when she laid back on him, her head on his chest. Joe kissed her crown and put his hand on Dianne's, which was supporting Lily.

“I think we should take it slow.”

Dianne nodded, looking up at him, “definitely, treat it like it's new?”

“Yes. But I'll come and help with the kids if you want. Sleep on the sofa or whatever.”

“Thank you,” she pouted for a kiss which Joe delivered, “I think this has been one of the best days of my life Joe. I got you back and I got my Lily.”

“Imagine if you'd have been looking where you were going.”