The Only Exception

Part Two - Chapter Fifteen: Telling Lucia

“How are you going to tell her?” Gerard asked softly sitting down beside Lionel, his blue eyes holding concern for the footballer knowing, this wasn’t going to be easy for his friend.

Lionel was meant to be celebrating the birth of his daughter right now and the news that Annabelle had given him about his father-in-law couldn’t have come at a worse time.

“I have no idea,” Lionel whispered looking at his friend, he hadn’t been able to break the news to his wife since his parents had arrived the day before to meet Maia and he still didn’t know how to tell Lucia that her father was dying.

Gerard sighed as he wondered why this kept happening to his friend, first he had nearly lost Lucia because of his emotional affair and now when they were finally happy he was going to have to tell her that her father was dying.

“What if she leaves me?” Lionel whimpered, his marriage to Lucia was based on a contract that stated that he would look after Andres and pay for his medical bills.

With her father’s death approaching, Lionel feared that this could spell the end of his contract with Lucia even if they were married now; it wasn’t something the two had even discussed when they got back together.

Gerard stared at his friend wondering if Lionel had lost his mind, he knew all about the agreement that the couple had and while it was stupid, he really doubted that Lucia would leave Lionel now.

“Don’t be stupid… the woman is madly in love with you,” Gerard snorted and shook his head, he wasn’t sure where this was all coming from but he hoped that this wasn’t the reason that Lionel had yet to tell Lucia that her father only had five months to live.

Lionel looked down at his wedding ring and chewed on his lip as he thought about his marriage to Lucia; he wished so much that he could change the circumstances that they had married under.

***

Celia Messi smiled as she cooed down at her new granddaughter, she had gotten herself on to the earliest flight she could to come and meet Maia.

The Argentinian was all too aware of what was happening with Andres and she was dreading the moment that Lionel broke the news to his wife of ten months.

“How are you feeling?” Celia asked curiously looking at Lucia who was sat beside her, she had sent her husband out to pick up some flowers as a gift.

However her main intention was to break the news of Andres’s illness herself to her daughter-in-law; she had a couple of questions that she needed answering herself.

Lucia had married Lionel because of a contract and Celia feared for her youngest son’s marriage if something where to happen to Andres; there was a large chance that Lucia would leave her son.

“I’ve been well,” Lucia replied as she smiled at Celia, things between them had been a little awkward at first especially after Lionel’s emotional affair with Antonella.

Celia was just glad that Lucia had found it in her heart to take the footballer back after what he had done; she’d come to Barcelona after learning about what had happened and screamed at her son for a solid hour.

“There is something that I wish to talk to you about,” Celia said carefully as she turned her full attention to Lucia, her brown eyes watching Lucia hoping that she was doing the right thing.

She wished to speak to Lucia as a mother and she knew she would do anything to protect her son, even if he was an idiot most of the time.

“It’s about your padre,” Celia continued preparing to drop the news, Lionel was putting it off because Lucia was so happy right now but Lucia needed to know what was going on back in Argentina.

Lucia stared at her mother-in-law wondering what was going on, she knew that her father hadn’t been well recently but she’d been so caught up in Maia that she hadn’t realised something was really wrong.

“His organs have started to fail and the doctor has given him five months to live,” Celia said as calmly as she could, she watched the utter disbelief fill Lucia’s face and she hoped she’d just done the right thing.

Annabelle had been devastated when she had been given the news and had spent a lot of time with Celia as she came to terms with what was going to happen to her husband.

Lucia opened and closed her mouth trying to wrap her head around what she had been told, she couldn’t help but whisper to herself as shock consumed her.

“He’s dying,” Lucia asked to be sure that she had heard Celia right, her heart ached as she realised that her father would never get to see Maia grow up nor would be meet any of his future grandchildren that she might have.

Celia quietly nodded her head as she heard Jorge coming back from the shops, she shot him a look as he passed knowing that she needed a moment with Lucia alone.

Lucia felt so many questions run through her head as she looked down at Maia and felt tears fill her blue eyes; she closed them as Celia took her hand in comfort as they sat in silence trying to adjust to the news.

“It’ll be okay,” Celia comforted as Lucia started to cry, the blonde stifling her sobs so that she didn’t disturb Maia in anyway; that was the last thing that Lucia needed right now.

Celia pulled her daughter-in-law into her arms and held her as she cried knowing that Lucia was a Messi now and she was always going to be family.

***

Lionel grumbled under his breath annoyed at his mother, he couldn’t believe she had told Lucia when he had told her that he wanted to be the one to do it.

Lionel stood outside of the closed master bedroom door knowing that he needed to be there with Lucia even if she didn’t want him to be.

Carefully Lionel stepped into the bedroom and furrowed his brow as he found his wife sat on their bed surrounded by pictures and shoe boxes; he hadn’t known what to expect but it wasn’t this.

“Are you okay?” Lionel asked as he carefully made his way over to Lucia, he hated that this was happening to her and he wished that there was some way that he could fix it.

Lucia deserved to have her father in her life, just as much as Maia needed him in hers; it just wasn’t fair that this was happening.

Lucia nodded her head offering Lionel a small smile, she looked down at the picture in her hand glad that she had so many wonderful memories of her father.

Lucia had always known that there was a chance that her father’s condition would deteriorate and now that it had, she wasn’t going to spend the last months that he had crying over something that couldn’t be changed.

“Lia I am so sorry,” Lionel whispered as he moved to sit beside his wife, his brown eyes taking in the pictures with a fond smile as he recognised some of them.

Lionel wasn’t sure what else he could say and in the three days since he had found out that Andres was dying; he still didn’t have the words to comfort her with.

Lucia nodded her head, she was glad that she had Lionel and she knew she wasn’t going to allow anything to sadden the time that she had left with her father; she was just going to have to make the best of the situation.