The Precious One ✔

Chapter 44

December 31st 2015

New years eve

"So, now I really really really really wanna go to the party" Ned exclaims as we run side-by-side down the street.

"No" I shake my head, attempting to catch up to his speed, "slow down, I'm pregnant over here"

"Why can't I go?" He groans, slowing his paste down to a jog.

"Because it's New Year's Eve" I remind him, "no more 2015"

"2016, that'll be a good year" Ned declares, "we'll have an addition to the family"

My eyes widen.

An addition, I may never know.

"Will you take good care of her?" I ask him.

"Her?" He cocks a brow. "You think it's a girl?"

I shrug "yeah, I think so...so would you?"

"What do you mean?" Ned blinks in confusion as we continue jogging, "would I babysit?"

"Not just babysit" I shake my head slowly.

"What are you saying? You going somewhere?"

I mean, I could be. Life is confusing and twisted. At this moment, my future in completely uncertain. I don't know what will happen to me.

I shake my head, "no it's just....life is like a box of chocolates...You never know what you're going to get"

Ned then breaks out into a burst of uncontrollable laughter, "Forest Gump, really?"

"Would you take care of her?" My voice trembles.

He softens his gaze, slowing down to a walk. "Where is this coming from Lissie?"

"Would you?" I repeat fearfully while a powerful wind blows threw my hair, "If something were to happen to me, would you take care of my baby?"

Ned furrows his brows before chuckling, averting his gaze away from me "geez I don't know Elise, I can barely take care of myself, let alone a kid"

I look down, "right"

"Nothing is going to happen to you Elise" he assures me, "...and God Forbid something did, your kid will be taken care of..."

I want to believe that. I really do. But anything could happen.

I nod slowly "yeah, I guess so..."

***

When Ned and I arrive home, I find Luke and his wife, dad and Justine, and Gina, all in the living room.

"Where you go?" Gina calls while I walk upstairs to my bedroom.

I sit on bed where I dial Rafferty's number.

The fear of not knowing what will happen is getting to me.

"Put together that plan" I gulp hard, "And if anything goes wrong, I want you to take care of them...all of them"

"All of them?" Rafferty questions.

I nod while leaning my forehead against open palm, "not only your grandchild...but also the rest of them...Chris, Blake, my brother..."

"Your brother?"

"...He's broken...and I've been trying to fix him for years now...but I can't...and now I'm running out time" I admit. "Your card said you're a licensed counselor or whatever, you can save him...better then I ever could"

"What's wrong with him?"

"He was abandoned by our mother and he hasn't been whole ever since" I admit.

I spent the rest of the night talking to Raff about my brother. I ignored the knocks on my bedroom door and the constant calls from down stairs.

Eventually, this what he concluded "okay, Elise"

"Okay?" I question.

"I will stay around"

I nod, "thank you"

"Preciosa, Blake and Chris have arrived" Gina calls from down the hall.

"I've got to go..." I tell him.

"Sure," Raff says, "oh and Elise, you have a new doctor now...So Chris never has to know about any of this..."

I nod "thank you" with that I end the call.

I walk down the staircase where I find Luke and his wife talking to Chris by the Christmas tree that we haven't put down yet.

"So you'll just drive back and forth?" I hear Georgia ask Chris.

"...I mean...Yeah, I guess so" he announces.

"What's this?" I raise a brow with a small smile.

"Hi, kid sister" Luke smiles before kissing my cheek. "It's about time you came down"

"We're just talking about what he'll do after the baby comes" Georgia explains.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"How often I'll see the baby..." Chris shrugs.

"Most people live together when they have kids...co-parenting across the neighbourhood can get tricky," Georgia says.

I blink "what was that?"

"It can be hard that's all" she elaborates.

"No about living together" I raise a brow.

"Oh, Elise" Luke rolls his eyes.

"That's it, we have a suite out back, Chris can move in there" I grin.

Chris shrugs "I don't know Elise...I can't leave Blake..."

"He can move in too" I suggest, "after all, there are two rooms"

"Are you sure?" He asks.

I nod "you can move in before the baby comes"

"The count down is about to start!" Blake screams from the next room.

"Baby brain" Luke rolls his eyes as we all enter the living room to find a wine glass between Justine's two fingers and a dry beer in dad's hand.

The volume on the t.v. is on full blast when the count down starts. I search my surroundings which makes my heart to sink.

I'm going to miss all this.

"Three...two....one...happy New Year!" Everyone screams just as I feel something jerk inside my belly.

I look down at my small bump before placing a hand over my side. There I feel my baby's first kick. A smile washes across my face as Justine hugs my dad, Ned hugs Gina, and Chris wraps his arms around Blake, while Luke puts an arm around Georgia.

"Happy New Year," they all say to one another.

I look down at my belly and smile "Happy New Year little one" I whisper.

-----------------------------------

Hi all,

This chapter corresponds with Chapter 1 and Chapter 19 of 'The Broken One' but also is linked to numerous chapters of 'The Silent One'.

In both books, we know that Ned doesn't have a good relationship with Elise's daughter and that Raff continues to be estranged from Chris and his daughter even after Elise's death.

So the question is, how did these characters get to where they are in 2017? Well, all I can say is, follow the bread crumbs.

Please VOTE if you're enjoying this book.

Thank you

- Rose xx