Continuing to pick up where we left off. It is still Monday morning. Luke left early to get a jump on work then head over to the bank to make his early appointment with one of the bank's financial advisors. Walking into her office after being told she was ready to see him Luke greets her as best he can with a smile and a hand shake. His nerves have not settled since those goons stormed into his place of business just a few days ago. They gave him a week to come up with the money, and he is trying his best right now find the best solution. He cannot rely on Rufus to do the right thing, most likely she will not, even as much as he would hate taking money from
her it would leave him less in debt.
*Financial Advisor* "Mr. Cooper, hello please come in...I'm Nina Davis...
I'll be looking over your portfolio with you today."
*Luke* "Nice to meet you Miss Davis..."
Nina sits down at her desk while Luke takes the seat
opposite her. His stress levels rising as his bottom descends
into the chair. He lets out a faint but worried breath as he waits
to hear what she has to say.
*Nina* "Now you were looking for a business loan, correct?"
*Luke* "Yes, well another one actually. I'm looking into doing some additional
renovating and adding some more employees..."
*Nina* "Okay..."
She takes the folder in front of her carefully opens
it and skims over the papers that are inside.
*Nina* "So you're looking for another fifty thousand?..."
*Luke* "Yes. I can't do it for less. I submitted online
all my recent financials."
*Nina* "Yes I see that. It seems your business is fairly steady. I also see you
have an SBA loan that you are currently paying on..."
*Luke* "Yes that's correct."
*Nina* "Well from what I see I think we can work something out. Just give
me a few more minutes to get all the information processed...."
Luke nods and sits quietly as Nina works on his file. Luke is hoping since he has always done business with this bank since he moved here
that they will move the loan process much quicker. If he can't get the
money here, he may have to fucking beg Rufus for it.
Nina moves from the file folder to the keyboard as she types
in all the info, updating Luke's file so that she can give him his options.
While keeping up some small talk in between.
*Nina* "The spring weather has been very nice lately. I'm sure your business
sees a change in traffic with the weather..."
*Luke* "Oh yeah, I get a lot more random sales when people
are out cause the weather is nice for walking."
*Nina* "Now it says here you're married but your wife is
not part of this business. Is that correct?..."
*Luke* "Yes, I'm solely responsible. We chose to keep our
businesses separate incase of any misfortunes..."
*Nina* "I understand...but it might be better if you put all your
marital assets and finances together."
*Luke* "No, that's okay...we both prefer we keep
our businesses separate."
Luke is actually happy now that he agreed to sign that prenup
that Laura's mother insisted on before they got married. Since
he does not have to share his business with her,
she will not have to know about this additional loan. His business is the only place he has freedom to do what he wants and not have to worry about Laura. That is if he can keep his business and get this loan.
*Nina* "Understood. Okay Mr. Cooper it looks like I can approve you for a term loan of twenty-five thousand. Once all this is filed and checked off by my boss the money can
be in your account in about 14 business days..."
*Luke* "That's not enough I need double that! And sooner if possible..."
Nina's brow creases with disappointment, she hates
being the bearer of bad news. Or at the very least
news that they weren't approved for more...
*Nina* "I'm sorry Mr. Cooper twenty-five thousand is more than enough to renovate the space and hire an additional employee....Unless you have more information that can help justify an
additional twenty-five thousand. The bank has no reason to see why this
will not do, given your currents financials."
Luke sighs heavily, he is extremely disappointed but also not
entirely surprised either. Even if they did approve the 50k
he wouldn't see that money till it's too late.
*Luke* "Okay...well I'm gonna have to pass for now
and see what I can do on my own."
*Nina* "I understand. If you change your mind just let me know
and I'll run it all for you so we can get things started..."
Luke begins to stand while she is talking. The small room feels like it's now closing in on him. He needs some fresh air quick. Having panic attacks is not something he is used to...Luke knows now he has
to get serious with this, no more fucking around..or
everything he has worked so hard for will be gone.
*Luke* "Thank you, Miss Davis...I'll let you know if I decide to follow through."
*Nina* "Yes, please do. And here is my card. Call me if you need anything,
or if you wife is interested."
Luke takes the card and Nina offers her hand.
Luke takes it and gives it a small shake.
*Luke* "Thank you, will do..."
*Nina* "Have a good day. Mr. Cooper and best
of luck with your business."
Luke smiles, nods, then walks away. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator, hoping to get out into the fresh air and sunshine faster. Luke decides to make a quick stop at the coffee shop before heading to open up his own record shop. He rushed out the door so fast this morning he did not make himself coffee or grab a bite to eat.
Monday mornings at the coffee shop are usually very
busy, lots of customers coming and going.
Kara is a busy barista behind the counter, taking everyone's orders and serving customers as fast as she can.
Monday's always take a while to die down as people
need their morning coffee to start the work week.
The small quaint coffee shop is crowded and the smell of coffee and pastries is strong in the air. If that is not enough to wake you, then a double shot surely will. Tucked away in the corner a pair of customers
quietly chat as they sip on their coffee. Laura took Chad up on
his offer so now they sit and chat about the past and the present.
*Chad* "Yeah but you and Penelope were so close in college...
Did she really hate you because of you sister?"
*Laura* "I think it was just the straw that broke the camel's back. She was
always a very jealous person. It's okay. I'm over it. So do you
still see any of your old buddies from college?"
*Chad* Just one the others all got married
and don't have much time anymore... kids, little leagues, work they're always busy"
*Laura* "Yeah....So what firm did you end up working for?..."
*Chad* "The one your Dad uses...He is the one
that helped me get my foot in the door there."
*Laura* "Oh! That's right. I'm surprised you're still there I figured you
would have moved out of state to maybe something bigger and better."
*Chad* "I thought about it....but Guidry has been good to me. I have
a team now that works under me...I get to be the boss."
Laura smiles. She gets it she loves it here and would not want to live anywhere else. She can alos see that Chad really puts his
heart and soul into his job after things
did not work out between them.
*Chad* "What about you? Where did you land after college?"
*Laura* "Well I got a job at a restaurant called Me Cherie...
I dunno if you've ever been there."
*Chad nods* "Yeah I have actually...Good food. It makes sense now why I liked it."
*Laura nods and smiles* "Yeah I don't work there anymore but they still
use a lot of my recipes that I created while working there. The owner
Jett was amazing to work for. I hated leaving."
*Chad* "So why did you leave?"
Laura lifts her coffee cup to her mouth and sips as she tries
to figure out how to say a whole mess of information
in just a few sentences.
*Laura* "I got pregnant unexpectedly. Long story short I had some complications
and had to leave but I've enjoyed being home with my boys..."
*Chad* "Oh that's a shame...Glad to hear you're okay."
*Laura* "Thanks...You know me I can turn into a stressful ball
of nerves at the drop of a hat."
It was definitely a stressful pregnancy as she remembers all the pain and heartache especially after learning about Luke's affair with Rufus. She knows it was not something that he wanted and she understands the circumstances now that all led up to it, but it still does not take away the fact that he had sex with his ex while she was pregnant with Phoenix. It pangs her a little deeper today knowing things are not great right now between them. She was hoping by now she would have been pregnant again and expecting that little girl she's been pining away for.
*Chad* "Yeah, yeah...I remember. Finals always had you stressed out.
So where do you work now?"
*Laura* "I run a small catering business from home. It's just me for now. I'm able to work on
new recipes at home and take care of the boys so it works out. If you need
a caterer for small work meetings I can do that."
*Chad* "Sure! Gimme your number I'll make sure to hit you
up the next time I need a caterer for a meeting."
They both smile and sip at their coffees as the
silence stretches between them for a moment. Neither one
of them knowing where to take the conversation next.
*Chad* "Hey, well if you or your Dad ever needs some good financial help.
Just let me know...I'm forever grateful to your Dad. He helped me a lot,
with that internship in college."
*Laura nods* "Ok, I'll let him know. I thought he still used that firm but I dunno. Things may have changed since my father merged his business with Trudeau Construction."
*Chad* "Wait..What? Your Dad's business is the one that merged with them?..."
*Laura* "Yes... my sister married Benjamin Trudeau...He
runs the entire company now. My Dad retired a couple years ago."
*Chad* "Oh wow...Well just put in a good word for me with your Dad.
If ever he needs something."
Laura nods then her phone buzzes. She quickly picks
it up hoping it's Luke possibly checking in since
he hasn't seen or spoke to her since last night....
*Chad* "Something important?..."
*Laura* "No....just my friend Chloe...our boys are best friends."
Laura notices the time and realizes she needs to get her errands done before it's time to get the boys from preschool. Phoenix
goes Monday thru Friday all day but Finn only
goes Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
*Laura* "You know it's getting late and need to take care of my errands..."
Chad looks down at his wristwatch.
*Chad* "Yeah, same here I need to head into the office. I'm usually
not late on a Monday."
Laura begins to get up and Chad quickly follows
her being a southern gentleman. She nods
and smiles up at him.
*Laura* "I enjoyed this. It was good to see you're doing well, Chad."
*Chad* "Likewise, Darling..."
Chad pulls her in for what Laura thought would be a friendly,
innocent hug then he turns quickly kissing her on the cheek.
And softly whispering in her ear.
*Chad* "...I'm glad you backed into me today..."
He pulls away, leaving Laura a bit speechless at his flirtatious gesture. He smiles down at her, taking her in one last time. Laura blushes. Luke has not looked at her in that way in months. Which is so rare for
him. It really makes her wonder if he is having an affair.
*Chad* "Maybe we will run into each other on the trail again..."
*Laura* "Maybe...I'm definitely trying to make
it part of my daily routine."
*Chad* "Cool! Well I'll keep my eye out for you, then...I'm usually
there every morning. I just got out the door a bit late today."
Laura smiles again. Something she feels she has not done much of lately. Chad leaves and Laura stays behind to gather her belongings. Her mind drifting off to wonder what life would have been like if her and Chad had gotten married after college. Maybe they would have been happy. Chad was the kind of man Laura's mom had hoped she would have married. Someone with southern charm, a good job, and clean cut. Luke is none of those, but it's one of the reasons Laura fell in love with him...
Laura prances out of the coffee shop high on caffeine and feeling
good about her day. Well as best as she can right now.
Chad was a welcomed distraction to the
drama that is currently circulating between her and Luke.
As Laura walks further away from the coffee shop neither one notices each other. Missing Luke by mere seconds as he enters the small coffee shop. Where they first met all those years ago, both of them distracted by their myriad of thoughts.
About the same time Monday morning Peter sits with Willow while they wait for the doctor to return. After her pain began to increase Peter insisted he take her to the hospital. Seeing Willow in pain dreggs up old memories of her assault and Peter is scared seeing her like this. He can't lose her after everything they have been through and how hard it was to get things back to normal for them. Willow groans as she tries to speak.
*Willow* "She said she would be right back, where is she?..."
*Peter* "She will babe, she only stepped out for a few minutes."
Peter rubs the top of her head trying to distract her from
the increasing pain in her lower abdomen. After running blood work and doing a sonogram on where her pain is. The doctor
is now reviewing the results.
*Willow* "I'm scared, Peter...what if there is something
seriously wrong with me."
*Peter* "Don't say that...You don't know that for sure. You heard the
doctor...this pain doesn't necessarily mean it's serious."
Willow tries to not panic. She cannot help but wonder if
she is experiencing this because it is related
to her trauma of being stabbed.
*Willow* "What...what if it happens to be because of what happened to me?..."
*Peter* "Baby, no...that was nearly 3 years ago. The doctor said you
recovered well. Please don't think about that..."
Willow reaches out and runs her hand along his squeezing it.
She sure hopes he is right. She cannot help but feels like
that is why she is experiencing this pain.
*Willow* "I sure hope so...I just want to know what is wrong with me."
As Willow is talking, the door to the room opens and the doctor walks in. A comforting smile flashing across her face as she walks over to Willow on the other side of the exam table where she had her sonogram.
*Dr. Evans* "Willow, the sonogram and blood work both showed
what I was suspecting...You're pregnant."
Willow replies in disbelief as Peter utters curse words under his breath. Neither of them were expecting this news. Peter just assumed that he was not able to have kids after all the years of drug abuse and drinking.
Willow did too. Even after he went through reversing
his vasectomy and all was cleared.
*Willow* "Oh my gawd!...It all makes sense now."
*Dr. Evans* "Yes, but the severe pain your having is not normal. After reviewing your sono
images it has confirmed my suspicions. You have what
is called an ectopic pregnancy."
Willow begins to cry and Peter pops up out of his seat. He has no idea what the doctor is saying, he has never heard of such a thing. Dr. Evans
does one final exam confirming the diagnosis with her hands
as she gently puts pressure on her lower abdomen.
*Willow* "No...no...no...."
*Peter* "Willow it will be okay...We'll figure it out."
Willow wipes her tears and tries to pull herself together.
She knows what the doctor is saying but Peter has no idea.
*Dr Evans* "We need to schedule emergency surgery right away. I'm gonna have
Marissa prep you immediately..."
*Peter* "Surgery?!..."
Willow nods understanding the gravity of the situation. She knows what an ectopic pregnancy is. She is not excited to have to go through surgery but it is the only way. Dr. Evans turns to look up at Peter, who clearly is lost.
*Dr. Evans* "Yes, she cannot continue on with this pregnancy. The embryo has latched on
to one of the fallopian tubes. In a normal pregnancy this happens in the uterus to allow space for the embryo to grow. If the embryo continues to grow it will rupture inside her body, causing internal bleeding...And guessing at how far along you are we caught it just in time."
Peter sucks in air and it feels like it's stuck in his throat, drying it out. He cannot form words and is left speechless. Willow is having to go through surgery?! This pregnancy is deadly?! Last thing he wants is to lose her.
*Willow* "What kind of surgery is it?..."
*Dr. Evans* "It's not invasive, honey and you can most likely be home back in your own bed later today. There will be a small incision made under your navel and I will go in with a laparoscopic laser to remove
the inflamed tissue. You'll have to be sedated so that will depend on you how soon
you wake up after the procedure is complete. I'm gonna get things ready to send you up to surgery. Marissa will be in here shortly to take you up there."
Willow nods her eyes glassed over with tears. This was not the news she was expecting. Dr. Evans leaves and gets things ready for Willow. Willow looks up meeting Peter's soft brown eyes with her crystal blue ones and she immediately flies up clutching her arms around him.
Peter holds her in silence for a long moment as Willow softly sobs into his chest, leaving his shirt damp with her tears. Peter too is in shock. He was not at all prepared for this news. Part of him is freaking out that she is actually pregnant, and the other part of him is screaming inside terrified of losing her. Something like this would eat away at him knowing he was partly responsible for her pain and suffering. Regret bubbles up in his mind and now he wonders if reversing this vasectomy was ever a good
idea in the first place.
*Willow* "Peter?..."
*Peter* "Yes?"
*Willow* "Are you mad? You've hardly said a word..."
*Peter* "No, baby...I'm not mad. Just....Just trying to process this.
I just want you to be okay."
*Willow* "It's okay if you are...I wasn't expecting this either. I feel
like a total failure, Peter. I can't even get pregnant and do it right. Like
I'm always destined for disappointment and heartache."
Willow begins to sob harder again as the self pity and anguish
of the entire situation sets in deeper. Willow always tends
to punish herself immediately even for
things that are out of her control. Peter pushes her back
and looks straight into eyes.
*Peter* "Don't do this. This is not your fault....It's no ones."
Except his, but Peter will not say it out loud. Last thing he wants to do is make her even more upset that he is beginning to regret the choices he made. Reality setting in that Willow can definitely get pregnant now. Coupled with the fact that if he never did what he
did they would not be here right now.
*Peter continues* "I know you're scared, but you have to stop.
I love you. We will get through this."
Peter does his best to stay strong for her despite all his own fears.
Her face contorts as she tries to hold it together and not become a sobbing mess, knowing he is right but still not able come to those terms. Pulling her in tight and holding her is about the only thing he can muster up right.
*Willow* "I love you too..."
Willow pulls away and quickly wraps her arms across her body. The only thing she is relieved about is that soon this horrible pain with be gone, but so are her hopes of finally being pregnant after Peter surprised her with the news of his reverse vasectomy. Peter never wanted to have kids, but when she chose him over Nathan and nearly died for it. He could not deny her anymore, or so he thought....
*Willow sobs* "This is so fucked up, Peter..."
*Peter* "I know it is. Just try to not think about it right now. Why
don't you lay down and just relax."
Peter helps her down as she lays her head down onto
the paper lined pillow. It always seems like an eternity when
waiting for doctors and nurses to return.
*Willow* "My mom! I need to call my mom
and tell her what is going on!"
*Peter* "I'll call her, and your sister too...."
*Willow* "Are you sure? I can call her right now..."
Willow knows that Peter is not exactly her mother's favorite. Both Saffron her sister and her mother felt Willow needed to just distance
herself from Peter and from all the trauma that stemmed from her
violent attack. She could not do it. Deep down she knew what
her heart wanted and who it longed for.
*Peter* "It's fine, just rest. I'll call her the second the
nurse takes you up to surgery. Okay?"
Willow nods in agreement. He is right, calling her mom right now would just send her overboard. It's best Peter handles the brunt of emotions that will probably ensue once he tells Janice what is going on. A
few minutes later Marissa is back with a wheelchair to take Willow
up to surgery. After helping her into the chair Peter says one
last goodbye before they wheel her away.
He tucks a few strands of her jet black
hair behind her ear.
*Peter* "I'll see you again when you wake up..."
Then he leans over and kisses
the top of her head.
Willow tries to let the warmth of his kiss, relax her nerves and calm her fears. Knowing it's just a standard outpatient procedure still does not negate that fact that she is undergoing minor surgery to remove the life inside that has chosen to take up residence in the wrong place. Marissa tries to ease the tension and worry that is on both their faces.
These kind of things are never easy.
*Marissa* "I assure you Dr. Evans is one of the best
in her field. She's in good hands."
*Peter* "Where do I need to go to wait for her?"
*Marissa* "Third floor, there is a waiting room there for outpatient surgery."
Peter nods and Marissa begins to wheel back the
chair so they can head out. Willow grabs onto
Peter's shirt instinctively....
*Willow* "Peter, I love you..."
*Peter* " I know, babe. It's gonna be okay."
Before the two can drag this out any longer, Marissa takes action and wheels her out of the room and down the hall to a set of elevators. Peter meanwhile makes sure to call Janice and Saffron. So that they
are informed on what is going on with Willow.
Luke is now back at the shop just opening the doors for business as he tries to come up with another plan to get fifty thousand dollars in time by Saturday. Time is running out and he is nervous these goons will show up early and demand the money before he is even ready.
Luke's phone begins to vibrate in his pocket, he quickly whips it out. Thinking maybe these guys got a hold of his number and now they'll start to harass him more and put more pressure as they demand the money. Looking down at the screen he realizes it's a number he recognizes. Luke slides his thumb across the screen, and hits speakerphone. Tossing the phone onto the counter. He has no fucking idea why
he just answered this call but he did.
*Luke* "The the fuck do you want?..."
Peter is the kind of guy who is rarely left speechless. He is
usually always ready to shoot back with something. Part of him
did not expect Luke to answer, and just let
him leave a voicemail...
*Luke* "I know it's you Peter...Fucking say something or I'm hanging up."
*Peter* "Don't! I called you because it's about Willow."
Luke's interest slightly peaks when he hears the desperation in
his tone. Luke has no hard feeling against her. In fact she
is still very good friends with Laura.
*Luke* "Lemme guess, you two broke up again...cause you
can't keep your fucking dick in your pants. Hope it wasn't
my fucking mother this time."
Luke lays it on hard. Him and Peter have not spoken a word
to each other since he kicked him out of his house over a
year ago after learning about Peter and his mother and
their on again, off again hook ups.
*Peter* "Fuck you, man....I didn't call you to fucking rehash the past.
Get the fuck over it!"
These two really have not had a chance to get their feelings out about everything that has transpired in the past year. Getting each of them to openly express their feelings is not easy. They'd rather it go
unspoken and unnoticed. But they have a long history,
and they cannot run from it for forever.
*Luke* "Fuck you...I'm hanging up. I've got work to do."
*Peter* "She's in the fucking hospital man..."
*Luke* "Is she okay?..."
Peter plops down onto the small bench seat in the
waiting area. He sighs then finally lets it out. Like
they are the most painful words he has ever had to say to Luke.
*Peter* "No, She's fucking pregnant."
Luke grabs his coffee and takes a sip. He is honestly shocked
to hear the news. He never thought Peter would
follow through with actually knocking up Willow.
Now he's wondering if Laura knew about this.
Maybe she did tell him and he just ignored her on it.
*Luke* "That's what fucking happens when you don't use a rubber. Just
don't fucking knock up my mother."
Peter shakes his head and rolls his eyes. He knows Luke is
still mad it's obvious. Peter is done apologizing for it. Luke
just needs to get over it and move on.
*Peter* "Cut the bullshit....I don't need your fucking advice. I just
wanted to let you know, since I don't have Laura's number."
*Luke* "She doesn't know Willow is having a baby?..."
Luke is clearly confused as Peter only gives him bits of
info one piece at a time. Janice comes in and sits down
across from Peter. A nervous look on her face as well.
*Peter* "The baby is stuck in some fucking place it shouldn't be.
So they have to remove it or she'll die.
She's in fucking surgery right now...I gotta go,
Willow's mom is here now."
Now Luke is the one left speechless. He has no idea what
Peter is talking about, but he is clearly upset by it all.
*Luke* "Wait...what the fuck? What do you mean?"
*Peter* "Just tell, your fucking wife man,
I gotta go."
Then the line clicks and goes dead as Peter hangs up the phone.
He looks up from his phone to Janice who is sitting across
from him in the small waiting area.
*Janice* "Have you heard anything?..."
*Peter* "No...."
To Be Continued!
I had hoped to make this episode just a bit longer but this week has been very busy. So instead of just postponing it I decided to go ahead and post a snippet. Hope you all enjoyed finally seeing Peter and Willow.
Thanks so much as always for tuning in! I truly do appreciate all of your support and interest in what I do. I hope to be able to continue to post
episodes on a regular basis! From now on
Wednesdays
will be the day for new episodes to drop! If I can make the deadline😅
Also I have decided to leave my PayPal address up at the end of every episode for those who feel they would like to give back. As an artist it is always a struggle to make ends meet. Most of you know I don't do this for the money but at the same time whatever does trickle in helps a lot!
And since I recently had to deactivate the Adsense account, well that money is no longer available to me. I explained why in a previous post which can be read here...
Like I said this all up to you as the reader, no pressure! I want you all to continue to enjoy my stories no matter what, whether you feel compelled to donate or not.
~ milooorr@gmail.com ~
Again Thank you all so very much!