Daddy Issues (Andy Barber x OC)

4

They'd both retreated back to the hotel bar, making sure to order a few stiff drinks to try and come to terms with the information they'd both found out.  Both of them sat hunched over their drinks in painful silence.

That was until Andy decided to break it.

"What's she like?" He finally asked, staring into his beer. The question had been playing on his mind since first laying eyes on Isla's picture.

Pippa smiled to herself. "She is...amazing. Smart, funny...she's everything I could have wanted." and sipped her drink. "She loves to dance, wants to do it professionally but knows that perhaps it may still have to be a hobby. Thankfully she has her head screwed on, I know whatever she chooses she'll be ok."

"Takes after you then." He glanced to her.

She shook her head. "There is so much of you in her that sometimes I need to take a moment. It can be anything, from something she'll say to just a look on her face."

"She ever ask about me?"

"I think when she got to thirteen, she accepted that I found it hard to talk about you, so she stopped asking. But I had a picture of the two of us. The only one I really had of us without Laurie being there, and she keeps it by her bed. "I did say that when she turned eighteen, if she wanted then she could look for you - but I guess now that's not needed."

"Can you send me the picture you have of her?"

Pippa got out her phone and saved Andy's number, before sending him a few over. He looked at them again.
His daughter was just as beautiful as she was.

"God, just look at her..." he still couldn't believe that they had made her. "I just can't stop looking at how beautiful she is."

She smiled. "She was the cutest baby. The lady who ran the refuge used to look after her for me so I could work. Everyone loved her..."

Andy took a very long swig of beer. "You never married?" He asked, not seeing a ring on her finger.

She shook her head, "no, I erm...I never wanted to..." and looked away. "Plus I had Isla to think about."

He sighed. "Laurie robbed me of knowing her, and she knew she existed...I missed out on everything I should've been there for."

"The bitch knew what she was doing - I know she's your wife and all, but..."

"No..." Andy now stopped her, "no she's done the worst thing possible..."

Pippa ran her finger around the edge of her wine glass. "What are you going to do?"

He shrugged. "I need to think about it more."

She said nothing for a moment and then decided to change the subject. "So...did you have to come a long way for this or..."

"I'm in Newton now...you?"

"Northampton."

She wasn't even that far from him. What the hell?

"Did you ever get back into law when Isla got older?"

She shook her head. "I work in a florists now...how about you?"

"I work in the DA's office. ADA technically."

Pippa nodded. "I remember you saying once it was the goal. I'm glad one of us made it."

He sighed, "what the fuck are we doing Pip? Both of us sitting here making small talk when we know we should be discussing what to do next for Isla."

"We can't really decide anything until you talk to Laurie?"

"Talk? It's not exactly gonna be that kind of conversation."

Pippa ordered another couple of drinks and pushed one towards him. "We've both been so stupid as to believe her."

"When we should've believed each other." He confirmed, "now we're paying for it and you paid the most, all because I was an idiot."

Flashback

Her hands shook as she picked the test up and looked at it, the nausea rising even further on seeing the result. "Oh shit..." she slid gently down the wall and sobbed.

There was a knock at the bathroom door and Laurie's voice sounded through. "Pippa? You alright in there?"

She cleared her throat and tried to sound normal. "Yeah...Yeah I'm ok."

"Are you crying?" Pippa knew she couldn't hide forever and unlocked the door, opening it and seeing a worried looking Laurie. "Oh my god...what is it?" Laurie asked and then her eyes dropped to the test. "Oh god..."

"I don't know what to do." Pippa cried as Laurie quickly pulled her into a hug.

"Hey...hey it's ok, it's...it's gonna be ok." She coaxed her into her room and closed the door, sitting Pippa down on the bed. "Pip...this? It's big..."

"I know..."

"Lifechanging. You need to think about this..."

"I just, I don't know how to tell Andy..." Pippa wiped her eyes with the tissue that Laurie gave her.

Laurie put an arm around her. "He's gonna freak out..." and then saw Pippa's face. "Pip, you know he will, and you guys? You have so much to come - you've worked for that degree and the last thing I want is to see you guys break up. Having a kid is big step..."

"I know...I know and, I just don't wanna lose him."

Laurie rubbed her back. "I mean...do you want it?"

Pippa shrugged. "I don't know...I just, I don't want to tell Andy. I'm so scared." and cried again.

"Hey, I'm here for you ok? But I think you know what you have to do. If you're so undecided and don't want to ruin what you have? Then we won't tell him. I'll go with you to the clinic and we can just keep it between us." She smiled weakly.

"I...I'm sure that..."

"Pip. You've worked your ass off for that degree, for everything you have. You'd not only be losing Andy then you'd be throwing away your career as well?"

Pippa swallowed hard. Laurie was right. The one main thing was that she'd lose Andy, he'd freak out. They were both young and had glowing careers ahead of them. They'd already begun to make plans to move in together after graduation. Everything was laid out. A baby? It would mess it all up, that and she didn't know how to feel about it.

"You're right..." She nodded. "Would you really come with me?"

Laurie nodded. "Of course, what are best friends for?"

Now as Pippa stared into her drink she felt a single tear slide down her cheek. Andy appeared to noticed this and put his hand on hers. Both of them sitting in silence.

There was nothing else that they could say to one another that would make this any better.