No One's A Fool (Revised & Complete)

Chapter 12

An hour later, Lori and Stevie were keeping watch over Wrenna while Sharon, Gabe, and Aurora walked to get dinner for everyone. When Lori came back into the room, she had climbed onto the bed, laid beside Wrenna, and snuggled her niece. Wrenna, already deeply asleep, had woken up enough to push her head towards her aunt, who responded by kissing her forehead and murmuring to her to rest.

"Always her second mother." Stevie had said, smiling at the pair.

"Proudly." Lori responded, running her hand through Wrenna's hair. "My sweet Birdie girl. You know I've been obsessed with her since day one. I don't think I would have had Jessi if I hadn't lived with you while Wrenna was a baby. Speaking of which – she's going to freak out when she finds out this all happened without her."

"Have you called her yet?"

"No. It's better she hears it from Wrenna, so she doesn't scream at me."

"And she's definitely going to scream. Maybe at both of us." Stevie laughed.

"You should just count on that. My child is a screamer." Lori smiled and rolled her eyes. "Has anyone told Amy? She might be a good person to come and talk to Wrenna."

"I'll let Mick or Wrenna call and tell her. She's going to freak out too."

"Did she ever know it was Joe Walsh?"

"I don't think so. She never asked me or seemed to care. She was just excited I was having a baby. And she's pretty much always considered Wrenna her sister. Even before Mick and I started dating Amy encouraged him to adopt Wrenna. I found that out later."

"Yeah, someone should tell her soon." Lori sighed. "How are you feeling, Stevie?"

"Horrified." Stevie admitted. "I never wanted to do this to her. I don't know how this could have been avoided, but I'm just so sad to see her like this."

"She'll be okay. Wrenna is a tough one, always has been. This was a lot for her, but she'll be fine. She has a lot of support behind her to figure out what's next."

"I still worry he's going to try to come here. Or find her."

"Oh I'd like to see him try." Lori gritted her teeth. "After what he put you through. After twenty five years of silence. I'd love to see him show up and sit in a room with the people who actually cared for her and explain why he's decided NOW to want to contact her."

"Joe's never been one for logic."

"Well we know that is true." Lori scoffed. "But if he does come, we'll all be here. Wrenna won't have to walk through any of that alone. She knows she's got all of us."

"You know, I remember when he first decided he didn't want to be involved. I was so devastated. I was worried she'd be lacking love. But then she was born, and I realized she never lacked love for one second. She had so many people who loved her. She has a father. She's had all the love in the world, since the first second of her life."

"It's so true." Lori agreed.

Gabe returned a few minutes later, letting the women know they were eating in the adjoining room. Lori stayed with Wrenna while the rest of them ate, and then she and Gabe switched places. For the next few hours everyone milled about. They kept Wrenna and Gabe's room quiet and dark, so she could rest. Then, later in the evening, Mick arrived.

"Take me to my daughter, please." Was all he said when Stevie told him what had transpired earlier in the afternoon. She led him to Wrenna's room, where Gabe was keeping watch. Mick asked everyone to leave while he sat next to Wrenna on the bed and called her name. She woke up almost instantly, her eyes blurring with tears as she looked at him.

"Daddy!" She sobbed.

"It's alright, my darling. Daddy's here." He soothed her, taking her in his arms.

"I always wanted to be yours." She told him.

"Wrenna, you are mine. You always have been. Call your sisters – ask them. Ask them if I treated you any different. Call my sister, ask her how I raved about you those first six years before it was official. They'll all tell you the same thing. You were always meant to be mine."

"But he's my..." She trailed off.

"He is your biological father. I am your dad. There's a difference. And you can have both." He assured her. "From the first day of your life, I knew you would be special to me. It might have taken me six years to make it official, but you were always my little girl. I used to carry your picture in my wallet right alongside one of Lucy and Amy. When your mummy handed you to me that first day, and I held you all those hours while she was sleeping, it was like holding my own child. I even called your aunt Sally and told her as much. That feeling never left me. Still hasn't. You have always been my baby. The day you took my last name was one of the best days of my life." Wrenna said nothing, just holding on to Mick.

"You can feel however you want about this news of who he is." Mick continued. "But you have to know the truth that I am always going to be your daddy. No matter what Joe Walsh says or does. It doesn't change who we are to each other." Wrenna nodded, wiping her eyes. "Rest now, my girl. You need to rest, you've had a very dramatic day. We'll talk more in the morning."