Clockwork [final]

Twenty-Four

At first, Derek couldn’t comprehend what she’d just told him. He thought maybe she was joking, or he’d misunderstood. Then came the confusion; he could have sworn they were using protection? But, as Adette explained, while they had been on holiday they had forgotten, and she must have conceived it then. Next he wondered how she had known. She said she had noticed she had skipped a few periods and was feeling strange, so she’d gone to the doctor.

At last, he just hugged her. “It must have been so hard keeping it secret from me,” he murmured.

“I’ve only known for a few days.”

“Well, I’m glad,” he said, his face starting to split into a smile as the reality dawned on him; he, Derek McCary, was going to be a dad. “We can do this, Adette. Together.”

She smiled at the ground and then met his eyes, whispering in quiet agreement, “Together.”

It was starting to get too cold for their liking, so they decided to try and hunt out Lassie. After about five minutes of wandering around calling her, Lassie appeared covered in mud, soaking wet and looking very pleased with herself. Derek shook his head and laughed at a sudden thought.

“We might as well have a kid already.”

Adette giggled. “We might as well indeed.”

She reattached Lassie’s collar and they headed out of the dog park hand in hand, a peaceful silence between them.

“I’m glad you took the news well,” Adette confessed.

He studied her face for a moment before cautiously asking, “How did Kevin take it?”

She sighed and looked at the ground. “Bad. Even though it was him that wanted the baby, he took it very bad. I suppose it was my own fault. I made the stupid decision of telling him while he was drunk.”

Derek frowned sternly and gently rested a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him. “Adette, none of what that prick did to you was ever your fault. Understand?”

Her eyes glimmered with conflict for a moment, but she smiled at him weakly and mumbled, “Okay.”

There was a weak morning sunlight filtering down on them. It reflected off the sodden roads and damp grass, making everything blindingly reflective.

“You know one of the good things about autumn?” Adette said.

“I know many good things, but what’s yours?”

She smiled a little, picking a golden leaf from a branch above their heads and twirling it between her thumb and finger. “It’s apple season. I love apples.” She paused for a moment and then grinned childishly. “I could really use with some apples.”

“You love apples, eh?” he laughed, “The cravings are setting in already.”

She pouted and whined, “No! I always loved apples!”

He laughed, thinking about how great it that for the first time since the court case, she was finally herself again. He supposed she had been dealing with a lot. It was just great to see her happy.

They arrived back home and Adette realized she couldn’t let Lassie off the leash or she’d trek mud, grass and water everywhere. So, with a great deal of struggle, she hoisted Lassie into her arms and staggered up the hallway to the bathroom. Derek offered to carry Lassie for her, but they both knew Lassie would probably cause more of a fuss if it was Derek that was handling her.

“We’ve never given her a bath before. I guess we’ll see how much she hates them,” Adette giggled as she turned on the tap and with a little difficulty, lowered Lassie into the bath.