In Omnia Paratus (AU) - Book 2

Crushing

"As if the kid gets to be named after gran like what a bloody stupid thing to do." I groaned unreasonably to Richard down the phone.

"Grace is a nice name." Richard shrugged not really caring that much. "We thought about calling maisie that. I'm glad someone in your family got called grace. It's nice." He rambled on.

"Richard, support me here. This isn't fair, poor violet is in hospital." I moaned. I was currently at home, we were all told to leave but dad stayed overnights and Rachel and the baby went there this morning.

I decided to sleep it off because it had been a long few days.

- - - - -

I'd been in contact with Lily mildly throughout all this but it was hard speaking to her at the moment because all she said was how she managed to walk downstairs one day.

Don't get me wrong the day she walked on her own I've never cried so much, but she's getting so good at it now and I just feel like this never should have had to happen. She said soon she might get back to dancing.

That's blew my mind.

Anyway the last time I spoke to her I told her about grace and everything and she listened to me complain and moan. All Richard did was moan at me for being so negative.

"How about you interact with grace before you judge her?" Lily scoffed finally getting bored of the complaining.

"I really don't wanna hang out with a baby." I moaned.

"It's been two years, suck it up." She laughed but then I think she went quiet in fear I would be angry at her.

"Yeah yeah, I guess so..."

"Go make friends with your sister!" Lily encouraged.

"She's at the hospital with them." I said.

"Well offer to look after her."

"Okay whatever, bye Lily." I rolled my eyes and was fed up with that conversation.

- - - - -

"Richard, what the hell?" Lily said answering her door to see him stood opposite her.

"Hey, nice to see you on your feet." Richard smiled. "Can I come in?"

"Sure..." Lily said tiredly, she was just napping on the sofa when Richard knocked on her parents house door. Luckily they weren't in, so Lily got to the door.

"How are you? Home alone? Should you be home alone yet?" He mumbled a load of gibberish clearly quite on edge, or nervous about something.

"I'm fine, and yes I can be home alone. I walk now, I mean... I walk most of the time now." Lily sighed.

"Good good." Richard smiled back at her as they sat down on the sofa opposite one another.

"Richard why are you here?" Lily sighed again, she was tired she didn't have time for beating around the bush with these things.

"I needed to tell Jenna something whilst she wasn't in the same room as me, whilst she at home but she's having a bit of a crisis, so I need to tell someone else." Richard said anxiously.

"Okay... what is it?"

"Well you know I still go out to clubs, even though Jenna's not a fan. I still go out?" He explained.

"Yes I know." Lily nodded.

"Ha well ok... one night at this club this girl, she was in trouble with some guys. In fact, deep trouble. I thought they were gunna rape her-- so I intervened, I fixed the problem." He explained.

"Okay that's very nice of you..."

"Well ever since, I've been meeting up with this girl for coffee on Tuesday afternoons. And this week I finally realised I had been basically dating her all this time." Richard ground his teeth together knowing what was coming next.

Lily hit him. Just on his arm but still.

"How long ago did you meet her at this club?" She asked.

"September." He braced himself again. Then Lily hit him again.

"Richard it's December," she moaned at him. "That's a best part of 4 months you've been lying to Jenna for."

"But it's no big deal. She's just a friend who's a girl. Like Jenna has Jake, her friend who is a boy." Richard shrugged.

"Oh if it's just a friend then why are you so scared to tell her?" Lily frowned at her.

"Because I think I might like her." He whined.

"What, like like?" Lily squinted.

"Maybe?" Richard said. "But I don't know. I met her when all that craziness with Jenna was going on. When we found out Jenna was still self harming and everything. I don't know, it's complicated."

"You're telling me it's complicated. You realise you're telling her best friend that you like someone else. How am I supposed to talk to her now?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"No! I don't like someone else. You've got it wrong. I'm just having a problems with my focus.."

"Your focus?" She spat.

"Yeah." Richard sighed.

"Okay listen. It's okay to look at other people and think they're attractive, it's ok to have a crush on someone even. But yeah--- okay! Yeah... maybe all this is just a crush?" She pondered.

"Hmm.." he hummed.

"Yeah maybe you're just crushing on someone else. That's okay, I'm sure I've had a crush on the new boy or a work friend whilst I've been with Matt." Lily shrugged.

"So it's just a crush?" He nodded.

"Yes. You'll get over it soon and you'll realise how silly you were being." Lily laughed.

"Okay, yeah it was a crush. I'll get over it." Richard laughed and then shook his head like the whole idea was stupid.

- - - - -

I was walking with dad down the corridor at the hospital and I apologised for being rude to him and he apologised to me about everything that had happened.

He felt bad I had to deal with everything that was going on with violet on my own and I shouldn't have to be put through that, I wasn't her parent.

I totally understood and realised that if I had just had maisie at that time I would of been pretty oblivious too.

"I remember Richard and I's phones both had little or no battery by the time I was out of labour. I had to charge my phone at the hospital." I told dad to reassure him because he had no sleep and was feeling really guilty.

"It's alright jenna I know we made a big mistake there." Dad hummed and then took a bit sigh. "I didn't want to say this on the phone before you got here but... it's definitely cancer."

"What?" I said sadly.

"Yeah it's uh heartbreaking I know." Dad said really sadly.

"It's crushing, I'm sorry that I came now, I bet you guys just want to be alone huh?" I asked.

"No jenna you're a part of this family. And right now we need to stick together. Violet needs us all." He explained.