Risorgimento

22: I'm just doing this for Esme's sake

Ichiro sat silently as the nurses walked in front of him, passing him every now and then. Some nurses looked agitated and some looked like they're still figuring their way around the hospital, maybe they're the newly hired ones. His thick coat resting on his lap as his fingers tapped the fur on the neckline of it. It was already snowing outside making it colder by the minute. Elnore called him last night, it was regarding the DNA test. That's why he's at the hospital now, the laboratory for tests were inside and he waited patiently for Elnore to arrive. Just by thinking of her, she walked towards him and avoided his look. Her thick hair tied up in a bun making it emphasize her face even more. Ichiro then looked away before he heard the faint "hi" coming from her.

"What took you so long?" he asks quietly as he fixes the coat on his lap. Elnore sitting one chair away from him.

"I had to help Harvey with his business meeting for tonight, he had his personal assistant have a day off since they've been working so hard," Elnore said as she settled herself on the seat.

Ichiro let out a scoff then shook his head, "Baka," he said with a smirk on his face.

"Excuse me?"

"Idiot, I meant. Sorry I forgot you don't understand Japanese," he said and she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Why are you pissed this early in the morning? What? Nobody slept with you this week is that why your panties are in a twist?"

"I'm not bringing my sexual life in this conversation," he stated.

There was silence between the two of them, obviously angry at each other. Elnore crossed her arms over her chest as Ichiro bit the insides of his cheek.

"I'm just doing this for Esme's sake," she added. "Why are you even mad at me?"

"I'm not sure, maybe it's for the reason that you didn't tell me that Esme's mine. You turned my proposal down just because of Harvey and you said he's the father of your baby."

"It was a mistake, Ichiro," she said with a huff.

"You made me miserable for years. Remember that," he said with gritted teeth.

A doctor walked towards them and he cleared his throat before asking if they were Mr. Watanabe and Mrs. Miller. They both acknowledged the question and the doctor gave them the result.

"I'm just giving this result for concrete evidence of the findings," he said before taking a deep breath. "It's positive, Esme is Mr. Watanabe's child."

Ichiro took the result from Elnore's hand to see it for himself. "Thank you, doctor," Elnore said and the Doctor left.

"Positive," he repeats to himself and Elnore waited for Ichiro to speak again.

"Well, I told you," Elnore said.

"What are we supposed to do now? You're married to Harvey-"

"And I will stay married to him," Elnore spoke, her tone making Ichiro furrow his eyebrows. She's been mad before but this time it's different. "I just wanted you to know, Ichiro. Even if it's late for me to decide, I just wanted you to know. If you're going to give Esme gifts here and there, it's alright. If you don't, it's fine. I just thought it's your right to know too since you're the biological father of Esme."

"What will Harvey say about this?" he asks as he holds the results in his hand.

"He already knows. He's accepted Esme already and treats her like his own child. You won't have a problem with that," she answered.

"Then why did you leave me?" he asks, his voice becoming weary. 

Elnore didn't answer. She just cleared her throat and held her coat closer to her body. "I didn't love you anymore," she said.