The Flu

Chapter 16

8 MONTHS LATER

"Daddy is my sister going to stay with us? Granny Annarita said they will move to the beach house once she is born. Please don't allow them please eeee." Tommy was in tears begging his daddy to make things work.

Nella had not planned to get pregnant. She had felt it had been Epy's mistake as she had always been careful. Taking her pills as prescribed. What she didn't know was Nana had replaced the original pills to hormonal ones not related to preventing pregnancy. It had worked and the news about the pregnancy just made her heart jump. She was ever there watching out on her to make sure she was okay. She had kept this at heart.

" I don't know Tommy. Nella is mad at me. It's grown up thing. But I will try."

He said waiting to see his daughter who had been born 4 hours ago. Nella had refused to sign a document to allow him see her. She was denying him his daughter.

Nella's pregnancy had been a difficult one. He had ended up disliking Epy so much almost hating him. She had to move out and had been staying with Annarita who had been taking care of her. She had allowed Nana and Tommy to visit but not Epy. She just didn't know why she had so much dislike.

He was allowed to see them and was amazed at how much the child looked like it's own mother. The nails were his, so was the birthmark on her thigh just identical to his. He smiled as the little hand gripped on his index finger. The child smiled at him. Father_daughter bond had been created.

As talked out by Nella's dad, Nella moved back in with Epy. She had hoped this move in trick wasn't a way for her dad to get more time with Anna Rita. They had seemed to be so much in love now. Nella had accepted this for her own reason being she felt her daughter needed the love and time he had missed from his own dad growing up. Andy had made it his business to remind her of what had happened no matter what image he displayed to her.

On the same day the child was born he announced his retirement and took a trip out of the country with AnnaRita a week later. Nella was not surprised by the new developments everyone was gossiping about. She had seen it coming with her long stay at the beach house.

They hired a nanny to take care of Aurora, their daughter. Nella was back in business within three months like she had never left. Epy also was deep into working booking in surgeries in the evening to avoid meeting up Nella. During the day he do stay in with his daughter, wait on his son to report back from school, catch up and then leave before Nella was back.

It went on for almost 6 months. Then one day their daughter started showing signs of "HACK".

"Epy! She is sick!" Nella had just picked her daughter after coming early from work.

That's the only time they sat together, she in her arms and him placing his arm around them.

"I don't think it serious. I have been watching her the whole day. Look, she is smiling at us. She had the temperature in the morning but now she is well."

He had concluded after a whole day of watching her. Then Nella noted a tiny spot on Aurora's left hand.

"Did you draw blood from her like you did to me without telling me?" Nella had gotten furious.

"I swear to you I didn't! I left her sleeping I swear Nella!" he had cried.

The nanny came in and smiled at them.

"Nana took her blood. A doctor had come in to check on her...." she said.

"What doctor! Without our knowledge! Why didn't you ask us! No one even called me! Epy where were you? I thought you were watching her during the day!" she said angry.

Nana wasn't in the house. Her guilt had driven her to a society book reading and there she sat pretending to be listening. She also was waiting to see her son who as per the call was supposed to walk into the society house dropping books he had borrowed.

" Your mother did it! Without even asking us! What kind of a mother is she? Is it because she has never given birth, felt the pain?" Nella was now totally mad and crying. She must have upset Aurora as she had started to cry.

Nana didn't come home that evening, neither did she in the next. Her phone was off and her last GPS was at the society house. A search began looking for her. Nowhere could she be found. Some neighbors started relating her disappearance to that of a kid killed on the streets a year ago saying it was connected. Rumors filled everywhere that she was dead.

It was a blow to everyone who had know her, to the Female lead paternity it was even worse. She was a heroine and founder of the group. They kept looking and slowly like the wave of her disappearance had hit, it started to clear.

People talked less of her. Epy and Nella got even closer during the period. Tommy got thinner and Aurora grew plumpy each day. With her being so full of life, she started to fill Nana's gap. She became the favourite one of everyone.....

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