Love, Simply - Chapter 24：We've lost you, and found them

“Life is a full circle when you see for yourself a new life that you made.”

~~~

“Where’s Cyrus?” Louise asked the second she regained consciousness. “Is he okay?”

Dhan sighed, “Love has turned you into a fool. Worry about yourself first, will you? He fainted.”

“What’s wrong with him?” She asked, attempting to get out of bed. “Where is he?”

“Take it easy, Louise,” Dhan said. “You need to see a doctor.”

“Why, am I sick?”

“Charles was in a hurry! He said you need to go to a hospital to have some tests done,” Dhan said.

“Cahir! Dad’s worried about you. I am going to be busy and can’t accompany you to the hospital. So, please. Let Kate take you, okay?”

“Okay,” Louise nodded.

~~~

“Darling!”

“Hey, are you okay?” Cyrus asked, smiling weakly. “You should go to the hospital. You fainted twice. I am worried.”

“I am fine. Your head,” Louise said, seeing the bandage around his head. “Does it hurt?”

“Ah,” he touched his forehead, “mild concussion, but I am fine.”

“I am sorry—”

“Don’t worry about it,” he smiled. “It’s not your fault,” Cyrus assured.

“But—” He stretched out his hand, pulled Louise toward him, planting a soft kiss on her lips, enough to silence her.

~~~

Louise didn’t like the way the gun felt in her hands. She could have killed Lynn. Was it that necessary to shoot him? If the police took care of it, would it have been better? All those questions were going through her mind.

“Don’t overthink it,” Cyrus said. “You can’t change what you did. You were going to be this regretful, why did you do it?”

Louise sighed, “I don’t regret it. I hope he doesn’t do anything like that again. It hurt me that I hurt him, that he harmed Diane. Our relationship will never be the same. We won’t trust him and, we’re going to doubt his actions, his words—”

“Why did he do it? Why lose us? We loved him. He’s not our biological uncle, but—” Tears slowly flowed down Louise’s cheeks.

“I am sorry,” said Cyrus, taking her in his embrace, “I am sorry it turned out like that. He didn’t think that Lynn’s actions would have that much effect on Louise. His heart shattered and felt upset, seeing his beloved cried.

~~~

That was enough experience for Louise as she did not like the feeling. She didn’t feel regretful that she shot Lynn. But she didn’t like that she had to do that to someone from her family.

“Is there anything else I should know?” Cyrus asked after she had calmed down.

“Like what?” Louise asked.

“I don’t know. There are a lot of things that I don’t know about you. No matter how long we date, I’ll never truly know you,” Cyrus said, starring at Louise as if he was trying to analyze her.

“They aren’t things that I can casually tell you. Knowing some martial arts is not something you go around telling people.”

“What kind?”

“Taekwondo and Muay Thai,” Louise answered. “It’s nothing special—”

“It’s special. But—” Cyrus looked Louise up and down, “You look like the kind of person who violently smashes things and people. Muay Thai is beautiful. It’s like dance-fighting—”

“That’s why I ‘smashed’ you,” Louise whispered.

“What?” Cyrus grinned.

“You heard me,” she smiled.

“You don’t stop.”

“It ain’t my fault that my man is so fine,” Louise shrugged, “Blame it on God.”

“Blame it on him for giving you such a dirty mind.”

Louise smiled, “Well, it’s not something new. Let’s do something dirty and see—”

“You’re horny,” Cyrus whispered in her ears, causing Louise to chuckle.

“No, I am only craving you.”

“You’re turning our serious conversation into a—”

“Can we not talk about this anymore? Mmh?” Louise asked, her arms around his waist, “Let’s talk about it some other time. If we were arguing, I’d have fought with you to come to an understanding. Please?”

“Okay!” Cyrus gave in.

“I love you,” Louise smiled sweetly at him, her big round eyes looking up at Cyrus.

“Eyes down!”

“Why?”

“You’re making me fall in love with you again,” Cyrus said, turning his head away.

“Eh!”Louise said, feeling content with the answer, “I have to stare at you like this every day then.”

“You’ll pull me deep.”

“Oh?” Louise laughed, “I don’t want to be down there alone.”

“You’re not,” Cyrus said, staring at her eyes.

“I always feel like—that you’re protecting your heart—”

“It’s all yours—I don’t have anything left.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Louise smiled, stood up, and kissed Cyrus, “I—love —you.”

~~~

“I am sorry,” Cecilia said, biting her nails nervously.

“I get it,” Diane responded, “I swear I can hear you apologizing at night. Did you send someone to kill me? I don’t know why you’re apologizing.”

“On behalf of my brother.”

“Our brother,” Diane corrected, “I wonder what was going through his mind. What if I had died? Lynn would have had to go to prison. What was he thinking? He’s so young.”

“Are you an angel?” Cecilia shouted, “How can you be worried about him?”

“I know. It’s that it feels like I’ve lost someone,” Diane smiled, “I know he doesn’t deserve my care, but he was important to all of us.”

Anyway, don’t I look great?”

“Yeah, you look gorgeous,” Cecilia smiled, “Don’t forgive him. At least not yet.”

“I’m so young, Cil, I don’t want to resent or hate anyone. Yes, I’m angry, I’m pissed at him, but thankfully I am alive. I hope he takes this time to think about his actions.”

“Well, the feelings I have for him aren’t going to be the same, but he can hate himself for putting me through hell. Besides, our niece took care of him well.”

“Please, I am still in shock,” Cecilia sighed. “When did she learn that kick thing?”

“What? She did a Bruce Lee on him?” Diane laughed.

“I don’t know who that is, but that thing she did was enough to hospitalize Lynn.”

Diane shockingly stared at Cecilia. “How do you not know who Bruce Lee is—”

“How’s that important? Anyway, isn’t he the small Asian guy in ‘The Expendables’?”

“That’s Jet Li,” Diane sighed, “Forget it. Don’t mess with Louise. She won’t spare you,” Diane said, watching her sister.

Cecilia chuckled awkwardly, “You know Louise, and I get along pretty well, but I know she wouldn’t forgive me if I did something.”

“Glad you know that. I am going to visit Louise. Do you want to come with?”

“Won’t they feel uncomfortable?”

“It’s alright!”

~~~

“Baby,” Kate called out in the living room. “Louise, your cake is here.”

“I’m over here,” a faint voice said.

“Over where?”

“Sofa,” Louise said, raising her arm for Kate to see, “Is it a carrot cake?”

“This isn’t lack of sleep. I am worried about you. You sleep so often——let’s go to the hospital.”

“I don’t think it’s anything dangerous,” said Louise, busying herself with the cake, “So good.”

“No, I am taking you to see a doctor.”

“I am fine,” she insisted.

Kate pulled out her phone and read, “Katie, if Louise doesn’t go to the hospital, call her grandparents.”

“I’ll go. I’ll go! Ugh, so annoying.”

~~~

“Louise, what’s taking you so long?”

“I got fat! My shirts aren’t fitting. My breast grew, that’s weird,” Louise said in a shouting voice, “I guess I have been eating a lot lately—”

A while later, she went down wearing a white sundress, with an oversized denim jacket on top as she let her hair down. “I feel weird!”

“Merde, Mon Dieu!” Kate jumped back at the sight of her friend. “I always forget that you’re a woman.” (Fuck! My God!)

“Fuck off!”

“Smile. Cyrus will be thrilled,” Kate snapped a picture, sending it to her cousin.

“Do I look okay?” Louise asked Kate for the millionth times.

“You look beautiful in everything,” said Kate, using the opportunity to apply makeup on Louise. “If—never mind.”

“I hurt you, didn’t I?” Asked Louise with a mixed expression. “I should have told you since the beginning. I didn’t know you liked me—”

“You don’t like women, but I know that even if you were a guy, you wouldn’t have liked me anyway,” Kate forced a smile.

“I am sorry,” Louise looked down, “I am sorry I couldn’t love you.”

“No. Because of you, I met Robert. Did I love your handsome face? Or did I love Louise? But your friendship is enough for me. I wholeheartedly love you as a friend.”

“I love you, thank you for being my friend,” Louise said, hugging Kate’s small frame.

“We’re so random,” Kate laughed, “How did we end up talking about this?”

“You had to ruin it,” Louise rolled her eyes.

~~~

“I want to go!” Louise whined, thirty minutes after she had the exams done. “The waiting time shouldn’t be no more than fifteen minutes.”

“Be patient—”

“Mr. Cahir,” a nurse called.

“Right here,” Kate pulled a sulky Louise up as she tried to hold in the laughter.

“You can laugh.”

“I am sorry—”

“You can laugh.”

“I am sorry—”

“It’s okay with us,” Kate smiled at the nurse.

~~~

“So, what brings you in today?” Doctor Charles asked, “Your blood pressure is normal. Everything is good, except—your cholesterol. Avoid eating fried food too much. It’s not good for the baby. You had an ultrasound already?”

“What do you mean?”

“You didn’t know you were pregnant?” Charles put down the clipboard, “Kate—what’s going on?”

“I have no clue either. Louise didn’t even want to come today. You know how she is. Pregnant? How long is she?”

“What’s wrong with you, guys? Cahir, you’re 20 weeks pregnant.”

Pregnant? She was—

“Louise, that’s good news,” Kate beamed.

“Huh, yeah!” Louise said, starring blankly at Kate and Charles. Pregnant?

‘What will Cyrus say? Does he love kids? How am I pregnant?’

“Here,” Charles handed Louise a paper, “Do you want to get the ultrasound done today?”

“Yes!”

“Mmh! It can take thirty minutes to an hour since you didn’t have an appointment, is that okay?”

“It’s fine. I will wait,” Louise answered.

“Congratulations, kiddo. I can’t believe you’ll have kids before me. Go, go. I have other patients. I’ll visit you, guys.”

“Thank you.”

~~~

‘I am going to become a mother. A mom? But, Cyrus’s still young—’

Louise laid on her back as the doctor moved the cooling object on her belly.

“Congratulations. You’re having triplets. Boys!”

‘Boys? Not even a girl? Three?’

Kate couldn’t help but smile and be happy for her friend.

Louise looked down at her stomach. She didn’t look pregnant at all.

“Doctor…”

“It happens sometimes. Some women have other areas in their bodies that grow and develop during pregnancy. Your stomach might not be big, after all.”

“Watch your body and notice if there’s anything different. Don’t worry! Your babies are healthy.”

Louise looked down at her chest and sighed, “I guess that explains it.”

“Thank you.”

“Congratulations again. Here are the pictures.”

Louise stared at the photos, feeling a wave of happiness, looking at the ultrasound pictures. “I am going to become a mother, Kate.”

“Look at you—happy! You asked for twins, but God blessed you with triplets.”

“When did I?”

“After I came back from Jamaica—”

“Ah,” Louise sighed, “You—really—you know how to ruin my good mood. How can you remember something I said from so long ago? You’re just so good at ruining my moments.”

“Not at all. I am reminding you,” Kate grinned.

Louise groaned, “I am happy. I shouldn’t be complaining, but—three?”

“That means you won’t need to have kids anymore after them. It will be fine. Hurry up and tell my cousin,” said Kate, “I forgot you have a young boyfriend—”

“Mother—”

“You’re going to make my little cousins mad. Come on.” Kate giggled.

Louise glared at her, “Do you think—”

“Cyrus loves kids.”

“But he’s still so young with a bright future, three kids, Kate.”

“He’s their father. You have to tell him. It’s not like you guys aren’t together.”

~~~

“Do I look weird?”

“No,” Cyrus blinked, “Wow, Mmh, you look—nice.”

“Nice?”

“Well, you’re already beautiful, but now, you look nice and elegant.”

“Should I dress like this from now?”

“Mm! I don’t know—you can do both. You have a different aura when you dress like this—you look friendly and approachable.”

“Alright, why do you need an answer. No matter how you look, I’ll still love you. It doesn’t matter. But that lipstick is no.”

“Huh, what’s wrong with it?” Louise asked.

“It doesn’t suit you.”

“Mmh!”

“But how are you feeling?” Cyrus asked Louise, “Come here. Lay down. Do you still feel dizzy? Do you want me to get you something? There’s no school tomorrow. I take you to the hospital.”

“Darling—”

“No, it’s set. Don’t try to talk me out of it.”

“But—”

“What if something is seriously wrong with you?”

“I am pregnant. There’s nothing wrong with me,” Louise quickly said before Cyrus’d stop her from talking. “I am not sick.”

“What did you say?” Asked Cyrus, putting aside his cellphone. “We’re pregnant?”

“I am—we’re pregnant.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“I am going to be a father?”

“I have pictures,” Louise said, scouring through her purse for the photos, “Here.”

“That’s our baby?”

“Babies.”

“What?”

“Triplets.”

“Thank you,” he smiled, “I am thankful. Really! I am overwhelmed with joy and happiness. Thank you so much,” Cyrus said, kissing her on the forehead.

‘How can he still melt my heart?’ Wondered Louise as he stared at him. “Thank you for accepting us.”

“How can I not? I am not crying. I am just happy,” Cyrus smiled. “How could I not accept them? Thank you. I don’t believe in reincarnation, but if there’s a next life. I will devote my life to you, you only.”

“Remember your words,” Louise smiled.

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you.”

“Four months.”

“Four months?” Cyrus gasped. “If I knew you were pregnant. I wouldn’t have let you lure me and control myself.”

“Don’t fell guilty because my hormones levels are way up there,” Louise winked.

“Babies, tell your mommy to stop being naughty,” Cyrus said, placing his head on Louise’s belly. “I love your mommy a lot, so be nice.”