If No One Will Listen

[MizzyBee123]

Ooooo sounds good! can't wait =]

[Louise_2983]

Chapter 4

“Well who's to blame, are we making the right choices?

'Cause we can't be sure if we're hearing our own voices”

Indina Menzel - Brave

She took each step slowly as she walked hesitantly down the cold, bare clinical hospital corridor towards where he stood by the viewing window. One foot in front of the other in a steady rhythm but too agonising a pace

His plump, pale lips curved into a tiny smile, his gaze lifting to drink in the sight of her. Hope glimmered in his mesmerising, ocean blue eyes only to be extinguished by the feeble, forced smile she

volleyed back at him.

“I thought you’d left” he stated quietly, the melodic tune created by the clatter of her heels on the sturdy laminate flooring suddenly coming to an abrupt end as her feet stilled before him.

“I can’t find Geoff anywhere” she sighed deeply in frustration.

He watched her intently, the power of his gaze catching her off guard slightly, so her whole body wobbled and she struggled to keep from toppling over.

Sheer regret laced through his entire body, seeping into every crevice that wasn’t packed with hard muscle. He didn’t know if they could ever get what they had back, whether he had obliterated any

chance of ever repairing the cracks. But he knew that he wanted it back. He wanted her back more than he could ever remember desiring anything else in his entire life. But he’d dropped her when she

had been at her lowest ebb and, even worse, he’d kicked her whilst she was still down there. He wouldn’t blame her if she could never forgive him for that. She’d always been there. Even when they

hadn’t been together she had always been there, begrudgingly and a little late sometimes but she had always been there for him.

“I can’t just leave without him. It’ll probably take him a week to find his way home, the confused state he was in!”

Silently he placed his fingertips on the delicate skin of her wrist as it hung idly by her side. Sharp jolts of electricity shot through her instantly at his gentle touch and, raising her big brown eyes to look at

him, she knew he’d felt it too.

Ignoring the sweet sensation flowing through him created by the miniscule amount of physical contact, contact he had needed after so long, contact which only served to remind him what she felt like in

his arms and under his strong hands, he let his fingertips trace a slow, leisurely path from her racing pulse, over her soft, tender palm and finally curled them around her own. Tugging her body gently

forward he stepped to the side an inch to allow her to view the scene he had previously been observing through the viewing window behind him.

A tiny gasp caught in the back of her throat as the sight of Geoff affectionately cuddling his baby daughter close brought warm, joyful tears to her eyes washing away the hurt and sadness they had

previously been tinged with.

“He came back a while ago” Aden explained his voice low and husky, his fingers still wrapped around Belle’s.

“He had another little freak out when he didn’t know how to hold her but one of the nurses helped him and he hasn’t put her down since”

“I don’t blame him, look at her” she grinned, her eyes never once leaving the beautiful baby girl as Geoff wiggled her little fingers on the very tips of his own and her bare feet drummed a beat against

his impressive biceps, exposed by the white cotton of the running top covering his tanned chest.

“At least one of them is coming around to the idea. Nicole’s still refusing to come anywhere near her”

“To be fair” Belle laughed softly unable to believe she was about to defend Nicole.

“Geoff just waltzed in here and met his baby daughter. Nicole had to physically expel her from her own body first. I think it’s easy to see who had the bigger shock here!”

“She won’t let me call Roman” Aden exhaled deeply, resting his temple against the ice cold pain of glass creating a barrier between them and the scattering of newborns in the room beyond. A tiny patch

of fog appeared before him as his warm breath hit the frosty pain. He made no move to wipe it away, having no desire to remove his hand from Belle’s until she inevitably forced him to.

“I don’t know what to do Belle. If I tell him I’m going against Nicole’s wishes, if I don’t then I’m betraying his trust again. I can’t win!”

“He’s her Dad, he should know” Belle replied in a whisper.

“There’s no way she can keep this from him, it’s not like she’s going to be able to hide a baby in that little house”

“You don’t even want to know the wise crack she made about him not even being able to see her” Aden cringed as he recalled Nicole’s insensitive remark in reference to her father’s current disability.

“I’ll tell him”

“What?”

“Roman” she clarified with a nod.

“I’ll tell him. If it comes from you he’ll probably kill you before you even have a chance to explain it wasn’t you who impregnated his teenage daughter if his reaction last week is anything to go by and

you’re not breaking Nicole’s trust that way either”

“I didn’t think you cared” he let a wry smile play on his lips as she slipped her hand from his and a surge of coldness instantly rushed through him.

“You know I do” she sighed, her deep brown eyes holding his meaningfully. She felt her heart tighten and her stomach flutter as he smiled a tiny, knowingly smile down at her.

“Belle, you don’t have to talk to Roman. You’ve done enough already. You shouldn’t even be mixed up in all of this, you’ve literally only just got out of rehab”

“Ah after Geoff he’ll be a breeze” she shrugged allowing her gaze to wander back to the new father now whispering soft words into his daughter’s ear.

“She is Geoff’s isn’t she?” she asked, her voice suddenly breaking and anxious.

“You and Nicole haven’t been...behind my back this whole time?”

“What?!” he exclaimed in horror that the thought would ever cross her mind, He may have ruined what they had but he thought she at least knew how much it had meant to him.

“No, of course not!”

“Are you sure?” she pushed again, not sure he would admit it anyway. Would she even know about him and Nicole if she hadn’t had the dubious pleasure of walking in on them in flagrante?

“I mean around the same time Nicole and Geoff were on the island, we were broken up so I’d have no reason to be angry. In fact I was the one who did the breaking up so...”

“Belle” he sighed deeply.

“Around the same time Nicole and Geoff were on the island I was busy having a mental breakdown remember? I didn’t exactly have the time or the inclination to hop into Nicole’s bed too!”

“The inclination’s just a recent thing then?”

“I don’t know why it happened” he whispered, the pain in her eyes piercing him like an arrow.

“And I could offer excuse after excuse Belle. I missed you, I was angry at you, I was angry at myself, I wanted to forget. But no matter what I say I still did it”

“It really hurt Aden”

“I know and I’m so-“

“Don’t apologise” she shrugged feigning nonchalance.

“We weren’t together, you don’t have to apologise”

“I know, but I want to Belle. I need you to know that it was a mistake, All of it. Nicole, breaking up with you because I was too much of a coward to face up to my own history, Nicole. The last thing I

ever wanted to do was hurt you Belle and it feels like that’s all I’ve done recently”

“I hurt you too, I know that” she replied locking her eyes with his.

“With all the lies”

“But you needed me and I left you to deal with it alone. Twice! That’s not what a relationship is. Ours was the first I’d ever had but I still knew that and I still walked away because I wasn’t man enough

to handle it”

“It’s done now” she forced a weak smile, the guilt and pain shining from his eyes making her want to throw her arms around him and never let go. But she couldn’t.

“And it might just have helped. Before, when we were together and I was taking the pills, the only thing that could genuinely make me want to stop was the thought that I would lose you if I didn’t and

that was not healthy Aden. You were the most important person in my life but I needed to be selfish, the most important person in my life had to be me and I couldn’t see that until you weren’t in the

picture anymore”

“There’s nothing going on between me and Nicole anymore, it was just a physical thing and we both know it was wrong” he spoke softly, needing to eliminate any doubt she may have about how he felt.

“You’re the one. It’s always been you Belle and I want to be there for you, I want to be with you”

Her heart leapt into her mouth at his words, thumping rapidly as she witnessed the love and pain and guilt mixed up in his bright blue eyes.

“I can’t do this right now” she confessed in a whisper.

“I’m still fighting this addiction, my life is still all over the place, Being released from rehab was just the beginning Aden. I need to focus on me without all the drama. I need calm not worry and stress

about Angelo or Nicole or your Dad or whoever or whatever is coming between us that particular week. I need...”

“Anything you need” he promised as her sentence trailed off.

“I need a friend right now” she smiled nervously.

“We never were just friends first”

“I can do friends” he nodded.

He would take anything she offered. Anything if it meant she was in his life still.

“And I don’t mean of the” with benefits” variety either” she grinned cheekily, lightening the mood between them.

“Well that’s no fun” he grinned back as the shrill ring of her mobile pierced the air and she delved into her bag to retrieve it.

“I should take this” she nodded as Liam’s named flashed incessantly at her from the illuminated display and she motioned to the exit.

“Course” he nodded unaware of the caller’s identity.

“I’ll go and find Roman too”

“Belle?” he called just as she reached the door.

She twisted her head back to meet his gaze and for a few seconds they simply smiled at each other in silence until she turned and was gone.

***

He stormed into her private hospital room determined that she must have known, convinced that she had been keeping this from him for nine long months, determined to show her just how angry he

was that she had done so.

But in the split second in which he saw her, numb and empty, curled up into a tight ball on the hospital bed with Aden by her side gently trying to coax her around, he knew that today was the first she

had known about it.

“You really didn’t know” he whispered as he advanced into the room, Aden being the only one to glance up at him as Nicole continued to stare intently at the magnolia walls.

He sat down at the opposite side of the bed to Aden and gently leaned forward so he could at least be sure that she could see him even if she refused to look directly at him, as though he would hurt her

like looking at the exposed burning sun. Aden made a move to leave the room but Nicole outstretched her arm and grabbed him, looking at him only to plead with him not to leave. He sat back down

without hesitation.

“How Nic?” he sighed softly.

“Well” she began sarcastically still refusing to look at him.

“Boy meets girl, girl drops her p-“

“Nicole!” he scolded her dreading what she might have been about to reveal about what happened between them in front of Aden.

“That’s not what I meant” he continued knowing that she knew full well that hadn’t been what he had meant.

“How did you not know? Didn’t you...I don’t know put weight on or something?”

“Well maybe a few pounds” she shrugged.

“But I was still having regular periods and the weight was in all the right places if you know what I mean” she gestured to her chest.

“So I wasn’t going to complain! And neither did either of you from what I remember”

“Nicole!” this time it was Aden scolding her. He didn’t know how much Geoff knew but he didn’t go into their recent exploits with him around.

“Don’t you want to see her?” Geoff asked softly already knowing the answer but wanting Nicole to explain it herself.

“Why would I want that?” she replied coldly, her eyes still hard and unfeeling when inside all she could do was feel. Feel fear and confusion and shock and panic. She just couldn’t be a mother. She had

ruined her entire life. She had sworn she would never be like Natalie and yet she’d turned into her anyway.

“Because she’s your daughter and she’s beautiful” he smiled hesitantly reaching into his back pocket and pulling out the polaroid photo of their baby girl one of the nurses had given him a few minutes

earlier.

“Look” he instructed pushing the photo between the fingers of her clenched fist.

“I don’t want to look!” she bellowed knocking his hand away, something snapping within her like a fraying elastic, as she sent the polaroid fluttering to the floor.

“I don’t want a baby! I don’t have a daughter because I’m not a mother! I don’t want to be a mother! I didn’t ask to push a parasite out of me today! I don’t want milk coming out of me instead of a

freakin cow!”

“Nicole?”

Aden and Geoff’s head instantly turned at the voice to find Roman stood in the doorway.

“Dad” she whispered with a sigh.

She knew it was inevitable one of them would tell him but she had hoped they wouldn’t.

“It’s true then?” Roman questioned with a tinge of disappointment in his tone as Belle appeared behind him and guided him into the unfamiliar room.

“It’s true” Geoff finally responded when Nicole failed to do so, her head bowed in slight shame even though he couldn’t see her no matter where she looked.

“You’re damn lucky that I can’t see you right now Geoff” Roman told him angrily as he finally reached Nicole’s side and a deluge of tears suddenly began to flow down her cheeks.

“I trusted you with my daughter”

“It wasn’t just him Dad” Nicole objected.

“I screwed up too! I made a total mess of everything and I’m sorry! I’m sorry for coming here and putting you through all this when you never even wanted me in the first place just like I don’t wan-”

“Hey!” Roman soothed her softly, her words breaking his heart, his anger dissolving until there was almost nothing left as he reached out to find her mere centimetres before him. He wrapped his arms

around her and let her sob into his broad chest, rubbing the back of her head affectionately with his palm.

“You’re my daughter Nic, I love you no matter what you do” he smiled against her blonde hair as he felt her calm a tiny amount at his words. His sight failing him heightened his other senses and he

caught an intense waft of her raspberry scented shampoo.

“Never apologise for coming here do you hear me? You coming here, getting to know you is the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time and I wish I’d got to know you a lot sooner”

“But you didn’t” she whispered, her words interspersed with sobs.

“You didn’t want me. I know you love me now but you didn’t want me back then and I understand that because I don’t want a baby either”

“Nic, from what I heard you’ve already got one like it or not. You can work this out, we’re all here to help you, I’m here to help you”

“No” she shook her head adamantly.

“You've got your own issues to deal with without mine too. And anyway I don’t want to work things out”

***

"Back so soon?" she sighed dramatically, her eyes rolling back in her head, as he pushed open the door and hesitantly crept into her hospital room.

"Someone's got to visit our daughter" he shrugged casually, standing by the end of her bed, one hand stuffed in his pocket the other clutching something white and fluffy.

"Seen as you won't even tell people she exists"

"I wish it didn't" she replied bluntly, her cold empty eyes boring a hole through the tiny ball of hope he had let whir up inside of him as she stared straight through him.

"I kinda hoped you might have agreed to have her in here with you by now" he mumbled not sure how to deal with blatant lack of love for the child they had created together.

"But then I'd have to look at it wouldn't I?!" she grimaced, her facial muscles contorting but her eyes remaining fixed and void.

"Her Nicole" he stressed with a soft sigh.

"She's her own little person, we should give her a name"

"Do what you want Geoff, just leave me out of it"

"Well" he began knowing she would hate anything he'd suggested purely because he'd suggested it anyway.

"I think Genesis is kind of nice, biblical but not old fashioned?"

"Call her that and I'm calling Docs!"

"Her" he repeated allowing his lips to curve into a smile.

"Progress at last"

"He, she, it? What does it matter?" she snapped wishing he would just leave. She only had to look at him to be reminded of everything she wanted to forget. She was 18, she was still at school, she

wasn't ready to be a mother. Even if she'd had the traditional nine months to prepare she still wouldn't have been ready.

"It matters" he whispered before lifting up the white fluffy bunny he grasped in his right hand for her to see.

"I bought her her first teddy. I know it's not much but at least it's not a twig hey?"

Nicole's pursed lips involuntarily kicked up at the ends as a burst of laughter sliped over the gloss coated skin.

"Wow a laugh too" he grinned sincerely.

"I really am working my magic today"

“Well I wish you’d worked your magic a little less 9 months ago” she snapped sourly, the curves of her pink lips disappearing as they became puckered once more.

“No you don’t” he shook his head sadly, the wispy blonde flicks of hair at the nape of his neck swaying as he did so.

“What happened between us on the island, that was special. Or at least it was for me”

“For me too” she softened slightly as she spoke the ends of her lips pushing upwards once more.

“But now it’s ruined. Now all I’ll ever be able to think of is how I’ve destroyed everything. I’m not ready to be a mother Geoff”

“And I’m not ready to be a father Nic but we don’t have a choice, we have a daughter and ignoring her isn’t going to change that” he stated simply without the usual hint of judgement in his voice as he

perched hesitantly on the edge of the bed and cradled her hands gently in between his.

“Come and see her” he pushed with a tiny smile.

“Come and say hello”

“I can’t”

“Yes you can”

“No, I can’t” she shook her head adamantly, warm tears stinging her big blue eyes.

“Because...”

“Because what?”

“Because then this all going to be real Geoff and I might love her and then what do I do? I’m 18, I can barely look after myself let alone a baby! I’ve been that unplanned baby, who no one ever really

wanted or knew what to do with, foisted off onto her grandparents because her mother didn’t even really know who she was herself yet! I can’t do that to our baby Geoff!”

“You will love her” he stated quietly, his utter calmness a complete contrast to her panicked ramble.

A huge ball of fear and uncertainty churned inside of him but he knew she didn’t need to see that. It wouldn’t help him meet his aim of at least getting her to look at their beautiful baby girl before the

day was over. He was as petrified as she was, but he wasn’t going to let her see it.

“You’ll love her because she’s beautiful and tiny and perfect and because she’s part of you, she’s part of us Nic. And loving her is a good thing”

“No it’s not” she whispered as he gently squeezed her hands between his.

“My Dad loves me and so does my Mum, even if she has a very funny way of showing it, but that didn’t stop either of them letting me down. It didn’t stop my Dad from running off to join the SAS as

soon as he was old enough to sign up and it didn’t stop her from treating me like an annoying little sister she couldn’t stand to have around!”

“We won’t be like that, we can learn from their mistakes” he insisted still clutching her hands close to him.

“I don’t want to Geoff. I’m just as selfish as they were. I don’t blame either of them, they were young and they didn’t know how to handle something as big as having a child and neither do we”

“Nicole” he sighed softly, gulping nervously as he prepared to open up to her wondering if she’d laugh at what he was about to say.

“My Mum and Dad were in their late twenties and happily married when I was born. And they were great parents, there was no running off or fobbing me off on other people. But then they died. They

died Nic. They let me down in a way they had no control over, they left me when I needed them most. But no one ever had any way of knowing that was going to happen. We could be the most perfect

parents in the world and something could still go wrong. So this whole situation isn’t ideal but we owe it to her to at least try, we have to do everything we can to be there for her. Because she’s here

Nicole and we did that, we created her and now we have to face up to that”

She wasn’t laughing as she slipped her hands out of his and pushed them against the stiff mattress so she could slide her still aching body off the bed.

“Let’s go then” she nodded curtly before grasping his arm with her hands.

“But you better keep a hold of me or I might do a runner”

A beaming smile spread rapidly across his face as he led her to the door and down the corridor towards the nursery.

“Stop grinning at me like that” she snapped in disdain.

“I’m not promising anything”

“No but this is a start” he continued to grin as he pushed open the door and they slipped into the room, empty of any other occupants but the two of them and their daughter.

He felt her whole body stiffen as she lingered by the doorway, still clutching his arm in fear, her sharp nails digging into the soft skin below.

“Nicole it’s ok” he whispered softly, extracting her hands from his arms and sliding his palm to the curve at the bottom of her back before pushing her gently forward towards the crib where “Baby Girl

Franklin” was snuggled amidst a cocoon of fluffy blankets.

“She’s just a baby, she’s not going to hurt you”

“She already did remember?” Nicole sniped still not moving a muscle.

“Oh no of course you don’t because you weren’t there and you have no idea what I went through”

“She might just be worth it” he whispered nudging her gently forward a little.

“If you let her be”

Instead of arguing with him as he had come to expect she simply nodded and took the last few steps to the crib her daughter was nestled inside. Her heart in her mouth as she gazed down with

trepidation at the beautiful baby girl, her eyes were scrunched tightly shut, her little hands balled into fists and raised to either side of her pretty face.

Her worst fears were confirmed in an instant as a wave of pure love whooshed straight through her and a tiny, distressed gasp emerged over her soft lips.

Geoff’s hand slipped back into place in the small of her back and rubbed gentle circles with his fingertips which did nothing to soothe her.

Tentatively she reached out her hand and let it brush against the soft soles of the newborn’s feet,

her pulse racing as she struggled to push away the love hitting her with tremendous force.

“She’s so perfect” she whispered more to herself than to Geoff.

“So beautiful and perfect”

“She looks just like you” she felt Geoff’s lips curve into a smile at the back of her head.

“Well it would be a waste of damn good genes if she didn’t” she allowed herself to smile for the first time since she had entered the hospital nursery.

“Am I allowed to hold her?” she questioned hesitantly.

“Of course you are, she’s you’re daughter” he chuckled as Nicole sank into the chair by their daughter’s crib and he lifted the tiny baby into her waiting arms.

Stirred by the movement the baby girl’s eyelids fluttered open and her alert, curious eyes gazed back at her mother, Cradling her baby close Nicole breathed in the sweet scent of her, tilting her head

downwards and brushing the softest of kisses on her temple.

Geoff watched them intently, a tiny smile dancing on his lips, his heart thudding against his chest in a mixture of fear and shock and pride as his fingertips glided silently over the warm metal nestled in

his pocket.

“Mummy and baby bonding at last I see” one of the nurses smiled sincerely as she entered the room to find Nicole smiling down at the newborn who now had her tiny fingers wrapped tightly around

Nicole’s pinky which she jiggled playfully.

“Yeah” Geoff smiled when Nicole failed to tear her gaze away from their baby girl.

“Well that’s great” the redheaded nurse nodded knowingly. Over the years she had seen many new mothers take time to adjust and she had known that Nicole would come around eventually.

“If there’s anything any of you need just let us know”

“Actually” Nicole’s head shot up instantly and her daughter let out a tiny cry snuggled in her arms. Cherishing the light weight of her against her chest and the tender sensation of her smooth skin against

her own, deep in her heart she knew exactly what she had to do.

“There is something. I need for you to arrange for me to talk to someone”

“Like a counsellor?” Geoff asked in shock. He never imagined that talking to a counsellor would be Nicole’s kind of thing.

“That might actually be a good idea Nicole it could help you deal with things” the nurse smiled but Nicole simply shook her head.

“No, not a counsellor. I need to talk to someone from the Adoption Agency”

[Red Ranger 1]

Brilliant chapter, everyone's reaction was just right.Loved Belle and Aden watching Geoff look after his daughter.Loved Belle offering to tell Roman and he handled it well.Loved all Geoff and Nicole's conversations.Hope Nic changes her mind about the adoption.

[MrsL]

I'm speechless - Fabulous

[bikinikill]

I totally did not see that ending coming. After she felt love towards her baby and everything. Wow.

Aden is trying so hard. Its really lovely. He really loves Belle, its so sweet.

You write so well Louise, all your chapters are incredible. I don't knwo the right words to say how amazing I think waht you write is, so fill in the blanks yeh.

Looking forward to the next chapter.

[tessalove]

that was just great!!! it was so moving

i didnt see the endong coming, i hope she cahnges her mind and they become a cute little family!! :)

eX

[jdoddy]

Ouch.. Didn't expect that ending - really good though.

[~Zoe~]

Didnt expect that ending, hope she changes her mind

Another good chapter Louise

[Louise_2983]

I'm amazed people didn't expect the ending to be honest. I like to be unpredictable in my fics but my regular readers know that so I thought I'd made myself predictable in the sense that people would never expect me to make it as easy as Nic and Geoff suddenly declaring undying love and rushing off to be a happy family with the baby

Thanks for the lovely comments everyone

[matticus01]

OMG

I've never read one of your fic's before so I didn't know what to expect...

But when I read the bit about Nicole having those feelings for her daughter when she saw her I was hoping she was beginning to believe that she had a daughter, was infact pregnant and it was her's and Geoff's baby...

Please, update soon