Rains out of Africa
stephanie meyer
ok, don't own them. don't claim to . this is all for fun.
Diane couldn't believe he'd actually let her go without even a real goodbye. ONly the angery words they'sd exchanged in the emergency room. He let her walk out. She woudl have stopped if he'd come after her. He could have told her she had him. But he hadn't. Now she was sitting in the tent she was sharing with Jake -with seperate cots, which, as she relfected on, he seemed disaapointed about- crying, alone. She was miserable. SHe was sick. And she missed Billy horribly. She heard Jake enter the tent. She hastily dried her tears.
"Feeling better?" he asked touching her forehead.
Diane sighed. "NOt really." Her voice wavered.
"Has the vomiting stopped?"
SHe shook her head. A worried forwn creaded his forehead
"I'm taking you to Kawbwasi tommorrow."
"I don't have any other symptoms. I should know."
"Diane, I"m taking you to Kawbwazi."
They left early the next morning. She was misserble the whole way. As they bounced around in the back of the pickup truck, Jake became more and more conserned about his former lover. She looked like hell and she'd never been sick before.
She came back out to the truck in a daze. She gone in alone, refuseing to let Jake enter the battered clinc with her. She walked through the noise and bussel without even seeing it. THe bright color and medlody of sound eluded her.
"what's wrong?" he quired when she finally reached him.
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I need to go home."
"Diane?"
"I'm pregnate." With that, she burst inot tears, leaving him to awakardly comfor her in the middle of a dusty street half a world away from where she wanted to be.
She turned over and reached for him. Her hand met empty space. She signed. She opened one eye. HE was tanding in the windo silohetted by the fading streetlights, stareing out into the rainy dawn. After three weeks, she still had no idea what it was that made him stare so sorrowfully.
"Bily," she murmered, "come back to bed."
His eyes never left the rain. "I have to leave for rounds." He turned. "Lock up when youleave, ok?" Then he headed for the shower. Laura sighed. She needed to know what made him stare out into the rain.
Aaron had noticed the change in the younger man. He found Billy in the locker room. "How you doing?"
"Fine. Why wouldn't I be." Billy pulled the scrub top over his head.
"Bily...."
"It's been over a month, Aaron, almost two. I'm over it." With that he slammed the locker and headed out the door.
Aaron sighed. "I don't think so Billy."
When he came out of sergery, Laura was waiting for him at the nurses staion. "Hey."
"What are you doing here?"
"I thought I"d come by and say hi." She kissed his cheek.
"Hi." He looked up. Suddenly his face froze. Laura turned around to see what had affected him, only to see a thin woman abrubtly turn heel and head for the stairwell. Billy took off after her. He caught her one flight down.
"Diane!" To his suprise she stopped. He stepped around her. She was crying and bleeding. THe blood was coming form a nasty gash in her eye brow and was intermingling with her tears. "You're hurt."
She wouldn't met his eyes.
He tried to touch her, hurt briefly flaring on h is features when she shied away. "Let's get yu to the er and let someone take a look at that cut."
Kieth Wilkes looked at teh forlorn woman on the exam bed. "Says here you need stitches."
She looked up at him. "You're new."
THe combination between her tears, the cut, and her demenor worried him. "you come here alot?"
"Not anymore. How bad?"
"I'd say seven."
The curtain was pulled back. Kieth looked up to see a worried Billy Kronk. Kieht and Billy had gotten off on the worng foot. With the combination of the moodyness Billy was exhibiting from what the grapevine said was a soured relationship and the fact that Kieth had replaced Danny, htere was no lost love between the two men.
"What's the verddict?"'
"Stiches why?"
"I'll do them."
"No." Diane's voice was shaking. "Billy, just don't, ok? Just give me a little space."
"Diane.."
"I need time, unlike you."
"What's that supposed to mean!" They were shouting.
"ARe you sleeping with her?"
"YOu left me!"
"You didn't stop me!"
They glared at each other.
"Whoa, time out folks. Time out." Kieth intrjected. "Does someone whant to explain to me what's going on."
"NO." Their voices chimed in unision.
"I want to talk to Dennis," Diane interjected. "Where's Dennis?"
"Hancock?" Kieth asked. "You haven't heard."
"Heard what? Billy, what's he talking about?"
Billy sighed. "Let's get you cleaned up and then I'll take you to see Dennis."
Billy stood in the hallway, gazing into Dennsi Hancock's room. Diane was sitting next to their friend's bed, holding his hand and trying not to cry. He knew she was rembering Alan. She wans't going to let him help her.
"I heard she came back.." Billy started as Aaron's voice sounded behind him.
"Yeah."
"How's.."
"Rough. She's mad at me."
"Are you mad at her?"
"I don't know. Something's worng with her. SHe's....scared.
"Take her home Billy."
Much to his suprise, Dialne allowed him to lead her home. She leaned against him. She was tired, he could tell. Back at his apartment, he settled her down in the guest bed room. He'd missed her so much but here was no way he was going to let that happen now. He wanted her to talk to him so they could make things alright. So they could be them again. But now, she wasn't saying anything at all. He watched her fall asleep in silence. HEr steady breathing comfortd him. He fell alseep next to her, above the covers.
He woke up to the soudnd of choking. "Diane?" He shot out of bed. HE found her vomiting in the bathroom. He immediatly dropped to her sied. "Baby, are you ok?" He smoothed back her hair. She let him.
"Yeah."
"You sure?" He felt her forehead.
She rose to the sink to rinse her mouth. "You sound just like jake." Then she took a mouthful of water, rinsed and spit.
Billy stiffened. "Loft?"
"Billy, let's not start."
"So you can stand there on your high horse condeming and judgeing when you did the exact same thing?"
She whirled around. "I did not! How cna you just assume!" She was sputtering. THen she burst into tears and pushed past him.
"Diane, don't walk away!"
SHe threw herself at him and pounded his chest with her fist. "You son of a bitch! I came back for you!"
"You sure as hell didn't stay for me!" He grabbed her flying wrists.
"Do you want to know whyt I ame back? I came back because, be-be-because..." she was crying so hard she was stuttering.
"What?" Fear(the emotion, not gieger in a carpet suit) suddenly gripped him. "What's wrong?" Please, god, he prayed don't let anything be wrong with her.
"I'm pregnate." She completely broke down as he engulfed her in his arms.
Later, they lay on the couch. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"For what?"
"for leaveing. For the baby."
"Diane, leaving wasn't all your fault. I didn't stop you. ANd you definitly don't have to be sorry about hte baby."
"YOu're happy?"
"Baby doo, you are the most improtent thing to me. THis is ours just ours. It's part of you that will be part of me. I" thrilled." He buried his head in her hair.
"But how can I be a mom?"
"Diane, what are you thinking?"
"I mean, I can't not be one, but Billy, I'm not stable enough yet."
"YOu won't be doing this alone."
"But what about that woman?"
"Dialne, she was nothing, baby. NOthing at all."
Laura knocked on the door again. She knew he didn't have rounds untill seven. She knocked again. the door opened. Laura's smile froze on her face when she was who opened the door. THe woman form the hospital clad only in one of Billy's ratty, obersized Blackhawkes t shirt.
"Do I have..." she stammered.
"No. THis is the right placce." Them woman replied. "Billy's in the shower." SHe shut the door behind Laura and padded into the bathroom.
Laura heard the water shut off and the sound of voices. Then Billy came out.
Daine sat on the terrce alone. She stared when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Shelooked up. "PHillip?"
"It's good to thave you back. I"m glad for you and Billy."
"Was he upset when I was gone?"
"Devestated."
"I shouldn't have left."
"I hear congratulations are in order."
"You herard?"
"Billy is bursting. I think it's wonderful."
"It is, isn't it?"
They sat watching the sun set.