Hey, you

Chapter 24 - Masterplan

As hard as Will tried, he couldn't sleep. The thought of being a Dad scared him to the core. Not because he was very aware of the possibility he could end up in jail, but the thought of bringing up a child, if by some miracle he didn't end up behind bars, was actually terrifying.

As he lay on his back, he gazed up at the ceiling, peering at the high school football team picture on his roof. How times had changed since then. How things had so dramatically changed in one year, in fact. This time last year he was lying in bed next to Amanda. He'd had big plans for them both - he was sure she was the girl he'd one day marry. Then, Ellie Greene entered his life. Something which he still couldn't quite believe had happened, even now.

'Are you awake?' whispered Ellie from the other pillow. She was lying on her side, staring back at him when he made eye contact with her.

'Yes,' he whispered back, with a shiver under his breath. 'Things are going round and round in my head,' he said, beginning to sit up.

'The must be something we can do?' asked Ellie, joining him in leaning against the bed head, 'I know you said about running away...'

'We can't,' Will interrupted. 'What about your career? Surely you'll be able to go back to the show once the baby has been born?'

'I doubt it, Doug was adamant that I had to finish up to season six... no, they'll kill off my character for sure...'

Will felt guilty as if all this was his fault, 'Do you blame me?' he asked. 'For the baby?'

'I blame us...' replied Ellie calmly, 'we got too excited at the fact we'd managed to see each other, we should have waited...'

'It felt right though, didn't it? You'd tell me if it didn't?'

'Yeah, it felt amazing, at the time...' Ellie placed her hand on Will's chest as she smiled back at him and kissed him on the cheek before snuggling back under the duvet. The last thing she wanted Will to think was that he'd taken advantage of her. She'd wanted it just as much as he did, she'd felt ready, no matter what the law stated.

Shortly after closing her eyes, Ellie felt Will slowly ease his head back to his pillow. She could tell he was looking at her.

'I love you,' she whispered as he snuggled back down to join her under the sheets. Will wrapped his arm around Ellie as she placed her's on his waist whilst they drifted off in each other's arms.

***

The smell of bacon frying was always a delightful way to wake up in the morning. Will was still fast asleep as Ellie made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen to find Julie darting around, frying eggs, and making coffee.

'Morning,' said Ellie cheerfully.

'Ah, Morning Ellie... you told him then?' asked Julie with a large smile on her face. If she only knew the trouble Will had been in. That was certainly something for him, and not Ellie, to tell his Mom.

'Yeah, he knows now. He seemed shocked at first but then really happy so that's a relief,' Ellie told whilst taking a seat at the table as Julie poured her a coffee and passed her some pancakes. She felt so at home in Julie's house - it would be so much simpler if they could stay in Boston.

Ellie felt Will's lips on her cheek as he entered the kitchen and hugged her from behind her chair.

'Morning, you,' he said before looking over to Julie who leaped to her feet to give her son an awkward mom-hug whilst Ellie tucked into her pancakes and bacon.

'Oh, I'm so excited,' Julie gasped, clapping her hands whilst her eyes panned back and forth between Ellie and Will. 'We must celebrate... let's get the families together!' Julie was clearly ecstatic with the news as she almost danced around the kitchen, making more pancakes and frying more eggs.