Two Thousand and Ten

Author's note:

So, here it is - the final chapter of Peter and Lindi's story of the year 2010. The year that brought us the first ever season of The Walking Dead, the travel chaos caused by ash from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland, the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, the rescue of 33 miners trapped underground in Copiapó, Chile, and the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton - to name just a few.

As always, all characters are over 18, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and totally unintended.

Now, please read on and enjoy!

Two Thousand and Ten - Chapter Six

Monday November 1st 2010, 0:37am

"Peter, for the love of God slow down!" Lindi exclaimed as peter approached another roundabout much to fast for her comfort and braked at the last possible moment.

"I'm sorry, Lin, but I don't want to miss out on the birth of my child," Peter replied as he accelerated away, the tyres of his BMW M5 squealing as he gunned it across the roundabout.

"I'm pretty sure Alison and Becky would prefer us to arrive late but in one piece rather than not arrive at all!" Lindi said firmly as the car's V10 engine howled as Peter floored the gas pedal, sending the needle of the rev counter all the way round into the red.

Her words fell on deaf ears, and as Peter rejoined the A303 eastwards the speedometer quickly went past 60, then 70, 80, 90, to 100 miles an hour.

"PETER!" Lindi shouted across from the passenger seat. "Slow the fuck down! Now!"

Peter briefly looked across at her and saw the expression on her face.

"You're no good to Alison and Becky, not to mention your child, being pulled over for speeding and losing your license, or worse still, being killed!" Lindi added.

The speedometer needle went back down through 90 and 80 as the car gradually slowed.

"Sorry," Peter said sheepishly as he took his foot off the gas pedal and set the cruise control at a steady and legal 70 miles an hour.

"Thank you," Lindi said, relieved to be travelling at a much more comfortable velocity.

"I can't believe I'm about to be a dad," Peter said after a few moments.

"Even if you won't be a full time dad?" Lindi asked him.

Alison and Becky, the lesbian couple they had befriended after they asked Peter to father a child for them, had said from the very start that they wanted Peter to be a part of their child's life, although they would be the ones who would be raising the baby.

"The way I see it, is that they can deal with all the dirty nappies and midnight feeds and baby sick, while I just pop in now and then just to see how the little scamp is getting on!" Peter said with a slight chuckle. "I'll have all the joy of parenthood with the knowledge that I can just give the little sod back to them at the end of the day!"

"So that's your ideal vision of parenthood, huh?" Lindi responded, firing him an admonishing look from the passenger seat.

"Well, yes and no," he answered more diplomatically.

"What if you and I were to have a baby?" Lindi asked him, watching him carefully to gauge his reaction.

"Give us a chance, Lin, we haven't even had sex yet!" he huffed in reply.

"Yeah, I guess that would be a start!" Lindi giggled. "We came close though, didn't we?"

"Yeah," Peter agreed.

They had come very close, in fact. They were both naked and on the bed together and Peter's fully erect penis was just inches from penetrating Lindi before they were interrupted by the phone call from Becky alerting them that Alison had gone into labour.

"Do you think it was maybe some kind of divine intervention?" Lindi asked him.

"How do you mean?" Peter enquired back at her.

"Well, maybe it's just as well we didn't actually do it."

"How'd you work that out?"

"I was thinking, perhaps you and I are just destined to be nothing more than good friends," Lindi said quietly.

"What's brought this on all of a sudden?" Peter asked her, concern showing on his face.

"Perhaps it might be a mistake for us to have sex with each other," Lindi replied. "I mean, you and I, we're best mates. We used to think of ourselves as almost being brother and sister not that long ago."

"But we aren't brother and sister," Peter reminded her. "We wouldn't be committing any form of incest or anything, and we're both consenting and mature adults capable of dealing with any ramifications that may arise should we ever get around to finally having sex together."

"Damn you, with your ice-cold logic!" Lindi chided with a playful smirk.

"But if you'd rather leave it longer before we, y'know, do it, I can totally understand," Peter responded. "Especially after what you went through with Clive - I can't blame you if he caused you to hate men forevermore."

"I hate

that

man forevermore, but definitely not

all

men," Lindi replied. "I mean, did what happened to you because of that stupid Stevie girl turn you off women forever?"

"Well, no," Peter admitted. "But there is a difference. Stevie was just a stupid naive girl who was led on by her friends to report me for raping her - by the time the cops had arrested me she was in too deep to admit that she'd consented to everything. She was just a naïve girl who made a mistake, and I'd rather just put the whole thing behind me."

"I still can't believe you didn't want her to be sent to prison for what she did to you," Lindi said. "You were almost raped yourself for real while you were banged up in Nottingham prison."

"But I wasn't though," Peter responded. "And I have your faith and belief in my innocence to thank for that."

"Well, as you say, let's put the whole thing behind us in the past where it belongs," Lindi said as she returned her eyes to the road ahead.

The truth was, when she had first learned of Peter's arrest she had doubted her friend's innocence, albeit only briefly, and the very thought of not believing him made her feel ashamed.

"My thoughts exactly," Peter answered. "And the same goes for Clive too, after you've testified at his trial of course."

"Now he's a man who

definitely

deserves to go to jail!" Lindi said. "Vile pervert that he is!"

A moment of thoughtful silence followed as they cruised eastwards along the A303 before Lindi spoke up again.

"How much further before we get there?" she asked Peter.

"About three hours, according to the sat-nav," Peter replied as he glanced at the lcd screen on the centre console. "I hope it won't be too late before we get there."

"She could be in labour for hours yet, poor girl, so I wouldn't worry too much just yet," Lindi tried to assure him. "So don't you start speeding again - and that's an order!"

"Huh! Yes, ma'am!" Peter replied.

Monday November 1st 2010, 05:45am

"Lindi! Peter!" Becky exclaimed brightly as she saw them walking briskly down the hospital corridor towards her. "Thank goodness you're here! Where have you been?"

"Becky!" Peter answered as they came to a panting halt before her, having dashed all the way from the car park and up five flights of stairs. "Are we too late? Has she had the baby yet?"

"No - she's still in labour," Becky replied. "But I don't think it'll be much longer. You'd better come on in - Ali's been so worried that you won't make it in time. Where

have

you both been?"

"It's a long story," Lindi replied. "But we're here now. We'll tell you about it later."

"You coming in?" Peter asked Lindi as he opened the door into the delivery suite.

The unmistakable sound of a woman in the final stages of labour could clearly be heard coming from within.

"No, you go on in - I'll wait out here," she replied. "I don't want to get in anyone's way. But tell Alison that I'm here, and give her my love, okay?"

"Will do," Peter responded with a smile and followed Becky into the delivery suite just as Alison cried out as another contraction wracked her body.

As the door closed behind them, Lindi sat herself down in a chair in the corridor to wait.

Monday November 1st 2010, 07:16am

Lindi awoke with a start as a nurse wheeled a large rattling trolley along the corridor. Ever since Peter had entered the delivery suite with Becky she'd dozed fitfully and uncomfortably in her chair, awoken every so often by members of hospital staff passing up and down. Her bladder was crying for release having not had the opportunity to relieve herself since hastily leaving their hotel during the night, but she did not want to abandon her post - she didn't want to miss out on the crucial moment when Peter would come out with news of the infant's hopefully safe delivery.

It had all gone rather quiet since Peter had gone in, and a mild sense of concern began to assert itself within her. Fortunately though, her concerns ultimately turned out to be unfounded. The double door that led into the delivery suite burst open, and Peter, beaming from ear to ear approached his friend.

"It's a boy, Lin!" he exclaimed proudly, and also a little tearfully. "Both mother and baby are absolutely fine. He's beautiful, Lin, he's just so, so beautiful!"

"Sounds like he takes after his father then," Lin said with a broad smile as she picked up her handbag and stood up to take Peter in to a warm embrace.

Inevitably their close proximity stoked the fire of passion between them, and their tongues entwined as they kissed passionately for a moment before remembering that they were in a public place and that it might look a bit odd if a proud new father was seen snogging another woman in the corridor outside the room where his newborn baby son had just been delivered minutes earlier.

"You'd, er, better come on in and meet him," Peter said, beckoning her in to the delivery suite.

"Yeah, er, of course," Lindi answered, and followed him inside.

Monday November 1st 2010, 08:18am

"I can't believe I'm a dad now," Peter said for what must have been the umpteenth time as he sat opposite Lindi in the hospital cafeteria later that morning.

Conscious now that as a diabetic he had to maintain a healthy blood sugar level, he had taken her down to get some breakfast and to take his daily dose of Metformin.

"I can't believe you're a dad now either," Lindi responded with a slight chuckle as she tucked in to the bacon roll and cup of coffee Peter had bought for her.

For himself he went for some brown toast, since it had a lower glycemic value than white toast, and a pot of tea. Using artificial sweetener instead of sugar hadn't proved as bad as he'd feared, and now he could barely tell the difference.

"How are you feeling?" Lindi asked him. "I mean, do you feel okay this morning? How's your, er, blood sugar?"

"I'm diabetic, Lin, I'm not an invalid," he responded. "But I do appreciate your concern. And besides, I'm Type 2 diabetic so I'm not about to keel over at any minute and fall into hypoglycaemia. I just need to be more mindful to avoid sugars in my diet, keep an eye on my weight and make sure I get enough exercise, that's all."

"Sorry, I er, that kind of came out a bit wrong," Lindi said apologetically.

"Still, it has kind of put things into perspective," Peter said as he took a bite of toast. "I want to be there for my son, to be a part of his life as he grows up, so I'm going to have to make sure I look after myself."

"Have they decided on a name yet?" Lindi asked, keen to change the subject.

"Glenn," Peter replied. "Glenn Peter Williams."

"Aww, they decided to name him after you!" Lindi exclaimed with a broad smile.

"They said it's to recognise that without me, their dream of having a family would never have come true," Peter said with evident pride in his voice.

"Well, there's no denying that," Lindi acknowledged as she sipped her coffee. "I was there at the time, after all."

Peter grinned and let out a brief chuckled recollection.

"I don't suppose that many babies are conceived under such unusual circumstances," he said.

"What, by a man and a woman losing their virginities to each other while his best friend and her female partner look on? No, I don't suppose there are!" Lindi agreed with a giggle.

"I'm just glad I'm here to be a part of it," Peter said with a sigh. "Instead of being locked up on remand - without you I'd still be in that hellhole."

"Well, Alison and Becky played their part," Lindi said. "As did Clive - which seems rather ironic really."

"You mean that now

he's

the one behind bars," Peter supposed.

"Absolutely!" Lindi agreed. "Apart from one crucial difference of course - he

deserves

to be behind bars!"

"Can't argue against that!" Peter grinned, raising his teacup in a mock toast.

"Well, the less we talk about him the better," Lindi said as she took another bite out of her bacon roll.

Peter was only too happy to agree with her. He knew that as far as the personal trauma of discovering Clive's past, things were far from over - a lot more shocking revelations were bound to come to light during his trial, and there was also the question as to her testimony. The prosecution lawyer they'd visited had assured her that she would be able to appear via a video link, but even so, that would not prevent her having to be cross examined by the defence - either way, it would be a very emotionally testing experience.

Just then, Becky entered the cafeteria and headed over towards where Peter and Lindi were sat. She looked about as tired as it was possible for a person to be, and she had a somewhat bedraggled appearance about her. However, her apparently unkempt and fatigued demeanour was tempered by the broad smile of one who has recently welcomed a new life into the world.

"Normally I'd say we ought to go down to the pub to 'wet the baby's head', but to be honest I'm just too knackered!" she said as she slumped into the seat next to Peter.

"Plus it's not even half eight yet," Peter pointed out. "I know the pubs open early here in Brighton, but they don't open

that

early!"

"How's Alison?" Lindi asked her.

"Sleeping at the moment," Becky replied. "As is the little one - although he'll no doubt be wanting a feed before too long. Still, I'm under strict instructions from 'she who must be obeyed' to get off home and freshen up - Alison was adamant that I shouldn't look as though I've been dragged through a hedge backwards when her folks arrive."

"I don't know, I seen worse!" Lindi responded with a chuckle. "Pete and I could do with getting forty winks ourselves - why don't you come on back with us, since our place is nearer than yours?"

"I guess," Becky answered. "Anywhere will do where I can grab a quick shower and get my head down for an hour or so!"

"I'd say that sounds like a plan," Peter said as he finished off the last of his toast and drained his teacup.

A few minutes later, the three of them were in Peter's car as they headed back towards Westborough on Sea. It was going to be a bright but cold autumnal day, with a frost on the ground that glittered in the early morning light like millions upon millions of tiny diamonds.

"So, just why exactly did it take you so long to get to the hospital last night?" Becky asked. "I'm guessing neither of you were at home."

"We were in Devon," Lindi answered. "In a hotel - together."

"Together?" Becky queried.

"It's a long story," Peter said as they passed the sign welcoming them to the coastal town of Westborough on Sea.

"We, that is, Peter and I, decided recently that we've waited long enough," Lindi explained.

"Long enough for what?" Becky enquired.

"To see if we genuinely are compatible with each other," Lindi answered, before continuing in a more serious tone of voice. "As in, compatible with each other sexually."

"Ooh, you were having a dirty weekend, huh?" Becky responded with a giggle.

"Well, we

were

," Lindi replied. "Before we were interrupted."

"What by?" Becky asked, before she realised. "Oh, right, I see!"

"We were literally inches away from, y'know, doing it with each other," Lindi explained. "If your call had come just a few moments later, we..."

"I think Becky can put the rest of it together for herself, Lin," Peter interrupted.

"Oh, right, too much information I guess," Lindi answered with a giggle.

"Well, I'm sorry for interrupting you both," Becky said as she stifled a yawn.

"Oh, don't be silly!" Lindi chided. "You may even have done us a favour."

"A favour? How can it possibly have been a favour to have interrupted you when you were about to finally have sex together?" Becky asked in mild disbelief.

"Lindi has developed this notion that us finally having sex is going to be like opening Pandora's box or something," Peter explained.

"You what?" Becky responded. "Are you blind, Lindi? How could you and Peter having sex be such a bad thing?"

"Well, I, I guess I'm sort of afraid that taking that step would ruin the friendship we've had all these years," Lindi answered. "I guess I ought to have said so before we got into bed together."

"Oh, for pity's sake, woman!" Becky said in admonishment. "Are you blind or something? It's pretty much obvious to everyone, except you apparently, that you and Peter are perfect for each other! I mean, you like the same movies, you enjoy doing the same things, you know each other better than anyone else in the world - the two of you are like ninety-nine percent of the way there already!"

"If it's too soon after, y'know, Clive and everything, I can totally understand," Peter contributed. "I can understand if he might've put you off men for a while."

"Ugh! He's just a worm - he's unworthy of the word 'man' if you ask me!" Lindi responded. "So no, he hasn't put me off men, because he isn't a man at all - not a

proper

man, at least."

She turned and looked directly at Peter before continuing.

"

You

are a proper man, Peter," she said, mustering as much sincerity as she could. "You're more of a real man than Clive could ever be. Please believe me, Peter, my hesitation is nothing personal - I just, need to be certain, y'know?"

"Well, I can honestly say I'm already certain," Peter responded. "But I want you to be certain too. So if you really want to wait a while longer, then I'll wait for you."

"But don't leave it too long!" Becky said from the back seat as they pulled into the car park behind Peter and Lindi's building. "Life's too short, remember?"

Monday November 1st 2010, 09:15am

As soon as they entered via the rear entrance of the building, the two women headed up to Lindi's flat while Peter headed up to his on the top floor. The plan was for them to take a bit of time freshening up and then getting some much needed sleep before heading back to the hospital in Brighton to visit Alison and the baby later that afternoon. The conversation in the car on the way back from the hospital weighed heavily on Lindi's mind however, and as she replayed it in her head she inwardly chided herself for being so hesitant about having sex with Peter all of a sudden, especially as they had come so very close the previous night.

She thought of how far they'd come over the past year - the time they'd seen each other naked for the first time at the swimming pool, the time Peter had confessed to her that he was a virgin before his date with Alison in order to father a child for her and Becky, the time she'd proved his innocence and saved him from almost certainly being convicted of rape. Then there was their kiss whilst on holiday in America, the time she'd given Peter a handjob whilst they sat and watched a horror movie, and ultimately, when they'd come so very, very close to having sex just hours earlier. Would taking that last step towards being fully intimate with each other be such a bad thing, considering where they were at the start of the year?