Daddy's Little Princess

“You’re not really are you?” Oliver demands, Francesca had been dismissed to her room. She was worried about her father, but did as she was told.

Isabella smiles, almost regretfully. “Yeah Oliver, I’m here.” she states and Oliver thought he was going insane. How could she possibly be here, how could she?

Isabella Montez, a now 20 year old woman, she had changed, a little too much for Oliver’s liking. The whole appearance just screamed ‘Hippie’ with her long hair, braids scattered in it. Tattoos on her feet, on her wrist, piercing on her face and multiple piercing in her ears.

She wasn’t his Isabella Montez anymore, she was a stranger, a stranger that he was once completely in love with.

Isabella Montez, or commonly known as just Izzy, but never Bella. Only her parents called her Bella and last thing Oliver knew from his old Izzy was that is Izzy hated her parents. Izzy was a complex woman/girl always has been and properly always be with. She could never make choices properly. She always changed her mind.

Oliver should have known what would have happened, once the baby was born but naively, he didn’t. Izzy had left Oliver, two days after Francesca was born. Oliver was in the incubation room, where Francesca was being held. His little girl was sick, terribly sick.

She had a lung infection and couldn’t breathe properly, Oliver couldn’t stop the tears, nor the whimpers coming from his mouth as his father held him close. Never his mother, even at 16 Oliver couldn’t stand his mother. In fact, during the time her granddaughter was sick, Oliver knew that Victoria was outside, smoking a cigarette and calling her therapist, informing him that she couldn’t make it today, because his son’s kid was being born.

Oliver was a wreck during those full 7 days that Francesca was on the brink of death, she was not eating, nor breathing on her own. Tubes filled into her body, fluids of medication too. It was on the second day since Francesca was born, Oliver was with Francesca and when he returned to Isabella’s ward, to find her disappeared. A mere note, explaining that she wouldn’t be able to come back. A note merely saying “Sorry, I can’t do it.”

Oliver didn’t have any reaction, until he was sitting at home, girlfriendless, daughterless. He had nothing, and that’s when Oliver broke down to tears. He cried for days almost, it was when he got the phone call saying Francesca was well enough to come home. Oliver pulled himself together and made his way to the hospital to be a father, and to forget about Isabella Montez.

So this was the story, Isabella had left Oliver and her daughter at the hospital and discharged herself from the hospital, grabbed a taxi outside and left without a trace. This was how Oliver became a single father.

“What…I mean, how…why. What!” Oliver stuttered, struggling to get a sentence out. He was confused, hurt, and shocked. His ex girlfriend, but most important his daughter’s mother, who had abandoned him four years ago was standing before him.

“Oliver, I can explain-” Izzy mistakenly begins.

“No! Don’t talk!” Oliver hisses, pacing up and down. His heart racing, his stomach sinking with realization. Since becoming a father, Oliver always imagined the worse. For example, when Francesca had a cold. Oliver thought it was the flu, and took her to the hospital in panic. When Francesca had first hurt her head, Oliver thought she had concussion, another trip to the hospital. It was merely a bump on the head, and she only suffered with a headache.

Now, here Oliver imagined that Izzy had come for Francesca and was going to take away his little girl. Oliver would never allow that. Ever.

“Oliver, please…” Izzy begs. Oliver scoffs.

“You’re freaking unbelievable, you just show up here after four years without a call, or a letter. Nothing!” Oliver shouts, his anger boiling.

“Oliver, just let me get a damn word in!” Izzy snaps, her patience now tested. Oliver glared at her, hatred in his eyes. It was unbelievable, how dare she show up here?

“What could you possibly say that could even make me stand the sight of you right now?” Oliver hisses, and Izzy’s face falters.

“I know what I did was wrong, I shouldn’t have left like that but Oliver, I had a reason!” Izzy insists but Oliver was too blinded by his anger, and shock to care what she had to say.

“Do you know what you even did!” Oliver asks, Izzy stood there blankly, confused as what Oliver was saying.

“You left me with a child Isabella, not a freaking bill, or a pet, or a piece of clothing. You left me with a bloody child, a child that we promised we raise together. You left me, you left me with a beautiful little girl!” Oliver shouts furiously, his voice cracking with emotions. Izzy took his words, they felt like punches in the gut and slaps to the faces.

“I know-” Izzy says, her voice breaking and tears brimming her eyes and the tears reminded Oliver so much of Francesca. In fact, a lot of Isabella reminded Oliver of Francesca.

“I had no idea what I was doing Izzy. I was a kid. You left me with a baby, a baby…do you not realize this?” Oliver asks, staring at her. She was still beautiful, despite her changes. Oliver took in her face, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I know, and I’m sorry-” Izzy tries to apologize but even she knew that a simple word wouldn’t make up for what she done.

“Don’t!” spits Oliver, his anger flaring. He paced again, rubbing his face. He suddenly felt exhausted again and all his happiness was out the door. She had ruined it. Again.

“If you’ve come here for Francesca, to take her away then I suggest you leave right now and never turn back!” Oliver yells, and Izzy didn’t hide her tears.

“No, I’m not here to take her away Oliver. I’m here just to see her. She’s my daughter.” Izzy said and didn’t realize how much of a mistake it was to say those precious words.

Oliver was about to burst. “What you just remembered?” he yells, sarcasm and spitefulness in his voice. Izzy flinched as if Oliver had just hit her, but Oliver would never do that despite how much he hated her. He would never harm her physically.

“Oliver, please give me a chance okay? I know I messed up, I know I hurt but please, don’t let me not see her.” Izzy begs desperately, and Oliver glared harder.

“IZZY!” he screams in frustration, feeling torn between his daughter’s happiness or his own grudge against her.

He didn’t trust her. He couldn’t now, what if she suddenly walked off with Francesca, what if something happened?

“Eva! Daddy’s shouting!” Francesca shouts, Oliver hears this and his face drains of colour, as he sees Eva and Jamie, who had the spare key in his hand walk into the house, Francesca loyally following.

“Isabella?” Jamie asks shocked. Eva looks confused and to top it off Francesca was dancing around.

“Daddy!” Francesca says happily. Oliver felt like he was spinning, a wave of dizziness took him.

“What’s going on?” Eva asks confused, looking between an angry Oliver, and a crying Izzy.

“Francesca, go to your room.” Oliver orders quietly, but Francesca chose now to time to be disobedient.

“I don’t want to.” she says defiantly.

“Francesca…” Oliver warns.

“NO!” Francesca shouts, stomping her foot.

“Francesca.” Izzy says faintly, looking at her daughter with sadness. Francesca suddenly stopped having a tantrum and stared at the stranger.

“Daddy, who’s this?” she asks innocently, Jamie didn’t stifle his laugh, Oliver didn’t response and Izzy felt ashamed.

Oliver sucked in a deep breath. “Francesca, this is your Mommy.” he says finally, and that’s when Francesca stare wide eyed at Oliver, and ran out of the kitchen, and the sound of her bedroom door slamming ended the reaction.

Oliver looked at Isabella coldly. “This is what you’ve done.” he merely states, and swiftly leaves his ex, his girlfriend and his best friend in the kitchen, rather awkwardly, and goes to see his now, crying daughter.

He shouldn’t have mentioned it. He should have told her leave, but Oliver knew that deep down, he didn’t have the heart to. No matter how much Isabella hurt him.