FicWad

The Eighth Day Of Christmas


January 1st 2007

It was the coldness that woke her up. She knew she had Goosebumps all over her thighs, she could feel it, moving her lips, she engaged her facial muscles and opened her eyes. The floor was so hard, her back ached where she'd been slumped over the human pillow all night. The most horrendous scream came from her mouth, followed seconds later by Patrick screaming too. She grabbed the blanket from him and backed up against the wall.

"A SPIDER!!!!" She screamed, pointing frantically to the huge 8 legged imposter, who had the audacity to walk on those nice walls.

"God!!!" He growled, holding his chest.

"GET IT - GET THE SPIDER!!!" The screamed,

"Alright!!!!" He shouted at her, she silenced quickly and watched as he got up, grabbing the animal in his hands and shuffling to the window in his underwear.

He came back in moments later.

"Are you out of your mind Ella??" He asked her angrily.

"You know I hate spiders!" She whined.

"I'm gonna be the one in hospital with a heart problem if you do that again - God!!" He said shaking his head. She bit her lip timidly.

"Sorry." She said softly. He pulled on his jeans and shook his head more

"I love you?" She again, standing up with the blanket around her. He looked at her again,

"I know you do Sweety, but you're a pain in the ass sometimes!"

"but I love you?" She said again, moving closer.

He looked.

"I really love you?" she whispered, softly kissing his lips.

"Apology accepted - now why don't you make me breakfast?" he said, she whacked him on the arm. She went to retaliate verbally but stopped, seeing his petitioning eyes.

"Ok...Ok -I'll make you damn breakfast!" She sighed, picking up her jeans and top.



"Hello!" Patrick said boldly as he opened Ella's door to the gentleman.

"Hi, er.....Hi, is Ella there?" He asked, he looked shifty.

"Who are you?" Patrick asked, looking at the taller man suspiciously.

"I'm her Father and you are?" He said slightly defensively.

"I'm Patrick." He said,

"Nice to meet you Patrick." He said holding out a hand. Patrick shook it and looked him over again.

"Can you just....well, come in....." He said and opened the door for him.

"Thank you." He said politely.

"Trick - Wrap it up - things to do!!" She called from the bedroom.

"One moment." He smiled to the man, blushing hard. He raced up the stairs, followed shortly by:

"Are you kidding me?" she whispered loudly.

"She'll be down in a moment.." Patrick said.

"So, how long have you been together?" he asked.

"2 years." He replied.

"Wow. Are you.......Do you live here...with....with her, Ella?" He asked nervously.

"No.." Patrick smiled.

"We just got our own house so..." He said. Ella's father nodded.

"Sorry what was your name?" Patrick asked.

"Bill...Annerson." He said.


"What are you doing here?" The voice of their subject asked.

Bill's eyes opened as he saw his matured daughter, he saw Maria instantly.

"Ella.." He said softly, his eyes watering. Her eyes were not watery, they were stoney and resentful.

Patrick observed, his primary concern, to protect what was his.

"I just wanted to see you!" He gasped. He moved towards her to embrace her but she backed up and raised her arms before her.

"Don't.." She said coldly.

"Ella?" He asked.

"Dad don't." She said, refusing to look him in the eye. He moved back and looked at Patrick quickly, then back to his daughter.

"Your Mother forgave me....why can't you?" He asked, he walked towards the door and as he opened it, she looked to him.

"Y'know - you never say Goodbye Dad!" She called after him. He stopped mid-way.

"You just walk out!" She added. He turned to her and stared.

"You're a coward!" She snapped angrily.

"And you have a hard heart!" He replied.

"My heart is broken!!" She said angrily. He stared at her.

Patrick moved a little closer, showing Ella he supported her.

"From the moment I saw you with that woman and every time after that, you've been breaking my heart!" She said calmly.

"And I will never be able to do enough to fix it will I?" He said.

Ella looked down.

"You're right I should forgive you!" She said nodding, she looked up at him.

"But you never asked me to." She added.

It moved Patrick to see this grown man's eyes water as he saw the truth executed from his daughters mouth and heart.

"Then I'm asking you now Ella.....Please forgive me. Because I need my daughter back in my life." He said humbly.

"I forgive you." She said simply. Tears slid down his cheeks.

"I forgive you Dad." She repeated.





Sitting at the dinner table with Patrick and her Dad, she listened to them talk music. She felt a little left out but it gave her time to get used to having her Dad back in her life after 3 years.

"You still play your cello Ella?" He asked, eating a forkful of his dinner, she stared at him.

"She's trying." Patrick said, Bill looked at him and he nodded.

"I haven't played since Mom died." She added, he stopped eating and she swallowed the rest of the food in her mouth.
"I'm sorry." He said softly.

"It's not your fault." She soothed him, touching his hand.

"Of course it is." He said.

"No Dad, you made a mistake. But Mom was in charge of her actions!" she said. Patrick stared at her, she was actually talking about her Mom.

"But her actions were reflective of what I'd done to her."

"No, her actions were a reflection of her not letting go and trying to get on with her life."

"Ella-"

"-y'know, we can all sit here and take blame. Actually, if anyone is to blame - it's me!" She said.

"Ella...." Patrick said in warning tone.

"No really.." She said calmly. She twirled her fork around in her finger and thumb and stared at her plate.

"We should finish eating - this food is getting cold!" She laughed gently and pushed more on to her fork.

Patrick stared at her from the other side of the table. He was confused, but knew he would get it out of her.


1st January 2004


It was raining.

It was a dark grey day.

And it was a dark day.

Ella felt only the bumps in the road as she followed the hurse as all other emotions were temporarily numbed in an epidural state of sadness. Her Aunty Julie's hand wrapped tight around her cold one.

She didn't remember how she got from the car into the front pew in the church, she felt cold, that was all she could think. The church was dark, gloomy and very much the opposite of what her Mom stood for. However, her will had requested this gentleman to take the service as he'd tried to be there for her on many occasion when she was religiously inclined.

Joe came in and kept his down, he made his way to the front and Julie moved to allow him to sit next to her. He took her hand softly and placed both his around them.

"Thank you for coming." She said, in half the strength she normally would talk.

He didn't reply, just softly stroked her face and then left it at that.

He felt he had to give her more than anything now. Especially now she was pregnant with his baby.



24th December 2003



She stood up quickly when he came through the door with a plastic bag.

"You got one?" She asked.

"Yeah." He said, handing her the bag. She took it and opened it, removing the packaging and disappearing into the bathroom.

Joe paced the room. His palms literally sweating with anxiety as he thought of the consequences of their lust 5 weeks ago. Now she was late.

Her hands shook too as she waited for the 3 minutes to expire.

"No!" She whispered, seeing the blue cross.

"No! No! You have to joking!!" She whispered, shaking the test vigorously in her hands. She looked again.

"Oh god...Oh god..." She said, pacing her bathroom. She pulled open the bathroom door and stared at his big blue eyes.

"So??" he asked impatiently.

"I'm pregnant." She said bluntly.

His hands went to his mouth.

"Let me see!" he said, grabbing the test.

"Awww no." He said, looking.

She watched him work himself up into a state.

"Joe?" she asked, she walked over to him and took him by the arms.

"Listen to me!" She said, she sat him down.

"Lets talk about this!" She said calmly.

"You're pregnant!" He blurted out.

"Joe!" She said, clasping his face.

He looked up at her from his place on the bed.

"I can't have this baby!" She said softly. He stared at her, his face shocked, pale and frightened.

"What - I don't..." He stuttered, confused.

"I can't have it. I'm not ready - we're not ready!" she added.

"But what about..." He stopped and looked at her.

"Don't do this Ella..." he said, realizing her intentions.

"There's no choice in the matter. It's completely ridiculous to even consider parenting a child together, we only just know each other....." She said.

His eyes slipped down and he slumped slightly.

"It'll be best for everyone Joe." She said softly, stroking his hair.

"Except the baby." He said.

"I can't think about that." She said coolly.

"It doesn't feel right." He frowned.

"It's not about what's right. It's about not screwing both our lives up!" She said.

He looked up at her again.

"It's best for us!" She said and kissed him softly.