FicWad

Another chapter, in recognition of Andy's birthday. And for you guys being super cool. =]

"What happened?" Joe asked, as they watched Patrick fling the phone down and grab his jacket from the back of the couch.
"I don't know. She was too hysterical." Patrick called, leaving the living room.
"Do you think it was the baby?" Jenny asked. Pete nudged her. "Sorry, babies?"
"I don't know!" Patrick said quickly, grabbing his car keys from the hall table. "I have to go and see."
"You want us to come?" Pete asked, following him, the others behind him slowly.
"No. Stay here." Patrick said, and with that, he was gone.
"Shit." Andy said into the silence that followed.
"I hope everything's OK." Jenny whispered, feeling for Pete's hand. He took it and squeezed it, a sinking feeling in his stomach.
"Me too."

"Come on! Fucking lights, you're a piece of shit." Patrick yelled, drumming his hands on the steering wheel as the light stayed red. His heart leapt into his mouth as he drove up the road and through the streets of different neighborhoods, taking the familiar route to his old home he had once shared with Christina. He stopped outside the house, on the street and ran up the driveway. There was no car in the drive.
Shit, she better be in. Maybe she's at the hospital!
He banged on the door, ignoring the fact his old neighbors were probably staring out of their windows at him.
"Christina! Are you there? Open the door!" He cried, standing back on the path and looking up at the windows upstairs facing the street. The light in his old bedroom was on. He had to go in, he needed to, what if she was having the babies right now? But what if Danny was there?
Who gives a crap about Danny? It's my old house.
He chanced entering the house without permission, closing his eyes and hoping the door was open. Luckily it was, and he slipped inside.
Please don't let the neighbors think I'm a burglar.
He bolted up the stairs and burst into the main bedroom, his old bedroom. The old smell was gone, replaced with the smell of some cologne that made him feel more sick than he did. He looked around, there was no one there. He listened quietly, his ears straining for any noise, until he heard a sob from the bathroom.
"Christina? It's Patrick!" He called, knocking on the door as calmly as he could. What if he went in and he fainted at the sight? His face was turning paler and paler, and his stomach was churning rapidly.
Oh God, I'm gonna be a daddy. I'm gonna have two babies.
"Patrick?" Christina called between sobs.
"It's OK, honey, I'm here, don't worry. Look, maybe it'll be those Braxton Hicks, I read about them, and they're false so you don't need to worry..." Patrick said, opening the door, preparing himself for a distressing sight. He fell to his knees when he saw Christina's tear streaked cheeks, her face blotchy from crying. She was curled up against the bath, hugging herself and sobbing, her arms around her stomach.
"It's all right, sweetie, don't cry. I'm here. I'll always be here, you're gonna be fine, please don't cry sweetheart. It's all OK." He said, grabbing some tissue paper as she continued to cry, and dabbing at her face. He took her hand and tried to pull her up, supporting her back with his other arm.
"Come on, it's fine, you can stand up, come on, you can do it." Patrick soothed her, as she let out louder sobs.
"Patrick, it's not the babies..."
"I know, it'll be... what?" He asked, pausing, still supporting her. She was a lot heavier than he'd remembered.
Duh. She's not gonna be as light as a feather if she has two kids in her.
"It's not the babies." She repeated, between gulps. She'd obviously been crying for a long time.
"What? Are you scared about everything? 'Cause it'll be OK, I'm scared too, but..."
"No, no, Patrick, it's not that." She shook her head violently. He sat her down on the edge of the bath, gently, kneeling opposite her and watching her.
"Then what is it?" He asked softly.
"Danny left me."
"What? Is that why you called me?" He asked, nearly losing his balance in shock.
"Yes. I needed someone. I needed you."
"Bullshit! You just wanted me to come back to fuss over you and you could lead me into believing we could be 'us' again. You're just using me!"
"No, I'm..."
"You are!" Patrick stood up, his face turning red. He kept his voice quiet as he spoke, his voice shaking with anger and betrayal.
"Your new guy left you so you thought you could scare the living daylights out of your old guy and he would come running, like he always did." Patrick spat.
"I just wanted..."
"To be feel special? Because you can't live with the fact that you're like everyone else. You're not the only person who's heartbroken now, are you? Welcome to my world! Sucks, doesn't it? I hope you get used to it, because it takes a long fucking time to forget someone you love. But you obviously love him more than you ever loved me 'cause I seem to remember when I left this house months ago, you just watched me, your arms crossed. None of this crying in the bathroom, calling someone up to hug you and tell you it'll be OK. I thought you were in labor!"
"Please, let me explain."
"You've taken advantage of me too many times, now. It ends here, I'm done with being your dummy and letting you walk all over me. Call me when you actually need help, when it's something serious, like a doctor's appointment or something. Or when it actually is Braxton Hicks."
Patrick left the bathroom, his fists clenched, breathing hard. He stormed down the stairs, and slammed the front door as he left. He'd never done that before. He'd never walked out on a fight with Christina. He'd always followed the 'never leave the house after having a fight, without saying goodbye, because it might be the last thing you've said to that person', theory. He hated having fights with people anyway, but he needed to stand up for himself. He was independent now, and he needed to fight back.
He stopped as he stood on the front step. He couldn't leave her alone. As much as he would have loved to walk away and leave her pining for him, just the way he had for her, he couldn't do it. It wasn't his nature. It was wrong. He opened the door and climbed the stairs again, took a deep breath as he entered the bedroom and stood in the bathroom doorway, where Christina was still sitting on the edge of the bath, her head in her hands as she cried.
"Stop crying." He said gently. Her head shot up and he looked at the floor.
"Come back with me." He whispered, holding out his hand. "We'll sort it all out. Whatever it takes, I just want to look after you. I won't beg you or cry anymore."
Christina watched him. She needed someone to look after her, but more than that, she needed Patrick. Part of her wanted him to pine and cry over her, but she needed him. He deserved to be with his children. He needed to have something to come home for. Not home to drive and pick up his children, he deserved to have them waiting for him in his own house. He didn't deserve anything she'd done to him.
"OK." She whispered.
Patrick's heart jumped but he hid the happiness, he just concentrated on nodding his approval and pulling her up to a standing position. He hugged her close, and she could tell by the way he held her, he would do anything for her. Even live the rest of his life in misery from not having her anymore. He would still do it for her.
"I'll look after you, I promise."
I'm such a sucker. My kids are gonna walk all over me.

Everyone was still at Patrick's, but instead of having fun like they had been before, they'd turned off the music and settled for the quiet buzz of the TV. They'd cleared up the pizza boxes and soda cans, and put everything in the living room back to normal. The hour had been spent with everybody having their eyes fixated on the TV set, but none actually paying attention to what was playing. They were all trying to imagine what was going on, wondering what Patrick was doing right now, and whether there was the possibility he was already a father. Every so often one of them would look up and catch another person's eye, noticing their wounded glances. The tension was killing them and it had only been just over sixty minutes.
"I have to call his cell," Andy said, standing up, "I have to see if he's at the hospital."
"Andy, that's stupid. What, you think if Christina is actually having it... /them/, Patrick's just gonna say, 'Oh, can we stop for a second? I have a call.' Jesus, like he's gonna have his cell on in a hospital." Joe replied. Andy glared at him and sat back down.
"We just have to wait," Pete whispered quietly, "He'll contact us."
At that moment they heard the noise of a car pull up in the driveway, and they all jumped up simultaneously and peered out the window. There was Patrick, getting out of the car.
"Doe she have Christina in the car with him?" Joe gasped.
"Maybe he has the babies with him!" Jenny whispered, excitedly.
"Do you think so?" Andy asked.
"I don't know, I can't see." Pete snapped. They all stepped back from the window as Patrick looked around before opening the passenger door. They fell into their seats and waited, unsure of who actually had been in the car. They tried to act normal, whispering between each other as the front door opened, and they stopped talking as a weary looking Patrick stood in the doorway.
"Do we wanna say hey daddy?" Joe asked, and Andy punched his shoulder. "Ow!"
"Not yet. Still two months to go." Patrick said. He lowered his voice to just under a whisper.
"I'll tell you guys later." He said, before turning away and leading Christina into the living room. Everyone's eyes widened as they fixated on her stomach. Jenny had never met her, and the last time the other guys had seen her, she wasn't even showing.
"Wow. Uh, hi... up there?" Joe said, raising his gaze to look her in the eyes.
"Hey." Christina said weakly to them all. They nodded in reply and all continued to stare as Patrick helped her sit down, but stayed standing himself.
"Christina's gonna live with me. Whether it's full term we're not sure." He said, and shot Joe the deadliest glance, warning him not to open his mouth and ask a question. Unfortunately, he should have shot the look at Pete.
"Are you two back together?" He blurted out, Jenny put her head in her hands and shook her head, while Andy groaned and Joe grinned that it wasn't him that was being pitied. Christina opened her mouth but Patrick cut in.
"No." He said, defiantly.

"Christina, you are putting him through a living /hell/." Pete said later on in the night. He was sitting with Christina in one of Patrick's spare bedrooms, which Patrick had made comfortable for Christina to stay in. "And you know what? He's too sweet to do anything about it except hope you'll stop messing him around."
"I know."
"He'd do anything for you. He would die for you, he would do anything."
"Except give up his job."
"That's unfair. He has two things he loves more than anything in the world, and that's his job and you. You can't ask him to chose. Look at how supportive he was when you let Danny move in with you and you were happy with a new guy. Look how much misery he put himself through just so you could be happy."
"I know. I never deserved him."
"Yes, you did. You deserved each other. But, I think you took advantage of how understanding he is."
Christina nodded. Pete had always been able to tell what people were thinking, and what went on.
"So why are you still upset?" Pete asked, as Christina wiped her eyes again. He sat closer to her and looked her in the eyes as she met his gaze.
"Because I messed up the best thing that ever happened to me. And I messed up the best guy I'd ever met. I ruined his life."

My, oh my... Will there ever be a happy Fall Out Boy family?