FicWad

Kelly was tired of the atmosphere in the house. Kara was antsy with Bob gone and mid- terms coming up. Donna was acting agitated since Gerard had discovered her and Don in bed. So she concocted a plan to at least get out of the house for one evening. She convinced Kara that they should take Don and Donna out for the evening. That wasn't too hard as Kara was just looking for any excuse (however lame) to avoid studying. Next she convinced Donna that they should take Kara out to eat and a movie to take her mind off of everything. Objective complete. She'd at least get a good meal, see a movie and she wouldn't have to watch the usual antics and maybe it would take her mind off of the whole Liv and Elle thing. There was definitely something wrong there.
Kelly chose Kara's favorite Italian restaurant, the Olive Garden. The girl was a breadstick slut. After ordering, while Kara was busy regaling Donna and Don with the tale of 7th period Algebra II class, Kelly snuck Kara's cell phone out of her purse. She had forgotten hers and really wanted to call Mike. She excused herself, saying that she needed to use the restroom. Fortunately, Kara wasn't paying attention and didn't follow her. Kara stopped outside the restroom and quickly called Mike. It went to voice mail. She left a message that she would call him later that night and that she didn't have her cell phone. Humming she went into the bathroom. She laid the cell phone on the ledge above the sinks and checked her hair and make-up. 'Not bad' she thought, followed quickly by "Shit!" Just then the phone rang and vibrated - right into the stopped up sink next to her. "Crap, crap, crap on a crap cracker" Since both she and Kara were notoriously hard on their phones, she knew to immediately take out the battery. She swore to herself as she dried it and the phone as best she could. It didn't look too bad. She reinserted the battery and flipped the phone open. Yes, the screen came up. Crisis averted. She just hoped it wasn't Bob who had called. She quickly went back to the table. Donna eyed her suspiciously.
"What took you so long, Kelly? We've already had our salads."
"I stopped to call Mike." Okay, no lie there. She dished up some salad from the communal bowl and tucked in. When the waiter brought the orders, she bent down and quickly replaced the cell phone in Kara's purse.

Bob was confused. He had stopped to give Kara a call after the concert. The cell rang twice and then nothing. He tried again and it went straight to voice mail. He left a message asking Kara to call him as soon as she got this message. What's going on he wondered. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. He started to nod off when Gerard bounced up and swatted him on the back of the head. "Come on. Everyone's waiting." Bob gave a deep sigh and followed the hyperactive Gerard out of the room.

Christa and Ray stayed until they noticed that Jamia was beginning to nod off. They parted with a promise to visit again soon. Monica made sure Jamia took her nightly pills and then tucked her in bed. Jamia protested saying she wanted to stay up with Monica who she knew was waiting for Gerard to call. It was only nine pm and she tried to convince Monica she wasn't tired. The dark circles and constant yawning said otherwise.
Monica sat down and was about to call Kelly when she remembers that she and Kara had gone out to eat with Don and Donna. She signed and set the phone down. The new novel she has been trying to read sat on the table beside her but she knew her mind wouldn't be able to concentrate on the plot. All evening she had been turning over in her mind what had happened. She was sure Jamia didn't realize what she knew. Her head fell back against the sofa cushion and she closed her eyes. When her phone rang she had just fallen asleep, the sound caused her to jump.
"Monica, I'm so sorry" were the first words out of Gerard's mouth.
Monica sat up and rubbed her eyes, clock on the entertainment center read 9:36 pm. That meant it was 3:36 am where Gerard was. "Why?" she finally answered.
"I should have called earlier, I just lost track of time. We went out for something to eat after the concert and ended up at a coffee house talking." He explained.
Her answer surprised him, "Look Gee, you don't have to call every night. I never said you did."
Gerard didn't like the sound of her voice, "I want to talk to you every night." He lit a cigarette and sat down. He forgot he was going to go into the bathroom so he didn't wake up Frank. "Why this attitude?"
Her temper flared, "Attitude? Oh, I don't know why would I have an attitude? Let's see, maybe cause you had Frank say you weren't there when he called Jamia and you were?" she shot back.
He was momentarily speechless, "Frank told Jamia?" He couldn't believe his friend would have done that.
Monica sighed, "No Gerard he didn't but I'm not stupid. I love Jamia but she can't lie for shit. I saw the look on her face when she asked Frank if you were there. She knew damn good and well that you were. If you didn't want to talk to me you could have just said you were busy. Making Frank lie is pretty shitty."
Gerard slumped in the chair, "Monica it's not that I didn't want to talk to you it's just that they were waiting for me."
"So you couldn't have explained?" she was so angry she stood and started to pace, "Like I said if you are busy you really don't have to call every night."
He knew she had every right to be angry. "Look I'm a stupid shit sometimes, okay?"
"Whatever, Gerard. You had a choice and you made it. You could have talked to me or gone out with your friends. You chose your friends. The sad thing is if you had just told me you had people waiting for you I would have been okay with it. I know that after a concert you're wired and I'm sure you wanted to get out and have some fun. I understand that, I don't think I've ever been a bitch girlfriend who tried to tie you down."
"Monica stop" he said, "Don't do this, please. I fucked up, let it go."
"So are you telling me that I don't have the right to be hurt? Well, sorry but I am. Not because you went out with your friends but because you lied."
"I didn't exactly lie," he said lighting another cigarette to replace the one he had just smoked.
"You were in that room with Frank when Jamia asked if you were there." She reminded him softly.
"Honey, please. I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say.
"Gee, I have a busy day tomorrow, I'm tired and want to go to bed. I'm sure you have to get up in a few hours. I'll talk to you some other time." She sat back down on the sofa.
He closed his eyes, then spoke, "Monica, I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Whatever" she responded without emotion. "Tomorrow or the next day, if you're not too busy." She knew she was being bitchy but she couldn't stop herself.
"Damn it, Monica" he shouted into the phone. "Stop it. You are the most important thing in my life. How can you not know that?"
"Actions speak louder than words, Gee," she reminded him softly.
He took a drag off the cigarette, "Think about my actions up until now. When you said you could never love me because of your past I waited cause I knew we were meant for each other. I fell in love with you and have never once wanted it to be any other way. I love you, Monica. I did something fucking stupid and I'm sorry."
Monica closed her eyes, she felt so weary, "I love you Gee, we'll talk tomorrow."
He wasn't ready to let her go. Fear of losing her was always just under the surface of his thoughts. "Honey, what are you doing tomorrow?"
Of all the questions he could have asked this was the one she didn't want to answer. "I'm hanging with Kelly," she said. Had he asked a few minutes ago she was afraid she would have yell and told him she was spending the day with his daughter. She didn't want to hurt him like that. He needed to find out about Elle when he was home not in a foreign country. Learning he had already met his daughter was not going to be easy for him.
"Is Kell okay?" he asked, "She's called me twice and both times I feel like something is wrong. I worry about her." He said softly.
"She's fine, Gee."
"Tell her I said I love her, okay?" the sincerity in his voice rang true.
Monica wished with all her heart she was in his arms, "I will" she said.
"I'll call tomorrow, honey. I love you." His voice was full of emotion.
"I love you too, Gee." She said before closing the phone.
Across the room from the darkness Frank spoke, "What are you doing, Gee?"
"I just got off the phone with Monica." He answered.
Frank rolled over, "Yeah, I heard but that's not what I meant and you know it. Why are you trying to fuck up your life?"
Gerard's anger flared but quickly decimated, "I dunno, Frank. Things just seem so wrong. I miss Mikey and Ray. It's not right without them, not like it should be."
"And Monica?" Frank asked softly.
"I miss Moncia." Gerard said in a whisper, "I miss the man I am when she's with me."