FicWad

"How did it go?" Patrick asked when Pete entered the lounge area of the tour bus. It was torture. Patrick, Andy and Joe were all sitting with their girlfriends.

Pete sighed as he dropped down on the couch. "She's beautiful, but...Marla is so hurt." He frowned. "She took every chance possible to make a jab at me."

"She's beautiful, huh?" Joe smiled as he leaned back. "Did you take any pictures?" He asked.

Pete shook his head as he looked down at the ground and then at Patrick sighing. He was aching so much inside. He never wanted to leave his daughter and now he had no idea when he would see her again.

"How did you leave it?" Patrick asked.

"Well, we sort of had a fight and then right when I was leaving she told me to call them."

"That sounds hopeful." Patrick said, with a supportive smile.

"Yeah, but this tour lasts for like... ages."

"We can work something out. If won't be as..." Patrick started. "Oh, get a room!" he said to Andy, who was unsurprisingly shy when it came to kissing his girlfriend.

Andy laughed. "Nuh uh! I don't have to." He smiled as he kissed his girlfriend again.

"I think I'm going to be sick!" Joe laughed as he held tightly onto his girlfriend. They had been together long enough though that they didn't need to be making out every minute.

"Leave us alone." Jill, Andy's girlfriend laughed as she wrapped her arms around him. "And, you two shouldn't talk. You kissed your girlfriends plenty!" She pointed out.

"Well yeah." Patrick smiled. "But we don't want Pete to feel crappy."

"Yeah, all he has is his right hand." Joe laughed as he got comfortable.

"Joe, shut up." Lisa, Patrick's girlfriend said. She felt sorry for Pete. It wasn't exactly easy being lonely when everyone else around you was attached to someone.

"Look, we're all here for you, Pete. We'll make something work." Patrick said. Pete nodded and got up, heading towards the bunks. Patrick got up, shooting an apologetic look at Lisa as he unwrapped his arm from hers. He followed Pete, and bent down at his bunk. Pete was lying on his side, facing the wall.

"Dude you want to talk about it?" Patrick asked as he moved the curtain to the side.

Pete nodded as he sat up and looked at Patrick as he played with his fingers. He didn't know what to say or where to start. "I think this made it all so much worse." He frowned as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Worse how?" Patrick asked.

Pete sighed. "Now I miss my daughter and I want Marla back."

"How did she look?" Patrick asked, curiously.

"She's... everything I remembered." Pete said. "I think she was even more beautiful than when I left."

Patrick smiled and nodded. He could tell by the tone in Pete's voice he was in hell. He wished he could do something but... what could he do but offer Pete a shoulder to cry on and a babysitting guarantee if he ever got back with Marla?

"I fucked up so bad, Patrick." Pete said, shaking his head. "I really did. I should have been there. She should have been with me."

"But she wasn't, Pete. Don't fret about the past."

"I can't help it. The past is what gets you here today. People look back on the past when they're happy... but why do you always get told not to when you're pissed?"

"I..." Patrick tried to take it back, but gave up and rested his hands on his stomach as he waited for Pete to go on again.

"What I did in the past made something so beautiful." Pete said with a slight smile that soon faded when he began to talk again. "But I ruined something amazing at the same time. I walked away... and now I have to deal with that."

"Sure." Patrick agreed with a nod of his head. He moved slightly when Joe ran past to go to the bathroom.

"God!" Pete burst out, punching the roof of the bunk. Patrick jumped slightly at the sudden sound.

"I should have been there. I should have." He repeated. "I should have held done the whole... shop for baby stuff. Go to every Doctor's appointment, painting the baby's room." He buried his head in his hands.

"I should have held Marla's hand when Ariana was born." He said, his voice muffled. "I'm a horrible father."

"No, you're not."

"What kind of father isn't there at his child's birth?" Patrick opened his mouth but was interrupted "A bad one."

"That's not true." Patrick said, leaning forward.

"You know what I did? When Ariana was born? Remember?"

"We played..."

"We played a show. While my ex girlfriend was giving birth to my baby, I played a fucking show. I stood up there, and looked out at my other kids while my biological one took its first breath."

Patrick took a deep breath as he tried to figure out the right words to say to his best friend. "Listen man, I'm going to be brutally honest, so just hear me out because this is for the best. Think back to the way you were twenty months ago. You were so messed up, you were unhappy and miserable and you hated everything in life. You weren't even capable of loving Marla. But, she stuck by your side through everything. She got pregnant and you got scared. I mean, man, call it what you want but you tried to kill yourself. Now, if you had been in Marla and Arian's lives what kind of father would you have been? Not a very good one. You did what you thought would be best. You stayed out of her life and got better. You are okay now. And, you know what you need to understand that. And, Marla needs to understand that. And, I believe if you guys actually sit down and talk about it, it'll be okay. Not great, but okay. Come on, Pete. Think about it. Twenty months ago were you suitable to be a boyfriend and a father?" Patrick looked up at him into his eyes.

Pete shook his head. "No."

"There you go." Patrick pulled himself up and sat next to Pete.

"The first step of overcoming your problems is admitting you have one. You just achieved it."

"But how do I solve it?"

"You arrange to see them again. And you talk to Marla, you play with
Ariana, get to know her, and you become a part of their lives again."

"Can I just do that?"

"There's only one person who can find that out." Patrick said, nudging him. "That's you, pal."

Pete nodded. "What if...maybe I can invite them out on tour?" He questioned. "Maybe I can have them come out and just tell Marla it's to work on my relationship with my daughter?" Pete questioned as he looked at Patrick. "I mean would that be okay with you guys?" He bit his lip.

"It's not a problem with me. I'm sure it wouldn't be for the others. I think it's Marla you have to worry about. Though you'll never know unless you try."
"So, I should call her now and ask her?"

"Mmm, I wouldn't say now." Patrick said, ducking as he stood up. "Give it tonight. Call her in the morning." He smiled and turned away, before freezing and turning back. "Or do it one step better. Look her in the eye and ask her. Then she'll know you mean it."

Pete nodded. "Thanks man. I guess I can do that tomorrow. I mean the tour isn't much longer so I can always just tell her it's for a week or so and then they can stay with me in California for a few days! I'll ask her tomorrow!" He nodded. He was getting his hopes up again after she killed the last batch, but he needed her and his daughter. He had to try. "Thanks man." He smiled.

"You're welcome." Patrick said, with a comedic tip of his hat as he left Pete to close his curtain excitedly.



My apologies on how long this has taken to be posted. There is plenty written, but with my godson/nephew who I am raising in the hospital, there hasn't been much time. He'll be there for another week, so updates will happen when I get a chance to get online. He's doing fine, just have to stay on the antibiotic for the next seven days. Otherwise he's okay. :-D