Story Title: A Long Wait
Summary: John Bender and Robert Standish have always hated each other. Can anything change that? Basically this is a Claire/Bender story told from a different perspective. It will probably be around three to four chapters long.
Disclaimer: I don't own Breakfast Club or any of its characters, and I'm not intending to make any money with this story.
Authos's Notes: This is the first fic I've ever published. I'm also from Finland so English is not my first language. I hope you'll still give this story a chance, though. I can't promise it's good, but I can promise it's different. Or at least I've never seen a Breacfast Club story like this. (If there still happens to be one, I swear I didn't copy the idea.) Ok, on with the story!
Robert Standish sat in his office, going through a pile of papers. It was 6 pm., and he was planning to leave soon. At eight he would have a date with one of the rich, divorced women in Shermer. Almost all of them, it seemed, had been after him – or more likely, after his money – since he had left his wife about a year and a half ago.
Just when Mr. Standish was about to get up, there was a knock on the door. It was his secretary.
"Mr. Standish, there is a phone call for you", she announced. "It's from the hospital."
Mr. Standish was up on his feet faster than a bolt of lightning, and actually rushed towards the phone. His secretary looked a bit confused – it wasn't like him to act like that, after all.
"Robert Standish speaking", he said anxiously when picking up the phone. Then there was a break.
"Good God!You mean right now? Is she all right?" Another break.
"Just promise me to take good care of my daughter! I'll be there soon. Goodbye."
Mr. Standish looked rather nervous when he hung up, and just stared at the wall in front of him for about a minute. Then he snapped out of his thoughts, rushed to get his coat and exclaimed at his secretary:
"I'm going now! Will you cancel my date for me, I've got to hurry!" By then he was already halfway through the door.
Soon Mr. Standish was sitting in his car, squeezing the wheel with white knuckles. He wanted to get to the hospital quickly. Although he hadn't been in good terms with his daughter for a long time, he still wanted to be there for her. Not that he could do anything, maybe she wouldn't even know that he would sit there and wait, but he wanted to do it anyway. Besides, her mother wouldn't probably turn up, even if the mothers were usually the ones their daughters needed the most at this point of their lives.
Claire's mother had never cared about her very much, but she had always been important to her father. He just had never shown it in the best possible way. He had thought that buying her all the clothes and the jewelry and the other stuff that she wanted was the best way to show that he cared. And what's more, he had always thought of her only as the daddy's little princess instead of finding out who she really was. He had never seen the error in his ways, and it had come to him as a big shock when things had suddenly changed.
His expression turned dark when he thought of the person who was the reason to that change. The person who had gotten his little princess to think that her life was shallow. The person who had mesmerized her, turned her promising life upside down and robbed her from her family. The person whose fault it was that she was in the hospital right now.
Mr. Standish pulled over in the hospital's car park and strolled inside. He asked instructions from the lady behind the desk and soon headed towards the third floor.
When he finally found the right corridor, the first thing he saw was a long-haired young man standing in front of an open window, smoking – that way he could easily drop the cigarette outside if he saw someone coming. Mr. Standish stared at the man with pure loathing. There was a no-smoking sign in plain view, but when had John Bender ever followed any rules, he thought angrily. Apparently he wasn't taking the fact that he would soon become a father very seriously.
Mr. Standish marched up to the window. John looked up and dropped the almost-finished cigarette out of the window.
Without even trying to mask the anger in his voice, Mr. Standish started to talk:
"You're smoking here? If you haven't noticed, this is a hospital. And besides, I had thought you would be with Claire – obviously you just don't care about her enough to do that!"
John shot a very ugly glare at Mr. Standish. "Shut up! I would have gone there with her, but they didn't let me, fuckin' assholes! They said that fathers are no good in the labour-room, coz they're in the way and ask stupid questions and can't handle seeing blood. Like hell I couldn't handle seeing blood, it's not like I've never seen it before. "John let out a bitter laugh, turned his back to Mr. Standish and walked towards a nearby chair.
Mr. Standish stared at him at a lost of words and sighed as well. He had presumed that he wouldn't have to deal with John, because many hospitals let the father to be present at labour nowadays, but obviously he had been wrong. Now he was stuck on this gloomy hallway with a man he hated for God knew how many hours.
Ok, that was the first chapter. I'm trying to post the next one as soon as possible. It would be very nice if you left me a review. Constructive critisism is always welcome – as are praises, of course – and please inform me if you find any grammar- or spelling mistakes.