Over at The Canvas, Iz posted a challenge. She posted a banner and you had two weeks to write a fic to accompany it. In the banner there was a picture of Robin and Patrick, Lucky, Elizabeth holding a pregnancy stick and Jason. This is my take on it. Since it was a little on the long side, I split it into two parts. This was posted in June so it's still fairly new. Enjoy!
The Middle – Part 1/2
Hey, don't write yourself off yet.
It's only in your head you feel left out or
looked down on.
Elizabeth Webber groaned and turned around on her bed, flexing her arm out just far enough to shut off the radio. It seemed that that damned song followed her everywhere.
Just try your best, try everything you can.
And don't you worry what they tell themselves when you're away.
It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle, it'll up the ride.
Everything will be just fine, everything will be all right.
She attempted once more to shut it off and again the song didn't turn off. Why did she have to choose the radio for her alarm sound? At this point the one with the birds chirping was better.
Hey, you know they're all the same.
You know you're doing better on your own, so don't buy in.
Live right now.
Yeah, just be yourself.
It doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else.
She sat up in bed and swung her legs over the edge before standing up and leaning over the night table, permanently shutting off the song as she unplugged the clock.
Yeah, just be yourself.
The words repeated themselves in her head. God, why did everything have to remind her of Jason?
She sat back down on the bed and groaned when her back met the mattress. Why couldn't she sleep late? Even for just one day. She'd cut off her left arm if she could sleep until nine, hell even eight o'clock would satisfy her.
Knowing that Cameron would be up soon she forced herself to face reality and once again rise from the bed, padding her way over to the dresser to grab some clothes to wear for the day. She made her way into the bathroom and shut the door behind her, placing her clean clothes on the sink.
Once she had turned on the water to ensure that it would be at the temperature she wanted when she stepped into it, she discarded all of the clothing from her body and shoved them into the hamper. She straightened her body from leaning over the hamper when something caught her eye.
She looked over at the mirror that hung on the back of the door, glancing at her reflection. Her body hadn't changed yet, but it would - there was no doubt about that. It had to. Her thoughts drifted back to the day she had found out. The day her life changed once again.
She had assumed she had the flu, but when it had lasted for two weeks, she knew that wasn't the case. So, she decided to talk to her best friend Emily before she panicked and went to the hospital.
"Hey."
"Hey Elizabeth." Emily smiled at her as she sat on the stool beside her. "What brings you to Jake's?"
"You." She placed her purse on the counter. "I needed to talk to you and Sonny said you were here so here I am."
"Me?" Emily glanced at her curiously. "What's wrong?"
Elizabeth's gaze met her friends as her eyes began to water. "I've been getting sick for the past two weeks and I thought it was the flu. But now that its lasted this long, I think it's something else."
Emily stared at her. "You think you're pregnant, don't you?"
"Yeah." Elizabeth nodded. "I think I am."
"But…" Emily frowned. "Is that even possible? I mean, you and Lucky have been divorced for almost six months."
"I know but I- I slept with someone else a few months ago." Elizabeth was ashamed to admit it. She was supposed to be grieving for her marriage and the happily ever after she'd lost and what did she do? She climbed into bed with the first man she saw.
"What?" Emily's eyes bulged in surprise. "Who?"
Elizabeth closed her eyes. She couldn't look at her when she said it. "Jason."
"Jason?" Emily's voice hitched. "You slept with Jason?"
She opened her eyes. "Yeah. He, uh…he had just walked in on you and Sonny all over each other in the living room at Sonny's place and he- he needed someone to talk to. So, he came to see me." Elizabeth laughed nervously. "And I was just as out of control as he was. I was still upset over the divorce and just everything going on. We spent half the night talking and just as he was leaving…" She paused. "Well, you don't need to know everything. Let's just say one thing led to another and here we are."
"Okay…" Emily nodded her head in understanding. "So if you are pregnant, this baby is Jason's right? There's no doubt about it?"
"No doubt." Elizabeth agreed. "I would be showing by now if it were Lucky's. And Jason is the only person I slept with around that time."
"Did you take a pregnancy test?"
"No, not yet." Elizabeth sighed. "But, I really think I'm pregnant. I've been really sore and sensitive the past few weeks and let's not forget the whole morning sickness thing."
"It may not be morning sickness, it may be-"
"The flu?" Elizabeth scoffed. "The flu doesn't last for two weeks. At least not for me."
"Well…" Emily struggled for words. "I think you need to go take a pregnancy test."
"Yeah." She nodded. "I'm going to go pick one up at the store. I'll see you later?"
"Yeah." Emily stood with Elizabeth and hugged her. "Call if you need me, alright?"
"Okay."
After her talk with Emily, she had been more than convinced she was pregnant. She stopped at the drug store on the way home and picked up two home pregnancy tests to be on the safe side. And once she had put Cameron to bed and had a moment's peace, she took the tests. Both came back positive.
The next day she made a doctor's appointment and the doctor confirmed what she already knew, she was pregnant. Two and a half months pregnant, to be exact.
That had been two weeks ago.
Elizabeth shook her head, erasing all of her thoughts for a moment as she stepped into the shower and under the steaming water. It seemed that this was the only thing that relaxed her these days. She quickly found that if she took a shower in the morning as soon as she got up she wouldn't have morning sickness quite so early in the evening. She had yet to figure out how a shower in the morning calmed her nerves throughout the entire day. Nevertheless, she took her showers first thing in the morning and she was good to go.
The downside to the calming effect the shower had on her was that it was also her best time to think. She often did all of her best thinking while in the shower. Always had.
Her thoughts came back, plaguing her in that instant. She had yet to tell Jason he was going to be a father. She knew she had to tell him, there was no disputing that. She'd never keep his child from him, never. She just didn't know how to tell him. Calling him on the phone and congratulating him definitely wasn't the way to go. And neither was just showing up on her doorstep.
No, she had to call him and invite him over. They'd spend some time reminiscing and then she'd lower the bomb on him. She smiled to herself as she squirt some shampoo into her hand. She mixed the substance, lathering it up before she placed it on her head, being sure to get every strand of hair.
"It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle, it'll up the ride." She starting singing to herself as she rinsed her hair thoroughly. "Everything will be just fine, everything will be all right."
As she lathered the conditioner in her palm she realized what she had just been doing. "Damn. Even in the shower the song gets to me." She muttered to herself.
On the other side of town an exhausted Patrick Drake was in the shower himself. Last night he and Robin had officially become a couple. They'd even consummated their relationship. Multiple times if he remembered correctly, he grinned as he stepped out of the shower and began to dry himself off.
It had all started at work when he had asked her if she had plans afterwards…
"Hey." Patrick placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her towards him. "Do you have any plans after work tonight?"
"No." Robin shook her head. "Why?"
"Now you do." He gave her a charming smile.
Patrick chuckled as he remembered how fired up she had gotten over his comment. It was all innocent and she had completely blown it out of proportion. Of course he didn't mind her getting all hot and bothered over it either. He found it sexy when she got all fired up. Hell, who was he kidding? She was always sexy.
Once he finished dressing he took the hairdryer out from the cabinet underneath the sink. It was never healthy to leave the house with a wet head; his mother had always chastised him for it. And to this day, he still heard those words if he ever did it – which wasn't often.
Patrick's mind drifted to the previous night once again, as the hot hair blew across his face and hair.
"Here. Have a seat." He pulled out her chair for her and waited for her to sit before pushing it in ever so slightly. "I'll be right back, I just have to grab the food."
"Wait." Her voice stopped him in mid-stride and he turned around to meet her gaze, waiting for her to continue. "You cooked?" Her brows lift up in surprise.
Patrick let out a low chuckle. "Yeah, that's one of the perks of getting a regular apartment. It comes with a kitchen." He turned around and walked into the kitchen, leaving a minute later with his hands full.
"Let me help you with that." She began to get up from her seat.
"No." He stopped her. "Let me do this for you." He continued his walk to the table and set everything down, moving it around so that everything was just so. Then he walked back into the kitchen coming out with two plates, utensils and a lighter. He set a plate down in front of her and winked as he set her utensils down before he walked around the table to set his own plate and utensils down.
"Patrick?"
He looked up at her. "Yeah?"
"I didn't know you folded your napkins." She held hers up as she laughed. It was folded the exact same way you would find one a pricey restaurant.
"I worked in a restaurant for years." He shrugged.
"Were you a waiter?" A grin was tugging at her lips.
"Yes." He gave her a fleeting glance. "Don't laugh."
"I'm not laughing." She assured him as she placed her fancy napkin over her mouth to stop herself.
"Of course you aren't." He muttered as he lit up the lighter and placed it on top of the wick of one of the candles. The wick caught fire instantly and began to burn the candle. He took a few steps closer to Robin and lit the other candle.
"Candles?" Her voice oozed with surprise. "Getting fancy now aren't we? Candles, perfectly folded napkins, home cooked meal…"
"I wanted tonight to be special for you, Robin."
"Why?"
"I- It's our first official date and I wanted it to be perfect. So yes, you get the candles, the home cooked meal and the perfectly folded napkins. I wanted to do it for you because you don't deserve anything less."
"Patrick." His name came out on a sigh as she stared at him in awe. "Thank you."
He walked across the room and turned the lights off, the candles were their only means of light now. "You're welcome."
Robin waited until he was seated before she began to place some food on her plate. Deciding that the chicken just looked divine, she knew she had to try that. If it tasted anywhere near as good as it looked…"Patrick this is really good." She let out a moan as she continued to chew. This chicken was to die for!
"Thank you." He smiled brightly at her. "I'm glad you like it."
She had just placed another piece of chicken in her mouth when he spoke so she waited until she had finished chewing and swallowing before speaking again. "Like it?" Her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "I love it."
They had spent the next few minutes eating in silence until Patrick caught her staring at him from across the table. "What?"
"I was just wondering," She started as her gaze broke from his. "How did you end up working in a restaurant?"
"You're never going to let that go, are you?"
"Nope." She let her head fall back as she laughed. She couldn't picture him in a restaurant, it just wasn't him.
"Alright, I'll explain." He sighed. "When I was fifteen I got a job at a local restaurant so I wouldn't have to rely on my parents. If I wanted to go to the movies, then I could go with my own money. No more begging my parents for ten bucks to take a date out. No sir." He paused. "I wanted to be self-sufficient so I took the initiative, got the job, and worked my way up. I started out as a busboy and went from there. I even worked there during the summer between semesters at college." He smiled. "By the time I left I had been cooking for quite some time. I was a chef at one of the best restaurants in the state without ever having to take a class for it."
"No wonder you are such an excellent cook. You did it professionally."
He nodded his head. "Yes."
They spent the next fifteen minutes eating in silence. After they finished eating Robin had helped him clean up the table and even dried the dishes for him. Even she couldn't help put them away because she didn't know where everything went, he had still appreciated the gesture. Once they had finished cleaning they went into the living room and sat down on the couch, indulging in a nice bottle of wine.
And that's where things starting getting hazy, he chuckled to himself as he stared at his refection in the mirror. The only thing he remembered was that one moment he and Robin were talking on the couch and the next they were all over each other. They couldn't get enough of each other, he smiled. And then they had moved their little party to the bedroom…
He groaned out loud as he remembered the way it had felt when he first slid into her, the way she had responded to him as he thrust in and out of her, each time pulling him in deeper as their bodies adjusted to one another.
Robin was not only a terrific kisser, she was a minx.
Patrick turned off the dryer, unplugging it and placing it back underneath the sink where it belonged. He brushed a hand swiftly through his hair as he placed his towel into the hamper, turning off the light on his way out.
Just as he walked back into his bedroom, he heard his alarm go off. Or rather, he heard the radio turn on.
And don't you worry what they tell themselves when you're away.
It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle, it'll up the ride.
Everything will be just fine, everything will be all right.
He sauntered his way across the room as quickly as possible turning the alarm off without hesitation.
"What, you don't like that song?"
He turned to see Robin staring up at him. Her disheveled hair was going every which way and her eyes held the promise of more sleep in them. She was still tired, he smiled, thoroughly satisfied and impressed with himself. "I hate it." He groaned as he sat beside her on the edge of the bed. "It's always on the radio. They overplay it. It used to be a pretty good song, but now…I'm so sick of it.
Robin stared up at him thoughtfully for a moment before she burst out laughing at the remembrance of the previous night.
"What?"
"I still can't picture you as a waiter."
Patrick sighed.