Title: Rainbows.
Author: darKpetalSofbluE
Chapter: One: A Father's Covenant.
A/N: First Everwood ficcie in a long time. But with a season finale like that, I couldn't resist. This piece looks at Andy's feelings on his decision to hide Madison's pregnancy. A whole truckload of stuff is gonna happen in Everwood while Ephram is gone, and that's essentially what I'm doing here. But go easy on me, I'm only fifteen and not very talented...
Andrew Brown watched the bus carrying his son pull away from the station, taking his last hope of redemption with it. Finding the strength in his soul to turn around and walk away, he knew deep within itself that everything had changed, forever. He forced the corners of his mouth to turn up at the sight of his daughter.
"Are you okay, Dad?"
"I'm fine, Delia. Let's go home."
She small girl hesitated. "Daddy," she asked with complete politeness "May I please see a movie with Bright?"
Andy looked up at the curly-haired boy standing beside Delia. He offered a goofy smile, hoping it would do the trick.
"Yes, Delia, you may," he said, "Bright, have her home by dinner please."
Bright grinned and saluted. "Sir, yes, sir!"
The car started, Andy deftly drove past people's dynamic lives as if seeing them in slow motion. He gripped the steering wheel as if it were his reality, struggling to gain control and stop it from spinning wildly. Still numb, he pulled into his driveway and entered his living room with a heavy heart.
He was a genius. A highly intelligent man of medicine. How had he managed to dig this irreversible hole for himself? How had his critically acclaimed mind allowed him to pass this ridiculous judgment?
And yet he knew that if he had to do it all over again, nothing would change.
Trudging through the halls of his home, Andy paused near the telephone. A red numeral blinked up at him and he knew he should check the message. But there was a sense of foreboding in the air, and Andy could feel it slowly draining the oxygen from the room, making it increasingly more difficult to breathe. The toxins of his deception left a putrid scent in the air that he knew, throughout the eight weeks of his son's absence, and perhaps for the rest of his life, would eat away at his mind. Like an acid they would corrode him, scorching his soul and burning the connection to Ephram he'd spent the last two years trying to construct.
Andy resisted the urge to run away and took slow, controlled steps towards his bedroom. Halfway down the corridor, he turned around and walked quickly back towards the answering machine. He compressed the button, waiting with bated breath.
"Hello, Doctor Brown?" A tentative voice came through the miniature speaker. "This is Madison. I just wanted to let you know that I've made a decision." Here, her voice grew bolder and more confident. "I do want to talk to you about this, though. If you'll give me a call back we can set up a time for me to stop by your office. Thanks."
Andy's silence was followed by a robotic "Beep," from the answering machine. Once again moving into his bedroom, he laid down on the cool sheets and closed his eyes.
"Julia," he whispered, "Oh, Julia. What have I done..."
A/N-Yes, this chapter is short, but it's a set up for the ones to come. Next chapter will have Defiant!Madison, Lovesick!Delia, OCD!Harold, and still more Remorseful! Andy. Tehehe. Review, please!