Title: Since you're Gone
Author: TWBasketcase
Rated: T for language, drug use, and sexuality.
Chapter Summary: Claire goes to see the doctor for her check-up, while Bender and Andrew meet again.
A/N: Hey all! Thanks for all of the great reviews last chapter! I'm glad that everyone is starting to get into this! Anyhow, Andy and Allison won't be meeting this chapter…that will be next. BUT! In this one, we do get to find out more about Claire and John's baby, as well as some more about life the past four years. So I do hope that you enjoy it, and are patient with the big reunion…here is chapter 4!
A/N 2: I must say that I do love the Cars; the song that gave me the title Since You're Gone always does help me get my muse back. It really suits the fic well. I recommend you listen! Now on with the show!

Chapter 4 – Just a little Patience

Dr. Goldman gave Claire a warm smile as he released the inflated cuff from her arm. "Well, you're blood pressure is good. In fact, I would say that you are in wonderful health."

She let out a breath and smiled back at him. "Well that's…good."

He chuckled at her and flipped to the second page on his clipboard. "You're height has remained the same – obviously, you've gained about 17 pounds so far…" Claire whined and scrunched up her face. The doctor gave her another laugh and smiled. "Miss Standish you are only going to gain more so I would suggest that you accept it. We've had this conversation before."

"I know, but I feel like a fat pig." She crossed her arms over her chest.

He shook his head and let his glasses fall down onto his chest; they were being held around his neck by a small gold chain. "And you will. But it's completely normal."

She looked up at the ceiling. "Will I ever look nice again, ever?"

He chuckled. "You look marvelous now."

"I look like a house."

"No, you look like a beautiful young woman preparing for motherhood. It's special." He pointed out.

"Whatever. What else do we need to do today? I think I would like to drop the topic of my weight."

"Well why don't we discuss the baby?" He gave her a warm smile and sat down on a chair across from her.

She smiled brightly. "Of course. What would you like to talk about?"

"Well," He put his glasses back on his nose as he spoke, "Do you have any questions or concerns?"

"Well…what is my baby like at this stage? I mean, last we spoke we were talking about rubbery skeletons and developing ears." She cringed at the mental picture.

The doctor gave a hearty laugh. "Well now you can expect the baby to have doubled in length…have developed eye lids and eyebrows. Now we are looking at extended lung development, eyeball development, and nervous system development. You're baby will be controlling his or her movements at this point."

Claire smiled. "It did kick me yesterday morning. I could have sworn it was hungry."

"That's excellent to hear, Claire." The doctor began scribbling more on to his clip board. "Before we start the ultra sound, where is John today?"

She rolled her eyes. "Picking up a friend of ours from the airport; he wanted to come, I figure he will be happy that he is at least making some money from it."

The doctor gave an amused snort and nodded his head. "Well we will just have to do without his ever graceful presence today, now won't we?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm heart broken."

He took his glasses from his face and gave her a pointed look. "You better not keep that up, young lady; you're beginning to sound like him."

She laid back and lifted up the front of her gown. "How could you say such a thing?"

He replaced his glasses and turned towards the ultra sound. "I've known you since you were a young girl." He gave her another pointed look. "I delivered you, and now I'm delivering your own child. I think I have the right to say that you are beginning to sound like a smart ass."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'm sorry."

He grinned at her and began to rub a cold substance on her stomach. "That's better. Now how does that feel?"

She shivered. "Cold."

He laughed. "Well, as long as I'm not hurting you, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "Like you would."

He placed the small machine to her stomach and within a few moments, a small fetus appeared on the monitor across from her bed. She stared at it deeply, just like she had every single time she had seen it. It never got old. No matter how many times she stared at it, she couldn't help the surge of emotion that passed through her. That was her baby. That was their baby that they created. Together. She smiled and wiped at her eyes. Doctor Goldman said nothing, only handing her a tissue box.

"As you can see, we have some more distinct facial features. Fingers and toes look to be coming along nicely; heart rate is very good, and movement seems strong."

Claire dabbed at her eyes and nodded. "I can't wait to meet her."

The doctor smiled. "I don't think your boyfriend would have been happy to hear that."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm having a girl; I don't care what he says."

Doctor Goldman smiled. "Do you want to know the gender right now?"

Claire stared at the screen for another moment. Did she want to ruin the surprise? She and John had bickered endlessly about the gender of their child. He wanted a boy; no pink, no frills, no dollies, no sparkles. She herself wanted a girl; no frogs, toads, unnecessary injuries, or rowdiness.

Of course she knew it didn't really matter really what it was; they would both love it to death. She hadn't even met the baby and she was already completely adored by it. At first, the idea of pregnancy was absolutely devastating. She knew she would have to give up her looks, her sanity, and her job (for a period of time) to have the child. She would have to deal with weight gain and massive mood swings; she would also have to deal with John.

Forever.

Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing; only at the time she was so pissed off at him for impregnating her that that little fact had indeed angered her. She wanted to kill him; she could never recall a time where she had felt that homicidal. Then after a few days of endless sobbing in her room, she realized that she would have to suck it up and deal with it. That he was probably just as scared (he would never admit it) as she was, and that she would have to be mature and responsible.

Abortion or adoption were never an option. She knew that she was financially stable, and that she was with the man that she loved. As upset as she was at first, she knew that they could raise it together. She knew that they could provide it with a loving home and a wonderful – if not a little dysfunctional – family. She also had her parents, her brother, and her friends there to help her as well. As upset as she was, she wouldn't have changed the situation for the world.

She looked back at Dr. Goldman and shrugged, a smile stretched across her face. "Yeah maybe I would like to know. I just know it's a little girl."

He laughed. "You were never one with patience, my dear."

She narrowed her eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He turned back to the monitor quickly. "Well Miss Standish, you should be painting your nursery…"

Bender waited at the arrival area impatiently. He always hated the damn airport. There were so many people around him all crying and shouting and hugging; he almost always got bumped around, as if he wasn't even there. He wondered why airport assholes never watched where they were going. On this particular day, he almost wished that he had brought one of the others with him. He felt when he was in this sort of mood, that he was not a people person.

Sporto was damn lucky that he had agreed to this.

He sighed irritably as he watched another wave of passengers enter through the gates. He kept his eyes open for a head of blonde hair. He had no idea what Andrew would be wearing, or how we was sporting his style these days; not seeing someone for over a year did that to him.

A small body elbowed him in the stomach and he almost doubled over from the pain. He snuck his neck out to his left and looked behind him, only to see an old East Indian woman giving him the finger.

He could not believe the nerve of these damn air port people.

He growled and turned around, ready to stalk out the door when a strong hand clamped down on his shoulder. "Where you going without me, jack ass?"

He rolled his eyes and punched Andrew in the arm. "You fucking prick. Never ask anything of me again."

Andrew quirked an eyebrow at him. "Are you mad because the little old lady beat you up?"

Bender straightened in challenge. "I'll go kick her ass right now."

Andrew snorted, "I'm sure you would. You're an even bigger pussy than last time I seen you. Remember when I kicked your ass outside that bar in Peoria?"

Bender clenched his fists at his sides and turned around as they headed towards the exit. "Man, you were the D.D. – I was completely smashed."

"You still had enough coherency to throw me over the railing."

Bender rolled his eyes. "And you still took advantage of an intoxicated male. What else is new?"

Andrew snorted and they proceeded out into the parking lot of the airport. Like usual, traffic was ridiculous, and it would take them at least a half an hour to get back into downtown Chicago. Bender sighed and unlocked the trunk of Claire's car so that Andy could deposit his bags inside. He unlocked his own door soon after and reached across the dash to unlock Andy's. He started the car and waited patiently for his friend to get inside.

After a few more moments Andy was inside the car and they were immobile while waiting in a long line of cars to get out into the freeway. He sighed and threw his hands into his lap, looking out the window at the cars ahead of him.

"So how have things been at home?" Andy asked quietly from beside him. The sound of his voice almost made Bender jump.

He shrugged. "Fine. Dork came home last month so he and his woman have been hanging around. Ally is still hanging out with Eddie and Claire is moody."

Andy nodded. "How's Brian doing?"

Bender cocked an eyebrow and regarded him. "Dorky. Still letting his mom pick out his sweaters in the morning."

Andy snorted. "How's he really doing?"

Bender rolled his eyes and stepped on the gas pedal as they crept forward a few feet. "He's getting married."

Andy's eyes widened. "Wow. When did this happen?"

Bender regarded him quizzically, wondering just what the fuck Andy's conversations consisted of when he called home. "Seven months ago."

Andy didn't seem to be too phased by the answer, taking it completely in stride. This really made Bender irritated. "Wow. Well, that's good for him."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. He did some clichéd bullshit proposal in the Empire State building during their Thanksgiving break."

"Wow, way to go Brian." Andy murmured.

Bender gave him the eye as he began to creep forward some more. "Well I actually assumed that you would have known that by now."

Andy stared at him for a few moments before looking away. "No one ever mentioned it."

Bender snorted and muttered under his breath. "Like fuck…"

If Andy heard him, he said nothing about it. Bender noticed the difference in Andy's demeanor. Of course, they still swore at each other and had no problem trying to out wit one another, but he was definitely different. He was acting as if he thought everyone should make way for Mr. big shot university grad; that because he left, the world was going to stop for his reappearance. It irritated John.

He knew that Brian had wanted to get together and go drinking when Andy got back. He knew that Eddie and Jeff were interested in seeing and meeting –respectively – him. He knew that Claire was ecstatic that he was coming home. And Allison – well, fucking Allison was a whole other story.

He blared on the horn as the car in front of him delayed movement. "You fucking douche bag! Green is for go! Fucker…"

"Calm the hostility down, man. It's alright." Andy pointed out.

Bender glared at him. "Well maybe that whore should stop pumping her husband's cock up there, and get going."

"I forgot about driving with you." Andy muttered.

Bender – once again – glared at him. "When have you ever?"

Andy just blinked and turned his face back to the window. As he did so, something caught Bender's eye. "What the fuck is on your fucking neck?"

Andy's hand shot up to his neck and he pulled down the roof visor to check it out in the mirror. "Uh…looks like a bruise."

Bender watched the traffic ahead of him as it finally started moving at a constant pace. He looked back at Andy momentarily. "Is that what it is?"

Andy looked at him and pursed his lips together. "Yeah…I only got finished wrestling three days ago."

Bender cocked an eyebrow, and swung the wheel to the left as he took a sharp turn. "Is that so? Stuck in a strangle hold or something?"

Andy shrugged. "It's hard to say I guess." And with that, he turned his face immediately back towards his window and sat in silence.

Bender tried to control his breathing. He was getting pretty fucking mad. If that bruise was what he thought it was…he was pretty sure he didn't get it from wrestling in a match. Maybe from a game of tonsil hockey, but not a wrestling match. He let out a deep breath but bit his tongue; he wasn't going to start shit just yet. He hoped, for not only Andy's sake, that there really was a reasonable excuse.

He swung another tight left and sped down a side road directed towards the east side of the city. As the traffic was more scattered, he pressed down on the gas pedal and increased his speed.

"What's the rush?" Andy asked quietly.

John didn't bat an eye at him. "Gotta pick up Claire."

"You're happy, aren't you?" he asked.

Bender gave him a sideways glance. "Huh?"

"That you're having a kid…you're happy."

Bender just shrugged and looked back at the road. "Shut up."

Claire stood out on the busy side walk and wrapped her left arm around her torso. In her right hand, she held a tiny picture of her baby. She smiled and didn't move her eyes until she heard the sound of a car honking. She looked up and noticed John getting out of the car. He gave her an annoyed look and tossed the keys at her.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

He pulled open the car door shrugged. "Sitting in the back."

One of her eyebrows rose slightly. "You don't have to do that."

He nodded towards the person in the passenger seat and huffed. "I want to."

She bit her lip and ran around the back side of the car towards him. She held out her right hand, and grabbed his wrist with her left. "Here, I brought you something." She deposited the picture into his hand and skipped off to the driver's side door and stepped in.

She looked across the dash at Andy, who was giving her a welcoming smile. She leaned over and pulled him into a tight hug. "It's so good to see you again!"

"You too, you look great." He gave her a sincere smile.

She smiled back. "Oh knock it off; I look like a sumo wrestler."

Andy rolled his eyes. "You haven't grown that big yet."

She started up the car and looked behind her before she pulled out into the street. "So tell me, how was graduating university?"

He grinned. "Amazing. I loved every bit of it, but I am very happy to be home again." She heard a snort come from the back and she turned around and glared at John. She looked back at Andy. "Continue."

"Well I did a lot of skiing, and I had myself a good job out there for a few months. I was writing articles in the paper for lifestyle and fitness, so it was a good start, you know? It got me ready for my new job."

She nodded and smiled. "So are you excited? I mean, you're writing for the Sun, you got yourself a new apartment…you get to see Allison." She shot him a grin. "You're finally home with us!"

He gave her a smile and rubbed his hands through his much shorter blonde hair. "It's great, Claire. I've been waiting awhile to see you guys."

She snorted. "Yeah, only over a year. So much has changed since then."

"Yeah, I can tell." He turned in his seat and glared at John. She heard no noise emanate from the back seat, so she smiled at him.

"Well, obviously not much has changed."

Andy grinned and faced forwards once more, watching closely out the window as the Chicago scenery flew by. "So what is the plan?"

Claire glanced at him sideways and but her lip. "I'm heading back to work, and I have to drop off John…"

"And Allison?" Andy asked quietly, making the first mention of their friend since she got in the car.

She frowned. "She's working too. We all work during the day time. But you can sit at the apartment if you like, you know, to wait for her." She waved her hand for emphasis as she spoke.

Andy just shrugged. "Yeah I guess I can do that."

He pushed open the door to the empty apartment and looked around. He noticed that the dog was gone. That old stupid German shepherd that Bender had – Duke. He looked around the apartment, and surprisingly, it was pretty clean. Other times he had ventured back here there had been take out containers, alcohol bottles, and clothing strewn just about everywhere. His friends were great, but no one ever said that they were cleanly.

He removed his shoes and stepped in further, noting the absence of the rock posters that John and Allison had plastered everywhere just a year before. The whole place looked – grown up. It was neatly painted and dusted; simple paintings only hung from the wall now, obviously choices of the girls.

He walked forward down the hallway and approached the last door on the right side. She used to have this beautiful picture of a woman reaching through the clouds of heaven – one that she had painted herself – pinned onto her door. Now it was only a bare white color. He touched the door knob lightly with his fingers before he gently pushed the door open.

It smelled like her.

That was the first thing that he had noticed when he stepped inside. The clothes were now strewn on the floor, and the posters slung sloppily on the ceiling. Her never ending record collection piled high on top of her dresser, desk, and night stand. Her blankets and sheets were twisted into a puzzling mess on top of her bed, and she still had a ridiculous pile of pillows at the head of her bed.

He was glad that some things didn't change.

He stepped out of the room slowly and closed the door behind him. He hoped to god that she was going to be happy to see him. He missed her so badly that it hurt, and being in the apartment had only fueled that. He could smell her all over and just wanted to hold her. He wanted to put the past four years of not seeing one another behind him and pick up right where they left off.

He wanted to forget all about his 'deeds' and just be close to her again. They were such great friends and that was the best part of their relationship. He knew that the times were different now and that they were more mature now…but he didn't want those things to hold him back. He was here in Chicago to stay, and ready to start his future – which was miles ahead of him.

And he wanted to start that future in the right place – with her.

TBC

A/N: Okay, I hope you guys enjoyed that! A little tense for the most part, but people are just readjusting, right? Anyhow, big reunion next chapter, so leave me a review and tell me what you think. And to be fair, I won't slack on my updates, lol. I'm getting rather bad for that aren't I? Ha. Well I hope the chapter length made up for the wait. Anyhow, thanks for reading and until next time!