Chapter 04

Joe

Disclaimer: I own nothing; except my shiny new shoes. But by the time you read this, they probably won't be so shiny and new anymore.

Time: Between 6 September 1995 and 28 February 1996

Okay, not much happened between these two times, so let me fill you in on the basic storyline:

Gwen and Lindsay Cunningham continue to be friends. She also made friends with another girl names Izzy Parker and a little fat kid named Owen Foster.

Emily got a small raise as James' secretary. She still takes it in the ass.

Time: 29 February 1996

When Gwen was picked up from preschool that day, her mother seemed very upset. Not so upset that she crashed into anything on the way home, but she was visibly distraught.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" the young girl asked.

"Be quiet!" her mother hissed at her, "I'm trying to drive!"

Gwen was scared, but she managed to hold back her tears, as she did not want to make her mother more angry then she already was.

"Look, Gwen, I'm sorry for snapping out at you. There's something I have to tell you, but it's gotta wait until we get home."

After pulling into the driveway and taking off their coats and shoes, Emily and her daughter sat down on the living room couch.

"Gwendolyn, I don't know how exactly to say this but… you're gonna have a younger sibling."

"How?"

"Well, it just sort of happened."

"Oh... mommy?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Who's the father?"

Emily was speechless.

"Was it daddy?"

"No," Emily said, "No Gwen, your father, he's... gone."

"He's dead?" Gwen said, visibly upset.

"Not dead, but… gone."

Emily started to cry. Gwen hugged her mother to try and get her to feel better, but the young girl wasn't exactly feeling great herself.

A new sibling, Gwen thought. On one hand she was happy, a couple of her friends from school had siblings and she was sad she didn't (Lindsay had 2 sisters, (1 older, 1 younger,) Izzy had 1 sister and 2 brothers, Owen had 2 older brothers) on the other hand, she was sad it would no longer be just her and her mom. And would it be a boy or a girl? She hoped it would be a girl.

And who was the father?

"YOU'RE WHAT!" Julia said so loudly that the phone shook in Emily's hands.

"I told you, I'm pregnant." Emily said, "Got a problem with that?"

"Yes, I do have a problem with that! How many people have you slept with now? Like, over 100. The way you've been whoring around, you're lucky you don't have an STD."

"First of all, who I sleep with is my own business, not yours. Second of all, sex is fun, not that you would know."

"That was so un-called for. You know that I have given my love to Jesus Christ, and am saving myself for marriage."

"Don't make me laugh, Julia. That is so high school, no guy wants a girl that he can't do. You do realize that you've only had two boyfriends since high school and neither of them lasted, right?"

"Eventually I'll find the right guy."

"Well, if that's the case, you're looking in the wrong places."

Julia hung up. Emily sighed; she didn't mind the intense pain of childbirth, but the fact that someone knocked her up and she didn't remember who because she was too drunk at the time was killing her. Then a disturbing thought hit.

Please tell me it's not…

Time: 1 March 1996

"Mr. Cunningham, you are not the father of this child." Dr. Moore said after a DNA test was taken.

"There is a God!" James cried triumphantly.

Time: 5 March 1996

Emily was sitting in the living room of her small home, watching Gwen, when she got a text message. It had a number she'd never seen on it before, and the message was "Hi Emily, you probably don't remember me, but I remember you. I think I know who the father is. Meet me at the Café on 48th street."

Emily's heart was racing. Who was this guy? How did he/she know her, and how did he/she know she was pregnant?

"Gwen," the woman said.

"Yes, mommy?"

"I have to do something very important, so I will drop you off at Grandma's, okay?"

"OK." Gwen didn't mind, she really liked Rose.

After dropping Gwen off at her grandmother's, Emily drove to the Café where she would meet this mysterious person.

She sat down at a table, and after 5 minutes a man, who looked about 30 years old with relatively good looks, sat in the seat across from her.

"Hi," the man, "My name is Joseph Burkebeaque, but most people call me Joe. I am here because… I believe I might be the father of your child."

Emily was speechless, so Joe continued on.

"It was on February…19th I think. We were chillin' at a club, you had too much beer, I thought you were hot, and next thing we knew we were doing it in the bathroom."

"I think I remember that…"

"I wore a condom, but I remember about halfway through feeling like it broke. Then when I later heard you were pregnant, it totally freaked me out."

"I know this is a lot to take in," Joe said, "But it's just my gut feeling."

"Were you drunk at all that night?" Emily asked.

"Not the point!"

"Well, the most we can do now is just go to the doctor and take some tests, just like I did with James."

"Who?"

"Um… never mind." Emily said quickly while blushing a shade of bright red.

"OK… look, I have to go back to work now. So, how about Saturday, at, say, 2 pm?"

"Sounds good. You work on Saturday's?"

"No, do you?"

"No."

Joe walked away, got in his car, and left; leaving Emily to think about all the possibilities.

What if he is the guy, Emily thought, than what will I do? It's not like I can marry him or anything, but maybe I should try to make it work.

Time: 9 March 1996

"Mr. Burkebeaque," Dr. Moore said, "I am disappointed, I mean pleased, to say that you are indeed the father of Emily Grossman's child."

"That's really great!" the man replied enthusiastically, before turning to Emily and softly saying, "You know, I really do like you. Maybe we could go out some time and, y'know, get to know each other better."

"OK, sure." Emily said.

"Hey, there's something I need to ask you, Emily?" said Joe.

"What is it?"

"Are you gonna… are you gonna abort the baby?"

Emily thought for a second, and then said "No. I don't think that it's right."

"I see… are you Catholic?"

"I'm Protestant, but most of my family is Catholic, and I still feel that abortion is wrong."

"I see. Well, I'm Catholic, and I'm 100% against it, but I felt since you're the one carrying the baby it should be your choice."

"Joe, that's very gentlemanly of you." Emily said.

Time: 12 March 1996

Joe and Emily's first date. So far; so good.

Time: 15 March 1996

Emily introduced Gwen to Joe. After spending a little bit of time with Joe, Gwen decided that she liked him but there was something about him that was a little bit… off. Emily dismissed this as child's-talk.

Time: 19 March 1996

Emily had to go pick up groceries, so she left Joe at home with Gwen to watch her.

And that's when disaster struck.

Joe went into the fridge and pulled out a six-pack of Molson Canadian (it was in a hidden part so Gwen wouldn't see it.) And he started drinking, one beer after another after another. By the time he was finished the six-pack, Joe was completely drunk. Unfortunately for Gwen, Joe was very violent when he was drunk, and Gwen was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Look, Joe, I drew you a picture." Gwen said, holding out a picture.

"Leave me alone, I'm trying to watch TV!" the man responded, not very politely of course.

"But I drew a picture, and it's really pretty!"

"SHUT UP BITCH!" Joe yelled as he slapped the three-year-old girl across the face. When Gwen's head hit the floor, she was knocked out.

After realizing the young girl wasn't going to get up, Joe called Emily to tell her that Gwen had fallen down the stairs and was now unconscious.

"I'll be home as soon as possible! Call the hospital!"

Joe dialled 911 and the ambulance was on its way.

Emily arrived at the house just before the ambulance did.

"Sorry I couldn't get here sooner, but I got stuck in traffic. What's wrong with Gwen?" she said.

"She's on the couch; I put her there after the fall."

When Emily went and looked at the back of Gwen's head, it was not a pretty sight. I'm not going to into gory details, but there was definitely something physically wrong with her skull; it looked misshapen and odd. And of course, there was a giant abrasion as well.

"Oh my god, my poor baby," Emily said while fighting to hold back tears.

Thankfully, this was when the ambulance showed up, and Gwen, Joe, and Emily were taken to the hospital.

Time: 1 April 1996

Gwen, with her skull fully restored, was now out of the hospital. However, she was old enough and smart enough to know that Joe was a bad guy.

She just wasn't courageous enough to look her mother in the eye and tell her that.

Sorry that chapter took a long time and wasn't as good as some of the other ones. I got writer's block, like, 3 times, so I kinda just wanted to get it finished now that I had an idea.