Eddie watched Aria fall asleep on the hospital bed until he was sure she would not wake up. "Sweet dreams Ari," he whispered, giving her a kiss on the forehead before standing to exit the room. Joy was the first thing he saw when he opened the door to leave the room.
"You've got some nerve, Eddie Miller! How dare you! How, dare you!" Eddie was in no mood to deal with this. He pushed Joy aside and kept walking. Joy gasped, going after him and turning him around. "I'm not through with you!" This is what made Eddie snap.
"Well maybe I'm through with you, okay? I'm through with you, your yelling, and your constantly blaming me for everything that goes wrong even when I had nothing to do with the situation! What could it possibly be this time, Joy? Huh? What possible thing could I have done that's set you off?" The brunette looked completely offended at Eddie's words. Victoria and Patricia stood by, both wide eyed.
"Excuse you, but in case you hadn't noticed, our daughter is in the emergency room thanks to you." Eddie was already feeling crappy, but hearing this from Joy completely pushed him over the edge.
"She's not your daughter, Joy! She's mine and Patricia's. She was never your daughter and she never will be! Why you can't get that through your head has been haunting me since the day you came into her life. Ever since Aria was born you've acted like she was your daughter. News flash Joy, she's not! And another thing, how dare me? How dare you, excuse me of being the reason why Aria is here! You were supposed to be watching her with Patricia. She left the hospital on your and Patricia's watch. If anyone's to blame for this it would be you two, but mostly you, Joy." Patricia stepped in, trying to stop the arguing.
"Both of you stop it, please. You're making a scene!" Eddie only laughed at her attempt to stop them. He was only getting started at telling Joy what he's wanted to tell her for years.
"In fact Joy, you're the reason we split up in the first place! You were always the one telling Patricia to keep a careful watch over me, and that I would do her wrong. We were doing just fine until you had to come in and ruin it."
"That's not true…" Joy said, even though in reality, she knew it was. Tears were forming in her brilliant brown eyes.
"Do you want to know what I found in Aria's closet? Here, take a look." Eddie pulled the drawing that he had found out of his pocket, it having been put there before he left to find Aria. He handed it to Joy so that she could see it.
"Where did you get this," Joy asked, looking at it as if it weren't real, and yet holding it as if it was going to attack her at any second.
"I got it from Aria's room, that's where. Aria drew it herself." Victoria glanced at the picture over Joy's shoulder.
"She's quite the talented young girl," Victoria stated. Eddie smiled for a second, looking back at Victoria.
"She really is, it's incredible. But it's obvious that Aria's hurt. She's confused at what to think of as normal because all her life I was her father, and Patricia was her mother. Then all of a sudden you came into the picture, we split and you ended up with Patricia in the end. As if that wasn't confusing enough, you guys lied to her for years about how it was normal to have two mothers and a father living together under one roof and have them all love each other. It doesn't work like that, Joy. Not to mention the fact that you two are a couple and yet I'm Alex's father too. That's not normal."
Joy's expression was blank as she listened to Eddie continue on. "I'm sick of lying to her, saying that everything is okay and everything will be fine. It's not fine, and it hasn't been fine since the day we split up. All of this madness is driving the girl insane. Every time I talk to her, 'I want things to be normal again. I want it to be like before.' Have you ever once bothered to listen to her?"
"How could I? She's never mentioned this stuff to me," Joy replied with a shaky tone in her voice. Eddie just laughed at her stupidity.
"Of course not. Because I'm the only one she really trusts. I don't know why, but there's one thing I do know." Patricia's eyes widened as she knew exactly what Eddie was about to say.
"Eddie, don't. Don't say it," she begged him. Of course he didn't listen. It needed to be said.
"Aria doesn't want you here." Joy gasped loudly with a horrid expression taking over her face. She was in complete shock, and wasn't sure how to handle this. The tears in her eyes started coming out, slowly traveling down her face as Joy handed Alex to Patricia.
"How could you even say that to me?" Joy muttered. Eddie was in shock towards the fact that she still didn't get it. Would she ever get it?
"Because it's true! I'm not saying she doesn't love you, Joy. All I'm saying is that she wants to be normal, and the life we're giving her isn't normal. You tried to keep her from knowing that I was here." Joy tried to interrupt him but he wouldn't have it. "Don't bother with the lies, Joy. Ever since you became such a big part of her life you've been trying to get her to forget about me. Maybe you thought it was for the best at the time, but obviously you were wrong. Don't you get it? Aria can't forget about me. She remembers me every time she has that nightmare. Every time she looks in the mirror. I am her. I'm a part of her Joy. What are you? You're just a girl who came waltzing in to Patricia's aid so you could finally be with her. Admit it Joy, you never wanted us together in the first place. You thought it was cute in high school but you thought it would never last." Joy's face was covered in silent tears now as she frantically tried to wipe them away to no prevail.
"You really are a monster Eddie," she told him straight to his face. With that, Joy turned and bolted the opposite direction down the hall, away from everyone. Eddie felt the guilt in the pit of his stomach now, knowing how crappy he must have made her feel. It was all true though, everything he said. They both knew it. Then again, maybe to say it –no not say, yell it- to her in public like this wasn't exactly the best option. The blonde rubbed his face with his hands like he usually did when something was wrong and looked at the floor.
"I've gotta go," he whispered to anyone listening. He walked over to Victoria and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Patricia would normally have gotten one as well but seeing as how Eddie could barely stand to look at her, that was highly unapproachable.
"Where are you going?" the redhead questioned, cradling Alex in her arms. Eddie somewhat ignored her, not turning to look her in the eyes.
"I've just gotta go. C'mon Victoria, I'll take you home." The two of them left the hospital without saying a word. Eddie knew that he was wrong to say all those things to Joy, even if they were true. He was just mad at the world, and nothing made sense. Once the two were in the car, Victoria looked at him for a minute or two.
"Are you okay?" The blonde shook his head in response. The girl let out a sigh. "Don't feel bad, Eddie. It was nowhere near your fault for what happened to Aria, and everything you said was true then she needs to know."
"I shouldn't have said it," came from the boy rather sharply. "Even if it was true, I shouldn't have said it. Everything I do, everything I say is a mistake." The dark haired girl frowned.
"Hey now, don't say that. It's not true, I know it." Eddie merely shrugged. The rest of the ride was silent, neither of them knowing what to say. When the car pulled up to Victoria's house, the girl opened the door, ready to leave.
"Victoria," Eddie called her before she left. The girl turned to face him, waiting for him to continue. "Thank you, for everything." The blonde leaned over and kissed her, causing the girl to blush slightly at the unexpected kiss. "We'll keep in touch," he added. At first, she didn't know what he meant by that. However, she would soon know perfectly. Eddie took the long way home after dropping Victoria off so that he could have some time to think things over. When he eventually made it home, Patricia had beaten him there. Slowly he entered the house, hesitatingly. Patricia's voice caught him off guard.
"Joy's not here," she told him. "She was so upset that she's staying with her parents for a few days." Eddie sighed, in relief and entered the house fully, closing the door behind him. "What the hell was that, back at the hospital?" Patricia asked him. Eddie had no words, and just stood there. "Never mind," she told him, and without saying another word she left to go put Alex to bed. When he was sure that she was gone with her door closed, Eddie snuck off to see that Aria was taken care of. Quietly, he opened the door to the little girl's room, peeking his head inside to check on her. She was out if the damp clothes they found her in, and now in comfortable pajamas sleeping under her covers. Or so it seemed, anyways. Eddie gave a slight smile before backing away and closing the door. It wasn't until the door was almost all the way closed that a voice as heard.
"Daddy?" the voice called. Eddie sighed, looking down. He hoped that this wouldn't happen, but it indeed had.
"Yes Ari?" he said, opening the door again to look at her. Aria smiled as her sleepy eyes blinked twice.
"I just wanted to make sure you were still there." Eddie felt his heart warm deep in his chest when Aria spoke. How could he even think about carrying out his plan? He gave his daughter a smile.
"I'll always be there," he told her. The little girl smiled back and fell back asleep as she whispered 'I love you' to her father. "I love you too, Ari." Eddie looked at the girl now fast asleep once more. His voice dropped to a whisper as he repeated himself. "I love you too."
Three days passed and Joy still wasn't back. All Eddie had done over that time was stay in his room. He hadn't talked to anyone but Aria those two occasions that she came in to check on him. He still felt awful about everything that happened. Luckily Aria was recovering quite well. She hadn't been hurt too badly as the car had only barely hit her in the side. She had bruised a few ribs, and it was painful to walk sometimes, but she was fine. She had gone unconscious mainly out of shock. It was now late at night, almost midnight even. Eddie looked down at the packed bags on his bed with a sigh. How could he go through with this now? After he just told Aria that he would always be there for her. It was too late anyways; he already made the arrangements.
Eddie closed the last bag and grabbed them all at once, quietly bringing them out to his car and packing the trunk. When the boy came in to get the last of his things, he was just about to leave when a voice stopped him. "Where are you going?" Patricia asked him. Eddie's spirit sunk, dropping his things to the floor and turning around to face Patricia.
"Patricia, I have to go. I can't stay here anymore." Patricia's face faded, not believing what she was hearing. Her eyes widened slightly, her voice lowering to a hushed tone.
"You're leaving?" There was a moment of pause between them. "Y-you can't! You can't just leave, not now, not after everything that just happened! What makes you think you can just walk out on everything we've been through?" Eddie sighed, fully turning around to face the girl.
"Patricia, you don't understand…" the redhead cut him off.
"Oh, I understand, Eddie. I understand perfectly. You're walking out again just like you did three years ago! What do think is going to happen to your daughter? How can you just leave her here after you promised to always be there for her?" Tears streamed from the girl's face but she didn't care. She let them fall.
"Patricia," Eddie started.
"No, stop interrupting me, Eddie. How dare you leave me all alone with Aria and Alex! You're their father, Eddie Miller! You're supposed to be there for them just as I am!" Eddie took a step towards Patricia.
"Listen to me, I have to go. Everything I do is a mistake, I shouldn't be here. Tell Aria goodbye for me, but I can't stay. You should be with Joy, Patricia. She obviously loves you, and I don't want to put you through any of the same crap I did before. I shouldn't have moved in with you guys. I shouldn't have made such and impression on Aria. I'm sorry," the blonde said, turning to head back out.
"That's just the thing," the girl called after him. "You did move in with us, you've already made such an impression on her. Leaving now will only break her heart! Is that what you want, Eddie?" Patricia was shouting now, surely waking the children. "Do you want to see the look on her face, when she finds out you've left her for good? Damn you, Eddie! If you leave her now, if you leave me, you'll go to hell." No words came out of the boy. He picked up his things from the floor in silence. "You can't do this, Eddie Miller, not to me, not to Aria! You say you don't want to put me through the same crap you did before, but you don't realize that you're doing it right now! If you leave…" her words were drowned out by tears. The girl eventually collapsed, her own weakness being the cause of her fall. "If you leave…" was all she could say. Finally she gave in, and the tears kept on flowing out of her eyes like a river on a rainy day.
From the hall, little feet could be heard. Aria had woken, and heard almost everything. "Daddy where are you going?" Eddie didn't have the heart to turn around and face her. "Daddy…" His hand grasped the knob of the door, turning it and opening it to the night. "Daddy, no… daddy wait!" Aria made a run for the door but was caught in her mother's arms who rose only to protect her daughter from being hurt any longer. "Daddy!" Aria's screams were ones that could never be forgotten. "Daddy don't go! Daddy!" The little girl's cries did nothing as the blonde stepped out into the cold night air.
"I'm sorry Ari," he said as he closed the door behind him. He could still hear her screams from his car as he started it up and held back tears of his own once more.
"Daddy!" Her screams were loud and echoed through the house. They broke Eddie's heart into a million pieces each time he heard her cries. He could bare it no longer, and sped away from it all. He had to go.
Back inside, Aria cried her heart out in her mum's arms. Patricia did her best to comfort her daughter whilst comforting herself as well. "Damn you, Eddie Miller. Wasn't it enough to break my heart the first time?" In between sniffles and shakes and cries Patricia thought about what had happened in the hospital. Everything he said about Joy, every word, she realized had truth behind it the more she thought about it. If only she could get Joy to admit it, then she would know. The girl caressed her child and kissed her head, telling her everything would be alright. "Hush, Aria hush. It's alright, Joy will be here soon and you'll have your mums to take care of you." Aria sniveled into her mum's shirt.
"I don't want her to come back if daddy's gone." Patricia gasped at this. She pulled Aria away and looked her in the eyes.
"Hush, Aria. Joy is your mother as well." Aria shook her head defiantly.
"She's not my mother. You're my mum, and Eddie's my dad. If he's gone, I don't want anyone else. No one loves me more than daddy. It'll never be the same! You don't understand…" she cried, running off to her room. Patricia called after her.
"Aria! Get back here, you don't mean that." The girl shouted from under her covers, not wanting to be seen. She desperately wished that she could be with her father. That he would come back to tell her everything was alright, and hold her in his strong arms.
"Yes I do! If daddy's not coming back then leave me here to die!" Her door was slammed closed and locked from the inside so that no one could get in. Patricia fell to her knees again and cried the rest of the night. Everything she knew was a lie, and she wanted an escape from it all. Suddenly during the night, the girl felt sick to her stomach. She ran to the bathroom and hurled for about three minutes straight. The feeling of nausea surpassed after that, coming and going as it pleased. Patricia hadn't known what was wrong. She hadn't felt this way since before she was pregnant with Alex. She thought nothing of it really, and headed to bed even though sleep seemed nonexistent now.
