Responsibilities
I own nothing...Thanks for all the reviews and the PMs. You guys are the best... Thanks for dealing with my little rant, too. I just had to get that off my chest. :)
Jordan and Angela were sitting together on the porch swing at the Chase house Friday evening. The same Friday that he got home from LA. They needed to talk and neither wanted 14 year old Danielle or Patty to hear what they were saying.
"So, Jimmy said he'll keep the power on in his name. He's gonna take it out of my pay or something." Picking at his boot, where it's resting on his knee, Jordan continues, "I gotta go get the water turned on in my name and the phone, too."
When Jordan went to see his Uncle Jimmy that afternoon, he'd hugged him and welcomed him home. "Of course the apartment is still yours," he said. "All your stuff is in it anyway."
The small one bedroom apartment, where the original owner of the garage had lived, hadn't been lived in for a long time. It did have electricity, but only because Jimmy had once used it for storage. He had wanted to be able to see inside.
Currently, there was no running water, so the kitchen and bathroom were unusable. Jordan didn't have a bed because he left his at Tony's thinking he wouldn't need it. He didn't want to call Tony and ask for it either. Their parting hadn't gone well, so he'd rather not bother with his dad.
The apartment did have a small table, four chairs and a battered sofa. It had a two burner stove and a small refrigerator. The few times he'd crashed there, he'd used the sofa. That's probably what he'd do until he could find a used bed for pretty cheap.
He still had a little money left from his adventure, but he needed to hang on to it for deposits, food and such. It would be over a week before he got paid again because he wasn't starting back to work until Monday. He had to make it stretch as long as he could. Patty had offered to feed him, which would save him money, too. And until he got settled into the apartment, he was going to crash on their sofa.
Angela says, "Well, I've got money saved up. We can go get what you need now. I can help you clean it up and unpack, too."
Hearing only half of what she said, he frowns, looking up at her. "I'm sorry, babe. I wasn't listening. What did you say?"
"I said I have some money..." is as far as she gets.
"No. Absolutely not. I'm not using your money. It's yours," he says indignantly, shaking his head.
"But since I'm going to be living with you, it doesn't matter." She's a little hurt by his outburst.
"We haven't even talked to your folks, yet. We don't know if they'll let you come live with me." Looking back down at his boot, he says, "We need to discuss it with Patty. And with Graham, before we make any decisions."
"I don't need to talk to my dad. He has no say in this," Angela says angrily. "And if I want to spend my money on what will eventually be my apartment, I will." Crossing her arms over her chest, she frowns at him.
"All I meant was we need to discuss our plans with them. I'm pretty sure they aren't gonna give in without a fight." He wants nothing more than to take her home with him, but right now they have to play it smart. "And I can take care of everything else. Keep your money, babe. You still need a car."
"Why? I'm not working anymore. I don't have school right now. And you'll let me drive Red if I need to." Tucking her hair back, she says, "Let me get the stuff we need. Don't we need dishes and curtains?Pots and pans? Sheets and towels? Why can't I buy that stuff?"
"Angela, no. I'll get what I need. Don't worry about it." He watches as she starts to tear up. All she seems to do is cry anymore. He doesn't know how to handle that. "Hey, why are you crying now?"
"I'm not," she says, sniffling.
"Yeah, you kinda are. What did I say?" Jordan puts both feet on the floor and leans forward in the swing.
"You don't want me to help you. You want to do it on your own. Because you really don't want to have to worry about me." Tears are running freely down her face now. "You don't want to be with me. You only came back because I'm pregnant." Jumping up, she walks over and lays her head against the column.
"What? I don't want to be with you? I drove nonstop all the way from Los Angeles to be with you. I came back to you because I didn't want you to go through this alone." He props his elbows on his knees and rests his chin on his hands. "If I didn't want to be with you, I'd have stayed in LA."
"But you don't want me to move in with you, do you?" She wipes furiously at her eyes. "I messed everything up for you."
"What are you talking about? Dammit, I said we could get married. You said no." Jordan stands and crosses his arms over his chest. "I do want you to live with me. But, Angela, you're 17. You can't just pack up your shit and move in. We have to talk to your parents first. There's a good chance they'll say no."
"We just have to talk to my mom. You know how much she loves you. She won't say no." She turns to lean back against the column. "We just have to tell her that we're moving in together. I'm not going to quit school and I'll get another job if I have to. She'll be fine."
"Babe, it doesn't matter how much she loves me. I got her underage daughter pregnant. And you can't legally move out until you're 18. Trust me, I know." Exhaling loudly, Jordan says, "Let's not argue about this now."
"I'm not arguing." Angela ducks her head. "I know what I want. You're the one who keeps telling me we need to discuss it with them. It's not them that's going to have a baby, it's us. Doesn't what we want mean anything?"
"No, not really. Because you're still their kid. If your parents were like Tony, then it probably wouldn't matter. But you have two parents that love you and just because your mom didn't flip this morning, doesn't mean she's gonna stand back and let you do what you want. And I know Graham isn't gonna be happy." Jordan runs his hand through his hair. "We still have to tell him."
"What's with you wanting to tell my dad? He's not here. He left." She doesn't even want to think about her dad.
"Seriously, Angela? He's your dad. He has a right to know." Walking over to stand in front of her, he says, "If we don't tell him, Patty will. He's gonna find out."
"So. Let him find out. It's not like he cares anyway." Her eyes flashing in anger, she stands straighter. "I'm not talking to him."
"Well, until you do, you can forget about moving in with me. You can't without both of your parents' permission," Jordan says, knowing that's not what she wants to hear.
"That's your easy way out, isn't it? You already think they'll say no, so you won't even talk about it. Fine. I'll stay here. I'll live with my mom while I'm pregnant with your baby and you can go do whatever the hell you want, right?" Tears filling her eyes again, she turns away from him.
"Would you please just stop this? You know that's not true. I just want to do it right." When she continues to stare off in the distance, ignoring him, he says, "Look, I won't keep trying to convince you that I want to be with you. If me coming back doesn't convince you, I don't know what will."
Taking one last look at her, Jordan walks off the porch and down the path to his car. Without looking back, he opens the door and climbs in. After he stars the car, he turns up the radio and puts it in gear. He hits the gas a little too hard and his tires squeal in protest as he leaves.
Long after he pulls away from the curb, Angela stands there crying. She hadn't meant to make him angry. She didn't know why she said those things to him. Her emotions were all over the place. She was crying over everything and she got angry at the drop of a hat. Flopping down on the porch swing, she started it swinging and pulled her legs up beside her. Resting her head against the chain, she closes her eyes as the tears run down her face.
She'd sat there for probably a half hour, crying her eyes out, when she heard footsteps on the porch. Looking up, she finds Shane standing in front of her. "Hey, Red," he says, searching her face. "You ok?"
Dropping her feet to the floor, she sits up to make room for him on the swing. "I don't know, Shane. I really don't."
He sits down beside her. Sliding his arm around her, he pulls her against his shoulder. "Everything's gonna be fine."
"I'm not so sure. Now Jordan's mad at me. He left a little while ago. I don't even know where he went." On a broken sob, she says, "He doesn't have anywhere to go."
"Look, don't worry about him. He's probably out riding around. Just blowing off steam. He'll be back once he cools down." He sets the swing to rocking again. "Don't give him a hard time, ok?"
"I'm not giving him a hard time. He wants to talk to my dad and I don't think we need to. My dad left us. He moved out, so I don't even care how he finds out." Wiping her eyes on her sleeve, she says, "How did he take it, you know, after I told him?"
"Well, he came back to our room, and started gathering his things. He said, 'Angela's pregnant and she needs me. I'm going home.' Then he started loading the car." Chuckling, Shane says, "Me and Tommy packed our shit and while he was shoving it all in the trunk, I went for food and Tommy paid our bill. We all hopped in the car and headed home. It all took about an hour."
"Just like that? He didn't discuss it with you guys?" she asks, with a worried frown. She doesn't want either Shane or Tommy to be mad at Jordan.
"He didn't need to. We both understand. He came back because you needed him to. That's all we needed to know. And besides, without him Residue is nothing." Shane stops the swing and pushes her up so that he can look at her face. "Ang, he's crazy about you. He would do anything for you. Trust me, I know Jordan better than anyone. He doesn't take any of this lightly. Before you came along, he was on his own. He had to fend for himself. He never got close to anyone because he was scared of what would happen."
Brushing at her tears, he continues, "In the beginning, he fought like hell to keep you at arms length. He didn't want to admit that he had feelings for you. Well, except that. After you guys broke it off the first time, he was miserable. He couldn't stay away from you, though. Every time I went looking for him, he was with you. Then when you stopped speaking to him, it drove him crazy. He walked around like a zombie most of the time. When you forgave him, when you gave him a second chance, it's like he stopped running. Does that even make sense?"
Nodding her head, Angela says, "Yeah, it does. God, Shane, I love him so much. I just want to be with him. But I don't want it to be just about the baby, you know?"
"It's not. Believe me. He's so far gone where you're concerned." Shane gives her a small smile. "It almost killed him to have to leave you when we left. He'd never admit it, but I think he cried until we got out of Pennsylvania." Pointing at her, he says, "Don't you ever tell him I told you that, either."
With a watery smile, she chuckles, "Don't worry. I won't tell him."
Getting up from the swing, she offers her hand to Shane. "You wanna come inside? He's supposed to be sleeping here until he gets his water turned on at the apartment, so I guess he'll have to come back eventually."
Shane pushes up from the swing and takes her hand. "He'll be back."
Jordan didn't know how long he'd been driving around. When he'd left, he'd only wanted to get away. To think about everything. He knew Angela had a lot on her and he knew that she was really emotional. He thought if he gave her time, she'd calm down and then they could talk about it again.
As he drove, he started thinking about the baby for the first time. Yeah, this was about him and Angela and them being irresponsible, but it was also about the baby. His baby. With Angela. The girl he was madly in love with. The girl who was also 17 and living with her parents. She was carrying his baby. His son or daughter. They'd made a life together. A little tiny baby that would need both of them. A baby that would have more love than any other baby in the world. Because he'd never had that. Ever.
He had to come up with a plan. A plan to make sure they could be together. It all sounded so good in his head, but he knew it wasn't going to be easy. She thought she was going to tell everyone how it was going to be and everything would be ok. That's not how things worked.
Patty hadn't freaked out that morning, but he was sure it was because she already suspected that Angela was pregnant. Graham was going to fly off the handle. He wouldn't take it quite so easily. He knew that he'd crossed a line and he couldn't go back. It was one thing to have sex with her, but getting her pregnant? That was something that he couldn't defend or deny. Taking a deep breath, he made up his mind. He was going to talk to Graham.
Making a u-turn in the middle of the street, he headed toward the restaurant. It wasn't the ideal place for this kind of thing, but it wasn't like he could talk to him at home. And he had no idea where Neil Chase lived, so it was the restaurant or nowhere. Pulling up out front, he shut the car off and stepped out. Feeling the knot forming in his stomach, he almost got back inside the car. For the first time in over a year he wished he had a cigarette.
Shoving his hands into his pockets, he made his way inside the restaurant. Hallie was standing at the hostess station. At first, she looked like she wanted to say something to him, but then she must have sensed his mood, because she just motioned toward the doors of the kitchen. Giving her a nod, he walked through the dining room and pushed the swinging doors open.
When he stepped into the kitchen he saw Graham standing with Darren, his assistant chef. As he walked over to the grill where they were working, he was greeted by some of the wait staff as well as the a few of the busboys. He new them all from the months Angela had worked with them. Having heard someone call him by name, Graham looked over at Jordan.
When he was standing directly in front of him, Graham gives him a strange look. "Hey, Jordan. I didn't know you were back in town."
Swallowing, Jordan says, "Yeah. I got back early this morning." Looking around, he says, "Can we talk? Like, somewhere private."
Glancing at Darren, Graham says, "I'll be back in a minute. Make sure you go easy on the garlic, ok?" Graham turns back to Jordan and says, "Let's go to the office."
Following Graham through the kitchen, Jordan goes over what he wants to say. He's just going to come out and tell him, then tell him his intentions. When they get inside, Graham pulls the door shut, then sits behind the desk. He motions for Jordan to take a seat, but Jordan declines. He preferred to stand.
Graham watches Jordan shift from one foot to the other, nervously. "So, Jordan. How did things go in LA?"
With his hands once again in his pockets, Jordan says, "Uh, well. It was ok, I guess. We met some people. We recorded a demo."
"Really? That's good. Maybe something will happen for your band." Graham, showing a little nervousness, rubs his hand over his hair. "So it wasn't a total bust? You just decided to come home?"
"I was needed here, so I came back. Once everything is settled, I'll worry about the band. The guys understand." Jordan rocks back on his heels.
"I take it you've been by the house?" At Jordan's nod, Graham continues, "So you know I moved out? It didn't have anything to do with what you saw, by the way."
"Look, Graham. That's none of my business. That's between you and Patty." Jordan doesn't want to get in the middle of that.
"Ok, so what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Graham asks. "I know you didn't just stop in to chat."
Taking a deep breathe, Jordan licks at his lips. "I thought, you know, that you should hear this from me, or whatever."
Graham says, "Hear what? Has something happened?"
Crossing his arms, Jordan meets his gaze. "Yeah. Angela is pregnant."
It's so quiet in the office that you could hear a pin drop. Both Jordan and Graham are holding their breath, staring at each other. Graham is visibly shocked. Slowly, he starts breathing again, reaching for the edge of the desk to steady himself. Jordan exhales slowly, waiting for what he knows is coming.
Graham is the first to speak. "I knew this was going to happen. I told Patty that we should have never let you stay at our house. That it was like giving you permission to do whatever the hell you wanted with our daughter. She wouldn't listen to me. She said it would be fine."
Frowning, Jordan stands a little taller. "Look, Graham. This has absolutely nothing to do with Patty. If you want to blame someone, blame me. Patty did nothing wrong."
"Oh, I do blame you. From the very beginning, you pressured Angela to have sex with you. I know all about it because the first time you broke up with her, I was there. Bet you didn't know that, did you?" Graham gets up from behind the desk and moves around to sit on the side of it, facing Jordan. "After you two started dating again and you were hanging around the house, I could tell that she wasn't sleeping with you. I didn't mind you coming around because I knew she wouldn't do something like that. And I made sure you guys had to hang out around the house so you couldn't be alone. I even put her to work so that she wouldn't have so much free time to spend with you."
"I didn't pressure her to have sex with me, Graham. Maybe it was like that in the beginning, but we worked through all that. I didn't make her do something she didn't want to do, either." Jordan bites at his thumb, searching for the right words. "I love your daughter. More than anything. I would never make her do anything she didn't want to do. Ever."
"The fact that she's underage didn't stop you, though. Neither of you stopped to think about what would happen? Or didn't you even care?" Graham shakes his head. "So, what now? She's pregnant. What do you plan to do?"
"I'm gonna be there for her. And for our baby." Jordan licks at his lips again, never wavering. "Neither one of us want to give the baby up, so we're in this together."
"That's easy to say, but this is a baby. A living breathing thing that both of you will have for the rest of your life. Children don't just go away when you get tired of fooling with them." Graham stands and puts his hands into his pockets. "How are you going to support this child? Or do you expect Patty and I to worry about that?"
"Hell, no. I have a job. I'm going back to work for my uncle full time at the garage. And I have an apartment. All the utilities will be on tomorrow morning, Monday at the latest." Jordan frowns at Graham, not backing down. "I'm gonna take care of Angela and our baby. We didn't plan for this to happen, but I'm not walking away."
"So, you've got it all figured out?" Graham smirks.
"No, I really don't. But I'm trying to. I know it's not gonna be easy. I know I screwed up, but at least I want to make it right. As soon as I found out, I packed my stuff into my car and came home." Jordan throws his hands out in front of him. "See, I want to be with her. I know that she's still underage, but I want to be there for her."
"Jordan, you're both still kids. Do you expect me to believe that you'll just give up everything else to take care of her? You're going to give up on your music, go to work full time? And then the baby comes. You're prepared to change diapers, get up for midnight feedings? Stay home instead of hanging out with your friends to take care of the baby?" Graham scoffs, "I don't think you have it in you."
"I'll prove you wrong. You just have to give me the chance. I'll do whatever it takes to be with Angela." Running his hand through his hair, Jordan says, "I told her that we could get married, but she doesn't want to do that. She thinks I'll regret it later or something. Anyway, once I get settled into the apartment, when I get it cleaned up and get everything in order, I want her to come live with me. Angela and this baby are the most important things to me right now."
Graham starts shaking his head. "Jordan, I don't know. Just because you say you want to be there, doesn't mean it will happen. Who's to say that 6 months down the road you won't change your mind?"
"I'm telling you. I won't change my mind. I just need some time." Closing his eyes, he turns his back to Graham. Reaching up, he rubs the back of his neck. With his head down, he says, "She wants to just pack her things and move in with me. She thinks everything is going to be easy. She didn't even want me to come talk to you." Turning back around, he meets Graham's eyes. "I know it's not going to be easy. I need your support in this."
"Jordan, I can't just hand my daughter over to you." Graham looks at him really hard. He sees Jordan's sincerity and determination. He sees how much Jordan truly cares for his daughter. "I know you think it's all going to work out, but I'm not so sure."
"All I want is a chance to prove myself. And, you know, whether you give your permission for her to live with me or not, she's still having my baby. One day, she won't be underage and we'll be free to be together. I would rather have your blessing than have you against me." Jordan watches the emotions play across Graham's face.
Graham asks, "Does Patty know?"
"Yeah, she does. But I haven't talked to her about any of this. I think the two of you should, you know, decide together." Jordan ducks his head and puts his hands back in his pockets. "And you should probably know that I'm sleeping on your couch until the water is turned on at the apartment."
"Who's idea was that? Yours?" Graham asks, clearly disapproving.
"No, it was Patty's idea. After she knew Angela was pregnant." Jordan holds his head up again. "Graham, Angela and I have never done anything in your house. And we won't start now."
"Yeah, like it matters now." Graham says, "Look, Jordan, I appreciate you coming to me. But like you said, Patty and I have to discuss this and decide what's best for our daughter. In the meantime, the best thing for you to do is get yourself in order. I have to get back to work. I'll talk to Patty soon."
Jordan pulls the office door open, then turns back to Graham. "Graham, I'm sorry."
Graham says, "Yeah, Jordan. Me, too."
When Jordan gets back to Angela's, he parks at the curb and heads around to the back door. Knocking once, he turns the knob and walks in. He enters the kitchen to find Angela, Shane and Danielle standing around the island eating raw cookie dough. They're all laughing.
Angela meets his eyes, smiling. As he walks toward her, she holds a big chunk of dough up for him. He opens his mouth and takes it from her fingers. Bending his head, he kisses her gently before pulling her against his side.
He looks into her eyes, smiling back at her. "Hey," he says before nodding at Shane in greeting. "How long you been here?"
Shane winks at Angela and says, "A few hours. You missed dinner. Mrs. Chase gave me yours."
Making a face at Shane, Angela says, "Mom had dinner almost ready when you left. She saved you a plate. It's in the oven warming."
"I'll eat in a minute." Glancing at Shane and Danielle, he says, "Hey, can I talk to Angela for a minute?"
Shane tugs on Danielle's hair and says, "Come on, Squirt. Lets go watch TV."
Danielle rolls her eyes in disgust. She says, "All they're gonna do is kiss. Why do we have to leave the room?"
Wrinkling his nose, Shane says, "Eww. You don't want to see them do that, do you? It's gross."
Danielle giggles at Shane and leads the way to the den. Shane meets Jordan's eyes, questioningly. With a look, Jordan lets him know he's ok. No words necessary. Shane smiles at them and then follows Danielle out of the room.
Jordan leans against the counter and pulls Angela to him. He hugs her tightly, holding her in his arms for a minute. When she pulls back to look at him, he says, "I went to see your dad." When he feels her stiffen, he rushes to say, "I told him what we wanted and what I was prepared to do. Now it's up to your parents. We've got to wait for them to talk about it."
Sighing loudly, she says, "Why did you do that? He's gonna say no."
"Ang, he didn't say no. He said he needed to talk to Patty. We've got to do it their way. If that doesn't work, we'll get married." He looks at her intently. "Babe, I'll do whatever I have to do to make sure we're together. For now, this is the best way."
Laying her cheek against his chest, she says, "I hope you're right."
"I don't know if I'm right, but we've got to start somewhere. He told me to get my shit together first. I've got to do that anyway." Kissing her on top of the head, he says, "No matter what, we're in this together."
When his stomach growls, she laughs and moves out of his arms. "You need to eat." She pulls his plate from the oven while he grabs himself a fork and a soda from the fridge. They head into the living room to watch TV with Danielle and Shane. Both of them thinking about what may or may not happen.
For now, they're together. And that's really all that matters.
Wow...I didn't realize how long this chapter was. Or the one before it. Once I got going, I didn't want to stop. Hope you enjoyed it! ~gagirl29
