A/N: I can't seem to thank you guys enough for your kind words and encouragement throughout my story… They are very, very precious to me and have helped me to stay inspired throughout these 35 chapters. I hope you enjoy this next chapter and on with the story:)
A Nice 'Hiding' Place
As Pacey and Joey were driving along the highway, content with their life and happy to be going home, they failed to notice a dark mass in the western sky, building rapidly at a dangerous pace. As the wind speeds were starting to pick up, a light snow was beginning to fall from the rapidly darkening sky and nighttime was quickly approaching.
They sat quietly in the car listening to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" as Joey flipped through the baby names book that Pacey had bought when they initially set out on this trip nearly 4 weeks ago.
"How about Nathaniel Thomas Witter?" she suggested with a hopeful gleam in her eye.
Pacey shook his head, "That doesn't sound right…"
"Ok…" she replied with disappointment in her voice, "How about Christopher Jacob Witter?"
Pacey turned to glare at her, "I can't believe you want to name my son after one of your old boyfriends!"
Joey returned his glare and huffed, "Well you come up something then!"
Pacey sighed and took her hand, "We'll come up with something Jo. Don't worry so much… We've still got a little time before we have to figure all this out."
Joey knew he was right. They had plenty of time to come up with a name before her son actually gets here. At least they had his furniture already. That was an accomplishment in and of itself…
She glanced back at the cargo in their jeep. It was a miracle that they were able to fit everything into such a small space after the lucrative shopping spree they had nearly a week ago. There was pretty much everything she needed to complete her son's nursery scattered in different boxes and packages throughout the jeep: a bed and bassinet, a changing table and small dresser, a comfy glider and toy chest. Not to mention his navy car seat and baby stroller all-in-one set… Pretty much all of his furniture was bought but needed to be put together: A task Daddy Witter was more than able and willing to do when they got home…
Then of course there were the smaller items, which were in several bags on top of the large boxes in the back. They contained: baby bottles and pacifiers; burping cloths and baby shampoos… his first little bathtub and even a little rubber ducky. But the item that Joey would never forget buying - as it seemed to make her baby real for the first time since she saw him on the sonogram - was his first bag of Pampers: size Newborn to 1 month… Purchasing the blue bag of disposable diapers melted her heart and made her feel like 'Mom'.
Joey recalled Pacey having a similar moment of reality when they were picking out bedding and a theme for the nursery. Up until that point he had pretty much nodded his head at her suggestions and would let her choose whatever she wanted for their baby. Sure, he was supportive, but the decision was inevitably hers… That was, until he saw the theme set entitled, "Out by the sea". She had never seen his face light up as much as it did when he gazed at the blue bedding with white sailboats and gold starfishes on the quilt. His expression in that moment was so innocent and pure that it reminded her of when he was a young boy, playing with her and Dawson by the creek… His eyes, which often reminded her of the ocean he loved so much, glistened and intensified in color as he touched the clear bag that held the bedding. She remembered how he wouldn't come right out and say that he liked it, for he wanted her to pick it out… But after seeing the look on his face, how could she think of getting anything else? After all, this was Pacey's son too, and he would probably have an obsession for the water just like his dad. So "Out by the sea" became the theme for their nursery.
"What has you smiling so much Mrs. Witter?" Pacey asked with a grin as he interrupted her thoughts. He lifted their entwined hands and placed a chaste kiss on the back of her silky skin.
"I guess I was just thinking about the baby again…" she admitted in a soft tone, listening as the song on the radio changed to "Holly Jolly Christmas."
"Ahh… He's been known to invade my thoughts from time to time…" he teased, squeezing her hand with reassurance. "You're not scared again are you Jo?"
She shook her head and placed her freehand over her baby, "No. Not really right now… More the opposite actually. I can't wait to see him and meet this little person that has invaded my personal space for a little over 32 weeks now…"
Pacey laughed softly, "I hope he has your smile Jo… You have the most beautiful lop-sided smile I have ever seen…"
"Aww Pacey… You know I've already made the mistake of marrying you. Now you don't have to say those incredibly cheesy lines anymore…"
"Oh thanks for reminding me…" he teased, "I've been meaning to verbally abuse you for weeks now…"
"Pacey…"
"What?" he retorted, "I was being serious, Jo. Whenever I think about our son, I see him with your little, off-center, lop-sided smile… The one you get when you're embarrassed or shy… The one that is all kinds of sexy and does incredibly irrational things to my mind and body…" he paused for a moment, studying her playful smirk, "And now you'll use this information against me, won't you?"
Joey gave him her best lop-sided smile and answered, "I got to get money from you somehow, sweetheart…"
"I knew it!" he exclaimed releasing her hand and pointing at her, "You woman, only married me for my money… I should've listened to that little doubt in my mind that told me you were no good…"
"Oh, but think about what you would have missed without marrying me: the moonlight dinners out on the Caribbean; the late night fishing excursions on Devotion right after we made love…"
"Well the fishing was pretty good," Pacey mocked with a soft chuckle, recalling their honeymoon.
"Yes the 'fishing' was pretty good indeed…" Joey repeated with a smile knowing very well that he wasn't talking about the "fishing". Suddenly, realization dawned on Joey, "Oh my gosh!"
"What?" Pacey asked with urgency, watching Joey's face turn pale. "Joey what is it? What's wrong?"
She slowly turned to look at him and whispered, "I never thought about this until now, but… um… That is probably where-uh… this happened," Joey explained, pointing at her protruding tummy.
Pacey smiled and curved his hand over her swollen abdomen, slowly rubbing small circles over the baby they created, "Well, I've always said I do my best work out on the ocean…"
Joey rolled her eyes, "I have no idea why I never thought about it before now, but I think that's right… We probably conceived our son on our honeymoon…"
Pacey began to laugh and took his hand away, "Well now that you're up to date with the latest gossip, how about you let me listen to my man Gene Autry… You've got to love Rudolph and everything that poor reindeer went through to be accepted by his peers…"
Joey shook her head as Pacey turned up the music. She looked out the window and noticed there were very few vehicles out on the highway tonight, which is very unusual considering it's only a few days before Christmas… Sure, it was snowing outside – it had been for quite a while now – but still… When did that ever stop people from traveling before?
Suddenly she felt the jeep rock slightly as a strong wind hit the side of the vehicle.
"Pace…" she began uneasily, starting to feel like something wasn't right.
"Yeah?"
"Where are we?" she asked gingerly, now more in tuned to her surroundings. With nighttime already here and the snow starting to thicken up, she was beginning to feel uneasy.
Pacey hesitated before answering, "I think we just crossed the North Carolina border… We should be passing the next town within 10 minutes…"
"Pacey you didn't take one of those abandoned highways again, did you?"
"No… Why?"
Ok, now Joey was really feeling uncomfortable. There were no vehicles in sight and the snow was coming down so fast and thick that it was difficult to see the highway. If this was indeed a regular highway, then there should definitely be more cars on the road…
"Pace… We should probably stop in the next town and call it a night… Don't you think?" she suggested, observing the howl from the wind, whistling against their black Cherokee.
"Joey, you know we have to keep going or we'll miss Dawson and Anne's wedding… We're already cutting it close and the only thing that's saving us from missing it at this point is the fact that they're having a midnight ceremony…"
"But Pacey-"
Joey was interrupted as several loud shrieks came over the radio.
"The National Weather Service in Raleigh has just issued a Blizzard Warning for the state of North Carolina and for southern portions of Virginia, now in effect until December twenty-fourth at 10:00 AM. Please seek shelter immediately. This is a dangerous storm that is capable of producing record breaking wind speeds in excess of 60 mph with snow accumulations of around 2 feet. Blackouts have been reported with this storm and several roads are being closed. This storm has already caused several accidents on the highway, so please stay tuned to KX-109.7 as we'll keep you updated on the progress of this storm…"
Joey felt her heart sink as fear began to settle in her stomach. 'This storm has already caused several accidents on the highway,' kept replaying in her mind. This was turning into a bad situation and fast…
"Pacey we have got to get off the highway!" she exclaimed in a sudden panic. She didn't know where her urgency came from, but all of a sudden she knew they had to get off this road and into a sturdy structure. Something deep inside her was telling her this wasn't right and she needed to find a place to stay…
Pacey slowed down slightly and took Joey's hand to calm her down, "It's ok Joey… We are going to be ok… There is no need to panic…"
"Well you're getting us off the highway right?" she demanded, that panicky feeling overwhelming her senses.
"Jo-"
"Pacey I'M SERIOUS!" she shouted, "I want off of this highway and I want off it NOW!"
Pacey sighed and put both hands on the steering wheel, "Ok Joey… We'll stop in the next town."
This didn't seem to provide any comfort for Joey as the winds were becoming stronger and making it extremely difficult to see the road since the blowing snow was falling fast and falling hard. In fact, the conditions of this storm had become hazardous so quick, that she feared the farther they go north, the worse it would get… And she wasn't wrong.
Pacey was amazed at how just a few minutes ago they were having good conversation about the baby and enjoying the comfortable ride home when suddenly the snow took a turn for the worst. He had never driven in a snow storm this bad before. He was actually flirting with the idea of pulling over to the side of the road and waiting until a maintainer could come through and clear the roads…
"Pacey!" Joey shrieked.
Pacey jumped at her cry. "WHAT?!?" he snapped.
He looked over at her and saw why she had shrieked. There was a van in the ditch that had slid off the road. There was a light on inside the vehicle and he could see people inside. They were stranded.
"Pacey there are kids in that car!" she said with dread, pointing out the window.
He slowly pulled over to the side and sure enough the figure of a small child could be seen through the window.
"What are you doing?" Joey asked anxiously, watching Pacey cut the engine before reaching in the back seat for a blanket.
"Here, take this Jo," Pacey instructed as he handed her the warm fuzzy blanket. "I'm going to go see if they're alright. You stay here."
"But Pacey, I'm not letting you go out there alone!"
Pacey placed his hands on her cheeks to try to calm her down. He gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead and whispered softly, "It's going to be ok Joey… I promise… I'm going to get us out of here in one piece…"
How could he stay so calm in a situation like this? It was cold and the storm showed no signs of letting up. Cars were already getting stranded on the side of the road and now he was going to go out there, into a storm that was shaking their jeep around as if it were a little toy…
Joey looked from Pacey, to the van with the passengers inside, and then back at Pacey again. This probably wasn't smart stopping like this, but at the same time, there were children inside…
"Okay," she finally consented, "But take this with you." She handed him the blanket he just gave to her and hugged him firmly.
He returned her warm embrace and held her for a little bit, stroking the back of her hair, wanting to make sure she was going to be ok, "No, Jo… You're my top priority here and you need to stay warm, so keep the blanket…"
"Take it for the kids Pacey…" she explained, pulling away from him and placing the covers into his arms.
Pacey smiled and pecked her cheek, "I love you and I'll be right back."
Joey watched uneasily, as Pacey got out of the jeep. She felt the crisp wind bite her skin as he opened the door, filling the cab with the freezing cold temperatures from outside. She began to shiver. She looked around the backseat for the warm jacket she had taken off earlier when she was hot. She finally found the thick jacket under a suitcase and quickly put it on, zipping it up over the large bulge on her tummy. She found the grey mittens in her pockets and put them on over her frosty fingers, hoping to maintain whatever heat her body was able to create.
Pacey had only been gone for a few minutes and already any warmth from the heater before was gone. There was thin layer of fog on the window where Joey's breath was accumulating steam. She rubbed a small circle over it so she could look out to keep an eye on her husband.
But she couldn't see him… In fact, she couldn't see the van… What was only a few feet away from the jeep only moments ago, was now nowhere in sight. Only a thick layer of white could be seen in front of the window. She began to panic. The more she tried to look through the window and past the storm, unsuccessfully, the more her insides began to twist into painful knots. Where is he?
Apparently the baby could feel her tension for he started to become more active in her womb.
"It's ok baby," she said in a shaky voice, caressing her baby. "We're gonna be ok… I know its a little cold right now, but your daddy will be back in a little bit and then we'll be alright."
Now she just had to convince herself of that fact…
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Pacey stomped through the thick, heavy snow with his head down, trying to make his way towards the light of the van. The wind was strong and making it difficult to walk steady as he trudged on through the snow. It was so cold out there that with every breath he took, it seemed to burn his lungs and tighten his chest…
When he finally reached the van, he opened the door quickly and got in without a second thought.
"Daniel?" a blonde woman bundled up with a baby in her arms spoke anxiously, "Daniel is that you?"
Before Pacey had a chance to respond, a little boy who couldn't be much older than 5 came over the seat and tackled Pacey with a bear hug. "DADDY! I was soo worried about you!!" the little brunette boy exclaimed, not realizing Pacey wasn't his daddy.
Pacey gently scooped up the little boy in his arms and extended his hand to the blonde woman, "My name is Pacey. I saw you here and thought you needed help…"
The woman, now realizing that Pacey was a stranger, began to panic, "Come here Mathew, Daddy's not back yet!"
The little boy named Mathew looked up at Pacey with disappointment. "You look like my daddy mister," he explained, looking over at his mother before crawling off of Pacey's lap. "Have you seen my daddy?"
Pacey smiled at the little boy uneasily and looked at the blonde woman for answers.
"Daniel, my husband, left about an hour ago in search of some shelter and we haven't seen him since…" the woman explained, rocking the baby in her arms. She had a plump face with fear and anxiety etched into her features.
"Well, my wife is waiting in our jeep back there, so you guys should probably come with me… It's not safe out here alone…"
The woman shook her head, "I'm not leaving my husband…"
Before Pacey had a chance to argue, there was knock on the glass window beside him and a bright light was in his eyes as a man in uniform stood outside the door. Pacey opened the door and got out to talk to the state patrolman.
"This road is closed," the officer yelled above the howling wind, "You guys are going to have to come with me and I'll get you to a shelter."
"That's fine, but this woman's husband is still out there," Pacey explained, trying to shout above the storm.
"Well, I need you guys to come with me," the officer explained, "We'll get you guys to shelter and then we will see about finding your missing party…"
Pacey nodded, "My wife is in our jeep over there. I'll go get her and then we'll follow you…"
"Is your jeep drivable?" the officer asked, shining his flashlight towards Pacey's Cherokee.
"Yes," he answered.
"Then I'll just have you follow me…" the officer instructed, "We have a maintainer coming this way that will guide you to safety…"
Just then, the roar of a loud engine and two bright lights came into view on the highway. Two flashing lights cut through the darkness as a large maintainer shoving snow off the highway became visible.
"Just follow the maintainer," the officer repeated again.
"What about this family?" Pacey asked with concern, observing the little boy in the van with his face pressed up against the window.
"They'll come with me in the maintainer. I'll get you all to safety, don't worry!"
Pacey nodded, "Do you need any help with them?"
The officer shook his head, "No, just go and we'll be right behind you."
Pacey didn't need to be told twice and left to get in the jeep. As he stomped through the snow, retracing his original path, he realized that all of his tracks were already covered with fresh snow… It would have been nearly impossible for Pacey to find his way back to the jeep if it wasn't for the bright lights of the maintainer ahead. He suddenly felt very bad for the family in the van behind him, realizing they would probably never see their father again…
When Pacey finally reached his destination, he quickly got into the jeep. He barely said a word when he noticed Joey's face contorted in pain. She was shivering and rubbing a small area on her lower back with her hand, trying to steady her breathing.
Pacey immediately assumed the worst, "Jo… What's wrong?"
Joey took a deep breath and winced as she felt another stab in her back. Taking that deep breath was definitely a mistake for the muscle in her back contracted harder, making her groan from the pain.
Pacey reached his hand over to the place where she was rubbing and began to massage her there gently, "Joey, what's going on? You're not having a-"
"NO!" Joey answered too quickly. "It's too early, you know that!"
"Then why do you look like you're in pain?" he asked, watching her relax as he continued to massage her lower back. He placed his free hand on her tummy and began to massage her gently there too.
Joey relaxed and began to regain her steady breathing as his magical hands calmed her muscles. He continued to caress her abdomen with fear in his eyes as he watched her lean back in the seat and close her eyes.
"Joey, talk to me," he said softly, watching her hand still his movements on her stomach.
She sighed and slowly opened her eyes, letting her hand rest on top of Pacey's. "I just need to walk around or something… I had a stupid muscle spasm from sitting in this jeep for over 6 hours… And this cold air is doing nothing to help my discomfort, let me tell ya…"
Pacey quickly moved his hands and started up the jeep, hoping to get some warm heat for his wife, who was starting to scare him.
Joey could see the alarm on his face and gently grabbed his hand, "I'm fine Pacey. That was nothing to worry about…"
"You're being completely honest with me, right Jo?" he asked with trepidation in his voice, "Because I don't want you to sugar coat anything for me… Just because we're temporarily stranded in the snow doesn't mean I can't get you to a doctor… I can and I will if you need-"
"-Pacey, I told you, I'm fine…" she interrupted, squeezing his hand to reassure him, "If I was further along in this pregnancy, then maybe we would need to worry."
That was all the hesitation he need to hear from her to know they had to go, "Okay, you're going to the hospital Joey and we're checking this out!"
"Pacey you are overreacting!" she shouted as Pacey started to drive forward, "And this is not helping calm my nerves!!"
Pacey thought about it and then stopped suddenly. The jeep slid forward a bit on the ice in his haste. Maybe she was right. He was just being an overprotective father, who was probably exaggerating something that was nothing at all… After all, it was too early for her to be going into labor and she would know her own body, right?
Before he had a chance to decide, the maintainer ahead of him began to move, clearing a path for the jeep so they could follow. He began to drive the jeep forward again, only slower and in less of a panic.
"Just promise me you'll tell me if that happens again," Pacey exclaimed, taking her hand, needing her to be completely honest with him.
"Pacey…"
"Promise me, Jo."
Joey sighed and mumbled, "Okay… But it's not what you think it is…"
But the truth was Joey didn't know what was going on with her body. All she knew was that there was nagging pain in her lower back, right after Pacey left, and then it intensified… But that couldn't be a contraction… Contractions are in your abdomen, not your lower back… Right?
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Pacey maintained steady eye contact between the road ahead of him and the pregnant woman sitting beside him. They had been following the maintainer ahead for nearly 30 minutes now and Joey had yet to show any signs of discomfort.
To be honest, this was a huge relief to Pacey. He didn't know what he would have done if Joey was in labor… He wasn't ready. Joey wasn't ready. And the baby was most certainly not ready to come out into this world yet. It was too early… They haven't even taken their Lamaze classes yet…
But that scare definitely helped to put life in perspective for Pacey. It just reminded him that they still had a ways to go before they were ready to have this baby. He was going to finish the nursery and help her pick out a name and make all the necessary preparations to bring a baby into this world. He was just thankful that he had a little more time to get ready…
When they finally came to a stop in front of a small log cabin, Pacey realized that this must be the shelter the state patrolman was talking about. He looked over at Joey and felt a huge sense of relief knowing that they had made it to safety in one piece and without harm.
"So this is where we're going to ride out the storm?" Joey asked suspiciously, observing the darkness in the cabin. It appeared to be old with small windows and a tattered front door. There was a snow drift as high as the roof on the western side of the shelter. Joey could see a stone chimney peeking out over the mountain of snow and assumed the firewood was buried underneath.
"Yeah…" Pacey answered softly, catching the uncertainty in her voice. "It should get us through the storm until we're able to go back on the road again."
Joey laughed uncomfortably as she caressed her baby, "I guess it's safe to say we're going to miss Dawson and Anne's wedding…"
"I think they'll understand Jo…"
"And we're going to miss Christmas…" she added, with disappointment in her voice.
Pacey kissed her cheek and put his arms around her before whispering in her ear, "We're not going to miss Christmas Jo…" he explained as he caressed her abdomen with affection, "We are all here, together, and safe, and that's all that matters…"
She turned to look at him and smiled. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him close for a hug. She needed to hear this and feel his strength. She just wanted him to hold her. They had been through a lot and she just wanted to go inside have him hold her until the storm subsided…
Pacey moved the long silky strands of hair away from Joey's neck and placed a gentle, tender kiss on the sensitive skin underneath. They were going to be ok. As long as he could hold her like this, they were going to be ok…
There was a knock on the window that separated the couple from their warm embrace. Pacey saw the officer from earlier standing outside the passenger door. Joey rolled down her window.
"I'm going to put you and the Richardson's here for the night… The other shelters are full, so this will have to do until the storm lets up…" he explained as he motioned towards the cabin. "Let me help you with your stuff and we'll talk inside."
Pacey nodded and quickly got their suitcase out from the backseat.
Joey nearly lost her balance as she stepped out of the jeep, surprised at how wobbly her feet were underneath her.
"Are you ok Ma'am?" the officer asked as he braced her shoulders, so she wouldn't fall.
Joey took a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah, just a little jet-lag I suppose. Only minus the 'jet' part…"
"Are you sure?" he asked, noticing her very pregnant state, "Because if you need to see a doctor we are going to have to go now…" the officer explained. "After I drop you guys off we're going to go back and search for Daniel, Mrs. Richardson's husband…"
Joey shook her head, "No, I'll be fine…"
Pacey came out from around the jeep with their two suitcases firmly in his hands and followed the officer and Joey to the cabin where Mrs. Richardson, Mathew, and a baby were waiting inside. It was the same family Pacey had met only an hour ago.
The cabin was just as small on the inside as it was on the outside with only a few furnishings within. The only light in the vast darkness was from the hearth where a small fire was slowly beginning to build in fervor, to create the much needed heat for the small space within.
A distinct musty scent filled the room as if this shelter hadn't been occupied in years. There was a thin layer of dirt on the wood floors below, while the cob webs were spread out in the corners of the room, possibly proving that this place hadn't been used as a shelter for years.
There was a long brown couch in the back of the room, adjacent to the fireplace, where Mrs. Richardson sat with the baby in her arms. A small loveseat was placed to the right of the sofa, in the corner, where a stack of blankets and pillows were lying on top. On the other side of the room was a long strip of gold where the countertop resided with an old fashioned sink equipped with a hand pump where they could get fresh water from the well outside. An old fashioned, black, wood-burning stove was placed directly across the room from the fireplace and a pile of wood was placed neatly beside it.
Pacey looked around the small room for the beds, or even a commode: A place where they could get some sleep and have some privacy should the need arise. His answer came when the male officer pointed to a small door on the other side of the brown couch – almost camouflaged in the wooden walls surrounding it- and said eagerly, "There's your bathroom and there are a few cots in the closet beside the fireplace."
Again, when Pacey looked to the fireplace, he saw a small door, camouflaged by the walls around it.
Sure the cabin was meager, but it was the protection they needed to wear out the storm until they could go out on the roads again…
When Pacey saw Mathew huddled up in the corner of the brown couch, he appeared to be scared and sad. He had taken off his jacket and snuggled up in the warm blanket Pacey had left in their van earlier that night.
The blonde, who was rounded at the hips, had an anxious expression on her face and cradled a blonde baby in her arms. With the light from the fire, Pacey could tell it was a little girl. She didn't have much hair, but her pink dress was bigger than the clothes they had bought for their son, so he knew she wasn't a newborn.
"Emma I would like you to meet your roommates for the night," the officer said quickly, motioning towards Pacey and Joey.
The woman smiled, "Pacey right?"
Pacey nodded and extended his hand, "Right. I'm Pacey Witter and this is my wife Joey."
The blonde took his hand and shook it gratefully, "Nice to meet you. This is my son, who you've already met before, Mathew… And this is my daughter Sophie…"
Pacey smiled as he looked down at the little baby. He caressed the little girls rounded cheeks and commented, "She's beautiful, Emma."
"Thank you," Emma replied, gazing at her daughter, "I think so too…"
Pacey felt a tug from behind him and looked to see Mathew pulling on the seam of his jacket, trying to get his attention.
"Hey buddy, what's going on?" Pacey asked as he lifted the little boy in his arms.
The little boy had light blue eyes, just like his mother, and appeared to be upset. With a trembling bottom lip, Mathew asked, "Are you gonna find my daddy, Mister?"
Pacey looked up and saw the state patrolman getting things situated outside and really hadn't considered going back out there.
"I'm scared something bad happened to my daddy," the boy continued in a shaky voice, clinging to Pacey's jacket with his little fists. "Will you save my daddy, Mister?"
Pacey felt his heart melt as the little boy was stealing his sense of right and wrong. How could he explain to him that he had his own family to look after? How could he explain that it was no use to try to look for his father because he was probably already dead?
"I promise I'll give you all my toys from Santa Clause this year!" Mathew exclaimed, looking at Pacey with his innocent face, trying to bargain with Pacey to save his dad. "And I know I'm getting a lot too, because I've been good ALL year!"
Pacey swallowed hard and tried to find his voice, which had suddenly disappeared.
Giant tears welled up in the little brunette's eyes as he pleaded with Pacey, "My daddy is in heaven, isn't he?"
That was all Pacey could stand. He took the little boy in his arms and gave him a hug. His father couldn't be dead. There had to be hope. God wouldn't be cruel enough to take away this little angel's father…
Pacey wiped away the tears from his eyes and pulled Mathew away from his chest so he could look at the boy's face. "Your Daddy's not dead Mathew-"
"-But how do you know?" Mathew asked quickly through sobs as his little body shook from the fear of losing his father.
The truth was Pacey didn't know, but he had to try and give this little boy hope.
"You know how I know Mathew?" Pacey asked a little more confidently.
Mathew shook his head as he wiped his tear-stained face with the back of his hand.
"Because Daddies have this incredible superpower that only few people know about…"
Mathew's eyes got big as he exclaimed on a sniffle, "Superpower?"
Pacey smiled and nodded. He wasn't sure why exactly he was giving this kid false hope, but something inside, told him it was ok…
"Yes a superpower," Pacey stated again.
"Well, what does the superpower do?" Mathew asked in amazement, studying Pacey's every move.
"Well, I'm sure you've already seen some of his powers already," Pacey explained, watching the light gleam in Mathew's face, "Has your daddy ever taken you fishing?"
The little boy nodded his head with excitement, "YEAH! And he caught a BIG FISH TOO!! He even got an award and was on TV and EVERYTHING! Momma said he was gonna be famous!"
Pacey smiled, "See, you've already uncovered one of his superpowers… Now, does he make you feel better when you get sick?"
Mathew thought for a moment and then looked up at Pacey with a toothy grin, "YEAH! HE DOES!! When I get sick, Daddy rocks me in his chair until my tummy feels better…"
"See there's two superpowers your dad has already," Pacey explained, shifting the boy in his arms so he could look at his face better.
"But how does his superpowers help him in the cold?" the little brunette asked as his bottom lip started to quiver again.
The boy had a point and Pacey needed to think fast… "Well, there are some superpowers you have never seen before and don't know about…"
"Like what?" Mathew asked with hope.
"Like… Like his ability to see in the dark so he won't get lost…"
"Really?"
Pacey nodded, "Yeah…"
Again, a little farfetched, but what little boy doesn't believe his father can conquer the world with his superpowers?
"But what if there is a bear?" Mathew asked quickly, "Momma said she was scared he'd get attacked by a bear…"
Pacey thought for a moment, "Well Daddies have this uncanny ability to be really strong..."
"Stronger than a grizzly bear?" he asked with hope.
Pacey smiled reassuringly, "Stronger than a grizzly bear."
Mathew started to laugh, "Yeah, my daddy is strong… Once I saw him push a car all by himself!"
"Well see… There you go…" Pacey concluded, "You're daddy is going to be just fine…"
"So you're gonna go find him, right?"
Pacey looked over at Joey, who was sitting by Emma, trying to provide her with comfort. He knew it probably wasn't wise what he was getting ready to do, but this little boy had stolen his heart. How could he not go after making all those promises to him?
"Yes Mathew," Pacey said softly, looking directly into the little boy's eyes, "I'm going to go find you father."
The little boy smiled big and hugged Pacey tightly, "THANKS MISTER! I promise you'll get every toy under my tree this year! And even my candy canes!! I would give you all of my Christmas cookies but we have to save two for Santa…"
Pacey smiled uneasily as he held the boy. Now that he had made all of these promises to him, he was going to have to keep them; which could be a lot harder than if he would have just told Mathew his father was dead…
Suddenly, Mathew became sad again, "But what about you? You don't have any superpowers? You're not a Daddy!"
Pacey chuckled softly and looked over at Joey. He was indeed a father. One look at Joey's swollen tummy proved that… He ruffled Mathew's short brown hair and replied, "You see that's where you're wrong Mathew, my man. I am a Daddy."
"Really?" Mathew exclaimed in surprise. "But where is your son?"
It was funny that Mathew would just assume Pacey was going to have a son… But then again, he remembered how boys thought at that age… Girls were gross and boys were cool, so of course Mathew knew Pacey was going to have a son. He thought Pacey was 'cool'.
Now he just had to figure out how to explain his son was currently taking up residence inside his wife – which could create all kinds of dangerous questions Pacey wasn't quite ready to answer…
"Well…" Pacey hesitated, trying to think of a way to explain, "He is- uh… Well you know how... He-um…"
Mathew watched Pacey stutter for awhile before his eyes got big as he remembered something, "He's hiding isn't he?"
Pacey looked at the boy questioningly, not sure how to answer that.
"Don't worry," Mathew explained, "My little sister was hiding under my mommy's shirt too until one day she got mad and decided she had to come out!"
Pacey began to laugh. He had never heard a story quite like that before… It wasn't exactly a lie and it answered all the questions a 5 year old might have about pregnancy… He would definitely remember that for the future.
"Yep…" Pacey answered, "He's hiding right now…"
Mathew turned around and pointed at Joey, who was now holding baby Sophie in her arms, "He's hiding in there isn't he?"
"What can I say, Mathew?" Pacey exclaimed, "You've got it all figured out…"
The little boy smiled and gave Pacey another hug, "So you're going to be ok too, since you have Daddy Superpowers…"
Pacey smiled, "I'll find your dad Mathew. Ok?"
"I know you will, Mister," he answered, "And while you're gone I'll try to get your son to come out of hiding so we can play with him when you get back!"
Pacey began to shake his head no, but then realized the boy wouldn't understand. He settled with the answer, "Thank you Mathew. And if you do get to talk to him, make sure he knows how much his daddy loves him. Ok?"
Mathew nodded, "Don't worry… I'll tell him…"
Pacey smiled, "And do you think you could watch over my son's mommy while I'm gone too?"
The little brunette turned around and eyed Joey. He then turned around and gave him another toothy grin, "I can do that too…"
Just then, the flimsy front door opened and the tall officer from earlier walked in with his body covered in snow.
"Everything ok in here?" he asked from the doorway.
Joey looked at Pacey, who was holding Mathew in his arms and grimaced slightly. That pain in her lower back had returned and was starting to intensify again. She tried to hide her discomfort as best as she could not wanting to admit anything was wrong just yet… She kept telling herself that it's just a muscle spasm and that it'll go away… There's no need to get excited and run to the hospital when she was positive this pain wasn't a contraction. Instead, she tried to steady her breathing and concentrate on the little baby girl in her arms.
Pacey put Mathew down and walked over to the officer who was getting ready to leave, "Hey man," he began hesitantly, "Do you need any help in your search for Daniel?"
The officer's face lit up, "We can use all the help we can get Mr. Witter."
"Well then count me in," Pacey declared, extending his hand.
The officer shook it with enthusiasm, "I'm ready to go so we should probably get back out there. I got a call earlier saying we haven't even seen the worst of this storm yet and I'd like to get out there and find him before it hits…"
Pacey nodded in understanding, "I just need to go talk to my wife first and then I'll be ready."
The officer nodded his head in approval and left to make some last minute arrangements outside before they would leave.
Pacey slowly made his way over to Joey who was gazing down at the baby girl in her arms. She was beautiful rocking the girl from side to side, gently cooing soothing words into her ears. Pacey reached down and kissed the top of Joey's head. This wasn't going to be easy to tell her he was going back out there; back out into the danger of the snowstorm with or without her consent. He made a promise to Mathew and intended on keeping it.
Joey looked up at Pacey and handed him the little girl. He took her with open arms and cradled her in his arms.
"She's so pretty," Joey commented, stroking the top of Sophie's head with her fingertips, loving the feel of the baby's soft hair.
Pacey smiled and saw the love in Joey's eyes as she gazed at the baby girl in his arms. It was then that he noticed her cheeks were flushed and he could tell something wasn't right with her.
"Are you ok Jo?" he asked with concern, not liking how she tensed with that question.
"Yes, Pacey," Joey lied, "I'm fine… I think I need to go lay down."
Pacey looked around the small cabin and found Emma talking to Mathew. He walked across the room and handed the baby to her with ease.
Meanwhile, Joey took a deep breath and sat back on couch, trying to fight off the urge to start panting as she felt the pain in her back suddenly wrap around her waist. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all…
Pacey made his way across the room and sat next to her on the couch. She slowly lyed down on her side and closed her eyes in concentration. Pacey could definitely see something was wrong with her and began to stroke her back attentively. He pulled away only once to get a blanket off the sofa in the corner to cover Joey so she wouldn't get cold.
"Joey there is something I need to tell you," he began, as he covered her up with the green blanket and rubbed her back in a soothing motion to try to provide her with some comfort. "I'm going back out there to help find Mathew's father…"
Joey's eyes popped open with that information and she stared at Pacey in disbelief, "You can't go back out there Pacey… It's too dangerous!"
Pacey began to interrupt, but she stopped him. She sat up with fury in her eyes, "This is not the time to be the hero Pacey... You have your own family to think about now… I refuse to let you go out there!"
Pacey grimaced at her reaction. He knew she wouldn't like this idea, but then again she never saw the look in Mathew's eyes as he pleaded with him to help his daddy…
"I know Jo… I know! Trust me I am fully aware of the fact that I have my own family to take care of… But, I just can't let Mathew and Emma grow up without a father knowing that I could have done something to prevent it… I couldn't live with myself!"
Joey sighed and began to panic, "Pacey, our son needs a father too!"
"I know Joey… And I promise you I'll come back and then we can be a family. But right now, there is nothing wrong with either of us and there is another family that needs our help Jo… And I just want to make sure they get that help…"
"Damn it Pacey!" Joey snapped in frustration. How could he be so stubborn? He already had his mind made up and she knew nothing she could say or do would change his mind on this matter. "Pacey Witter you better come back to me, because I know I can't do this without you… I can't have this baby without you!"
Little did he know that she was meaning present tense, rather than future.
Pacey placed his hand on her abdomen, "Jo, we started this together, we're gonna finish this together, Ok?"
Joey reluctantly gave in and nodded. Pacey smiled with reassurance and kissed her forehead. "I love you Joey and nothing is going to prevent me from coming back to you and our son… Ok?"
Joey nodded and wrapped her arms around Pacey's neck pulling him in for one last embrace before his departure into the dangers outside.
Pacey smiled and leaned over Joey's swollen bump and placed a kiss there before whispering, "And contrary to what Mathew's going to tell you, I don't want you to come out of hiding for another few weeks… Ok my son? When that day comes, I promise I'll be ready, but just not anytime soon… Okay? I love you baby… And take care of your mother while I'm away… You're going to be the only Witter she's got for a little while… But I promise I'll be back."
Joey watched as Pacey talked to his son. She had a bad feeling about this and so far her instincts were right on track… She just prayed that this feeling would be different and he would return to her like he promised.
He gave her one last, meaningful kiss as the officer informed him it was time to go. She watched him leave through teary eyes. She could hear the wind howl outside and feel the cool temperatures seep in through the cracks in the walls. It was going to be a long night.
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Two hours had passed since Pacey had left in search of Daniel Richardson, Mathew and Sophie's father and Emma's husband. Everything had been tense for Joey in the cabin, but Mathew liked to keep her company, spending most of his time on her lap, talking to her tummy. He seemed be fascinated with the concept of getting her son to "come out of hiding" – as he liked to put it. Joey realized this had something to do with Pacey for she had heard him say something similar right before he left.
But for now, Mathew seemed interested in telling her tummy all about the superpowers that father's possessed. Apparently it was invaluable information that he had only just discovered and wanted to share it with someone else. Surprisingly, these so-called 'superpowers' sounded too much like something Pacey would come up with…
"And you know what else Daddies do?" Mathew continued talking to her stomach as if he were waiting for someone to just come out of her shirt and begin talking right back to him. "They help you when your tummy hurts. I don't know how it happens, but it's like magic or something… Once they pick you up and put you on that chair, your tummy hurt disappears… Just like that…" he snapped his finger to demonstrate his point.
Joey smiled as she listened to the little boy talk adamantly to her son. He was so adorable, explaining everything he knew about father's that she couldn't help but miss her own son's father…
"And you know what YOUR daddy told me today?" the little boy continued, touching her stomach with such skill that he must have done it with his own mother when she was pregnant with Sophie, "He told me that he loved you and that he wanted you to come out and play with us… I like your daddy cause he's gonna help my daddy and then we can all go fishing together out on my dad's boat. But you have to stop hiding if you want to play with us… And I already promised your daddy that I would tell you to come out today. So what do you say?"
And as if by some divine intervention, Joey felt a nasty muscle spasm in her back, contract so tight that she felt it wrap around to the front of her lower abdomen. It was so powerful that it temporarily took away her breath and she let out a soft whimper from the pain.
Mathew stopped talking and looked up at Joey with wide eyes, "Is he coming out?"
Emma heard Joey's whimper from across the room and turned to find her hunched over, clenching her stomach for some relief.
"Mrs. Witter?" she asked urgently, recognizing that look of pain on her face.
"Pacey!" Joey gasped as she clenched her stomach even tighter as the pain refused to subside…
XOXOXOXOXOXO