Chapter 11

They spent an hour on the plan. Fallon would ask to go to the cafeteria to speak with Grace and George while Steven and Sam snuck in to see Paisley. Once they finished their conversation, hopefully they'd go see Beck, so that Fallon could spend some time with Paisley.

"What do you think you're doing?" Grace asked, rather bitterly as Fallon approached Paisley's room. Grace was standing guard at the door, and Fallon assumed George was inside with Paisley.

"I just came to ask if we could go to the cafeteria and talk. I want to understand where you two are coming from, and I really want you two to understand where I'm coming from. I know we all want what's best for Paisley. For that to happen, we need to have open communication." Fallon proposed, praying Grace would take the bait.

"Why would I want to listen to anything you have to say?"

"Because I think you and I both know a custody battle is not what Paisley wants. It's not what Beck would want. If we can work something out, then it would be better for everyone."

"I don't see why we would even need to talk about a custody agreement. You have no rights to her, plain and simple. Right now, George and I have legal custody over her."

"I know that, but I also know that Paisley wants me. She needs me. I wasn't there for 9 years of her life, and I can't afford to miss any more. I don't have to go back to Atlanta. I'm willing to stay here in LA. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to see Paisley."

"Don't you have a husband and job in Atlanta? What's to say if I give you Paisley, you won't just take her and fly back to Atlanta?"

"My husband and I are going through a rough patch, and we're taking some time apart. And with my job, I run my own company. I can work from anywhere. I don't have to be there. I wouldn't take Paisley from you, or from her dad. I just want to be able to spend time with her, too."

"You've given me no reason to trust you, so why should I start now?"

"Because think about how traumatic this is for Paisley. Her dad's in a coma, and might never wake up. What do you think will happen if you take her mother away, too?"

"She'll be fine. She's known us her whole life. She's known you for less than two months. She barely knows you. Give her a week, she'll be perfectly back to normal." And with that Grace went back into Paisley's room, slamming the door in Fallon's face.

Not knowing what else to do, and not having much fight left in her, Fallon walked back to the waiting room with tears in her eyes, and sat back down next to Steven.

"I'm assuming by the fact you came back and the tears in your eyes the plan didn't work." Steven gave.

"Grace won't listen. She doesn't care. Maybe it's time I stop caring, too. Maybe Grace is right. Paisley hasn't even known me for two months. She barely knows me. I barely know her. She won't miss me. She'll have a great life with her grandparents, and Beck, if he ever wakes up."

"What happened to you, Fallon? What happened to the Fallon who never gave up without a fight. Who would fight for whatever she wanted, and wouldn't stop until she got it? Where's that Fallon?"

"I can't be like that with this, Steven. I have no rights to Paisley. As far as anyone is concerned, I am not her mother. She's not mine, I'm not hers. Fighting this is only gonna make it worse. I don't want Paisley to get tossed around in a custody battle."

"What is she gonna think? Do you think Grace is gonna tell her you abandoned her?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's just better if she believes that. Then she won't be as upset. She'll just be mad. She'll have no reason to ever try and find me."

"Is that what you want? You want your daughter to forget about you?"

"What choice do I have?"

"You go to court and you fight this."

"Steven, I know you're only trying to help, but you're not. I'm not gonna take this to court. If I did, there's a very big chance I'd lose."

"So what are you gonna do now? Are you just gonna go back to Atlanta? Fix your marriage?"

"No. Liam and I need some time apart. After his amnesia, we've spent every moment together. Everything was go, go, go. We got engaged after only a few months of dating. We got married after 8 months of engagement. We've never gotten a chance to just sit and breathe. We went too fast, and it took all of this for me to realize that. I think I'm gonna go to New York for a while. I've never really lived on my own. I want to experience that while I can."

"And what about Fallon Unlimited?"

"I can do most of my job from anywhere. For the big things, I can go back to Atlanta. Allison can handle all the day-to-day operations."

"When are you gonna go?"

"Soon. I need to go back to the hotel and pack up all my clothes. And then I was hoping you guys could take me to New York and help me get settled. We can go shopping. We can find new places to eat. It'll be fun."

Steven and Sam looked at each other and silently agreed.

"That sounds like fun, Fal. We'd be happy to help you." Sam spoke for both of them.

"Great. I guess we can go now, then. There's not really any point in my staying here. Grace is never gonna let me see, and I have nothing else to say to Beck."

"Ok, let's go."

The three walked out of the hospital, and took Fallon back to the hotel. They helped her pack all of her stuff, and by dinner time, they were back on their private jet, flying to New York.

"What are you gonna do about the house, and all the stuff that you still have there?" Steven asked, about an hour into the flight.

"Nothing. I don't care what Liam does with it. He can sell all my stuff, or throw it away, or take it to the Manor. And I'm assuming he'll keep the house, but he can sell it, if he wants."

"And what about your marriage? Is that gonna be thrown away, too?"

"Right now, no. Like I said, we both need time and space. It's way too soon to make any life-changing decisions. We're taking a break. Will we get a divorce? Maybe, maybe not. It's hard to say right now. I know that I cannot stay married to a man who doesn't want to man up and raise the kids he helped create. If, in a few months, he's willing to do that, then we'll reevaluate then. For right now, he isn't ready to be a father, and I'm not giving up my children for him."

"Do you want Sam and I to talk to him when we get back to Atlanta?"

"No. Not only does he need space from me, he also needs space from the whole family. That includes you and Sam. I don't need you two to fight my battles, but thanks for offering."

"Of course, Fal. You're my baby sister. I'd do anything for you."

"I love you, Steven. And I'm glad you decided to come home."

"So am I, and I love you, too."

Most of the rest of the plane ride was spent in silence. They mostly just ate some snacks and slept. They arrived in New York at almost midnight. They headed straight to the Carrington's downtown New York condo.

"This place is nice. I forgot how big it was." Steven commented, as they walked in.

"Exactly how many estates do you guys own?" Sam asked, almost not wanting to know the answer.

"Too many to count." Fallon answered.

"Do you want to eat dinner?" Steven asked, changing the subject.

"No, it's too late. If I eat now, I will definitely be up at 4am throwing it up. I'll just drink some fluids and go to bed. Try not to be too loud." And with that, Fallon grabbed her bags and retreated into the large master bedroom.

The rest of the week was rough for Fallon. She never wanted to leave her room, only ate when she had to, she was sore all over from the crash, was having bad morning sickness, and missed Liam. Sam and Steven were trying everything they could to help her, but they didn't know what to do. They contemplated calling Monica or Alexis, but Fallon didn't want any else to know what had happened. By Saturday, a week after the accident, Steven was finally able to force Fallon to get her ass up and take a shower. She spent an hour in the shower, but came out feeling slightly better.

"Now, we're gonna go shopping, and you're going whether you like it or not." Steven said to Fallon, leaving no room for argument. Fallon opened her mouth, as if she were going to argue, but quickly shut it again.

The trio went to some of the fanciest stores in New York, of course, and finally went back to the condo after half a day of shopping.

"Do you think you have enough?" Sam asked, as they sat down for dinner.

"For now. I'll buy some more later." Fallon responded, before starting to stuff herself with pasta. She hadn't realized shopping while pregnant with twins could make one so hungry.

"Fallon, slow down or you're gonna choke." Steven warned.

"I'm hungry, Steven. I don't know why, but I feel like I haven't eaten in years." Fallon responded, her mouth full of food.

"It's because you're pregnant. How many weeks are you?"

"Almost 12. I hate the fact that I'm gonna have to start buying maternity clothes. I know you probably can't tell that I'm starting to show, but that's because I'm trying to hide it. I probably won't be able to hide it for long."

"Isn't that what's supposed to happen?"

"Of course, but just supposed to happen doesn't mean I necessarily want it to. Getting fat isn't exactly something I want to happen."

"I'm sure it'll be worth it. I know I was only a father for a few days to LB, but I loved every minute of it." Sam chimed in.

"I just don't know if I'm ready to do it alone. I mean, yeah, I'll have nannies, but I don't want my butler to raise my children the way Anders raised us. I want to be as involved as possible, and still be able to work. When I got pregnant, I was under the impression I'd have someone there with me every step of the way. I guess this is just yet another reason why I shouldn't rely on anyone but myself."

"Have you talk to Liam at all?"

"He's sent me a few texts and calls. I haven't answered any of them."

"How are you ever gonna fix your relationship if you don't communicate?"

"It's only been a week. It doesn't need to be fixed yet."

"Take it from us, the longer you wait, the worse it gets."

"Yeah, but time isn't gonna make him suddenly realize he actually does want kids. I could give him a week, a month, a year, 10 years, and he'd still say he doesn't want kids. I don't regret getting pregnant, but I do regret not having a longer conversation about being parents and having kids. He wasn't ready, and I was too stupid to see that."

"It's not your fault, Fal. It's his for being too stupid to realize what's he's giving up. You are an amazing woman, and I'm sure you'll be an amazing mother. If you doesn't want to be there to witness that, then that's his loss."

"That doesn't make me feel any better. I wanted to do this together. I want us to do this together. I have a doctor's appointment next week, and I'm gonna have to go alone. I have to buy maternity clothes but myself, and watch my bump growing by myself. I have to shop for baby stuff by myself. I have to do all these things by myself. It sucks, and it's not the way I imagined I would become a mother."

"How do you know you'll have to do it all alone? Maybe one of those texts or calls was him saying he's sorry and he made a mistake. If you don't talk to him, you'll never know."