When I'm Gone
Disclaimer- I wish I owned them…
A/N: Just another short standalone piece. A special thanks goes out to everyone who reviewed both Locked Hearts and The Reason, you guys rock!
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Jennifer returned from her trip to the convenience store, stashing her purse on the desk by the door and walking leisurely into the cozy living room. Dropping the plastic grocery bag on the floor, the contents clunking together, she reclined into the sofa. Placing her hands over her swelled abdomen, it hit her that today was her due date.
Today.
The little one made it. No more waiting. No more worrying.
She laid her head back onto the top of the sofa, smiling. After resting there a few moments, her excitement got the best of her. She grabbed the armrest and slowly lifted herself off the couch, ready to sprint off and relay the great news to Patrick.
Jennifer carried herself on tired feet to the bottom of the stairs. Peering around the corner, she called, "Patrick?"
No response answered her enthusiastic voice.
"Where could he be?"
She set her next destination on the kitchen, making her way to the swinging door. With a slight shove the door swung on its hinges. Jennifer peered into the dimly lit room, the last remnants of the receding sunlight striped through the curtains and painted on the floor.
"Patrick, are you in here?"
Nothing but the breeze swishing through the open window above the sink. Disappointed, Jennifer was about to return to the living room when something caught her eye. Entering the kitchen, she looked closer. It was a note pinned on the refrigerator charmingly with a magnet she had received as a gift the previous Christmas from Abby.
'Jennifer,
Went out for a bite to eat with Mimi. I'll be back shortly. Call me if you need anything. And remember, don't overexert yourself!'
"Love, Patrick," Jennifer read aloud. She placed her hand over her heart, joyful at his sincerity. She gently left the handwritten note sway down to the countertop. She was about to lean back against the cool refrigerator door when a sharp pain struck her stomach.
Hands swung down to grab the area that ached and she fell against the counter. With trembling fingers she grabbed the countertop and slowly slid herself to the floor, reaching down again and running her hands over her stomach. Leaning her head against the linoleum, she called out, "Oh God, Patrick, please… I need you."
---
"So… What is it like living in the Deveraux household?" Mimi's voice rang crisply through the chilled evening air. Patrick looked up from his all-American cheeseburger, a French fry dangling from his hand in midair.
"What's gotten you so curious?" Patrick inquired.
"Nothing," she snapped quickly in her usual demeanor. "You never mention it, so I just thought I would casually bring it up."
Patrick dropped his fry and rubbed his hand on his jeans. "It's…" he paused, searching for the perfect wording so Mimi wouldn't jump to the wrong conclusion about Jennifer and him. "Jennifer has treated me well."
"Have you returned her generous hospitality?"
"Of course! Jennifer means the world to me."
Patrick realized his slip up after it was too late. Mimi watched as his eyes grew large and a pink tint fluttered through his cheeks.
"She what?" Mimi squealed, leaning over the table in case her ears deceived her.
"All right, now you're starting to sound like you-know-who."
Mimi's jaw dropped as she flinched back into her seat. "Oh… my… God!"
Patrick gave her a knowing smile, using the same techniques he used as a child to prevent himself from laughing and receiving an unidentified flying object in the face. Mimi may be small, but she packs quite the punch.
Patrick left Mimi to her misery, saying simply, "I had better get going, Jennifer might start to wonder where I am. Good luck with this, by the way."
Mimi threw him a grimace and lazily raised her hand to wave goodbye. Patrick grabbed his blue jean jacket from their booth at the Brady Pub and flung it onto his shoulders as he walked out the door.
He felt the sudden need to rush home, to get to Jennifer as quickly as possible. It was as if a secret alarm were set off in the back of his mind and he unknowingly increased his pace, walking briskly down the cold sidewalk. The nagging feeling wouldn't cease and he gave in, pulling his cell phone from his pocket and dialing Jennifer's number.
---
The telephone rang clearly through the house, bringing Jennifer back after drifting in and out of consciousness. She weakly raised her arm, reaching desperately for something to grab hold of and lift herself off the floor.
Out of strength, she dropped her arm back to her side in defeat. She could sense who was calling but didn't have enough energy left to answer it. The phone continued to ring insistently, begging her to pick up the receiver and speak.
Another pain ran through her abdomen. The contractions were growing stronger and closer together. Through the pain she heard the ringing stop and dropped her head to the floor once again, emitting a painful scream.
Before she drifted off again, she managed a low, "Patrick…"
---
Patrick placed his cell phone back in his pocket and checked his watch. She would usually be home by this hour, but it's not late enough for her to be asleep just yet. Shivering with worry, Patrick took off on a race for home, every worst case scenario running through his head over and over again.
Brushing past a young couple walking in the light of the receding sunshine, Patrick dashed up to Jennifer's front door and found it locked. He craned his neck and checked the driveway, only to find her car parked neatly in its place.
He bent down and retrieved the spare key from under the doormat and clicked the lock open in a matter of seconds. Bolting through the door, his eyes scanned the room before him and pierced the living room. Spotting the plastic grocery bag Jennifer had dropped off near the couch, he knew she was in here somewhere.
Feeling her presence, he followed his instincts to the kitchen door, pausing as he composed himself. Prepared for the worst, Patrick pushed the door wide, immediately noticing Jennifer's limp body sprawled next the counter.
"Jennifer!"
He rushed to her side, kneeling next to her and gently lifting her head onto his lap. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, brightening the moment they laid eyes on him.
"Thank God you came," Jennifer managed weakly, another contraction wracking her body.
"Shhh, just lay still. What happened?" he asked, more worried now than ever before.
"The baby…"
She squeezed Patrick's hand, fighting the pain.
"Just breath and stay calm. I'll help you out to the car and we'll get to the emergency room. Think you can make it?"
"Yeah, I think so. The contractions are getting closer, so we really need to hurry."
"Hold on," Patrick said, flinging Jennifer's arm across his back and lifting her off the floor.
Jennifer held on tightly, somewhat comforted by Patrick coming to her rescue.
---
Once at the hospital, Patrick helped Jennifer out of the car and picked her up off the ground, rushing to the doors. As he barged in Lexie was passing through on her rounds and did a double take when she saw them.
"Patrick, what's going on?"
Jennifer's eyes were slowly opening and closing. She was barely aware of her surroundings, which alarmed Lexie.
"I came home and found her lying on the floor. The contractions are only a little over a minute apart, but I'm still worried. She's so weak she can hardly stay awake," Patrick said, worry evident in his voice.
"Okay, follow me. Try to keep her from falling asleep," Lexie said, leading Patrick through the crowded ER and into a small, private room. "Lay her down on the bed, we don't have a lot of time."
Patrick did as the doctor ordered, placing Jennifer on the clean white sheets. Jennifer drifted back again and looked around the room, bewildered.
"Wh- where am I?"
"It's all right, we're at the hospital. Lexie's here, and soon," Patrick said, laying one hand on her stomach, "there will be another little Deveraux in the world."
Lexie entered the hall and returned with a nurse, prepped for the delivery. "I'm sorry Patrick, but you'll have to wait outside."
"No!" Jennifer shouted, entwining her fingers with his. "I want him to stay."
"Very well then," Lexie said, motioning for the nurse and went to Jennifer's side. "You made it! Now all you have to do is get this little guy or girl into the world." She flashed Jennifer a bright smile, who in turn grinned weakly. "And thank you Patrick. Who knows what might have happened if you weren't around."
The nurse announced that everything was ready to go and handed Lexie a pair of sterile gloves. Once she checked to be sure that everything was good to go, she said encouragingly, "All right, Jen. On the count of three, I want you to push as hard as you can."
Jennifer nodded her understanding. "One… Two… Three!"
Leaning forward in the bed, Jennifer gave it her all, tightening her grip on Patrick's hand in the process. Patrick wrapped his free hand across her shoulders and moved closer, trying to give her the extra boost to get through this.
Jennifer moaned and fell back on the pillow, exhausted. Lexie whispered something to the nurse and turned back to Jennifer and Patrick.
"There's a small complication. The baby is breech, but with a simple maneuver we can easily solve this. We'll need to get you prepped for a Cesarean immediately. Patrick, I'm afraid you can't be present for this," Lexie said, sympathetic for Jennifer's previous request.
Patrick turned to Jennifer, who just nodded simply saying she understood. Before he stood, he took her hand once more. "Stay strong. I'll be right out there," he said, slipping his medallion into her hand. With one last look back, he closed the door to the hospital room shut behind him.
---
Lexie entered the waiting room to find Patrick with his head in his hands, nervously tapping his foot off the linoleum.
"He's here."
Patrick's head snapped up and looked at Lexie's smiling features.
"He?"
"Jennifer just had a beautiful baby boy," Lexie answered, winking and nodding her head in the direction of the room, letting him know that Jennifer had beckoned him.
Patrick walked to the room on shaky feet, feeling warmth pass through his body at the sight before him. He walked further into the room and Lexie closed the door, giving them their privacy.
"Wow," was all Patrick could say, a wide grin across his face as he stared at Jennifer holding a tiny figure smothered in a blanket.
"I know," Jennifer said in a small voice, her eyes bright with joy as she looked up from her little bundle of hope and into Patrick's deep hazel eyes. "Come over here and say hello."
Patrick returned to the seat that he was forced to vacate earlier and moved it back to Jennifer's bedside. "Did you pick out a name yet?"
"I was actually hoping we could do that together," she said, looking at him expectantly.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I mean, you're going to be a prominent part of this little guy's life now, so I thought you should get to join in on the best part."
"Wow, I'm honored," he said, not expecting to get this type of responsibility. "So what do you have in mind?"
"I was thinking… Patrick." She said, a cute smile arching further across her face and making Patrick's heart melt.
"You're serious? I get my own namesake?" She laughed as he pulled her into a hug.
"What about a middle name for little Patrick?"
He thought for a moment and then pulled her closer. "How about Jackson?"
She paused for a brief moment, lost in his intensity before looking back to her newborn. "Jackson…" she whispered.
"What do you think? Should we go with Patrick Jackson Deveraux, or do I need to brush up on my baby naming skills?"
She laughed and scooted closer to his side of the bed, welcoming the smell of his cologne to waft through her senses, causing her heart to skip a beat.
"It's perfect."
Patrick reached a hand out and took one of the baby's in his own. He rubbed Jennifer's arm with his other hand leaned in to plant a kiss on her forehead. "So there you go. You did it."
She looked him straight in the eye, their faces so close she could feel his breath skimming over her skin.
"With you by my side, I can do anything."