Disclaimer: I do not own IT or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way.
A/N: You know I find myself saying one thing but then doing something else entirely. This is pretty much it. I know I said I wasn't going to update again until I saw the movie when it came out in September but then I thought about it. Like really thought about and decided screw it. I'll update again! So here it is. A new chapter. I think it is better this way because I really want to start updating again when Gwen is getting ready to leave for Derry, which will be in the next chapter. This chapter is definitely more for you Gwen x Stan shippers. You guys will understand why that is.
Before reading this chapter, let me explain a few things.
As I said in my previous chapter author's note, I'm probably going to change a few things regarding movie scenes. But I won't know for sure until I see that movie. Hopefully not too much because I like to stick to the canon as much as possible. However, not everything is gonna be the same. Case in point, the whole Stan and Patty pairing.
Now I would like to also say that I am not a Stan x Patty hater. I actually really liked their relationship from what I read in the novel. They really cared for one another and reading in the scene where Patty finds Stan's dead body in the bathtub was heartbreaking. However, as you all know Stan's fate is different in my version. And because this is a Gwen x Stan pairing things are going to go a differently with Stan and Patty. Though there will be angst regarding how Stan and Gwen are going to react and then interact with one another when they reunite. It won't be smooth sailing for this ship just yet.
In this chapter I get into Patty's POV regarding her relationship with Stan. And I just want to clarify that Stan does care for Patty but at the end of the day I think we all know who Stan would choose to be with. That's all I gotta say. Enjoy the chapter because this time (I do mean it) I will not update until I see the movie in September.
And yes I saw the eight minute sneak peek for IT: Chapter Two after the end credits when I saw IT: Chapter One on the 3rd of August. The scene was awesome and they did an amazing choice with the casting. I totally believe the actors are the adult Losers. And I'll say this again...Bill Hader is Richie Tozier. Now have fun reading this chapter.
"Do you think the universe fights for souls to be together? Some things are too strange and strong to be coincidences." ― Emery Allen
Chapter 28: Calling Stanley Uris
The frown on Gwen's face didn't disappear once the caller was revealed. Instead the frown remained, as did her puzzlement.
Mike?
Mike who? She knew her fair share of Mike's. She even had a cousin named Mike who lived in Indiana...but Gwen seriously doubted this was him. She hadn't spoken to that cousin of hers in years. Gwen released a sigh.
"I'm sorry but you're going to have to tell me your last name."
"Gwen, it's Mike...Mike Hanlon."
The Tozier woman was dumbfounded. She couldn't find any words to say. She really was speechless. The last time Gwen found herself to be this speechless was when Richie called to tell her their father died. The aftermath hadn't been pretty. Gwen had given Richie (after a long moment of silence) a very weak reply before she hung up, ignoring Richie's protest about staying on the phone line with him.
Gwen then proceeded to let the faux walls of indifference she tried so hard to maintain over the years fall apart. After an hour of crying her eyes out she called Richie again, and then her mother. She could tell that both were surprised by how calm she sounded over the phone. Neither at the time were aware of just how heartbroken she was on the inside. The emotional pain had been so raw, personal, that Gwen thought she would never feel that way again. Not until another family member passed. Which she hoped wouldn't be for a long, long time. Clearly she had been wrong about not having to experience that pain anytime soon. She didn't know it quite yet but this phone call was the start to a heart-rending journey.
"Mike Hanlon?" Gwen repeated, finally finding her voice. Her tone was one of hesitance, as if she misheard the name that was said. For a second she actually found herself hoping that she misheard him. Needless to say that made her stomach twist with a familiar feeling she knew to be guilt.
"Yes, Mike Hanlon from Derry."
That confirmation had Gwen picturing Mike nodding his head, even though she had no idea with how he looked like now that it's been years. Her mind began to take over just as much as her fidgeting was. She was slowly going up and down on her toes, clenching and unclenching her free (left) hand while the right one held onto the phone. Gwen told herself that she needed to keep moving otherwise she was going to become speechless again. If someone were to have seen her doing all this they would have thought she was on something but really all that fidgeting had more to do with her ADHD.
Well, Gwen thought it was her ADHD but on better inspection who knows. Maybe it was something else...nerves? Fear? Gwen shuddered at that last part. She felt her fingernails from her left hand dig into her palm. She quickly unclenched, not at all bothered by the sting the pressure left behind. No...Gwen thought, she settled on her movements being caused by her ADHD and not by something else. Though over the years her ADHD had somewhat leveled. She of course still took medication for it but as her mother would say (whenever she saw her that is), "you're less animated now than when you were a kid," except Gwen couldn't really confirm if that was true or not due to her hazy childhood memories.
That's why hearing Mike Hanlon's name thew her off. Just as much as hearing that other five letter word.
Derry.
That town name certainly was a blast from the past. Gwen hadn't visited her childhood hometown in years. Not since her parents moved after Richie graduated high school and left for college. After Richie's departure into the real world, her mother and father moved to the city of Seattle. That's where they settled down and tried making a new life for themselves now that both of their kids had entered adulthood. Except her father was now gone and it was just her mother who resided in the rainy city. A rainy city that was very far away from Derry.
Since she had no more family in Derry, Gwen had no reason to go there. Now that she thought about it better, Gwen couldn't remember the last time she was in Derry. She of course visited her family during the holidays when in college, but after some thoroughly thinking, everything was a blur. Another thought popped into her mind that made her furrow her eyebrows. Did she even see Mike Hanlon during any of the rare times she had been in Derry? Who knows. All Gwen really knew (at the moment) was that she hadn't spoken to Mike Hanlon in what felt like forever. Which made the phone call even more random. Just why was he calling her now of all times?
"Mike." Gwen replied, trying to sound put together. As if her mind hadn't been all over the place. "It's been a while, hasn't it? What's the occasion?" By now she'd stopped going up and down on her toes and was instead shifting her weight between her feet.
"Yes, it has." Mike answered in a friendlier tone of voice. For a second there Gwen felt like smiling, a real honest smile. It finally hit her (really hit her) that she was hearing from her old friend, Mike Hanlon. There was a spark that she assumed was happiness, a spark that felt weird because it had been a long time since she felt that way. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to bask in the feeling for long. Mike spoke again, this time more solemn. "Gwen, I need you to come home."
That made an odd thought appear. But I am home, aren't I? Gwen shook that odd thought away. "I don't understand." She answered, bewildered. She stopped moving completely and soon after she felt a pain in her chest. It felt as if she'd been punched right in the middle. It was an unpleasant feeling. "Why would I return to Derry?"
"Do you remember the oath? The one we made when we were kids?"
Gwen felt the muscles on her right leg start to twitch. The feeling went all the way to her right shoulder where it transformed into a different feeling. Her right shoulder now felt as if it were on fire. Gwen almost let out a cuss word but managed to stop herself. She knew her shoulder wasn't really burning. There were no flames but it sure felt as if that were the case. Her shoulder hurt a lot. She tried her best to ignore the pain as she thought about what Mike said.
No...yes...maybe? Despite her determination to ignore the pain, Gwen felt as if her living room was now spinning. The Tozier woman wanted to solely blame her hangover for feeling such dizziness but she knew the real reason why. It was really getting harder and harder to ignore the pain from her right shoulder. She suddenly found herself wishing she had a pill bottle of Vicodin inside her bathroom cabinet. Just like the one she was given after the 2011 car crash she was in. A side impact collision that was caused by a driver that was coming from Gwen's left side. That driver had been distracted by texting as Gwen was later informed while in the hospital. That car crash left her with a few broken bones and brutally bruised. Gwen was given Vicodin by the doctor to help with her pain, and like with several people she knew in the Hollywood world, she too almost fell into the Opioid craze. Key word being almost. She hadn't been dragged into it that far. And no one besides Jeanne and Richie knew about the Vicodin drama.
Gwen was able to trust Jeanne regarding her Vicodin "problem", and as for Richie...well, he couldn't judge considering the shit he'd taken for himself over the years. Although Gwen knew Richie wasn't an addict. He'd just experimented around with a few substances here and there as she had. At the end of the day, (not much to Gwen's surprise) Richie had more willpower than her. At least she thought so. But then again, one drug user couldn't judge another drug user. Even if that person was an ex-user. Except that's exactly what she did during the argument Richie and her had. After cooling down, and realizing her mistake, Gwen spent nights wishing she hadn't said those things to Richie...but she had and there was no erasing that.
Now regarding her problem (not that she thought it was a real problem), in Gwen's mind she didn't see her almost addiction to Vicodin to be that serious. It'd been five years now and Gwen was as clean as a whistle when it came to pain medication. Gwen already had enough darkness in her life, so why add more with drugs? Besides, that whole drug thing was a phase she already went through and based from experience she was completely over it. Therefore, she shook away her thoughts on Vicodin.
Gwen cleared her throat. Mike's question had struck a nerve, that was obvious. Now she was trying to get back on track.
"I seem to recall bits and pieces but we did make some type of promise, didn't we?"
Mike's answer was solemn. "We did. It was a blood oath."
For some reason after hearing Mike say that she looked downwards, at one of her palms. At first Gwen saw nothing but then with closer inspection she finally saw it. The cut on her palm. The cut was faint but it was there. Gwen balanced the phone on her shoulder as she kept looking at the cut. Her dark brown eyes wide, and glistening. There was a lot she didn't remember from her childhood. Like how she got the cut on her palm. Gwen never really gave it much thought, assuming it was from some accident during her youth. From what her parents told her (mainly her mother) she'd been a wild child. She would get into all kinds of nonsense. So that would have explained a cut that like. However, what was odd was that the cut had never been too obvious. Except for right now because the cut now stood out more than ever.
The same could be said about the scar on her right shoulder. Gwen hated (but at the same time was relieved) that she couldn't remember how exactly she got that scar. According to her mother (again) she had been bit by one of the dogs in town. A big dog. That was a story Gwen always had trouble believing in. She didn't remember going to the doctor or anything like that. The whole thing was a blur, just like the majority of her childhood. Unlike the cut on her palm the scar was more angry looking and whenever Gwen wore anything that revealed her scar she would get self-conscious. She did a great job hiding her self-consciousness from the cameras.
"Gwen, I need you to come back to Derry as soon as possible." Mike spoke faltering her thoughts.
Gwen took hold of the phone again, straightening out her posture. As she did this the pain on her shoulder escalated. For a brief moment there, Gwen felt a sharpness dig into her skin almost as if she were being bit into. Gwen shook her head, denying that just happened. It's all in your head. There's nothing wrong with your shoulder. Now get it together so you can answer Mike. She took a deep breath. "Um, I have to see if I can work something out. My schedule―"
"Gwen, please." Mike earnestly interrupted her. "This is important. I need you here. We need you here."
Gwen blinked several times. The pain subsided as she processed what Mike said. "We...did you call Richie?" She asked evenly, though there was definitely a hint of urgency of wanting to know thrown in there.
"Yes, I did." Mike answered her. "A few minutes ago, actually."
Gwen now knew how he got a hold of her through her private line. Leave it to Richie, she thought fondly. "That's how you got this number." She said what she was thinking aloud.
"Yeah, I needed to contact you and I figured he'd be the fastest way how. He told me calling you on your cellphone would be pointless, and that calling the phone at your apartment in Brighton would be better. So he gave me this number instead." There was a relieved sigh. "I'm really glad you picked up. I was worried you wouldn't. Richie told me how you're quite busy." A low chuckle, one Gwen classified as amusement, escaped Mike. "I hardly know anyone that still uses landlines."
"What can I say? The life of a singer." Gwen tried to lightheartedly say. "And I guess I'm just old fashion when it comes to the whole getting into contact." Not that I keep in contact with anybody. Not even my own brother. I'm shithead like that. Gwen thought to herself, and then once again that shitty feeling returned.
The conversation turned serious once more. "So, will you come?"
Gwen lowered her eyes as she rolled her right shoulder. By now the pain had steadied, making it more bearable. The room had longed stopped spinning. She found herself able to think things properly. At first she wanted to say no. A flat out no. That she wouldn't be returning to Derry, that she had nothing or no one that made her want to return. Except actually going through with that answer seemed wrong. So very wrong and it left a bad taste in her mouth. She thought back to the cut on her palm, the promise she made with the others, and soon the correct answer escaped her. One that made the bad taste in her mouth disappear.
"Yeah." Gwen quietly said before strengthening her voice. "I mean, yes. I'll be there."
"Good." Mike answered, and Gwen could have sworn there was a hint of satisfaction in his tone. One that made her want to picture him smiling. Not the type of smile one would get when winning a game but rather when there was a tie and both parties would shake hands and continue on. "I'll text you the info. I trust you'll look at your cellphone for that?"
Gwen let out an exhausted laugh. She couldn't help but find it funny that Mike sounded almost like scolding parent. She was the older one, wasn't she? How ironic. "I will, and then I'll try to get the next flight to Maine. Whenever that may be."
"Hopefully soon."
"Hopefully." There was a pause and for a moment there Gwen panicked that the call somehow dropped. "Hey, Mike?"
"Yes?" Mike answered, and unknown to Gwen he was relieved that she had continued speaking. For a moment there it did seem like the call had ended.
"Who else have you called?"
"Everyone else."
"And by everyone else you mean?"
"Bill, Ben, Beverly, Eddie, Stan, Richie, and you." Mike began listing off. "You were the last person I needed to call."
Gwen repeated those names in her head and she was soon bombarded by long forgotten memories. Though they weren't complete memories, just pieces.
Bill and his stutter.
Ben and his knack for knowledge.
Beverly and her beautiful red hair.
Eddie and his adorable rants about germs.
Stan and his love for birds and cleanliness.
Richie and his lovable Trashmouth.
Mike and his courage to open up even though he thought he was an outsider.
They were Losers. All of them...including herself. The girl with the hyperactive tendencies.
Gwen's eyes widened and she almost let out a gasp. That's what they called themselves. The Losers. They'd been some sort of club. The Losers' Club. She put a hand on her chest and felt the air enter and leave her. How had she forgotten that? Let alone them? With the exception of Richie. Though in a way it felt like she too had forgotten about her brother. It was as if her mind was beginning to open up and it made her wonder what else she had forgotten and would remember.
All of their names made her feel lively. She hadn't felt that way in such a long time. However, one name in particular made her feel more than just high-spirited.
Stan.
That name made her feel young, carefree. Protected even. That strong warm feeling didn't last long because another feeling overtook it. A feeling that Gwen could only describe as spine chilling. It felt as if cold water had been thrown on her. She was now on edge.
Gwen's heart began to race. "Did they all answer?"
"Yes." Mike answered evenly.
"And they all said they were coming?"
"They did."
Gwen's voice wavered with what she asked next.
"Even Stan?"
There was silence and it did nothing to sooth Gwen's growing panic. "He agreed, somewhat." Mike finally answered, quietly, not really sure anymore. "I have to admit he sounded the most nervous. I can't blame him. The call really was out of the blue."
A flash of red appeared in Gwen's mind. The color reminded her of blood. She knew right then that she needed to call Stan. Something within Gwen told her to hurry. She needed to stop something awful from happening. "Can you please give me his number?" She urgently asked Mike. "I-I need to call him myself. I...I need to...I just need to hear his voice."
She was panicking. Mike was able to tell from her breathing and rapid talking. Mike in a way could understand. He too at first felt discontent after ending his call with Stan. A part of him wanted to call back to make sure he was okay but another part (a more reassuring part) told him to continue on with the calls. So he did. He didn't feel alarm anymore because Mike deep down knew that it wasn't him who was supposed to call Stan again. It was supposed to be someone else, someone who remained in Stan's heart. Having his memories intact, Mike knew who that person was. So he did the one thing that resulted in all the Losers to meet up again.
"Okay, I'll give you his number."
Atlanta, Georgia
Patrica Blum, or as she was more affectionately known as Patty Uris since her marriage to Stanley Uris, felt uneasy.
Patty had been feeling this way since Stan ended the call he received. The married couple prior to the phone call were watching TV together, snuggled on their main living room couch. There was no denying that even before the dreaded phone call was made that Stan wasn't one hundred percent there with her. When she leaned more on him there was no response, just him staring into the TV. Paying more attention to the game show that was on rather than her...his wife.
Except this wasn't odd behavior on his part. Not really. It hadn't been for a while.
Patty met Stan during her freshman year at college, at a sorority party no less. Partying wasn't her thing back then (and still wasn't) and apparently it wasn't Stan's thing either. This was something they came to find out about each other on the night they met. At a party that they were dragged to by their friends. After striking conversation with Stan, Patty found herself thanking both her and his friends. From first that conversation Patty learned that Stan was Jewish (like her) and they both were natural introverts. Not to mention they had a love for the outdoors. Patty with plants and Stan with birds.
Not only did she find Stan to be handsome, but he was equally as interesting. Really, it was love at first sight for Patty. She didn't know about Stan but for her she felt like she finally met the one. Whether or not it was love at first sight for Stan, it didn't take long until they started going out. Then in 1998, after only four years of dating, Stan asked her to marry him. Patty of course accepted. They both were twenty-two years old at the time. They've been together ever since. The marriage was a dream come true for Patty...at first.
Now Patty knew that Stan cared for her. He was a good husband. He supported her, comforted her, and always knew what to say whenever she was stressed out at work. Which thankfully wasn't an issue as it first had been when she started her teaching career. She offered the same support when Stan started his accounting career. It'd been a struggle at first but now he worked in one of the most successful accounting firms in Atlanta.
It was if they were blessed or hit with the lucky stick multiple times. Patty couldn't complain when it came to finance and security. They had a lovely home and food on the table. However, the same thing could not be said when it came to their love life. There was just something missing in their marriage...and that was passion.
At the beginning the passion was there. Patty remembered it. Oh, how she loved the passion. The way Stan looked into her eyes before he kissed her. Or the way he would run his hands through her once dark brown hair (she had dyed it blonde in 2013 and had kept it that color ever since), was gentle yet firm as they were intimate with one another. That was something Stan often did at the beginning of their marriage. Like on their wedding night. Now he hardly ever did that, let alone be intimate with her. Patty could't even remember the last time they had sex. If she thought hard on it she'd say probably the last time they laid together was more than a year ago. Possibly two.
When the passion was settling down the unsure thoughts took over. After sometime of thinking things through, Patty got the feeling that even when they were intimate that Stan wasn't really there with her. She'd been able to feel him and hear him but whenever she heard him speak when their limbs were tangled it was as if he wasn't speaking directly to her. That the "I love yous" and the happy sounds he released weren't meant for her. Patty didn't know why she got this feeling, she just did.
Patty at first freaked out but she quickly calmed down. She knew Stan wasn't a cheater. Even now she stood by that. She had the reassurance that Stan would never cheat because that would have ruined the routine they've made over the years. Patty knew that if there was one thing Stan hated more than anything it was a change of routine. So, Patty thanked his OCD for that at least.
Now Patty had no idea who Stan had been speaking to over the phone, but whoever it was they certainly got to him enough that it messed up his regular showering routine. Something that hardly ever got messed with. When she asked where he was going, Stan offhandedly said he was going to take a bath. He gave her a kiss on the cheek (more out of custom than amorous) and walked off in the direction of their bathroom that was upstairs. That made Patty frown, and concern flooded her insides.
Stan never took baths in the early evening, let alone at seven o'clock. His routine had been the same since their marriage in 1998. Stan either showered early in the mornings or late at night. In the early morning he showered with out the radio but late at night he showered with the radio blasting. He liked listening to the radio station that played nineties music. Music that was classified as Grunge. Patty herself had never been a fan of nineties Grunge music, nor did she like some of the singers the radio station played. Stan, however, was the opposite when it came to music. He seemed to like nineties music, with one singer in particular.
Right now there was no music playing. With the exception of the TV (which the volume was on low) it was quiet. Too quiet for Patty's liking. Much like those other times when the silence got to her, Patty quickly found herself wishing she had a child to take care of. Except that wasn't the case and she knew it probably never would be.
Stan and her married so young that having children at first wasn't a priority. The thought of having children wasn't even there. Not until Patty was close to entering her thirties. By then they were very financially stable and even had their own house in Atlanta, Georgia. The same house they continued to live in but also remained empty apart from the two of them. She and Stan in the early to mid 2000s were still somewhat hot and heavy but no baby came from such actions. It wasn't until the year 2011 that Patty told Stan that she really wanted a baby and that they should take things seriously.
By that time Patty was thirty-five and in her mind she thought time was running out. Stan ended up agreeing but despite his participation the year of 2011 had been a challenging year for them. A quick visit to the doctors and she was reassured that they were more than capable of having a child. However, after months of trying no results came. Well, only negative results. When they went back to the doctors they couldn't find anything physically wrong that could explain such results.
Patty blamed herself at the beginning. Stan did his best to reassure her that it wasn't. There were a few times when he said it was his fault they couldn't get pregnant.
"It's my fault. I think my body is stopping me because it can sense doubt. Maybe I'm not ready to be a father."
Patty found that to be absurd because Stan wanted a baby as much as she did. She knew Stan liked kids. Whenever he visited her at work Patty saw how well he got along with the children she taught. So to say he wasn't ready to be a father was crazy.
Except maybe what Stan meant was something else entirely. Once again those nasty thoughts took over and one stood out more than the others.
"Maybe he is ready and does want children but not your children."
This was a thought that often popped into her mind (especially late at night) after her many failed attempts at getting pregnant. Patty never once told Stan about this thought because she knew it would have caused an argument. Not that they argued to begin with. They argued as much as they had sex, which was basically never. Even when they did have sex the arguing wasn't really there. Their marriage was so tame that sometimes Patty wished they would have argued. Anything to cause a reaction out of Stan other than amiability. She wanted the passion...but passion there was not.
Patty let out a sigh as let her gaze wander onto her kitchen. Maybe if she took Stan a drink that would make him feel better. If not any better maybe it would put an end to her uneasiness. Just as she was about to get up she heard Stan's cell phone start to ring. Patty looked down at the living room table where Stan had left his cellphone.
Patty found herself debating whether on answering the call or not. It wasn't like she hadn't ever answered her husband's cellphone before. She had but she worried that she'd be answering a work call. However, when she saw that the number on the phone screen was one of long distance she couldn't help but be curious. It was that curiosity that had her answering the call.
"Hello?"
"Is this Stanley Uris' phone?"
Patty got the urge just to hang up with how frantic the voice on the other end sounded. It also didn't help that it was a woman's voice. Stan would never cheat on you, Patty thought as she fought off wanting to end the call. Something told her not to.
"Yes, who is this?" Patty asked, somewhat guardedly.
"I need you to put him on the phone now, please. Tell him it's Gwen Tozier from Derry."
On the other end of the phone in Brighton, England, Gwen was pacing back and forth in her living room. Her cell phone in a tight grip as she impatiently waited to hear a response. She didn't even have the time to process the fact that it had been a woman who answered. She was just focused on her mission, and her mission was to get Stan on the phone.
There was a gasp and in Gwen's mind she could picture the frown that was mostly likely on this woman's face. "Gwen Tozier? You mean the sing―"
Gwen lost all sense of composure. "Get him on the damn phone!" She yelled, desperate. "Now!"
Back on Patty's end, the forty year old woman was left flabbergasted. She really wanted to hang up the phone now but it was as if something had shocked her because she immediately froze her finger from ending the call right then and there. Then it was if that woman's fanatic emotions were passed onto her because Patty now had the urge to find Stan and hand him the cell phone.
So Patty did exactly that. She quickly told Gwen to wait before she walked upstairs to where the bathroom Stan and her shared. The bathroom door was closed which yet again was another odd thing Patty took into account. Stan never fully closed the door. When she tried turning the knob it was locked. Stan never locked the door either. Patty hurriedly began knocking on the bathroom door. Through her incessant knocking she was able to hear water running from inside. In her mind she was able to imagine a bathtub being filled with water, but the image did nothing to calm her.
"Stan?" Patty called out. "Stanley? Can you hear me?" She raised her voice. By now her knocking had stopped but her talking hadn't. "There's someone on the phone for you. She says her name's Gwen Tozier and that she's from Derry. I think it's that singer, you know the one you lis―"
Patty immediately heard the water stop running. Not long after she heard loud steps coming her way towards the bathroom door. There was a loud clink signaling the door was now unlocked. The bathroom door then creaked open. Patty was able to see half of Stan's face.
"Gwen Tozier?" Stan repeated in complete disbelief.
Patty nodded her head. "That's who she says she is."
Stan then opened the door fully. When he did this Patty was able to see that he no longer had on his cardigan or checkered shirt. He didn't even have on his shoes, let alone socks. All Stan was wearing was his dark jeans and a plain white t-shirt. However, the rest of his outfit didn't seem as neat as before. His clothes looked like they had gone through a tussle.
In fact, now that Patty got a better look at him, Stan himself looked like he had gone through a tussle. His curls were untamed, as if he had been pulling at his own hair. There was redness in his eyes, like he had been crying. Patty's gaze lingered on Stan's face as if this was the first time she was taking notice of the faint scars that were there. Faint scars Stan never liked to talk about.
"Stan?" Patty spoke, voice low.
Stan just gestured for his cellphone.
Patty ignored that gesture and kept the cellphone in her hand. "Who is she to you, Stanley?" She knew who the woman was but who was she to Stan. Patty was willing to admit that Gwen Tozier was a very well known name. However, in Patty's opinion Gwen Tozier was also rather infamous because of how she was portrayed in the media. She couldn't one hundred percent say she liked the woman based on what she's heard about her.
Add to that, if Stan knew Gwen then why hadn't he mentioned that to her? Patty was left puzzled. Especially with the way she sounded on the phone and how she was able to make Patty feel the same way.
Stan froze in place, hand in mid air. He looked at his wife and then lowered his gaze. "A friend." He quietly said. "An old friend. I...I need to take this." He looked up and gestured for his cellphone again. This time Patty did give him the cellphone. "Thank you." He told her before closing the door again.
Patty stared at the bathroom door, slightly dejected. At the same time she felt relief because the concern from before wasn't there anymore. It was for that reason alone that made Patty's retreat to the living room less upsetting than it should have been.
Back inside the bathroom, Stanley Uris was doing his best to keep his hand that was holding his cellphone from shaking. One wrong move and he would have dropped his cellphone onto the floor and he didn't want to take that chance. If his cellphone broke he wouldn't be able to speak to...
"Stan?"
Stan's felt his face flush and his heart race from hearing that voice. That lovely voice. A voice that was on the radio countless times but he hadn't heard say his name in what felt like forever.
"Gwen?"
He found himself saying her name, and he loved the way it sounded.
"Hi, Stan."
The lyrics from one of her songs played in his head. The name of the song was I Trust You To Catch Me and the lyrics never left him entirely. Our love is as high as the birds in the sky. Those lyrics stuck with him since the first time he heard the song when it was released in 1998. The same year he married Patty. Thinking about Patty made the awe of the situation falter but the disbelief was still there.
"Is this really you?" Stan asked as he began pacing in the bathroom.
"It's really me, Stan."
Stan kept pacing, counting the steps in his head as he did so. "I...I don't even know what to say."
There was a soft sound, almost like laughter and Stan wanted so bad to hear that laugh in person, and not just through the phone. "I have to say that it's good hearing your voice. You sound different but that's a given since it's been...well, you know."
Stan's heart raced with what she said. "Yeah...it's been a long time."
"So, you got Mike's call?"
Stan stopped his pacing. From the corner of his eye he saw the razor blade he had taken out from the cabinet underneath the bathroom sink. "He did call me."
"Stan?"
"Hmm?" Stan answered as he looked away from the razor blade.
"Are you coming back? To Derry?"
Stan gulped. He felt the hairs on his arms start to stand again. Just as they did when Mike had called him not that long ago. "I...I'm not sure." He quietly told her. He glanced at the bathtub that was filled with water. The sight was an invitation into numbness. All he needed was the razor blade and everything would end. "I can't for sure say that I'm going. As I told Mike, but I'll most certainly try."
"Stanley."
"Yes?"
"Please do try. Or better yet, can you promise me that you'll go? I know we haven't seen, let alone spoken to each other in all these years, but I...I need you to promise me that you'll go." Gwen's voice wavered with emotion she had do idea was there. Emotion that she felt had been waiting to escape for this exact moment. She decided to not fight against it and instead let those emotions be free. "Please, Stan. For whatever reason Mike wants all of us to come down there for, to that town, I need you by my side." She let out a soft laugh. "You're Stan the Man. It wouldn't be the same without you there."
Stan found himself laughing a little now. That nickname caused amusement and also a small amount of heartache. Except it wasn't enough heartache to cause him to slip back into what he was about to do to himself. "I'll go." Stan earnestly replied. "I promise you. We did make an oath, after all. I can't go breaking that. Just wouldn't be right." He finished saying, muttering that last part to himself. He looked into the bathroom mirror and his reflection stared back at him, less intense. The faint scars that were around his face were no longer causing a disturbance inside him. Unlike before when he had broken down in the bathroom. He'd been so close to doing the unthinkable before his wife knocked on the door saying Gwen Tozier wanted to speak to him.
The need to end it all was now gone.
"Okay, good. So, I'll see you there?"
"Yes." Stan said as he picked up the razor blade and without hesitation threw it in the trashcan next to the toilet.
"Alright. Then I'll catch you on the flip side." Gwen suddenly said and she had no idea where that had come from.
Nostalgia hit him on the head after hearing Gwen say that. That was her usual way of saying goodbye, right? Or at least when they'd been younger. The fluttering sensation in his stomach told him so. He hadn't experienced that feeling for a while now but he had no issues with its return. He welcomed the sensation because it made him less downhearted. Stan's lips curled upwards, forming a small smile. "Yeah, catch you on the flip side."
He then hung up.
Gwen counted to eight before she lowered her cellphone. She really had no idea why she counted to eight and not go all the way to the number ten. Eight just seemed like the right number to stop at.
Gwen expected her distress to return as well as her shoulder pain. Except they didn't. Her distress wasn't present and her right shoulder no longer bothered her.
For the moment everything seemed to be okay.
Gwen couldn't help but wonder how long the unusual quietude would last.