Ponyboy

My first week back to work was hell. I had so many patients that I had to stay late every night. I knew that Audrey was absolutely pissed at me but there wasn't much more I can do. I worked for a private practice, meaning I could make my own hours, but between my girls and work I was feeling worn out and constantly exhausted. Doctor Cross came into my office carrying a coffee and I smiled.

"You look more worn out than you did before your vacation, Ponyboy." He said, handing me the coffee. I nodded,

"It definitely feels like it sir." Doctor Cross was the easiest person I've ever worked for. He tried to typically be my friend before my boss, therefore making this job even just a little easier.

"What's going on?" I sighed and leaned back in my chair,

"Audrey… She wants another baby and I strongly disagreed with her… And she said if I didn't stop working so much she would… She wouldn't be happy. Find someone else who had time for them. We reconciled but then this week has just been absolute hell. I've hardly seen them all week and I know she's pissed at me."

"Well I've noticed you've got a lot on your shoulders lately… I may have a possible solution."

I looked at him, interested his his "solution".

"I'm looking at hiring another doctor to work part time if you wanted to as well. Depending on how the report comes back I may be able to get you a raise."

I nodded and reached to shake his hand, "Yes sir… Thank you very much."

"Start by taking the rest of the week off. I've got two interviews and then we're going to be starting your new schedule for sure next week. Go home Ponyboy and save your marriage."

I let out a sigh of relief and nodded, "Sir you have no idea how much of a dream it's been since I started working for you."

"You're like a son to me Ponyboy."

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Now go home and see your family."

I nodded gratefully and pick up my brief case, saying good night before I drove home. When I

got on my street I sighed when I realized that Audrey's parents were over for dinner.

When I walked into the door Scarlett came over to greet me and I could hear Audrey and her

Mom in the kitchen chatting quietly and her Dad was playing with the girls in the backyard.

"Audrey?" I called, taking my coat off and putting my brief case in the cupboard.

"In the kitchen," She called, and I walked in, kissing her softly before hugging Audrey's Mom, Anna.

"Hello dear, how are you?" She asked, patting my arm gently. Anna was barely five feet tall, and Audrey was only a tad taller than her.

"I'm much better than I was this morning. Audrey... Well I talked to Doctor Cross and... He's offered me a part time position.. And he's going to hire another doctor to help pick up the slack."

I knew she would tell her Mom anyways, the entire family was extremely close and I was glad- I had really missed the family atmosphere until they welcomed me into their family.

"Oh Pony..." I saw her anger slowly melt away and I knew that this would make her happy.

"I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to keep my promise but... I already told him that I would take the offer. I know I've been working more since we got back and I promised I wouldn't and I'm sorry."

She hugged me tightly and I kissed the top of her head. "I'm also sorry that I forgot that your parents were coming over, there was just so much on my mind-"

"Baby don't worry okay? I know that you're working so hard at work but we're going to… We're going to start taking it easier and spend more times with the girls."

I nodded and the back door opened and Maddie came running over to me. I crouched down and picked her up, resting her on my hip and kissing her head,

"Hi dada!" She said, wrapping her arms around my neck. I rubbed her back and Dad came in carrying Harri, smiling at me,

"Ponyboy hey, how's work going?" Mom reached for Harri who eagerly went into her arms.

"It's going good Dad, Doctor Cross has revised my schedule so I'll essentially be working part time from now on."

"That's great Ponyboy!" They all knew that work had been putting a strain on my marriage and I was happy that I'd finally get the chance to slow down. I feel like I haven't had a break since I graduated high school. Most breaks I had during university consisted of studying and extra work to make sure I knew more than anyone else. We started getting our plates full for dinner and went to the table to eat-usually Audrey and I were strict with the girls' manners but tonight I thought I could make an exception and let Maddie sit in my lap to eat. She eagerly did so, I knew that from now on I had to prioritize my girls' life before they got too big to care about me or the relationship we wouldn't have.

"So have you two thought about going to the vacation house?" Her Dad asked and I looked at Audrey,

"To be honest I forgot all about it but I'm sure we wouldn't mind the vacation, let me talk to Doctor Cross and see when I can take some time off."

Audrey looked at her parents, "Is the house being rented this week?"

Her Mom checked her calendar and smiled, "No, the next rental is Monday."

Audrey looked at me and I knew what she was thinking and she was right. We needed some time away, just the four of us to get back to when things were less stressful.

"Do you think we could go up?" I asked hopefully. Dad smiled and nodded,

"Sounds good to me. You two heading up that way tonight?" He asked and I nodded,

"Yeah that's not a bad idea. We can get there for the morning and spend the first day there on the beach." Mom smiled,

"Well if you're taking the Range Rover and you've got extra room let me know, we've got some sheets to send back up."

"We can make room Mom, we'll pick them up before we leave." We continued eating before we started into the kitchen to do the dishes,

"Let me do those," Mom said, "Go and get packing, you both deserve the vacation." We smiled in appreciation and I brought Maddie to her room and I started packing her a bag. It was easy to pack for Maddie, she had outfits hung together and I just got a few pretty outfits, a couple hats, socks and underwear, swimsuit, and some shoes. I knew that I'd have ot pack their tooth brushes, Maddie would also need her bear- Cherries, and her blanking, but they were both small enough they could fit in the overnight back for her.

I brought Maddie into my room as I packed things for myself, two pairs of jeans, a bathing suit, a couple different shirts, a sweater, and some socks and underwear as well. I packed my washroom stuff, consisting of a razor, body wash, shampoo, toothbrush, and a comb. I then remembered that Maddie would probably need a sweater at the very least so I went back into her room to get one of those. Audrey came out of Harri's room with a small bag packed as well and we left it at the top of the stairs. I grabbed my favorite pillow and Audrey's favorite pillow and Dad started packing it all into the back of the car. This was probably the quickest we've ever gone on vacation. I had to pack my tablet and my laptop, even though I wasn't working persay I still had to answer emails and kept in the loop with follow ups. Audrey packed her book and some activities for the girls to do while we were driving if they were awake. We got dog food packed as well as some toys for Cookie and Scar, Mom and Dad volunteered to watch them while we were gone.

We put everyone in our car that was supposed to be there before we followed Mom and Dad back to their house, grabbing the sheets and some other things that had to go back. I rubbed my eyed tiredly and Audrey smiled,

"Why don't I drive babe? I had a nap today with the girls." I looked at her and I couldn't help but smile,

"Okay babe, thanks." We hugged her parents good bye before we climbed into the Rover, and I lowered the seat back so I could fall asleep. I woke up a couple hours later so see both girls fast asleep in their car seat and Audrey singing along to the radio quietly.

I reached over and gently rested my hand on her thigh. "You alright?"

She nodded, reaching down to lace her fingers with mine, "I'm okay, I was thinking about stopping so I could use the washroom but I didn't want to leave you guys sleeping while I ran in somewhere." I nodded and wiped my eyes,

"Alright babe, why don't you pull over when you can and I'll keep my eye on the girls while you go to the washroom?" She nodded and started making her way over a couple lanes to get off at the next on route. She ran in quickly and I checked my phone, seeing a couple messages in the group chat from the boys, and a few emails from Doctor Cross that were just to keep me informed. Audrey came back out with two coffees and I couldn't help but smile. Audrey and I were coffee addicts.

"Thanks babe, did you want me to drive for the next little while?" I asked and she shook her head,

"I'm okay for a little longer babe, I'm sure it won't be much longer before the girls need to use the washroom." I nodded in agreement, and I couldn't help but look at my wife and wonder how I'd ever gotten so lucky.

I was sitting on the rooftop terrace one night, studying and smoking a pack of cigarettes away. I had a big test coming up, and I'd usually do the best work at night. I had music playing quietly, a playlist I'd put together to remind me of home while I missed it. My apartment wasn't anything nice, there wasn't even a bedroom for me and I didn't really have enough room for a couch, but this was what I could afford, even with Darry and Sodapop helping me. When they come to stay over some weekends we either share a bed and one of us ends up on the floor or the two of them will share a hotel room. I have to admit that when they sleep over and Darry wakes us up with breakfast it makes me feel homesick and nostalgic, ninety nine percent of the time I was alone here. I didn't bother with girlfriends and I hardly ever hooked up with girls. I put the butt of my cigarette in the planter beside me and I blew out what was left in my lungs. I took a sip of Pepsi- Darry had told me the last time he was here if I didn't cut it out my teeth would be rotten.

I changed the song and I started reviewing my notes and I heard a strangely comforting voice start talking,

"AC/DC huh? That's what you study with?" I looked around before looking to my right and I saw a girl walking over. God she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. She was in a plain black tank top that was a deep v-neck with laces running across her chest and a pair of light washed jeans. Her hair was wavy and a really beautiful shade of dark auburn an her eyes were the shade of chestnuts.

"It reminds me of when I didn't want to stab my eyes out because of studying." I said and she grinned,

"What are you taking?"

"I'm majoring in paediatrics at Baylor, how about you?" She grinned,

"No way, I'm majoring in psychiatry and behaviour sciences." I grinned,

"Wow that's awesome. It's funny we've never met before."

"Yeah, especially since we live in the same building." She said playfully and I smiled,

"Did you want to sit? I'm tired of studying." I said and she seemed to consider my offer briefly before nodding,

"Sure thing." She went inside and I looked down to try and remember what I was wearing. I counted my blessings that I was at least wearing a nicer pair of sweatpants and my old track teeshirt.

She walked out and smiled, taking the seat beside me after I moved my laptop.

"Are you hungry? I was just thinking about ordering some food." I said and she nodded,

"That'd be great. What did you want to order?"

"There's a small burger joint down the road that delivers and I'm on a first name basis with their delivery guy."

"Okay sure, what do they have there?" She asked and I pulled out my phone where I had a list of things they offered, they didn't even have a website for a menu.

"I usually get the double cheeseburger with bacon and fries and onion rings."

She looked me up and down before looking back at my phone, "Alright that sounds good to me. I'll do the same. But sweet potato fries instead of regular fries."

I nodded and called to order. While I was on the phone she started reading over some of my notes. She smiled when I hung up and I smiled at her,

"I'm Ponyboy by the way." She giggled,

"Yeah and my name is Cloud."

I grinned, I hadn't expected her to take it well (no one ever does, but I was happy she was capable of joking).

"I'm serious."

"Yeah right. Let me see some I.D." She said, turning so she was facing me and crossing her legs. I pulled out my wallet and showed her my drivers license and she grinned,

"I'll be damned. Nice to meet you Ponyboy Michael Curtis, I'm Audrey."

"Well it's very nice to meet you Audrey."

"So where are you from? You don't sound like you're from around here," She observed, and I shook my head,

"No, I'm originally from Oklahoma but I've been here since I was eighteen and I started at Texas State."

"No kidding, I went there too! Wow, what are the odds we've only met now?"

"Right? God, what are the odds we both got into Baylor and ended up neighbours." I said, and she grinned and shrugged,

"Maybe it's fate."

I laughed and reached for a cigarette, "You smoke?" I asked and she nodded, so I lit the cigarette for her and I lit one for myself, taking a deep breath, letting the smoke fill my cravings. She took a drag before she started coughing and I grinned,

"You didn't need to take it, you know."

She grinned and put the cigarette out, "I don't smoke very often, hardly ever but I've been with guys that smoke." I nodded and shrugged, blowing the smoke out.

"I'm trying to quit, I'm planning on it when I find a co-op placement because I don't want to smoke around kids, but it's so much easier to use this and running to relieve my stress."

"You run? You don't run alone around here do you?" She questioned and I shook my head,

"No I usually walk to the campus and then I try and run by the river." She smiled,

"Well that's good, I love my studio apartment but the neighborhood doesn't exactly make me feel safe."

I smiled, I could tell just from her clothes that she had come from a well off family, but to me this neighbourhood was ten times nicer than the one we had back home.

"I like this neighbourhood to be honest. It's like this back home, if not a little worse. It feels comfortable to me." She nodded in understanding and we heard footsteps coming up the fire escape and I grinned,

"Alex, hey!" I said, getting my wallet out to get the money to pay. Alex grinned and shook his head,

"Nah man it's on us this time. Enjoy!" He said, passing me the two paper bags. I grinned when I saw the extra Pepsi and I couldn't help but chuckle when there was a note from Alex's mom, the restaurant owner. 'So glad you finally have company! See you soon sweetie!'

Audrey read it over my shoulder and grinned, "How often do you order from here?" She asked, getting the food out of the bag,

"Oh god at least once a week if not more. During the exam season probably once a day." She laughed and started eating the fries,

"If the burger is better than this I understand why. This is fantastic."

We ate in silence before she wiped her mouth off and smiled at me, "So Ponyboy, tell me about you."

"Well… You already know where I went to school and where I'm from. I have two brothers, Sodapop and Darry. Darry is married with a baby boy, Darrel Junior, following our tradition, and Sodapop is seeing a girl named Presley. I have four other guys I'm really close with, we're practically brothers as well but my best friend got a scholarship to a school in Maine, and then found a girl there so I hardly see him any more, he can't really afford to keep coming home on holidays and breaks."

"That's tough, I'm sorry. Do you guys skype at least?"

"Yeah, we facetime, especially when he had homework- he's a paramedic and he tended to have a hard time understanding and studying so I had the knowledge to at least make it easier. But now we text every day and we try to call once a week if not more."

"Well that's great!"

"Tell me about you." I asked smiling. She grinned and took a sip of her Pepsi,

"Well I'm an only child, I have a few really good friends at home in Plano that come to visit every so often, and here I have a few friends but none that are life long or anything."

"Are you close with your parents if you're an only child?" She nodded,

"I've been close with my parents my entire life. They've never really given me a reason not to be close with them. Are you close with your parents?"

I felt a small pain in my heart- this is the thing I hated most about getting to know new people.

"Uh yeah, we're all pretty close." I said, looking down. She took my hand,

"Ponyboy… I'm sorry that was a stupid question… There's a reason you've only ever had your brothers over."

"It's okay, it's been a while now and I've… well I've moved on. They died when I was thirteen and… I don't think I truly accepted their deaths until after I graduated high school. I guess a part of me always hoped that we'd been lied to and Mom and Dad would waltz in one day like nothing went wrong."

She nodded and then moved closer to me, resting her head on my shoulder. I kissed her head softly and we both looked up at the stars.

"So any reason for the fancy get up?" I asked after a little while and she smiled and shrugged,

"Some of my friends dragged me out and I ended up spending some time with this gross guy… He just made me feel uneasy and I left early so I wanted to come and clear my head. I guess I'm lucky I did." She said smiling at me. I took this opportunity to gently kiss her.

When we finally arrived at the beach house it was around four in the morning and I was exhausted and so was Audrey. We brought the girls in the house before tucking them into bed in the room beside the master. Audrey and I got as far as getting undressed before we laid down and we were out like lights.