"Come home, Jade. Please." Cat sighs on the phone. She's tempted to phone the police, tell them that she needs her best friend right now. But they'd ask why and she'd never tell on her.
"It would be a fine proposition if I was a stupid girl," Jade says. "I don't want her." Cat wants to scream at her.
"It's too late to decide what you want! She's here and she needs her mommy. I need you. Beck needs you." Cat faltered on the last line. That was a lie. Complete and utter. Beck was out every night getting wasted, kissing and possibly bedding every girl that came his way. He was a wreck without her, but she didn't really know if she wanted him back, such. Cat doubted Jade was any better.
She could hear Jade breathing down the line. "Put her on the phone." Cat hesitated. "Please." Cat sighed and went to get the baby. She brought her down and put her to the phone. Cat put Jade on speakerphone. She heard muffled sobs. "I can't do it Cat. I can't do it."
"Yes, you can. I promise. I'll help you. Come and take your baby," Cat hears the dialling tone and sighs again. "What are we gonna do, huh, baby?" She rocks Olivia, but she keeps stirring. "I know, I know. You want mommy. I want mommy too."
She feeds her and puts her back to sleep. Cat grabs the phone again and punches in Beck's number.
"Hey! This is Beck. Leave a short message –"
"Don't leave any message! We're busy." Jade butts in. There's the beep.
"Beck. Please. You need your baby, come and get her. I'm worried something really bad has happened to Jade and-" The message cuts her off. "Why do I even bother?" Cat asks. The baby gurgles. "Yes, for you. I know." She picks her up again.
This carries on for weeks until Beck takes her. Cat doesn't really want to give her over. He tells her that she better or he'd call the police. She just wanted the beer smell to stop burning her eyes. Cat called Jade that afternoon. "Please, please, just put Olivia on the phone."
"I can't."
"Cat, please. I'm sorry. I know I'm wrong. I just can't come back. Just let me hear her." Cat's words are caught in her throat.
"I'm so sorry. Beck took her a while back." Jade chokes on the other side.
"You let him have my baby?!" Cat sighs.
"She's his baby too. You left her."
"So did he!" Cat blurts a quick sorry and hangs up. Truth is, she's worried about the baby too. She grabs her bag and keys and runs to her car. She finds him at the third bar she goes to. He's not even bothered that the baby s crying her little heart out, teetering on the edge of a barstool in her car seat. Cat takes the baby and he shrugs.
"She only cries anyway."
….
As soon as Cat gets home, she calls Jade. "Pick up, pick up…" Cat prays. On the fourth ring Cat heard a voice.
"Yeah?" Cat wobbles a bit, and then composes herself.
"I think I called the wrong number." She says, about to hang up. She hears a muffled tone in the background.
"Cat?" Jade asks. "Have you got Olivia?" Cat considers hanging up even if it is Jade.
"Who was he?" Cat asks shortly. Jade holds her breath. "You don't even know his name, do you?"
"…"
"Jade!" Cat cries. "You don't do this. You're the smart one." Jade starts to cry. Cat hears no no no I'm not, and all sorts else. "Get. Rid. Of. Him."
"Please." Jade chokes out.
"No, Jade. No."
"Okay, I'll do it."
"Promise?"
"I promise." Three minutes forty seconds later she picked up the phone again. "He's gone." Cat breathed out in relief. Jade might've been strong on the inside, but she was skinny and not very strong physically.
"You need to stop this. You're going to get hurt."
"No one can hurt me more than I already am."
"Oh please. Stop with the clichés. I'll bet they can. Please come home."
"I can't. Please stop trying."
"I've e got your baby here. She won't even know who you are."
"Good, I'd be a useless mother."
"You're just like your father." Cat regretted the words as soon as they came out of her mouth. Jade's breath was knocked out of her.
"I have to go."
…..
Weeks turn into months. Baby is smiling and rolling over and looking at Cat. "Good girl, Olivia!" Cat cooed. "If only your mom or dad was here." She played with Olivia's hands then fed her. Every day she tried Jade's phone, and Beck's phone. Jade picked up two out of three times. Cat worried about her so much. Beck didn't pick up much. Too busy. "Jade? Please come home." That message was always on Jade's messages. Always.
Of course, she came back eventually. When Olivia was four months old, she returned. They'd agreed over the phone that Cat was her legal guardian, and that Jade would send a copy of the document with her signature. She did.
So Cat didn't give her back straight away. "Four days a week?" Cat asked. "And please don't take off. If you can't take it, tell me please. Please." Jade nodded.
"Which days?"
"Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday?" Jade nods, and then chews her lip. Cat raises her eyebrow.
"It's Tuesday." Jade nods again.
"Right."
"You can stay if you want," Cat says gently, touching Jade's paler than ever arm. She flinches.
"Why would you want someone like me to stay? Why would you want me to stay?"
"I love you," Cat says. "You're my best friend. This was your moment of weakness. I've had plenty. It's okay not to be okay," Jade skims her teeth with her tongue, deep in thought.
"Okay." She says. "I'll take myself up to the guest room?" Cat grins and nods, forgetting the last four months.
"I love you Jade, don't forget it." Jade smiles weakly and starts to go up the stairs.
"I love you too."
A/N:
There's one more flashback chapter after this one. I'm sorry it's so long, but obviously this is a big part of their lives. Cat is very understanding here but you'll find out why she's mad in the next chapter. Hopefully you like the flashbacks. I thought I'd upload this before the end of the world *eye roll*.
And if I don't get to update before the 25th, which I probably will because I love flashbacks –
Merry Christmas! (Or whatever you celebrate I hope it's merry :P)