Falling Down
Chapter 39
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I only own the OCs, namely Al. I would also like to state that this is not meant to offend anyone, though if you do take offense to anyone mentioned, then, without any hostility or malice or offense, on my part, I would suggest you do not read this. Thank you.
PLEASE NOTE: So, Al's father in this is Scott Weiland. And as some or all of you may know, he passed away yesterday, at the age of 48. I'd already written this chapter, and he's mentioned in it, and I wasn't quite sure if it was inappropriate to talk about him, in light of these recent events. I've made the decision to not take him out of the chapter. I understand this may bother/offend some people, and I do apologize for it and completely understand if you choose to no longer read this. In real life, I've been a fan of his since I was quite young...probably 6 or 7. That's over 20 years. As sad as it might sound on my end, I was heartbroken when I found out about his passing and (pathetic as it may seem), cried for most of yesterday. He was like a friend to me, in some odd way, as I've known who he was for so long and was a fan for so long. I've seen him live a number of times, and his passing hit hard. With all of that being said, please understand, I mean absolutely no disrespect towards him/his family. And while I will continue with his presence in this story, I am not going to use his death in any way, shape, or form, as that I feel might be taking it a little too far. Rest in peace, Scott.
A/N: A huge thank you to: angelsdee327 (Hahaha right?! I tried to make it at least a little entertaining.), lourdes1694 (I doubt she's going to be very happy, the crazy lady she is. Hopefully she keeps her nose out of their business...), DeeMarie426 (I'm not going to disagree with you there. I mean, after all, the baby has made her speak to him, even though she planned on not doing so. Thank you, unborn baby lol.), and MsConCon (Seriously, every review you leave for me boosts my ego. You are amazing, and quite frankly, you're an incredible writer yourself, lady! But thank you. And these two crazy kids are going to have to work their shit out because now they've got a baby to worry about. But seriously, thank you so much. You're amazing.). I hope you enjoy this next chapter. And again, please understand that I mean no malice, in reference to Scott Weiland still being a part of this story. I love you guys! XoXoXo
Now that Jon knew the truth, Al didn't really know what to expect. She knew that he wanted more than she was willing to give him, at least for the time being. But she was incredibly happy to have him there with her. She felt a significant level of relief, knowing that he was planning on being supportive of the pregnancy and being around for her child. Their child. This baby was theirs, not hers. She had to keep reminding herself of that fact.
"So, how are you feeling?" Jon asked, as the tension between the pair grew, while they sat on the couch.
"Eh. Pretty crappy. I'm tired and feel like I got hit by a bus. My stomach is a complete mess with the morning sickness...and afternoon sickness...and night sickness. The whole idea of it being morning sickness is very misleading," she breathed, shaking her head.
"That sucks."
"Yeah. But whatever. It'll be worth it, in the end."
He nodded slowly. "It will be." He paused, thinking about the idea of having a kid. He never wanted one. Never expected he would be in this situation. But here they were...having a baby. "Wow. We're gonna be parents. That's crazy."
Al let out a small chuckle. "Right? I can't think of two people who seem less like parents than we do."
He smirked. "Yeah. It's pretty funny."
She nodded. "I can't believe it. We're having a kid. That's...even now, it's still so weird," she breathed, absentmindedly placing a hand on her stomach, which still wasn't showing any signs of the pregnancy.
"I want to be with you for all of it. You know? Doctor's appointments and whatever else...I want to be a part of it."
"Are you going to be able to?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're always on the road. I don't think you'll get time off to come to the doctor or to go to Lamaze classes or whatever."
"I will," he confidently replied. "This is more important than anything else. I'm gonna be there for everything, Al. I'm not missing this. I'm not screwing this up. I'm gonna do this the right way. This kid isn't going to deal with anything our parents put us through."
She nodded. "Okay. I mean...it wasn't that I didn't want you around or anything. I just know how your schedule is."
"Well, my schedule will have to deal with it," he replied.
Al gave him a small smile. "I didn't expect you to be so into this."
Jon shrugged. "Honestly? I didn't either. But...the idea of having a kid...I dunno. I just want to do it the right way, you know? Being there and doing whatever I have to just to not be a fuck up and ruining this kid's life."
"Trust me, I know."
"Does your father know?"
"Lizzy and Phil are the only people I told."
"Are you gonna tell him? I mean...he'd be the only grandparent…"
"I dunno," she replied, pursing her lips. "I mean, I'm sure he'll find out anyway with the whole being stalked by the paparazzi thing."
Jon nodded. "Good point. But you should probably tell him before word gets out."
"Maybe."
Al hadn't thought about her father's role in all of this baby stuff. Part of her wanted to tell him the good news. The other part didn't want to end up even more disappointed with him than she already was. And that part also may have been afraid of how he would react hearing that his oldest child was having a baby. He might not have always been an appropriate role model for her, but she still loved him. His opinion of her still mattered to Al.
Before she reached out to her father, Al needed to think about what would be in her baby's best interest. Would she want her father to have the chance to be a grandfather? Or did she want to shut that door for good? She knew that if she didn't allow her father in her child's life, it could very well sever any type of relationship that they had. But at the same time, she didn't want to risk her baby seeing the things that she had at such a young age. But he was still her father.
The next morning, there was a slight sense of awkwardness in the air between Al and Jon. She was sitting at the kitchen island, enjoying a bowl of Cheerios. He walked in, his hair a mess, in a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt. Her eyes definitely gave him a once-over, admiring the way the shirt managed to mold against his muscular body. But she quickly shook those thoughts out of her head and pulled her eyes off of his body.
"Morning," she spoke, in between bites of her cereal.
"Good morning, baby mama," he replied with a smirk.
Al chuckled and rolled her eyes. He grabbed himself a bowl and spoon and took a seat next to her, pouring himself a bowl, as well. "How'd you sleep?" she asked.
"Alright."
"Thoughts of fatherhood keeping you up?"
He nodded. "Yeah. A little. I was thinking about things, you know?"
"Yeah."
"But once I fell asleep, I was out."
"I don't think I've ever slept so much in my life. It's a good thing I don't have a real job because I am always napping and stuff. I'm exhausted all the time."
"Is that normal?" he questioned her.
"Yeah."
"This whole pregnancy thing really screws with you, huh?"
"It sucks, but yeah. I always feel like shit. I'm always tired."
"And soon enough you'll have a huge stomach."
She chuckled. "Yeah. Oh my God. I'll be huge."
"That doesn't bother you?"
"Nah," Al replied. "I really don't care. I've been thin for most of my life. I think it'd be a nice change to gain some weight and have to worry about someone else's body, especially if that body is my baby's."
Jon nodded slowly. "Are you excited?"
"About the baby?"
"Yeah."
A huge grin broke out on her face. "I am. I was just really nervous, when I first found out, but now...I couldn't be happier. How about you?"
"I think I'm still in shock, a little bit. Like it doesn't feel real to me yet. But I'm looking forward to it."
"We got this," she confidently spoke.
"Yeah, we do."
"We're not gonna screw this kid up," Al said, though Jon couldn't tell if she was saying it because she wanted him to know that, or if she was actually worried that there was a chance that they were going to.
"No, we're not. We can do this. Together."
"I think I'm gonna tell my dad," Al told him.
"Okay. Good."
"What time's your flight?" she asked.
"Eleven-thirty."
Al glanced at the clock on the wall. It was six-forty-five. "I guess you'll want to be out of here by nine."
"I'll have a cab come pick me up around then, I guess."
"Why? I'll just drive you."
"You don't have to do that."
"I will. Besides, we need to spend some more time together and get along...and be...friends or whatever."
"You don't need to be driving in New York City...not when you're pregnant with my kid, at least," Jon told her.
While Al wanted to argue with him, she didn't. She liked how protective he sounded when he said that. "Well, at least let me have a car come get you."
"I can handle it. Besides, you should probably work on calling your father."
"Oh, I'm not calling him. He's in New York. He's got a show tonight," she replied. "I figured maybe I could stop by and see him...talk to him...tell him."
"Oh."
"Besides, you know, maybe we can...patch some things up...I dunno. Actually, you're right. I should just call him. That all sounds like a bad idea anyway...just asking for trouble, really. I don't need to deal with that."
"No. I think you should go see him. I think you should try to work some things out with him...maybe try to fix some of the broken shit, you know? I mean...fuck...my parents were terrible. But every now and then, I think that I wish I could try to fix things with them and make my peace with them. But...I can't."
She nodded slowly. "I dunno. I feel like it's such a fragile situation, as it is, and I don't...I don't know."
"Go see him. Talk to him, Al. You never know how much longer people are gonna be around. You want to make the best of it, while they're still here. You don't want to sit around one day, regretting the things you didn't say."
A smile snuck onto Al's face. "When did you become so smart, Mr. Good?"
A laugh escaped him. "Just telling you how I see it, little lady."
"I'm glad you're here."
"Me, too. I'm happy we spoke. It's been killing me to not see you or speak to you for all of this time."
"Yeah. Same here," she agreed, placing a hand on his arm. "I hope we can keep things like this. I like it."
"So do I," he agreed, though that wasn't true. It was killing him to not be able to do any of the things he would have done, had they still been together. While Jon was happy that she was speaking to him again, at least, he hated that things weren't the way that they used to be between them. It was something he knew needed to change, and he would do everything he possibly could to get things going between them again.
"Call me when you land, so I know you're safe," Al said, as she stood in the lobby of her building. Jon's bags were in the car, and he was about to leave for the airport.
He gave her a smirk. "I will," he agreed. "Go see your dad."
She returned the smirk. "I will. I'll call him when I go upstairs and make plans to see him," she said.
"Good."
There was an awkward silence between the pair for a brief moment. "So, I'll uh...I guess I'll see you soon."
"Trust me, you'll be seeing me very soon. There's no way in hell you're gonna get rid of me now," he told her.
Al let a smile take over her lips. "No complaints here."
Hesitating for a brief moment, unsure of what to do, Jon went ahead and pulled Al in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around him, snaking them inside of his jacket, around his torso. He kissed the top of her head. "Take care of yourself and the little one."
"I will," she spoke, her eyes shut, as she enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped up in his arms. Maybe it was the hormones or the circumstances they were currently entwined in, but Al was suddenly overcome with the desire to be with him. She wasn't going to do anything about it any time soon, but she was certainly going to give the idea some thought. After all, it wasn't just about her and Jon anymore. They had a baby to think about. And Al was going to do whatever would be best for their child.
Jon didn't want to let her go. He didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay with Al…like this. He had missed having her in his arms. He knew that she wasn't looking to rekindle things between them right now, but he was certainly hoping that they would be able to, eventually. There was no way he would be able to spend so much time around her and not crave every part of her. He was crazy about her and wanted to be with her. While things were in a weird place for them, he hoped that things would improve.
The pair pulled apart a few moments later. "So, I'll call you when I land. Let me know what happens with your father. Alright?"
She nodded. "Be safe."
"Safe is my middle name."
Chuckling, she shook her head. "Well, we both know that's not true."
He laughed. "Yeah. But for you two, I'll be safe."
"Thank you."
"I'll talk to you soon."
"Bye, Jon."
"Bye, Al."
He remained still for a moment, before finally turning and walking out of her building and heading into the car that was waiting to bring him to the airport.
Al stood there, watching, until the car was completely out of sight. She suddenly felt very sad. So sad, in fact, that she wanted to cry. She headed back up to her apartment, ready to be a little lazy and be emotional, as that was what she felt like doing at the moment. She hated how empty and alone she felt with Jon having left.
Meanwhile, Jon was sitting in the car, heading toward the airport. His head was against the window. He did not want to be in this car. He wanted to be with Al. Even if she didn't want to be in a relationship with him, he just wanted to be near her.
In twenty-four hours, his entire life had changed. He had a baby on the way with the woman who he wanted more than he wanted anything in his life. It was as if he had his own, little dysfunctional family. He was determined to fix things with Al and give his child the family that he never had. He was going to do things the right way. He had to. Jon couldn't handle the thought of screwing up when it came to his child. He wouldn't.