I am so sorry it took nearly six months for me to update this, but I have so much going on in my personal life, with my engagement, wedding planning, university and also, my stepmother has stage four cancer and isn't going to make it, so I'm helping take care of her. Since my father is a piece of shit (I'm not exaggerating - and for the record, I mean my adoptive father, not my biological one), everything is just so fucked up and I'm sorry. I've just been so busy I don't know where to start.
This is kind of a short and shitty (in my opinion) chapter, but don't kill me for the ending. I just want to give you guys something for being so amazingly patient with me. But good news, the next chapter is nearly finished and I'll update that soon as well.
This starts off with a flashback - or actually a dream that Laura has, she'll come back to it again later. But I wanted to kind of begin to show and give more history about Ross and Laura's past friendship - before they got together and how the tension began to build between them.
Enjoy. I own don't own anything.
August 9, 2011
Laura sipped on her soda as she watched Ross run and jump into the pool from the diving board. He was screaming as he did and it made her laugh. He caused a huge splash and then broke through the water, moving his hair around. He got her and she squealed.
"Ross!"
He swam to the edge of the pool and rested his chin on his arms, laughing.
"I got you."
She rolled her eyes, "aren't you supposed to be helping your mother in the kitchen? I heard that it's almost time to have cake."
He waved his hand, "nah, Riker's got it covered." He looked at her and smirked, an idea forming in his mind.
"What's that look you have on your face? Oh my god, you better not-" But before she could even finish her sentence, she was soaking wet. Her mouth dropped open. "Ross!"
He just laughed and she glared at him. "It's hot as hell, what are you complaining about?"
She was about to answer, but shut her mouth, an idea forming in her mind. She smirked. She looked down at her soaked shirt and looked around, noticing that it was just herself and Ross outside since everyone else was occupied in the air conditioned house. She put her hands on the ends of her shirt and then slowly lifted it up, watching Ross as he watched her.
She knew she had him then.
She threw it right beside her and wrung out her hair, shaking the water out a moment later.
"Uh, you…" Ross trailed off. She could guess that, 'holy shit' was running through his mind.
"I… what?" She asked, innocently going to sit at the edge of the pool, her denim shorts, beside her as well. She was thankful she remembered to wear a bikini; she was also thankful that it was a bright yellow color. One that she knew brought out the color in her eyes, and the libido of the teenage boy in front of her.
Ross swam up to her and then put both hands on either side of her. He lifted himself up and she tried not to look at his muscles as he did. Then, he leaned in closer to her. They were less than an inch apart; so close, they could feel each other breathing. So close, if he moved any closer, they would probably be making out at that point.
He tilted his head, "nervous, Laura?"
She scoffed, "as if, Ross."
"Valley girl."
"Pain in my ass."
He smirked, "you know… if I was going to kiss you… I would probably grab you and literally put my tongue down your throat, but, considering I'm a gentleman and was raised as such, I'm not going to do that."
"Lucky me," Laura murmured, looking at him, her stare challenging him.
He nodded, "but if I really was going to kiss you," he paused, his eyes going down to her lips and then back up to her again, "it wouldn't be here and it wouldn't be now."
Her heart jumped in her chest.
"Are you saying you want to kiss me?" She asked him.
He smiled, "what do you think?"
Her heart beat fast as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer, to the point his forehead was touching her own.
"Just you wait, Laura. It'll come someday." He whispered.
"What if I want that someday to be now?" She asked.
"I-" Ross began, but she knew she got him when he just looked at her again. "Dammit, Laura."
She giggled and Ross brought his mouth to hers, their lips barely brushing when-
"Ross! Where are you? You promised your mother you'd help her!"
And just like that, he was gone, back into the pool, like nothing had happened. Laura closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath.
"I'll be right there dad!" He yelled back, his tone unfriendly. She furrowed her eyes, curious as to what that was about. He looked at Laura, "I should, uh…" He started to get out of the water, but Laura's hand on his chest stopped him. He looked at her.
"Just so you know, if you had kissed me, I would not have stopped it."
He nodded, "I know." He gave her a small smile and then, surprised her by leaning in and softly kissing her cheek. He slowly pulled away. "See you inside."
She nodded, "yeah. Totally." Once she knew he wasn't in view, she touched her cheek, her heart beating fast again.
This time, 'holy shit' ran through her mind.
She hadn't known Ross for that long yet, but she knew, deep inside that whatever it was that happened between them, they were meant to be in each other's lives, forever.
Present Day
Ellington ran up the pathway to the door, using the key he had gotten years ago, he opened the door and then ran as fast as he could up the stairs, only to stand in front of a closed door. He knocked on the door a few times, "Rydel! Come on… open up!"
"Go away!" She yelled. He could hear the tears in her voice. "Just leave me alone!"
"No-you have to listen to me, what you saw, it isn't what you thought it was." Ellington said. "Come on, it's me, your best friend. Have I ever lied to you before?" It was silent for a few moments, before the door opened and a teary eyed Rydel was looking at him. "Oh my god, Rydel, I-"
"Why were you with her?" Rydel asked him.
"She came to talk to me because she had just gotten engaged to her boyfriend and also needed some advice about her mother. She was kind of freaked out." Ellington answered immediately. "It really-"
"Why are you still talking to her?"
"I'm not." Ellington answered, knowing it would only cause more problems if he got upset with her for her abrupt interruption. "She just showed up out of nowhere, when I was on my way to see you. Trust me."
Rydel closed her eyes and then nodded, "so I got upset, for no reason?"
"Yeah." Ellington told her. "But it's okay. If you had an ex-boyfriend you said you weren't talking to and I caught you in that same position, I probably would have gotten upset as well. I understand where you were coming from."
"Lucky for you, I don't have an ex-boyfriend." Rydel told him, allowing him to come into her room.
Ellington didn't say anything, but was caught off guard when suddenly the door was slammed shut and locked and he was pushed against the door. Then, Rydel's hands were on his neck and she was pulled him towards her, their lips meeting in a fiery, hot kiss. She broke it off, both of them panting as they just looked at each other.
"I fucking love you," He said, staring right at her, his hands going to her waist. "I promise you that."
"I love you too," She answered back and then she kissed him again, this time, jumping up so that her legs wrapped around his waist, her lips pressing against his deeper as he walked them over to her bed, dropping her on to it, he fell on top of her and they continued to make out, each kiss getting more and more intense.
It didn't take long for them to shed their clothes, Ellington proving to her just how much she meant to him in the next few minutes.
"Laura? Laura!" Ross fell down beside her, only to be disappointed when he didn't immediately receive a response. "Rocky! What do I do?" He looked up at him and Rocky nodded.
"Dude, we need to take her to the hospital."
Ross nodded as Rocky leaned forward and picked her up. He looked at Vanessa.
"It's okay. She'll be okay." Rocky promised and Vanessa nodded, her eyes teary as Ross went to hug her.
About thirty minutes later, they were in the hospital, waiting for a doctor or nurse to tell them news about Laura. Ross was just so relieved they were there, he wasn't even going to berate Rocky for driving over the speed limit, especially with a pregnant young woman in the backseat.
About ten more long minutes of waiting, with Ross just staring at his dirty converses, when he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat and looked up to see a nurse was standing above him. She gave him a reassuring smile; a smile that gave him hope.
"Is there a family member of Laura's I can speak to?"
Vanessa stood up, she looked behind her at the two brothers and then back at the nurse. "We're all her family." She said.
The nurse nodded, "well, she's going to be just fine. She's awake, but a little bit groggy and is asking to speak to Ross." She looked at Ross.
"What happened?" Ross whispered.
"She fainted." The nurse told her. "Was there anything that could have caused her to do? Anything happen?"
Ross looked at Rocky. "Not sure." He said, not wanting to give any details over the news he had just gotten not an hour before. He was so angry, but he knew he couldn't do anything to stress Laura out more than she already was.
The nurse nodded, "okay. Well, you're all welcome to go see her." She smiled and with that, walked away.
"You go first." Vanessa told him. "She is asking for you after all."
Ross nodded, and then he realized that the nurse left out someone. A nervous look passed over his face.
"What is it?" Rocky asked him.
"Riley." He said and with that ran after the nurse. He found her at the information desk. "How's the baby?" He asked her. "You left out at that part, about the baby. She's pregnant."
"Baby?" The nurse looked confused. "What baby?"
"Did you not notice the big ass stomach?" He asked, "sorry to be rude, but it's kind of obvious at this point that she's pregnant."
"Sir, when we went to check her vitals and everything, there was only one heartbeat, I didn't hear another one and hadn't assumed she was pregnant. No one gave me that information."
"How the hell could you not know? You went to school for this shit! Can't you tell?" He asked, slowly becoming more and more hysterical.
Rocky and Vanessa's head lifted at the sounds of him yelling and after exchanging a glance between them, they got up to go see what was going on.
"Excuse me, is there a problem here?" A woman in a lab coat asked. Ross nodded, but turned to Rocky. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't.
"What's going on?" Rocky asked him.
"Dude, the baby… they, she didn't hear another heartbeat, just Laura's." His voice broke as he looked up at his older brother. "I-I don't-" He couldn't finish his sentence. Instead, he took a deep breath and looked at the doctor. "My fiancé, she's pregnant and this nurse is saying there's only one heartbeat, what does that mean?"
"It could mean a lot of things. Don't jump to any conclusions, just yet, okay?" The doctor (who's name Ross read was Dr. Evans)assured him. "What's the patient's name?"
"Laura Marano," Vanessa answered.
Dr. Evans nodded, "okay, I will go check her and report back to you okay?" She turned towards the nurse, "what happened with this patient exactly?"
As the nurse filled Dr. Evans in, Ross numbly walked passed them and into Laura's room where he saw her, her eyes closed and her steady breathing. He knew deep down inside of him that something else was going on, but what he didn't know.
And he was sure as hell scared to find out what it was.
"What exactly was I upset about again?" Rydel asked, as she lay back in her bed, Ellington beside her. He leaned in and kissed her neck as she giggled.
"I love you." He said again, looking right at her.
"I love you too." Rydel's hand went to his cheek as she turned to face him. "And I'm sorry."
He leaned in and kissed her softly. "Don't be. It's okay."
She kissed him back, wondering if they were going to go at it again for another round, but the sound of their phones ringing simultaneously stopped them.
"Uh, that seems important, if both our phones are ringing." Ellington commented.
Rydel agreed, "we should get it then." They both got up out of the bed and got their phones. "It's Vanessa," Rydel said.
"Funny, you say that… Rocky's calling me right now."
Their phones rang again and they answered it at the same time. After hearing what Vanessa and Rocky had to say, they both looked at each other, eyes wide, Rydel with tears in her eyes.
"Oh, oh my god. Okay, we'll-we'll be right there." She hung up the phone and with that, raced into her closet to find a shirt and pants and without even bothering to put her shoes on, grabbed Ellington's hand who barely had time to grab his own shoes, wallet and keyes, and ran outside to the car.
"Rocky!" He heard his sister's breathless voice before he turned around to see her and Ellington run as fast as they could towards him. She quickly hugged him and then looked at him. "Any news?"
He shook his head, "no, but Ross and Vanessa are in there with her right now. You are free to go in as well if you want."
Rydel nodded, "yeah, I'll be right back." She looked at Ellington and kissed him before walking down the hall. Rocky shouted out the room number to her and with that, sat down in one of the chairs, running his fingers through his hair.
"Dude, what happened?" Ellington asked him.
"Where do I start? This whole day… it's just been one shit bomb after another." Rocky answered. Ellington sat down beside him.
"Well, start at the beginning." Ellington suggested.
"Okay, well, I got a visit from Mark, who then told me some fucked up bullshit story about Rydel, and when I talked it over with Riker, we both remembered something happening during our childhood and then when we questioned mom, she then further told us the truth which then basically confirmed what we suspected all along and I went to Vanessa's, told he what we discovered and then together, we went to go share the news with Ross and Laura and out of nowhere, but with good reason, Laura just faints and falls to the ground. We had to wait about forty-ish minutes and then nurse came out, told us about Laura, and Ross realized that they never said anything about Riley and when he questioned the nurse, she denied knowing anything about a baby and said she only heard one heartbeat, so they're running tests on Laura and that's where we are now." Rocky told him.
"Holy shit," Ellington said, not knowing what else to say. "Way to be vague though, what's this news about Rydel?"
"Trust me, if I could tell you I would, it's that messed up." Rocky said in an effort to protect him.
"What could be worse than knowing her father sexually abused her? Oh and then finding out the said father is her adoptive father and not biologically related to her?" Ellington challenged him.
"Good point." Rocky said, "but trust me, it's pretty messed up."
"I can take it." Ellington assured him, "you don't have to protect me, I'm a big boy."
"She doesn't know either. I don't even think she remembers it." Rocky said, but at the look on Ellington's face, just nodded, conceding, "okay. But don't say I didn't warn you." He took another deep breath, "okay so when we were kids-" He was cut off by his mother and two brothers calling out his name. "Later, I'll tell you later. Promise." Ellington just nodded and as Rocky got up to great the rest of his family, wondered about what Rocky wasn't telling him just yet.
"Ross." Rydel whispered his name as soon as she walked in and Ross stood up, hugging her tight. She hugged him back. And then went to Vanessa to hug her. It was silent in the room, not that Rydel expected anything less, but as she watched her brother, she noticed that he wasn't like himself. He seemed so distant. Especially from her. She shrugged it off though and instead focused on Laura. "Has she woken up yet?"
Vanessa nodded, "she did, for about a minute, but then fell back asleep again."
She could feel how tense the environment was, and as she observed her brother and Vanessa, she realized that something much more serious had happened.
"What happened?" She whispered.
Ross shrugged, "she fainted."
"From what?" Rydel asked him and he looked at her, his eyes catching hers and holding the stare.
"News." Ross answered. "Shitty news."
Rydel wondered why she wouldn't have been in on it, but shrugged it off. That didn't stop her curiosity.
"News about what?" Rydel asked.
Silence, that's all she heard. Complete silence.
"Ross?" Rydel said his name in a way that must have triggered him. He banged his hand on the table beside him, thankfully (and miraculously) not waking up Laura and put his hands in his hair. "What-" Rydel began, but he abruptly cut her off.
"It was news about you!" He nearly yelled.
"Ross, what is-" Rydel asked, but was cut off by Rocky running inside the room, the rest of her family following behind him.
"Ross, what's with the outburst?" Rocky asked, eyeing his younger brother carefully.
"I-" Ross shook his head and sat down. "Nothing, sorry."
"What the hell is going on?" Rydel asked, fed up with the games. She wanted answers and she was getting them. "Someone better tell me something."
"Define something," Rocky said.
"What made Laura faint? Why is she in the hospital? What is going on?" Rydel asked, her tone not that friendly. "Ross said it was about me, so what is it? What's the big secret?" She saw everyone exchange a look, everyone but Ellington. "Don't do that. Just fucking tell me what's going on."
Riker shook his head, "now isn't the time." He gestured over to a fast asleep Laura.
"I don't give a shit!" Now it was her turn to almost yell. "I want to know what the big fucking secret is!"
"Yeah? Well I don't want my son to fucking die!" Ross yelled back at her. "Fuck off, Rydel. Leave it alone." His tone was calmer, but still cold.
Rydel had to bite her lip to keep from yelling at him again.
"You guys want to keep secrets from me? Fine. But just know, you keep this up, I will never, ever trust you ever again." She stared at Ross, "any of you." She said and with that, stormed out, forcing Riker and Rocky to break the barrier they had made.
No one spoke for a few moments, until they heard a faint noise and looked over to see Laura was waking up. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at everyone.
"What happened?"
Ellington was sending his mother a text, when he looked up to see Rydel storm out of Laura's room, an angry look on her face. He managed to get in her way and stop her before she could go further.
"Yo, whoa! Rydel, what's wrong?" He asked her.
"They're keeping something from me," Rydel said, her eyes teary as she looked at him.
"Who is?"
"My brothers. They're hiding something from me… I want to know what it is!" She put her hands in her hair. "Whatever it was, caused Laura to faint. I want to know. It's about me and they won't tell me anything." Immediately, Ellington knew it had to be what Rocky hadn't shared with him yet.
She sniffled and then broke away from his embrace. She then reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a folded up piece of paper. She handed it to Ellington.
"What's this?"
"My letting to my father." She told him.
He took it and looked at her, "you want me to read it?"
She nodded. "Tell me if you thinks it's what I should send him."
He nodded and then opened it up.
Dear Andrew,
I am writing to you because I want answers. I just found out about your existence a few days ago and I want to know more. I want to know why you didn't fight for me, why you didn't try and keep me. Why you let such a horrible man adopt me. What did I do to deserve that? Please tell me. I don't want to feel this angry anymore.
Your daughter,
Rydel.
"It's perfect. Don't change a thing." Ellington assured her, then he hugged her tight. She hugged him back and as he hugged her, he whispered, "do you want to go send this now?"
She nodded. He stepped back and took her hand in his and pulled her with him.
"Are you okay?" Vanessa gently asked her.
Laura nodded, "I feel a little funny though."
"You hit your head when you fell, so that's probably just the pain meds," Ross assured her, just as they heard a knock and turned to see Dr. Evans in the doorway. She held up a folder.
"I have the test results."
Laura's head whipped towards Ross'.
"Test results?" She asked, her tone one pitch away from freaking out.
He sighed, "Laura, when they ran tests on you when you first got here, they only found one heartbeat." Her eyes teared up. He reached for her hand and held it tight. She looked down at then back up at him. "Whatever happens, I need you to know and hear this, it's not your fault." She nodded and he reached up to softly kiss her forehead. "I'm not going anywhere."
Dr. Evans cleared her throat and looked around, "would you guys please excuse us? I need to have a few moments alone with them."
"Yeah, sure." Rocky said, standing up, he led Vanessa out of the room, Riker and everyone else, leaving with them. Once the door was closed, Dr. Evans looked at Ross and at Laura.
She had a very somber look on her face and by the look of it, Ross knew it wasn't going to be good news.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news. I ran the tests twice and both times, I found that they were conclusive." Dr. Evans began. She looked at the two teenagers, "I'm so sorry to tell you this, but I'm no longer hearing a heartbeat."
I'm so sorry, but I've had this planned from the very beginning. It wasn't a spur of a moment kind of things, but it's to show something that will be revealed later on and is the whole point of these two stories. You'll see it, if you don't kill me for it.
Review and tell me your thoughts.
Much love xx