Falling Stars

by Grubor, Sadie

  Swinging the door shut behind me on my way to kneel before the porcelain god, Christopher stopped it and was right next to me in matter of seconds.

  I groaned.

  "What can I do?" He asked with concern.

  "Get out," I heaved.

  "Not likely," he responded.

  I waited until I knew I wasn't going to throw up again.

  "It's gross, get out of here," I shoved at him. He didn't budge. After my stomach settled, I stood up and Christopher held my sides. Pushing him out of the bathroom, I closed the door behind him, and hopped in the shower.

  Once I dried off and wrapped up in a robe, I walked out to my room.

  Christopher sat on the bed with the TV remote in his hand and a food cart next to him. I raised an eyebrow to him.

  "I ordered some breakfast," he smiled unsurely. "I'm hoping none of it makes you sick." He went to lift the lids.

  "Wait!" I protested.

  He stopped and looked at me.

  "Tell me what is first, before you unleash the smell."

  "Ummm…scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and orange juice?"

  I bit my lip thinking it over.

  "Okay."

  He lifted the lid and the smell of the food filled the room. I thanked my lucky stars when the only feeling in my stomach was famine. My mouth started to water and my stomach growled.

  Christopher patted the bed and I smiled. Sitting down, he handed me a plate. We ate side by side on the bed and watching TV. It was a comfortable silence.

  "So," He broke the silence. I turned my head to him, taking a bite of toast. "What's the plan?" He kept his eyes on his plate in front of him. His nerves were noticeable.

  "The plan?" I spoke around a mouthful of toast.

  "Yeah, you know. I mean…the tour is over and well," he motioned to my stomach "Are you going back to Whidbey Island?"

  "Well that's where I live," I answered quietly. Now I was catching on to what he wanted to discuss.

  "Yeah," he breathed out.

  "Listen, I'll keep you in the loop on things. I mean, I won't keep you out of anything. Of course depending on what you want to be included in." I let my voice drift off, feeling as if I was rambling.

  He didn't speak for a few minutes.

  "I don't like being away from you." His eyes were still on his plate and this time it looked like he was pained.

  "Oh," was my brilliant response. "I…uh…hmph…I don't know what to say." I took a deep breath. "Christopher my family is in Whidbey Island and we're leaving tomorrow. I don't expect you to –"

  "What if I want to?" His eyes found mine and stared intently into them. "I mean, would you care?"

  "You can't seriously want –"

  "I do." He grabbed my hand and laced our fingers together. "Although," I waited for him to finish. "There could be complications." He looked nervous again.

  "Complications?"

  "Mia, are you prepared for the photographers, the reporters, paparazzi?" He gave me a concerned look. "Your band alone is going to draw a lot more attention and now with me or the rest of our band near yours it's going to get insane." He paused. "And, of course, once they discover you're pregnant…with my child…they are going to have a field day."

  I furrowed my brow.

  "Why would they find that out?"

  "You don't think they will?" He raised a disbelieving eyebrow at me.

  "I hadn't thought about it," I sighed. "I guess I'll have to talk to everyone."

  He nodded.

  I lay myself back onto the bed and started thinking everything over. The sound of plates clinking drew my attention. Christopher cleaned things up before he curled up next to me, his head on my chest. Placing my hand on his head, he lightly hummed.

  "I really like when you do that." He nestled closer to me.

  "This?" I rubbed his head. He nodded and hummed again. I laughed silently.

  After laying together for about twenty minutes or so, his cell phone rang. He groaned and rolled over to answer.

  "Yeah?" "Alright" "Yeah," "I'm coming!" He hung up and sighed. "Nicholas wants us all in our room."

  I nodded.

  "I'll be back though, okay?" He turned looking for approval.

  "Okay," I sat up. He leaned over and kissed me before grabbing his shirt and heading out the door.

  A very strange butterfly sensation plagued my stomach and I thought maybe I was going to get sick again, but I wasn't nauseous. Trying to sort out the feeling, I realized what it was. I was falling for Christopher.

  Una worked out some security details for our house and families. She'd gotten a gate and security system installed at our house in Whidbey, as well as set John and Linda up with a security system, just in case. The next measure was hiring security guards for us. Along with Bishop and Phillip, we would also have Joe, Marc, and Ben protecting our home. They were three large muscled New Yorkers who were a little rough and scary to look at, but friendly after you talked with them.

  Everything was in place when we got home. We invited Andrea to stay with us, since she didn't have her own place nearby. We moved her into the guest room.

  Jackson, Elliott, Jimmy, and Christopher all went to their home in Seattle. Two days later Elliott and Christopher arrived. Elliott took his stuff directly to Serena's room, making himself comfortable. Christopher was hesitant about where to go, which I found amusing.

  "You remember where my room is right?" his eyes looked seemed to sparkle even more beautifully than they already did. He nodded. "Well get lugging." I motioned him up the stairs. I headed to the kitchen, my second favorite room in the house.

  Having picked up an even bigger appetite than I already had, I was sure I could definitely out eat Elliott. It was borderline disgusting and Laney wasn't afraid to tell me so. She often referred to me as the garbage disposal. Hence, my baby's nickname Oscar – since, according to Laney, it lived in a garbage can.

  Serena, Elliott, and Ryan were becoming a cute little family. Elliott and Ryan were so close now I think it would kill either one of them if they couldn't be together. Ryan was always following Elliott around, asking him questions or just wanting his attention. I gave Elliott major credit. He handled Ry like he was a pro.

  Laney was going to Seattle to be with Jackson for a few weeks, before they came back here for the holidays. Kat was an enigma more than usual. She didn't immediately come back home with us, saying she was going to hang in Seattle for a while, but would be home in about a week. It was odd, but that was Kat. She was a free spirit who simply lived her life and typically kept to herself.

  After talking to Una about all the concerns with paparazzi and such, she ensured that more precautions taken.

  My second doctor's appointment arrived and we were given the due date mid-June. I would also be having another ultrasound at my next appointment. I hadn't gained any weight yet, which was not a shocker since I was still getting sick in the mornings, but they still wanted to keep an eye on it. Christopher was practically taking mental notes of everything the doctors and nurses said.

  Christopher was adamant on being involved in my appointments and everything he could. Between his schedule and mine, we often ended up separated. I also realized just how much I hated when he wasn't with me. And when he was around, he was annoying me about eating, sleeping, and vitamins.

  In fact, during Thanksgiving he insisted on supervising my plate.

  "Are you insane?"

  "What? You need to eat a lot." He defended his double loading my plate.

  "Christopher, I don't need to eat a mountain of food. I've started to put on weight. Quit worrying about it." I took the plate and started to pick at the turkey.

  "Two pounds doesn't—" I smirked.

  "Nine," I corrected.

  "What?"

  "I've gained nine pounds now."

  "Why didn't you tell me?" He pouted for a moment, but then stood me up and looked me over. His hand rubbed over my abdomen.

  "I haven't gained enough fo
r that." Swatting at his hands, I sat back down to my plate. "Besides, girls don't typically brag about gaining weight."

  After Thanksgiving, we had to say goodbye, again. He had appearances and engagements, while I had my own schedule to keep.

  Hushed Mentality had to fly out to New York to appear on a couple of morning and radio shows. We performed and discussed our recent success and popularity. Of course, the questions surrounding the tour with The Forgotten were always a part of the interviews. Questions about the rumored animosity between the band and between Chris and me. If they only could get their pariah teeth into the real story, they would cream in their pants.

  We gave honest answers, but when it came too close to being personal we would offer the standard generic responses. These responses were not going to work once my pregnancy was exposed. Regardless of any denial, I could attempt.

  Once we completed the shows, we flew back to Washington. There were a couple more interviews, but we were able to do most of those over the phone, thankfully.

  Now that Christmas was just around the corner. Shopping with Kat and Laney was something that I stupidly agreed to; however, when we got to shop for toys I had a field day. Laney disappeared for a while, but found me again with a cartful of stuff. Once we finally finished shopping, I demanded food and then we went home.

  Serena wanted to strangle me for all the stuff I bought for Ryan. Elliott looked as if he couldn't wait to get them out and play with them. He pouted as we hid everything in the basement storage room. Elliott wanted to 'test' the toys for Ryan.

  We were sitting around watching 'A Muppet Christmas Carol' with Ryan, when the doorbell rang. Serena got up to answer the door and the loud ho, ho, ho got all of our attention. Turning around Laney shrieked and ran, jumping into Jackson's arms.

  He was wearing a red Santa hat. Christopher followed behind Jackson. He sat down and wrapped his arms around me, planting a kiss on my head.

  Once he settled in, we talked about our appearances and interviews. He'd gotten some of the same questions I got. I teased him about the host on one of the shows flirting with him.

  Ryan fell asleep before the end of the movie. Elliott and Serena took him to bed and then went to her room. Jackson pulled Laney to the stairs a few minutes later. Kat had gone up hours before claiming to have a headache.

  After cleaning up the popcorn and folding all the blankets in the living room, Christopher and I headed up to bed. Passing Kat's room, I couldn't help but overhear her conversation.

  "No" "We talked about this when I was," "It's not possible" "I'm sorry" "No" "Don't" "It would create so many issues" "You know I'm right" "No" "Please don't, it's already hard as it is."

  I felt horrible for eavesdropping so pulled myself away and went to my room. Christopher was already in bed leaned back on the headboard. He raised an eyebrow when I walked closer with concern on my face.

  "Is everything okay?"

  I nodded.

  "Are you sure?"

  I nodded again.

  He groaned and pulled me closer to him.

  "Please talk to me," he begged, pressing his lips to my temple.

  "It's nothing."

  He nudged me lightly.

  "I just overheard Kat on her phone and well I just hope she's okay. She sounded sad and distressed."

  "Why don't you talk to her about it?"

  "That's not how Kat works." I shook my head and slouched down into my pillows. Christopher curled up next to me. We drifted off to sleep.

  "Please, Kat don't do this, Please!"

  I stretched and sat up. What the...?

  "What the hell is that?" Christopher groaned and sat up.

  "The voice sounds familiar, but –"

  "Will you be quiet? You're going to wake everyone up! Now stop and get out of here...hurry!" Kat was trying not to shout, but was still loud.

  "I can't, not till you agree." There was a pause. Christopher and I went to the hallway only to meet everyone else in the house. "I'm not leaving until you do! I know you love me! I know it!"

  We looked around, shrugged, and headed downstairs. When we reached the bottom, I think we gasped in unison.

  Kat was standing just inside the front with a man on his knees. His hands firmly holding onto her hips as he looked up to her with pleading eyes. The situation wasn’t the most shocking. It was the man on his knees.

  It was Richard.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  "Oh Christ," Kat groaned loudly. "Get the hell up," She yelled down at Richard, who was still kneeling before her.

  We stood with mouths gaped open as Richard cleared his throat and stood up.

  "What the fuck is this?" Leave it to Elliott.

  "It's nothing," Kat grumbled and grabbed Richard's hand pulling him out the door. "He was just leaving."

  "No I'm not," he argued.

  "Yes you are," she seethed through clenched teeth.

  "You know what you mean to me. Why can't –?"

  "It was just a 'thing', why is that so hard for you to understand?" Kat looked thoroughly annoyed. Then she turned on us. "Do you think we could get a fucking moment?" She shouted. We quickly dispersed.

  While my bed sounded like the best idea, my bladder had another, so I went to my bathroom. I couldn't believe Kat had something going on with Richard. Did Una know? It was so nice to think about somebody else's drama instead of my own. Once I stepped out, I found Christopher sitting on my bed staring into nothing.

  "Hey…what's wrong?"

  I was on the other side of my room pulling clothes out of my dresser.

  "Nothing," he lied.

  I tossed some clothes onto the bed and walked around standing in front of him with my arms crossed over my chest.

  "Speak now or forever hold your peace."

  "I was just thinking."

  "About?" I coaxed.

  "Should we…get married?" He whispered the last two words without looking at me.

  My eyes widened. I blurted out my first thought.

  "Fuck no!"

  His eyes snapped to my face quickly. Filled with hurt, but quickly turned to anger. I leaned toward him to wrap my arms around him, but he caught my arms and pushed me away. He stood, walking out of my room without saying a word.

  I froze in place with my mouth slightly open as the shock of what just happened crawled over my body. Lying down, I felt tears start to slide over my cheeks.

  "Damn hormones," I mumbled into my damp pillow.

  Eventually my grumbling stomach demanded I get up, so I got dressed. Deciding on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, my plan was to get out of this house. I didn't want to be inside and I didn't want to see Christopher right now either. His dramatic reactions were a little more than I could handle now.

  Damn his temper tantrums! Hot tears burned the corners of my eyes again.

  Slipping on my shoes, I grabbed my coat and headed downstairs. On my way out the door, my eyes locked on our car. I said a silent prayer that the keys were inside. The sound of the house door opened behind me. I picked up my pace to the car. Closing the car door, I heard him yell for me. I pretended not to hear him.

  Needing some space from everyone, including Christopher, I drove off. I caught a glimpse of his approach in the rearview mirror as I pulled away.

  When the small diner in town came into view, I went in to get breakfast. My stomach was churning and if I didn't eat soon I would definitely be kneeling in front of the toilette soon. So, I ordered the largest breakfast they had to offer. Lucky for me they weren't too busy and my food came quickly, eggs, toast, bacon, pancakes, and orange juice.. Greedily I ate everything and fought the urge to lick my plate clean.

  Climbing back into the car I couldn't bring myself to go home. I started driving around town reminiscing. Passing the police station, I noticed John's cruiser. Turning around, I went back.

  The station looked the same. Nothing seemed to change. The mahogany desk near the entrance sat as empty as it usually had. Gina, the receptio
nist, only worked part time and wouldn't be in until later.

  "Hey dad," I called out.

  His head popped up from the familiar office in the back.

  "Hey baby." Once he approached, he wrapped me up in a large bear hug.

  "Careful, I just ate the super-sized breakfast at the diner." Laughing, I rubbed my belly. Then I caught myself and froze. He didn't know. Panic coursed through my veins.

  "Mia? Mia, are you alright?" He led us to a nearby chair and sat me down. I snapped out of it.

  "Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry about that." I tried to smile.

  He furrowed his brow at me.

  "What's going on?" he crossed his arms.

  Shit! He was a police officer. He knew how to interrogate and sense lies. I'd grown up with it all my life and no matter what Serena or I tried, he usually called us on it.

  "Nothing, honest," Crap! First mistake…I said honest...that's the dead giveaway.

  "Honest huh?" he sat next to me and sighed. "What's going on?" He'd taken on the fatherly tone.

  "Um…I think we should talk about it later, you know, after you're home and don't have your gun." I smiled sheepishly and batted my eyes.

  "Something's got you out running around, eating by yourself, and visiting me. So I think we should talk now." He sat up straighter.

  "I'm telling you, later is better," I mumbled.

  "Mia?"

  "Fine," I grunted and slouched back. "I'm pregnant."

  "You – You're what?" He looked like he was the one with morning sickness.

  I snorted at the thought.

  "Mia? Who? When? How?" Uh oh, maybe he was having a stroke.

  "Well I think we all know 'how' dad." I gave him a cocky smile.

  "Don't get smart little lady." The sternness in his voice quickly melted my smile and humor.

  "You'll meet him tonight and it was just recent." Shame started to swallow me up.

  "Why weren't you at least…you know, safe?" His disappointment was loud and clear.

  "I thought I was."

  "How do you think...?" he started to snap back.

  "I think because I've been on birth control pills since Serena came home knocked up," I shouted back and then started crying. He sighed and pulled me into a hug.

  "Is he going to help you?"