It Hasn't Been Long Enough

Pete and Patrick were arguing again when Callie walked into the room. “You’ve got to tell her, Patrick! You’re having surgery in three days. She’s going to want to be here.”

“Pete, I don’t want to worry her.”

“Worry who?” Callie asked as she took Patrick’s vitals.

“No one,” Patrick said.

“Emma, his fiancée. Maybe you can talk some sense into him,” Pete said walking out of the room.

“You’re engaged?” Callie asked.

“Yeah,” Patrick replied.

“How long?”

“About two months ago. We’d been dating for about a year and a half.”

“How’d you guys meet? Is she famous?”

“No. She works for a pharmaceutical company. We met through Joe.”

“And you don’t want to tell her that you’re having surgery?” Callie questioned sitting down on the chair next to the bed.

“No. I haven’t told her I have cancer yet, either.”

“What?” Callie asked shocked. “Why not?”

“I don’t want her to know. You know the doctor said that my voice isn’t going to be the same after surgery. I won’t sing the same.”

“Okay?” Callie asked confused. “What does this have to do with Emma?”

“What if she’s only with me because I’m in the band? Afterwards, it’s going to be different. What if she doesn’t want to be with me then?”

“Patrick, that makes no sense!” Callie exclaimed. “You love her and she loves you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be getting married. I don’t think she’s with you because you’re in Fall Out Boy. But even if she is, wouldn’t you rather know before you got married than afterwards?”

“I guess,” Patrick said slowly.

“Of course you would! But like I said, I don’t think she’s with you for the band. Patrick, she deserves to know. She’s your fiancée and soon-to-be wife. She should be here with you.”

“You’re right,” Patrick said grabbing his phone. “I’ll call her.”

“Good,” Callie said smiling as she walked to the door. “I’ll be looking forward to meeting her.”

“You got him to call her?” Pete asked as Callie walked out of the door.

Callie spun around to look at Pete who was standing on the side of the door. “Yeah.”

“How?”

“How what?”

“How did you get him to call her?”

“I told him that she deserves to know,” Callie said simply.

“What?” Pete cried. “I’ve told him that a hundred times and he didn’t listen to me!”

“Maybe he needed a different perspective,” Callie shrugged. “I don’t know. Does it matter? He’s calling her.”

“You’re right,” Pete admitted. “And thank you for talking him into it.”

Callie just nodded her head.

“Bye,” Pete said as she walked away leaving him there by himself to think.