You Drain The Life From Me.

We sat in the waiting room, waiting for my name to be called. I fidgeted in my seat, and Garrett's hand rested on my thigh, rubbing circles in it. He did this whenever he knew I was nervous about something. I was nervous for this, however, because today was the day we found out the gender of the baby.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I don't know what it is about doctors, I just-"

"I know. You don't have to explain it to me. I know."

Garrett knew that doctors scared me shitless. They really did. With their poking and prodding and needles and gloves and those icky sticks that they stuck down your throat that always made you gag. And the doctors and nurses had grown used to seeing him come with me every time I had an appointment, because he was the only one that could ever really calm me down when I needed a shot or something. He would sit next to me and hold my hand and sing songs with me to distract me. And when we were older, he would do the same, but whisper sweet nothings in my ear and let me bury my head in the crook of his neck. And he would never complain when I would squeeze his hand so hard it would go numb.

Then he would press his lips to my forehead and jump down from the examination bench, helping me do the same. He would help me pick out which kind of band-aid to get and we would both get lollipops at the end of the appointment. After a few trips to the doctor with Garrett, I stopped crying when they would bring out the tray with the needles and cotton balls and packets of pieces of cloth drenched in alcohol.

"Leigh O'Callaghan?"

I perked up at the sound of my name and grabbed Garrett's hand, pulling him into the office that we had walked into together a hundred times before.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Oh it definitely has."

"Does that mean I don't have to hold your hand anymore?" he smirked just as his hand went limp in mine.

I only made my hold on his hand tighter.

"Why would you say such a thing? Of course I do!"

His hand just squeezed mine as we followed the nurse into the room.

"How have you been doing Leigh? You feeling alright?"

I nodded as I climbed up and onto the examination bench.

"No John today?"

"Nope, just Garrett."

She smiled at him and he smiled back. His hand was still in mine.

"Looks like you're starting to show."

She was right. I was about three and a half months in and my stomach was starting to bulge.

"The morning sickness has subsided, I hope?"

"It has."

"Alright, well, the doctor will come in soon. You're getting an ultrasound today, correct?"

I nodded again and she left the room.

"So we can find out if it's a boy or girl today?" he asked hopefully.

"Yep."

"We should start picking out names and stuff."

"Whoa there, slow down," I replied with a chuckle.

Dr. Clarke came into the room with a small smile. "It's good to know you've been doing fine. Is there anything you want to ask?"

"Um, nope."

She turned to Garrett, surprised. "Long time no see, Garrett!"

He smiled.

"Last time I saw you, Leigh was on that same bench, squirming her way through a cervical cancer shot!"

"Those hurt, okay," I pouted, defending my childish actions.

"She's a lot better with shots now," he reassured her.

"Let's hope so! Alright, let's head over to the ultrasound room."



"I believe the baby is a boy," Dr. Clarke announced with a wide grin.

Garrett jumped out of his seat and ran over to where I was lying down to see the picture of the baby inside my stomach on the screen in front of the doctor.

"A boy!"

I grinned as well seeing how excited Garrett was about the baby, even though he didn't know if it was actually his. The fact that he might not even be the father scared me half to death, but then seeing him excited about him and still care for him warmed my heart. Garrett would be a wonderful father.

Sitting there, smiling at Garrett so hard the corners of my eyes crinkled, I secretly made a wish that the baby would be his. I didn't care about my boyfriend that was out on tour. I wanted this boy to grow up with Garrett as his father.

I wanted that more than anything.

"Oh man," he sighed, "This is exciting. Wow. A boy!" he turned to Dr. Clarke. "When can we find out who's baby it is?"

She took a minute to clean up the gel on my stomach and put away all the equipment, but not before printing out two copies of the picture that was up on the screen and handing them to Garrett, one for me and one for him.

"When the baby is born, he will have to get settled for a while, but we will perform the tests as soon as we can."

"Alright!"

I stayed silent.

"How's Stephen doing?" Dr. Clarke asked.

As I opened my mouth to asnwer, all the blood drained from Garrett's face. Instantly, Dr. Clarke knew it was the wrong question to ask.

"Um, he's doing fine," I stumbled upon my words and my feet as I jumped down from the examination bed and teetered on my feet, grabbing Garrett's shoulder for support. "Thanks for the help," I muttered.

He snapped out of whatever trance he was in and wrapped an arm around my waist.

"Thank you, Dr. Clarke," he said with a tight smile.

"No problem, Garrett. Leigh, come back in two weeks and we'll do another ultrasound, okay? Garrett, watch out for her."

He saluted and guided me out of the office and out to the lobby of the hospital.

"I'm sorry for losing it back there, I just-"

I smiled tiredly at him. "No, I'm sorry for putting you through this."

"Leigh, it's not your fau-"

"Yes, it is. I should've broken up with Stephen a long time ago."

"Why didn't you?" he asked as we stepped outside into the hot parking lot.

I thought my answer through as he helped me into his bright yellow car. Once he sat down in the driver's seat, I spoke. "I don't know. And that's all I can say."

"That's fine with me, I guess," he mumbled, pressing the Power button on his stereo.



Garrett was in the living room watching something on the Discovery Channel. How It's Done, How They Make It, How It's Made, something like that.

I grabbed my laptop and turned it on, dialing Stephen's number in the process.

"Get on Skype!" I demanded when he answered.

"It's like five o'clock, babe. I have soundcheck soon!"

"It's super important. I have something to show you!"

"Fine, fine."

His name popped up in the Online Contacts section of the window I had just opened. I clicked on it and chose to start a new video chat.

It was odd seing his face again after two weeks of him being gone.

"What is it?" he asked excitedly.

I fished around in my pockets for the picture that Dr. Clarke had given me, but I remembered that Garrett had kept both of them.

In my excitement, I forgot that Stephen didn't exactly know about me and Garrett's living arrangement.

"Garrett! Do you have the pictures?"

Stephen's eyes widened in front of me as he heard Garrett's name.

"G-Garrett?"

I whipped my head back to the computer and panicked. "Um, he, um, yeah, we uh-"

"Yeah." Garrett replied softly as he walked into the room.

At the sight of Stephen, the blood drained from his face for the second time that day.

"H-Here," he stuttered, handing me one of the copies of the pictures from the ultrasound.

I turned to Gare and mouthed, "Sorry," as he walked out of the room with a troubled look on his face.

When the door shut, I turned back to the laptop screen and smiled. I hoped that it didn't look tight or forced like I felt.

"Um, so, we found out the gender today!"

His mouth dropped and his eyes brightened.

"Boy or girl?"

"Boy!"

"Leigh, that's amazing! I wish I could've been there! Did your mom go with you?"

"Um, no."

"John?"

"No."

"...Lauren?"

"No. Um, Ga-"

"You brought Garrett?"

He sounded angry.

"Why can't I bring Garrett? He's my best friend, Stephen."

Now I was angry too.

"I just don't like the idea of you hanging out with him because-"

"Because what? Because he might win me over?"

"No, I just-"

"There's nothing wrong with me and Garrett-"

I stopped midsentence because there were so many things wrong with me and Garrett hanging out. So many things.

He sighed. "I don't want you hanging out with him anymore."

My eyebrows shot up and I was taken aback. He was trying to control me?

"You can't tell me who to hang out with, Stephen."

"I think I have some leverage in this."

"I can hang out with whoever I want to."

"Not when the person you want to hang out with broke your heart!"

"But he's my best friend!"

"So?"

"You know what," I spat, "Fuck you. I just wanted to tell you the good news."

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes.

"Oh and by the way, Garrett moved in with me after you left," I said with pursed lips.

"What the fuck, Leigh?" His voice raised.

"Goodbye, Stephen, I'll see you when you get back."

"Leigh-"

"Goodbye."