Take Me Dancing

"Hey Pattycakes," I greeted as I lazily walked down the stairs, smiling at the childlike man as he played with my kids in the living room.
"Hey Jenni!" He called from were he stood, tickling both the boys as they screeched for 'Uncle Patty' to stop it.
I walked into the kitchen and immediately I went over to the Ipod and scanned my latest playlist. Tom Petty's 'Don't Do Me Like That' began blasting from the speakers as I started to coffee pot, yelling for Pat and asking if he wanted any.
"Yes please!" He yelled back between his laughter. I walked out into the living room, singing along with the peaceful voice of Tom Petty as I did so.
"Hey, hey," I called, "Knock it off. Pat, go take the boys to get dressed. I'm going to take a shower," Pat stuck his tongue out at me and raced up the stairs yelling that the boys couldn't catch him. I rolled my eyes and followed after them, laughing when I saw Pat laying on the floor in Theo's room with both little boys crawling on top of him.

I made my way into my own light colored bed room and to the master bath that was connected. I stripped out of my pajamas and into the steaming water, moaning when the heat started to relax the tense muscles. I washed my hair as quick as I could, conditioning twice. After I shaved and all that jazz I hoped out, drawing smiley faces in the fogged up mirror.
"You've better not of broken anything, Patrick!" I screamed as I heard a crash come from Theodore's bedroom.
The boys got quiet before Pat replied, "I'll pay for it!"
I shook my head and yanked a hair brush through my pale choppy hair. I walked into my bedroom and pulled undergarments from the top drawer of the dresser and put them on. I, then, went my side of the huge walk in closet. I pulled on grey jeans and an 'I love New York' t'shirt. I ran down the stairs, fluffing my damp hair as I did so, and right to the coffee pot.

I poured two mugs of coffee and called for the boys to come on down here so we could go eat some food. Three eager boys came racing into the kitchen, the eldest grabbing the white cup from the counter and taking a seat next to me at the table. I glanced at what the boys were wearing and nodded to Pat in approval of their matching guitar shirts, one red and one blue, and their pants. Theo's black and Zeno's khaki. When I was about halfway done with my coffee it started getting cold so I put the cup in the sink and raced to the bathroom to put on some light eyeliner.

The boys were waiting by the front door with their shoes already on their feet. I pulled my own on and picked up Zeno, carrying him to my own car. I buckled him in as Pat helped Theodore into his booster seat. Pat hopped into the drivers seat and held his hand out for the key.
"Fine," I groaned handing them to the long haired drummer as he smirked, his seat belt already buckled. I did up my own and we were off to Denny's after punching the code in to open the raw iron gate.

The ride was short and when we pulled up both of the boys were trying to unbuckle themselves so they could get into the busy building quicker.
"Hold you horses, kid," Pat joked as he pulled the back door open and leaned over to un-click Theo.
Theodore scrunched up his face and looked at Pat funny, "But I don't have any horses,"
I chuckled as I set Zeno on the pavement and took his hand in my own, leading him to the front door of the glass building.
"Mommy?" Zeno asked as we were led to a both in the back.
"Yeah, baby?" I questioned, placing him in the wooden booster seat that the waitress had brought over for us,
"Pancakes?"
I nodded to my younger son, "Sure,"
Theodore bounced in his seat in between Pat and the wall, "Mommy! Can I have cereal?"
Pat chuckled, "No, they don't have cereal, but you can have anything else you want,"
"Otay, Uncle Pat!"

Our food came about a half an hour later and as the boys stuffed their faces I turned to Pat and his half eaten stack of waffles.
"What's the meaning of this?" I asked, taking a bite of my own strawberries and pancakes.
Pat swallowed the food that he had in his mouth and replied, "Meaning of what?"
I grinned and rolled my eyes at his obvious lie, "Patrick," I scolded playfully and he looked at me with a smirk as he took another bite of his syrup drenched early lunch.
"I figured that after this I could take the boys," He murmured, grinning as Theodore and Zeno shouted things of agreement.
"And where will I be during this play-date?"
"Kim and Michael's," Pat stated simply, finishing off the last of his food.

"Jenni? Can I talk to you?" Pat questioned when we were getting ready to leave Denny's about 40 minutes later.
I nodded and shut the car door, leaving both boys strapped in as I leaned against the car, waiting for Pat to talk.
"The reason I want you to go to Garrett's is because Nathan came back from his parents and decided that he wanted to tell Garrett about Josh's death, today," My eyes grew wide at his words and the pain that sewn itself into my heart when Josh died began tugging fiercely.
"Is he alright? What happened? Did Garrett go into shock?" I questioned quickly, not giving Pat enough time in between to answer each question.
"Medically speaking, it didn't cause any headaches or anything, but he didn't take it well. It was like just finding out all over for him,"
I sighed, frustrated and motioned for Pat to get into the passengers side. I drove out of that Denny's as fast as I could with out breaking the law and soon enough I was handing Pat the keys and getting out of the car as it sat in the driveway of Garrett's parent's house.
I banged on the door loudly and Kim opened it.
"He's in his old bedroom," She murmured, knowing exactly why I was there.
I ran past her and to the second door on the left at the top of the stairs. I pushed the wooden door open and ran to Garrett as he looked at me with red, puffy eyes.
I pulled him into a bone-crushing hug and he cried into my shoulder, his arms wrapping around my waist tightly.
"Please tell me this is some sick joke," He pleaded, "This isn't real. I'll wake up soon and people will tell me I was in a plane crash but Josh will be sitting there, laughing at the fact that he told the doctor that I wanted a pink cast on my arm,"
I stayed quiet not knowing how to answer him. But I didn't need to talk. I knew that he had to let it all out before he could come to terms with the death, again.
"Kennedy told me that Josh had flow out with Julie to her parents after the last show and that he hadn't been in the crash. But now..." He sobbed into my hair, soaking my shirt with his salty tears.
I closed my eyes and pushed my face into his shoulder as he continued,
"Jenni, please." He begged, his grip on me tightening, "How did it happen?"
I sighed, and placed a kiss to his neck, "He overdosed on a combination of prescription drugs and alcohol last December, Gary,"
Garrett started repeating, "No," over and over again. I pulled him over to his bed and we laid down on it. Garrett's arms wrapped around my waist and mine around his neck as I fumbled with the dark hair on his head as his tears fell from his blue eyes and onto my chest, soaking my shirt more and more.

"Gary," I soothed, not knowing what else I could say. And I noticed that Garrett stiffened at my voice. After a minute he relaxed and quieted down. His eyes were shut as we laid there, me counting the tiles on the ceiling to keep myself from thinking back to that horrible late-December day that we had lost one of our best friends.

"We've done this before," Garrett stated later on as we laid side by side in his bed.
"Done what?" I inquired, tilting my head so I could look into his pained eyes.
He swallowed hard before he spoke, "Cried over Josh together,"
"Yes,"
"I don't know how I knew that. It just felt familiar.... Too familiar," He whispered, staring at the ceiling the whole time. And I took in a deep breathing, not knowing what to say to my husband.
"I hate that I can't remember you, Jenni." He said, the emotion in his voice over powering, "Because I know that I feel something for you now and I don't know if you knew that before. I mean... I don't know if you know that already. I feel better when you're around. I feel like I can breath and that my mind isn't so fogged. And I hate that you know more about us then I do. Because I know, somehow, that we are something," Garrett confessed, tangling his fingers with mine.
I closed my eyes so I couldn't see the plead in his as those words left his mouth, "You have to figure it out yourself, Garrett. Because that means you remember,"
Garrett groaned, angrily and I shrunk back.
"I'm not mad at you, Jenni," He muttered, "I'm mad at myself,"
I shook my head, "Don't be. It's not your fault,"
"Then whose is it, Jenni? Please tell me because I'd love to beat the shit out of that guy," Garrett chuckled grimly, pulling me to him as silence engulfed the entire house.
"I don't know," I sighed, eventually, "I don't know," I repeated sadly. Tears sprung to my eyes as I curled myself against the shirtless Garrett.