‹ Prequel: The Middle
Status: just starting up...
For All I Know
I feel my temperature rising. Help me, I'm flaming, must be 109
I laid back on my bed in my hotel room with a smile on my face, thinking of the great day that Claire and I had just before I left.
*Flashback*[//u]
Claire sat down on the picnic blanket as I brought out the food. We sat and ate in a comfortable silence. After we finished eating, I cleaned up everything off the blanket and brought it into the kitchen. I heard footsteps behind me and once I stepped into the kitchen, I turned to see Claire behind me. She had a small smile on her face and placed her dishes on the counter beside where I had left the ones I brought in. She then walked around me and turned the tap on and began to place the dishes one by one in the sink. I reached out and stopped her.
“Hey, no housework today.”
She looked up at me with a small smirk. “Oh. And just why is that? So I can do everything after you leave?”
I shook my head. “No, I’ll do them later. Today is about you.”
I watched the smirk grow into a smile. She walked up and wrapped her arms around my neck. Leaning up, she placed her lips on mine lightly. Pulling away, I rested my forehead on hers.
“Thank you for today,” she whispered. “I thought you were gonna run me raggid with all of your envelopes.”
I smirked and placed my lips on hers once again. I reached into my pocket as I whispered.
“That was only the beginning.”
I gave her the final envelope. She rolled her eyes.
“Pat, I can’t take another one of these, really.”
I smirked. “It’s the last one, I promise.”
She took it from me and opened it. Reading over the note, I saw her eyes water ever so slightly. She looked back up at me with a saddened smile.
“I’ll miss you too.”
*End Flashback*
It was the first time since the accident that I had been away from Claire, and I couldn’t wait to get back home to Chicago.
Just a few more hours, I thought to myself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Claire’s POV
“Well, well, looks like someone didn’t want to get out of bed this morning.”
I rolled my eyes and flipped Nat the bird. If I looked even half as bad as I felt, I must have looked like I walked out of the Michael Jackson “Thriller” video. I was coming down with a cold and I was up most of the night sneezing and coughing. It was not fun at all, especially knowing that Pat would be home after dinner that night.
“I think I’m sick.”
Nat scoffed. “Well then, what the hell are you doing here?”
I walked into the elevator and sighed. “I’ve never called in sick to work. I’m not going to start now.”
Nat shook her head. “Stubborn ass. So, what time does Pat get into town?”
“Not sure, which means I don’t know if I have time to go home and nap before he gets in after work.”
“And eat, right? Please tell me, you’ll remember to eat.”
I sighed. “Yes, mother I’ll remember to eat.”
We waved goodbye to each other and I walked behind the counter. Kelly gave me a small smile as I pulled on my hairnet.
“Well, don’t we look lively this morning?”
I sent her a glare she raised her hands in defense. “Whoa! Sorry I said anything. It’s just….are you sure you’re fit to work today?”
I slowly nodded. “Yeah, Kel, I’m okay. I just… I had a long night and I don’t feel 1005, but I’m here to work.”
She nodded. “Okay then, let’s get to work, the morning rush should be here any minute.”
I sighed and mentally rolled up my sleeves, ready to dive in.
The morning rush came in and with a little more struggle than I hoped, I made it through. After most of them had cleared out, Kelly had turned to me.
“Claire, I know you don’t like missing out on work, but I really think you should go home. You’re not well.”
I shook my head and tried to just shake off the nausea that I was feeling.
“No, I’m fine. Really, Kelly, I can make it through to the end of the shift.”
She sighed and walked past me and into the back room. I leaned against the counter, closed my eyes and sighed.
Kelly walked back behind the counter after leaving me alone for about five minutes. Only this time, she wasn’t alone. I rolled my eyes when I saw who was with her.
“Nat, I’m fine.”
“Claire, I know you won’t listen to Kelly, but you’re going to listen to me. Come on.” She pulled on my arm lightly and pulled me into the back room. When we were both in there, she closed the door behind her. She looked at me with a concerned look.
“Claire, look, I love you girl, but you are sick.” She pointed her finger at me. “Don’t roll your eyes at me. You’re going home to rest.”
I sighed. “Nat…”
“Don’t. You’re going home and that’s that.”
I turned so that I wasn’t facing her and rolled my eyes. “I’m fine, really. I just didn’t sleep well last night, that’s all.”
Truth be told, I was up all night thinking about what to make Pat for dinner tonight. I couldn’t remember what time he said he’d be back in town, but I figured he’d want to eat. When I turned back around, I saw that Nat had all of my stuff packed up with a smile on her face.
“Do you need to escort me to my car, too, madam?” I smirked.
“Should I?”
I shook my head and grabbed my things from her. I slipped my coat on and took off my hair net.
“No, I’m good, thanks.”
I made my way to my car, texting Nat to let her know that I made it there safely. After the drive home, I checked to see if Nat had messaged me back. Laughing at the one winky smile as a reply, I walked through my front door. Not taking much time before climbing into bed, I felt my eye close shortly after.
“Claire…” I heard lightly whispered in my ear. A soft kiss was placed on my temple. I stirred a little bit, but didn’t fully wake up. Then, I heard it again.
“Claire..” This time, I rolled over and opened my eyes. It took me a few seconds to register what was in front of me. I sat up, frantically.
“Pat! What are you doing here?! What time is it?” I looked at the clock and saw that it was hours before he was scheduled to be home. I heard him chuckle.
“Well, it’s good to see you, too.” He flashed me a kilowatt smile. “I caught an earlier flight, I went to surprise you at work, but I ran into Nat and she told me you were here. She gave me her key and I came over.” He ran a hand through my hair and placed it softly on my cheek, making me look into his eyes. “You’re not feeling so hot, baby?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m fine. Just a little tired, is all.”
Just as Pat’s mouth opened to retort, I leaped out of bed. “Dinner! Oh my god, I forgot about dinner.”
Pat stood up and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Claire, it’s fine.”
I shook my head feverishly. “No, it’s not fine. I always make you something for dinner when you come back from road trips.” I sulked. “I suck.”
He chuckled as he pulled me into him. “You don’t suck. You didn’t know I was coming early. Hell, I don’t even live here, so you didn’t know if I was going to come over tonight.”
I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. But I can always whip something now.”
I walked out of my room and into the kitchen. Just before I got to the doorway, Pat hopped in front of me. He had a goofy smile on his face and I raised an eyebrow at him.
“What are you up to?”
His goofy smile stayed intact. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh really? I said I was going to find something to eat and now you’re blocking me from the kitchen. Scooch, I’m hungry.” I tried to make my way around him but he would not budge. “Pat, please move. I’m hungry.”
“Okay, but can I ask you something first?”
I slowly nodded. “Yeah, sure.”
“Can I get a frickin’ kiss?” He smirked.
I rolled my eyes and placed a hand on his cheek. I reached up and placed my lips on his. He placed a hand on the small of my back, pulling me into him. I pulled away and laughed at the goofy smile that was plastered on his face.
“You’re such a dork. Now, move.” I lightly pushed him out of the way and walked into the kitchen. Pat walked into the living room and I could hear him on the phone I finished up, knowing he was calling for take-out. I put my sandwich on a plate and went to join him. When I sat down on the couch, Pat looked over at me.
“So, where’s mine?”
I looked over at him and saw that smirk.
“In the fridge. Don’t think I didn’t hear you call Qdoba.” I smirked back.
He leaned back and stretched his arms out along the back of the couch.
“How little faith you have in me, Kane.” I said, turning away from him and focusing on the tv, eating my sandwich.
“Ha ha!” He laughed. “It’s not that I don’t have faith in you. You just woke up and I knew that you wouldn’t be up to cooking right away, so I called our go-to place.”
I turned my head and glared at him. “That is having little faith, Pat.” I turned back to the tv, finishing my sandwich.
Pat leaned forward and wrapped his arms around my waist. Placing a soft kiss behind my ear, he whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m just hungry and some of the guys were talking about it on the plane and I got a craving for it.”
I leaned into him and laughed. “You sound like a pregnant woman, you know that, right?”
He lightly chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. Shut up and eat your dang sandwich.”
“I’m all done. But I seem to craving something else now.”
“Dear God, please don’t say it’s lasagna. I just ordered you the chicken club.”
I smirked and shook my head. “Ha ha! No, that’s not what I mean.”
I sat up and turned to face him. “Have I told you hello yet?”
He put his hand on his chin and thought for a moment. “You know,” he looked down at me, leaning in slightly. “I don’t think you have.”
I leaned in and placed my lips on his. I felt him wrap his arms around my waist and pulled me into him. I reached up and placed one hand on the back of his neck, while the other snaked up the front of his shirt, my nails raking up and down his abs.
Pat leaned back on the couch and pulled me into his lap. I leaned in to give him a searing kiss, before pulling away. I stood up from him and reached out my hand.
“I want to say hello somewhere else…”
*Flashback*[//u]
Claire sat down on the picnic blanket as I brought out the food. We sat and ate in a comfortable silence. After we finished eating, I cleaned up everything off the blanket and brought it into the kitchen. I heard footsteps behind me and once I stepped into the kitchen, I turned to see Claire behind me. She had a small smile on her face and placed her dishes on the counter beside where I had left the ones I brought in. She then walked around me and turned the tap on and began to place the dishes one by one in the sink. I reached out and stopped her.
“Hey, no housework today.”
She looked up at me with a small smirk. “Oh. And just why is that? So I can do everything after you leave?”
I shook my head. “No, I’ll do them later. Today is about you.”
I watched the smirk grow into a smile. She walked up and wrapped her arms around my neck. Leaning up, she placed her lips on mine lightly. Pulling away, I rested my forehead on hers.
“Thank you for today,” she whispered. “I thought you were gonna run me raggid with all of your envelopes.”
I smirked and placed my lips on hers once again. I reached into my pocket as I whispered.
“That was only the beginning.”
I gave her the final envelope. She rolled her eyes.
“Pat, I can’t take another one of these, really.”
I smirked. “It’s the last one, I promise.”
She took it from me and opened it. Reading over the note, I saw her eyes water ever so slightly. She looked back up at me with a saddened smile.
“I’ll miss you too.”
*End Flashback*
It was the first time since the accident that I had been away from Claire, and I couldn’t wait to get back home to Chicago.
Just a few more hours, I thought to myself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Claire’s POV
“Well, well, looks like someone didn’t want to get out of bed this morning.”
I rolled my eyes and flipped Nat the bird. If I looked even half as bad as I felt, I must have looked like I walked out of the Michael Jackson “Thriller” video. I was coming down with a cold and I was up most of the night sneezing and coughing. It was not fun at all, especially knowing that Pat would be home after dinner that night.
“I think I’m sick.”
Nat scoffed. “Well then, what the hell are you doing here?”
I walked into the elevator and sighed. “I’ve never called in sick to work. I’m not going to start now.”
Nat shook her head. “Stubborn ass. So, what time does Pat get into town?”
“Not sure, which means I don’t know if I have time to go home and nap before he gets in after work.”
“And eat, right? Please tell me, you’ll remember to eat.”
I sighed. “Yes, mother I’ll remember to eat.”
We waved goodbye to each other and I walked behind the counter. Kelly gave me a small smile as I pulled on my hairnet.
“Well, don’t we look lively this morning?”
I sent her a glare she raised her hands in defense. “Whoa! Sorry I said anything. It’s just….are you sure you’re fit to work today?”
I slowly nodded. “Yeah, Kel, I’m okay. I just… I had a long night and I don’t feel 1005, but I’m here to work.”
She nodded. “Okay then, let’s get to work, the morning rush should be here any minute.”
I sighed and mentally rolled up my sleeves, ready to dive in.
The morning rush came in and with a little more struggle than I hoped, I made it through. After most of them had cleared out, Kelly had turned to me.
“Claire, I know you don’t like missing out on work, but I really think you should go home. You’re not well.”
I shook my head and tried to just shake off the nausea that I was feeling.
“No, I’m fine. Really, Kelly, I can make it through to the end of the shift.”
She sighed and walked past me and into the back room. I leaned against the counter, closed my eyes and sighed.
Kelly walked back behind the counter after leaving me alone for about five minutes. Only this time, she wasn’t alone. I rolled my eyes when I saw who was with her.
“Nat, I’m fine.”
“Claire, I know you won’t listen to Kelly, but you’re going to listen to me. Come on.” She pulled on my arm lightly and pulled me into the back room. When we were both in there, she closed the door behind her. She looked at me with a concerned look.
“Claire, look, I love you girl, but you are sick.” She pointed her finger at me. “Don’t roll your eyes at me. You’re going home to rest.”
I sighed. “Nat…”
“Don’t. You’re going home and that’s that.”
I turned so that I wasn’t facing her and rolled my eyes. “I’m fine, really. I just didn’t sleep well last night, that’s all.”
Truth be told, I was up all night thinking about what to make Pat for dinner tonight. I couldn’t remember what time he said he’d be back in town, but I figured he’d want to eat. When I turned back around, I saw that Nat had all of my stuff packed up with a smile on her face.
“Do you need to escort me to my car, too, madam?” I smirked.
“Should I?”
I shook my head and grabbed my things from her. I slipped my coat on and took off my hair net.
“No, I’m good, thanks.”
I made my way to my car, texting Nat to let her know that I made it there safely. After the drive home, I checked to see if Nat had messaged me back. Laughing at the one winky smile as a reply, I walked through my front door. Not taking much time before climbing into bed, I felt my eye close shortly after.
“Claire…” I heard lightly whispered in my ear. A soft kiss was placed on my temple. I stirred a little bit, but didn’t fully wake up. Then, I heard it again.
“Claire..” This time, I rolled over and opened my eyes. It took me a few seconds to register what was in front of me. I sat up, frantically.
“Pat! What are you doing here?! What time is it?” I looked at the clock and saw that it was hours before he was scheduled to be home. I heard him chuckle.
“Well, it’s good to see you, too.” He flashed me a kilowatt smile. “I caught an earlier flight, I went to surprise you at work, but I ran into Nat and she told me you were here. She gave me her key and I came over.” He ran a hand through my hair and placed it softly on my cheek, making me look into his eyes. “You’re not feeling so hot, baby?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m fine. Just a little tired, is all.”
Just as Pat’s mouth opened to retort, I leaped out of bed. “Dinner! Oh my god, I forgot about dinner.”
Pat stood up and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Claire, it’s fine.”
I shook my head feverishly. “No, it’s not fine. I always make you something for dinner when you come back from road trips.” I sulked. “I suck.”
He chuckled as he pulled me into him. “You don’t suck. You didn’t know I was coming early. Hell, I don’t even live here, so you didn’t know if I was going to come over tonight.”
I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. But I can always whip something now.”
I walked out of my room and into the kitchen. Just before I got to the doorway, Pat hopped in front of me. He had a goofy smile on his face and I raised an eyebrow at him.
“What are you up to?”
His goofy smile stayed intact. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh really? I said I was going to find something to eat and now you’re blocking me from the kitchen. Scooch, I’m hungry.” I tried to make my way around him but he would not budge. “Pat, please move. I’m hungry.”
“Okay, but can I ask you something first?”
I slowly nodded. “Yeah, sure.”
“Can I get a frickin’ kiss?” He smirked.
I rolled my eyes and placed a hand on his cheek. I reached up and placed my lips on his. He placed a hand on the small of my back, pulling me into him. I pulled away and laughed at the goofy smile that was plastered on his face.
“You’re such a dork. Now, move.” I lightly pushed him out of the way and walked into the kitchen. Pat walked into the living room and I could hear him on the phone I finished up, knowing he was calling for take-out. I put my sandwich on a plate and went to join him. When I sat down on the couch, Pat looked over at me.
“So, where’s mine?”
I looked over at him and saw that smirk.
“In the fridge. Don’t think I didn’t hear you call Qdoba.” I smirked back.
He leaned back and stretched his arms out along the back of the couch.
“How little faith you have in me, Kane.” I said, turning away from him and focusing on the tv, eating my sandwich.
“Ha ha!” He laughed. “It’s not that I don’t have faith in you. You just woke up and I knew that you wouldn’t be up to cooking right away, so I called our go-to place.”
I turned my head and glared at him. “That is having little faith, Pat.” I turned back to the tv, finishing my sandwich.
Pat leaned forward and wrapped his arms around my waist. Placing a soft kiss behind my ear, he whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m just hungry and some of the guys were talking about it on the plane and I got a craving for it.”
I leaned into him and laughed. “You sound like a pregnant woman, you know that, right?”
He lightly chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. Shut up and eat your dang sandwich.”
“I’m all done. But I seem to craving something else now.”
“Dear God, please don’t say it’s lasagna. I just ordered you the chicken club.”
I smirked and shook my head. “Ha ha! No, that’s not what I mean.”
I sat up and turned to face him. “Have I told you hello yet?”
He put his hand on his chin and thought for a moment. “You know,” he looked down at me, leaning in slightly. “I don’t think you have.”
I leaned in and placed my lips on his. I felt him wrap his arms around my waist and pulled me into him. I reached up and placed one hand on the back of his neck, while the other snaked up the front of his shirt, my nails raking up and down his abs.
Pat leaned back on the couch and pulled me into his lap. I leaned in to give him a searing kiss, before pulling away. I stood up from him and reached out my hand.
“I want to say hello somewhere else…”
♠ ♠ ♠
I'm soooo sorry for the lac of updates...school is kicking my ass this term. I'm ahead of the game with all of my interviews and such, so I hope I can update more often....steph <3
p.s. chapter title is from Elvis' "Burning Love" ... I'm working on a piece on The Day the Music Died, so I've been listening to a lot of oldies haha. Not that that is different than any other time haha.