Girl That You Love

“Emma?”

Emma stirred from her fitful sleep to see Marie coming into her room. “Hey Marie, she said sleepily, sitting up. “How long was I out?”

“Most of the day. I just wanted to tell you I’m leaving. I have to go handle some business,”

“Yeah, of course Marie. Please. I’ll be fine, really,” she said giving Marie her best smile she could muster.

“Has Patrick called back yet?” Emma shook her head. “Well, they had the concert and I know they were traveling today to LA, so he probably hasn’t had a chance to breathe,” Marie said.

Emma laughed, a hollow sad laugh. “Yeah, right, that’s exactly why he hasn’t called yet.” She could see the reluctance in Marie’s face. “Marie, um, could you do me a favor?”

Marie nodded. “Anything, Em.”

“Don’t tell anyone, not even Joe about the baby, okay?”

Marie’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, “Emma,” she said warningly.

Emma held up her hands to silence her. “No, it’s not like that. I just… this is already a mess, I don’t want to add that in there. If Patrick and I are going to reconcile over this, I don’t want to always be thinking that we stayed together only because we were having a child together.”

Marie sighed. “Okay, fine Emma. I won’t say anything.”

With that, Marie slipped out of her room and Emma could hear her make her way down the stairs and out of the door. Emma’s head fell back against the pillow and she stared mindlessly up at the ceiling. She couldn’t believe she was in this position again. She remembered over three years ago, sitting in her old bedroom in her parents’ house curled up into a ball as she sobbed over the love she had lost. The memory opened up the wound once more and she emitted a strained wail as she clutched her hand to her heart and cried. She was angry that she couldn’t explain to Patrick what had happened between her and Joel. It was all a mistake, someone trying to hurt them. But a part of her knew that Patrick’s insecurities fueled his anger at her and until she could talk to him, she wouldn’t be able to shake herself of her pain.

A knock at the door made her raise her head. Slowly the door opened and Robbie poked his head in.
“Emma, you all right?”

She sighed and rested her head down again. “I’m fine Robbie. You know just wallowing in self-pity and told-ya-sos.”

Robbie nodded. “Marie told me what happened. Guess Patrick didn’t like the look of those pictures.”

“He didn’t even give me a chance to explain, he just yelled at me,” she whispered.

Robbie took a seat next to her on her bed. “Is it over?” he asked her.

Emma shrugged. “I don’t know, but it sure feels like it did the last time.”

“Last time?”

“Yeah, the last time Patrick and I broke up over three years ago.”

“Wait, you and Patrick broke up before?” Robbie looked more annoyed than surprised, which Emma found curious.

“Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting you haven’t been working for the guys the whole time. Yeah Patrick and I were together for five years before he broke up with me right after the guys had their hiatus.”

“Why did he do that?”

Emma blushed. “It’s a little complicated Robbie. Patrick wasn’t himself at the time.”

“Wasn’t himself? What was he on drugs or something?”

“Oh my god, no! Jesus Robbie, could you ever imagine Patrick doing drugs? He’s the boy scout out of the whole bunch,” Emma interjected.

“Right,” Robbie replied rolling his eyes. “A boy scout you breaks up with his girlfriend not once but twice.”

“That hiatus did a number on him Robbie. Mentally, I mean.”

“So what’s his excuse this time,” Robbie said.

“Robbie, stop it. You work for him, don’t talk badly about him. He’s not a bad person,” Emma said.

Robbie reached over and grabbed her hand. “Emma, I got it. He’s my boss, whatever. But you don’t
deserve the way he treats you.”

Emma looked at him weirdly. “Robbie, don’t say that.”

“Emma, you’re amazing. You don’t deserve this kind of life. Always having to deal with the press, and
Patrick’s gone all of the time. And apparently he is just willing to throw everything away over some tabloid shit! Why do you want this life?” Robbie griped.

Emma pulled her hand away from him. “I love Patrick Robbie. That’s why. And honestly, I don’t know why I have to explain myself to you.”

Robbie stood up. “You’re right. Sorry. I just, we’ve gotten to be friends over these past five months and I don’t want to see you hurt.”

Emma looked away from him. “Thanks Robbie, I appreciate that. But you should probably be worrying about the paparazzi that are about to bombard this place.”

Robbie laughed. “Oh come on Emma. Patrick isn’t Brad Pitt.” With that, he stalked out of the room, nearly slamming the door behind him.

Emma’s head hit the pillow again. “Why is everyone so pissed off at me!?” she shouted to the empty air. She closed her eyes and let her hands rest on her stomach. When they did, she suddenly was very aware of the fact that a human was growing there. She looked down at her stomach. “I’m sorry that you have to go through all of this right now,” she said. “But I promise, it’ll get better.” She said the words to try to calm the small embryo inside her, but she wondered if she wasn’t saying the words to calm herself.

She spent the next two days locked in her room in a state somewhere between awake and asleep.
The only time she really spoke to anyone was when Joel had called her to check in.

“I probably shouldn’t be calling you, huh?” he said when she answered the phone.

She looked up at her ceiling again, analyzing the intricacy of the stucco. “Yeah, well, I’m not going to hang up on you because what’s the point?” She sighed. “Please tell me you had nothing to do with this.”

“Emma, I definitely had nothing to do with this. I suspect though that Patrick isn’t happy about it?”

“You could say that,” she replied. “Joel, I don’t remember any photographers out there, do you? I mean,
it was so late at night, and there aren’t many places for them to hide.”

“I don’t know Emma, I didn’t see anyone else on the street though.” He paused. “Is there anything I can do to help make this better?”

“Tear my heart out so I don’t have to feel this pain anymore?”

Joel sighed. “Emma, you just need to explain to Patrick what happened.”

“Yeah, if he’d give me a chance. You know what’s the worst part of all of this?”
Joel’s silence answered her.

“When he called me to confront me about it, I was just about to call him to tell him that I’m pregnant.”

“Wha… wait, you’re pregnant!? Christ Emma, that’s incredible.”

“Yeah, great timing right?”

“Emma, there has to be something I can do. I can’t help feeling that it’s my fault for coming over so late,” Joel pleaded.

“Joel, what you need to do for me is to get ready for your new job, and don’t worry about me. I’m going to be fine.”

“Emma, please.”

“Joel, I can’t… I don’t want to talk about it anymore, okay?”

“All right Emma. I will talk to you later then okay? And… try and get out of the house, go into work or
something.”

“Right, work, that’s exactly where I want to be right now,” she said through a forced sigh. Once they hung up, she turned her phone back onto silent and closed her eyes once more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It may have been January for the rest of the country, but in LA it felt more like a breezy April afternoon. Patrick took a deep breath and looked up at the full sun beating down on him. He grabbed his suitcase out of the back of the SUV and rolled it up the front walkway to Pete’s condo. After his ‘talk’ with Emma, he decided to go to LA for the rest of the week with the guys. Patrick hadn’t felt that angry since his depression over the hiatus, yet the thought of Emma cheating on him, of her being with another man sent fire throughout his body. Deep down, he knew that Emma didn’t cheat on him; it wasn’t in her nature to do that kind of act. No, what he was really feeling was his own insecurities about their relationship resurfacing. He thought they had left, but he knew better.

“Daddy!”

He watched Bronx run out of the condo and toward Pete, who had dropped his bags to ready himself for the barging four year old coming his way.

“Hey little man!” Pete exclaimed, lifting Bronx into his arms. “I didn’t expect to see you here!”

Coming behind Bronx was Tracy. She met the two of them and gave Pete a kiss. “I picked him up from Ashlee’s earlier to surprise you.”

“You’re the best,” Pete murmured, kissing her one more time.

Patrick watched the three of them, envying their happiness and ease. He remembered a time when it wasn’t that easy for Pete; he remembered all of the press that circled him and Ashlee that was ten times worse than what Patrick was going through. In fact, Patrick was surprised that there was paparazzi that even cared about him and Emma. They must be getting tired of all of the Miley Cyrus nonsense, he thought.

“So, Patrick, have you called Emma back yet and apologized?” Tracy asked him as she broke away from Pete and walked over to him.

Patrick felt his face heat up. “Tracy, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Oh yeah? Well, just answer me this; am I going to have to return the dress that I bought for the wedding or not?” She placed her hands on her hips and stared at him.

Patrick pushed past her. “I don’t know,” he muttered, making his way into Pete’s house.

“What do you mean you don’t know!? Emma thinks you want to leave her over photos that you don’t even know are real!” Tracy exclaimed following him into the house.

“Trace, just leave him alone for right now okay?” Pete cried, hoisting Bronx onto his hip and carrying him into the house behind them.

“Don’t defend him, Pete. Marie told me what happened, he basically just yelled at her!” Tracy retorted angrily.

Patrick sighed and dragged his roller case upstairs to the room that he always stayed in when he visited Pete, half listening to Pete and Tracy argue about him below. Shit, he thought. Now I’m starting a fight between Pete and his girlfriend. He was feeling like a complete asshole at the moment, unable to do anything right, making everyone angry with his presence. He didn’t know when he became this person, but he was hating himself even more for it.

“Sorry about that,” Pete sighed as he came into Patrick’s room. “Tracy’s just,”

“Right,” Patrick finished for him. “She’s right. I treated Emma like crap, when I don’t even know everything.”

“Well, you could just call her and make it right.”

“Guess I’m chicken shit,” he admitted.

Pete laughed. “Patrick, let me in on a little secret about being a husband. You’re always wrong and you’re always going to have to apologize. Might as well get used to it now.” He sat down next to Patrick on the bed. “Come on, really though, are you honestly going to end your relationship with Emma,
AGAIN, over something that is probably false?”

“Yeah, thanks for reminding me what a cyclical douche bag I am,” Patrick muttered.

“That’s what I’m here for, man,” Pete said, slapping him on the back. “Look, if you need to build up your courage, that’s fine. I get it. But the longer you wait, the harder it is going to be to get her to forgive you.”

Patrick couldn’t get Pete’s words out of his head the next day when they headed to the studio to start some recordings for their new album. Patrick thought that getting his mind on the music would give him some clarity about the whole situation, but instead he found that all he could concentrate on was Emma and their relationship.

“Maybe you could go ahead and transfer some of that anger into this song,” Rusty, their producer suggested, as he changed some of the equalizer knobs on the soundboard. Rusty patted the empty chair next to him.

Patrick sighed and took a seat. “Pete, why don’t you head in there and let’s get some of your stuff, yeah?”

Pete shrugged. “Sure thing man.” He headed into the sound booth area and picked up his bass.

Rusty ran a hand through his oily curls and said into the mike, “All right, Pete, let’s take it from the top.”

Patrick glanced back at Andy and Joe who were sitting on the couch behind him, reviewing some of their chords. His eyes glanced at the TV above them, which was set on E! news. The anchor was beginning a top 10 news segment and Patrick half-listened to the celebrity “news” pieces that made the top ten. When they got to number 4, Patrick’s ears perked at the mention of his name.

“Our number four news segment comes from the pop punk world as pictures surfaced two days ago of Fall Out Boy front man, Patrick Stump’s, soon-to-be wife seemingly kissing another man at their house. Sources say that the man is a colleague of Stump’s fiancé, and that they had an on-again off-again relationship prior to her and Stump getting back together this past July. No word yet on whether or not the wedding, which was supposed to happen next Friday will still be occurring.”

Patrick sank in his chair. “Can someone turn that off please?” he groaned.

Rusty looked over at him. “Yeah, man, I’ll turn it off.” He grabbed the remote and turned it off. “Pics do look pretty incriminating, huh?”

Patrick looked down at his hands. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Except that Emma wouldn’t cheat on Patrick,” Andy pointed out, joining the conversation.

Rusty leaned back in his chair to look at Andy. “Yeah? I thought the same thing about my ex-girlfriend.
She was always so loyal to me, but then eventually, this guy kept comin’ around and he wore her down, eventually.”

Patrick’s eyebrows knitted together in vexation. “Thanks Rusty, that’s enlightening.”

Rusty shrugged. “You never know, man. Women are fickle.”

“Patrick?”

They all turned to see Melanie, the bright-eyed punk rock assistant at the front desk, peek her head into the room.

“Hey Mel baby, what’s up?” Rusty said. Turning his whole chair to face her.

She spoke as if she questioned everything she said. “Um, there’s a guy here to see you? He said he needs to talk to you real bad? Something about your girlfriend?”

Patrick glanced at Andy, Joe and Pete, who had left the sound booth. “Um, okay, bring him back here.”

She nodded and rushed back to the front.

“Who is this then?” Andy asked him.

Patrick shrugged. “No freakin’ clue.”

Melanie opened the door a few seconds later, and behind her was a face Patrick couldn’t get out of his mind the past few days. Patrick shot to his feet. “What are you doing here?”

Joel glanced around the room, assessing the other men who could potentially beat him up. “Patrick, I came here to talk to you.”

Pete walked up to him, bolstering his chest. “Dude, if you’ve come here to gloat, you have another thing coming, right Joe?”

Joe stood up and cracked his fists. “I don’t know if your face remembers the last time I knocked you out, but I wouldn’t mind reminding it of the pain.”

Joel’s eyes widened. “Guys, I’m not here to gloat. I’m here for Emma.”

Patrick pushed through his friends. “Emma sent you here?”

“Well, no, she didn’t, but I am doing this because she is in a lot of pain.” Silence followed his statement.
“Look Patrick,” he continued, stepping toward him. “I didn’t go to your house that night to try and make a move on Emma. I promise you, no matter how I feel about her, I’ve accepted your relationship and moved on, as best as I can.”

“Then why were you there?” Patrick asked him hastily.

“Before you and Emma got back together, she and I were friends, good friends. And, well when I found out I got a job offer in DC, I wanted to tell her.”

“DC?”

“Yeah with CNN. You can confirm it if you want, I leave New York end of next week. Now, if I really was trying to break you two up, why would I take a job in a city that you and I both know Emma wouldn’t want to be in?”

“So you’re saying nothing happened? The kiss then?”

“Oh come on, man, look at that picture again. I kissed her cheek. Purely platonic, I promise you. As a journalist, I can tell you, that certain camera angles can definitely change the way two people may appear together.” Before Patrick could say anything, Joel continued. “Look. I know you have no reason to trust me. I haven’t given you a lot of reasons for you to. But trust me when I say, Emma is torn up over this. She hasn’t left the bedroom since you two fought.”

“You think I’ve been feeling good about any of this?” Patrick shot back.

“No, but you’re the one holding all of the cards right now. I think that you don’t realize what power you have here.”

“It’s not about power,” Patrick said. “It’s about doing the right thing by Emma.”

“Doing the right thing? So you’re saying that doing the right thing is leaving her when she’s pregnant with your child?” Joel exclaimed.

Joel’s comment caught Patrick off guard and his breath got stuck in his throat. “uh, um, what?”

Joel glanced around the room again. “Emma’s pregnant, of course.” He looked at Patrick’s stunned face. “I thought she told you?”

“Emma’s pregnant?” Patrick echoed. He stumbled back and Pete caught him.

“Whoa, buddy, don’t lock those legs there,” Pete commented.

“Shit,” Joel said. “I thought you knew. She told me she had planned to tell you the same day you called her about the photos.”

Patrick recalled their conversation a few days ago. “Oh my God I am such a fucking idiot!” he shouted, slapping his hand to his head.

“Well, we all know that,” Joe stated bluntly.

Pete shot him a dirty look. “Why?”

“When Emma answered the phone, she said she had the best news to tell me, and I fucking cut her off like the asshole that I am. She was going to tell me she was pregnant.”

“Wow, I’m sorry,” Joel said. “Um, don’t tell Emma I told you okay? I imagine she wanted to be the one to tell you.”

“Yeah, no I know,” Patrick said. He sat down. “Holy shit, I’m going to be a dad,” he said in amazement.

“Are you happy about that?” Pete asked him reluctantly.

Patrick looked back at him. “Hell yeah, I am. I mean, shit… fuck yeah.”

“He’s so excited, he can’t stop swearing,” Andy said. “It’s so cute.”

Patrick rolled his eyes at him.

“So, what are you going to do now?” Joel spoke up.

Patrick smiled. “I’m going to stop being such an asshole and call my fiancé.” He walked over to Joel and held his hand out. “Thanks for coming all the way here to straighten everything out. That took guts, man.”

“I did it for Emma,” Joel said plainly.

“I know you did,” Patrick said. He felt ashamed that Joel, the one person that Patrick despised because of his love for Emma, was the one who did the right thing in the end.

Joel gave him a nod and left the room.

Once he was gone, the other guys looked to Patrick. “So,” Pete said. “What are you going to do?”

Patrick pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’m going to beg Emma to forgive me for being a colossal ass.”

“Atta boy,” Pete said, giving his chin a nudge with his fist.

Patrick took a deep breath, pulled up Emma’s number and called her. It rang several times before she picked up.

“Hello?” she said almost breathlessly.

“E..Em…Emma?” he stammered, glancing at the guys who were all staring intently at him. He shooed them away with his hands, nearly pushing Pete away from him.

“Patrick,” she said with a sigh of relief. “Listen, I can explain everything okay? Joel was only over here to tell me about a job he got in DC! Nothing happened. Robbie was here the whole time, you can ask him, I promise you that nothing happened, and to be honest, I don’t even know how those photos could have,”

“Emma,” he interrupted her. “Emma, I know.”

“Y… you do?” she asked.

“Yeah. I know there’s no way you would ever cheat on me,” he said softly.

“Then why did you get so mad at me? Patrick, after all we’ve been through…”

“Exactly, after all we’ve been through. I wasn’t mad at you , I was mad at myself. It just seemed like it was the last straw. I’m tired of putting you through all of this craziness.”

“Patrick, it’s not your fault that there’s press and crazy fans. Though to be honest, I don’t remember it being this crazy back in the day.”

Patrick chuckled. “Back in the day? What are we fifty?” He swore he could hear her blushing through
the phone. “You’re right though. It’s weird, all of the attention. It’s almost like someone wants to pull us apart.”

“Well, they are going to have to try a lot harder than some speculative pictures,” Emma replied. “Patrick, I am not going anywhere this time.”

“Good, because I’m not going to let you,” he replied with a grin. He glanced at his band mates who were making kissy faces at him. He rolled his eyes and turned around. “So, you still want to marry me?”

“Hell yeah I do,” she said excitedly. “Oh, and there’s one more thing you should probably know.”

Patrick smiled, knowing what was coming next, but he kept his mouth shut. “Oh yeah, what’s that?”

“Well, we’re kind of going to have a baby… okay not kind of we are going to have a baby. I’m pregnant.”

“Babe, that’s the best news I’ve heard all week so far,” he said genuinely.

“I knew it would be,” she replied. “But this means we really have to start thinking about names.”

“What? I already told you, Luke or Leia,” he joked.

“Patrick!”

“I’m kidding! We’ll figure it out, we have nine months.”

“I can’t wait.” He could hear the relief and happiness emanating from her voice. He was glad that for once he could be the reason for that.

“Look, I’m in the middle of a recording session right now, so I will call you later, okay?”

“Of course, babe. No worries. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“All right, I love you.”

“Love you too.”

He hung up and turned back around. “So wedding’s still on, and I’m going to be a dad.”

The other guys started cheering and whooping as they raced toward him to drown him in hugs.