Best of Me

Four weeks had flown by in the blink of an eye. Kat was now sixteen weeks pregnant; her baby bump was still small, but definitely noticeable. You could look at her and tell that she was pregnant. Hiding it from society was difficult now and it was starting to spread further throughout the fanbase. Most of the fans were happy and supportive, but a small handful weren’t happy about Brian and Michelle splitting up.

Things with Michelle had calmed down again. It was mostly because if Michelle was going to be around, Kat decided to stay away. It was better that way until they could figure out how to get along. Kat had more important things to worry about than getting into an argument with Michelle every time they were around each other.

Things between Kat and Brian were still going great. Their relationship hadn’t changed much since making things official. They were still best friends and acted like it, but now they were affectionate with each other and regularly intimate. There was only two weeks left before Avenged Sevenfold went on their local tour and Kat was feeling a little sad about it. They had spent almost everyday together, so Kat wasn’t going to be used to him being gone. However, what made her sad the most was that Brian wouldn’t be able to be there for the anatomy scan. But Val had an idea for a gender reveal so they could all be there.

Kat woke up to her phone alarm going off. With a sigh, she quickly turned off the noise and tried to climb out of bed. However, a tattooed arm wrapped around her bare body and pulled her further onto the bed. A laugh emitted from her as Brian snuggled against her back.

“I have to get up, Bri.” She protested, but Brian shook his head.

“You’re pregnant, you don’t have to do anything.”

Kat laughed harder at this. “I wish! I have to run to the U-Haul store and pick up some boxes. I’ve got a lot of shit to pack.”

Brian pressed his lips against the inked skin of her shoulder, smiling over the fact that Kat was going to be moving in with him. She was still being slow on the process because things could still flop in the next couple of weeks. However, she figured that she could take things to his house a little bit at a time.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Brian asked, finally releasing her from his grip. Kat got out of bed and went into the bathroom to start the shower.

“No, I’ll be okay. I’m just picking up boxes, tape, and wrapping paper. I should only be gone for an hour at the most.”

As Kat showered, Brian continued to snooze. There was nothing on his agenda for the day, so he planned on relaxing for a little while longer. After her shower, Kat quickly got dressed, gave Brian a kiss goodbye, and then left.

Her drive to the store was uneventful; the sun was brightly shining, and traffic wasn’t too bad, so it was almost relaxing. It gave her some time to reflect on things. She was almost halfway through her pregnancy, the medicine the doctor gave her was working, and she was preparing to move in with Brian.

There was still some hesitation on her end. She was worried that things could fall apart in the next few weeks. However, they could fall apart in a few weeks from now or a few years from now or not at all. There was no way to tell, so she had to just jump and hope that everything worked out. She was confident that things would be good.

Kat arrived at the store and relished in the air conditioning. California was always warm, but today it was hot. Maybe it had something to do with her being pregnant, she wasn’t entirely sure. Not wanting to be there any longer than she had to be, Kat grabbed a bundle of boxes and the packing tape she needed.

The man at the checkout counter smiled warmly at her, immediately recognizing that she was pregnant.

“How far along are you?” He asked as he rang up the boxes and tape.

“Uh, sixteen weeks.” Kat replied, fishing her debit care from her wallet. The man noticed that she wasn’t wearing a wedding or engagement ring, and he began to feel sorry for her. Kat knew that look and it irritated the shit out of her. She didn’t understand why people were always so quick to assume what was actually going on.

“Well, congratulations and good luck with everything.” The man smiled and gave her the card back. He offered to help her get everything out to the car, but Kat politely declined. She was ready to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Kat wedged the boxes into the backseat and dropped the tape in the front passenger seat. She started the car and cranked the air up to high speed and put it on the coldest setting.

Kat hit the call button on her steering wheel and quickly found Brian’s number. He answered within a few rings.

“Hey babe, what’s up?” He asked as soon as he answered. He sounded much more awake than he did when Kat first left. The brunette huffed as she turned on her left blinker.

“People are assholes.”

Brian chuckled on the other end of the call. “That’s common knowledge, sweetheart.”

“Yeah well, this was just weird. So dude at the counter asks me about how far along I am and I tell him, but then he notices that I’m not married. I see the pity and judgement all over his face.”

“Fuck him, he doesn’t matter. Please don’t let that get to you.” Brian pleaded with her, not wanting her day to be ruined by one person.

“You’re right. It’s just really frustrating and I-“ Kat’s voice was cut off and replaced by the most horrifying noise Brian had ever heard in his life.

The metal on metal was as loud as thunder. Brian called for her, but the line went dead. He jumped up, haphazardly tossing his guitar on the couch, and he grabbed his keys. Immediately, Brian went into auto pilot. He didn’t know what had happened, but he had a pretty good idea. He didn’t know if Kat or the baby was okay, but he did know where she was. And the only thing he could think to do was go to her.

Brian didn’t let himself think or feel too much in that moment. He just wanted to get to her first and then go from there.

However, in the very back of his mind, he was terrified. And he was sick.