Christmas with the Gerard's

9

14 days till Christmas  

*PHOEBE’S POV*  

These last two days have been miserable around the Gerard’s. Everyone is on edge in the house. Two days ago, Theo woke up only to be put under immense stress when his ex-girlfriend showed up sporting a baby bump. HIS baby bump, the shock of the news was so bad, he lost consciousness for half a day, when he woke up again, the doctors said he wasn’t under any danger of brain damage anymore so they moved him to a ward. He called me to tell me about the baby and ask me to go see him, but I haven’t been, I can’t face him. How am I going to fit in within his situation? He did say that Sally had cheated and she meant nothing to him, but that changed the moment she announced her pregnancy. They are having a baby and I don’t want to get in the middle of that. Regardless of whether they want to get back together or not, they need to sort their s**t out before that baby gets here, and if I am with Theo, that won’t happen. I haven’t met Sally, but somehow, she strikes me as a very manipulative woman. Imagine she wants him back and I am in the way? Ha! I am not putting myself in between a potential family. I grew up without a father, he didn’t die, he just couldn’t keep it in his pants and eventually my mum had enough and left. I was twelve then. The next time I saw my father was exactly eight years ago, at the age of twenty-two, when my grandfather passed away and we all attended his funeral. My dad stood not six feet from me, with his new wife and their three children. He looked at me and frowned. And that was all the interaction I had with him that day. Not heard anything from him since. So, no I will not stand in the way of a potential family. Maybe, if things don’t work between Theo and Sally and they agree to co parent and things are amicable between them I will consider it.  

My thoughts are interrupted when Delia knocked on my bedroom door. 

‘Come in’ I shouted and she slowly opened the door and stuck her head in. She looks dreadful, her eyes are dull and the black bags under them make her look ten years older. She offers me a kind smile and walks in, sitting herself at the edge of the bed, her legs stretched and her feet poised by my bottom. We often sit like this at home, top to tail.  

“We are heading into the city for a family day out/ meal. You are welcome to join us babe.” She says, her eyes full of hope that I will join her.  

“Sorry Delia, I don’t think I should be intruding on your family time, you guys are going through some messed up s**t right now. You need each other.” I huffed out. 

“Please don’t leave me alone with those lunatics Pheebs!” She begged and I laughed.  

“Sorry Delia, those lunatics as you call them are your family. Go and have fun, I’ll stay here and rest, maybe go see Theo.” I sighed and she smirked  

“Yeah, go see Theo, he’s been asking about you. Don’t let him get away because of some hoe bag.” 

“That hoe bag is having his baby Delia. Your niece or nephew.”  

“Oh please! She cheated on him Pheebs, that baby could be anyone’s!”  

“You know how I feel about cheaters and absent dad’s, so I’d rather not get involved in this. “she narrowed her eyes at me and pressed her lips together. A sure sign she had something to say, but was afraid it would cause trouble.  

“Spit it out!” I glared at her. She took a deep breath and started. 

“I think you are thinking far too into this. Just because they were together for two years doesn’t mean he still loves her and wants this fairy tale idea you have in that head of yours. “She reached for my hand and held it. “You are pulling away from a great guy because some woman claims it’s his baby. Phoebe, you better than anyone should know that people lie and cheat and try any and everything to get what they want. Theo and Colton have just got their own business, a business that will earn them a lot of money. Sally, from what I have been told, is unemployed, single and skint. Theo is the perfect target.” 

I looked at her for a long time, maybe what she was saying was the truth. Maybe I was overreacting to this. “Ok, I will go see him after I have showered and eaten. “She gave me a big hug and left, stopping at the door and looking back “OH, we are leaving in a bout ten minutes, apparently nan wants to treat all us girls to new hairstyles and nails while the lads go do their last-minute Christmas shopping. So, I will see you tonight.” I waved goodbye and gathered my things for the shower.  

*** An hour later I was showered dressed and tucking into a bacon bun in my room for the holidays when I heard noises downstairs. Maybe someone had come back for something they’d forgotten. I ignored it and carried on folding my clothes away. I stopped though, when I heard a muffled scream and the sound of something breaking. s**t! I have got myself a ‘home alone’ situation here! Quietly I opened my door and poked my head out, the noises were coming from the kitchen side, so I grabbed my phone and turned the camera on, you never know, I might be able to snap a pic of the robber for the police. I slowly made my way downstairs, the grip on my phone so hard I will probably c***k the screen. The muffled sounds soon became hushed words and when I reached the bottom of the stairs, I stood quiet as a mouse by the closed kitchen door. I couldn’t really understand what was being said, but I now knew there was two people. I walked backwards away from the closed door, down the hall, to the dining room, my plan was simple, whoever was in there had shut the kitchen door, but I’m hoping they hadn’t noticed the adjoining dining room, so I was going to sneak in there and try to capture them from that side of the room. I decided since the robbers seemed to be having a grand old chat to switch my phone to video, I approached the open door slowly and peaked. There, by the breakfast bar stood a tall man in an impeccably tailored brown suede suit. Definitely not a robber. I held my phone up and pressed play, I couldn’t see his face or his bottom half, but at least the police would have a great video of his suit. I heard a strange sound and the man tilted his head back, a long moan coming from his direction. What the f**k is going on there? I saw his arms lift a bit and bend as if he was holding something to his waist. But because of the breakfast bar, I couldn’t see. Soon I noticed the frantic movements of his arms and realized what was going on. These dam thieves are getting off in the kitchen. His head tilted back once more and he spoke.  

“Oh f**k!” He moaned. “I’m close, suck harder.” I gagged, because I suddenly recognised that voice. Toby. s**t that must be Avery in there with him! I quickly turned my phone off and walked quietly to get my bag and coat. I left the house as quick and silently as I could. God I can’t believe I just watched that! I deleted the video of Toby and waited for the taxi to come get me and drive me to the hospital.  

***  

Theo was sleeping peacefully when I was shown to his room, luckily, he had been able to go into a private room instead of simply being given a bed in a shared ward. I took my coat off and placed in on the back of the plastic covered chair next to his bed. I looked around the room, it’s white walls and the faint monitor beeps reminding me of work. After a while, I sat down on the chair, making it squeak. I still and clench every muscle in my body as to not wake Theo up.  

“Hey, you came.” His raspy voice tells me I failed, so I relax and lean forward, placing my elbows on the edge of the bed and resting my chin on my hands. 

“Yeah, sorry it’s taken so long.” I sheepishly say. He smiles and waves his hand dismissing what I just said. 

“It’s ok, Delia is s**t at keeping secrets, she told me you were over thinking stuff at home.” He chuckles and I smile too. f*****g Delia.  

“Hey? You could pass me some water please? I am dying for a drink!” I stand and walk around his bed, to the table he pushed too far out of reach and pour him a glass of water. I hand it to him and he downs it in one long glup, handing the glass back and rising his eyebrows. I chuckle and fill it up again, this time he takes a small sip places it on the little cabinet next to his bed, I follow his movements and notice he has his hone and laptop there. He presses the button on his bed and it raises the top half so he is sitting, once he is happy, he pats the bottom of the bed next to his legs for me to sit, I oblige and sit, knocking my trainers off my feet and crossing my legs under me. 

“So?” He asks smiling “ What were you overthinking about?”  

“You and the baby situation.” I say with a sigh 

“What about it?” He asks, I look at him in disbelief but he looks genuinely confused 

“What about it? Theo, you are about to be a dad, I can’t come between that?” I say harshly. 

“Phoebe, Sally cheated on me, even if that baby is mine, which I doubt by the way, this situation as you put it, is quite clear. Sally and I will co parent. Simple as that. You, if things progress between as I want them to, will be my girlfriend. I would never abandon my child, but I am not willing to give up on us either. I think we could have something really great Pheebs.” He says quietly and his hand reaches for my cheek. I smile softly as his thumb caresses my cheek bone.  

“Hey, I have a question for you?” I say moving his hand away from my face. “I saw a picture that piqued my interest. The house we are all staying in, who’s is it?” He chuckles  

“It was my nan and grandad’s, when my grandad married my nan, his dad made him a partner in his insurance firm. He had worked there since he had finished college. He worked there his whole life, up until he become ill with cancer. He left the business to my dad, they had worked together, my grandad gave my dad a job when mum got pregnant with James. They both loved it. When grandad died, my dad was supposed to lead the business into the 21st century, but he died one year later. Mum was pregnant with Gabriel. I was fifteen, me and Colt were in the back of the car when a drunk driver t-boned us. He died instantly. Mum and nan sold the insurance company and mum sold our childhood home, together they extended nan’s three bed into the five bed it is now. They also added some more space to the ground floor, making the kitchen bigger and the lounger longer. They added the extra room downstairs as well as the large bathroom. Me and James shared one room, the three girls shared the other and then mum and nan each had a room. The extra room was turned into an office, but when Delia was about twelve, her and Avery getting into massive fights, so mum moved Delia into the office room.” He reached for his glass and gulped the rest of his water. I just sat in silence thinking about what he had said. His poor family, to lose their grandad and dad within a year of each other must have been a big blow.  

“How come you didn’t know any of that? I thought you and Delia told each other everything?” He questioned and suddenly I realized that actually, I don’t know much from Delia’s past. 

“We never really talked much about her past, or mine to be honest. I think you know more about my past than her. I think maybe me and your sister aren’t as close as we think.” I whispered sadly.  

“No Pheebs, don’t say that. You are close. Just because you both decided not to share every detail of your past with each other doesn’t mean you don’t care about each other. “He cupped my cheeks again and scootched his bottom forward, leaning his whole upper body towards me, I licked my lips in anticipation of his kiss, but it never arrived as we were interrupted by the door to his room opening. I jumped up off his bed as I watched a smallish woman walk in smiling, her hair was pinned into a messy bun on top of her head, her face plain, just a simple nude lipstick, she wore a tight black long sleeve top and jeans with big f**k me red heels. I looked her up and down and up again, my eyes stopping on the small bump she had. This must be Sally. I felt her eyes on me and looked at her face again, she was watching me with a look that equaled pure disgust and I felt like s**t on the bottom of her shoe.  

“Theo baby, you are awake.”  She said cheerfully moving into the room and standing by his side. “Thank you miss for sitting with my fiancé, but I will take it from here.” She glared at me as I just stood there rooted to the floor.  

“Sally, what the f**k are you on about?” Theo said, and she gave him a confused look “This is Pheobe, my girlfriend.” I chocked on thin air and started coughing like my life was ending, I turned and grabbed his water jug, lifted the lid and took a great big gulp of it! Big mistake, it went down the wrong hole and I ended up chocking for real and coughing and spluttering everywhere, while Theo and Sally just watched me like they were watching a woman with seven heads! Eventually I calmed myself down and squeaked out a ‘Hey’ towards her. 

“Sally?” Theo called and she finally took her eyes off me “Sit, we need to chat” He pointed to the chair next to his bed and she grabbed my coat and bag and threw them on the floor  

“Ooops” She said as she sat down. I glared at her and went to pick them up. b***h!  

“How far are you?”  

“Seventeen weeks, wanna see the scan?” She asked pulling out a card from her bag and handing it to him. He opened it and tears filled his eyes.  

“Do you know if it’s a boy or girl?” 

“No, it’s too early, they might be able to tell at the twenty-week scan. You have to come to that one.” 

I stood quietly listening to their conversation, seventeen weeks, that puts the time of conception around the secondish week of August, Theo told me they broke up end of September because he found out she had been sleeping with that Tomas lad since July. The timings were too close for errors to be made. The baby could be his or Tomas’. I stayed quiet, not wanting her to think any questions Theo had were coming from me but I could tell he was working it out in his head.  

“So that means the baby was conceived mid-August, right? "He questioned.  

“Mmmhmm” She answered smiling. 

“Mid-August when I was in Scotland on business?” He said, his tone bored and cold, her smile fell and she stuttered.  

“Theo... I … “ 

“Save it. That baby isn’t mine is it?” He asked sadly 

“No.” She whispered. 

“Why” His tone was so hurt 

“Why what?” She asked, her voice trembling. The tears threatening to escape from her eyes. 

“Why lie? About the baby, about the affair, about everything?”  

“You were never there...” She started 

“Oh, spare me the bullshit Sally, we weren’t married, we were together for nearly two years. If you weren’t happy, why didn’t you leave me? Why cheat? Why come back saying it’s my baby?”  

“Fine” She said angrily, standing from the chair she let out a defeated sigh  

“I have a drug problem. I guess you could say when I met you, I was sober, I used to get my stuff from Tomas’ boss directly and we slept together a couple times. But I wanted to change so I went to rehab and all was going well, we met and got on well, I fell for you, I really did. I could tell you loved me too and that maybe you’d be my happily ever after. But in May after your sister’s birthday, you started to get distant, too concerned with plotting for her to get back to you and your family, up until then I had been your priority, but then you pushed me aside. When you went to London with Colton in July I went to meet with an old friend of mine, she was supposed to be clean too, but she had gotten mixed up with Tomas and that night I fell off the wagon. I picked up right where I had left off, and now I owe Tomas hundreds of thousands of pounds and he won’t accept that the baby is his. When I heard you and Colton had gotten the go ahead for your business, I knew you’d be in the money soon. I guess I thought I could pay Tomas off and get my happily ever after. I was wrong.” 

 She sobbed and ran out the door before we could stop her. That poor woman. That poor baby. I looked at Theo and he was crying too. I sat next to him and held his hand while he sobbed on my shoulder. We sat like that for ages and eventually Theo fell asleep and I laid his bed down, as I was leaving him a note, my phone pinged and I rooted in my bag for it. I smiled when I saw Delia’s name next to the text notification. I opened her message  

*Sup loser? Fancy a film night when you get back? I got some cheesy ones for us to watch. To all the boys or kissing booth? *  

I finished my note and left it on top of his phone, I typed out my reply to her and headed down to the entrance to wait for my taxi. My phone pinged and I chuckled at her reply  

*Hurry, I have wine and chocolate* I love my bestie