Pulling Through

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Ally climbed into Gus´s truck and immediately reached for the vanity mirror, checking herself out and reaching for some concealer down her purse. Not that it really helped that much, but it looked worse without it.

A couple weeks had passed now since the incident, and the bruise had started to faint, leaving only a greenish stain around her eye, the swelling completely gone.

Work had been awkward. Explaining how you were beaten down on a robbery was no fun at all, she´d caught a variety of nosy looks thrown her way at all times for days, spanning from sympathetic to straight intrusive and judgy. Thankfully, now that it didn´t look that gross anymore, everyone was slowly finding other stuff to mind about.

Gus stole a glance at her while he drove them out of the city, as she applied her make-up, trying to cover most of the blemish to no avail.

-How are you feeling? Are you sure you wanna go?

-Yeah, I´m fine, besides it´s my dad´s birthday, he wouldn´t let me off that hook so easily.

-I know princess, I know- he sighed- it´s just that I don´t think they´ve really grasped the severity of what happened to you. They´re gonna be really freaked out when they get to see your face.

-Hey!- she grabbed his hand giving it a little squeeze and offering him a brief smile- It´s not that awful anymore! It´ll be fine.

-Oh my God! Ally! What did they do to you! Those animals!- her mom cried as she jumped all over her, inspecting her face.

-I´m fine mom, it wasn´t that bad- Ally replied, holding her hands down and trying to reassure her.

-s**t baby- her dad whistled- They really kicked your ass! Come here

He pulled her into a tight hug and squeezed the air out her. Then he directed his attention to Gus, patting his shoulder.

-This must have been a nightmare, buddy- he said looking compassionately at him.

-It sure was, Sir- he sighed- It sure was.

-Ally! -Amy and Anna shouted in unison, only to freeze a second later and run to hug her

-Oh, Jesus Ally! You look like a pile of crap!- Amy screeched while Anna held her tight.

-Yes she does- Adam chimed in as he joined the group hug- Damn Ally, you really know how to get yourself in trouble.

-Hey enough of me now- Ally called out, breaking their embrace and walking up to her dad- It´s dad´s birthday so let´s celebrate!

She placed a kiss on his cheek and handed him a present bag- Happy birthday daddy!

A few hours later they all sat on the lawn chairs watching Gus grill some rib-eye cuts as they downed a few beers.

-Hey Gus, are you sure you didn´t punched the s**t out of Ally and you´re now just feeding us all a cover-up story?- Louie playfully teased while sipping at his beer and looking at him, smirking.

Gus laughed heartily, eyeing him back with an amused look- Oh, I´d rather cut my own hand before that could ever happen, Pal... – he paused, wincing- But still, I know I should have been there. I´m sorry that this happened on my watch.

A shadow crossed his sight and Ally´s dad hurried himself to chime in, patting his back.

-Hey don’t beat yourself up, no one has ever been able to tame that one, she goes at her will, and she´s stubborn as a mule, so don´t you worry – he winked at him- It was only a matter of time before she got her obstinate ass kicked down anyway. You´re doing a great job, buddy.

-You know I can hear you all from here, right?- Ally shouted at him chuckling.

They all cracked up and the afternoon continued its course. Everyone laughing and having a good time.

Her dad opened all of his presents, making a show out of every single one he took out of its package, trying on every piece of clothing, admiring the new set of headphones he got and beaming at the couple books Ally and Gus gave him.

After they sang Happy Birthday and everyone had eaten at least one slice of cake, Ally´s mom and sisters went back into the house to rest and her dad followed them not longer after.

-Don´t stay up too late- he called as he headed to the backyard door- Have fun guys! Thanks for everything!

-No biggie dad! Sleep tight- Ally replied smiling at him.

Ally and Adam sat getting cozily tipsy while Louie helped Gus put the leftovers into containers and clean the grill up. They´ve made so much food it was enough for all of them to bring some back home and even then, her parents would have plenty for the rest of the week.

-Ok, let´s get all these inside Louie- Gus said handing him a couple containers, as he grabbed a few others, and both headed for the door.

Ally remained slumped on her chair, sipping at her beer, staring at the garden absentmindedly for a moment before the sound of Adam clearing his throat brought her attention back to him.

-What is it brat? – she frowned at his sudden concerned look.

-Ally- he started- I need to tell you something, its eating me up inside - He sighed and raised his hands to his head, tugging at his hair.

-What happened Adam?- Ally urged him, reaching for his shoulder-Talk to me!

-Well- he hesitated for a moment- I don’t think I´ve told you before but… I have a girlfriend, its been going for a while now- He paused, eyeing her doubtfully.

-Hey! That´s awesome brat! Who is she? How did you meet her? Are you bringing her home? – Ally pelted him, her voice racing with crescent interest.

She stopped as soon as she noticed his pained look and her stream of questions immediately ceased.

-I got her pregnant Ally- he cried, his eyes welling up- I don´t know what to do!

-s**t Adam! Are you serious- She mumbled, trying to wrap her head around it- f**k, brat!

She stood silent for a second, chugging at her beer and thinking.

-Well hun, you´re not a child anymore- she finally said, looking right at him- You have a career, you have a job... So man up and make me proud. You´ll need to get on top of this as soon as possible.

-I know- He puffed- I´m just scared, I don´t know where to start Ally! I´m gonna be a f*****g parent, it´s a huge deal!

-It is, but you got this. Talk to your lady, figure a plan out and then you come back to mom and dad… They´ll make a scene, but they´ll get over it, don´t worry.

-Oh god! Mom and dad- he whispered, bringing a palm to his forehead- They´re going to be so pissed!

His eyes widened and he reached for her arm- Listen Ally you can´t tell anyone about this yet, please… You can tell Gus, if you want, I trust him. But please let me keep this a secret for a little longer until I have it figured out.

-It´s ok Adam, you can tell them all yourself when you´re ready. Now come here!- She hugged him tight, purring happily- I can´t believe my baby brother is gonna make me an aunt!