muses_w_remotes | 14.15. Off Centre quote
14.15. “If you hurt that girl I will kill you, nurse you back to health, and then kill you again!”
| Off Centre
[Follows THIS]
Mark looked down at the pink teddy bear in his hand and let out a rough, shaky breath. He tried to swallow away the nerves fluttering inside him, but it was impossible. When he returned home from a meeting with his old boss in the city, he checked on his brother and found James out like a light in bed with case files strewn all over the spare side. Mark was tempted to wake him up and berate him with a smack in the forehead for doing too much too soon, but it would a pointless act. A smack in the head wouldn't stop James working. He was still struggling to believe James was alive. He occasionally caught those unreadable blue eyes on him from across the room that had him wondering just how deep the amnesia stemmed. James was dazed and confused at times, but that could be factored to the coma more than anything. He refused to talk about any of the time he had been absent, and even once or twice got angry when he had been questioned about it. Mark knew that there was some knowledge of something there, but it was probably information James would never reveal. And that was okay. Just so long as he was alive and safe now.
It was when Mark had been checking that James was okay that he found the teddy bear lying near his hand. It looked strange and Mark's first reaction was to snigger that his brother slept with a teddy, and a pink one at that. Until the penny dropped. The little pinafore on the bear with 'Sunshine' embroidered across the tummy was another giveaway. Mark couldn't remember how he knew Ali nicknamed the baby Sunshine, but he just knew.
Ali had been there. She had been there with the baby.
Something inside Mark seemed to shift with that realisation and he knew he had to see Ali... he had to see them both. There was no hesitation as he grabbed up the keys to James' sleek car and drove over to his brother's old apartment block. It was weird and familiar all at the same time. It was like he was on autopilot the whole way and it was how he came to be standing at Ali's door clutching the teddy bear, trying to brace himself to ring the bell. He hadn't seen her since James' memorial service. He had only seen photos of the baby just after she was born. He was terrified. But he forced himself to ring the bell, and then nearly bolted in a fit of cold feet. He didn't have a chance, though. The door opened a lot quicker than he expected, and then she was there. Standing there in front of him looking as gorgeous as he always remembered her.
Ali's eyes widened and she held the door as she gaped at him. He wasn't the pizza guy who had took a wrong turn at the elevator again. "M-Mark," she gasped, but didn't make any attempt to move.
Mark went to say something in response, to say anything, but he was interrupted when a guy appeared from the direction of the living room in what looked to be a paramedic uniform, nursing a little blond bundle wrapped in a bunny rug. His eyes landed on the baby, who had her little hand clutched around the guy's shirt and she looked to be almost asleep. He just stared, feeling like someone had torn the floor out from under him, but he soon had to look away. He looked at the guy's face, then met Ali's gaze again.
Andrew had seen the photos. He knew who the guy was. Outwardly he remained calm, but his hold reflexively tightened around Jamie. "Ali," he said, the word coming out hoarsely as his composure slipped just a little. "She didn't take the rest of the bottle. I have to get going or I'll be late. Are you okay to put her down?" he asked, cradling Jamie's head with his palm.
"I can put her down, baby," Ali assured him, her own voice choked up. She moved close so she could take Jamie off him, tucking the bunny rug up over her head a little to shade her sleepy eyes from the light. She leaned in and kissed Andrew softly. "Call me on your break," she told him.
Andrew nodded and stooped to pick up his backpack from where it was waiting in the hall for him to leave for work. How the fuck was he supposed to just walk away from this? Leave Ali with her ex? But he had to. He trusted Ali implicitly. It was the fucking bastard standing three feet away that he wanted to belt the daylights out of. His hands were shaking slightly as he hooked the bag over his shoulder. He kissed Jamie's head and brushed his fingers across her fine hair. "Sure, sweetheart," he told her. "I love you." He managed a faint smile as he stepped out into the hall beside Mark. Their eyes locked and Andrew's face hardened, his light eyes turning cold before he stalked up the hallway without looking back.
Mark put his hand up to his head. "Oh god," he mumbled. He should have realised what James meant when he said it was too late and Ali had moved on. It hadn't even crossed his mind Ali would be seeing someone else, and what did that say about what he thought about her? His fingers pressed against his forehead as he looked at her and the baby, feeling suspiciously faint. "I'm sorry, I just..." He shook his head a little and then held out the teddy bear.
Ali made no move to take it. She just watched him evenly for a few lingering moments. She hadn't had time to prepare for this moment. Or maybe she had too much time, but kept shoving it further and further to the back of her mind. "Don't," she finally said bluntly. "Don't apologise. No apologies in the world could possibly be enough, so just don't fucking bother. I have to put my daughter to bed, so make it quick, if you don't mind. I'm not making her wait for you. Been there, done that, got the monogrammed diaper."
The sarcasm dripped from Ali's words and Mark almost winced. "He's your boyfriend," he mumbled, clearly shaken. "J-James didn't say you... he just..."
"Fiancé," Ali corrected, and as the word fell from her lips she felt her features soften almost apologetically. She swallowed and hugged Jamie close to her like some sort of shield. "That's Andrew and he's become my world. And I can't let you ruin that for me," she said as tears welled up and spilled over. "I won't let you hurt him. I sure as fuck won't let you hurt Jamie." It was almost like the baby girl sensed her Mummy was upset and immediately whimpered and started to cry too. Ali cursed softly and brought Jamie up against her shoulder to rub her back.
Mark looked between them both helpless and then gave his head a slight shake. "What are you trying to say?" he said. "I thought that now... with James... I want to make up for what I did. I want to get to know her. I didn't know how to before. How was I supposed to know how to be a fucking father? But she's beautiful. And I was scared. I was... I couldn't even think straight and I was a fucking arsehole. When we lost James, I just gave up. It was like nothing mattered, but I... I can do this, Ali. I can."
"She's not some fucking inflatable whore you can just pick up and play with when you feel like it!" Ali hissed, something snapping inside you. "You don't just get to walk in here and dictate what you do and don't want! You're a fucking name on a bank deposit list and nothing else! It's too late, Mark! Didn't you think for a fucking minute that maybe I was going through exactly the same pain and devastation that you were?! But that I had this brand new little person who needed me to fucking be strong for her so she didn't end up screwed up like the rest of us?! And where were you, you fucking arsehole?! You were running away! You chose to leave us alone! You didn't think that maybe we might need protecting through all this too! You were so wrapped up in yourself that you couldn't even spare a fucking minute to make a phone call to check that she was healthy after being born prematurely! You didn't fucking care! We lost him too, you know! Grief had nothing to do with it! If you cared, you would've been here so we could all break together! As a family! But you weren't, and you know what? You can fucking stick your wants up your arse! You can fight me all you want, Mark, but I'll take you for everything! Just back off and crawl back under the fucking rock you dragged yourself out from under! I will not let you hurt her and toss her aside like you did to me!" She shoved him roughly out of her doorway and slammed the door in his face.
The teddy bear dropped heavily to the floor at Mark's feet as he stared in shock at the closed door. He felt sick and his chest ached all of a sudden. He put his hand up on the door. "Ali," he choked out tearfully. It hurt, her words slicing deep into his heart. And the worst part was, he knew he deserved every damn one of them.
Andrew Connor [paramedically] written by his mun. Mark is an NPC and written by me. All other muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe
Word Count | 1,614
| Off Centre
[Follows THIS]
Mark looked down at the pink teddy bear in his hand and let out a rough, shaky breath. He tried to swallow away the nerves fluttering inside him, but it was impossible. When he returned home from a meeting with his old boss in the city, he checked on his brother and found James out like a light in bed with case files strewn all over the spare side. Mark was tempted to wake him up and berate him with a smack in the forehead for doing too much too soon, but it would a pointless act. A smack in the head wouldn't stop James working. He was still struggling to believe James was alive. He occasionally caught those unreadable blue eyes on him from across the room that had him wondering just how deep the amnesia stemmed. James was dazed and confused at times, but that could be factored to the coma more than anything. He refused to talk about any of the time he had been absent, and even once or twice got angry when he had been questioned about it. Mark knew that there was some knowledge of something there, but it was probably information James would never reveal. And that was okay. Just so long as he was alive and safe now.
It was when Mark had been checking that James was okay that he found the teddy bear lying near his hand. It looked strange and Mark's first reaction was to snigger that his brother slept with a teddy, and a pink one at that. Until the penny dropped. The little pinafore on the bear with 'Sunshine' embroidered across the tummy was another giveaway. Mark couldn't remember how he knew Ali nicknamed the baby Sunshine, but he just knew.
Ali had been there. She had been there with the baby.
Something inside Mark seemed to shift with that realisation and he knew he had to see Ali... he had to see them both. There was no hesitation as he grabbed up the keys to James' sleek car and drove over to his brother's old apartment block. It was weird and familiar all at the same time. It was like he was on autopilot the whole way and it was how he came to be standing at Ali's door clutching the teddy bear, trying to brace himself to ring the bell. He hadn't seen her since James' memorial service. He had only seen photos of the baby just after she was born. He was terrified. But he forced himself to ring the bell, and then nearly bolted in a fit of cold feet. He didn't have a chance, though. The door opened a lot quicker than he expected, and then she was there. Standing there in front of him looking as gorgeous as he always remembered her.
Ali's eyes widened and she held the door as she gaped at him. He wasn't the pizza guy who had took a wrong turn at the elevator again. "M-Mark," she gasped, but didn't make any attempt to move.
Mark went to say something in response, to say anything, but he was interrupted when a guy appeared from the direction of the living room in what looked to be a paramedic uniform, nursing a little blond bundle wrapped in a bunny rug. His eyes landed on the baby, who had her little hand clutched around the guy's shirt and she looked to be almost asleep. He just stared, feeling like someone had torn the floor out from under him, but he soon had to look away. He looked at the guy's face, then met Ali's gaze again.
Andrew had seen the photos. He knew who the guy was. Outwardly he remained calm, but his hold reflexively tightened around Jamie. "Ali," he said, the word coming out hoarsely as his composure slipped just a little. "She didn't take the rest of the bottle. I have to get going or I'll be late. Are you okay to put her down?" he asked, cradling Jamie's head with his palm.
"I can put her down, baby," Ali assured him, her own voice choked up. She moved close so she could take Jamie off him, tucking the bunny rug up over her head a little to shade her sleepy eyes from the light. She leaned in and kissed Andrew softly. "Call me on your break," she told him.
Andrew nodded and stooped to pick up his backpack from where it was waiting in the hall for him to leave for work. How the fuck was he supposed to just walk away from this? Leave Ali with her ex? But he had to. He trusted Ali implicitly. It was the fucking bastard standing three feet away that he wanted to belt the daylights out of. His hands were shaking slightly as he hooked the bag over his shoulder. He kissed Jamie's head and brushed his fingers across her fine hair. "Sure, sweetheart," he told her. "I love you." He managed a faint smile as he stepped out into the hall beside Mark. Their eyes locked and Andrew's face hardened, his light eyes turning cold before he stalked up the hallway without looking back.
Mark put his hand up to his head. "Oh god," he mumbled. He should have realised what James meant when he said it was too late and Ali had moved on. It hadn't even crossed his mind Ali would be seeing someone else, and what did that say about what he thought about her? His fingers pressed against his forehead as he looked at her and the baby, feeling suspiciously faint. "I'm sorry, I just..." He shook his head a little and then held out the teddy bear.
Ali made no move to take it. She just watched him evenly for a few lingering moments. She hadn't had time to prepare for this moment. Or maybe she had too much time, but kept shoving it further and further to the back of her mind. "Don't," she finally said bluntly. "Don't apologise. No apologies in the world could possibly be enough, so just don't fucking bother. I have to put my daughter to bed, so make it quick, if you don't mind. I'm not making her wait for you. Been there, done that, got the monogrammed diaper."
The sarcasm dripped from Ali's words and Mark almost winced. "He's your boyfriend," he mumbled, clearly shaken. "J-James didn't say you... he just..."
"Fiancé," Ali corrected, and as the word fell from her lips she felt her features soften almost apologetically. She swallowed and hugged Jamie close to her like some sort of shield. "That's Andrew and he's become my world. And I can't let you ruin that for me," she said as tears welled up and spilled over. "I won't let you hurt him. I sure as fuck won't let you hurt Jamie." It was almost like the baby girl sensed her Mummy was upset and immediately whimpered and started to cry too. Ali cursed softly and brought Jamie up against her shoulder to rub her back.
Mark looked between them both helpless and then gave his head a slight shake. "What are you trying to say?" he said. "I thought that now... with James... I want to make up for what I did. I want to get to know her. I didn't know how to before. How was I supposed to know how to be a fucking father? But she's beautiful. And I was scared. I was... I couldn't even think straight and I was a fucking arsehole. When we lost James, I just gave up. It was like nothing mattered, but I... I can do this, Ali. I can."
"She's not some fucking inflatable whore you can just pick up and play with when you feel like it!" Ali hissed, something snapping inside you. "You don't just get to walk in here and dictate what you do and don't want! You're a fucking name on a bank deposit list and nothing else! It's too late, Mark! Didn't you think for a fucking minute that maybe I was going through exactly the same pain and devastation that you were?! But that I had this brand new little person who needed me to fucking be strong for her so she didn't end up screwed up like the rest of us?! And where were you, you fucking arsehole?! You were running away! You chose to leave us alone! You didn't think that maybe we might need protecting through all this too! You were so wrapped up in yourself that you couldn't even spare a fucking minute to make a phone call to check that she was healthy after being born prematurely! You didn't fucking care! We lost him too, you know! Grief had nothing to do with it! If you cared, you would've been here so we could all break together! As a family! But you weren't, and you know what? You can fucking stick your wants up your arse! You can fight me all you want, Mark, but I'll take you for everything! Just back off and crawl back under the fucking rock you dragged yourself out from under! I will not let you hurt her and toss her aside like you did to me!" She shoved him roughly out of her doorway and slammed the door in his face.
The teddy bear dropped heavily to the floor at Mark's feet as he stared in shock at the closed door. He felt sick and his chest ached all of a sudden. He put his hand up on the door. "Ali," he choked out tearfully. It hurt, her words slicing deep into his heart. And the worst part was, he knew he deserved every damn one of them.
Andrew Connor [paramedically] written by his mun. Mark is an NPC and written by me. All other muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe
Word Count | 1,614