Baby Makes Four (10/?)
Title: Baby Makes Four(10/?)
Author: Riversorrowdh
Summary: Michael and Stacey are married and have a four year old daughter, Gracie. Michael is in love with David and Jason.
Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one(except Gracie)
Today is March 10th; Gracie’s fifth birthday. I’m lying on the couch with Jason on top of me, the both of us just staring at nothing. David is softly playing his guitar on the chair across from us. I entwine my fingers with Jason’s, leaving one hand free to wrap around his waist and stroke his stomach. All day, as with every day, Gracie’s on my mind. I feel so terrible, so responsible that she’s spending her birthday without me, God knows where. I don’t even know where she sleeps at night. Is she safe? Is she comfortable?
Is she happy?
Stacey and I had been looking into kindergartens before she left, and that research still sits in our bedroom. I’ve thought about picking them up again and looking through them, but there would be no point. Stacey won’t pick up when I call her cell phone, and there’s no way she’s going to let me see my daughter.
Jason turns his head to face me and places his free hand on my cheek. He squeezes my fingers, bringing me back to Earth. I stare into his liquid eyes, seeing myself reflected in the pale pools of baby blue. I feel my eyes fill up with tears and immediately turned the corners of my mouth up into a smile. Jason is wearing one of my old tee-shirts and a pair of my boxers, having run out of clothes a couple of days ago. I sigh.
"You two should go home…" before I could even finish my sentence, Jason silenced me.
"We’re not leaving," he said adamantly. "We’re staying here with you."
"You guys ran out of clothes two days ago. Go get your things, then come back if you want."
They look at each other, having a silent conversation - or an argument. Finally, David looked at me. "Okay. We’ll be back in about an hour."
* * * *
I’ve only been sitting in the house by myself for fifteen minutes when someone knocks at the door. Sighing, I silently pray that I’ve accidentally locked David and Jason out after they left, and it isn’t some sort of paparazzi looking for answers that I don’t have. I look out the window and retreat back a couple of steps. It’s Stacey.
I open the door cautiously, looking past my wife and all around her for Gracie. I don’t see her. I look in the car, and she isn’t there either. Anger rushes through my veins.
"Hello." Her voice is small and flat; emotionless. She doesn’t look me in the eye.
"Where’s Gracie?" I ask, wanting nothing to do with her at all.
"At my parents’. Can I come in?" She tries to push past me, but naturally, I’m stronger than her and can block her.
"I want to see her. I want to see Gracie." I glare daggers into her eyes.
"No, Michael." She finally looks into my eyes; I see something there that I’ve never seen on her face before.
"What do you want from me, Stacey? What?" I’ve waited for weeks to tell her how I feel, but now that the moment has come I’m too proud to admit to her that this is tearing me apart inside. That I regret everything.
She holds out a manila folder. "This should explain everything." I take it and look at the front. It’s from her lawyer. "Divorce papers." I say. I’m not surprised. "Why did you come? Why not your lawyer?"
"I needed to get some things. I was hoping you wouldn’t be at home."
"What, are you kicking me out of this house?"
"No. I’ve got a place." She says nothing more. "Will you let me in? Gracie’s been asking for her teddy bear."
She’s doing this to anger me, but just a sliver of my mind wants to know if that’s all she’s been asking for. Does she even miss me? I can’t resist. "Has she been asking about me?"
"She thinks you’re overseas, working and such." This, at least, she’ll give me. "Now move aside."
Sighing, I lift my arm from the doorframe and let her breeze past me.
* * * *
After Stacey has emptied most of Gracie’s things from her bedroom, and taken her own clothes from her side of the closet, Stacey walks out of the house without a word to me. I am both grateful and disturbed by this. I guess I’ll have to look those papers over…
* * * *
I open the envelope and pull out the legal-looking papers inside. They’re full of legal mumbo-jumbo that I can’t really understand in my clouded mental state, but I can ask David to explain it to me. Like magic, I hear the lock click and the door opens and David and Jason walk inside, arms full of bags and freshly clothed. They spot me sitting on the couch. "Hey." David smiles and walks in, sitting right next to me. Our skin is touching and it creates an electricity that courses through my veins. Jason sits on my other side.
"What’s this?" Jason bends closer to the papers, his dreadlocks sweeping across my forearm.
"Divorce papers," I say glumly. "From Stacey."
Both sets of eyes snap to my face. "Really?" They ask almost simultaneously.
"She was here?" Jason said gently, placing his hand lightly on my upper back.
"Was…" David starts, but the look on my face must have said it all.
I have to blink back tears and take a few breaths before I can hold out the papers towards David. "Could you help me understand this? I can’t…" Smiling, he takes the papers.
After a few seconds, David gets up and starts to pace. Leaning my head against the back of the couch, I close my eyes and feel Jason lifting one of my arms and poking his head through, resting his head on my chest. I idly play with his dreadlocks until David speaks again.
"Okay. I’ve got it." He sighs heavily.
"Bad?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows worriedly.
He only nods. "You keep the house, your car, and basically everything that rightly belongs to you…but she wants full custody of Gracie."
Both Jason’s and my mouths drop open in surprise. "No…that can’t happen. Can I do anything to stop this?"
"Get a lawyer. Fight for Gracie. I’m sure you could get joint custody if you work at it."
I shake my head. "No. I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t let her do this. I think I want full custody too."
"Michael," David begins. "I don’t know if that’ll work. Call your lawyer. Maybe you could work something out."
I lean my head back down and close my eyes again. "This is so fucked up."
Jason nuzzles his face against my chest and I feel a warm, comforting feeling that I get whenever Jason’s near. I pull him tighter and rub my hand up and down his arm. David comes behind the couch and wraps a strong arm around my neck in a gentle headlock. I reach up my free arm and stroke his cheek, then tousle his hair. "I love you guys." David kisses the top of my head.
"We love you too, but you should get in contact with a lawyer. Do you have a phone book?"
I break free of Jason and reach under the coffee table. The yellow pages falls heavily onto the table. "Do you want us to go?" Jason asks quietly.
"Maybe I should do this on my own. Thank you, guys."
Jason drapes an arm around my shoulders and kisses my cheek before getting up and leaving the room with David in tow. "We’ll be in the kitchen if you need us." David calls over his shoulder.
After all the sounds of their feet have left the room, I get up the courage to open the phone book and begin my journey.
End Part 10