Easter Rising: Your Life
Fandom: Easter Rising
Title: Your Life
Author: Ai (
armageddoni)
Pairing: Andrew/Caleb, Andrew/Susan
Characters: Andrew, Susan, John, with mentions of Caleb
Word count: 1317 words
Genre: Drama/Angst/Fluff
Rating: PG-13 for swearing and mature themes
Summary: A life is a little story, and all stories have beginnings...
Notes: Baby!John! That's really why I wrote this, for him.
Dedication: To Josh, for being there while I spazzed over this.
Disclaimer: I do not own Easter Rising; Michael Arden does.
Andrew Wilson rubbed his hands together nervously, then picked at his nails. He stared out at the bland carpet, a grayish greenish beige. It looked like grass after a long, hard winter. And that’s what this had been. A long, hard winter.
A door opened and Andrew nearly jumped out of his chair, but it wasn’t the doctor he knew, and whoever it was rushed past him. Andrew relaxed. He really just wanted all of this to be over.
He wondered if Susan was okay. He may not have loved her, but she had put up with a lot in the past year, particularly him. He had to admire her for her courage to go through all of this, against his months of urging.
Months. All those months came down to today, or so Andrew hoped. He wanted to leave, but he was responsible for this mess. Besides, Susan might… need him. He didn’t know.
He remembered the day she had told him. Nine long months ago. He had been distracted. The first of Caleb’s letters had come, begging him to please come back because he loved Andrew and still missed him.
Susan’s face. Andrew could see it clearly. She had handled the whole ordeal very calmly- he had no idea if she’d even cried at all when she found out.
“Andrew?” she’d asked, no quiver in her voice, no hint to the disaster that was looming.
“Hm?”
“Andrew, I’ve got something very important to tell you. Please look at me.”
“What?” he remembered sighing exasperatedly and looking into her face, only for her to get suddenly nervous.
“Um…” she looked away at her lap, and then reached out a hand, wrapping it around his. She let out a breath, then looked back at him. “Andrew, I’m pregnant.”
Explosion.
Andrew couldn’t think. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t see. He just sat there, stunned.
No. No. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be. No. Susan couldn’t be pregnant, because… because Andrew didn’t love her. Andrew couldn’t love her. Wasn’t that a requirement for a baby? “When a man and a woman love each other very much…”
And Andrew still loved Caleb. He was angry, yeah, he was confused about what to do about it, sure, but he still loved him. He did.
“No.” It wasn’t what he was supposed to say, he knew that, but he said it anyway. “You can’t be.”
She seemed a little shocked, but she quickly regained her composure. “I am, Andrew. And it’s yours. I thought you should know so we could decide together what we should do.”
“Get rid of it,” Andrew said, sounding harsher than he’d intended but not really caring.
“Andrew…” she was really shocked now.
“Get rid of it.”
“No.” He could see the tears shimmering in her eyes, tears he had caused. “I’m not getting rid of it. I’m not getting rid of our baby.”
Our baby. Dammit it couldn’t be theirs “You… we… Susan, this can’t… this can’t be happening.”
“It is happening, Andrew. It is.”
“No, Susan, this can’t be happening, you don’t understand, it can’t…” Wordlessly, he handed Susan the letter Caleb had sent.
“What is this?” she demanded, her hands shaking as she looked at the piece of paper.
“Just read it,” Andrew told her, feeling slightly sick. Seconds passed, the silence building until finally, Susan broke it, dropping the letter and bringing her trembling hands to her face. Andrew watched her cry for a few minutes until she finally calmed down.
“Okay,” she said, wiping away the stray tears. “So… um… you’re, you know…” She seemed unable to say it aloud, but it was okay. Andrew could never say it, either.
“Yeah.” His voice was rough, as if he was holding back tears.
“Do you, um…”
“Yeah.”
She let out a breath, exasperated and a little angry. “Then why bother with me, Andrew? Why bother with me?”
“I don’t know.” Now he sounded very, very small, and he felt that way. This was all his fault.
“God…” Susan rubbed her forehead, then closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. “I’m still not getting rid of the baby, Andrew. It’s ours.”
Andrew said nothing in reply.
When Susan’s parents heard the news, they demanded the two of them get married. Andrew couldn’t find a way to say no, and Susan seemed beaten by the fact that Andrew didn’t- couldn’t- love her. The wedding was fast, a small ceremony at the courthouse. No one from Andrew’s side of the family was even invited. He wanted it that way.
And now, here they were, months later, their child about to come into the world. God, Andrew couldn’t believe this was happening. If he’d just stayed in Texas…
Andrew reached into his pocket and produced a crumpled piece of paper. Caleb had written again. This letter was different from the first, angrier.
‘Dear Andrew,’ it began.
‘Your mom gave me this address. She said something about how you married some girl and moved in with her and how you were going to have a kid. A fucking kid. And a wife. God, Andrew… what the hell did Ohio do to you?
‘And yet, I still miss you. I still love you. Did you hear that, Andrew Wilson? I still love you. I want you to come back. I want you to come home. Bring the wife and kid, I don’t care. Come home.’
“Mr. Wilson?” Andrew jumped at the sound of his name, startled. He hastily thrust the letter into his back pocket as a nurse came bustling up to him.
“How is she?” he asked quickly.
“Your wife is fine, Mr. Wilson, and I’m happy to report that you have a healthy baby boy.” A boy. A son. Andrew had a son. “If you’d like to see them…” Without waiting for an answer, she turned back around and hurried away. Figuring he had no other choice, Andrew followed her.
Susan looked exhausted. Strands of hair were all over the place on her head, and her eyes looked tired and heavy, but she glowed with a warmth that lit up her whole face and made her look slightly angelic. She was holding a bundle of baby blankets. Their son.
Andrew approached quietly. “Hey,” he whispered. He wasn’t sure why he was whispering. There was just a reverent feeling about the moment that made him lower his voice.
“Hey,” she whispered back.
“Is that…?” he asked, feeling stupid.
“Yep.” She smiled, looking down at the baby’s face. “This is John.” She looked back up at Andrew. “Do you want to hold him?”
“Uh… sure.” In truth, he didn’t. He wasn’t very good with kids, and he was positive he was going to drop the tiny baby. But he took his son from Susan anyway, because it seemed like the right thing to do.
The baby stirred a little in his arms but he didn’t cry, for which Andrew was very thankful. His head was round and pink, and Andrew was positive those were Susan’s ears on either side. As for the face…
“I think he looks a lot like you,” Susan said softly.
He did. That was Andrew’s nose, his lips, his eyes… It was eerie, but somehow, Andrew felt this rising in his chest that he had felt only once before. This was his son. This was John, his son, his… future. And Andrew… loved him. Andrew loved him. Very much.
Handing his son back to his wife that he couldn’t bring himself to love, Andrew knew what he had to do. He’d stay. He’d stay with John and Susan, as long as he could bring himself to. He needed to be there for his son. He needed to give John a chance at a normal childhood. Caleb and Texas would have to wait. Andrew had a kid, and his kid needed him.
Title: Your Life
Author: Ai (
armageddoni)
Pairing: Andrew/Caleb, Andrew/Susan
Characters: Andrew, Susan, John, with mentions of Caleb
Word count: 1317 words
Genre: Drama/Angst/Fluff
Rating: PG-13 for swearing and mature themes
Summary: A life is a little story, and all stories have beginnings...
Notes: Baby!John! That's really why I wrote this, for him.
Dedication: To Josh, for being there while I spazzed over this.
Disclaimer: I do not own Easter Rising; Michael Arden does.
Andrew Wilson rubbed his hands together nervously, then picked at his nails. He stared out at the bland carpet, a grayish greenish beige. It looked like grass after a long, hard winter. And that’s what this had been. A long, hard winter.
A door opened and Andrew nearly jumped out of his chair, but it wasn’t the doctor he knew, and whoever it was rushed past him. Andrew relaxed. He really just wanted all of this to be over.
He wondered if Susan was okay. He may not have loved her, but she had put up with a lot in the past year, particularly him. He had to admire her for her courage to go through all of this, against his months of urging.
Months. All those months came down to today, or so Andrew hoped. He wanted to leave, but he was responsible for this mess. Besides, Susan might… need him. He didn’t know.
He remembered the day she had told him. Nine long months ago. He had been distracted. The first of Caleb’s letters had come, begging him to please come back because he loved Andrew and still missed him.
Susan’s face. Andrew could see it clearly. She had handled the whole ordeal very calmly- he had no idea if she’d even cried at all when she found out.
“Andrew?” she’d asked, no quiver in her voice, no hint to the disaster that was looming.
“Hm?”
“Andrew, I’ve got something very important to tell you. Please look at me.”
“What?” he remembered sighing exasperatedly and looking into her face, only for her to get suddenly nervous.
“Um…” she looked away at her lap, and then reached out a hand, wrapping it around his. She let out a breath, then looked back at him. “Andrew, I’m pregnant.”
Explosion.
Andrew couldn’t think. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t see. He just sat there, stunned.
No. No. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be. No. Susan couldn’t be pregnant, because… because Andrew didn’t love her. Andrew couldn’t love her. Wasn’t that a requirement for a baby? “When a man and a woman love each other very much…”
And Andrew still loved Caleb. He was angry, yeah, he was confused about what to do about it, sure, but he still loved him. He did.
“No.” It wasn’t what he was supposed to say, he knew that, but he said it anyway. “You can’t be.”
She seemed a little shocked, but she quickly regained her composure. “I am, Andrew. And it’s yours. I thought you should know so we could decide together what we should do.”
“Get rid of it,” Andrew said, sounding harsher than he’d intended but not really caring.
“Andrew…” she was really shocked now.
“Get rid of it.”
“No.” He could see the tears shimmering in her eyes, tears he had caused. “I’m not getting rid of it. I’m not getting rid of our baby.”
Our baby. Dammit it couldn’t be theirs “You… we… Susan, this can’t… this can’t be happening.”
“It is happening, Andrew. It is.”
“No, Susan, this can’t be happening, you don’t understand, it can’t…” Wordlessly, he handed Susan the letter Caleb had sent.
“What is this?” she demanded, her hands shaking as she looked at the piece of paper.
“Just read it,” Andrew told her, feeling slightly sick. Seconds passed, the silence building until finally, Susan broke it, dropping the letter and bringing her trembling hands to her face. Andrew watched her cry for a few minutes until she finally calmed down.
“Okay,” she said, wiping away the stray tears. “So… um… you’re, you know…” She seemed unable to say it aloud, but it was okay. Andrew could never say it, either.
“Yeah.” His voice was rough, as if he was holding back tears.
“Do you, um…”
“Yeah.”
She let out a breath, exasperated and a little angry. “Then why bother with me, Andrew? Why bother with me?”
“I don’t know.” Now he sounded very, very small, and he felt that way. This was all his fault.
“God…” Susan rubbed her forehead, then closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. “I’m still not getting rid of the baby, Andrew. It’s ours.”
Andrew said nothing in reply.
When Susan’s parents heard the news, they demanded the two of them get married. Andrew couldn’t find a way to say no, and Susan seemed beaten by the fact that Andrew didn’t- couldn’t- love her. The wedding was fast, a small ceremony at the courthouse. No one from Andrew’s side of the family was even invited. He wanted it that way.
And now, here they were, months later, their child about to come into the world. God, Andrew couldn’t believe this was happening. If he’d just stayed in Texas…
Andrew reached into his pocket and produced a crumpled piece of paper. Caleb had written again. This letter was different from the first, angrier.
‘Dear Andrew,’ it began.
‘Your mom gave me this address. She said something about how you married some girl and moved in with her and how you were going to have a kid. A fucking kid. And a wife. God, Andrew… what the hell did Ohio do to you?
‘And yet, I still miss you. I still love you. Did you hear that, Andrew Wilson? I still love you. I want you to come back. I want you to come home. Bring the wife and kid, I don’t care. Come home.’
“Mr. Wilson?” Andrew jumped at the sound of his name, startled. He hastily thrust the letter into his back pocket as a nurse came bustling up to him.
“How is she?” he asked quickly.
“Your wife is fine, Mr. Wilson, and I’m happy to report that you have a healthy baby boy.” A boy. A son. Andrew had a son. “If you’d like to see them…” Without waiting for an answer, she turned back around and hurried away. Figuring he had no other choice, Andrew followed her.
Susan looked exhausted. Strands of hair were all over the place on her head, and her eyes looked tired and heavy, but she glowed with a warmth that lit up her whole face and made her look slightly angelic. She was holding a bundle of baby blankets. Their son.
Andrew approached quietly. “Hey,” he whispered. He wasn’t sure why he was whispering. There was just a reverent feeling about the moment that made him lower his voice.
“Hey,” she whispered back.
“Is that…?” he asked, feeling stupid.
“Yep.” She smiled, looking down at the baby’s face. “This is John.” She looked back up at Andrew. “Do you want to hold him?”
“Uh… sure.” In truth, he didn’t. He wasn’t very good with kids, and he was positive he was going to drop the tiny baby. But he took his son from Susan anyway, because it seemed like the right thing to do.
The baby stirred a little in his arms but he didn’t cry, for which Andrew was very thankful. His head was round and pink, and Andrew was positive those were Susan’s ears on either side. As for the face…
“I think he looks a lot like you,” Susan said softly.
He did. That was Andrew’s nose, his lips, his eyes… It was eerie, but somehow, Andrew felt this rising in his chest that he had felt only once before. This was his son. This was John, his son, his… future. And Andrew… loved him. Andrew loved him. Very much.
Handing his son back to his wife that he couldn’t bring himself to love, Andrew knew what he had to do. He’d stay. He’d stay with John and Susan, as long as he could bring himself to. He needed to be there for his son. He needed to give John a chance at a normal childhood. Caleb and Texas would have to wait. Andrew had a kid, and his kid needed him.