I Think I've Had Enough

Chapter18:Fall in love at a glance, and that's alright

"Yes," he nodded.

"She smiled this incredible smile. I'd never seen anyone smile like that. A rush of warmth spread across my skin. I couldn't hear anything and everyone else in the room disappeared. And then she simply extended her hand to me and said 'Hi, I'm Ellen. I play Meredith Grey.' I stretched my arm out to meet her hand in the space between us. And then I touched her hand, just gently like any ordinary handshake. And," Patrick laughed letting a sweet smile spread across his face. His gaze fell to the ground as he took a moment to reminisce. He laughed again lightly realizing he was about to answer Emilee's question after all.

"What, What?" Emilee said nearly jumping in her bed with excitement.

Patrick looked back up at her smiling, "It felt like a million fireworks burst inside of me..."

A very large, sparkling Ellen Pompeo smile spread across Emilee's face, "And that's when you knew."

"...and that's when I knew I would never be the same." His eyes fell to the sheets on Emilee's bed. He cleared the emotion from his throat. "It was like magic." He looked back to her eyes, "don't let anyone tell you that real love isn't magical Emilee, because it is."

Emilee was truly enchanted by Patrick's story. She couldn't control the dazzled look in her eyes. Hope danced across her face for the first time since he'd met her. "What happened next?" she questioned him excitedly.

"Ah ha," he laughed, "not tonight." A sad look crossed his features for only a second. The story had given her so much hope and she would be crushed to find out that this fairtytale ended far from happily ever after.

"Please," she begged. Patrick tossed her caramel hair and leaned down and absent mindedly kissed her forehead. It was the first time he'd been naturally affectionate toward her.

"We have to be up early to see Kate." He said happily. "We are going to visit her on the set of her movie."

Emilee nodded, "Tomorrow?" she made him promise her.

"Of course," he smiled as he'd reached the doorway. He pressed his fingers against the smooth ceramic of the light switch. She turned pressing her round porcelain cheek against her pillow. "Emilee," he spoke nervously already regretting what he was about to say.

"Yeah," she said softly looking up at him.

"Do you want to meet her?" the words stung his tongue as he spoke them. The happy memories and bitter grudges left a sickening mix of emotions in his stomach. He knew that letting Emilee meet Ellen was the right thing for everybody but he still couldn't bear to give into the woman who had lied to him for the past seven years.

"Do you want me to meet her Patrick?" Emilee asked innocently.

Patrick sighed, "I want you to do whatever you want to do."

Emilee sat up a little in her bed, "Does meeting her mean that I won't get to stay with you anymore?"

Patrick shook his head, "No. Absolutely not, you are staying with me." He crossed to her bed. "You are staying with me until I send you off to college."

"I'd like to meet her then." Emilee nodded.

"Okay," Patrick smiled trying to hide his nervousness. He returned to the door. "Goodnight Emilee..."

"Patrick," her voice shook with nervousness. He turned back to look at her. "Why did she give me away?"

The question throbbed through Patrick's chest. He felt the emotion building in his throat. He had wondered exactly that since the moment Emilee had shown up on his doorstep. Ellen didn't deserve to have an easy way out of that question but making her out to be the bad guy she really was wouldn't help Emilee at all. Patrick sighed stroking Emilee's head, "She was scared," Patrick shrugged. "You know what happened in the mall..." Emile nodded, "You're entire life would have been like that but 10 times worse. She thought you were better off not growing up in that kind of world. She didn't want you to get hurt." As he explained all of this to his little girl it made sense to him for the first time. Maybe Ellen really did have Emilee's best interest at heart or maybe she was too selfish and too cowardly to face a little conflict. He sighed again forcing away his internal dialogue.

"Maybe we could have her to dinner?" Emilee shrugged.

"Who is going to cook?" Patrick asked with a playful smile.

"I could make mac and cheese." Emilee's voice was perfectly sincere.

Patrick felt the emotion building in his throat again. "She'd like that."

Emilee smiled lightly, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Emilee," he flipped the light switch off leaving only a purple-y glowing night light.