The quiet hum of the car was all that could be heard for several miles. Emilee had fallen asleep wrapped in her mother's jacket. Patrick was now driving and Ellen had slipped to the front seat to sit next to him. Her hand still intertwined with his. It was more comforting than romantic. He held it the way a friend would hold your hand after a painful day but they weren't friends. And now the rest of the world knew that too.
Ellen was hypnotized by the headlights on the freeway. Her emotions fell somewhere between exhausted and overwhelmed. The warmth of Patrick's hand was the only thing keeping her functioning.
"I'm sorry," Patrick said sincerely.
Her eyes flickered from the road to the man by her side. "It's not your fault," Ellen quietly reassured him though she felt quite emotional. Patrick touched her face and softly wiped a lone tear from her cheek. "I'm not sure you're going to make it through the holidays though," she tried to make light of the situation.
"I'm not sure I'm going to make it through tomorrow," Patrick huffed.
She smiled at the way he played along with her. Suddenly the loud ring of Patrick's phone disrupted the quiet car. With an aggravated groan he flashed the the caller ID to Ellen. It was the producer of The First Lady. "Hello?"
Ellen studied Patrick's features as he reacted to the conversation. "Do you watch the news?" She couldn't hear the voice on the other end but Patrick was annoyed, "Our life is in shambles." Patrick laughed awkwardly, "Of course," He rolled his eyes. "Yeah," the word heavy in his chest, "We'll be there. Just send the script."
Ellen shot him a questioning look but waited until he hung up. "What was that about?"
"They added a scene," he began, "they want us to film before Christmas," Patrick answered.
"Great," Ellen rolled her eyes.
"He said he thinks they are adding it because of the media," Patrick laughed.
"What does that even mean?" Ellen's voice was louder now.
"I have no idea. It's like.." Patrick's words trailed off as he pulled into the driveway. He immediately noticed a car parked inside his gate. Lucas came into view. He turned to give them a half hearted wave, his expression less than amused.
Instantly frazzled Ellen glanced to her watch. It was 8:30 already. She had completely forgotten about him. "Oh god," She sighed.
"What is he doing here?" Patrick asked.
"I was supposed to go to dinner with him at 8:00," Ellen's voice unsteady. She separated their hands.
"You were going to dinner with him?" Patrick's words were sharp.
Ellen gave him a look of exhaustion, "You really want to get into an argument after the day we've had."
"Good point," Patrick swallowed his pride and nodded.
The car pulled to the stop. Patrick watched as Ellen got out to talk to Lucas. He decided against torturing himself and stood to lift Emilee from the car. She nestled into his neck as he headed toward the house. He stopped by Ellen's conversation and extended his hand to her boyfriend. "Lucas," he nodded.
"How ya doing Patrick," Lucas returned the gesture.
"Doing ok," Patrick smiled and carried on his way.
Only a single motion light lit the dark driveway. The air was getting colder by the minute. Ellen struggled with her thoughts and then "I'm sorry, we took Emilee to Universal Studios."
YOU ARE READING
I Think I've Had Enough
FanfictionOn a quiet afternoon in early Summer, Patrick pondered what it would be like to see her again. He had spent the last seven years waking up next to Jillian but not a day went by when he didn't wonder. With each passing year being without her hurt a l...
