This Story's Going Somewhere

Chapter 22 - Nora

Once my dad left New York, the rest of our stay there flew by. The boys shot their music video, and before we knew it, we were crammed back in the van and headed for Pennsylvania, and then Ohio for more shows over the next three weeks. As always, Patrick was very attentive to me every waking moment of every day. By the end of month five, I had a decent swell to my stomach; Enough so that I felt I had to keep a hand braced beneath it as I walked. One particular morning, as the boys were loading the van to leave Avon, Ohio, I had decided to sit on the curb of the road while I waited for them. There was a pleasant breeze in the air, although it was fairly warm. I was leaning back with one hand on the sidewalk, and the other resting over my stomach. When the boys were ready to head out, Patrick walked over and offered me a hand. In the past, a hand was all I needed to get up off the curb. Now, however, I gripped his hand with mine and pushed off the ground with the other, still staggering and struggling until he reached out to steady me by my waist.

    "Whoa," Patrick chuckled, pulling me into his arms. "Careful, sweetheart."

    I sighed heavily, out of breath just from standing up, and pushed my hair away from my face. "Thanks," I breathed, smiling at Patrick. "I keep forgetting how much I weigh now." I cringed at the thought of it, but Patrick only smiled warmly and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

    "You are gorgeous," he whispered, gently tugging my hand as he pulled away to make me follow him to the van. He helped me into the passenger seat, then climbed into the driver's seat, since it was his turn to drive to the next venue in Cleveland. As he started the car, Pete leaned forward in between our seats.

    "So, I've been thinking," he said, a mischievous grin on his face, "That if Nora's going to be moving in with us, we might need some more space."

    "Yeah, we've been thinking the same thing," Patrick stated, glancing sideways at me with a perfectly straight face. "We thought we'd kick you out, and give the baby your room."

    "I like this idea," Joe said from the back seat, earning himself a kick in the leg from Pete and a snicker from Andy.

    "Ha ha," Pete said sarcastically, "Very funny, Patrick. But seriously. I've been looking around Chicago, and I thought that maybe we should all start saving up for a bigger place. Or maybe, eventually...our own places."

    "None of us can afford that right now, Pete," Patrick said, "Especially not Nora and I, we're about to have a baby."

    "Just a thought," Pete said, shrugging as he sat back down.

    "Let's see what the record label says after our tour," Andy piped in, "If they want another record, then I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea."

    "One day at a time, guys," Patrick said, reaching over to hold my hand as he drove. He glanced at me, smiled, and squeezed my fingers. I didn't tell him that I thought Pete had a good idea.

    About half an hour later, we were pulling up in front of a run-down, old club. This was where the boys were performing tonight, although I was going to stay at the hotel for the performance tonight. I was tired, more so than usual, and my hormones were on an absolute rampage lately. I didn't need the loud music and obnoxious crowd to deal with on top of that. Still, I hung out on the curb again while the guys carried their instruments and equipment into the venue. I even took a few pictures of them in the process, in case the label wanted any pictures of the tour outside of the concerts. Once they were ready to head inside, Patrick helped me up again and held my hand as he led me through the venue. He dropped me off in their dressing room like usual, then went off to help set up the stage. While I waited, I decided to call Ellie. She picked up on the second ring, and I smiled as her voice rang out excitedly.