Chapter 25: The Middle
Nick looked away from the video game he and Freddy had been deeply involved in all day. The sound of Brittany tearing down the staircase like a madwoman was enough to break anybody from a video game reverie. Except Freddy, apparently ... Used to Brittany's craziness, by chance?
Brittany opened the door and ran outside, meeting Sarah halfway up the driveway. They were silent as they threw their arms around each other and simply hung on. It felt like it had been ages since they'd last seen one another, on the Fourth of July. So much had happened since then and Brittany could hardly believe she had gone through all of it without her best friend. Sure, Freddy was great and all ... but he couldn't replace nights of girl talk and fingernail painting.
The two girls walked into the house with their arms slung around the other's shoulder. It was like no time had passed between them and the fight that they had had over the phone a couple days ago had been long-since forgotten. The fact that they'd made up before Sarah arrived made her visit just a little easier. It was stressful and tense enough as it was ... Sarah and Nick hadn't really talked since she'd kicked him out.
Oddly enough, things weren't as awkward as all four of them had been expecting it to be. Freddy and Nick both paused their game to say hello to Sarah and after Sarah waved and smiled politely, they began playing again. Brittany and Sarah couldn't help but giggle, and decided to leave the boys alone for the afternoon. They went upstairs to the room Sarah would be occupying and spent hours unpacking her things, talking, and goofing around.
That night, all four of them were heading to Safeco Field to see the Mariners play their last game of the season. Unfortunately, though the Mariners' chances at heading to the playoffs had been high earlier in the year, they had played poorly over the last month and would not be getting a shot at the World Series this year. Brittany was almost more sorrowful than Freddy over the fact, being the huge baseball fan that she was. Freddy, on the other hand, though baseball would always be a passion in his life, now had a new passion that drove him ... his unborn child. He wanted to focus wholeheartedly on the remainder of the pregnancy.
At five o'clock, they all piled into Freddy's Escalade, much like Nick's, only not as new. Freddy had offered to catch a ride with one of the other guys and they could drive to the field closer to game time, but all of them were excited to be going and wanted to see warm-ups. Salsa music blared on the way, much to Nick's grief, but Brittany put him in his place quickly ... it was tradition ... and you don't mess with tradition, when it comes to the game of baseball.
"I see," Nick mumbled, rolling his eyes.
Of course that earned a slap from Brittany, but he didn't care. Salsa? C'mmon.
Brittany/Nick/Sarah
Brittany grinned as she watched Nick and Sarah having a peanut throwing contest. Okay, so maybe the rows in front of them were getting royally pissed off ... but the fact that the two were getting along and being friends again was enough for Brittany to flip off anybody who gave them dirty looks. She cringed when she thought of the headlines in tomorrow's Seattle Times: Mother of Freddy Garcia's baby flips the bird to fans.
Suddenly Brittany was worried. What if Nick and Sarah only became friends again and never reconciled their previous relationship? Okay, so it wouldn't be the most ghastly of turnouts, but still ... they had to get back together! Brittany had promised Nick that she would get them back together, somehow, someway. What exactly was it that she'd said to him?
I can assure you of one thing ... I'm not gonna let it all end between you two with all of this up in the air like it is. It'll all work out for the best and I'll do anything that I can to make sure of that.
Okay, so she hadn't exactly promised that they would get back together. But ... but ... but they had to. They simply had to. Brittany would be with Freddy, they would have their baby; and Sarah would be with Nick. They would all live happily ever after! They just had to!
Brittany gasped and ducked as a bat went flying through the crowd, barely missing the heads of a dozen fans. She stood, pointing at the batter of the opposing team, "Learn to swing the bat without letting it go, you idiot!"
Nick/Sarah/Brittany
Nick laughed at Brittany and yanked on her arm, pulling her back down into her seat. Gosh, it was often very embarrassing to be seen in public with her. So, the day had been perfect. He'd "bonded" with Freddy over video games, which had been pretty fun; Sarah had arrived and he'd gotten to hear her and Brittany giggling upstairs all afternoon, which had been music to his ears; and now he was at a baseball game, throwing peanuts at people with the girl of his dreams. Okay, so yeah, they'd had to listen to salsa music on the way to the field; yeah, they'd almost gotten killed by a flying bat; yeah, Brittany was humiliating to be around ... but all in all, he had some amazing friends and was having the time of his life.
Nick sighed as he looked at the two girls sitting next to him. Sarah was munching thoughtfully on a piece of licorice as she watched the game with intent and Brittany was biting on her fingernails, no doubt praying that the bullpen wouldn't give up the Mariners' 5-3 lead. The opposing team had base runners on first and second, with only one out, and the suspense was thick in the stadium. He couldn't help but grin as he watched them. They were adorable and he was suddenly overwhelmed with feelings. Brittany had been a wonderful friend to him the past week and he was so glad that they'd managed to put their differences aside and build such a cool relationship. And Sarah ... well, Sarah was perfect ... beautiful ... and everything Nick had ever wanted in a woman. And it killed him that somehow they'd managed to let everything they'd shared slip away.
Nick sighed. He'd get it back. He just had to.
Sarah/Nick/Brittany
Sarah cut her eyes over to Nick, hoping he hadn't noticed her stealing glances of him every five minutes. She couldn't help it. It was amazing how well they were getting along. Only a week ago they'd had a huge fight and she'd told him to get out of Brittany's house. Now, they were acting as though nothing at all had happened. In fact, they looked like the best of friends. She sighed. Ever since Nick had left, she'd been feeling guilty. Okay, so at first she was angry as all else ... but now, she just wished she wouldn't have taken everything so seriously. She'd been so afraid that she and Nick wouldn't work out ... that Nick would cheat on her ... that Nick would break her heart ... and she'd let that fear consume her, causing her to make irrational decisions.
Sarah looked over at Brittany, noticing a strange look on her friend's face. Brittany's hands were pressed against her stomach, her eyes wider than saucers. Oh Lord, all they needed was for something to happen to Brittany or to the baby.
"Brittany, what's wrong?" Sarah whispered, grabbing Brittany's hands with her own. And then she felt it, as her own hands rested against Brittany's stomach. Thump. Thump, thump. Oh my gosh. "Britt, is that ... is that the baby?"
Brittany looked up at Sarah, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion as tears poured freely from her eyes. She was feeling her child for the first time. "Sar..." she whispered, as the baby kicked again. "Sar, he's kicking."
"Yeah," Sarah nodded, her eyes widened with delight. "Yeah, he's kicking."
"What are you guys doing?" Nick leaned over, looking at the two of them huddled together and whispering. He saw their tears and grew worried. "Britt, are you okay?"
"He's kicking, Nicky," Sarah whispered, looking up from Brittany's stomach and allowing her eyes to rest in Nick's for the first time since she'd arrived in Seattle. "The baby ... he's kicking."
Nick's eyes widened. He was about to say something when Brittany stood from her seat behind home plate and began to walk up the stairs. "Brittany?" he called out, worriedly. Where was she going? And then he lost her in the crowd as everybody stood, singing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch.
Freddy/Brittany
Brittany walked until she reached an aisle that led down toward the Mariners' dugout. She took the steps carefully, but two at a time, and finally reached the railing that kept her from Freddy. "Freddy!" she yelled, hoping he could hear her above the roar of the crowd.
Freddy turned from his conversation with Joel Pineiro when he heard his name being called. "Hold on, man." He stood from the bench and walked to the edge of the dugout, jumping up onto the step so he could see over the roof. His eyes lit up when he saw Brittany standing there.
Brittany sighed when she saw him wave. "The baby, Fred."
"What?"
It was ridiculous that he'd heard her calling his name from down in the dugout, but now that they were standing ten feet apart he couldn't even read lips.
"The baby!" Brittany pointed to her stomach and her eyes widened when he began to freak out, immediately thinking the worst. "No! Nothing bad ... he's kicking!" A strange look crossed Freddy face and Brittany couldn't help but laugh. "Kicking!" she began to demonstrate, knowing that she looked like an idiot, but not exactly caring. Nobody was really paying attention to her anyway.
Freddy's eyes widened and in a second he jumped up onto the top of the dugout, kneeling in front of her. Brittany gasped as he pulled her up with him and placed his hands against her stomach. The baby hadn't kicked since she'd stood from her seat by Nick and Sarah, but now as Freddy placed his hands over him, he started once again. Well, if the two of them hadn't been causing a skeptical before, they sure were now. Want to get the attention of an entire baseball stadium? Just put one of the players up on top of the dugout with a pregnant girl. Brittany giggled as she looked down at security, as Freddy gave them all ulcers. Geez, it wasn't like Freddy was a Backstreet Boy. There was only the possibility of a couple young girls mobbing him. And even then, baseball chicks were way different from Backstreet chicks.
"I think I should go now, Fred," Brittany whispered, trying hard not to sigh like the happiest girl on the planet ... even if she was.
Freddy looked up at her and moved his hands from her stomach to her hair, pulling her in for a kiss. He grinned as they pulled apart. Brittany had easily managed to make this the most interesting game of his career. Yeah ... he could definitely get used to this family thing.
