Ava rang Ellie and Marco’s bell and waited.  After the fourth ring she was getting a little worried.  She knew Ellie didn’t want to deal with Sean last night and Paige told her she didn’t remember if he was with them when Ellie left her.  Shelby was driving her crazy and she just wanted to make sure Ellie and Paige were alright. 

“Okay I’m going to ring this one more time and then we’ll go,” she said to Seth, who was standing by her side.  The brown eyes just smiled up at her.

The door swung open just as she pressed the button again.  Ellie stood on the other side looking very nervous with a robe wrapped around her.  Ava could see her friends shoulders relax when she saw who was at the door. 

“What’s going on?” Ava asked.

“Nothing.  What are you two doing out so early this morning?” Ellie asked letting them in.

“Seth was up early and after Sean didn’t come in last night Shelby was freaking out and getting on my nerves.  So we decided to go to breakfast and I wanted to make sure you and Paige made it home okay.”

“Paige got home fine,” Ellie said.

“I know I went by there first and she was not feeling great but she said you got her home.”

“Let me go get dressed and I’ll tell you about all the crazy things that happened last night.”

“Okay,” Ava said as Ellie walked to her room.

“I wanna play with Aiden,” Seth whispered to Ava.

“I don’t think Aidan is here right now bud.  Do you want me to put one of Aidan’s movies on for you?”

 Seth nodded his head and sat in the floor waiting for Thomas the Train to start.

Ava started the movie and walked to Ellie’s room.  Ellie was sitting in front of her mirror putting on some makeup. 

“So what happened last night?” Ava asked lying across Ellie’s bed.

“Well were you still with Marco when Tyler fell?”

“No we left right after you did.  Is he okay?”

“He’s fine had to get a few stitches but he’ll be fine.  There’s more, while Marco was at the ER with Tyler, Craig came in with broken ribs but he’s okay too.”  Before Ava could respond Ellie rushed on.  “Then Sean came in with a broken hand,”  Ellie said finishing her makeup and running a brush through her hair.

”Oh my god.  I guess Marco had a late night.”

“Yeah.”

“Is he sleeping now?”

“No he went to get Aidan from my parents.”

“Why so early?” Ava asked as she walked to the doorway to check on Seth.

“That’s the hard part for me to tell you.  Ava I did something last night that I shouldn’t have done.”

“What are you talking about?” Ava asked turning her attention back to Ellie.

“I had sex with Sean,”  Ellie said looking at Ava in the mirror.

A heavy sigh passed Ava’s lips then she asked “What about Cam?”

“I don’t know Ava.  What happened with Sean was just a stupid mistake.”

“Sean sure seems to have a lot of mistakes where sex is concerned,”  Ava said rolling her eyes.

“I told him Aidan’s his and he didn’t take it very well.  From what I understand he hates me so much he punched a wall and broke his hand.”

“I’m sooo sorry for you Ellie.  I mean that’s just awful that you screwed Sean, who has not only a girlfriend but a baby, while dating my brother and it surprisingly didn’t work out for you,”  Ava yelled.

“I know okay.  I messed up again,” Ellie yelled back.

“Call Cameron Ellie.  Tell him what you did before he gives up everything for you.  You don’t deserve him.”

“What do you want from me?” Ellie asked starting to cry.

“I told you, call him and tell him what you’ve done,”  Ava said.  As she went through the door she turned back to Ellie and said “I hope you used something this time.  We all know Sean’s history.  I mean the guys said he’s had sex twice in the last two years and both times the girl ends up pregnant.  I’d be a little nervous if I were you.”

Ellie closed her eyes after she watched her friend walk away.  She knew Ava was only trying to hurt her but Ellie couldn’t help but think of what she had just said.  How could I be so stupid? Ellie asked herself.  Not only did I cheat on Cam and help Sean cheat on Shelby but we didn’t use anything again. 

Ellie had just begun to beat herself up when the bell rang again.  Expecting Marco and Aidan, Ellie wiped her eyes and put on a smile. 

“Hey”, Sean said standing in the door.

“Hey,” Ellie said as the smile faded.

Sean walked in and looked nervously around the room. 

“Uh he’s not here yet.  Marco went to get him.  They should be back in just a minute,” Ellie explained.

“Oh,” Sean said not looking at her.

“Sean,” Ellie began.

“Look El let’s just don’t.”

“Marco told me about last night are you okay?”  Ellie asked looking at the black cast that covered Sean’s hand and arm.

“Don’t pretend like you care if I’m okay,”  Sean said through clenched teeth.

“I do care.”

“Look I’m not getting into this now.  I just want to see him then we’ll talk about what’s going to happen,”  he said.

“What do you mean?  Sean look at me, what are you saying?”

Sean looked to Ellie and said, “I can’t stand to look at you okay.  Being this close to you makes me want to hit something else.  Don’t you get it?  You make me sick.  I wish I … never mind.”

“No tell me.  What you wish you had never met me?  You wish you had never come back?  What?  Just tell me you coward,”  Ellie yelled.

“I’m a coward?  What the fuck are you?  You don’t deal with anything.  You close up or hurt yourself.  You’re the coward.”

“You don’t know me anymore Sean.  I haven’t cut myself since I found out I was pregnant.  You don’t know me so don’t act like you do,”  she screamed.

Ellie heard the door open and quickly wiped away her tears and took a breath before she turned.  Marco was carrying Aidan, he looked at Ellie and smiled.

“Hey peanut.  Did you have fun?” Ellie asked.

Aidan didn’t speak he just nodded.  Ellie reached out and took him from Marco and felt the heat. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Your mom said he started running a fever during the night and was throwing up,”  Marco answered.

“Do you feel bad?” Ellie asked Aidan.

He just nodded again.  “You sick too Mama?”  Aidan asked as he put his hands on either side of Ellie’s face.  “You cry,” he said.

“I’m okay peanut.  I hit my toe on the table.  But I’m fine now,” Ellie said.

“Look El I’m going to go to Tyler’s to check on him and maybe crash on his couch, let you work all this out,”  Marco said backing to the door.

“Okay, thanks for getting him for me.” 

“No problem.  Call me if you need me to help with Aidan or whatever,” Marco said looking at Sean who was staring at Ellie and Aidan.

“I will,” Ellie said.  She wanted to beg Marco not to leave her but he was gone.

Sean couldn’t say anything.  It was like looking a baby picture of himself except for the hair.  His heart was pounding.  He was looking at his child, his first born.  Ellie looked so worried.  He was amazed how natural she looked holding a baby, his baby. 

“I want milk,” Aidan said laying his head on Ellie’s shoulder.

“You can’t have milk now because you’re sick but I’ll get you some water.”  Ellie said turning to the kitchen.

“El, I’ll hold him while you get the drink,” Sean said awkwardly.

Ellie looked up at him and let him take Aidan from her.

Ellie came back into the room with a sippy cup of water.  She stood in the doorway and watched as Aidan sat on Sean.  Her son looked so small with Sean.  Sean was talking to him softly.  Sean noticed her in the room just as Aidan threw up all over him.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry” Ellie said as Sean stood up.

“It’s fine, can I get a towel?”

“Oh yeah I’ll be right back.  No just come on into the washroom you can clean up and I’ll put him in the tub.”

Sean nodded and followed her, carrying his son.

After Ellie had bathed Aidan, Sean followed her to Aidan’s room and watched as she put him into clean clothes.  He stood in the doorway and continued to stare while she sat in her rocking chair and rocked the small boy, rubbing his red curls.

Ellie could feel him staring at her.  She looked to him and realized he was not wearing a shirt.  “Uh if you want to go into my room you can get a tee shirt.”

“I doubt any of yours will fit me El.”

“No I have one.  We had some shirts made up for the band and the smallest was a large so I have that.  It’s hanging in the closet, It’s brown and should be all the way on the left side.”

“I’ll go look,” he said and pushed away from the door.

Ellie took a deep breath and said, “So what do you think about Sean?  Do you like him?” But Aidan was sleeping.  Ellie laid him in his bed and went to clean up the mess in the living room.

Sean was leaving her room pulling the shirt over his head and ran into her as she passed.

“Sorry,” he said

“It’s fine,” Ellie said.

“Where’s Aidan?”

“He’s asleep.”

“Yeah that is probably the best thing for him,” Sean said.

“Sean lets go sit and talk.  There’s a lot we need to say.”

“Look El I’m sorry about what I said earlier.  I was just mad, I’m still not thrilled but I didn’t mean it.”

“It’s fine.  Let’s not talk about us right now, what are you going to do about Aidan?”

“Come on, you got any coffee?” Sean said going to the kitchen.

“Yeah sit I’ll make some.”

“Ellie what I have to say has to do with us but let me finish because in the end Aidan will be the main focus.”

“Okay.”

“When I told you I loved you it was true El, I do.  The fact that you kept being pregnant from me still really pisses me off but I can’t blame you.  I just left you.  That was the biggest mistake I have ever made in my life.”  Sean stood and stepped in behind Ellie who was pretending she was busy with the coffee.  “El look at me.  Do you still love me?”

Ellie looked up at the face of the person she had loved more than anything.  The only person she had ever really needed.  “Sean I…”

The phone rang and Ellie looked at it. 

“Let it go Ellie look at me.”

“I was hurt by you Sean.  More than you…”

The machine began to run and suddenly she heard his voice.  “Ellie, hey babe it’s me.  Look Ava told me you were trying to reach me.  You know I’m here for you El if you need me.  I’ll have my cell so if you get this and still need to talk to me or if you just want to call I’ll be here.  I love you Ellie.  Give the big guy a hug for me.”

When the machine turned off Sean moved away from Ellie so fast she almost lost her balance.

“I’m going to take a wild guess and say the big guy isn’t Marco.”

“That was Cameron,” Ellie said as she poured the coffee into cups.

“I figured.  Look I don’t want him around my kid Ellie.”

“What?  Are you kidding me?”  Ellie asked outraged.  “Cam has been here since Aidan was born, before he was born actually and Aidan loves him.  I will not tell him he can’t see us anymore.”

“I don’t know what I was thinking.  Okay what’s the deal do we need to involve lawyers or can we work something out with Aidan,”  Sean asked shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Sean what were you saying before?”  Ellie .

“Nothing, what’s it going to be, can we do this.”

“We can do it,”  Elie answered.

“Good, listen I have to go see Callie and try to not kill Shelby.  So I’ll call you.”

“Sean wait before you go I just have to say something.  Ava said something earlier.  Last night we didn’t use any protection.”

“I haven’t thought of that.  Fuck that’s really all I need one more kid I don’t want.  We’ll worry about that if we have to okay.”

Ellie couldn’t speak she just nodded and watched him walk out the door.