Georgie Cunningham

Carefully, he moved from his chair to sit at the edge of her bed. Leaning down, he placed a kiss on her forehead, then her lips. “I love you Georgie. I’m always gonna love you. You freed me, helped me be a man to be proud of, gave me a beautiful, perfect daughter. I ain’t goin’ anywhere..”

The woman sat down and went through the basics of post-partum depression. Things Georgie had already known but didn't want to think about. Apparently that was common, as well. The woman went through some tentative treatment options, starting with outpatient therapy and some medication after Georgie had the chance to wean Ellie onto formula. Georgie nodded, only half-listening. Half of her mind was still occupied with the failure that had been her evening.

"Babe, let me in. C’mon, talk to me, Georgie. Talk to me. I love you… y’know that? I love you. I just want you to talk to me… please," Brandon said, repeating himself over and over. He kept knocking on the door, trying to get her attention. "Babe, I will knock down this door…"

He’d barely gotten the warning out before heard her screams and broken glass. “GEORGIE! OPEN THE DOOR!” he yelled, shouldering the door hard. It splintered from the force. He slammed his full weight into the door a couple of more times before it finally gave way, What he saw next was horrifying. She’d destroyed the mirror with her own hands. Blood was everywhere - on the sink, the floor, all over her arms.

What happened next blurred quickly. He ran back to their room, grabbing a handful of his clean shirts to tie around her arm and wrap her hands with. He put one on her and the last one him before he ran back into the room to throw on a pair of sweatpants and get her a pair as well. Once she was clothed, he picked her up and carried her out, ignoring her screams.

He was going to get her the help she desperately needed. Once he got her to the ER, it was a waiting game. He stayed in the waiting room while they cleaned up her hand and arms, anxious as hell and wanting to be back there with her. A little over an hour later, he was finally allowed back in her room. Exhausted, he slumped in the chair behind her bed, looking over at her.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed into his shirt, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...." She repeated it over and over, wanting to hide forever in the safety of his arms and forget the rest of the world existed. She felt sick, everywhere inside and out, and as they took her into the ER to get cleaned up, and away from Brandon, her whole body started shaking, wanting to just get back to him, back to his arms, to tell her how sorry she was.

He had no idea what was going with Georgie. Most days, she was fine. But there’d been a few evenings where he’d come home to a screaming Ellie as Georgie cried in the rocking chair by her crib. They’d had sex three times in the six months that Ellie had been born, each time feeling like he was using her as a live masturbator. And there were some days where she barely had energy at all.

She scrambled out of the bed, tears blurring her vision as she stumbled to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She was right about one thing. She was a failure. She was a failure as a mother, as a girlfriend, a fiancee, and if this went further, she'd surely be a failure as a wife. She was no better than her mother. She heard Brandon's muffled voice on the other side of the door, but she couldn't understand him over the pounding in her ears.

Brandon sighed, wondering how in the hell he’d make up for this one. He turned on his side, resting his hand on Georgie’s hip. “Baby, I’m sorry,” he said again, wishing he was more articulate. Everything he thought about saying in his mind seemed like a horrible idea to actuallysay. 

"Babe, I forgot. I know this day means a lot to you… I’m sorry. I ain’t ever done Valentine stuff before. I forget it just like I forget my own damn birthday. It’s just another day. But we love each other, right? We can make it good tomorrow, especially since we’ll both have a day off…" he said, his voice trailing.

"Just forget it..." she mumbled, sniffing into her pillow, "I just feel stupid." That was the simplest way of putting it, but she deserved to feel like an idiot over all of this. She didn't know why, but she hated that she'd gotten so excited over a stupid holiday that Brandon didn't even care about, anyway.

His day had been long and rough. Most of his day was actually spent in the shop, rebuilding a blown engine. He’d been hunched over in the same position for hours, lost in his work altogether as he worked. But then, around three o’clock, John came to get him, saying that a customer had put in a big order that had to be filled immediately.

Brandon sighed but got up all the same, stretching as he finally stood up. He knew he’d be late but that wasn’t all uncommon for him these days. He’d still be home by six, which was only an hour or so after Georgie got home anyway - he didn’t think to call her and tell her as a result.

Once in the warehouse, however, he was told exactly how big the order was. The client wanted all of their guns assembled and ready for immediate use. With himself and only two other guys available to work, the process took much longer than the couple of hours he’d anticipated. Though he kept telling himself he needed to call Georgie, let her know how late he would be, he forgot about it altogether.

Finally, a little before ten o’clock, they had everything assembled and loaded, ready for transport. Brandon was let off the hook for the transport since he’d been shifted to work at the shop that day as well. By eleven o’clock, once everything was over, he finally made it home.

The first thing he noticed was the food still on the table. And then it hit him - he’d forgotten about it completely. He sighed to himself, knowing Georgie wasn’t about to let him off the hook for this one. After slipping off his shoes, he went to their daughter’s room first, realizing she was gone. He felt a brief panic about her absence but forced himself to relax, knowing Georgie must’ve gotten a sitter for the occasion that didn’t happen. She would’ve called him if anything had happened.

Slowly, he walked to their room, half-expecting Georgie to be awake and ready to kill him. Instead, she was asleep, clothes and lingerie tossed around on the floor. The sight of the lacey undergarments made Brandon sigh again - their sex life still hadn’t recovered from the baby, and he probably missed his shot for February. 

Instead of climbing in bed, he headed to the bathroom, knowing he had to smell like shit. He was covered in grease, oil, residual gasoline and grime in general - the cost of working at an automotive shop. He scrubbed himself clean, not idling in the shower, then got out and dried himself off. Clean and dry, he fished for a pair of clean boxers and got in the bed with Georgie. 

As soon as the shower shut off, Georgie curled back up, half-hiding her face under the blanket. She just wanted to pretend she was asleep until she actually went to sleep again, so she could wake up tomorrow and pretend this whole day just didn't happen.

"Get some sleep, babe," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He wasn’t so sure he could handle pillow talk with Georgie’s bare ass pressed up against him. It’d been a while since they’d had sex of any kind and Brandon was trying so hard to be good.

"I love you, too," she said against his lips, squeezing his hand gently, her words partially cut off by a yawn. And it wasn't long before she was drifting off to sleep in her fiancee's arms. 

He hummed appreciatively as her hands began to work across his body, lathering up every part and washing him clean. He grabbed her shampoo and lathered up her hair himself as he worked on his chest, then her conditioner. His hands got soapy once more as he finished washing her as she’d washed him, and then they both met under the spray, letting their day leave their bodies and circle the drain.

She toweled her hair dry and then wrapped it around her body, stepping out of the shower after Brandon. She ran a comb quickly through her wet curls before shedding the towel altogether, hanging it up on the doorknob to dry as she climbed into bed and adjusted the baby monitor in case Ellie woke up.

Once they were finally undressed, he took Georgie’s hand and stepped into the shower, steadying her as she stepped in as well. It was habit - he’d been oh-so-careful with her while she was pregnant, making sure she was treated as delicately as porcelain. Even now that she wasn’t pregnant, he’d still continued to hold her and treat her as if she still was, still scared of her hurting herself even without their baby.

Things started to go a little further as their hands roamed each other, but Georgie paused, putting her hands on his wrists for a moment. "God... don't kill me for this, but I don't know if I've got the energy for multiple rounds tonight. I love our little girl, but she's definitely taking a lot of energy..." she turned over one of his hands and kissed his palm lightly, "And I really want this to happen in a bed where I can appreciate you properly...." She gave him another firm kiss before handing him his shampoo, since she couldn't really reach his head without him bending down awkwardly. She did, however, start lathering up a washcloth so she could take care of washing his back, shoulders, chest, and every other part of her fiancee that she very much appreciated.

By the time he’d finished eating, Georgie re-emerged from the nursery and made a bee-line for him, curling into him on the chair. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, sighing contently at the kisses she’d pressed along his neck. They’d had to be careful after Ellie was born - no sex for a while as Georgie was healing. It might’ve killed both of them if neither were as good with their mouths as they were.

But they’d had to force themselves to make time for each other. Ellie kept them both incredibly busy and he’d picked a bad time to work some extra hours. Even with the limited time he’d had with Georgie lately, he’d never loved her more. She was still glowing and radiant, still had a smile that made him weak in the knees, and was still as sweet and gentle as ever, even when exhaustion threatened to make her cranky. He still had to pinch himself sometimes to remind him that she was his and he was hers and they’d made a beautiful baby together.

"I know I will, babe," he replied, carefully pulling back so he could tilt her head up. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, smiling down at her. "I know I did good this year…"

Just a few months ago, he'd still been healing from his gunshot wounds and she'd been a large, pregnant marine mammal of some sort, but now he was stronger than ever, and she'd gotten rid of (most of) the baby weight. She didn't even bother to get up as she felt him start to stand anyway. She locked her arms around his shoulders and her legs went around his waist as he stood, carrying her to their bathroom.

He knew the answer, he saw it with his eyes every day. She /was/ growing, and she was alert and mostly happy (except for those few moments she was stuck with a messy diaper or was hungry). Eleanor was certainly well loved and had a face full of kisses from him and Georgie. Somewhere, Ronnie Rivers would be rolling over in his grave if he saw his only son on diaper patrol. That fact only made Brandon happier.

Ellie had certainly inherited Brandon’s appetite - she was an easy eater and took her bottles very easily. He watched in wonder as she ate, smiling down at her as her big blue eyes looked back up at him. He was almost disappointed when she did finish eating, even though his own stomach was growling by the time she was done. Carefully, he handed her over to Georgie, pausing to give his fiancee a quick kiss before going to grab his sushi. He was still getting used to sushi and all of the other fancy food she tended to make or bring home, but he was far from picky and liked it just fine.

After she burped Ellie, the little girl started to drift off in her arms. Georgie looked at the clock, it was getting a bit late. She stood, stopping to kiss Brandon lightly before putting Ellie in her crib, turning on the baby monitor and taking the receiver back out to the dining room with her. 

But at the mention of her next surgery, his face fell. Of course, Ellie would make it through. She was strong. Brandon himself was impossible to kill, and Ellie had half of his genes (for better, for worse). But he still hated putting her through that pain, hated knowing that it was his fault, no matter how much Georgie soothed his guilt.

"At least she’s got some time ‘fore then," Brandon said softly, pressing another kiss to Eleanor’s chubby cheeks. She cooed happily and wiggled in his arms, causing him to smile all over again. "I hate I missed the appointment. I promise I’ll be at the next one."

Brandon had made sure to be at every one up until the last one. With the extra work he’d picked up, he’d had some longer days that slid into late nights. Leaving Georgie alone for so long with the baby made him feel guilty as well, especially since it wasn’t like they needed the money - Georgie was certainly wealthy enough to buy anything Ellie’s heart could desire. But Brandon was too prideful to let it go.

She watched as Brandon moved around the kitchen, warming up a bottle for Ellie. He was so good with her. A natural father. She hoped he saw that, after all of the worrying he did about not being a father like his own. He was wonderful with their little girl and, truth be told, it helped Georgie, too. She was scared enough to have one child, and now... well, if there were to be any more surprises like Eleanor, she couldn't say she'd mind.

Of course, most of it went toward Ellie. She wasn’t even a year old, but he’d made sure that she had plenty of clothes and toys under the tree. He knew it was irrational - the baby had just developed the skills to open the paper and she certainly wouldn’t know what it was she was opening nor would she remember the day. But there would be pictures, oh so many pictures, and as morbid as it sounded, he wanted Eleanor to know he was there and had poured his life into her in case there was a day he didn’t come home.

On Christmas Eve, Brandon had to work a little late. He felt less guilty working late as he was doing legitimate work in the auto shop and not assembling or distributing illegal guns. He’d already bought and wrapped all of Georgie’s presents (though she had no clue where they were) and was ready to get home. After his last oil change, Brandon clocked out and headed straight home, stopping by to pick up her presents from his hiding spot on the way in. 

"She's been good today. Took a nice nap around 1. Her doctor appointment went well, but she'll probably need another surgery in a month or two..." Georgie frowned softly, but was determined to stay positive. Ellie was doing really well, growing well, learning fast, and her condition wasn't going to slow her down. She would get through every surgery and not have a problem. She was stubborn like that.

"Don’t tell her that," Brandon said through a mouthful of food. He swallowed and paused before continuing. "I ain’t the best man in this buildin’, let alone the world. Tell her that, she’s gonna get disappointed…"

At the end of the day, Brandon was still a gun running criminal with a violent background and a prison record to prove it. He wasn’t even a good man, though Georgie clearly could only see the best in him. He loved his daughter dearly though and had vowed to do everything to become that good man Georgie insisted he was. He wanted to make his girls proud.

She looked over at her fiancee and hid a smile behind their daughter's head as she bent down to nuzzle the girl. The way she loved Brandon was new to her. She loved him deep as the earth and as wholly as she ever knew. She could never imagine loving someone the way she loved him. He gave her support, he gave her love without expecting anything in return. He gave her their daughter, and Georgie could love him for that alone. He may not see himself as a very good man, but Georgie did. And she always would. 

She circled a finger lightly around Eleanor's cheeks, laughing to herself as the little girl cooed and gave her mother a wide, toothless smile. She was beautiful, a perfect mixture of her mother and father. And the nurses had even said, as they helped the couple get Ellie ready to take home, she was an exceptionally well-behaved child. She rarely cried, and preferred to silently observe the world around her. Quiet and smart and she inspired love and devotion in everyone who looked into those bright blue eyes of hers. 

When Georgie got up to get their own dinner, he happily took Ellie back in his arms, gently patting her back and cooing to her. She didn’t fuss to much, just contently gurgled and sighed and wiggled in his arms. Sugar hopped up onto the couch and continued sniffing the baby, clearly getting used to the newest member of the family. 

"Dinner's ready," she said gently, taking Ellie back, laying the burp cloth over her shoulder and finished burping her so Brandon could sit down and get a few bites to eat. When she was done burping Ellie, she readjusted the girl in her arms and sat down at the table across from Brandon. Though she was in her mother's arms, Ellie's curious eyes followed her father and Georgie chuckled.