It Started Out With Coffee At Starbucks, chapter 32

A week later, it was January 3rd, 2011.

That afternoon, Rachel was just putting Rebel down for a nap when she heard the door open downstairs and Billie yelled.

"Rach? You here?"

She closed the nursery door and went to the top of the stairs.

"I'm here."

Rachel walked down the stairs and when she walked over to Billie, he looked around and said, "Where's Rebel?"

"Upstairs."

"Oh."

"So, what brings you here Billie Joe?"

Rachel rocked back and forth on her feet then Billie said, "You're acting strange."

Rachel leaned into him and whispered in his ear, "Estelle's home sick from school. Mike's gone to Brittney's. But she can hear everything in her room since the door is opened."

Billie nodded then said loudly, "I just came by to see Mike. I guess he's not here?"

"Nope. Do you wanna stay for some coffee though? He might not be long."

"Nah, I can't stay. I have to go to Adeline for a while."

"Oh, okay."

"Is Rebel awake?"

"No. She's napping."

"Well duh, I could've figured that out."

"Yeah...I know."

"Anyways, I'll uh, see you later. Kay Rach?"

"Sure."

Billie walked out of the house, leaving Rachel standing in shock.

She walked into the kitchen and whispered, "What was that? No affection or anything?"

Five minutes later, Rachel was sitting at the island with her head leaning on it when she heard someone cough.

Rachel looked up slightly and saw Estelle walking towards the fridge.

"How ya feelin' Stelle?"

Estelle turned around and said "A little better. Do we have any ice cream?"

"There's Chunky Monkey in the freezer."

"But that's your's."

"I can buy more. It's fine, take it. I couldn't eat it for a while anyways, I'd get fatter."

"You've lost a lot of baby weight though..."

"Yeah..."

Estelle got two spoons out of the drawer they were in and walked over to the island. She sat down across from Rachel and held out a spoon.

"You're a good stepdaughter."

Estelle laughed and Rachel took the spoon from her and took the lid off of the container.

Rachel ate a spoonful then said "Do you think me and your father are meant to be?"

"What?"

"Like together? After everything we've gone through?"

"Yeah. Of course. Sure, he has kids with my former stepmother. But you two have kids too. And as for that whole Billie thing, you were just trying to get even. It just happens that karma came and bit you in the ass because of it."

Rachel laughed then said "I hate karma."
"So, why'd you wanna know? Are you and my dad breaking up? Are you and Billie still going at it?"
"No, we're not breaking up. And I'm not still going at it with your father's best friend."
"Okay good. Cause I don't want to see my dad go through another divorce."
"I wouldn't want to break his heart like that."

Rachel put down her spoon then said "I need to go check on Rebel. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Rachel got up and made her way upstairs.

She checked on her youngest daughter then made her way into her's and Mike's room.

She picked up her cell phone and called Billie's cell phone.

After six rings, he still hadn't picked up when the voice mail kicked in.

"Hey, you've reached Billie Joe, leave your shit after the beep."

The phone beeped and Rachel sighed.

"Billie Joe, I hate to do this like this. But, I can't be with you. Mike is my husband, I can't leave him. I can't bring myself to give him the divorce papers. I would've told you if you hadn't left. I'm so sorry. Please, please, please return the engagement ring. Go back to Adie. I love you Billie."

Rachel ended the call, wiped the tears from her face and made her way back downstairs.

Two hours later, Rachel and Estelle were in the living room watching Ellen with Rebel in her playpen, when Mike returned from Brittney's with the rest of the kids in tow.

He walked into the living room and said "I picked the kids up from school and preschool."

"Okay."

Mike picked Rebel up out of her playpen and sat down next to Rachel, he kissed her cheek and said "So who's on today?"

"Eva Longoria and Wentworth Miller."

"Oh."

Rebel began to fuss and Mike quickly calmed her down. Rachel smiled and thought to herself. "I definately can't leave him. He's too good to my kids."

A little while later, Mike and Rachel were in the kitchen with Rebel as Mike prepared the bottle for her, when the heard the front door open and Billie yell. "Rachel where are you?"

Rachel looked at Mike then whispered "He got the message."

Mike looked at her and said "What?"

"I...me and Billie...Billie Joe and me...uh..."

Rachel didn't get the chance to get the rest of her sentence out.

Billie stormed into the kitchen and said "You broke up with me using a phone call. What kind of person does that?"

Rachel passed Rebel to Mike then stepped towards Billie and said, "Calm down Billie or you're gonna have a panic attack."

"I'm not gonna calm down. I divorced my wife to be with you, cause it was the decent thing to do. I bought you an expensive engagement ring, to show my love and to secure you with me. I got my lawyer to draw up divorce paper's for you and my best friend, because that's what you wanted. I've been rude and mean and a horrible friend to Mike, because of you. You've ruined my life Rachel, and you ruined it even more by having that baby."

He pointed towards Rebel and as Rachel began to cry she said, "I never said 'Billie divorce your wife. Come be with me and fuck me all the time,' I didn't ask you to propose to me, to show my your love. I realize now that I don't want to divorce Mike because he my husband, my lover, my ultimate best friend. Though I've been through hell and back during my marriage, I want to stay with him. And you've been horrible to him because you're like that Billie, you're being horrible to me right now. And that baby has a name, her name is Rebel. She's part of me and you. She even has your mother's name as part of her's. Fuck, Billie I don't want to live like this. If I have to put with this, I don't want to be with you or Mike. If worst comes to worst, I'll divorce Mike just to not be around you!"

Rachel slapped Billie across the face and ran up to her's and Mike's room.

She ran into the bathroom, slammed the door shut, and locked it.

Back downstairs, Mike passed Rebel to Billie, handed him the bottle and said, "Here. You're her father, you feed her. While I, go see if her mother is okay."

Billie nodded and Mike headed upstairs. He walked into their room, and saw the bathroom door closed. He tried to turn the doorknob but found it was locked.

He knocked then said, "Rachel, open up babe."

Minutes passed and he heard nothing from the other side so, he knocked again.

Then he heard Rachel say, "Go away."

"I'm not gonna go away."

Mike reached above the door case and found the key resting in the place he had put it years ago.

He unlocked the door, and opened it.

Inside, Rachel was sitting on the floor, holding a towel to her left wrist, and another towel wrapped around the opposite arm. Mike bent down to her and said

"Babe, what happened?"

"I don't want to be around this fighting anymore."

Mike easily lifted her hand from the towel and moved the towel away.

Then, he found five cuts in Rachel's wrist. He placed the towel back over them and applied pressure. He unwrapped the other towel and saw a large cut running down the entire vein in Rachel's right arm. He wrapped the towel back around then said, "Rachel why would you do this to yourself?"

Mike looked Rachel in this face and she whispered, "One for every year we were married. I don't want to break up the band. Or break up your friendship with Billie. I'm a burden. And the big one is for the one big mistake I made that got me pregnant with Rebel."

Tears ran down Rachel's face and Mike quickly wiped them away. He looked at the towel and saw Rachel was slightly pale. Mike picked Rachel up in his arms and said, "I've got to get you to the hospital. You're not gonna die on me."
"I don't want to go to the hospital...I don't like hospitals...I want to die."

Mike carried Rachel downstairs and into the kitchen. Billie looked up and said

"What happened?"

"She cut her wrist a few times and sliced her arm. I've got to get her to the hospital but I can't drive, I'm got to keep pressure on the cuts."

"I'll drive."

"Someone needs to stay here..."

"Stella can till Adie gets here right?"

"Yeah."

Mike walked into the living room and said "Hero, call Adie and get her to come over right away. Me and Billie have got to get Rachel to the hospital so, you're in charge."

Billie came in and passed Rebel to Estelle then quickly followed Mike outside.

They got in Billie's BMW and quickly drove to the hospital.

As soon as they got there, Mike ran in with Rachel and brought her into the emergency room.

Fifteen minutes later, Billie came in, after having a cigarette and found Mike sitting in the waiting room.

He walked over to him and sat down. Mike sighed then whispered, "They won't let me be with her."

Billie patted Mike on the back and said, "The doctor will come out soon with news."

"She's gonna need blood and she'll have scars...she'll freak. What if we didn't get here quick enough though? What if Rachel dies?"

Mike looked at Billie and there were tears running down his face. "Rach isn't gonna die Mike. She's strong and she'll live through this. She's got to. For your kids. For Abby. For Rebel. And for you. There's no doubting her love for you."

"Then why did she sleep with you?"

"I don't know. I guess I was her revenge."

An hour and a half later, the two were still sitting in the waiting room, when a doctor walked over to them.

"Mr. Pritchard?"

Mike looked up then stood up. The doctor held out his hand then said "I'm Dr. Sheppard."

Mike shook it then said "Is my wife okay?"

"For now. We put stitches in the six cuts and we've begun giving her blood, but Rachel's not in the clear yet. Her body may not take to the blood even if it matches her blood type, also she'll need to see a physciatrist. Due to the nature of those cuts."

Mike nodded then said "Can I see her now?"

"Yes. She's been moved up to the second floor, room 216. Off the elevator, you take a left then a right and it's the fourth room on the right side of the corridor."

"Thanks."

Mike walked back over to Billie then said "I'm going up with Rach. Are you coming too or are you heading back to help Adie out?"

"Uh, I wanna come see her."

"Okay."

The two made their way to the elevator, then to Rachel's room.