Doc's Little Girl - 12

| Days Later |

"Your dad is gonna give me away ..." Janine said to Maddox. They were out shopping and Janine was looking at baby things. "I'd like him to."

"If you want him to, you should."

"And when will you fix it?"

"Fix what?"

"Your relationship."

"Ok. Pause, Janine. What you're not gonna do is try to convince me to make amends with my father. You have your relationship and I'll have mine the way i want and I'll move things on my own damn terms."

"I'm going to try and convince you because it just makes sense. He's asking to be let back in. Please. I have not asked you for anything at all. Just this one thing." Janine picked up a small piece of clothing.

"Janine!" He yelled, "my relationship with my father is fuckin non-negotiable! Don't ask anymore or you WILL cause problems between us!"

A man walked up to them, "is there a problem over here?"

"Who the fuck invited you over here?! Is anyone bleeding or crying over here? No! Did she ask for your gotdamn help? No! Get the FUCK out of my face!"

Janine had frozen as soon as he yelled at her like that. Her eye twitched a bit and she wanted so badly to lash out. But she had to remember who this was to her, that she was pregnant, and she needed to calm down. But unfortunately, now she was incredibly angry. She balled up the tiny piece of clothing she was holding, held her breath and stared at him as the shop worker walked up to them. After Maddox yelled at him, Janine roughly dropped the shit she was holding to the ground, then turned around and stormed her ass out of the store.

Maddox followed Janine and stopped her from getting in the car, "don't even fucking act like I'm in the wrong right now. Its you who is butting into shit you shouldn't."

Janine didn't even look at him. She tilted her head to the side, snatched the car door open and sat inside.

"Alright we can do this," he walked away to go catch a cab.

| Later |

Janine took her sweet time getting home. She went to the gun range and unloaded for two hours, walked the pier, then went and picked up a giant fruit platter from the organic food store. When she got home, she went to the kitchen, opened the platter and dumped all the cantaloupe, pineapples and mangoes into a bowl, then walked around eating it.

Maddox however hadn't gone home and was at his mother's house, "I'm just so damn pissed, Ma."

"I understand honey. But ... With marriage comes compromise. There isn't anything you can take from this?" She was in the kitchen, working on a pie, "hmm? I compromised with your father and let him come over here once a day to grovel, then he leaves."

"The speed i move with my father is not for her to decide. I already told him i would be open to working on our relationship, but at my own pace, and she should respect that."

"She should," Lynn agreed.

"What makes me more mad is she doesn't see that because she is my father's drone. He's everything to her and i get it, but for most of my life. My dad has been too busy for me."

"That is true but he loves you. So much, baby. Now he has the opportunity to make it right when YOU are ready. Tell Janine to cool it."

"Tried, maybe i told her the wrong way but I'm that angry."

"I think ... You told her the wrong way." Lynn patted his hand.

"I know but i said it regular to begin with and then she kept pushing it."

"Alright. Honey. I hope everything is okay by morning."

"Yeah, well, i better get out of here," he kissed his mother on the head.

"Love you.." lynn hugged him

"I love you too mama," he smiled and left to go home.

| Later |

Maddox got home. Janine knew he'd arrived and didn't give a shit. She was in their bedroom, sitting on the loveseat with her legs up and folded, kindle in one hand reading a book about babies, and almonds in the other hand, popping some into her mouth as she read.

Maddox walked in to their bedroom, "lets talk."

"No thank you." She responded without looking up from her book.

"Well, I'm talking. Sorry, for talking to you like I did, however, i am not sorry for what i said. You need to respect my wishes. If this is gonna work, you have to respect my feelings." he looked to her.

"If this is going to work?" She looked up at him, "if this is going to work? What the fuck?"

"Yes, generally speaking, you respect me and i respect you."

"You respect me by not yelling at me in my fucking face like I'm some random who pissed you off. I need to respect your wishes but you don't need to respect mine ... right?"

"You miss everything i said. I started with sorry and i just said we both need to respect each other. Why would i expect you to respect me and i wouldn't give you any in return? You forget i spoke in a completely tamed tone until you kept pressing the issue."

"Whether I press or not ... you don't need to talk to me like that. Walk away." She went back to reading her book.

"Right ... we'll ignore the fact that i just apologized. Cool, lets keep this up, lets stay mad. Because that's what you want to do. Remember, i came to you, trying to talk, but every time we get in a damn argument, you always want to keep it going and even if you are wrong, you never apologize. I'm stubborn, but baby you take the damn cake. When you're ready to talk, you know where ill be," he walked off, intending on a spare room.

"I'm not wrong and therefore can't apologize." She said loud enough for him to hear. Janine would have apologized for nothing had he not said 'if this is going to work' because that made her anger worse. At least now, she didn't have to tell him to leave, he went on his own and she was fine with that. Maddox was exhausted,this is why they were always on and off, her stubbornness. She also always read into things incorrectly.

| Morning |

Maddox got up and made breakfast for the both of them. He put hers on the table and went to the bedroom, "your breakfast is ready..." he announced to her and then walked off.

Janine sighed and turned over. She just wanted to sleep but she was starving. She got up and brushed her teeth, combed her hair into a ponytail and went downstairs. "Thanks ... I'm so hungry." She sat down and took a moment to rub her stomach.

"You're welcome..." he nodded and drank some orange juice.

"When you get off, can we try the registry again?" She started eating.

"Yeah ..." he agreed.

"Great." They finished eating in silence. No, things were not okay. Nothing magically fixed itself overnight. Maddox was right, she's as stubborn as they come and could become irrational with it. Then again, Janine had learn everything about normal life in only a few years time. When they finished, a maid cleaned off the table and Janine went back up to bed. Maddox left to work, trying his hardest to change his attitude the whole day.

| Later |

Janine spent her afternoon crying to Doc about Maddox yelling at her, "stubborn or not. I'm not apologizing and I did nothing wrong."

"Why wouldn't you? Didn't you say he apologized?"

"Yes. So ..." blinking as tears fell, "I'm supposed to when he does?" She was confused.

"My question is why wouldn't you? He told you cool it and you continued to press it. I appreciate you, i do, but i dont want you to fight because of me."

"I've always done what you said to do. It's all I was doing." She wiped her face.

"But don't risk your relationship."

"Jesus!" She leaned back on her couch, "Okay. I'll fix this. Okay. I don't know how but okay."

"Remember, your man comes first. Dont jeopardize that for anyone," he rubbed her hand.

She sighed, "Okay. You won't stop coming around will you?"

"Of course not," he smiled.

And just like that, Janine felt better. Doc always fixed everything.

| That Evening |

Janine waited for Maddox at home. When he got there, she was cooking, but went to greet him. She only gave him a tight hug and stood on her toes and kissed him, then went back to the kitchen.

"Hello ..." he smiled as she walked off.

"Hi. Hold on," she rushed back to check the halibut.

"Holding," he took off his coat.

She turned it down low, then went back to him, "I'm sorry. I was an idiot. I was thinking like Doc's protege and still taking orders like they're the bible. You're my number 1 now. I didn't forget, but it was like my mechanics override that if Doc asks me to do something. Won't happen again." Yet she still felt like she wasn't wrong. Go figure. Either way, she was still doing what Doc told her to do.

He smiled and just kissed her, "i love you."

"I love you too." Smiling, she rushed back to the kitchen. "YOUR MOM IS COMING OVER FOR DINNER."

"Good! Im gonna hop in the shower really quick..." he ran off to do so.

By the time Maddox showered, Janine was putting food on the table and Maddox's mother was brought in by the butler. "Hi Ms Lynn." Janine went to greet her.

"Hey sweetie, how are you and my grand baby?!" She hugged her.

"We're good. Growing too fast. Come sit. Dinner is ready and Maddox will be down in a minute."

"How is everything?"

"Fine! And you?"

"Im great, just miss having kids in the house," she pouted as Maddox came down, "baby," she jumped up to hug him.

"Hey mama," he leaned down and hugged her tightly.

"I was just telling Janine I wanted a baby in the house. Trent's son got too big too fast," she sat back down.

"I asked her over," Janine told them, "just so I can get some talk time in since Lynn knows everything about babies. I've read books but I know books don't really prepare you."

"Oh no, experience is where its at, baby," Lynn smiled, "I'm always here to assist though."

"I'll need the help. Honestly. It's a little scary."

"Thats normal. You have a good guy helping you. Maddox is great with kids."

"That's what he says," Janine winked at him.

"I do... ma, how are you and dad?" Maddox sipped his wine and looked at his mother.

"Um i can look at him without being angry.." she admitted. Maddox nodded and went back to eating. "Well... what about you?" Lynn grinned.

"Uhh we got together for lunch today. He showed up, i didnt say no."

Janine gasped and nearly coughed up her juice, "and ..." She calmed herself, "How did it go?"

"Fine.. it went fine."

"That's ... That's ... nice." Grinning too hard. From then on, everything would be fine. Doc is always right.




The End