The Sequel to Platinum Rings, Picture Frames and Red Duvet Covers
Ch. 9 Where Do We Go From Here?Julie woke up in the hospital room. Her mother was there and she came over to the bed as Julie began to cry again. She horrifyingly remembered the night before. Her baby was gone. The baby that was never given a chance- not even by his father. She remembered it was a boy. She felt completely empty. Her marriage was failing, her first child was gone- what did she have left? Julie clung to her mother as she cried as hard as she has ever cried before. Her mother had gotten there in the morning and she hadn’t even known Julie was pregnant. Her mother had so many questions- like why Benji wasn’t consoling his wife?
Benji sat in the room. He didn’t think Julie had even seen him there. He hated having to see her in that much pain. He did still love her but he was angry. He still believed deep down that it wasn’t his child. But the baby was gone now- could he ever be with her again?
The doctor came in and said that everyone had to leave except for her husband. Julie shook her head, “I don’t even know where he is.” Benji stepped up to the bed and looked at her then looked away. He couldn’t look in her eyes. She wanted for him to make her feel better but she wanted him to go away. How could he be so stupid? The baby dying wasn’t his fault but still she felt so hurt that he didn’t want it. As the doctor examined her, she began to cry. He said she could go home if someone watched her. Julie looked at Benji and he nodded. The doctor had them fill out tons and tons of paperwork. “Did you want to name the child?” the doctor asked lastly. Julie began to cry again and Benji wanted to make all the pain go away but he couldn’t. He was so conflicted. They had a little memorial site for the baby put up in a cemetery.
Julie was checked out of the hospital and taken back to the house. Her mother stayed for a while until Julie told her to go home. The woman could get on people’s nerves. At first Benji didn’t know what to say or do so he just sat in a chair in the room. Julie began to cry when everyone had gone to bed and left her alone. She knew Benji was there and partly wanted him to be there for her. Benji didn’t know what to do. He did the only thing he could think of. He grabbed a box of tissue and took it over to her side of the bed. He gave one to her and looked at her. She looked back up at him and he sat on the floor. She cried herself to sleep with him sitting there on the floor next to the bed. He fell asleep and woke up before her the next day. She opened her eyes and looked at Benji who was looking at her. She sat up, “I have to pee. Move please.” Her voice wasn’t angry, wasn’t sad just tired. Benji stood and watched her walk into the bathroom. She came back out and Joel walked in the room to see Benji sitting on the floor and Julie in the bed.
Somehow over the next seven days Julie had said “I need you Benji.” Benji had comforted her and now he was taking care of her. They were both confused and didn’t know what to do about their marriage. They had gone from Benji holding Julie’s hand to Benji hugging her to now where he was sitting in the bed with her leaning on him crying.
Then it all changed. What had been going so well and in the right direction- crashed. Benji in all his confused glory had uttered enough words to potentially break up everything forever. He had said, “Well since the baby’s gone I can’t be mad at you.” Julie couldn’t believe her ears. She yelled at him, “Get out! Get out!” He stood up and ran out the door and she heard him squeal away in his car. Julie was hysterically crying when Joel came running in having just stepped out of the shower and hearing Julie yell. Julie stood up and got dressed as she explained to Joel how everything was good until what he said. “I can’t take it anymore,” she said packing her bag. “I'm going to stay with my parents.” She gave Joel the number and said that she would be back to get stuff when she needed it. “I’m taking my car, I'm not saying this marriage is over but- I don’t know. I’ll be back tomorrow to get some stuff.” She didn’t know if the marriage was over. And neither did Benji.
Ch. 10 Tests
She came by the next day after calling to make sure Benji was gone. She put the envelope with the results of the test that she had done that would tell Benji if it really was his child or not. She wrote on the front: Take this envelope to the address below and they will give you a blood test and tell you that Ben was your child.
Benji came home and found the envelope on the bed. He placed it on the nightstand until it haunted him three days later. He stayed awake the whole night until the office opened in the morning so he could be the first person there to get a paternity test. He quickly got it done and went back home to sulk for two days until they called him back.
“Hello?” Benji said timidly as he answered the phone.
“Is this a Mr. Benjamin Madden?” the voice asked.
“Yes this is he,” his voice quivered.
“(Blah, blah, blah,) we are to inform you that a Boy Madden, mother is Julie Madden, is indeed the child of Benjamin Madden. (Blah, Blah, Blah).”
Benji only heard the parts he needed to hear and hung up the phone in shock. It was his child. He regretted everything he had said. How could he have been so stupid? Now he had no idea what to do or if it was over.
He sat in the chair he had been in when he talked on the phone for what must have been two or three hours but he didn’t notice. Joel and Paul walked in the house and Benji heard them laughing. Joel walked up to Benji and stopped. “Did they call you?” he asked quietly. Benji looked down and nodded. Joel sighed and went to the kitchen and came back out. As he was passing by Benji still sitting there Benji spoke up. “Joel, can you take me to the cemetery?” Joel nodded, “Yeah let me go get the directions.”
Joel ran up the stairs to get the directions. He reached for them and his eyes fell upon a tape recorder. He picked it up. He knew that what he would do with it was evil, but it was for Benji and Julie’s sake. He slid it into his pocket and drove Benji to the cemetery.
They walked in silence and Joel showed Benji where. Benji leaned down and brushed his hand across the engraved lettering. He looked at the flowers that had been placed there less than two weeks ago and took off the wilted ones. Joel stepped back and pressed the record button. He had to do this.
Benji sat down on the bench and put his head in his hands. He looked back up the engraved name, “I’m your father. I guess that’s why she named you Ben.” He choked as the tears started. “I am so stupid. How could I have done this to your mother? Julie, god I miss her. I don’t know why I never believed her. I don’t know why she ever took me back. Even when I cheated on her- “ he choked again. “She still took me back. She married me. She loves me- or loved me. What did I do? I’ve ruined everything forever.” He sobbed and Joel almost left. “How am I supposed to make things right again? I love her so much. I hated to see her in all that pain when there was nothing I could do about it. Now she doesn’t even want to see me. See this? (He held up his wedding band that he never took off) I don’t even know if she still wants to be married anymore. I wouldn’t blame her. I'm such a bastard. How could she ever have loved me? What did I ever do to deserve to have her? There are so many people in this world better than me. Why did you let me ruin her life and break her heart?” He cried sobbing into his hands. Benji continued to talk to his son and they left after about an hour. Joel had taped the whole conversation. It was filled with every emotion Benji had, every bit of love he had for Julie and every spark of hatred he held for himself.
Joel quietly drove him back to the house and Benji went up the stairs. He went to open the door to their bedroom but stopped with his hand on the knob. He dropped his hand and Joel walked by. Joel put his hand on Benji’s shoulder, “Come to my room.” Benji nodded and turned then turned back around and opened the door. He quickly went to the nightstand and took the picture of he and Julie. He clutched it to himself as he collapsed on Joel’s bed and cried. Over the next two months he went back to not eating, not speaking to anyone, having to be watched, and only playing music when he had to. Good Charlotte was more popular now and he needed to be there for the others. The newest cd was really starting to get big and they would need to go on tour again. Everyone worried if Benji would be willing to go.
Julie was about in the same condition. She tried to be strong around other people but when she was alone she would be a crying mess. She would go out with Joel, Ashley, Billy and Paul but they knew not to talk about Benji or anything from the past. They all noticed she was getting dangerously thin and depressed. She wore her platinum ring back on her ring finger and wore her wedding rings around her neck. Julie and Joel were sitting around one day at her parent’s house. “So, we’re going on tour again,” Joel smiled. “Really? When?” Julie asked. “In a week. We’ll be gone for two months.” Julie smiled, “That’s good. You guys need to tour again.” Joel sighed, “So umm. I was wondering if you could come to our first show?” Julie looked down, “I don’t know. How- how does Benji feel about it?” Joel shook his head, “Well I wasn’t planning on telling him. But we want you to be there. Ashley will be there too. It’s here so you wont have to fly or anything. Come Julie, please?” Julie shrugged, “I guess I could. I need something to do. I just don’t know about hearing him. I might break down or something.” Joel nodded, “Then go right ahead. Julie, please come?” Julie finally agreed to come and she agreed to watch after the house while they’re gone.