Amazed By You (Sequel To Look After You)

(33) "I Can't Do This Anymore!"

A year later 

Colton had been home since the week of Thanksgiving. It was now after the holidays, Ellie was in the laundry room folding clothes. Colton was tackling bedtime routine with Sydney who was now 13 months old. 

"Elle.." Colton said as he came into the kitchen.

"Laundry room." She said 

He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. 

"So I feel like for the past two months..you have been quiet and distant. Not saying you have been completely stand offish cause we have been making up for lost time in the bedroom. But I get the feeling you are upset with me." He said 

She looked down. "Elle talk to me. What is it?" He said as he made her turn around. 

"I can't do this anymore.." she whispered

"The laundry? Baby I'll finish it you can go on upstairs and take a hot bath. I'll finish it." He said 

"Not that laundry Colton. This me and you..you have no idea what this past year has been like for me." She said as she walked out. 

He felt like he been punched in the gut. 

He finally emerged from the laundry room to find her loading the dishwasher. 

"Elle, I know it's not easy but baby..don't do this." He said 

"Seriously! For the past year..I've been on my own raising our daughter trying to finish my masters degree. And you know that I've supported your career from the beginning. But that was before we had our daughter. Before I knew that like 8 months out of the year I'd be raising her alone." She said 

"Elliot Katherine you are not raising her alone. I am your husband and her father. I am still very much in the picture or did you get your daddy's confused." He said 

"You did not just say that to me!" She said 

"Yeah I did. I understand that us being apart for 95% of the year is hard. But don't you dare sit here and act like I just abandoned you and her." He said 

"Colton..I had to help plan your mother's funeral last year because you weren't able to. And you almost missed it because you had back to back games in Chicago. I understand you have a job and this is your dream. But I need you here.." she said as she closed the dishwasher turned it on and left the kitchen. 

He looked down. 

Thirty minutes later he joined her in bed. "I finished folding the clothes for you. And I know you need me here. But this job provides for us Elle better than any other 9-5 job." He said as she had her back to him. 

"Yeah.." she whispered 

A couple of days later she came home to find him playing with Sydney. 

"Hey baby how was class?" He said 

"Great.." she said 

He closed the gate to the playroom he followed her into the kitchen. 

"You've been like this for three days now Elle." He said 

She opened up her bag and slid a blue envelope to him. 

"What's this?" He said as he opened it up. 

"I told you can't do this anymore Colton." She said 

He looked down to see divorce papers. "Elle no. Don't do this please don't. You know my parents split up when I was little. Please.." he said 

"I'm not happy Colt. I love you but I can't do this..I still have this semester to go. And I don't want to live in LA. I'm alone here in Atlanta..all of our friends are either in NY or making a music career in Nashville. I want you home.." she said as she picked up her bag and went upstairs to do her homework. 

Colton left them sitting on the counter top and headed to the batting cages. He hit balls for hours as he cried. When he came home Ellie had made dinner and put it in the microwave for him. He ate and slept in a guest room when he saw that she had already gone to sleep. 

The next several weeks between them was cold and quiet. He had signed them and got himself a lawyer. It was clear that Ellie wasn't backing down.

*********************

A month later 

It was the morning of their divorce hearing, Elle was standing in her bathroom floored by what she was staring at. A positive pregnancy test she tucked it into her purse and left. He had been staying at a old team mate's place for the last two weeks because he couldn't take being there anymore. 

Ellie seen him waiting as he leaned against his truck at the courthouse. 

"Colt.." she said as she walked over to him. 

"Elliot.." he said 

"I'm giving you one last chance to make this right. Because as much as I'm unhappy I still love you. So I'm asking you please retire early..please be a family with me. Use your journalism degree.." she said 

"Elle this is my dream and granted I never thought I'd be doing this. I'm not gonna give it up, why are you suddenly being like this." He said 

"I'm pregnant.." she said 

"Elle, I love you but this is my dream. And if you can't be happy and support my dream. Then maybe it is for the best that we go our separate ways. And just co parent our kids..if you don't want to move to LA this summer and stay here. If you can't handle the time apart then I guess it is for the best." He said as he walked off. 

She looked down as tears fell. 

She finally made her way inside she stayed quiet. Her lawyer did most of the talking by the end of the hearing. The judge looked at her "Mrs Baxter does all that sound okay to you?" 

She snapped out of her trance she had been in the whole time. "Yeah sure..whatever he wants." She said in a low tone. 

"Okay well this hearing is adjourned." The judge said as he slammed his gavel. 

Ellie walked out to her car like she was still in her trance. Colton drove out to the house to get the stuff he couldn't ship to his apartment in LA. She stayed hidden in the laundry room as she sat in the floor and cried. 

Colton heard her and he found her. 

He sat beside her. "Elle.." he said as tears began to well. 

"Don't talk to me! I hate you!" She said as she ran out. 

"Ellie! Wait!" He ran after her. 

She had slammed and locked the master bedroom door. 

"Ellie please don't say that." He said through the door. 

"Elle talk to me.." he said when she wouldn't respond. 

He sighed after waiting for her to come back out. 

"Elle I love you and I always will. But this is for the best you said so yourself. I don't want you to be unhappy." He said as he rested his forehead against the door. 

She still wouldn't say anything. "Elle I have to get on the road. Please let me know what the doctor says and let me know when the baby is due." He said 

"Whatever." She said as she sat against her bed. 

He looked down as he walked away and left the house. He cried as he began to make his way to LA. 

Two weeks later Ellie went to the doctor to find out she was 10 weeks along and due in September.