A Heavy Metal Christmas

Chapter 3

~THREE DAYS LATER~
*COLLEEN'S P.O.V.*
Jake and I were in his truck, driving away from the airport and toward Dad's house.
I had fallen into a bad mood (pregnancy hormones and a lack of sleep plus a long-ass plane ride don't mix well...) and was glaring out the window with my earbuds shoved into my ears. 'Wasteland' by 10 Years was thumping gently in my ears, and I slowly began to relax.
Jake must have noticed, because he reaches over and lightly squeezes my hand. I glance up at him and he smiles at me. I give him a tiny smile and pull out one earbud.
"Doing better, love?" Jake asks.
I sigh and look back out the window. "Well... Not really..." I answer, hesitant. His hand slips from mine to settle on my thigh. "Wanna talk about it?" he asks.
Slowly, I nod. I shut off my music and turn to him. "I'm worried about this pregnancy, Jake. What if something goes wrong?" I ask.
Jake's hand tightens a bit, then lets go to return to the wheel. He must have been thinking about this, too.
"I mean, you remember what happened with Haley. She-She couldn't handle the pain, and the doctor accidentally overdosed her on painkillers... She almost lost the baby..." I continue. I bite my lip as the memories came crashing back.
Haley had to stay at the hospital for four days until both she and the baby were stable enough to leave. Sid was beside himself with worry, chain smoking nonstop and spending hours by Haley's bedside, refusing food or drink. It was terrifying.
I was brought back to reality by Jake's heavy sigh. "I'm worried too, Col. If I lost you or the baby... Or both... I don't know what I'd do." His beautiful blue eyes were glued to the road, but his hands were gripping the wheel of his truck so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.
I slide over to his side and wrap my arms around his waist. Burying my face in his shoulder, I fall quiet and we ride the rest of the way in silence.
When we pull into Dad's driveway, Jake shuts off the truck and turns to me, cupping my face in his hands. "Listen," he says, "Let's cross that road when we get there, all right? Let's try and enjoy Christmas and the pregnancy and everything else."
I nod, still quiet.
"Hey," Jake murmurs, pressing his forehead against mine, "I love you."
A smile pulls at my lips, and I whisper, "I love you too."
He brings my face closer to kiss me. Then, releasing me, he gives me an adorably crooked smile and hops out of the truck.
As I wait for him to open my door, I look to the house. It seems smaller than I remember it. I squint to try and see if there was anyone crossing the big bay window, but so far, no one.
Jake opens my door and offers me his hand. He helps me down and grabs the luggage as I cross my arms, shivering. "Come on," Jake says, reappearing at my side. He slings an arm around my shoulders and we walk to the house.
Before we had reached the porch, the door swings open and Chris steps out, a huge smile on his face. "Hey, Col!" he says, holding his arms out.
I laugh, my bad mood dissipating instantly. "Chris!" I cry, running to him and throwing my arms around him.
He staggers a bit, chuckles, and returns my hug. "Oof! You've gotten a little bigger than I remember! I'm glad you're here, though," he replies.
I giggle and let him go.
"Come on inside. Sid and Haley aren't here yet, but they will be soon. Everyone else is in the man cave." Chris says, leading us inside. "I'll go put the luggage in your guys' room, Jake. Go on in and say hey."
Taking the luggage, Chris heads upstairs while I grab Jake's hand and pull him to the man cave.
When we enter, I grin at the sight of the other seven Slipknot members gathered around the TV console, arguing over what video game to play.
"Well, you guys haven't changed at all, have you?" I ask, letting go of Jake's hand and leaning against the doorjamb. Mick, Corey and Jay look up and grin. "Col!" Jay yells happily and jumps up to come hug me.
Corey and Mick follow closely as Jay picks me up and swings me around. "Careful with my daughter, Jay!" Corey scolds him.
Jay chuckles and sets me down with a sarcastic, "Sorry, Corey."
I run to my dad and fling my arms around his neck.
He hugs me hard and presses a kiss on my cheek. "Hi, baby girl," he mumbles. "Hi, Dad," I reply softly. "Missed you."
He pulls away a bit to smile at me. "Missed you more." he smirks.
"Not as much as me," Mick rumbles from behind him.
I grin and yell, "Mickey! There you are!"
He opens his arms and I go to him. He, too, picks me up and hugs me tightly. "There you are, my lovely niece," he laughs.
Suddenly, the space around us warms up as the other Slipknot members come in for a group hug.
I laugh, then pretend to choke. "Guys-ack-you're squishing me!" I complain.
There was a collective laugh, and the guys all let me go.
I giggle and brush my hair out of my face, then return to Jake's side and pull him into the room. "Guys, you remember Jake, right?" I ask.
"Yeah, of course!"
"Hey, Jake, how're you doing?"
"Jake, come here and tell this dumbass why Fallout 4 is better than Destiny-!" were the answers, and Jake's face lights up as the guys welcome him in.
I grin at the happy sight. I had a feeling that this Christmas was going to be great.