Dear God (Avenged Sevenfold)

And now I wish I'd stayed

Eventually Ava made her way back to where Natalie still sat, frowning at the fact that Brian seemed to be nowhere in sight. "Dammit" she muttered angrily, stopping ten feet away and turning to Matt. "I have to go see if she's okay..." Matt nodded and kissed her cheek, secretly wishing he could kiss her more thoroughly but that huge diamond on her ring finger reminded him that she was off limits. "Please keep in touch...don't let it be another two years before I see you again" he smiled at her before walking off, debating on whether or not he wanted to punch Brian in the mouth.

Natalie turned and spotted Ava as she assumingly said good bye to Matt, smiling as her friend drew closer. "Where did Prince Charming dash off to?" Ava stated with disgust as she sat back down in her original spot. "Ava stop" Natalie laughed lightly "He had to leave to check on his dog before we go out to dinner tonight." Natalie felt her smile grow wider as confusion then elation cross Ava's face. "Does this mean he owns up to the fact that he's her father?!" Natalie chuckled again as they began picking up their beach items, preparing to head back to the beach. "He does Ava. He's still uneasy and unsure about it but he realizes the facts and is willing to get tested to see if he's a match. He wants to take Bryleigh and I out to dinner so I can tell him more about her illness...and about her, I just hope he's a match." Natalie didn't want to get her hopes up in case he didn't match up but she had such a good feeling about it that she practically floated back to the hotel where she laid Bryleigh down for a nap before hopping into the shower in order to get ready for tonight.

As she exited the bathroom a while later she could hear Ava on the phone, quickly coming to the conclusion that she was on the phone with her father...and he was irritating her by the sound of the tone in her voice. "Yes sir I am well aware of what my job is. Yes sir I will make sure I'm at the office first thing." Natalie rolled her eyes and snuck into the bedroom to get ready, Ava's dad hated her with a passion because in his rich, sophisticated eyes she had corrupted Ava by bringing her along for the try outs that ultimately landed them on tour with Avenged Sevenfold when she should have been at home, being groomed by her father. "No way will I EVER let a man control me like that" she muttered to herself, feeling bad that her friends insane sense of loyalty and duty prevented her from telling her father to shove it where the sun didn't shine.

By the time Ava came in the bedroom, Natalie was just about ready for tonight and was trying to find a cute dress to put on Bryleigh. "Bad conversation?" she kept her tone neutral in case Ava was in a bad mood but she just smiled at her and shook her head "He's the same old man. No worries...you look great by the way." Natalie felt herself smiling like an idiot, feeling that odd fluttering in her stomach, for gods sakes this wasn't a date! "I was going to keep it casual but mister fancy pants wants to go to some upscale restaurant...I don't think he realizes what he's getting into with bringing a toddler around!" Natalie laughed and teased Bryleigh as she dressed her daughter in a cute pink dress that Ava had just bought her the other day before trying to tame her hair up into a little ponytail atop her head. "Don't you listen to mommy" Ava cooed at her, picking her up and spinning her around in a circle "You're a perfect little princess aren't you?" Bryleigh shrieked happily and patted Ava's cheeks, unaware of what was really being said.

Quarter after six rolled around and Natalie felt her nerves kick up a notch, she wanted everything to go right so Brian had no hesitation in offering up his bone marrow. Ava who sensed her inner turmoil, hugged her tight and kissed Bryleigh's cheek "Go on and have a good dinner...and relax, everything will be okay." Natalie nodded silently and headed down to the lobby to wait for Brian, only, surprise surprise, he was standing there waiting for them as soon as the elevator doors opened. "You're early" she stated, giving him a smile as she shifted Bryleigh onto her other hip. "I know" he stated with a smile, killing her inside all over again. No matter what life had in store for her she had to admit he was hands down the most attractive man she ever saw and thanked her lucky stars that she would always have a piece of him in her daughter. "I figured we could walk to the restaurant" he stated as he led her out into the balmy evening air "Plus I don't have a car seat for my ride" he laughed, looking awkward and embarrassed. Natalie just gave him a smile "That's okay, we don't mind walking...do we pretty girl?" but Natalie's words were lost on Bryleigh, her daughter was currently playing her 'flirt' game with Brian by hiding her face in Natalie's neck and giggling at him.

They walked on in silence for a bit, lost in their own little worlds till Brian stopped and held his hands out. "Why don't you let me carry her for a little bit? Give your arms a break." Natalie was just about to state she was fine when Bryleigh practically lunged herself at Brian, wrapping her arms tight around his neck. "Well I guess that's settled" she laughed lightly. Inside her mind was conflicted, on one hand she felt relieved that she was warming up to Brian so well but the other hand she felt jealous that her daughter passed her up so easily, she had always stuck close to her and Ava but Natalie knew she was being silly, Bryleigh obviously knew on some level this man was her father and wanted to get to know him on her terms. Before she realized it, they were at the restaurant, being led to a table in the back where a high chair already sat waiting. Natalie bit back a chuckle as she watched Brian struggle to put Bryleigh in the highchair, she kept pushing her little feet on the edge of the seat and causing it to tip. "Okay I give up" he laughed in defeat "How do you get a kid in one of these things?!" Having mercy on him, she held her daughters legs in place, giving Brian the go ahead to slide her into the seat.

Once dinner was ordered he began firing questions at her left and right, wanting to know everything from the pregnancy, birth and everything else in between. Natalie answered him as best as she could in between keeping Bryleigh happy with small bites of bread and a sippy cup of milk. "So what's this illness she has that made you come out here after me? I've never heard of Aplastic Anemia." Natalie slowly told him, bit by bit what the doctors had told her and what she had learned on her own, trying to keep her emotions in check. Deep down she feared for her daughters life and while there was a good chance she would be cured of this god awful disease she still had an immense amount of fear boiling in her gut. "Honestly, I wouldn't even be out here bothering you if I had been a match" Natalie admitted, keeping her eyes on her daughter and off Brian. "I wasn't a good enough match and since you're the only other living blood tie to her I had no choice but to come chase you down. I'm sorry I upended your life so suddenly." Natalie knew she should have thought things through better with telling him about fathering a child but her fear had her acting illogically. Brian gave her a small reassuring smile and reached across the table to squeeze her hand.

"It's okay Nat I get it. I think I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes. I would have kept her to myself too, but I will say this... I'm glad you did come find me." Natalie looked up at Brian with a shocked look as he looked over at Bryleigh and felt her heart swell with happiness. Maybe this would be a bigger blessing in disguise than she realized...

Editors Note: sorry for the crap chapter, I've had a migraine kicking my ass all day but I wanted to get this chapter finished so I can get moving on to the other elements of the story. Thank you for reading it thus far!!!