PROMISE

What Now?

"Pick up. Pick up." You have reached Bradley, I can't come to the phone- "Damn it!" Gaga looks at her phone while she paces with Ava on her hip. Bobby watches as he tries to calm Jackson down. Both twins choosing this particular moment to have a melt down. 

"Sweetie?" Bobby tries as Gaga dials again. "Stefani." She finally looks and hangs up.

"Ok, ok. They have to go down for a nap. Can you-" Gaga gives Ava to Bobby while she preps a their bottles. She wipes away at her tears as she tries Bradley one more time. Gaga finds Bobby on the couch and the two sit back lulling the babies to sleep. 

"I don't need to know everything." Gaga stares blankly at the black television screen. "Are you two together?"

"I don't know anymore." She bursts into tears. Bobby moves with Ava to comfort Gaga. "We were so good, Bob. We worked so well, we had this thing down." She laughed. "We were 'crushing it." She uses Bradley's words giving her equal part comfort and misery. "We just wanted to do right by them and then it all blew up. I don't know what happened? Did I push him too much? He was trying to love me, whatever the fu-whatever that means?" She wipes at her tears. "And then this!" She moves to kick the legal documents on the table. Bobby leans as best her could with Ava to read. 

"That's a bad thing? Or good thing?" She shoots him a death glare. "Hey, I'm just catching up here. You never mentioned to me you were with Bradley Cooper, which as your manager is vital information but I'm letting you have this little melt down judgment free."

"It's a bad thing. Now I'm worried he's going to drink himself stupid! I don't even remember applying for that. Bradley wasn't around, they sent me the docs. I was scared and alone, they said they would check in after 30 days but here we are."

"So it's an accident. That's all. You just need to clear that up with him. Sweetie, I saw you a few times when he wasn't around, it was rough. He has to understand that."

"Right?! He should understand that instead of fighting me over every God damn thing! Here." Gaga puts Jackson in Bobby's free arm and dials Bradley again. You have reached Bradley, I can't come to the phone right now but if you leave your name and a brief message I'll get back to you. Beep. Gaga didn't even know where to start. "B..I...I can explain. It's a huge misunderstanding and we need to talk. Get back here, right now!... Baby, we'll talk about this, ok? All of this, no more fighting... You don't get to almost say you love me and then run away! Come home...I'm trying to love you, too." She hangs up, breaking down once again. 

Bradley looked at the screen in his truck light up with her name. Before he could ignore it again, another name popped up, his agent. "Dave, hi, not really a great time-"

"Brad, hi! I have Dan here on the line with me from Goodman's."

"Hi Bradley, look if this isn't a good time-"

Bradley took a side road, not driving anywhere in particular. His mind flooded with fury, as he worked to try and regain focus for this call. "Yes, hi, Dan! I'm just driving, if you can hear me then I'm all ears."

"Great. Well, I'll make it short. It took a couple of weeks to sort out logistics but if your schedule still permits, we'd love to have you join the cast."

Bradley couldn't focus, he wiped the sweat from his forehead as he continued to make random turns. Her face flashed to the front of his mind. How could she? How could he? There had to be an explanation, but maybe there wasn't. She said it herself, it's her career, it's her life. Was she bored with him, was he not able to offer her what the guys before could? She's an independent woman and that's one of the many things that drew him to her but did she can't expect to just do everything on her own.