2013: Carmen meets Pete Wentz on a rainy evening. His kindness and mystery draw her in, and she begins to fall for him. He comes with a dark past and secrets but she's willing to stay by his side and fight them. Even if it could cost her life.
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"Cue all the love to leave my heart It's time for me to fall apart,"
IT had been over a year.
He still hadn't woken up. Carmen had been back a handful of times but as the months dragged on, she felt less and less a part of his life. She barely knew the man he was, for they had only known each other a very little time. She was given frequent updates by everyone, but she had ended up cutting herself off from them all. Every time she went to the hospital, she wasn't sure if she would come back.
It was always quiet and lonely now, her house didn't feel like home anymore, not since she was kidnapped. So, there she sat, curled up on the floor of her shower crying. She had turned off the water a while ago and didn't have the energy to move. By the time she got out she was shivering and threw herself under the covers, praying that her sleep would never end and that Pete would wake up instead. She felt guilty as if it were her fault for the mistakes Pete had made. Her sleep, however, was disrupted by her phone that rung suddenly, and she debated picking it up, she had learnt that it was never good news anymore.
"Hello?" she mumbled, pulling herself into a seated position.
"Carmen, I know we haven't spoken much in the last few months but," It was Patrick, his voice cracked, and Carmen had begun to cry before he could continue speaking. She knew what it was about.
"We need to get together and decide, Pete hasn't woken up yet. We think it may be time."
Carmen practically shouted back, "I don't want any part of it. I am no one, he's got all of you and his family," sobs racked her body and her the phone shook in her hand.
"Pete has a shit past, and those things are still haunting him. They're haunting you too. You stood by him and he needs you right now."
Carmen shut her eyes tightly, listening to Patrick speak. "You need to decide whether we let him go, we only think it's right that you are involved."
"Patrick. I-I'm sorry," she stuttered.
"Carmen, we want you there. Please. Come and say goodbye," Patrick pleaded and then the line went dead.
Carmen let the phone drop and she curled her knees to her chest, this was it. Pete wasn't going to wake up, he wasn't going to continue making music or see his son grow up. This was the end of Fall Out Boy.
This was the end of Pete Wentz.
***
Carmen dragged her feet down the linoleum floor of the hospital once more. She hadn't slept or eaten, she could barely put clothes together to look smart enough to say goodbye. She had thrown a pair of skinny black jeans and her mint jumper on, it reminded her subtly of Pete and how he had saved her from a group of men. She hadn't worn it since he washed it and it smelt like him.
Beside her stood Patrick, he had agreed to meet her outside the hospital. Everyone else was already waiting inside for her. They shared no words as they made their way to the room, she didn't even need to look up because she now knew the route so well. When they arrived through the door, the solemnness of the room hit her, and she took a deep breath to stop herself from being sick there and then.
"You must be Carmen, we are so glad to meet you finally. We are his family," a man spoke pulling her in for a hug.
Carmen was surprised at how well they were all taking it, they had obviously prepared themselves and said goodbye beforehand. Her eyes scanned the room and spotted Bronx, who was stood motionless beside his mother, crying softly. Carmen couldn't help but blame herself for this situation. Brendon clutched Dallon's hand in the corner, his face was pale, and a hint of stubble had appeared on his face.
Carmen didn't know where she fit in this family. Her eyes flicked to Pete and once more her heart felt as if it were rebreaking all over again.
"Would you like a minute?" Ashlee asked.
Carmen shook her head quickly, "I'd just like to sit with him for a bit, but you don't have to leave."
She sat down on the edge of the bed and took his hand once more. "Hey Wentz," she started strong, "It's been a while hasn't it, always were so dramatic."
Carmen smiled at the sad murmur of laughter in the room, "I hope you know that we are all going to be okay and that if you really feel like it's your time, we will let you sleep."
Carmen stroked his hair and softly leant forwards to kiss his cheek, "Sleep tight Pete," and she sat back down on the chair but refused to let go of his hand.
A nurse came back into the room to sort things out, but Carmen had already shut her eyes, she didn't want to watch it happen. She never even got the chance to tell him she loved him.
"Ready?" the nurse spoke, her hand on a machine at the back of him. Her hand hovered above the switch.
"Wait, wait!" Brendon begged suddenly and Carmen opened her eyes quickly.
This wasn't possible, it couldn't happen. This sort of thing only happened in the movies that had you crying from the moment that the main character had said 'I love you' to the girl. This was not a movie, but it was happening right in front of their eyes.
His fingers twitched ever so slightly, and Carmen dropped his hand, feeling nauseous as doctors rushed in, separating them from Pete with a curtain. Everyone in the room was holding each other, but Carmen had no one. The only person she needed right now was on the edge of life and death and she felt useless.
Minutes dragged on like hours and soon a doctor had stepped away from the curtain with a flushed face, "He's signalling improvement. We believe he is waking up," he spoke clearly and slowly, and the room flooded with cries of happiness.
Carmen's ears grew fuzzy, she thought she was going to pass out. She slipped to the corner of the room and slowly dropped to her knees, shutting her eyes. She definitely did not want to pass out and steal all of the doctors' and nurses' attention, so she kept to the back, breathing deeply and slowly.
"He needs extra care for a while and maybe disorientated, but he should make an excellent recovery," the doctor continued to speak, and Brendon stood up slowly to sit on the edge of Pete's bed.
"You're strong bud," Brendon whispered, patting Pete's still hand.
Within a second of Brendon touching his hand, Pete's eyelids began to twitch, and they slowly opened. He blinked a few times, eyes darting around the room. The whole room was waiting nervously for him to speak, for no one would know how he was after being in a coma for over a year.
"Wha-at am I do-doing here?" he croaked out, attempting to pull himself into a seated position.
Ashlee opened her mouth to speak but Brendon's eyes shot knives in her direction and she shut her mouth as quickly as she had opened it. Bronx let go of his mother's hand and quickly pulled himself up onto the bed. Pete had already opened his arms and clutched his son tightly, quietly sobbing as he did so. Meanwhile, Carmen had stood up to watch but remained silent in the back of the room, out of the sight of Pete. She smiled at their reunion and had begun to cry with happiness at the sight of Pete living and breathing.
There was something ever so slightly off in Carmen's mind, however, and it had been bugging her for a while. She clung to sleeves of her jumper as she caught Dallon's eye. She didn't fit in this family, and she knew that Dallon had already read her mind.
It was only when she stepped back into a tray on the side, that came crashing down, that Pete found her nervous eyes across the room.
"Hello you," he murmured, his mouth turning into the familiar smirk she knew all too well.
