Chapter 142: Morning After.

[Edward POV]

I woke up as I felt a prick on my nose, and a slender finger tracing along my eyes and face. I slowly opened my eyes to see Abby smiling at me. She had removed her makeup last night, therefore I was greeted by a cute barefaced girl. 

We were both lying on the bed in her mother's room, hugging each other without any clothes on. The consequence of the impulsive action we took last night as we went there to search for protection after running out of stocks in her room .

"Morning." She greeted me with a smile. "Last night was great."

"Great? Try phenomenal." I joked as I pulled her body closer to mine. She blushed a bit before slightly hitting my chest and said, "Don't mess around. Get up quick. I need to throw this sheet into the washing machine, and mine too! Otherwise my mom will see the blood on it."

She pushed me away and stood up next to the bed. I admired the sight of her naked body before she said, "Get up now! You need to go back to your house before your aunt knows you are gone."

"So, you used me only for my body ugh? My dad is right. Women are all the same! They trick you in bed with flowery words, and then you're worthless the next day."

She threw a pillow at my face and said, "Hurry! I think I heard the sound of a car pulling up!"

"Wait. Oh Shit." I heard the same sound, and I quickly helped Abby change her mother's sheets and jumped into the shower with her to clean up last night's traces before quickly getting dressed in the bathroom.

She peeked out the door as soon as we were done and signaled me when she saw that her mother was still at the front door talking with someone.

"I'm going out the window- Wait. Isn't that my dad?" I asked as I recognized the voice speaking to Desiree, and both Abby and I froze as our minds pieced the 'clues' together as we tried to solve the puzzle.

"Di-Did they spend the night together?" Abby asked nervously.

"N-N-Nothing is going on between them right?" I was also stuttering. "If, and this is a BIG 'if'...If they really did go out with each other, does that mean…"

"We're going to be step-siblings?" Abby said in horror. Our eyes met accidentally, which made both of us flinch and take a step back. Luckily for us, we didn't shout. 

"I don't know whether to be turned on or disgusted right now." I muttered as I walked into Abby's room. "You and I both." Abby said as she went to greet her mother.

"Oh wait. Don't forget to run by the pharmacy to buy some Plan B pills." I reminded her.

"Wayyy ahead of you. I was already texting Haley as we were getting in the shower." Abby replied with a smirk.

"Haley? Uhhhh…" I didn't know why but I was feeling quite guilty. 

"Hmm?" Abby was confused by my reaction, but I just waved her off and entered her room. Then, I jumped out of the first storey window, holding the windowsill as I wanted to carefully land on the grass. However, I landed quite badly and sprained my left ankle a bit.

"Shit." I cursed as I braced through the pain and limped in my aunt's house direction to change my prom clothes before returning to Abby's front door in a roundabout manner.

Abby was crossing her arms with a dissatisfied expression as she interrogated Desiree, "Where did you two go last night?! I have been worried sick!"

I was confused by her act but then I decided to join in the fun and appear right behind my dad, "Hey. I saw you pulling over with Desiree… Did you guys have sex last night?"

"EDWARD!" Desiree gasped in disbelief while my dad froze in his spot. "N-No, I was just showing her the coast."

"Really? You didn't bring her to the 'extremely romantic ocean nightview' place where you can admire the stars together while having a glass of wine, did you?"

"I…" My dad opened his mouth a few times, but he couldn't seem to answer the question. I narrowed my eyes at him and Desiree before I said, "You did. Didn't you? And you didn't get back till the morning, so I guess you included the sunrise experience, or were you guys just so tired that you decided to just come back in the morning."

"SUNRISE! THE SUNRISE THING!" Desiree answered quickly. "Hmm…Why are you so flabbergasted mom? Are you sure that nothing happened between the two of you?" Abby asked with narrowed eyes.

Both of us were taking the morally superior position right now so that our parents couldn't even begin to say anything against us except for merely trying to answer our questions honestly.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze flew, carrying the faint scent of body soap towards Abby's mom. "Wait. Why do I smell-" Desiree's eyes suddenly lit up as she glanced in my direction. She wrapped her arm around my neck as she pulled me in close and sniffed my scent a few times.

"Yeah. This is my body wash." Desiree's face became stern as she glanced at the surprised Abby and saw her hair was still wet, and so was mine. "Did you guys just take a shower together?" She asked while narrowing her eyes.

She then gasped and asked in a concerned tone, "Tha-No. That can't- couldn't've happened. You guys are exes! You…you guys didn't sleep together after prom right?" 

"What? N-N-N-NOOO!" Abby replied. 

"My my, that stutter sure is convincing." I mockingly told Abby as she glared at me. "Don't change the subject! Did you and Mr Newgate sleep together or not!?"

"NO! We did not!" Desiree replied decisively. "He was only being a gentleman, and a true friend. We did nothing but talk all night."

"Lame dad." I said, making my dad look at me in disbelief. "I didn't think my dad was THAT lame. Or are you guys lying right now?"

"Answer my question Ed! Did you just take a shower at my place? Did something happen between you and Abby?" Desiree asked.

"Did you happen to sleep with my dad?" I asked.

"No!"

"Then neither did we. I was being a gentleman, and we talked a lot last night." I replied in a perfunctory manner which made them think I was mocking them. 

"Wait. this is going nowhere. And we don't have to explain ourselves to you. I'm going to go ask your aunt whether you were here last night or not." My dad said while hiding his guilty look.

"Sure, go on. She went to Calexico last night, and hasn't returned since." I replied in a casual manner. It was a damn good luck for me that I went to change my shirt first and saw her note near the key drawer. 

Unlike my dad, Camila knew when to give me my much needed privacy, therefore she had made herself scarce last night. If only I had found out sooner. Well…I don't regret it though. 

"Dad, let me see your wallet." I said suddenly. My dad was confused, and Abby was interested. "Why? What are you looking for?" She asked.

"He always keeps a condom in one of the slots even when he isn't getting laid. I wanna check if it is still there."

"Sure. I have nothing to hide." My dad gave me his wallet instantly. "But know this, once you open it, you will become someone who has no trust in his own dad."

I had no qualms with that so I opened it without hesitation. "Oh. It's still there."

Abby breathed in relief and said, "Thank god. I don't think I can handle you as my step brother."

"Only in this era Abby. I have a feeling the step siblings' preconceptions will change a lot after a few years. Especially in the sites you usually frequent." I joked, but no one got the joke, which made me quite sad.

"Sites? What sites?" Desiree was curious. Abby blushed and brushed her off quickly before saying, "Don't speak nonsense. You have your concert this evening right? Go and get ready!"

"Wait Abby. There is still a chance they did it without protection last night. In which case-"

"WE DIDN'T SLEEP TOGETHER!" My dad and Desiree said exasperatingly at the same time. I still narrowed my eyes at them as I muttered, "See…Synchronicity. They sure are being suspicious- Ow." 

"Hmm? What's wrong Ed?" My dad asked.

"Nah, I suddenly felt a jolt in my ankle." I said as I reached my hand to grab my dad in order to stand straight. Abby and Desiree looked at me in concern as I winced in pain.

"Did you trip somewhere?" My dad asked as he held my arm to support me. "Yeah I did, after leaving school it was dark so I tripped on an uneven sidewalk." I replied without hesitation.

Abby's eyes darted around as she was thinking that my injury had something to do with the 'strenuous exercise' we did last night, and wanted to offer her help. My dad stopped her as he said, "Let's get that checked. We will stop by the doctor before going to your school."

"No. I'm fine. I will be fine." I said as I tried to power through the pain and stand on my own and smiled when I managed to do so, "See. I'm fine-" I succeeded in taking one step ahead. 

"No I'm not." Then, I fell on my face as I tried to take another step forward with my left leg.

…

[General POV]

-Dunphy's house-

"Where's Haley?" Desiree asked after Claire called and invited her to the house for some 'tea' time. 

"She's out with Abby." Claire said with a knowing smile on her face. Desiree touched her face as she said, "Hmm…I think that something happened between Abby and Ed last night."

Claire widened her eyes in surprise, "Really? How did you know?"

"Well for starters, she washed both of our sheets this morning and she never does that, no matter how much I ask her to. And today not only did she do her own laundry but she even washed my sheets too! So I'm extremely confused right now.

"It's hard to say with just that. Haley has been helping me with the chores recently too. I think she is basically trying to annoy me as she constantly follows me around the house, trying to emulate everything I do. So I guess the chore thing is something the girls read in a magazine or something."

Claire continued, "Besides, why would she wash your sheets too. It's not like they would mess around on your bed. That would just be disrespectful." 

"Hmm…I guess you're right. But they are still suspicious." Desiree said with a sigh. 

"Annnndd?" Claire tried to instigate her friend. 

"Annnddd what?" Desiree asked, confused. She sipped her tea as she glanced at Claire. 

"Don't play dumb with me. Abby told me you spent the night with Ted!" 

"Pff-'' Desiree spurted out her drink straight to Claire's face. "What!? I mean. I'm sorry Claire." She reached for the tissues and helped Claire to wipe her face quickly. "

I don't know what she told you, but nothing happened." Desiree clarified with a blushing face. 

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Phil ran down the stairs while shouting, "I'll get it!" He ran towards the door, almost tripping himself over a broken step, and then opened it up.

"Huh? Hi?" Phil was confused as she saw the brunette standing in front of his house.

"Hi. My name is Francesca Dart. I'm the interim managing director-"

"FRANKIE! COME HERE!" Claire realized who the guest was and invited her inside quickly. "Will you excuse me?" Frankie let out a sigh and passed by Phil and walked towards the woman sitting in the living room. 

"Oh Hey Claire, What time will we be going to Alex's school festival?" Phil asked as he checked his watch.

"At noon! Don't go anywhere! Alex especially asked me to make sure of that." Claire said. 

As Frankie was greeting Desiree, Luke suddenly walked towards Claire and said, "Mom, did you know that the word 'Ohio' looks like a tractor?"

"Huh? Honey, have you done your homework yet?" Claire asked, but Frankie was a bit stunned and she quickly intervened, "I think so too. It does look like a tractor doesn't it?."

"Ha! I knew I was right!" Luke said. "Thank you, kind lady." He did a short, gentlemanly bow at Frankie before walking away, which made a smile break out on Frankie's almost stoic face.

Claire looked at her in a puzzled manner and asked, "Does the word Ohio really look like a tractor to you?"

"There is some resemblance, yes." Frankie said.

"You're great with kids. Do you have a child of your own Frankie?" Desiree asked as she wanted to get to know the new lady.

"God no." Frankie replied in a casual manner before saying to Claire, "What time shall we start preparing for the mobile application's release?"

"Wa-Wait wait wait. Hold on. What do you mean 'God No'? You don't like kids? Then how did you-" Claire was baffled by the situation.

Frankie replied, "I have…a mentally challenged sister. So I know how to respond to a child-like train of thought. It's better to reply and affirm his curiosity rather than to judge. It will save you time and effort." 

Claire's face froze, and she said quickly, "Luke is not mentally challenged!"

[Claire's commentary]

"I mean…there are some signs, but he's…he's a sweet sweet boy!"

[commentary ends]

"Oh no no no no. I'm not saying that he's challenged. I'm just saying that he's similar to my grown up sister who's a bit challenged." Frankie asserted quickly to prevent any misunderstanding.

Frankie wondered if she had touched Claire's insecurities, and wanted to quickly change the topic now, "So we still need to handle a few things before the app's release tonight. The ads have been running for a few days, but I am still unsure of how Edward is going to make money from this free app?"

"Hold on. So Luke is similar to her? Should I bring him to a doctor to get him checked out?" Claire asked anxiously. 

Frankie was concerned and tried to placate her, "Oh No-No. If your family doesn't have any history of mental issues, then that boy is just a curious boy, that's all."

"Honey! Do you know the word Ohio looks like a tractor?" Phil suddenly walked in while laughing. 

Claire's face became determined as she mumbled, "I need to bring him to a professional."

…

After buying the Plan B pills from the pharmacy, Haley stared at Abby with a dissatisfied look as they drove home together. 

"You didn't EVEN think to USE protection?" She asked angrily.

"We did. And then we ran out." Abby replied with a smirk. "YOU USED IT ALL-" Haley opened her mouth in shock before she blushed and tried to ask, "So…how was it?"

"It was freaking great! Ugh!"

"Why the 'ugh'?" Haley asked mockingly. 

"Yeah 'Ugh' cause we can only do it once!" Abby replied in an angry manner. "I'm already going to New York this Sunday." 

"Good! I mean, Oh noooo…" Haley said in a fake manner. They went to Tara's to pick her up before they drove towards the middle school festival together. During the drive, Tara and Haley made Abby spit out every single detail about last night– whether it was girth, length, or even the direction it was going. 

"Damn! Now I'm attracted to Ed! Should I break up with my boyfriend and go after him?" Tara asked jokingly. "By the way, did you guys know about Dylan?"

…

In a hospital nearby. 

Pepper opened the ward door in an extravagant dramatic manner before grabbing an intern doctor nearby, "Where is he!" he asked.

"H-He's over there!" The intern replied in fear as she pointed to a hospital bed with the curtains drawn to cover up the patient. Pepper strode towards the bed quickly and entered the space dramatically before grabbing the doctor there "Tell me it wasn't a tragedy doctor! Tell me that we can still save his legs!"

"No. It was just a sprain!" The doctor replied in confusion. "Wait Pepper?"

"Teddy?" Pepper recognized the doctor and released him instantly. "Mitchell's ex-boyfriend?"

"I knew I recognized him from somewhere." Ed mumbled to himself as his left leg was wrapped in bandages. His dad was standing behind him with a concerned expression, "Ed, should you really perform today? The doctor told you to rest for 3-4 days."

"It's okay. I'll rest after I finish performing. Besides, that was just a suggestion." Ed replied in a dismissive manner.

"No! Let's do an MRI! Or a CAT scan! We need to make sure that your leg and your whole body is really fine!" Pepper said while grabbing Edward and shaking him.

Ed smiled and said, "Hey hey Pepper, relax. Take a chill pill, I'm okay."

Teddy backed up the teen, "He is fine! He's healthier than most kids. It's just a sprain, so don't worry about it too much."

"Yeah Peps. I'm at least better than Dylan over there." Edward said as he pointed towards the patient bed in front of him. Dylan was peacefully sleeping and had an IV bag connected to him, with the warning sign 'Do not come near' placed around his neck.

"Wait, you know him?" Teddy asked. "That poor kid." He shook his head as he remembered the events of last night.

"What happened to him?" Ted asked in concern as Dylan was a part of his crew. 

"He took a pretty big blow to the head and then mixed up a few medications trying to fix it, but it just caused him to ejaculate continuously at the slightest touch and simulation after a while. That's why we banned all the nurses from going near him. We had to put him down as he's been spraying his… 'stuff' all over."

"Oh damn." Edward muttered in surprise. 

Teddy nodded and said, "Well a good thing about it is that a neurobiologist has offered to take care of all the expenses of his case, from medications to scans and blood work if he and his caretakers agreed to have him as a case study. She only asked of could connect a few electrodes to his brain in order to use the results in her research. She's coming over right now."

"Who's she?" Edward asked.

"Her name is Dr Amy Farrah Fowler." Teddy replied.

"Oh dayum…" Edward muttered again.

…

In an airport nearby, Taylor and her dad disembarked from his private plane. He was wearing a cowboy hat and outfit while walking side by side with his daughter. 

Scott said, "Where's your friend?"

"Selena? She's driving straight to the school and will be waiting for us there." Taylor replied casually before she pouted and said, "So let me go alone."

Her dad smirked and said, "No can do. Or else you'll run straight to that boy again."

"I thought you liked him!" Taylor protested in anger.

"I do! That's why I'm getting you away from him. He deserves a normal girl-" Taylor punched her dad on the arm before he could continue. "I hate you!" Taylor muttered before huffing away while her dad laughed at her demeanor. 

Taylor suddenly stopped walking as she read a text on her phone, and turned back towards her dad in a hurry. "Dad, we need to go to the hospital right now!" she demanded.

"Huh? Why?" Scoot asked in confusion. Then, Taylor showed him an article, opened from a link that Selena sent to her, about Edward being admitted to the hospital. 

[Breaking News! The Teenage Pop Star Edward Newgate was admitted to John Hopkins Hospital hours before his charity concert!]

Paparazzi started crowding the front of the hospital as Edward's whereabouts were leaked by an irresponsible hospital administrator looking for quick cash, and it quickly became a zoo there.

"Fuck. I can't even run now." Edward cursed as he saw the crowd from behind a curtain.