Studio 8h - John Mulaney FanFic

Peyton - Can't

I enter the room, "John, will you please talk to me."

"Are you going to finally take a break from work?"
He puts his book on his lap.

"You know I can't do that," I sit on the bottom of the bed.

"Well then no, I can't talk to you." He picks his book up again.

"I want to be here for you, I really do. But I just can't."

"You know why I'm being so hard on you about this?" He closed his book, putting the receipt inside. "Because I'm awkward. And I don't think me or Chip want me to give her the talk when it comes, or buy her first tampon. Or drive home the importance of protection. And I know you didn't want her, and neither did I. But the minute she came out of you," he pauses, "she became the best thing in my life. She just didn't become yours."

The white looking waki-talki makes noises, "Dada?"

He jumps out of the bed and up the stairs. I watch his long legs skip every other one in effort to get there faster. "Hey, hey hey. Get back to bed." I hear from the waki.

"You didn't come back Dada."

"I just had to finish brushing my teeth, because Dada's what?"

I hear the child whisper, "Dada's always come back."

"That's right..." and I hear his lips smack on some part of her, making my heart melt. And right there, on his bed I break down sobbing, I was my mother. I was the woman who didn't love me. I didn't want kids so I didn't have to do that to my children, and yet I had one.

If I ever wanted to be better than her, I needed to take a break, but how do I leave now where we're so close to a nomination? I didn't know, but if I wanted to do my father proud, the man I selfishly named my daughter mostly after, I needed to be like him. And be as amazing as him. And I planned on giving Charlie the talk, and teaching her how to use a tampon, and drive home how important protection is.