Connor McKinley and Arnold Cunningham sat an awkward distance away from each other on Connor's couch. The two were pretty good friends. By association, that is. Arnold was a former Mormon Mission companion to Kevin Price, who was now lovingly married to Connor. In a group setting, Connor and Arnold got along great. When they were alone, like at this particular moment, the two realized just how little they had in common.
"What's your opinion on the fourth Pirates movie?" Arnold asked, finally breaking the awkward silence.
"I didn't see it," Connor confessed. "To be honest, I've never been into those pirate movies."
"Oh."
Of course, there followed more silence. Kevin and Nabulungi Hatimbi, Arnold's wife, had decided to quickly go around the block to the local liquor store to pick out a bottle of wine for their weekly dinner party, leaving Connor and Arnold to somehow attempt small talk.
"God, Nabu and Kevin sure have been gone a long time. I wonder what's keeping them."
"Beats me."
Silence.
"How's Mangeni?" Arnold asked after a few minutes. Connor silently heaved a sigh of relief, finally having a real conversation topic.
"She's an angel, of course," Connor replied. "Though for about a week now, she's been having these bizarre nightmares. Kevin and I have no idea why."
"Hell dreams?"
Connor laughed. "She's probably a little young to be having those. Hopefully we'll never have to go through that stage though.
"She's a good kid. I wouldn't worry."
Connor smiled. "Yeah, she's great."
Their conversation was interrupted by Connor's cell phone buzzing in his pocket. Connor pulled it out and looked to see who was calling him. It was Nabulungi.
"Hey, where are you guys?" Connor said, answering the phone. He listened for a few seconds and then nearly dropped the phone, his entire body turning a pale green color. Arnold sat up, a look of concern growing on his face.
"I'll be right there," Connor frantically responded. Hanging up the phone, he shot to his feet and ran towards the door.
"Woah woah woah, what's going on? Where are you going?"
"Arnold," Connor said hurriedly, whipping around. "Stay here with Mangeni. Kevin got mugged."
Connor burst into the waiting room of the ER to find Nabulungi sitting in a plush green chair, shaking uncontrollably. Connor rushed to her side.
"Nabu, what happened? Are you ok?"
"I-I'm fine," Nabulungi managed to squeak out. "We… had just left the liquor store and there were these two men… their hoods were covering their face so I don't know what they looked like… and one of them tried to grab my purse… so that's when Kevin stepped forward and he started swinging punches… and then the other man… picked up a bottle or something… and starting pummeling Kevin." By now, tears were starting to fall down Nabulungi's face. "They hurt him, Connor. They hurt him really badly."
Connor swallowed hard, trying to shake the image of his husband lying bloody and unconscious in some alleyway. "What did the doctor say?"
"They haven't told me anything… he was unconscious when they brought him here. I'm so worried."
Connor sat in the chair next to Nabulungi, tightly squeezing her hand while they waiting. Only about a half hour passed by before the doctor came into the room. He walked over to Nabulungi.
"Excuse me," he said. "Are you Mrs. Price?"
"No," Connor said, standing up. "Actually, I'm his husband. Is he ok?"
Through the mild look of surprise on the doctor's face, he cracked a smile. "Well, he got beat up pretty bad. Some nasty bruises here and there, a few cuts and scrapes. I suspect he'll be sore for a few days, but he'll most certainly make a full recovery."
Connor and Nabulungi turned to each other and tightly embraced. They were beyond relieved to hear that everything was going to be ok.
"When can he come home?" Connor finally asked.
"Well, of course we'll keep him overnight just to keep on eye on him. Unless any further complications arise, he should be good to go in the morning."
"Can we see him?" Nabulungi asked.
"Well… it's technically not visiting hours anymore, but I don't see why not."
He led them down a few hallways to a small room where Kevin was found sleeping in a hospital bed. He had one black eye on the left side of his face, as well as a bandage on his forehead.
"We gave him some medicine to ease the pain, so he might be a little groggy," the doctor said. "Try not to disturb him to much." He left Nabulungi and Connor in the room, staring at Kevin in the bed.
"Well," Nabulungi said softly, "he actually doesn't look as bad as I remember. Don't you think so?"
"Yeah," Connor responded. Suddenly, a smirk grew on his face. "I'm not gonna lie, that black eye makes him look kind of badass."
"You WOULD think that!" Nabulungi said with a laugh, playfully slapping Connor on the arm. The sudden burst of noise caused Kevin to slowly stir from his sleep, slowly opening his eyes with a weak groan.
"Hey, sweetie," Connor said softly, rushing to Kevin's side. "How are you feeling?"
Obviously groggy, Kevin just stared at Connor's face. "Connor," finally said, "please don't be mad."
Connor looked confused. "Mad? Why would I be mad at you?"
Using all of his strength, Kevin slowly lifted his arm up, holding up his hand for Connor to see. Connor gasped when he saw the vague tan line where the diamond engagement ring shaped like Mickey Mouse once was on Kevin's finger.
"Those guys," Kevin said. "They stole it. They ripped it right off." Tears were forming in the corners of his eyes.
"Kevin, don't worry about it. The important thing is that you're gonna be ok. You could have been seriously hurt."
"I know, but… you gave me that ring. It was so special to me and… it let me know how much you really loved me."
Connor grabbed Kevin's hand and squeezed it tight. "Kevin, we don't need rings to show how much we love each other. I love you more than anyone else could even begin to imagine." He leaned forward and softly kissed Kevin on his forehead.
"I love you, too. So much. I'm sorry I made you guys worry."
"Apologize one more time and I'll make that OTHER eye black, too," Connor said with a smirk. Kevin couldn't help but chuckle.
From down the hall they could hear the faint sound of a little girl crying. The sound got progressively louder and louder, as if it was getting closer. Out of nowhere, the door opened, and there was Mangeni, Connor and Kevin's adopted daughter from Uganda, clinging tight to Arnold's hand. She was dressed in bright pink pajamas and white fuzzy slippers, and a puffy blue coat.
"Arnold," Connor hissed, walking towards the door. "I told you to look after her, not bring her here. What were you thinking?"
"She had another nightmare," Arnold responded with a defensive tone. "She woke up screaming for Kevin and I couldn't get her to stop, so I finally decided to just bring her here. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."
Connor rolled his eyes and crouched down to Mangeni's level. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"I-I want daddy," Mageni managed to sniffle out.
Connor sighed dejected. "I know, honey, but… daddy's not feeling well right now. But I'm here for you."
"I know, Papa, but… daddy's the world's greatest 'bad-dream-eraser.' He told me so himself."
"Mangeni?" Kevin suddenly spoke up, after briefly dozing off due to the medicine. "Come over here, sweetheart."
Mangeni tore herself from Arnold's hand and ran to Kevin's bedside. "Hi, daddy. You don't look so good. What happened?"
Kevin managed a weak chuckle. "Some mean men tried to hurt daddy, but they didn't do a very good job. I'm gonna be a-okay."
"Daddy," Mangeni whimpered. "I had a bad dream."
Kevin smiled. "Come here. Crawl into bed next to daddy."
Mangeni carefully climbed onto to bed next to Kevin, and Kevin wrapped a protective arm around her, drawing her close to his side. He winced slightly from being so sore.
"Well I think we'd better let you get some rest," Nabulungi finally said. "Me and Arnold are gonna head home. I'm so glad you're ok, Kevin. Thanks for protecting me tonight."
"My pleasure, Nabu," Kevin said warmly. Nabulungi smiled and walked out of the room with Arnold, leaving Connor standing by the door.
"I'm gonna get some coffee," he said with a smile. "I won't be gone long." He left the room, leaving Kevin and Mangeni alone together on the bed.
"So," Kevin said. "Tell me what your dream was about."
"Well," Mangeni began. "I was a mermaid, just like Ariel. I was swimming around with all of my friends, and we were playing games and chasing after all the different fishies. It was lots of fun. But then… this giant sea monster came out of nowhere… he was big, green, and very very slimy. He started chasing me and then…" Mangeni couldn't finish. Instead, she buried her face into Kevin's side.
"Sweetheart, don't be upset. Sea monsters aren't real. And even if they were, I wouldn't let them step foot near you. And neither would Papa. Because we love you SO much and we'd never let ANYTHING bad happen to you."
Mangeni looked up and Kevin and smiled. "I love you too, daddy. Thanks for making me feel better."
Kevin smiled back. "You're quite welcome. And of course, remember what me and Papa always tell you."
"Tomorrow is a latter day."
"Exactly!"
After a while, Connor finally returned to the room. He walked in to find Mangeni asleep, safely tucked under her father's arm, who was also fast asleep. Connor smiled and walked over to the bed. He kissed Mangeni gently on the forehead and Kevin lightly on the lips, then pulled a chair up next to the bed and dozed off himself.
Kevin was one of the top employees at the company he worked for, so his boss was more than willing to let him take the next few days off to stay at home and rest. He was lying in his bed watching a marathon of America's Next Top Model when Connor walked into the room carrying a plate.
"Hey, you!" he greeted cheerfully. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," Kevin said. "Still sore though."
"Aw. Well, I made these. Hopefully they'll make you feel better." He brought the plate over to Kevin. There were several chicken nuggets strewn about, each shaped like Disney characters. Kevin laughed.
"You know me too well," he said, taking the plate. Suddenly, a look of panic spread across Kevin's face. He looked down at his hand, then suddenly heaved a sigh of both relief and sadness.
"Kevin? What just happened?"
Kevin sighed again. "Sorry, I just keep panicking because I realize I'm not wearing my ring and then… I remember."
Connor sighed as well. "Oh. I see."
"But hey. Like you said, it could have been worse," he said with a weak smile. "Wanna watch Top Model with me? It's the Caridee cycle."
Connor smiled. "I'll catch the next episode. I gotta go pay some bills."
Connor walked down the steps and headed into the kitchen. On top of the refrigerator was a basket filled with all sorts of bills and receipts. He walked them over to the kitchen table and began looking through the pile. After a while, he pulled out a faded receipt from the bottom of the basket. It was from the jeweler that made Kevin's custom engagement ring. Connor nearly gasped when he looked at the price; he never realized just how much money he had paid for that ring.
"I'm home!" Mangeni suddenly called out, having just arrived home from school. She walked into the kitchen.
"Hey, sweetie," Connor said, kissing her on the cheek. "Have a good day at school?"
"Yes, Papa. What are you doing?"
"Bills," Connor sighed. "Boring grown-up stuff."
"Oh. What's that?" Mangeni said, pointing to the paper in Connor's hand.
"It's called a receipt. It's something that reminds you how much you paid for something. This one is from daddy's Mickey Mouse ring that got stolen."
"Daddy loved that ring, didn't he?"
"Yes. Very much so. He's very sad."
"How much was it?"
"A LOT of money."
Mangeni furrowed her brow. "Wait right here," she said, running out of the room. About a minute later, she came back in with a pink piggy bank. "I've been saving my money for a real long time. Do you think it's enough to buy a new ring?"
Connor chuckled. "Well, that's very generous of you, but I think we're gonna need a LOT more piggy banks to afford a new one. Now why don't you go upstairs and play before dinner?"
"Ok, Papa," Mangeni said, walking out of the room and up the stairs. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Connor got up to answer the door. It was Chris "Poptarts" Thomas, Connor's mission companion from Uganda that lived not too far away from the couple.
"Hey, Poptarts!" Connor greeted. "What are you doing here?"
"Arnold told me what happened to Kevin, so I brought him something." He held out a small gift bag.
"By any chance… are they poptarts?" Connor smirked, taking the bag.
"Yeah," Poptarts responded sheepishly. "They're blueberry. I know they're his favorite."
"That's very nice of you. I'm sure he'll appreciate them. Thanks, Poptarts."
"Arnold also told me about what happened to the ring. Kevin must be really upset."
Connor sighed. "Yeah, that ring meant a lot to him."
"Well," Poptarts said, nervously reaching into his pocket, "it's not much but… here." He handed a small envelope to Connor.
"Oh God, Poptarts, you REALLY didn't have to do that." He opened the envelope and looked down at the check that was inside. Connor's eyes suddenly grew as wide as they could go. "Poptarts! W-where did you get this kind of money?"
"You're gonna judge me…"
"Poptarts!"
"…I invested in Kellogg's. I guess business is good over there."
Connor began to become more and more excited. "My God, this is more than enough money to replace the ring!"
"And I'm not taking no for an answer," Poptarts declared. "You and Kevin are my best friends and I'd do anything for you. So here… take it."
Connor flung his arms around Poptarts and held him tight. "You're the best, buddy. I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough." He pulled away. "Come on, let's take a ride to the jeweler."
It took about a week for the jeweler to craft a new ring. By that point, Kevin was completely recovered and back at work. One afternoon, Kevin returned home from work, dressed in one of his best gray suits and swinging his briefcase as he walked up to his front door. When he stepped inside, he stopped abruptly when he saw Connor waiting for him, down on one knee.
"Ummm hey… hon…" Kevin said, clearly confused. "What's this about?"
Connor didn't respond. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, popping it open and holding it up. It was a brand new diamond ring, the exact same kind he had given Kevin years before, shaped like Mickey Mouse and everything. Kevin dropped his briefcase and clasped his hands over his mouth.
"Don't ask how I got it. I just did," Connor said with a vague smirk.
Kevin was honestly speechless. He simply stared at the glistening ring in the box.
"I was just gonna give it to you, but I figured… why the hell not?" Connor stood up and took hold of Kevin's hand. "Kevin Price… I've loved you for such a long time and I'm so glad to call you my husband, and I can't wait to grow old with you and see what the future holds for us… will you continue to spend the rest of your life with me?"
Kevin still couldn't speak. He simply nodded, as Connor slipped the ring onto his hand. Finally, Kevin flung his arms around Connor, smashing his lips against his. They stood there for a long time, embracing and kissing passionately.
"You're honestly the best thing that could ever happen to me," Kevin finally managed to say. "You have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you so much."
"No problem. Now come on, there's another Top Model marathon on."
"What? Which one?"
"The one with Jade."
Kevin squealed. "When people see me walk down the street,'" he quoted, "'they say DAMN! She's a MODEL!"