"Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on some time in life, my dear. I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will always have a shoulder to cry on when you need it." Author Unknown, from what is the most important body part?
Caroline Alicia Forbes hated two things the most in life – surprises and disappointments.
When Tyler Lockwood appeared at her doorway looking oddly sheepish, she already had a bad feeling in her gut.
"Matt's at work…couldn't make it…asked me to pick you up…" There were a string of words that she could only subtly comprehend as her mind kept thinking the same thoughts repeatedly. He didn't come, he didn't come, he didn't come…
She was no stranger to disappointments. They followed her around like lost puppies looking for scarps. And she couldn't blame it really, her life tended to be one bad joke after another.
But she wasn't angry, a little sad maybe. Because Matt was supposed to be the good guy, he was the golden boy, the one that never let anyone down. And yet, where was he?
Instead, his best friend who was supposed to be the boy who left nothing but broken promises and bleeding hearts in his wake was there, trying to make her understand that "Matt really wanted to be here" and "Matt was going to make it up to her".
How Matt was going to do that exactly, she didn't know. What "I'm sorry" gift should be given for abandoning your girlfriend for her return to civilization?
She spent weeks in the hospital recovering from the operation, coughed up on painkillers, getting fatter with the hospital food and sickened by the hospital décor. And that one day, that one teensy special day to her…where the hell was he?
"Oh come on Forbes, lighten up." Tyler encouraged in that easygoing tone of his, stuffing her suitcase at the back of his truck while she stood by the hospital doors. All those weeks in the hospital, she really was excited to be coming back home and yet she wanted to go march up back to her hospital room and cry her eyes out until Nurse Salmon came with the happy pills again.
Nurse Salmon was a forty-something nurse who'd been working in the hospital even before she was born. Dressed in bright salmon-colored scrubs and pink highlights in her red hair, Nurse Grace as her real name was, was Caroline's favorite nurse. After much pouting and persuading, the nurse supplied her with all the fashion and gossip magazines to occupy her time at the hospital. In return, Caroline became her personal stylist for the nurse's dates with Obstetrician (or Henry as his real name) Walrus.
Caroline wanted Nurse Salmon there right now. She wanted to eat crappy hospital food again. She wanted to swallow pain medication until she could barely move. And most of all, she wanted Matt Donovan there and be the one to take her home and not Tyler Lockwood.
But alas, life was filled with disappointments and unwanted surprises.
She huffed to herself as she got inside Tyler's truck and slammed the door shut.
The ride for the first twenty minutes was quiet and awkward. Neither she nor Tyler had any inclination to talk to each other which she was glad for because it allowed her to brood and stare out the window while she planned just what to say to Matthew Donovan when she saw him again.
Tyler turned the radio on a second later and they listened to Bob Marley while she continued to stare at the scenery outside the car. It was minutes later when she realized she was crying and she cursed Bob Marley and his sappiness to hell. She cursed Tyler too for turning on the radio and then herself for being so dramatic.
She knew she was a theatrical person by nature but she didn't enjoy bawling her eyes out with Tyler Lockwood in the vicinity. He would never let her forget it.
She tried to stop crying but the flow just didn't want to ebb anytime soon and she was already sobbing and cursing Matt Donovan to the darkest and most terrible places in hell.
Tyler didn't seem to notice any of it or he was just pretending not to because she was sure dogs could hear her from the pitch she was going, But Tyler never looked at her once and kept his eyes on the road, occasionally bobbing his head to the music in the car.
Much to her confusion, they stopped outside a convenience store and watched as Tyler left her in the car to go inside, coming out a moment later with a mineral water bottle in hand.
"Here," He handed her the bottle as he restarted the engine. "Drink up. You don't want to end up dehydrating yourself, do you?"
She continued to stare at him in utter bafflement and he sighed as he turned the engine off again. In a resigned manner, he leaned back on his seat and pointed to his shoulder, "Feel free."
She didn't need to be told twice and with her head on his shoulder, the rain starting outside the car, Bob Marley filled the quiet once more.
This was written for the fanfic wish list over at the vampire forums. I combined #6, 8, 14.
6. Tyler fills in for Matt for some event when Matt has to work or something else like at Miss Mystic Falls
8. Tyler picking up Caroline from the hospital.
14. Tyler lending a friendly shoulder for Caroline to cry on.
The title is taken from A Day to Remember song.