BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER
I was bothered by the fact that Mouch forgot Platt's birthday so I came up with this. Takes place directly after "The Weigh Station" and references "Just Drive The Truck". Belongs to Dick Wolf and NBC.
Trudy was upset. And why shouldn't she be? Randy had forgotten her birthday. How could he forget her birthday of all things? Okay, yes, they had only recently started dating, but surely he would remember something this important. She hadn't really thought that he would be the type to forget, but apparently he had. And that hurt. Especially since she had rushed to be by his side after that accident. And this was how he acted? Granted, she wasn't implying that she was expecting a parade or anything for helping him out, but remembering her birthday was just common courtesy, wasn't it? Yes, she was upset. Which was why she had stayed behind while everyone else had gone to Molly's. She had lied of course and stated that she wanted to get caught up on paperwork, and even though no one was buying it, they didn't question it either. Sometimes acting like a battle ax had its advantages, even if it was a little lonely. The sound of the door opening broke her reverie and she scowled a bit when she saw her boyfriend, Randy McHolland, commonly known as "Mouch", walking up to her, wearing civilian clothes. Really? Does he think I'll be swayed by some lame-ass apology? she wondered.
"Hi," was all she said out loud. Hey, just because she was pissed, it didn't mean that she had to show it.
"Hi," Mouch said back, fidgeting a bit nervously. "You weren't at Molly's," he said after a few moments.
"Had a lot of paperwork," she responded, her voice becoming abrupt. Stay strong, Trudy. Don't let him wear you down, she thought to herself. It didn't matter how much she liked him, she couldn't let him sweet-talk his way out of this. It was too important. She had been really hurt. Anyone would be.
"Okay, I won't be long then," he said as his fidgeting increased. Then, to her surprise, he pulled out a small box and her eyes widened when she saw the wrapping paper. It was birthday wrapping paper. He didn't forget after all? she thought, her heart lifting.
"Is that-is that for me?" she asked, almost hopefully. She didn't want to jump the gun here, but it would appear that he hadn't forgotten.
"Yeah. I ordered it a few days ago and I was worried that it wouldn't come in on time, but it did," he answered. Unable to hide her excitement and pleasure, she grabbed the box and then unwrapped it, her jaw dropping when she saw the bracelet. It was nothing fancy, just a plain bracelet that was silver in color. But it was pretty.
"Oh, Randy," she breathed. "I thought you had forgotten," she confessed.
"Absolutely not," he answered. "I had planned on giving it to you at Molly's, but-" his words trailed off in surprise as she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. He then smiled at her. "Happy birthday, Trudy."
THE END