Songs: How to Save a Life - The Fray; Save Me - Josh Verdes
*Ring Ring*
*Ring Ring*
"Hey sweetheart, how's your day going?"
"Fine dear. Well, I've got some news for you."
"Oh yeah, and what's that?"
"I went to go see Doctor Dell today…"
Beck's eyes lit up.
"And?" he asked eagerly.
"I know the sex now," she said excitedly through the phone.
"Really, hun?! What are we having?"
"Well Tori wanted to be the first to know too so I can't tell you just yet."
"But I'm your husband," Beck chuckled.
"And Tori's my best friend. What's your point?"
"How about you tell us both at the same time?"
"Ok… Oh! I know, call Andre and Robbie, invite everyone to dinner tonight and I'll tell you guys all at once, babe."
"Alright, see you tonight then, love you!"
*click*
~.~.~.~
Hey Tor, I know the sex of the baby. Beck wanted to know first, but I promised you too so we're having dinner at our place. You think you guys can make it? – Jade
Oh my Gosh! Of course! Andre's at work right now but the second he gets home we'll head over. I'll go get Val cleaned up! See you soon. Xxoo – Tori
Hey Robbie, Andre. Jade wants to have dinner at our place to announce the sex of our baby. Can you guys swing by tonight at 7? – Beck
Sure thing, man. I'll pick up Tori after work and we'll head over – Andre
I'm actually taking a jog right now down Highland. I'll just head there right now and help Jade with dinner then. See you guys soon – Robbie
Sure thing Rob, just let Jade know you're heading over. She might need you to pick up something at the store. Thanks! – Beck
Jade, I'm on Highland right now. Need some help with dinner? Also anything you want me to pick up at the grocery store? - Robbie
Hey Rob. I've got all the ingredients here. But I could definitely use your help getting dinner ready. Swing by any time. See you soon! - Jade
~.~.~.~
As soon as Robbie finished reading Jade's message, he was off to finish his jog. After a good 15 minute run, he decided to walk the rest of the way to the Oliver residence. Even though Jade insisted on Robbie not having to pick something up at the store, he didn't want to come to dinner empty handed. Knowing that Jade was pregnant, his best bet would be dessert, and her favorite was cheesecake. And the best cheesecake was at Al's Bakery one block opposite his friend's home.
Now that street had a lot of things going on. It was a Thursday, meaning the weekly Farmer's Market would take up every empty spot on the sidewalk for vendors. And on top of that, there was a bit of construction going on in the middle of the block in front of a soon to open Italian restaurant. People were walking about - on their daily commute, visiting local Farmers, exercising, or simply taking a stroll down this block. Needless to say, it was pretty busy. One kid in particular, a boy that looked in his teenage years, was skateboarding down the sidewalk. He wasn't being rude while riding, though he had to dodge plenty of people so he wouldn't crash into anyone. The kid was doing well on his board, able to go around every person, tomato stand and fire hydrant in his way. That was until he was reaching the construction site and was en route to meeting with an open manhole on the ground. Without much hesitation, the boy did a kick flip and landed on the road, managing to dodge the open manhole. Though his luck ran short when the boy hadn't realized that it was a busy street, seeing as it was rush hour and many people were driving home from work.
Robbie managed to turn the corner to that street just in time to see the boy jump on the street. The very second the boy's skateboard touched the road; Robbie knew the kid would not see the oncoming traffic. Without a second thought, he ran on the street himself, shoving the boy to the sidewalk, having the kid collide with a vegetable stand. Luckily the vendor saw that the boy was merely being thrown to safety, so he wasn't angry. As for Robbie's luck, a truck collided with his body real bad.
It was déjà vu all over again. Paramedics were called and hauled Robbie to St. Matthew's Hospital. Jade wondered why Robbie never came early, and when the Harris' arrived as well as her husband, she began to worry. Moments later she received a call less than an hour later informing her of Robbie's critical condition. The gang rushed to the hospital, hoping and praying that their friend wasn't dead. The nurse allowed them to visit Robbie in the ICU, but held Jade back, since Robbie listed her as his emergency contact, to lay down the truth of his status. The truck hit him straight in the ribs, Robbie breaking too many bones to count. His heart was already weak, and he seemed to be struggling with his entire body to begin with.
Jade didn't have to ask the nurse to finish. She knew she meant Robbie might not make it til morning. She said thank you and the two headed over to her dear friend's hospital room.
He was seriously banged up. And his heart rate was slowing down. His heart was still broken, even the monitors saw it. Tori handed her son over to Andre, not wanting Val to see her weep in the hallway.
"Daddy, what's the matter with mommy? Uncle Robbie's just sleeping," Val told his father.
"Hi sweetie, would you like to go check out the play room with me?" the nurse asked the little boy. She sensed that the four friends wanted to have their final moments with Robbie.
"Daddy, can I go?" Val asked.
"Sure buddy. Mommy and I will get you later."
Tori came back inside once her son went away with the nurse and wept in her husband's chest. Even Andre couldn't stand his macho façade and shed some tears. Beck felt extra emotional that day because he told his story to the class so he had watery eyes as well. Jade however was strong. She was the only one in the room with dry eyes.
"Jade, honey, why aren't you crying?" Beck wondered. Her of all people grew closer to Robbie after Cat passed away. It was odd to see her feel any emotions.
"I don't need to cry," Jade replied softly, vigilantly tracking Robbie's monitors.
"Y-you guys," a weak Robbie spoke.
The four of them gasped and gathered around him.
"Robbie don't force yourself to talk," Andre said.
"No, I'm fine," he said. "Don't cry."
"It's hard not to. Your heart rate's slowing," Tori let her tears fall.
He glanced around him, the four faces surrounding his vision. He shed a single tear and barely formed a crooked smile.
"I think I finally realized why Cat saved me," he muttered.
"Oh yeah?" Beck asked.
"She's gone, but I'm not alone. I'm never alone. I have all of you. And you all saved me too. Thank you."
"No problem, man."
"Anything for a friend."
"We'll always be here for you."
"You're family."
Robbie smiled at their responses. They really were all he had.
"Then please, stop crying."
"Why wouldn't we cry, Robbie? You're getting weaker."
"Because…" Jade answered for him. She grabbed Robbie's hand and squeezed it enough so it wouldn't hurt him. "He's finally going to be with Cat again."
He smiled at her. It was the first real smile they've seen on his face in years. Tori grabbed on to his other hand, and he spread along a smile to the Latina as well. Taking a look at the others then back to Jade, he spoke up.
"I think you're all swell."
Then he closed his eyes and fell into eternal slumber.
The white noise of a flat line filled the room. Jade finally allowed herself to shed a tear. They all silently wept.
Tori, Jade and Andre took Val to the waiting room and the four slept there for the rest of the night. No one was going to leave the hospital just yet. Beck was the only person who staying with Robbie, his lifeless body still in the bed and hour later. The nurse who took care of Val earlier knocked at the door.
"Hi Mr. Oliver, don't mean to interrupt but I think you have a visitor."
"A visitor?" Beck was confused. Who could possibly visit Beck, and at a hospital nevertheless.
"Well, actually there's a young man outside for Mr. Shapiro. I didn't want to say anything since I didn't know him. Maybe you can talk to him?" she informed him.
"Yeah, that's a good idea. You can let him in," Beck said.
A minute later, a boy stepped into the room.
"Hi, are you Beck Oliver? The nurse told me you could help me out."
"Hey yeah I'm Beck. And you are?"
"Oh, sorry. My name's Eric. I was uh…" the boy diverted his attention to the ground. "I was the kid your friend saved from the truck."
"Hey, buddy. Don't feel bad. This is no one's fault. Just an accident," he placed an assuring hand on the kid's shoulder.
"Thanks, but I feel really awful. I wanted to come here to say thank you to…"
Beck realized the boy didn't know his name.
"Robbie. Robbie Shapiro."
"Thanks. Well I want to say thank you to Mr. Shapiro for saving my life earlier," the kid said.
"Uh," Beck took a deep breath. He gestured for the kid to sit down. "Well you see, my friend passed away earlier tonight."
"He what?!" Eric jumped from his seat. "Oh my God! Did I just kill a guy?!"
"No, listen to me, son. This isn't your fault. Robbie was already weak before this and you know what, it was his time to go."
"But the man seemed so young…"
"He was. But, he's had a hard life. At least now he doesn't have to suffer anymore."
"I still feel so horrible for this man's death. Like I'm responsible for it," Eric slumped to his chair.
"No one's responsible for anything. Life is just life, kid."
After a moment of silence, the boy looked up at Beck.
"Mr. Oliver?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you do me a favor?"
"Uh… sure, what do you need?" Beck thought it was a bit odd that this stranger was asking for a favor, but he felt sorry for the boy because he thought he was the reason for Robbie's death.
"Can you tell me why Mr. Shapiro died? Like, why the fragile guy?"
"What makes you think he was fragile?"
"I can tell he was important to you, like a best friend maybe. And your eyes say more than just sadness over the loss of a friend."
"You're a pretty smart kid, you know that?"
"I get that a lot," he chuckled.
"Alright I guess I'll tell you," Beck agreed seeing as he's been in the story-telling mood anyhow from earlier that day with his acting class.
"Robbie was in love with his high school sweetheart, Cat. The two were the perfect match. He didn't have it easy as a kid, and she didn't have the most normal family. Actually, after high school, they lived together to get away from the chaos. But that only brought them closer. Long story short, she died the night he was supposed to propose to her. He's been heartbroken ever since."
"Has he tried to do, you know…?"
"Even if he attempted or thought about taking his life, he never found it in him to go on with it. See, Cat saved Robbie's life countless times. She became his friend when he had a rough time at home. She saved him from taking his life when he was a teenager. And she saved him from being alone because she loved him too. She was his savior. And when she died, he had no one else to save him. But she told him he had a purpose to live for and he had to find it."
"Did he ever find it?"
"I don't know, actually. But he did come to terms that he wasn't alone. He still had us. Maybe his purpose was to realize he's loved? I don't know, kid."
"Wow, so he gets to be with his love now, huh? This is oddly romantic," Eric sadly chuckled.
"You're right, kid," Beck chuckled along. "Robbie and Cat were always the odd pair anyhow."
A moment later, Beck's phone beeped.
"It's the wife," he jokingly rolled his eyes and showed Eric his phone screen. "You want to meet some of Robbie's other friends?"
"Sure," Eric said. He followed Beck to the overnight waiting room.
Val was asleep on Andre's lap, Tori and Jade lightly chatting over some coffee when Beck and Eric came.
"Guys, I uh, this is Eric. He's the kid Robbie saved earlier today from that truck."
They all looked up, surprised to see Beck with someone, let alone the teenaged boy Robbie saved. Andre set Val in between two chairs to let his sleep continue and he, Tori and Jade walked up to Beck.
"Eric these are Robbie's closest and best friends."
"What's up, Eric. Name's Andre. Robbie was like a brother to me."
"Nice to meet you, sir," they shook hands.
"This is my wife, Tori. And the little boy sleeping is our son, Val."
"Nice to meet you, Tori."
"Hi Eric," she responded. They shook hands, though she lingered for a second. "You look kind of familiar."
"I do?" Eric asked.
"Yeah. I just can't put my finger on it. Like I've seen you before."
"That's because you're a high school teacher, Tori. You see kids everyday," Jade interrupted.
"Yeah, Tor. We teach at the same school. Eric doesn't look familiar to me," Beck added.
"Hi Eric, I'm Jade, Beck's wife."
"Hi Mrs. Oliver," he shook her hand.
She looked at him too. "Huh, you do look familiar, but I'm sure Tori doesn't know you. Unless… Do you go to Hollywood Arts?"
"Sherwood."
"Hey I used to go there!" Tori said. "Maybe you have a sibling that goes to HA?"
"No, I'm an only child."
"Oh well. Thanks for coming, sweetheart," Jade told him. "Would've meant a lot to our friend Robbie."
"He thinks he's the reason Robbie died," Beck whispered to Tori and Jade.
"Oh honey," Tori switched to mother mode. "It's certainly not your fault at all." She broke the comfort barrier and took Eric in for a warm embrace.
"I really didn't mean to be irresponsible. If I were more careful your friend wouldn't have had to save me and lose his life," he said woefully.
"Robbie's always been a good guy like that. He would have never forgiven himself if he didn't help you," Jade told him.
"I just feel like I owe it to him or you guys or something," Eric muttered. "I want to make peace with Mr. Shapiro."
"Well you're more than welcome to come to his memorial service if you'd like," Beck offered.
"Really? Can I?"
"Sure, sweetheart. We'd love to have you there," Tori said.
"Ok, I'll be there."
~.~.~.~.~.~
It was a crisp fall morning. Leaves were colored, many were falling, giving the ground color. Flowers were picked and trimmed, neatly presented on tables and doorways. Men were making their ties symmetrical, women wore their pearls. It was a beautiful day for a rather gloomy occasion. All of Robbie's friends, coworkers and only Mamaw, sister and grandpa arrived to his memorial service. He wouldn't want his parents there anyways. Beck and Andre greeted each guest, Tori watched the children, and Jade stayed at the viewing area before the service began. Once seated, they all faced reality that another loved one had passed over. Andre, Tori and Jade took turns addressing their final goodbyes to their beloved friend. Then came Beck.
"The craziest thing was that only a few days ago I told my students about Robbie and Cat. So many things happened that day. I came to realization that Cat defined everyone's purpose, and mine was to spread my talent to my students. Robbie's story made me realize how lucky I was to be alive. Jade and I, we were going to announce to our friends that night we were going to have a baby girl. She would have loved to meet her uncle Robbie. This circle of life, death and birth, it's a frightening and beautiful concept. Cat taught me of course to live a happy life, but Robbie also taught me something. That no matter how much chizz there is in this world, no matter the chizz life throws at you, you still have a purpose, and you have to live to find out. Thanks, Robbie. I know you're smiling down on us right now. No, I know you and Cat are smiling down on us."
Once Beck's speech was over, the guest figured that was the end of the service. So they began to gather their things. Beck gestured for Eric to stand up. "Actually folks, we have one last person who would like to come up here and talk with you all." The teenaged boy nervously stood up, straightened out his dress shirt and tie, and walked slowly to the podium.
"Thanks."
"No problem," Beck nodded and sat back down with his wife and friends.
Eric cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and faced the crowd.
"Hi Everyone, my name is Eric Bronson. I uh... I'm the kid Mr. Shapiro saved in the street from that truck. I guess I'm the reason why we're all here right now and- I'm sorry."
Tori stood up and walked to the podium. Once again, the motherly side of her gave him an encouraging hug.
"No no Eric sweetheart it's not your fault." Tori said.
"Thanks," he told her. "I needed that."
Before she walked back to her seat she gave him a nod. "Go on sweetheart."
"Well I'm here to offer my sincerest gratitude and condolences to Mr. Shapiro and his family. Though after talking to Me Oliver last night, I learned of Mr. Shapiro's difficult life. He lost his only family years back, A woman named Cat. Until today, I didn't really know what it meant to have a hard knock life. I'm an only child. My parents gave me anything I wanted. But let me assure you that I did not abuse that power. I love my parents and respect them so much. But I always felt like something was missing. Something that I couldn't buy. Just a gut feeling. They encouraged me to do whatever made me happy because they saw so much potential. And I thought skateboarding was it. I took up the sport and was pretty good actually. But I guess not good enough because that's why we're here. I don't know much about Cat, but I could tell she was someone special in everyone's hearts. Even mine. I'm not just here to offer my condolences, I feel like I owe my life to this man. I feel so connected to him. It's hard to explain. When I got home from the hospital the night he saved me, I talked to my mom. It was a pretty intense conversation. She helped me out and I think I found answers. You see, I forgot to leave one small part out. I'm adopted. Grace Bronson is my foster mom."
Eric held up a folded manila envelope. He pulled out an official-looking document and continued.
"As it says on my birth certificate, my real mother's name... is Caterina Valentine."
A sudden gasp filled the room. Beck, just as shocked as everyone else, stood up and walked to the podium. He took the certificate from Eric to examine it. He was flabbergasted.
"And my father," Eric continued.
"Robert Shapiro." Beck finished.
"What?!"
"Robbie has a son?!"
A roar of murmurs and confused minds spread throughout the room. This sudden revelation caught every person by surprise.
"Ok people settle down," Beck said once he was able to get down from the high of confusion and shock. During the state of shock, Andre, Tori and Jade walked up to Beck and Eric, wanting to see the birth certificate for themselves.
"Wait, how is this possible? Cat and Robbie never had a kid," Andre said.
"Oh my God!" Tori's eyes widened. She looked at Jade. She was at first confused, but suddenly read Tori's mind and matched her just as shocked expression. They turned to Eric.
"That's why you look so familiar!"
"He has her eyes."
"And Robbie's nose."
"You look just like Cat's grandpa when he was young."
Beck, Andre, and the rest of the guests were listening in confusion to Tori and Jade comparing the teenaged boy to their deceased friends.
"But how is this possible ladies?" Beck asked.
Tori and Jade exchanged knowing glances and nodded. Jade took in a breath and began to explain everything.
"When you, Andre and Robbie went on that year long trip backpacking through Europe, Cat got pregnant.
"What, you mean she cheated on him?" Andre thought.
"No, of course not, Andre. She was carrying Robbie's baby," Tori said.
"But how? We were gone?" Andre asked.
"It happened on grad night. Cat and Robbie consummated their relationship after Tori's party. They didn't use protection. Cat told us."
"Yeah, but wouldn't Robbie have known?"
"You guys left like a week after graduation. She learned two weeks after you guys were gone that she was pregnant. You guys didn't come back til May. She had her baby in February," Jade explained.
"Eric, when's your birthday?" Beck asked.
"February 2nd."
"See," Jade said.
"But we graduated back in 2012. That was so long ago," Andre said.
"How old are you, kid?" Beck asked.
"Sixteen."
"Sixteen years ago we were all eighteen. Graduation," Tori pointed out.
"Ok, we believe you girls," Beck said.
"But why didn't Cat ever say anything?" Andre wondered.
"She was scared. She didn't know what to do. And she didn't want Robbie to worry but she also couldn't raise a baby at 18. Robbie planned their future out and a baby at 18 was not in the cards. No offense, kid," Jade said.
"None taken," Eric assured them.
"So she talked to an adoption agency and made arrangements for her baby to be taken in by a foster family," Tori continued. Then she turned to Eric. "It's not that she didn't want or love you Eric, she just wanted what's best for you."
"I know," he smiled.
"That was Cat's biggest secret from Robbie because she honestly didn't know how he'd take it. But she was planning to tell him before he would propose to her. You know, she always wondered how her baby was doing, and she hoped and prayed Robbie would be forgiving when he found out."
"Ok, ok we get it now. Wow kid, way to make an entrance," Andre chuckled.
"Yeah, I can't believe it. Tori and I haven't seen you since you were born." Jade and Tori sandwiched Eric into a hug.
"Actually I'm not done yet. Can I finish real quick?" he asked.
"Sure, go ahead," Beck ruffled the top of his head and the gang took their seats again.
"Right, so now that you folks heard their story, I want to add on to it. Well, my mom recognized his name, and she found my birth certificate to prove it. Since I was 7, I already knew I was adopted. But I promise never once did I resent my real parents or love my foster parents any less. I knew there was a reason for all of this. Anyways, Mr. Oliver told me a story of why Robbie held on for so long. That Cat told him he had a purpose. Robbie didn't know his purpose but Cat's purpose was to save Robbie and she did. I thought about it long and hard. And I came up with this solution. Maybe she knew it all along that her son needed his father one day because his purpose was to save my life. Both my parents saved me. My mother saved me from a life of struggles and hardships. She made sure to give me a good life with my foster family. And my father saved my life. He made sure I stayed alive because I have a life worth living and a future worth finding."
People started to tear up. Though no one really knew if they were crying because of sadness or because they were proud of a child that until 10 minutes ago, didn't know would carry the legacy of their two deceased friends.
"So I guess Mr. Oliver was right. And I guess Cat, I mean, my mom was right too. Robbie Shapiro still had a purpose in life. And that was to save his son's life in the future. So now I have a purpose. And that purpose is to live. Live each day to the fullest and brightest like Cat, and love each and every person to your heart's extent like Robbie. So I'm going to live. And I'm going to make them proud. Thanks, dad. Say hi to mom for me."
They say that a man's life is but a breath away. In that case, is death where you stop breathing or when you start living? We forget that you cannot live without dying. But there is a reason for everything. And a time and place for it all; a time to weep and a time to laugh. And we must all accept that there is a time to be born and a time to die. Death doesn't have to be ugly, it can be beautiful. It can be worse to find out what life is.
The End
A/N: So, what did you think? Not sure if this chapter topped the first one, but this was the route I was going with. That the circle of life is around us, we just have to remember that. It's like I say, "there's always something good in every day."
I just want to point out that the final paragraph of this story is taken from a eulogy I wrote when I was 18 for a very important person in my life that I lost. I don't know if it fit in to the story, but it means a lot to me and I wanted to share what death meant to me with all of you.
I read your Reviews/PM's about the first chapter - your thoughts, your own stories, and your emotions. I hope this story brought you nothing but comfort. Just promise me to look at the bright side of things, know that everything will always be ok, and don't be afraid to tell people you love how much they mean to you everyday. Say what you need to say, before it's too late.
Have a nice weekend my friends.
-AM