Note: Thanks again to all of my readers, your comments have been a big help in moving this story along!
Chapter 7
The next morning, Vinnie wasted no time getting out of bed and over to the garage. He burst through the door ahead of his bros, which gave him a chance to privately greet his Charley-girl, who happily ran to his open arms. Vinnie would have done more than just hug her, if it hadn't been for the squirming feline clutched to her chest.
"Y'know, I've been so worried about you it kind of slipped my mind," he said, as he let go and took a cautious step back, "but your new baby might end up being trouble for me."
He wasn't sure why she wasn't troubling him already, but he wasn't about to complain.
Charley looked puzzled, and she pouted as she held her kitten up to him, who purred and rubbed her head against his cheek. "Aw, come on, Tabs isn't trouble to anybody," said Charley with a sniff. "And she's smart. She figured out right away who her mommy's favorite person is."
Vinnie couldn't help smiling at that, but he gently nudged the purring kitten away from his face. "I meant allergically-speaking."
"Oh. Well, she's still just a kitten, so no worries. Cats generally don't develop enough dander to bother people until they're older."
Charley paused, then made a face. "Now, how did I know that? Did I use to own a cat...?"
She was still scratching her head over it when his bros joined them. As Vinnie casually walked away, he said, "She's growing like a weed, so I'll be keeping my distance from now on. No point in tempting fate."
The rest of the morning was business as usual. Charley made them all breakfast, after which Vinnie and his bros goofed around before heading out to patrol around the city for a few hours, plus continue with their plan to leave Charley on her own for a little while each day. When they got back to the garage, Charley was standing in front of the main door looking like she was waiting to be taken somewhere - taken somewhere by him, Vinnie quickly realized. He hadn't forgotten her saying last night that she wanted to spend the whole day with him.
She sure looked like she was ready for an afternoon out. She was dressed in a pale green, off the shoulder sleeveless blouse and a loose-fitting ankle-length cream skirt, and instead of her casual sandals she had on a pair of fancier green wedges. In place of her purse, there was a small drawstring bag made from a floral fabric looped around her right wrist. Like her clothes, it looked like she had sewn the colorful bag herself.
Charley barely waited for Vinnie to stop before she hopped on the back of his bike and locked her arms around him. Vinnie put on the most innocent expression he could as his bros eyed them both curiously. "Where are you two headed?" Throttle wondered.
"Lunch," Charley responded, light as a breeze. "After that we'll see. Oh," she hastily added, as Vinnie turned and sped toward the road, "Could you two watch Tabitha for me? Thanks!"
She waved until the two mice were out of sight, then put both arms around Vinnie again. With a hum of contentment, Vinnie settled in her embrace and didn't pull over for lunch until he felt good and ready to.
Afterward, the two of them left his bike behind and set off on foot, with no real goal in mind other than to just enjoy each other's company. With his arm around her waist and her head on his shoulder, they walked the streets of Chicago together, surrounded by the sounds of traffic, the voices of citizens, the occasional loudness of a plane flying low overhead. Unlike the last few days, the afternoon was sunny and clear, with barely a cloud in sight as they moved down Lakefront Trail.
On one side was acres of grass and rows of trees, and beyond them was a skyline of buildings stretching high over the treetops and half fading into the blue above. On the other side was Lake Michigan, and the breeze that was blowing across the water kept the air to a much cooler temperature than it had been during their zoo trip. It kept the fact that he wore his helmet while they strolled down the long, wide path together from getting uncomfortable...but even though there were loads of other hikers, and joggers, and bicyclists out today, they were all bustling on by, content in their own worlds. No one noticed when the two of them moved off the path, where Vinnie shed his helmet and, on a bench in the shade of a tree with lush, sagging branches, he and his Charley-girl got lost in a world of their own.
When they finally broke apart for air, Charley released a happy little sigh and cuddled her head on his shoulder...though her eyes were raised in question. "How long until we tell the others about us?"
Vinnie wasn't sure how to answer that, so he stalled by asking, "How did you know I wanted to keep it a secret for now?"
"The way you get nervous whenever someone else is around," the pretty mechanic responded crisply. "It wasn't exactly hard to figure out."
The white mouse smiled sadly as he tightened his arm around her waist. "Don't know how we're going to tell them - if we can tell them. They made me promise not to take advantage of you while you can't remember that we aren't more than friends."
"But that's not what happened," Charley said with a frown. "You never tried to trick me into thinking that we were already a couple. You've done everything you can all this time to try and protect my feelings. All you did was tell me the truth when I asked if you loved me."
Smiling suddenly, she tightened her arms around him and pressed her cheek to his chest with another happy sigh. "And I'm so glad you did. It would have broken my heart if you'd said no."
"Mine too," Vinnie murmured, softly stroking her hair.
He grew quiet as he thought about what she was saying. She made an awfully good point. They were together, but it hadn't happened like his bros worried it might. He'd never said a single word; she'd figured out how he felt on her own, and she loved him too. That definitely changed things.
"They care about us and want us to be happy, don't they?" Charley asked in a quiet voice. "I understand what they were trying to do and I appreciate their concern, but my head is more than clear enough for me to make up my own mind. I want to be with you, even if I can't remember our past together. I still know that I love you."
Smiling again, she pulled him closer and kissed him for a long moment. "Okay," said Vinnie when they parted again. "We'll tell them. Well, you'll tell them," he corrected himself with a grin. "If they hear it from you first, maybe it'll save me a few kicks in the pants."
Charley rolled her eyes and pinched him; Vinnie snickered and drew her close again. Between the soft kisses they bestowed on each other, Vinnie mumbled, "Do we have to tell them right away? Can't we keep it to ourselves for a few more days?"
No matter how they explained it, he knew there was going to be a bit of drama once the news broke. But like Charley said, in the end his bros would want them both to be happy. They knew better than anyone just how much he cared about the spirited human, and once they got past the fact that he had most definitely not taken advantage of the situation, they would be ecstatic that the two of them were finally together.
But for now, he wanted to savor these special moments they shared. He had waited for this for so long, having her here in his arms like this felt like a dream. Heart burning with love, he held her even closer and kissed her until they were both gasping for breath. Placing her head on his shoulder, Charley nodded in understanding. "Sunday," she said dreamily. "We'll tell them on Sunday."
It was Wednesday, so that was...sooner than he would have liked, but he nodded in agreement. Charley lifted her head with a grin. "I'm planning something special for Saturday," she said coyly.
"Since when?" Vinnie wondered.
"Since just now. Come by after nightfall. I'll make dinner for just the two of us."
Just the two of them? Oh, yeah; Saturday was his turn to crash at the garage. They'd have the place all to themselves.
In fact, it was his turn to crash at the garage this very night - his first night to sleep alone in the rec room, while his bros slept over at the scoreboard. While his Charley-girl slept up in her apartment, just a few dozen feet away.
The two of them didn't make it back to the Last Chance until long after dark. They lingered on the eighteen mile trail for most of the afternoon, then walked back to his bike and rode to an outdoor café for dinner. When they finally pulled into the garage's lot, everything inside was quiet and dark, a sure sign that his bros had already left for the night.
Vinnie happily claimed the most comfortable sofa in the rec room (already occupied by a certain feline) then bade his Charley-girl goodnight outside the door that led into her apartment. "Sleep well, Sweetheart," he murmured as they exchanged warm, lingering kisses.
Grinning suddenly, he pecked her nose. "Make sure I'm in your dreams all night, okay? I wouldn't want you to miss me."
Charley merely smiled in response, her eyes meeting his as she reached up to cup his face. Bringing herself closer to him, until he could feel the warmth of her skin through the thin material of her blouse, she drew her mouth over his in a way that made all the hairs on his body stand on end. He felt a smile spread across her lips before she pressed them more firmly to his, bringing one arm around his shoulders and the other around his back. The kisses she planted all over his mouth and muzzle were moist and hot.
She paused suddenly, pulling away just enough to lift her eyes. Her expression was shy, yet knowing. Expectant. "I won't have to miss you if you come upstairs with me."
Vinnie's heart skipped a beat. He felt his eyes widen. "What?"
Charley's smile was dazzling - and imploring. "Come upstairs," she repeated. "Please?"
The white mouse stared, dumbfounded. There was a part of him that was ready to holler 'hells yes!'...but he ignored it and slowly shook his head, though it took a lot of willpower to get himself to do it. "I can't."
Disappointment filled her pretty eyes. "Why not?"
Vinnie shook his head again, as much to refuse her offer as it was in amazement that he was actually refusing. "I just can't. Not until I don't have any doubt left that you won't regret it later."
Charley was frowning at him now. "But I-"
He quickly pressed a silencing finger to her flushed lips, placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, then scurried out of the garage to his bike. When he got the scoreboard, both of his bros were settled down for the night and looked up in surprise when he came in. "Tonight's your turn," Modo reminded him.
Vinnie grunted before planting himself face-first in his hammock. "Can't," he mumbled, voice muffled. "Too tempting."
He heard a brief, whispered discussion, followed by the heavy sound of Modo's boots hitting the floor as he got up and hurried out. Grunting again, Vinnie rolled over and tried to make himself comfortable. Throttle was watching him with a funny look on his face. Admiration? A touch of guilt?
"You've really done great the last few weeks," he noted in a quiet voice. "Modo and I feel kinda bad about what we said before."
Vinnie flashed a brief smile before rolling to face the other way. "It's cool. No harm done."
The next morning dawned overcast, replacing yesterday's pale blue with a dull gray that thickly blanketed the sky, hiding the sun. When they got to the garage Charley already had a hot breakfast waiting for them; oatmeal drizzled with cinnamon and brown sugar. A little pedestrian for their tastes, but they scarfed everything down politely...though both Throttle and Modo discreetly dunked a few uncooked hot dogs into the mix when Charley wasn't looking. The pretty mechanic's bright green eyes were on Vinnie for most of the morning, so he didn't want to risk it.
And a good thing, too; within a half-hour of clearing the table and loading the dish washer, both his bros' stomachs started grumbling loudly. By noon, they were battling to see who could make it to the bathroom first.
Snickering unsympathetically, Vinnie went to lounge in the rec room with his much-ignored medical books for a little while. Charley found him a few minutes later and quickly grabbed Tabitha, who had hopped up onto his shoulder the second he sat down and started rubbing her head and tail all over his face. Even though he wasn't reacting to her yet, he was relieved when Charley moved the playful kitten away.
Opening a book at random, Vinnie discreetly eyed the lovely redhead over the top of the pages. She was just as discreetly eyeing him over Tabitha's ears in return. "You annoyed with me?" he ventured.
Charley quickly shook her head. "Of course not. You were just being respectful. It was sweet of you."
She came closer and bent to kiss his cheek before heading out of the room. Smiling to himself, Vinnie settled back and focused on the open page in front of him - and felt like he'd just been punched in the stomach.
'The range of memory recovery can never be predicted,' the passage in the middle of the page read. 'Sometimes a patient will retain the memories created after memory loss first occurs in perfect clarity, while returning memories remain unclear or full of holes. And in some rare cases, the memories created between the time original memory is lost and then recovered are not retained.'
Vinnie reread the passage several times, but the meaning of the words didn't change. They clearly stated that, while uncommon, it was possible that the memories created from the time memory loss first occurred to the time original memory was restored could end up wiped.
The thought left him so shaken, the book slipped from his fingers as he let his head sink back against the sofa. For a long moment all he could do was stare at the ceiling, his mind reeling. All this time he had worried that what he and Charley had shared for the last couple of days might be taken away when she got her memory back because it would turn out that she didn't really love him. It never once entered his head that he might lose it all because she would end up forgetting.
Losing her because she didn't feel the same way about him would be bad enough, but to have her forget everything? All the times he had held her? Whispered how he felt? How she would always smile, her eyes shining, as she whispered back that she felt the same? That was just cruel.
He lost track of time as he sat there, quietly replaying the last few days in his head, savoring each and every moment as he was chilled to the bone at the thought of those moments suddenly coming to an end, remembered by and known only to him. He didn't want to believe it could be true - that he could end up losing what he finally had, after longing for and dreaming about it for so long.
But he knew there was no denying it. He never thought she could forget him in the first place, so if that could happen...then so could this.
Vinnie sat there for a little while longer, feeling his anxiety build in his heart until it was pounding so hard he could hear it between his ears. He didn't get scared very often - make that almost never - but this was different from the kind of obstacles he normally faced. This was something he couldn't fight. Couldn't shoot his way through it. Couldn't hop on his bike and ride over it. Couldn't punch and kick it into oblivion.
He couldn't even turn to his bros for help. There wasn't anything they or anyone else could do. The only thing left was to wait and see what happened. And whatever happened, he was helpless to stop it. Completely helpless.
Abruptly, Vinnie bolted up from the sofa and ran for the door, just as Throttle came stumbling out of the bathroom. He was busy clutching his stomach and groaning to himself and didn't notice as the white mouse rushed out of the rec room. Vinnie quickly hunted for and found Charley in the kitchen, where she was quietly humming to herself as she made lunch for her and Tabitha.
She had been wearing a bathrobe and slippers at breakfast, but she had since changed into the same pale yellow dress she wore the day they first brought her home from the hospital. Against the gray of the dreary afternoon, she was like a spot of sunshine. Vinnie's heart flooded with so much love it hurt, and when he rushed forward and yanked her into his arms, Charley let out a gasp of surprise and dropped the butter knife she'd been holding.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her eyes filling with alarm.
Vinnie could only shake his head as he held her tighter, cupping her face in his quivering hands as he kissed her forehead, her face, her lips. He couldn't tell her. It wouldn't accomplish anything except scare her. Swallowing thickly, he drew her closer and kissed her for a long moment. "I-I just wanted to tell you how much I love you," he faltered, voice catching in his throat.
He pushed her hair back from her face as he looked into her eyes. "I love you more than anything," he told her quietly, his words loaded with promise. "Always have and always will. No matter what happens tomorrow, or today - or even five minutes from now. I will always, always love you."
And please, he begged silently, don't you ever forget that.
Later that day the sky cleared and the sun came out, and just in time for Charley's latest checkup. She changed out of her delicate dress and into snug jeans and a t-shirt before heading over to the doctor's office with Vinnie. The white mouse was never a fan of sitting still for very long, so instead of fidgeting impatiently in the waiting room this time, he slipped out of the office and took a walk around the block. He wasn't expecting anything to happen before he made the round trip back to the office...but as he rounded the first turn, he found himself walking past a small shop sitting on the corner.
Something on display in the window caught his eye - something he immediately pictured giving his Charley-girl when they met for dinner this Saturday. Or maybe he'd save it for Sunday, after they broke the news of their relationship to his bros. He'd wing it.
He hurried into the shop, made his purchase, then hurried back to the doctor's office just in time to meet Charley coming out of the exam room. The doctor was pleased with the progress of her wrist and said that she could take off her brace as early as next week. Charley was thrilled with the news (she was getting tired of the bulky accessory, since it clashed with her outfits and was starting to get grubby) and practically skipped inside when she and Vinnie got back to the garage.
After giving a status report to the other two, Charley playfully grabbed Vinnie by the shoulders and pushed him toward the rec room with a giggle. "The doc says I need to keep my wrist active, so it won't go to pot," she told him, giggling again. "So that means you have to play pool with me."
Vinnie snickered and let her push him to the rec room doorway. "Well, don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because..."
He trailed off. His bros had gone awfully quiet all of a sudden, and when he looked over his shoulder, he saw that they both had that 'something's up' look on their faces. Modo was sniffing the air. "You smell that?" he asked.
Vinnie took a sniff. Charley, who had stopped pushing him, did the same. She stepped back with a grimace. "It's that awful stink again," she complained of the distinct odor in the air, putting a hand to her nose.
Throttle was grinning. "It's grease," he said. "And where there's grease, there's Greasepit."
The three mice were already heading for their bikes, their grins matching. It had been too long since they had gotten to tear through the streets, blowing stuff up and sending dumb goons running home with frightened squeals. Charley was watching their growing excitement, her expression nervous now. "Doesn't he work for that alien fish-guy you're always fighting?" she asked.
"Don't worry," Modo told her with a chuckle as he mounted his bike. "He's pretty harmless."
Throttle was already mounted and ready to go. He thumped his helmet firmly in place, then looked over at Charley. "Should we take her with?" he wondered.
Charley bugged her eyes. "Me?" she squeaked.
"Might be a good idea," Modo agreed. "She should stay with us in case someone comes sneakin' around while we're gone."
"Plus riding into danger just might turn out to be good for her," Throttle added. "The adrenaline rush might jog something."
Vinnie's heart flip-flopped, and for more reason than one. For one thing his Charley-girl didn't remember how to defend herself...and for another, he was scared of what might happen when she did remember.
But he knew he had no business trying to keep those memories from returning, no matter what wound up happening. Recovering was what was best for her, even if she ended up forgetting what they had shared the last few days. Or maybe she would remember it all and never speak to him again as a result. Either way he...was getting a headache from thinking about it, and he pressed a hand to the side of his head with a quiet groan before putting his helmet on. Sensing his distress, his bike puttered sympathetically as he hopped on.
Charley shrank back, her uneasiness plain. "You sure it wouldn't be safer if I just stayed here?"
"It'll be fine," Throttle assured her. He glanced at Vinnie, who was trying to think of something to say but couldn't. "Vinnie'll take care of you. He'll just have to keep back in case things get dangerous. You can do that, right?"
The white mouse scowled in annoyance. "Yes," he grumbled.
It took a little coaxing, but he eventually convinced Charley that he would keep a few feet behind the others, and if things really started to get messy, he'd take her to safety. She didn't look like she believed this was a good idea, but she climbed on behind him and held on tightly. She trusted him, Vinnie realized as he secured her in place with his tail like he always did - trusted him to keep her safe. The thought made his heart pang him as he remembered all over again that it was his screw-up that had started all this in the first place.
In the end he changed his mind; riding hard and fast and blowing up everything he possibly could was just what he needed to clear his head right now, and he let out a loud whoop as he followed his bros out of the garage. It didn't take them long to track down the source of the strong smell in the air, or the rough group of goons and thugs who were busy putting together some equipment in the middle of the empty street.
What were they trying to do? The mice didn't know, and they didn't ask. They just started blasting and cackled in delight as the explosions and shrieks of fear started up. It really had been too long, and racing out in the night air amidst the smell of smoke and blaster fire felt great.
At least it did to Vinnie, but an insistent tapping on his shoulder right in the middle of his fun told him that someone else wasn't quite so keen on it. He slowed down and looked over his shoulder while is bros roared on ahead. "You okay, Sweetheart?"
Charley looked pale, and she was shrinking down behind him like she was trying to make herself invisible. "I want to go back," she said faintly. "This is too scary."
Scary? More like a blast. "Maybe you'd feel better if you had remembered to bring your bazooka," he teased.
"My...?"
Charley managed to look paler still, and she pressed her face against his back with a whimper. Seeing that she really was scared, Vinnie's heart softened; he took a quick glance around. The smoldering street was empty and quiet. It shouldn't hurt to leave her here for a couple of minutes. "Take five, Charley-girl," he told her, as he gently lifted her off his bike with his tail and deposited her on her feet. "I'll be back before you know it."
He pinched her nose affectionately, then raced off to catch up with his bros. When he looked back, he caught sight of Charley heading over to an alley between two brick buildings on the right-hand side of the street, disappearing from sight.
His bros were just up ahead, facing off against a pair of angry-looking goons armed with mini grenades. Modo had gotten off his bike and was knocking the grenades right back where they came from with a metal pipe he'd found. Grinning, Vinnie thought about how if Charley was watching right now, she'd dryly point out that hitting grenades with a pipe probably wasn't a very good idea. But since she wasn't, he pulled his bike to a stop and waved for attention. "C'mon, don't hog all the fun!"
Modo let out a laugh. "You asked for it," he said, before knocking a grenade in his direction.
Unfortunately it was the last one, since the goons had finally gotten wise to the fact that anything they threw would just come flying back - or maybe they'd just run out. It was hard to tell with these guys sometimes. Vinnie tried to make his fun with the last grenade count, but he ended up fumbling when he tried to catch it. Throttle attempted to casually come to the rescue - but when he gave the explosive a sharp kick, he wound up sending it the wrong way, back over their heads and down the road where they came from. "Whoops."
Sighing, Vinnie gave his shoulder a pat. "Nice one, bro."
The grenade detonated in the distance and they went back to work, which didn't last for much longer. The streets were soon cleared and safe for the night, and they high-fived and congratulated each other - and themselves - before riding back to pick up Charley.
Only when they neared the alley Vinnie saw her dart into, he felt his heart come slamming to a halt.
Throttle mumbled something under his breath that made Modo blush. You could almost hear it as their three minds simultaneously replayed the events of the last few minutes, picturing who had the grenade first and who had it last. They'd each had it, even if Throttle had been the one to kick it, and there was an almost audible click as they each decided at the same time that whatever came from this, they each shared in the blame.
The thought only passed through Vinnie's mind for a brief second before he jumped off his bike and ran ahead, making his way past the chunks of sidewalk that now littered the ground. The corner of the building in front of the alley Charley was hiding in had been completely blown out, sending bricks everywhere. The ground was scorched and there was dust and smoke in the air.
Vinnie was too panicked to call out. His mind was flooding with horrific visions of what he was about to find and his throat closed as he stumbled forward, tripping over concrete debris as he made it to the alley. His bros were right as his heels, their worry almost as strong as his own. Almost.
The explosion had taken out a streetlight, leaving the alley dark and shadowed. It took his eyes a second to adjust, and when they did, they soon tracked down and zeroed in on the figure slumped against the wall on the left side, surrounded by a wisp of fading smoke. A mixture of fear and relief roiled inside him; the other building had taken the full force of the blast, so there was only a handful of bricks scattered in the alley. Charley had moved back several feet and didn't look like she had been hurt.
Most likely she had only been shaken up by the force of the blast, and he hurried forward and put a hand out to steady her. She was leaning against the wall with her hand pressed to the side of her head, and she groaned quietly as she rested against him, eyes closed.
Vinnie pushed her hair back from her face. "Are you okay?" he asked, not caring when he heard his voice shake.
His bros hovered at his side, their faces loaded with concern. "You're not hurt, are you, Charley-ma'am?" Modo asked tentatively.
"We kind of got carried away, there," Throttle mumbled, shoulders sagging in remorse.
Charley gave her head a shake and opened her eyes. "I'm okay," she said faintly. "Just a little dizzy."
Vinnie was so relieved he pulled her into his arms and hugged her. He knew his bros were watching, but he didn't care. Maybe they'd tell them tonight instead of waiting till Sunday.
With a tired smile, Charley gave his shoulder a pat before edging away from his arms. She opened her mouth to say something...then closed it, a funny look crossing her face as she looked down at herself. She tugged at the fabric of her baby-doll t-shirt like she had never seen it before. Her eyes traveled down to her tight jeans, the cuffs rolled up so part of her calves were exposed.
"What the heck am I doing in this twinkie little outfit?"
Modo shrugged, looking puzzled. "You put it on before leavin' for the doctor," he reminded her.
The mechanic stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "Doctor? What are you talking about? Weren't we going camping?"
After a brief silence marked by blank stares, realization dawned for the three of them almost at the same time. Throttle stepped forward first, giving her shoulder a playful squeeze as he let out a chuckle of relief. "I think she's back."
Charley lifted her eyebrows dryly. "Where was I?"
Laughing openly now, the tan and gray mice both put their arms around her as they guided her back to their bikes...while Vinnie stood feeling like the ground had just been pulled out from under him.
"It's a long story, Charley-ma'am. We'll tell you all about it on the way home."
