author's note: yeah, this chapter is verging on the territory of 'making no sense whatsover' but there's another a/n at the end to explain it some more.
chapter six. over the phone.
--
"What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can't reread a phone call."
- Liz Carpenter
--
"Cam." Her arms locked into place after he swung her legs up around his hips. The perfect couple. Even if no one else thought so. Even if the Blocks swore their daughter "deserved" better, even if the Fishers believed Massie was a cold-hearted bitch, even if Alicia thought Cam was weird, even if, even if, even if.
"Let's get married, Mass," he said, seemingly out of the blue. She opened her mouth to protest, but he blocked her with a well-placed finger right over her lips. She looked up at him, amber eyes cool. "No more excuses this time. Let's just...elope."
"No way, Cameron Fisher." Massie tilted her head so she could stare at him some more. God, he was just so...perfect. So gorgeous, so brilliant, so nice, so happy. "There is no way I - we can miss that much work. If you're going to marry me, we're doing it The Block Way. White dress, fancy church, mini quiches..."
"Ugh." He shuddered slightly, but his grin never left his face. "Fine."
"Fine," she repeated.
The phone rang again.
"Stupid phone." Cam grabbed the phone and cradled it in the crook of his neck. A pregnant pause. "This is Cam. Cam Fisher. Who is this?"
--
"I'll only tell if you promise not to hang up like everyone before," the patient, careful female voice stated. Alicia Martinez pulled open the cabinet door and used her slim hip to keep it steady. After producing a silver spoon from their second-best china set and sticking it in her mouth, she agreed to the promise.
--
"I'm Judi Lyons. Of the Orlando Lyons'. I'm also Claire and Todd's mom."
"Oh." Kristen's face went through a series of emotions at rapid-pace. She felt like one of those videos they had to watch in sixth-grade Science, about photosynthesis. In particular, she felt like "Part II," where an Australian-accented narrator talked in length about glucose while a flower bloomed in a few fast-forwarded seconds on screen. Her emotions only lasted for several seconds and in short bursts: surprise, anger, sadness, glee...
"Wow."
Judi laughed bitterly. "Words can't begin to explain how glad I am that you said that. You're the first one who hasn't hung up on me. Alicia, Massie, even Cam after I tried calling her back - Did you know they're still dating?" Kristen was about to respond with a surprised "No," but Judi beat her to the punch. "Anyways, there's some big news about Claire..."
--
"Oh, God, Dad." Todd Lyons ran a hand through his already tousled scarlet hair. "She's not..." He gulped. "Dead, is she?"
"No. No, definitely not. It's, well - The opposite, really. She's more alive now than she's been since the seventh grade."
The twenty-year-old rubbed his hands together, balancing the cheap plastic phone on his bony shoulder. He hadn't seen his parents in... - God, how long had it been? - years. He missed them. They refused to come to Illinois to visit him, insisting they were quite comfortable spending the rest of their days in baggy Mickey Mouse tees and Old Navy Bermuda shorts.
"You can't mean... Claire's awake?"
"Yes, son. If only you weren't...all tangled up in things. She would love to see you."
"I'd love to see her, too, but..." He sighed. "That's really not an option for me."
The wrinkled navy jumpsuit sagged as he adjusted his - rather terrible - posture. "Seeing as I'm in prison."
--
"Yes, I can see how that would make things a bit...difficult." The voice hesitated, took a breath.
"'Difficult!'" Dylan tugged on her split-ends, accidentally pulling a few fine red hairs out. They appeared auburn in the sunlight and she was momentarily sidetracked until she remembered... "MOOOOOOM! I cannawt believe you would let this happen to me. I have nowhere to go. Nowhere! And giving Riv, Cam, and Tessie my show? That's a horrible thing to do, you, you -"
"Bitch?" Merilee finished. If the Daily Grind host had been at Dylan's loft, rather than at the cushy Estate in upstate New York, Dylan might have punched her. Because she sounded absolutely...bitchy.
"Yesss! Ugh... I am so fuh-rustrated."
"Pickles, dear. How about I make you a little..." Her professionally-trained voice trailed off she searched for 'the perfect word.'
"Proposition?" supplied the natural redhead.
"Proposition," agreed Merilee. "If you move back into the Estate, you can co-star on the show with your sisters. It'll be great for PR and, as a coo, you can stay in your old room, chat with your old friends... It's a win-win ratings ploy!"
--
"You've got yourself a deal."
"I'll be over in twen-"
"Make that ten."
"Fine then. Ten minutes."
--
Claire's raw, red fingers twirled over the finger-pad of her new iPod Nano. It was supposedly "eight gigs," - whatever that meant - and an ice-blue colour; almost the exact shade of her own eyes. She was unsure who the iPod was from - it came with a note, but just said "i'm so glad your awake, claire. more people miss u, than u know. -D." There were probably millions of people with the initial of "D."
But there was one who stood out.
Derrington?
Could it be?
Did those teases in Health class, those starethenlookawaysuperfast in the Cafe mean something?
Something more?
Did they?
So many questions, and no one to answer them.
Knock knock.
"Can I come in Claire-Bear? I brought you lunch."
"Sure, Mommy," Claire croaked. She found a nervous smile creeping its way across her face. When she realized what she had said, she clammed up. 'Mommy?' How old was she, four? No, she was twel- Oh. Except she wasn't. I'm Claire Stacey Lyons and I'm twenty-two years old. It sounded wrong, even to herself.
The door to Claire's private room opened with a creak. Judi, wearing her signature baggy sweatshirt in an unassuming shade of pink, walked in on eggshells. She seemed almost more nervous than her daughter, if that was even possible. The middle-aged woman carried with her a white imitation leather bag - from Sears, Claire guessed - and a simple tray of cafeteria food.
Claire felt like she was back at OCD. "Thanks."
"Oh, it's no problem at all, Clair Bear." Judi approached her daughter's bedside tentatively and placed the tray gently on Claire's lap. The younger woman smiled delicately. Judi sighed and pushed Claire's over-grown bangs away from her striking blue eyes. "You're so beautiful. So lovely..."
"Um." The hospital gown-clad girl bit her bottom lip. "Thank you?" she said like it was a question. Using a plastic spork, she dragged the mystery meat of the day around her paper plate in a perfect circle. Along with meat that could've been pork, beef or chicken - it was anyone's guess - there were some lumpy mashed potatoes, dried-out green beans and two chocolate chip cookies from Mrs. Field's, still in the wrappers.
Judi didn't reply, but merely continued to stroke her eldest child's hair. She hadn't been to visit Claire in years. For a good five years after the accident, Jay and Judi were in the hospital every day, talking to her, playing songs they couldn't name but Ryan Secreast played them on his radio station so they assumed they were 'cool.' After that, when the doctors began to resent Claire and the reporters stopped wanting to interview the 'parents of coma girl,' the Lyons family moved back to Florida.
With the notable exception of Todd.
He had been shuffled from juvie to juvie, holding grudges and kicking ass. Before Claire's accident, his inner 'bad boy' had merely bubbled to the surface from time-to-time, albeit harmlessly. After her eyes closed for what he assumed to be forever, the bubble burst.
Todd stayed behind in Westchester. He never finished high school.
"Where's Todd, Mom?"
a/n: TO CLEAR THINGS UP... The person who called Cam will be revealed NEXT CHAPTER. Alicia and Kristen are talking to Judi. Todd is talking to Jay. Dylan is talking with her mother. And, last but certainly not least, Mystery Boy is talking to Mystery Girl. (Did u really think i would ruin the surprise?)
