Meant To Be
Part 1
She never realized how much she hated hospitals. It was everything about them, really. The way the nurses walked past you as if you were invisible, the beeping and hissing of the machines, the strange, somber, and unreadable expressions of the doctors as they exited the rooms of the people you loved. Nothing about this night seemed real. The call had come in just after dusk. John had been kind, but honest. Tess and Cutter in one car, Aubrey, Brody, and Ford in the other—she couldn't imagine how it had all happened, but at the moment none of that mattered.
The cup of coffee in her hands had long since lost its warmth, not that it had ever actually been drinkable. She looked across the room to see Joey pacing back and forth. He'd been like that for hours…not speaking…not making eye contact…just pacing.
Slowly she walked over to him and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "Can I get you anything?" she said quietly.
Joey looked at her, his eyes red and bloodshot. "No. I just wish they'd tell us something. I mean Jessica…I mean Tess...she's been in there for hours and Aubrey…she." He stopped, looking at the floor. "How long does it take to examine someone!" he yelled. He threw his hand in the air and Kelly stepped back at his unusual reaction.
"I know." She had no idea what to say. "I'm sure we'll hear something soon." She put a supportive hand on his shoulder and he reached up to cover it with his own.
As the swinging doors opened, the doctor emerged. "Mr. Buchanan," he said, making his way towards Joey. "Why don't we step in here and talk for a moment?"
Kelly glanced back into the waiting room and made eye contact with Clint and Vicki, both of whom were standing. She shook her head to indicate that this wasn't about Jessica. They nodded and returned to their seat.
Joey stepped into the small room. The walls were painted a pleasant shade of pink, which at the moment seemed unnatural. Such a cheerful room shouldn't be used for such purposes, he thought to himself. "I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Buchanan," the doctor started. There were more words, he heard the noise coming out of the middle aged man's mouth, but they no longer made coherent sense. All he knew for sure was that Aubrey wasn't coming out of that room. She wasn't ever coming back again. Aubrey was gone.
"Mr. Buchanan," the doctor said, laying a hand on his shoulder, "Are your parents in the waiting area?"
The mention of his parents snapped his mind back to attention. "Yeah, yeah, they are. Do you have news about Jessica?"
As the doctor opened the door, Joey could hear him speak the names of his parents. They came into the room, all exchanging worried glances. His ears already rang, his heart pounded. It was if he knew what was going to be said before the words were ever spoken. "We did everything we could, but the impact was so severe. Her injuries were just too substantial."
Reaching out for his mother, Joey felt her body shake with a flood of tears. His sister, the one he was supposed to protect was gone. Looking back at the doctor, he composed himself, "The others?" he asked, his voice shaking. "Are they?"
"We need to notify the next of kin," the doctor said quietly.
Joey nodded. He knew the doctor couldn't tell him that there were no survivors, but that, in itself, was an answer.
He felt Clint's hand on his back, "Son? You wanna sit down?" Clint asked, raising his eyebrows at Joey.
"I need to go tell Kelly," Joey said stoically.
Part 2
(The next day)
The steady stream of visitors had been exhausting. One after another, in and out, the hugs, the calls, the casseroles—it seemed endless. Kelly had been helping out at the house, trying to do what she could. In truth, Joey thought, she was keeping busy so she didn't think about Jessica. Though she was putting up a brave face, he knew her too well to think she was handling this as well as she claimed.
A rare moment of calm fell upon the house, and for a moment there were no visitors. Kelly stepped into the living room and fell onto the couch. "Wow," she sighed, "You have a lot of people that care about you," she smiled, putting her head on his shoulder.
Joey looked down at her. "Yeah, we do. A lot of people….They just keep coming."
"They just want to help," she said quietly. "They're doing all they know to do. You know the lawyer is coming over later to go over the arrangements."
Joey ran his hand over his face, "Right. I remember. That's gonna be tough. To be honest, I'm surprised Jessica even had arrangements. I mean, who even thinks about something like that at her age."
Kelly sat up, "Well, I mean, I think once you have a child, your priorities change a little. You start thinking about things differently."
Joey sat silent, "I guess. Maybe. It just seems so….I don't know..morbid." Looking at Kelly, he asked, "You mean you have stuff written out? You have arrangements?"
"Well, yeah." She nodded, turning away a little. "I mean, it's not like I've planned the entire funeral or anything, but I've got the major stuff down. Where I want to be buried….what I want to wear…who I want to speak. That kind of stuff."
Joey was stunned. Of all people to think that far ahead, Kelly Cramer was the last person he'd think of. "Since when did you become a planner?" he asked, actually able to smile a little.
"Oh, stop it," she said quietly, playfully slapping him.
As the sound of the doorbell rang, the two turned to see who was entering. The well dressed man was clearly the lawyer Jessica had hired to handle her affairs.
"Hello," Kelly said standing and extending her head. "I'm sorry, but Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan aren't in at the moment. We weren't expecting you until a little later."
"Ah that's alright," the man said succinctly. "I'm Elliot Wallace. I'll be handling the estate matters. Actually I need to speak with several individuals before I speak to the entire group." He reached into his briefcase, pulling out a group of papers. "Kelly Cramer and Joey Buchanan….Can you tell me where I can find them."
Joey and Kelly exchanged confused glances. "You've found them," Kelly said, gesturing back at Joey. "Why do you need to see us?"
Mr. Wallace looked at the two in confusion. "You don't know?" He flipped through the pages, to ensure he was relaying the correct information. "I just assumed someone had spoken with you about this."
"About what?" Joey said, now joining Kelly and standing by her side.
"Mrs. Ford's dependents…Ryder and Brennan," he said, looking at the two, still slightly stunned by their confused expressions.
"What about them?" Joey asked, now becoming slightly annoyed.
"You were…well, the two of you are named in these documents," Mr. Wallace said, looking back at Joey and then glancing at Kelly. "Mrs. Ford was very clear about her wishes. She wanted the children to be raised by the two of you. Here," he said, handing Kelly a letter, "She even left this for you. I'll give you two a moment." He turned and walked from the room, leaving Joey and Kelly to stare at each other in complete and total disbelief.
Part 3
"This has to be some kind of mistake," Kelly said as she walked back into the living room. "I mean of all people. Why us? Your parents are here. Her sister…I mean, Liam and Ryder are practically the same age. They could have grown up together.
Why us?"
Joey just shook his head. "I don't know, Kel. Why don't you open the letter and find out?"
"It doesn't make any sense. Why would she pick us to give her children too?" Kelly was now taking her turn at pacing the floor.
"Kelly!" Joey said, taking her shoulders in his hands, "The letter…open it. Maybe we'll figure something out if we actually read what she had to say."
Kelly's face fell, "Right, sorry." Her hands shook as she tried to open the seal.
Carefully covering her hands with his, Joey took the letter and carefully opened it. He held the letter out to her, but the tears were already falling. "I can't," she whispered…."Can you?"
Joey nodded and slowly began to read.
"Dear Kelly,
I hope you'll never have to read this. If you do, that means that you're probably really confused right now. I want you to know that this wasn't a hard decision for me. I know you probably think I made the wrong choice, but I promise you, I've never been so sure about anything in my life. After Ryder was born, I started thinking about everything that has happened in my life….about everything I've been through and I realized something. You're my best friend. You've always been there for me. No matter what my problems were…no matter what I did or didn't do…no matter what kind of trouble I got into, you were there. You didn't judge me. You just loved me and supported me. That's what I want for my children.
I love Mom and Dad, but I want my kids to grow up with someone who knows how to have fun..and (seriously) someone who knows how to raise a little hell when it's necessary. I know that you'll fight for them if you have to and you'll teach them how to fight for themselves when they need to know. Teach them all the things I love about you…teach them how to laugh when you feel like crying and teach them how to be the best dresser in this town.
I know you're probably wondering about Joey. I know he's married and all, but he loves you. I want you to teach Ryder and Bree about that kind of love. The kind of love that doesn't go away when you're with other people, the kind of connection that can pick right back up then years later, and the kind of friendship that you'd lay down your life for.
My children will be lucky to have you and Joey in their life. You will make them better people…you'll help them become intelligent, strong people. I hope they'll help you find your happiness too.
Love Always,
Jessica
"Wow," Joey said, wiping his eyes, as he folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope. "She certainly knew how to make a point." Reaching out to Kelly, he pulled her close to him. "It's gonna be fine," he whispered.
"I don't think I can do this, Joey," she whispered, allowing the tears she'd been fighting all day to finally fall.
"You don't have to do this alone," he said quietly, looking down at her. "I'll be here to help you. Remember, she wanted us to do this together."
"She was still being a matchmaker," Kelly smiled.
"Yeah, she was," Joey smiled back. "She always did think we were meant to be together."
Kelly nodded, wiping her eyes. "She used to tell me that you would never love anyone the way you loved me."
"She was right," Joey whispered, standing up and walking over to the fireplace. Rubbing his face with his hands, he sighed, "It's crazy, you know. My wife is dead and I should be mourning her, but all I can think of is that….things changed so fast. If you had gone after Jessica instead of Aubrey, if it had been you in that car….If I had lost you…"
"Hey," she said, walking over to him and taking his hands, "I'm fine. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. We've got two children to raise, remember?" She smiled a little at him. "I've got to learn how to make pot roast or something."
Joey pulled her into a hug, smiling through his tears, "Let's start with take out and work our way up."
Part 4
Two months later…
It was amazing how quickly things had changed. The world moved on, and everyone moved with it. Kelly carefully turned the last page, "So cried the stars to the fishermen three, Winken, and Blinken, and Nod."
Hearing the footsteps behind her, she quietly stood and clicked off the lamp. "Is Ryder down?" she asked in a whisper.
"Out like a light," Joey whispered as he pulled her close to him. Looking down at Bree, he leaned closer to her ear, "You're really good with her," he smiled. "What were you reading?"
"Oh," Kelly said, staring down at the book. "I found it at a bookstore last week. It had this nursery rhyme that my Mom used to read to me….before she….you know."
Joey softly kissed her forehead, "I'm sure she's proud of you. She's watching over you and she sees what a wonderful woman you've become and what an amazing mother you are."
Kelly turned in his arms, "Thank you for saying that," she whispered. "It's funny, you know. The things you remember. I can remember being a little girl and her reading me this nursery rhyme and stroking my hair until I fell asleep. I felt so safe then."
"Your mom really loved you. You two obviously shared a really special connection." Joey gently touched Kelly's face, trying to comfort her.
"We did. I hope I can have that connection one day with our child," Kelly said softly.
"You're doing a great job, Kelly. Ryder and Bree adore you. There's no way they would be doing as well as they are right now if it weren't for you," he said, looking at her. "Wait a minute," he said, standing still, and drawing in a quick breath, "Did you say our child?"
Kelly looked at him, "I wasn't sure how to tell you," she admitted tearfully. "I know this is a lot. It isn't something we were planning for and…"
Joey stopped her with a kiss, "Sometimes the best plan is not to have a plan," he whispered, smiling at her.
"So you're ok? You're not freaked out?" She had this moment in her mind where she was terrified Joey would be so overwhelmed that he'd run out.
"No," he smiled, "I'm not freaked out. I mean, I'm surprised, but I'm happy, and," he added, glancing up "I can think of one other person, that's happy right about now."
Kelly nodded as Joey leaned in for a kiss. She had never imagined it would end up like this…especially after everything that happened, but as she looked at Jessica's picture on the wall, she smiled. Some things were meant to be after all.
The End
