Changes
A/N: If you're like me, you always want to know what happened after the closing credits…the last chapter. It's a little mushy here and there but hey! What's a romance without a little mush? Thanks for reading, thanks for all the comments, especially pryrmtns, trecebo and colbykid. Hope you enjoyed the little excursion in AU. DelphieKat—hope it was worth the wait!
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Epilogue
In spite of Bobby's best intentions, plans had to be postponed for a month. Sue's sniffles morphed into a full-blown cold. Bobby, not unexpectedly, came down with the same affliction. Sue refused to be married until they were both fully recovered. She'd told him she did not want to remember her wedding as a chorus of coughs and sneezes. Once again healthy, arrangements moved swiftly for a quiet wedding involving a handful of close friends.
"You have to pick the music for the wedding and reception," Sue reminded Bobby. she sat next to him on the couch going over their 'to do' list.
"I don't care."
"Then we have a problem. I can't hear."
"All right," he chuckled. "I'll talk to Lucy about it."
"Have you called Jack yet?" asked Sue.
"Planning to do so as we speak," he answered punching in the numbers. He put his arm around her shoulder as he waited while the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Jack, are you free to be my best man next Saturday?" asked Bobby as he smiled at Sue. He leaned in for a quick kiss.
Jack held the phone at arm's length with a puzzled expression on his face. He heard a voice on the other end that sounded a lot like Bobby, but the request was unexpected.
"Jack? Jack? You there?"
"Who is this?"
"What do you mean who is this? It's Bobby, you bloke," said the voice in exasperation.
"Bobby? Bobby Manning?"
"Yes!"
"Did you just ask me to be your best man at your wedding next Saturday?" Jack asked doubtfully.
"Right, mate," replied a cheerful Bobby. "Can you? That is, if you don't have plans. And you're welcome to bring Ali."
There was silence as a thousand questions went through Jack's mind.
"Jack? Still there?"
"I don't want to rain on your parade but isn't this a little sudden? By the way, it is Sue you want to marry, isn't it??"
"What gave it away?" joked Bobby.
"Oh, maybe the way you two couldn't keep your eyes off of each other that weekend we visited," Jack said dryly. "Or the way you talk about her every time I call. And that sketch you drew. Shall I go on?"
"I guess I haven't been very subtle about my feelings."
"No, you haven't." Jack paused a moment. "Seriously, Bobby, you've known Sue for what? Two? Three months? Isn't this a little sudden?"
"Three months, three years or thirty, my feelings won't change, Jack. She makes me happy," Bobby answered his voice tender as he gazed at Sue. "I love her, she loves me. What better reason to get married?"
"But…"
"No buts," he said firmly. "I didn't think it was possible but when I'm with Sue, life is good again, mate, very good. I'm not letting her slip through my fingers."
Remembering the dark period his friend had gone through, Jack could only nod at the obvious contentment Bobby now found with this woman. He swallowed the lump in his throat.
"In that case, I'd consider it an honor to be your best man."
"Great!" replied the enthusiastic groom-to-be. "See you next week Saturday if not sooner. Don't forget to bring Ali."
"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Jack shouted into the phone. "Bobby? You still there?"
"What?"
"Aren't you going to give me any details? Like the time? Where the wedding's going to be? How should we dress?" he demanded.
"Oh…right. It's going to be very simple," answered Bobby. "That's how we want it. Her friends have offered to have the wedding and reception at their home so with you and Ali, there'll be less than a dozen people."
"Time?"
"Eleven a.m. Oh, by the way, could you stop by my place and bring that dark blue suit? It'll save me a trip to New York. And pick a tie to fit the occasion."
"I take it your baseball tie is out of the running."
"I was thinking of something a bit more conservative."
"Anything else?"
"If I think of anything, I'll call."
"You do that. See you soon."
Jack stared at the silent receiver. Getting married! Who would've thought three months ago this would be the outcome of Bobby's decision to get away from it all? Jack shook his head and slowly replaced the phone in its dock.
"What was that about a best man…next Saturday?" asked a curious Ali.
"That," began Jack, "was Bobby."
"And?"
"Wanna go to a wedding?"
"Wedding? Whose wedding?" demanded Ali even though she already had a pretty good idea. She just wanted confirmation.
"Bobby and Sue are getting married next Saturday."
"Married!" she shrieked softly jumping up from the sofa. "Married! Oh my God!" She threw her arms around Jack's neck.
"Whoa! What's this?" asked a startled Jack pulling back a little. "Hey! Why the tears?"
"I'm…I'm just so happy for them," she sniffed wiping away the few tears with the back of her hand.
"You don't think they're rushing into marriage?"
She shook her head. "Not after I saw them that weekend we were up there. They're perfect for each other."
"C'mon here, you softie you," smiled Jack as he pulled her into a hug. "Who knew beneath that sophisticated ad exec façade beats the heart of a romantic?" he teased.
"Who got all choked up when he was asked to be best man?" retorted Ali.
"I plead guilty."
"It's good to have Bobby happy again," she said softly as she rested her head on Jack's. "I think Darcy would approve of Sue. She's good for him."
"Yeah, she is."
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"Is he coming?" asked Sue as Bobby put down the phone.
"I think he thought it was a prank," Bobby smiled turning to her. "However, I was able to convince him of the seriousness of my request so he will be here with bells on his toes and probably Ali in tow." He kissed her forehead and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "He thought we're rushing things a bit."
"Are we?"
"Feels right to me," was his prompt response. "Couldn't be happier. What about you?"
"Same here," sighed Sue as she snuggled into his arms. Her friends had made the same comment but once she had convinced them it was what she really wanted, they had thrown themselves wholeheartedly into the wedding preparations.
Tara and Myles had offered the use of their home for the wedding and reception. Bobby had insisted on having the late morning wedding catered so everyone could enjoy the festivities instead of worrying about the preparations. Lucy volunteered to handle the decorations while D had arranged for a photographer.
"Are you sure you don't want your parents to be at the wedding?" asked Bobby.
"Hmm?" said Sue lifting her head. She'd felt vibrations in his chest. "Did you say something?"
"Sorry," he signed and spoke. "I forgot to look at you."
"It's okay," she assured him. "What did you say?"
"I asked if you wanted your parents to come. There's still time to invite them."
Sue shook her head. "I know my Dad will be disappointed but it's better this way. You don't know my mother. I love her dearly but I can just imagine how she'll want to takeover everything," she said ruefully. "We can visit them afterwards and break the news together."
"Sounds like we'll be busy traveling for the next few months," he joked. "I promised my parents the same thing since they couldn't be here. Now, for our honeymoon plans..."
She put her finger on his lips. "Not another word, Bobby Manning. We're honeymooning here."
"Are you sure? We could spend a few days in New York or the Bahamas or where ever you want."
"Everything I want or need is right here," she said softly cupping his face in her hands. She leaned in for a kiss.
"In that case," he murmured, "let the honeymoon begin."
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It was a beautiful Saturday morning for a wedding. Lucy and Tara had done a fabulous job decorating the gazebo and the luncheon tables. Smiles adorned the faces of the handful of guests and the wedding party. The groom beamed with happiness while the bride was radiant in a sleeveless white gown and a short veil.
"Dearly Beloved," began the minister, "we are gathered here together to join this man and this woman…"
The minister's voice died away as Jack viewed the scene before him in bemused wonder. When he'd insisted Bobby move to his place in this quiet town, he never dreamed that this would be the result. The most he had hoped for was for Bobby to regain some of his zest for life. To have his best friend find love again in this most unexpected of places was astonishing and most gratifying.
Lucy looked at the couple and marveled at the changes that had transpired in three short months. Three months ago, life had been relatively calm and uneventful. Then Bobby Manning came to town, a man so wrapped up in his grief that he shut everyone out. No one had wanted to get close to him. No one had—except Sue. Somehow she'd managed to pierce the thick wall he had built around his feelings and chipped away until the real man had been revealed. His anger had changed to acceptance to friendship and then to love. She could see his feelings for her friend in the sparkle of his eyes. As for Sue, she'd never seen her look happier.
Myles beamed in smug satisfaction. He'd known if anyone could get through this difficult patient it would be Sue. Discussing Bobby's case with his New York physician, both had agreed Bobby had needed someone with a positive outlook on life and persistence to help him out of his depression. The doctors had done all they could. Myles had assured Tom Mitchell that he had the perfect person in mind—the clinic's physical therapist. And the prescription had succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. Yup, he was a good doctor all right. He looked at Tara and smiled.
Sue watched Bobby as he promised to love her for better or for worse for the rest of their lives. The man before her was very different from the one who had so rudely brushed off her help three months ago. That man had been hurting so badly emotionally that he hadn't been able to heal physically. At times she'd felt like giving up but there had been those tantalizing glimpses of a different person so she kept on plugging away. Her persistence had paid off. Bobby had changed from the worst of her patients to someone she could love—and she did with her whole heart and soul.
Bobby gazed at Sue with a tender smile. When he'd arrived in town three months ago, he had expected…no, he had planned to wallow in his misery. What he hadn't counted on was having someone like Sue walk into his life and changing his whole mindset. In the process of healing, he had unexpectedly fallen in love with the feisty blonde and she with him. He felt incredible blessed—life was wonderful again.
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife," announced the minister as he smiled. "You may kiss the bride."
Bobby lifted Sue's veil and smiled as he caressed her face. "I love you," he whispered before lowering his lips to hers.
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He couldn't sleep. Despite the long day, he was still so wound up he couldn't close his eyes. Sue had fallen asleep soon after their lovemaking tired from the wedding preparations. All he wanted to do was to stare at the beautiful woman in his arms…his wife.
So much had occurred during this past year that at times, it had been difficult to fully comprehend what was happening. But one thing was crystal clear in his mind—he loved Sue with all his heart. She had brought him out of the darkness that surrounded him and showed him that goodness and sweetness still existed in life.
As he gently tucked a strand of hair from her face, he hoped they had a great many years together. It would take that long to show Sue how much he loved her.
Drawing her closer to him, he finally closed his eyes. His last thought before he drifted off to sleep was life was very good once more and it was all because of Sue.
The End