Present
Milly and Eric were both pushing Marshall in his stroller down the sidewalk down towards the park.
It had been a month since they learned Milly was having a little girl, and the two were currently in the middle of tossing name ideas back and forth. All appointments so far had been looking really good, and Dr. Weaver had encouraged Milly to be up and about. She could exercise, take walks, jog, and no basically everything she was doing before as long as she knew her limits, and didn't lift anything too heavy. She said Marshall was fine, but Eric had been nervous and insisted on doing basically everything as usual. He had been working nights, and taking odd days here and there in order to help out as much as possible. He even offered to hire somebody to help out, but Milly told him firmly that when she knew it was beginning to be too much, she would be the first to speak up. Marshall loved taking walks in the summer, especially since all of the neighborhood knew Eric and Milly, and always stopped to fuss over Marshall. It was nearly dusk, and lucky the bugs weren't out yet. It was a warm summer evening, and they passed houses where people were sitting on their screened in porches, or lawns that had people grilling out, with kids running through sprinklers, or waving around sparklers.
Eric had just signed a name that Milly had been thinking of. Lately nothing really seemed to be sticking. Stopping, both pushing the handle to the stroller, she smirked and looked over at him.
"Robin?"
Eric smirked and nodded. Milly thought about it.
"Robin Gibb...isn't that a singer or something?"
Eric shrugged and signed.
"Just thought it sounded pretty. You like it?"
Milly smiled looking ahead as she pushed the stroller.
"Robin Gibb...I like that."
Eric looked over at her and smirked as they continued pushing the stroller down the sidewalk together.
The next day...
Eric had just finished changing, dressing, and feeding Marshall his breakfast. He gave the baby a big kiss on it's cheek, before carefully putting him into his netted playpen. The baby instantly pointed and wiggled his tiny little hands up, desperately reached for Eric.
"Dada! Dada!"
Milly saw this as she walked in. She was wearing a baggy light blouse since she had started noticing herself gaining weight, and shorts. Her hair was back in a ponytail, and she sadly smiled as she joined Eric who was ready to head down to the hardware store. They needed extra help delivering lumber from the lumberyard, and Milly insisted to him that it was okay.
"No sweetheart, daddy has to go to work. You'll see him later."
This looked like it was ripping Eric apart. He sighed, staring down as the baby continued to try reaching for him, his face turning bright red as more tears flowed down his tiny face.
"Dada!"
Marshall screamed. Milly sighed, wrapping her arms around Eric's arm and giving it a slight squeeze.
"Okay, get out of here before he guilts you into staying."
Eric sighed, before nodding and together the two walked to the front door, ignoring the baby's screaming cries, which Milly knew was nearly impossible for Eric. Smiling, she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him.
He smiled.
"Bye honey."
Eric signed...
"Bye. What are you two up today? Remember I'm going to the market after work. If you need anything extra just call down to the store or text me."
"Will do. Geneva is actually coming over. Andy is taking Jennifer to his parents. She's got a bunch of old baby clothing from her she wants to go through with me."
Eric smiled, reaching down and brushing a tiny strand of hair away from her face. Gazing down into her eyes, he smirked before leaning down, and lightly kissing her forehead, before using his thumb to gently rub her cheek.
He then signed...
"Have fun okay?"
Milly smiled and nodded.
"Promise."
Eric then looked down at her stomach, which was just starting to show a little. Smiling, he reached down and gently rubbed her stomach before struggling to say...
"Bye...R...R...Robb...Robin."
Milly never thought after all these years this man could still give her butterflies the way he did. Smiling, she stood on her tip toes, and softly kissed his lips. Smiling through the kiss, she felt him kiss her back, his plump lips slowly opening and closing against hers. Once she opened her eyes, and went back down on her feet, she stared up at her husband and smiled. He stared down at her smirking, before both heard Marshall was he stood up in his playpen, pressing his chubby little face against the netted material.
Instantly the look he gave them said it all.
"Dada! Dada!"
He wiggled and waved his arms, trying to stretch and reach up, but was too short to even touch the top edge of the playpen. This usually happened whenever he watched Eric leave for work, which Milly knew completely destroyed him. She had joked that once he started daycare or preschool it would be an absolute nightmare since Eric apparently was his entire world. Frowning, Eric sighed, and signed that it killed him whenever his little boy cried like that. Milly had nuzzled his neck, laying her head on his shoulder, truly knowing that he meant it. Whenever Marshall ran a fever, got his shots, or started throwing a fit crying it destroyed Eric. Milly knew the bond between these two certainly was strong, and she could tell just within this year that Eric was meant to be a father.
In fact, maybe he had been waiting his whole life to become one. Milly loved that Marshall was going to have a dad just like her. Even though it had been so long ago, every night when she said her prayers, she silently spoke to her dad, telling him she still loved and missed him, and that she was certain he would have absolutely loved his grandson. Milly knew Eric barley remembered his dad, but from the stories his aunts and Uncle Hugo had told him, he sounded awesome. She knew from the moment her accident happened in college, and they discovered she had been pregnant and lost the baby, that Eric wanted a family with her. She figured he wanted it just as badly as she wanted it. All of those heartbreaking years of trying, never once did he complain. All he ever worried about was her physical and mental health. She had seen it in his eyes the second Marshall was born.
It was love at first sight. She couldn't believe that she was now carrying a little girl.
Their family was almost complete after all this time. Still, she knew she would have been just as happy if it was just the two of them. As usual, it was always them against the world, and it amazed her that they had found each other when they did. Eric was magic plain and simple, and she had a feeling deep down inside that their children might be too. She had brought up the topic of Eric ever knew if any of his family, or parents could fly? Eric said as far as he knew no, that it just started when his parents died in that plane crash. His mind just told him to try to fly, and after years of wishing, it just started to happen. Milly had asked if he ever thought any of their children might inherit the same ability? Eric frowned and shook his head. At first Milly was confused. Why wouldn't he not want such an amazing ability to be passed down? Then he explained it, and yet again it all made sense. That would mean their children would always be in danger. Sure they had lived with his secret, and had always been so careful. They knew the risk involved, and if it ever got out that Eric could actually fly, or have somebody besides Milly witness it...his life...no their life would be destroyed. He told her they would probably have him sent away to some secret government compound where he would be experimented on, and held prisoner for the rest of his life. That they might try to use his gift for something terrible, or make him have to run. That somehow he knew he always be careful.
That unfortunately, as much as he hated to think this way, but the world could never know. He wasn't sure if there were other people like him that could do the same thing? That every time in a movie or TV show whenever he saw somebody fly, he often wondered if someway, somehow it all came from a true source. Much like Milly's novels. He wasn't sure yet if they would share his secret with their children, but he told Milly one day he would simply have to stop flying. He hadn't been doing it as often as they did as kids, but they now had a family to protect, and couldn't risk anything ever happening to them. It worried Milly, as she wondered if one day she would enter the nursery and find Marshall ready to fly out the window, or in the future their baby girl rising from the hospital nursery as the nurses stood back in shock and awe. She knew Eric had the same worries, but she hoped that maybe Eric had just been special over what had happened to his parents, and after wishing, and trying so long...it just happened. She just hoped when the day finally came for Eric to take his final flight, he would take her with him. She wondered if Marshall, and her little girl might be autistic? This wasn't a worry of hers whatsoever, but she was curious. Dr. Weaver said she didn't see any signs with Marshall as of right now, and of course there could be tests done on him as he grew older, but as of right now everything looked "normal" or whatever what word really meant. As of right now, she felt very lucky, and very blessed. Milly saw the concerned look in Eric's eyes as he looked over at the baby starting to fuss and cry, trying to badly to get Eric to walk over, and rescue him from his playpen.
"You better go before he melts down."
Eric sighed and nodded, before looking at her. Sadly smiling, he leaned in and kissed her cheek before leaving. Sighing, hating to always see him go, and gently rubbed her belly, just recently having been feeling tiny little movements from her. Turning, she pretended to pout, sticking her bottom lip out.
"Awww come here baby..."
She walked over and leaned down, scooping him up, hating that in a few months she wouldn't be allowed to pick him up anymore. The baby was full fledge crying his eyes out. His face was all wrinkled up, and bright red. He was crying loudly, babbling over and over for his daddy. Milly kissed the top of his head, where his floppy dark brown hair, smelled of his baby shampoo they had used last night for his bath. Marshall snuggled up against Milly's shoulder, his cries slowly settling down, before they turned into whimpers, and then hiccups. Soothing him as she walked back and forth across the room, she softly sang to him when it happened...
The worst cramp she had ever experienced jolted through her. Worse than even the one she had while carrying Marshall after having that very upsetting phone call with her mother. Her eyes widening, she instantly remembered this kind of cramp...the same ones she had after endless miscarriages.
It ripped through her enough to cause her to cry out. This startled Marshall, who pulled back, and looked at her, on the verge of tears again.
"Mamma?"
He continued to babble the few words he knew in this babyish yet perfect gibberish. Milly suddenly felt very hot, and carefully leaned down to put Marshall down on the rug. As she did so another cramp ripped through her as she doubled over, and grabbed hold herself.
"Ah!" She snapped her eyes shut, before her legs gave out, and everything suddenly became very dark.
June 1989
Keith plunged the broken beer bottle right into the back of Eric's left shoulder. It all happened so fast, and Milly felt Eric suddenly step behind her, his hands firmly grasping the sides of her arms, and pushing her forward. Milly heard Eric let out a mixture between a cry and a half scream. Milly whipped her head around, and saw Keith, looking completely crazed behind her, His face was twisted up in a snarl, and already several people standing in the back yard saw, and threw their solo cups down, and started running over. Milly saw blood squirt up and screamed, nearly stumbling sideways. Small-town Boy by Bronski Beat started playing from the speakers set up in the background, as people came running. Milly saw the broken bottle sticking out of Eric's back, and the huge amount of blood that was soaking through his shirt. Milly couldn't believe her eyes, as she screamed and ran over.
"ERIC!"
Keith's face crumpled with rage as he closed his fist to swing and punch Eric.
"You stupid fucking freak!"
Keith screamed, as he swung his arm back. Trying to hit Eric, he was completely taken off guard as Eric, with those cat like reflexes thankfully kicked in just in time. He grabbed Keith's fist, just before it swung back and hit him, and he twisted his wrist, causing Keith to scream. Milly ran over, torn over if she should stop to help Eric, or attack Keith? Keith screamed, ready to lunge forward again, when out of nowhere Andy, Griffin, Nicky, andFred tackled him go the ground. They pinned him down, as others came running, as well as Geneva. Milly stood back in total shock, staring at the broken stem of the beer bottle, sticking out of Eric's blood as nearly his entire T-shirt's back was soaked through with blood. Keith screamed and struggled beneath the grass as the guys all swore at him, and Andy yelled at Geneva to get some of the others to get rid of the beer and cups and call the cops. Everything was happening so fast, Milly couldn't seem to move. Instead, she just stared at the bottle sticking out of her boyfriend's back, as Geneva ran over to her, crying.
"Milly oh my God! What happened?!"
Andy, who was sitting on top of Keith's back, yelled for Geneva to get moving. Ignoring him, Geneva pulled at Milly's arm, as she remained frozen, staring at Eric completely speechless. Finally, she spoke, feeling like some sort of shell shocked victim from a cheap horror movie.
"Eric?"
Eric slowly turned around, before he noticed the broken beer bottle sticking out from his back. He half looked back over his shoulder, before his wide scared eyes said it all to Milly, who honestly thought she might pass out. Just then a very drunk Garry walked out holding his solo cup full of beer, before he stopped dead in his tracks, most likely wandering over to see what all of the commotion was. Stopping, he eyed Keith struggling beneath the guys, and then at Eric. Raising one arm, he pointed straight at him.
"Eric...dude...you got a fucking beer bottle sticking out of your back."
Later that night...
Keith had been arrested. A good portion of the party had left, too scared to be caught drinking once they heard the police were going to be called. In the end about eight for so people stayed, and Andy and Sonny remained pinning Keith down to the ground who struggled, and swore at them while his face was pressed right up against the grass. Geneva had Mona, Joe, and Max pull the keg inside and into one of the closets, before throwing a bunch of coats on top of it. Next they went outside, and with help from Grace, and Andy they went through the house and back yard with trash bags and got rid of any evidence that beer had been bought. They threw the bags in the downstairs cellar after they made absolutely sure that everything was picked up. They did this all in less than 10 minutes, finally Milly, who was with Eric in the kitchen with Erin, not wanting to pull the beer bottle out originally in case the bleeding got worse. They both used towels, and gently applied pressure around the stem of the bottle in Eric's back, who sat sideways on one of the breakfast bar stools. He was pale, and clearly in a ton of pain. Finally Milly had enough, and when she saw Geneva run through the house to double check if everything was picked up, she lost her patience and screamed...
"WHY HASN'T AN AMBULANCE OR THE POLICE BEEN CALLED? ERIC COULD BLEED TO DEATH!"
Geneva skidded to to the haunt and held her hands up.
"I'm running to the phone right now honey! Oh my God Eric...look at all of the blood!"
The towels were stained with Eric's blood, and a trail of blood droplets showed where he had walked in, and had been sitting. Seeing the blood against the black and white tiles made Milly think of a crime scene from a horror movie. Eric had been a trooper. He had signed to Milly that he was okay, he just couldn't move too much because of how the bottle went in. Milly at first wanted to bring him to the hospital, or call an ambulance herself, but Andy had told her to wait. Looking at Geneva as if she was going to lose her mind again, her eyes widened as she glared at her.
"Geneva!"
Geneva nodded, holding her hands up again.
"Sorry! Give me a quick second!"
She ran into the living room to call. Erin leaned in, still gentle with the towel, almost held in a circle around the beer bottle. She looked at Milly with worried eyes. It seemed impossible that this was the same girl, along with Mona, and the others who used to make fun of Eric for being different. Now they were all sorta friends, and she actually looked worried about him. Milly sighed, before she knelt down in front of Eric. She took hold of Eric's hands, and gave them a gentle squeeze, before leaning down and kissing them. Looking up, she stared up at him. She instantly could tell he was hurting. "You okay honey?" Eric nodded, but clearly he wasn't. Milly bowed her head, on the verge of tears, before Geneva walked back in.
"They're on the way. Just another few minutes. Jesus look at the blood. You okay Eric?"
She walked in as Eric lifted his eyes and with the hand that Milly wasn't holding and gave the so-so motion. Geneva walked in closer, before Milly shook her head, still kneeling in front of where Eric was.
"Who invited that psychopath?!"
Geneva shrugged as she stood to the side, looking at Erin, trying to gently apply pressure to Eric's wound as if it was an accident she couldn't look away from.
"Nobody...Andy thinks he crashed it. Trust me he's a whole world of trouble now. God, he could have killed you Eric."
Milly instantly remembered what Eric had done. Tears now silently rolling down her face, she looked up at the other two girls.
"I think he was aiming for me. Eric pushed me out of the way."
She looked up at Eric's face, before she burst out crying, lowering her head and pressing it against Eric's leg. Not able to move much, Eric gently patted her head, as Geneva leaned down and rubbed her back. That's when it hit her. Eric would be willing to step in front of a psychopath for her.
If this wasn't love...she didn't know what was?
The next day...
Keith had been arrested. He was currently down at the sheriff's station, and from what Andy told them, Keith's parents refused to bail him out. Andy had an uncle on the force, they he told them he would keep them posted with any new updates. Uncle Hugo was wild when he arrived at the hospital, and told the police they would be pressing charges. Eric had to spend the night at the hospital, Milly rode with him in the ambulance to the hospital. He sat up, as the paramedics applied pressure around the broken stem of the beer bottle. Milly the entire time squeezed his hands, knowing how much it must have hurt, and kept locking eyes with him, trying to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. The police were having everyone who stayed at the party to make statements. Garry had left the party before they came since he clearly was pretty wasted. There were plenty of witnesses that told the police that Keith attacked Eric and Milly, and had ended up stabbing Eric. Once at the hospital, the ER doctor was going to make Milly wait in the waiting room, before thankfully one of the paramedics whispered in his ear. Milly knew he was letting him know that Eric was autistic, and would flip if his girlfriend wasn't with him. The doctor nodded, before he nodded, and had two nurses lead Eric and Milly into one of the examining rooms. Milly squeezed Eric's hands the entire time. He was injected with two separate shots, before one of the nurses gave Milly some paperwork. She wasn't sure about all of the answers, but filled the forms out as best as she could. She gave the nurse Uncle Hugo's number, praying that he could be found, and wouldn't be drunk. After that Eric's shirt was cut off him, the T-shirt soaked with blood. She saw smears of blood against his skin, and once the doctor came back, he used a examining tool to see if Eric was numb. Once it was clear that he was, the nurse rolled over a tray of instruments, as he told Eric to just try and sit still, and keep looking at his pretty girlfriend. Eric stared at Milly who tried her hardest not to cry and be strong for him.
She tried to ignore what the doctor was doing, and after a few minutes, he told Eric to take a deep breath, and that he was going to feel some pressure, before Eric, who was sitting, and leaning forward, had his eyes widen, as a strange sickening sound filled the room, and the beer bottle was yanked out. Milly had to look down, feeling sick to her stomach, before the doctor carefully put it in a tray, making a strange clattering sound.
"From the looks of it, I think it went in and out clean, but I'm going to examine the wound, clean it out, and see if any fragments broke off. Eric you're going great. If it starts to hurt let us know."
Eric tried breathing, as he continued looking at Milly. After about fifteen or so minutes, he began putting in the stitches once the wound was cleaned. Eric squeezed Milly's hands the entire time. It was then bandaged, and the doctor told Eric he wanted him to stay over night, and could go home in the morning. That it looked like it just went into muscle, and didn't hit any nerves, but he wanted to keep an extra eye on him. Milly knew some of the nurses might have an issue with her staying, but the way she was feeling, she honestly thought she might pull a bigger fit than Eric. Eric was transferred to a room, where he was given scrubs to wear, and the nurse put a special cushion behind Eric, who he could lay back without hurting himself. Milly watched as he was hooked up to an IV, and after a few minutes figured he was being given fluids, and probably judging from the other bag, morphine. She could tell it was getting to him, since his eyes got a cloudy calm look about them, as he smiled, and sat back while Milly rubbed his hand, thankful that Keith had only stabbed him in the back like the coward he was instead of getting him in the throat or chest. The police came in a few minutes later, and began to ask them questions. Eric signed, and Milly translated.
It certainly had been a party for the record books.
Two weeks later...
Keith was charged and would be serving six months for assault down state. It didn't go to court, but Uncle Hugo, and Mrs. Sherman met with a judge, and Keith's parents. There wasn't any way they could throw money to make this go away. There were too many witnesses. Keith would be serving time at a low security prison, and be on parole for the next several years. There was a restraining order now against him with Eric and Milly, and his parents were forced to pay for all of Eric's medical bills. It was the talk of the town for the first few days, even made the papers. Then, that was that. Thankfully, Eric's wound wasn't that bad, and the doctors said it would just leave a tiny scar.
It was a hot miserable day, and Milly was laying sunbathing with Eric in the backyard. Her mother and Garry had gone to the lake with Luis and a few of his friends. Milly wore her one piece, and had her radio softly playing as she baked underneath the hot blazing sun. Eric laid on his stomach beside her on his own towel, his eyes closed, snoozing and working on his tan. Milly had to already twice put on sunscreen, while Eric's skin turned a gorgeous shade of golden brown. She cracked open one eye, feeling sweaty, and sleepy from the sun. She knew the top 40 was playing on the radio, and there was only eight more songs to go before noon. She planned on running inside and grabbing Eric and her some cold pops, before maybe mentioning tomorrow they could try out the public pool if it wasn't crowded? Looking over at him she smirked. His bandage of his back was gone, and just two days ago he got his stitches out, leaving a crude little scar going down a few inches near his shoulder blade. Thankfully there hadn't been any nerve damage, and Milly put on a special cream the doctor had given them to shrink the scar while it healed. Reaching over, her thin fingertips lightly danced across the wound which was almost completely healed, and she sadly smiled.
She would never forget that he had thrown himself in front of her so she wouldn't get hurt. Looking at her boyfriend tanning beside her, she made a promise to herself to make this summer one to truly never forget.
Present
Eric had just finished sawing wood out back, and had just helped Phil load in the latest order from the lumber yard into the back of the truck.
It was a clear hot day, and Eric was thankful that the A.C inside the workshop was cranking. His sleeves to his T-shirt were rolled up, showing his muscular tanned arms. Phil and him had sweated like dogs loading in the truck, and were thankful they didn't have to deliver the order until later that afternoon. The crisp smells of sawdust lingered in the air, as Eric plucked off his work gloves, and carefully slid the blocks of cut wood into a bin. Working silently, he thought of the special project he was working on for Marshall. He was currently in the process of carving out a wooden rocking horse, one of which he was following designs to, and was polishing the sanding it down so smooth, it almost looked as if it was made out of plastic. The carving itself had taken the last several months, and he was currently in the process of sanding, staining, and polishing it. A few nights a week, he would venture into the garage to work on some small engines dropped off for him, as well as work on this. He was hoping he would have it ready for Marshall before the holidays. He also just started a secret project for the baby. He started it the second he learned that they were having a little girl. It was a dollhouse. It would be three floors, with almost twelve rooms in total. He had the frame built so far, and the tiny windows, and doors cut out.
He wanted to model it after an old Victorian style house, and perhaps as more time passed, he would put more and more detail into it, including making trim, siding, fake glass, doors with hinges, floors, rugs, tiny furniture, and even wallpaper. Milly had mentioned when she was a little girl, her father had brought home a beautiful dollhouse, which sadly Luis had broken when he fell on it just two years before Milly's father passed away. Wanting to surprise Milly with this, he planned on hiding it into the garage, and revealing it maybe before the baby's first birthday.
He couldn't wait to see her face.
Just then Frank, a fellow co-worker from a hardware store poked his head in the doorway, a worried expression on his face.
"Eric?"
Eric stopped, currently in the middle of putting the pieces of wood away. Stopping, he turned and raised an eyebrow as Frank gave a very worried expression.
"Geneva, your neighbor is on the phone...it's your wife."
Eric froze, already feeling his heart sink at hearing this. His face fell, eyes widening, before he hurried past Frank, and picked up the phone that was laying on the back counter. Instantly he felt his throat lock up, but he forced himself to make a sound.
"G...Ge..."
Before he could finish, Geneva spoke, and he felt his heart hammer in his chest.
"Eric, you gotta come to the hospital real fast. I have Marshall. It's Milly. I came over, and she wasn't answering the door. I heard the baby crying and used the key."
Eric gripped onto the phone tight enough to break it.
Geneva went on.
"She's losing the baby Eric. She's in emergency surgery. Dr. Weaver just came. She lost a lot of blood and..."
Before she could finish Eric threw the phone down with a heavy clang, causing a few of the guys, and customers to look over, before he dug his keys out, and ran out the door.