Learning to Live Again: 2/?
by Emilie Eden
Disclaimer: See part one.
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Tyler Connell listened to the sounds of the shower running. He had taken her back to his apartment after she had fainted. She had awaken on the way there, but after he assured her that she was going to be okay, she had fell asleep. That had been four hours ago. When she had awaken once more, he offered for her to use his shower, while he washed her clothes.
He stood and walked into the kitchen, where he began making a pot of coffee. Over the years, he had learned to make coffee that wasn't lethal. He figured that even if it didn't taste that great, well, that's what they made cream and sugar for.
While the coffee brewed, he walked over to the doorway and leaned against it, once again listening to the steady beat of water. Briefly he wondered if she was okay, because she had been in there over an hour. Then the shower stopped and he assumed she was finished.
He couldn't figure it out. What was she doing here? Why did she come back, after all these years? It had been, what...eight years, at least? Why now?
Did she know?
He shook his head, realizing his coffee was done, and walked over to the counter. He took two coffee mugs out of the cabinet and poured the coffee in, adding in the cream and sugar, the way Val had always drank it at the station. Better safe than sorry, he thought to himself.
There was a shuffling from behind him and he turned. Val was standing there, dressed in one of his shirts and a pair of his pajama bottoms.
"Hey," Tyler greeted her, motioning for her to sit at the kitchen table. "I made some coffee for us. I hope it's okay. I made it like you used to drink it at the station..."
Val nodded silently and sat down at the table. Tyler sat across from her and handed her the mug. She took a sip and glanced up at him. "Thank you," she said softly. "For...everything."
"No problem," he replied sincerely. "I'm not going to push you or anything but...if you want to talk..."
Val shook her head. "Not now. I can't."
"Like I said, I won't push you," Tyler assured her. "Do you want to talk about anything? I mean, we can talk about the weather if you want..."
She gave him a small smile. "Ok. Um...how are the others?"
"Well, a lot of us left Kingsport, like you, but we drifted back. You're the last one, actually..." Tyler dropped a sugar cube into his coffee and watched as it slowly disintegrated into nothing. "Hank and Jasmine got married about five years ago."
"Really?" Val asked, looking somewhat pleased.
"Yeah. We tried to get in touch with you but, you know..." Tyler shrugged as continued. "They were expecting a daughter, they called her Angel, but Jas miscarried. About a year after that, they divorced. Hank just started dating again about six months ago. He's really serious about it, too. Do you remember Melanie Chung? From high school?"
"No way."
"It's true," he chuckled. "They have their differences, but they fit together. So, Hank is with her and he's working at the high school as a physics teacher. Jasmine has been married for three years to a construction worker named Derek, I think. She owns a restaurant in town."
"That's nice...that things worked out for both of them, I mean," Val replied.
"Then there's Jamie, whom is very well known in the Internet world," Tyler continued. "He does a lot of computer stuff...helps internet startups go public, that kind of thing. What else? Hmm, he's had more girlfriends than I have hairs on my head," he joked, causing Val to shake her head in amusement. "I'm not kidding, either."
"And Caitie?"
"She's good," Tyler replied. "We're really good friends not, believe or not. Like Jamie, she hasn't found the right person, yet, but she hasn't dated half as much as he has. I guess that could be a result of her job," he mused. "Caitie's a lawyer and a good one, at that. I think all of that high school rebellion against the school board paid off."
"That sounds just like her," Val smiled. "What about you?"
"Pediatrician," Tyler grinned. "I was going to be, you know, more of a family doctor in general, but I really liked the kids, so..."
"That's really great," she replied, before raising your eyebrow. "Well?"
"What?"
"You talked about everyone else's love life...what about yours?" Val gave him a look. "You can't leave me hanging."
"I'm actually getting married," he admitted. "Next month."
Val looked at him in surprise. "Married?"
"Yeah," he laughed. He then heard the sound of the apartment door opening and stood up. "That's her. Excuse me for a minute, ok?"
"Sure," Val nodded, watching him walk out of the kitchen. She could hear muffled voices, along with bits and pieces of the conversation.
"What is she...why here?"
"I didn't have any choice...it was hard...all of us suffered."
"I know...are you two..."
"No...over between us...marrying you not her..."
Val sighed and turned her attention back to her cup of coffee. A minute later, Tyler walked back into the kitchen, followed by who she presumed was his fiance.
"Hi," she said, looking at Val. "We went to high school together, right?"
"I...I'm not sure," Val frowned. "Tyler didn't mention your name."
"Tyler! Could you be any more rude?" She exclaimed, giving him an exasperated look, before turning back to Val. "You'll have to excuse my Tyler Bear. He can be so rude, but I love him anyway. We're getting married. See the ring?" She held out her hand. "Oh! Almost forgot to tell you my name. Now I'm being rude! I'm Heather," she giggled.
It took a minute for the name to register in Val's mind. "Oh. Oh...right. How could I forget? Heather Stillmore."
by Emilie Eden
Disclaimer: See part one.
----------
Tyler Connell listened to the sounds of the shower running. He had taken her back to his apartment after she had fainted. She had awaken on the way there, but after he assured her that she was going to be okay, she had fell asleep. That had been four hours ago. When she had awaken once more, he offered for her to use his shower, while he washed her clothes.
He stood and walked into the kitchen, where he began making a pot of coffee. Over the years, he had learned to make coffee that wasn't lethal. He figured that even if it didn't taste that great, well, that's what they made cream and sugar for.
While the coffee brewed, he walked over to the doorway and leaned against it, once again listening to the steady beat of water. Briefly he wondered if she was okay, because she had been in there over an hour. Then the shower stopped and he assumed she was finished.
He couldn't figure it out. What was she doing here? Why did she come back, after all these years? It had been, what...eight years, at least? Why now?
Did she know?
He shook his head, realizing his coffee was done, and walked over to the counter. He took two coffee mugs out of the cabinet and poured the coffee in, adding in the cream and sugar, the way Val had always drank it at the station. Better safe than sorry, he thought to himself.
There was a shuffling from behind him and he turned. Val was standing there, dressed in one of his shirts and a pair of his pajama bottoms.
"Hey," Tyler greeted her, motioning for her to sit at the kitchen table. "I made some coffee for us. I hope it's okay. I made it like you used to drink it at the station..."
Val nodded silently and sat down at the table. Tyler sat across from her and handed her the mug. She took a sip and glanced up at him. "Thank you," she said softly. "For...everything."
"No problem," he replied sincerely. "I'm not going to push you or anything but...if you want to talk..."
Val shook her head. "Not now. I can't."
"Like I said, I won't push you," Tyler assured her. "Do you want to talk about anything? I mean, we can talk about the weather if you want..."
She gave him a small smile. "Ok. Um...how are the others?"
"Well, a lot of us left Kingsport, like you, but we drifted back. You're the last one, actually..." Tyler dropped a sugar cube into his coffee and watched as it slowly disintegrated into nothing. "Hank and Jasmine got married about five years ago."
"Really?" Val asked, looking somewhat pleased.
"Yeah. We tried to get in touch with you but, you know..." Tyler shrugged as continued. "They were expecting a daughter, they called her Angel, but Jas miscarried. About a year after that, they divorced. Hank just started dating again about six months ago. He's really serious about it, too. Do you remember Melanie Chung? From high school?"
"No way."
"It's true," he chuckled. "They have their differences, but they fit together. So, Hank is with her and he's working at the high school as a physics teacher. Jasmine has been married for three years to a construction worker named Derek, I think. She owns a restaurant in town."
"That's nice...that things worked out for both of them, I mean," Val replied.
"Then there's Jamie, whom is very well known in the Internet world," Tyler continued. "He does a lot of computer stuff...helps internet startups go public, that kind of thing. What else? Hmm, he's had more girlfriends than I have hairs on my head," he joked, causing Val to shake her head in amusement. "I'm not kidding, either."
"And Caitie?"
"She's good," Tyler replied. "We're really good friends not, believe or not. Like Jamie, she hasn't found the right person, yet, but she hasn't dated half as much as he has. I guess that could be a result of her job," he mused. "Caitie's a lawyer and a good one, at that. I think all of that high school rebellion against the school board paid off."
"That sounds just like her," Val smiled. "What about you?"
"Pediatrician," Tyler grinned. "I was going to be, you know, more of a family doctor in general, but I really liked the kids, so..."
"That's really great," she replied, before raising your eyebrow. "Well?"
"What?"
"You talked about everyone else's love life...what about yours?" Val gave him a look. "You can't leave me hanging."
"I'm actually getting married," he admitted. "Next month."
Val looked at him in surprise. "Married?"
"Yeah," he laughed. He then heard the sound of the apartment door opening and stood up. "That's her. Excuse me for a minute, ok?"
"Sure," Val nodded, watching him walk out of the kitchen. She could hear muffled voices, along with bits and pieces of the conversation.
"What is she...why here?"
"I didn't have any choice...it was hard...all of us suffered."
"I know...are you two..."
"No...over between us...marrying you not her..."
Val sighed and turned her attention back to her cup of coffee. A minute later, Tyler walked back into the kitchen, followed by who she presumed was his fiance.
"Hi," she said, looking at Val. "We went to high school together, right?"
"I...I'm not sure," Val frowned. "Tyler didn't mention your name."
"Tyler! Could you be any more rude?" She exclaimed, giving him an exasperated look, before turning back to Val. "You'll have to excuse my Tyler Bear. He can be so rude, but I love him anyway. We're getting married. See the ring?" She held out her hand. "Oh! Almost forgot to tell you my name. Now I'm being rude! I'm Heather," she giggled.
It took a minute for the name to register in Val's mind. "Oh. Oh...right. How could I forget? Heather Stillmore."