(Chapter 41. February 13. Rehearsal dinner. The Grange social hall.)
Steve sat back from the table and sighed contentedly. He was stuffed and exhausted, but having too much fun to want to go home. Surprisingly, he didn't feel nervous at all.
The morning had been spent in last minute fittings and alterations for the wedding party. Liv seemed delighted with her dress, and she was thrilled when Steve gave her a pair earrings he'd had made before they left Los Angeles. They matched her watch, necklace, and ring, and he had told her they were the "something new" for her to wear in the wedding for luck.
After lunch, they had gone to the church for the wedding rehearsal. They had decided to go with a very traditional variation of a Medieval Christian ceremony from the Book of Common Prayer of Queen Elizabeth I of England. He liked Pastor Brennan, and, though Liv had rejected the suggestion, both she and Steve had appreciated his sensitivity when he offered the possibility of dropping out the "speak now or forever hold your peace" portion of the service.
"I don't know, Steve," she had said. "I think it's an important part of the tradition. Nothing could ever change how I feel about you, and I know there's no legal reason we can't get married. After all this time, if someone has something to say about it, I think they should have the chance to be heard. I know it could make for a really difficult time, but believe me when I tell you, the only person who could make me change my mind is you."
Steve thought about it a moment. "The only person I'd be concerned about is Keith, Liv, but I think he and I achieved a meeting of the minds while you were in the hospital. If you want to keep it, keep it. It doesn't bother me."
Now he and Liv were having a blast at the rehearsal dinner. Their friends had foregone the traditional bridal shower and bachelor party due to time constraints, and his father had gladly agreed to take up the slack by combining them into the rehearsal dinner. Steve wondered if he would have been so agreeable had he known what some of the gifts were.
When Steve unwrapped the see-through blue pajamas, Mark blushed even redder than he did. Steve was genuinely grateful to Liv for not letting his dad see the edible underwear she had received. Suspiciously enough, both packages had come with unsigned cards, but the handwriting was strangely familiar to Steve. For some reason, Jack and Jesse were the only people who wouldn't meet his eye when looked around for someone to 'thank' for the racy gifts.
He smiled to think of the two of them teaming up for something devious, maybe deviant, like that. He was glad Jack and Jesse had hit it off so well. It was nice to know his two best friends got along. Jack had come without a date, which was fine, because he and Sue Redmond were getting along famously, and Steve was quite satisfied to know that all of Liv's friends liked his closest friends.
Best of all, he and Keith had made peace. Life was good.
"Steve…Hello, Steve…You in there?"
"Huh? What?"
Liv laughed at him, "You were lost for a minute there. Jesse's about to make a toast."
Steve spotted mischief in Jesse's eye and groaned inwardly. This was going to get ugly.
"I, uh, guess as best man, it's my job to start off the toasts. I've already prepared the one I'm going to give tomorrow, but this one is off the cuff. So please bear with me."
He looked around to see that he had everybody's attention, and Steve breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he might escape embarrassment. He was wrong.
"I don't know how many of you have heard about this, but if you have, I apologize for boring you with old news. I just wanted to tell you all a little bit about how Liv and Steve first met. She very nearly blew him away from the start, which is unusual for Steve. Most women get to know him before they start shooting."
There was a laughing groan at the bad joke, but most people there didn't know how close to the truth it was. To Liv and Steve's great dismay, Jesse told them.
"Oh, no, I'm serious. Less then twelve hours after they met, she had a gun to his head."
From there, Jesse proceeded to tell them the whole story of that first day and how Steve had helped Liv find her house and move in. He ended with more twisted humor, "Most people would say that everything that you've been through together speaks volumes about how well you will get on in married life, and they may be right, but frankly, Liv, I knew you were the one the moment I heard he'd forgiven you for puking in his truck. I have never known Steve to love anything so much as that truck…until now."
Raising his glass he finished with, "Peace, joy, and long life, Steve and Olivia. May all your troubles be little ones."
Jack stood next, and, thankfully, he was brief.
"Steve, I've known you for years, but when I first saw you at the airport, you were a different man. You were happier than I have ever seen you. Olivia, thank you for doing that for him. Cheers."
The noises of appreciation fell abruptly silent when Keith stood up, unsteady on his crutches and prosthetic legs, but determined to be heard. He looked around and smiled innocently.
"You know, I'm pretty good at reading faces, and I have to tell you, half of you are thinking 'Ohhhhh, Lord, what's he gonna do now,' and the other half don't know what to think. Well you can all relax, I'm not going to screw this up for anyone."
He paused a moment, and was a bit disappointed when the tension did not lift. Shrugging his shoulders and turning first to look at Steve, he offered his toast.
"Steve, I have to be honest. I envy you many things. You're even taller than I was before I lost my legs, you look like a movie star, you still have all your hair," he ran a hand over his balding head and waited for the chuckles to quiet, "and it never snows in Southern California. But one thing I do not envy you is the job you have undertaken. You really have no idea what's in store for you."
There were general sounds of confusion at his statement. Steve more than anyone clearly wondered what he was leading up to. Keith patiently waited for silence.
"Olivia is a dreamer *and* a doer. If she can imagine something, she will move heaven and earth to make it happen. Whatever comes into her head will in some shape or form come out in the world around her. Sometimes, her dreams are way out there, and she seems to be setting herself up to fail. Your mission, Steve, since you have so foolishly chosen to accept it, is to spend the rest of your life trying to keep this wild child, this fickle female, our…outrageous, often in orbit O, firmly grounded in reality. You *will* fail…frequently."
There was a smattering of knowing laughter from the crowd. Keith saw Steve grin, obviously understanding now. When laughter died down, he continued.
"If I may presume to give you a little advice, it is this: On those all- too-common days when you fail to make her keep both feet on the ground, when you can't get her head out of the clouds, instead of getting frustrated, just hold on tight, and let her teach you how to fly."
There was a chorus of "Awwww's," and when they stopped, Keith turned to Olivia.
"O, OOOOlivia," he stretched her name out like a sigh. "Olivia Margaret Regis, it is no secret that your beach bum and I will never be the best of friends, so I won't even pretend it's possible."
The renewed tension in the air was palpable.
"Ironically, you are the only reason I know him, the only reason I hated him at first sight, and the only reason I have learned to get along with him. We may never be buddies, O, but I do know a good man when I see one, and he is one of the best I've met. He is what I should have been, and I am glad you have him."
Keith paused a moment and collected his thoughts.
"This is my advice to you. Depend on him, and he will never let you down. Lean on him, and he will always support you. Put yourself under his protection, and he will forever keep you safe. Trust him, and he will be faithful in all things. Love him, Olivia, love him…"
Keith swallowed a lump in his throat. He needed to finish this.
"Love him, and he will love you like the morning loves the sun."
Raising his glass higher, he saluted them.
"God bless you both. May you have many years together and much happiness to lighten the weight of those years. Salud."
There was a smattering of applause and another chorus of "Awwww's." Several people took out tissues to dab their eyes. Keith downed his champagne, dropped heavily into his wheelchair, and as soon as the attention was off him; he rolled out of the social hall, intent on being alone.
Olivia would not allow it.
As she listened to Keith's toast, Olivia's throat tightened until she could barely swallow her champagne. She only gave half an ear to the other toasts that were being made as she watched Keith at his table. For several moments, he sat there struggling to maintain control, then when all attention was directed elsewhere, he wheeled his chair out of the Grange Hall. A few minutes later, when the toasting was over, Olivia excused herself to the powder room, and slipped out to the porch on her way back.
She found Keith sitting in the dark at the end of the porch.
"Kinda cold out here, isn't it?"
"Nah, but you've been away so long you've lost your tolerance for it."
"I suppose that could be."
A pause.
"I never knew you were so eloquent."
"Well, we all have our hidden talents."
"You all right, Keith?"
"Why wouldn't I be all right?" He tried to feign surprise, but the catch in his voice gave him away.
"You know that I know that you don't really expect an answer to that, so why don't you just talk to me so we can both go back inside and warm up."
"I waited twelve years, O, expecting you to come home, and when you did, you brought him. What do you want me to say?"
"I don't know, Keith, but it's not my fault you let life go on without you. You chose to mire yourself in what happened and send me on my way. I'd have stayed, I *wanted* to stay, but you just made it hurt so much."
He turned to her, and even in the dark, she could see the pain and shock on his face.
"You wanted to stay?"
"Yes."
"With me?"
"Yes." He heard tears in her voice.
"Kenney and Meg and Mom all asked you to come home, O. Why didn't you?"
"The day you sent me away, you said you'd come find me if you ever wanted to see me again. I always let you know where I was, Keith, but you never came for me. All you had to do was come for me." Now the tears were sliding down her cold-reddened cheeks.
He covered his face and shook his head in disbelief.
"Oh, God. Oh, God in Heaven. What have I done?"
Steve had seen Olivia slip out the door on her way back from the powder room. He gave her plenty of time to talk to Keith, but when the party started winding down, he went looking for her. He didn't want the mass exodus to interrupt their discussion, so he thought he'd give them a little warning.
He stepped on the porch to see Keith, head in hands, moaning, "What have I done?"
Looking up at Liv, Keith said, "All I ever had to do was come for you?"
She nodded sadly, and Steve could hear the sound of crying in her voice. "That's all I wanted, Keith. All I ever needed."
The man's ragged breathing told the story of his pain as he asked, "When did things change, O?"
Olivia thought for a minute and said, "New Year's Eve. Just before Thanksgiving, I promised Steve I'd stick around as long as he wanted me, but it was early days yet. If you'd have come for me then, I know he would have told me to go."
"But…" Keith prompted her to continue.
"But on New Year's Eve, he tried to propose, and I stopped him. I wanted to make sure he knew what a messed up woman he was dealing with. I wanted him to know how hard it could be to…be with me."
"And…" Keith was dragging the whole story out of her, forcing himself to listen to it.
Steve was tempted to put a stop to their conversation. Both of them were obviously in pain, and while he didn't care what Keith put himself through, he didn't want to see Liv suffer any more. Still, he let them continue, believing it was good for them to get everything out in the open.
"And I promised him if he still wanted to ask after he'd heard my whole story that I would say yes."
Keith sighed with regret. His tears were spent. Then he raised his head and asked with a challenge in his voice, "Do you love him, O?"
"You said it yourself, Keith. He'll protect me, he'll be faithful, he'll love me."
"But I asked, do you love him?"
"Yes, Keith, I do."
Steve smiled, knowing his place in Olivia's life was secure.
"More than me?"
"Oh, Keith…"
Steve felt his guts tie in knots. He waited breathlessly for her to continue, but she didn't.
"Well?" The challenge was there again, clear as ever.
"Keith, do you really think that's a fair question?"
Steve wasn't liking these developments at all. Liv was only evasive when something was painful for her to discuss.
"Hell, yes. O, tomorrow you are going to promise to spend the *rest* of your *life* with him. He better be the one, or it won't work."
"He treats me well, Keith, and I promised I'd marry him. We'll have a good life. I'll make sure it works."
Steve thought he was going to be sick.
"You haven't answered my question, O."
Steve heard a gentle smile in her voice when she answered. "I love him as much as I possibly could love anyone who wasn't you, Keith. Finding him when I did was a blessing from God, and that should be more than enough for anyone. We will be very happy together."
Steve heard Keith's voice dripping with gentle sarcasm, "And you promised, didn't you?"
Liv nodded, "I promised."
"Lucky bastard."
Steve slipped back into the Grange Hall and closed the door quietly. Then he came banging out onto the porch again.
"Liv! Hey, Liv!"
She stepped out of the shadows alone. Here eyes, cheeks, and nose were red, but if he didn't know better, Steve would have thought it was the cold and the wind.
"What's the matter, babe?"
Oh, if only he could tell her.
"The party's breaking up, and you should know your bridesmaids have decided that you're to spend the night at Jud and May's house. They said something about it being bad luck for the groom to see the bride on her wedding day before the actual wedding ceremony."
She laughed, saying, "That's nonsense, Steve, and I am *not* being dragged out of my own bed the night before my wedding for some old superstition."
"Well, now, you're doing the something old, something new thing."
"Because I want to. I am spending the night in my house."
He thought about talking her into going along with it, but decided not to. He needed tonight with her to think about what he was going to do tomorrow.
"Well, if that's the way you feel, we had better escape now or they'll be hauling you away. You start the jeep and I'll get our coats, ok? I'm sure Dad and the gang will bring along the gifts later."
"All right. I'll pull up to the porch for you."
Steve sat back from the table and sighed contentedly. He was stuffed and exhausted, but having too much fun to want to go home. Surprisingly, he didn't feel nervous at all.
The morning had been spent in last minute fittings and alterations for the wedding party. Liv seemed delighted with her dress, and she was thrilled when Steve gave her a pair earrings he'd had made before they left Los Angeles. They matched her watch, necklace, and ring, and he had told her they were the "something new" for her to wear in the wedding for luck.
After lunch, they had gone to the church for the wedding rehearsal. They had decided to go with a very traditional variation of a Medieval Christian ceremony from the Book of Common Prayer of Queen Elizabeth I of England. He liked Pastor Brennan, and, though Liv had rejected the suggestion, both she and Steve had appreciated his sensitivity when he offered the possibility of dropping out the "speak now or forever hold your peace" portion of the service.
"I don't know, Steve," she had said. "I think it's an important part of the tradition. Nothing could ever change how I feel about you, and I know there's no legal reason we can't get married. After all this time, if someone has something to say about it, I think they should have the chance to be heard. I know it could make for a really difficult time, but believe me when I tell you, the only person who could make me change my mind is you."
Steve thought about it a moment. "The only person I'd be concerned about is Keith, Liv, but I think he and I achieved a meeting of the minds while you were in the hospital. If you want to keep it, keep it. It doesn't bother me."
Now he and Liv were having a blast at the rehearsal dinner. Their friends had foregone the traditional bridal shower and bachelor party due to time constraints, and his father had gladly agreed to take up the slack by combining them into the rehearsal dinner. Steve wondered if he would have been so agreeable had he known what some of the gifts were.
When Steve unwrapped the see-through blue pajamas, Mark blushed even redder than he did. Steve was genuinely grateful to Liv for not letting his dad see the edible underwear she had received. Suspiciously enough, both packages had come with unsigned cards, but the handwriting was strangely familiar to Steve. For some reason, Jack and Jesse were the only people who wouldn't meet his eye when looked around for someone to 'thank' for the racy gifts.
He smiled to think of the two of them teaming up for something devious, maybe deviant, like that. He was glad Jack and Jesse had hit it off so well. It was nice to know his two best friends got along. Jack had come without a date, which was fine, because he and Sue Redmond were getting along famously, and Steve was quite satisfied to know that all of Liv's friends liked his closest friends.
Best of all, he and Keith had made peace. Life was good.
"Steve…Hello, Steve…You in there?"
"Huh? What?"
Liv laughed at him, "You were lost for a minute there. Jesse's about to make a toast."
Steve spotted mischief in Jesse's eye and groaned inwardly. This was going to get ugly.
"I, uh, guess as best man, it's my job to start off the toasts. I've already prepared the one I'm going to give tomorrow, but this one is off the cuff. So please bear with me."
He looked around to see that he had everybody's attention, and Steve breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he might escape embarrassment. He was wrong.
"I don't know how many of you have heard about this, but if you have, I apologize for boring you with old news. I just wanted to tell you all a little bit about how Liv and Steve first met. She very nearly blew him away from the start, which is unusual for Steve. Most women get to know him before they start shooting."
There was a laughing groan at the bad joke, but most people there didn't know how close to the truth it was. To Liv and Steve's great dismay, Jesse told them.
"Oh, no, I'm serious. Less then twelve hours after they met, she had a gun to his head."
From there, Jesse proceeded to tell them the whole story of that first day and how Steve had helped Liv find her house and move in. He ended with more twisted humor, "Most people would say that everything that you've been through together speaks volumes about how well you will get on in married life, and they may be right, but frankly, Liv, I knew you were the one the moment I heard he'd forgiven you for puking in his truck. I have never known Steve to love anything so much as that truck…until now."
Raising his glass he finished with, "Peace, joy, and long life, Steve and Olivia. May all your troubles be little ones."
Jack stood next, and, thankfully, he was brief.
"Steve, I've known you for years, but when I first saw you at the airport, you were a different man. You were happier than I have ever seen you. Olivia, thank you for doing that for him. Cheers."
The noises of appreciation fell abruptly silent when Keith stood up, unsteady on his crutches and prosthetic legs, but determined to be heard. He looked around and smiled innocently.
"You know, I'm pretty good at reading faces, and I have to tell you, half of you are thinking 'Ohhhhh, Lord, what's he gonna do now,' and the other half don't know what to think. Well you can all relax, I'm not going to screw this up for anyone."
He paused a moment, and was a bit disappointed when the tension did not lift. Shrugging his shoulders and turning first to look at Steve, he offered his toast.
"Steve, I have to be honest. I envy you many things. You're even taller than I was before I lost my legs, you look like a movie star, you still have all your hair," he ran a hand over his balding head and waited for the chuckles to quiet, "and it never snows in Southern California. But one thing I do not envy you is the job you have undertaken. You really have no idea what's in store for you."
There were general sounds of confusion at his statement. Steve more than anyone clearly wondered what he was leading up to. Keith patiently waited for silence.
"Olivia is a dreamer *and* a doer. If she can imagine something, she will move heaven and earth to make it happen. Whatever comes into her head will in some shape or form come out in the world around her. Sometimes, her dreams are way out there, and she seems to be setting herself up to fail. Your mission, Steve, since you have so foolishly chosen to accept it, is to spend the rest of your life trying to keep this wild child, this fickle female, our…outrageous, often in orbit O, firmly grounded in reality. You *will* fail…frequently."
There was a smattering of knowing laughter from the crowd. Keith saw Steve grin, obviously understanding now. When laughter died down, he continued.
"If I may presume to give you a little advice, it is this: On those all- too-common days when you fail to make her keep both feet on the ground, when you can't get her head out of the clouds, instead of getting frustrated, just hold on tight, and let her teach you how to fly."
There was a chorus of "Awwww's," and when they stopped, Keith turned to Olivia.
"O, OOOOlivia," he stretched her name out like a sigh. "Olivia Margaret Regis, it is no secret that your beach bum and I will never be the best of friends, so I won't even pretend it's possible."
The renewed tension in the air was palpable.
"Ironically, you are the only reason I know him, the only reason I hated him at first sight, and the only reason I have learned to get along with him. We may never be buddies, O, but I do know a good man when I see one, and he is one of the best I've met. He is what I should have been, and I am glad you have him."
Keith paused a moment and collected his thoughts.
"This is my advice to you. Depend on him, and he will never let you down. Lean on him, and he will always support you. Put yourself under his protection, and he will forever keep you safe. Trust him, and he will be faithful in all things. Love him, Olivia, love him…"
Keith swallowed a lump in his throat. He needed to finish this.
"Love him, and he will love you like the morning loves the sun."
Raising his glass higher, he saluted them.
"God bless you both. May you have many years together and much happiness to lighten the weight of those years. Salud."
There was a smattering of applause and another chorus of "Awwww's." Several people took out tissues to dab their eyes. Keith downed his champagne, dropped heavily into his wheelchair, and as soon as the attention was off him; he rolled out of the social hall, intent on being alone.
Olivia would not allow it.
As she listened to Keith's toast, Olivia's throat tightened until she could barely swallow her champagne. She only gave half an ear to the other toasts that were being made as she watched Keith at his table. For several moments, he sat there struggling to maintain control, then when all attention was directed elsewhere, he wheeled his chair out of the Grange Hall. A few minutes later, when the toasting was over, Olivia excused herself to the powder room, and slipped out to the porch on her way back.
She found Keith sitting in the dark at the end of the porch.
"Kinda cold out here, isn't it?"
"Nah, but you've been away so long you've lost your tolerance for it."
"I suppose that could be."
A pause.
"I never knew you were so eloquent."
"Well, we all have our hidden talents."
"You all right, Keith?"
"Why wouldn't I be all right?" He tried to feign surprise, but the catch in his voice gave him away.
"You know that I know that you don't really expect an answer to that, so why don't you just talk to me so we can both go back inside and warm up."
"I waited twelve years, O, expecting you to come home, and when you did, you brought him. What do you want me to say?"
"I don't know, Keith, but it's not my fault you let life go on without you. You chose to mire yourself in what happened and send me on my way. I'd have stayed, I *wanted* to stay, but you just made it hurt so much."
He turned to her, and even in the dark, she could see the pain and shock on his face.
"You wanted to stay?"
"Yes."
"With me?"
"Yes." He heard tears in her voice.
"Kenney and Meg and Mom all asked you to come home, O. Why didn't you?"
"The day you sent me away, you said you'd come find me if you ever wanted to see me again. I always let you know where I was, Keith, but you never came for me. All you had to do was come for me." Now the tears were sliding down her cold-reddened cheeks.
He covered his face and shook his head in disbelief.
"Oh, God. Oh, God in Heaven. What have I done?"
Steve had seen Olivia slip out the door on her way back from the powder room. He gave her plenty of time to talk to Keith, but when the party started winding down, he went looking for her. He didn't want the mass exodus to interrupt their discussion, so he thought he'd give them a little warning.
He stepped on the porch to see Keith, head in hands, moaning, "What have I done?"
Looking up at Liv, Keith said, "All I ever had to do was come for you?"
She nodded sadly, and Steve could hear the sound of crying in her voice. "That's all I wanted, Keith. All I ever needed."
The man's ragged breathing told the story of his pain as he asked, "When did things change, O?"
Olivia thought for a minute and said, "New Year's Eve. Just before Thanksgiving, I promised Steve I'd stick around as long as he wanted me, but it was early days yet. If you'd have come for me then, I know he would have told me to go."
"But…" Keith prompted her to continue.
"But on New Year's Eve, he tried to propose, and I stopped him. I wanted to make sure he knew what a messed up woman he was dealing with. I wanted him to know how hard it could be to…be with me."
"And…" Keith was dragging the whole story out of her, forcing himself to listen to it.
Steve was tempted to put a stop to their conversation. Both of them were obviously in pain, and while he didn't care what Keith put himself through, he didn't want to see Liv suffer any more. Still, he let them continue, believing it was good for them to get everything out in the open.
"And I promised him if he still wanted to ask after he'd heard my whole story that I would say yes."
Keith sighed with regret. His tears were spent. Then he raised his head and asked with a challenge in his voice, "Do you love him, O?"
"You said it yourself, Keith. He'll protect me, he'll be faithful, he'll love me."
"But I asked, do you love him?"
"Yes, Keith, I do."
Steve smiled, knowing his place in Olivia's life was secure.
"More than me?"
"Oh, Keith…"
Steve felt his guts tie in knots. He waited breathlessly for her to continue, but she didn't.
"Well?" The challenge was there again, clear as ever.
"Keith, do you really think that's a fair question?"
Steve wasn't liking these developments at all. Liv was only evasive when something was painful for her to discuss.
"Hell, yes. O, tomorrow you are going to promise to spend the *rest* of your *life* with him. He better be the one, or it won't work."
"He treats me well, Keith, and I promised I'd marry him. We'll have a good life. I'll make sure it works."
Steve thought he was going to be sick.
"You haven't answered my question, O."
Steve heard a gentle smile in her voice when she answered. "I love him as much as I possibly could love anyone who wasn't you, Keith. Finding him when I did was a blessing from God, and that should be more than enough for anyone. We will be very happy together."
Steve heard Keith's voice dripping with gentle sarcasm, "And you promised, didn't you?"
Liv nodded, "I promised."
"Lucky bastard."
Steve slipped back into the Grange Hall and closed the door quietly. Then he came banging out onto the porch again.
"Liv! Hey, Liv!"
She stepped out of the shadows alone. Here eyes, cheeks, and nose were red, but if he didn't know better, Steve would have thought it was the cold and the wind.
"What's the matter, babe?"
Oh, if only he could tell her.
"The party's breaking up, and you should know your bridesmaids have decided that you're to spend the night at Jud and May's house. They said something about it being bad luck for the groom to see the bride on her wedding day before the actual wedding ceremony."
She laughed, saying, "That's nonsense, Steve, and I am *not* being dragged out of my own bed the night before my wedding for some old superstition."
"Well, now, you're doing the something old, something new thing."
"Because I want to. I am spending the night in my house."
He thought about talking her into going along with it, but decided not to. He needed tonight with her to think about what he was going to do tomorrow.
"Well, if that's the way you feel, we had better escape now or they'll be hauling you away. You start the jeep and I'll get our coats, ok? I'm sure Dad and the gang will bring along the gifts later."
"All right. I'll pull up to the porch for you."