Live Again
Chapter Three; Breakthroughs
A week later...
Danielle sat at the table in the kitchen. Infront of her sat a salt shaker and a pile of salt, which she was using a pair of tweezers to pick up, grain by grain, and drop into the little holes at the top of the shaker. She jumped and almost knocked the salt shaker over as Rick ploped down next to her.
Rick gave her a crooked grin,"You know, there is an easier way to do that."
She groaned slaming the tweezers down,"We've been stuck in the house for three days cause it wont stop raining! There's nothing to do! I'm about to go back to America." she complained, frowing as she rested her chin on the table.
"Oh grow up." Rick told her, sitting down in the nearest chair. He sighed heavily, looking around and trying to find something to entertain himself with,"It's not that bad."
"*Yes* it *is*." Dani growled, still frowning.
"Dont be so stubborn. There's got to be something you and Jonathan havn't broken yet." Rick suggested, finally picking up the tweezers himself and starting in on the pile,"Maybe you two could go out and ransack London."
She glared over at him,"I dont feel like it."
He shook his head and bushed the left over salt off the table into his hand then stood up and dumped it into the trash can. Instead of sitting back down, he leaned back against the counter,"Ya know... it's kind of funny how you just get used to things." Rick commented,"Then one day they're enough to drive you insane."
Danielle looked up at him, not really expecting to hear that. There was something strange about it. It just.... wasn't Rick.
He sighed and closed his eyes.
When he looked back over at her, she saw the lost look in them. A desprate look that seemed to be pleading with her to help him. And when he blinked, it was gone.
"Wha-What do you meen?" she asked quietly, obviously unsure of herself.
"The rain.... The rain didn't used to bug me so much." And how could it have? On rainy days he used to have his wife safe an in his arms. The family would get together and play games, or just read together. When Alex was little they would take them out to splash in mud puddles.... And those rainy nights, when they made love for hours, and fell asleep snuggled in each others arms, listening to the pitter-patter of rain on the roof and against the window.
"That's good." Dani said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood a little,"For a second there I thought you were talking about me."
Rick laughed slightly and looked back to her,"No, I was never used to you. You've always driven me insane."
Her jaw droped and she gave him a framed shocked look,"I'll show you insane!" she called, jumping up as Rick took off out of the room, her hot on his tail.
**********
"Rick! It stoped raining! It stoped raining!" Danielle exclaimed, throwing open the door and running over to jump into the bed, almost landing on him. She began to shake him when he didn't answer,"Ricki! The rain stoped! Come on! Let's go do something!"
With a moan, Rick rolled onto his side and squinted up at her,"What time is it?" he murmmered, trying to clear his vison.
She grabed his arm and pulled it close to her face so she could see his watch,"....Three thirty."
Rick groaned loudly and turned his back to her,"Go back to bed, Dani."
Dani sat there pouting for a mnuet, then moved closer and floped down onto him,"But what if it starts to rain again?! Then we're never gonna get outta here!"
He yawned and shrugged her off of him, pulling the blankets up over them and tucking her under his arm.
She sighed in defeat and closed her eyes. Enjoying the warmth of her big brothers embrace like she hadn't since she was a little child come running to him because she was scared of a storm or the monsters under her bed, she slowly slipped into sleep.
**********
He woke with a start, gasping for air as he sat up.
His sudden movement was what woke Dani and she tossed over to her other side to look up at him,"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Rick said, quickly. He yanked the blanket off of himself and stood up so fast that it made him dizy for a second.
Now fully awake, Danielle sat up,"What happened?"
"Nothing." he repeated,"It's just what I get for sleeping."
"Bad dream?" she asked, and waited in silence for a long time for the answer that never came. "Wanna talk about it?"
Rick stayed silent as he picked out his clothes for the day and headed for the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind him.
Dani just stared at the door in shock that he would blow her off like that. After a minuet, she pulled herself up and hurried to the dresser, opening up the little jewlery box and pulling out a hair pin. She stuck it in the lock and picked it expertly like Rick had taught her to do when they were kids. "You'd better not be naked, cause I'm comin' in." Dani warned as she steped in.
Rick glanced over at her then picked up his toothbrush and turned on the facet.
She pouted again,"You always forced me to tell you what was wrong when something was upsetting me."
He sighed and set the toothbrush down, resting his hands on her shoulders and holding her out at arms length,"I'm alright, okay? I'm used to it by now, and it's no big deal."
"Well it obviously is a big deal if it's getting to you like this!" she argued as she lifted herself up onto the counter.
He looked up at her with obvious pain in his eyes,"I just miss Evelyn, okay?!"
Danielle reached out to touch his shoulder,"Why can't you just tell me this stuff?"
"I told you I dont want to talk about it." Rick told her firmly, turning to leave.
She jumped off the counter and followed him out of the room,"Why not?"
"Because I don't want to."
"*Why*?"
"Because I *dont want to*!"
"But why?!"
"Beacuse I--"
"Am emotionaly constipated." she cut in.
Rick glared at her and was just about to leave when she grabed him and hugged him."Sorry." she whispered, knowing she should just leave it alone for now.
He clung to her, resting his cheek against her shoulder as he closed his eyes against the tears forming."No, I'm sorry. I shoudn't have snaped at you like that, you're just trying to help." he told her softly, sniffling as he loosened his grip on her.
Dani looked up at him as she realized he was crying. She reached up and used her thumb to remove the tear that had escaped down his cheek. The gesture felt odd and she pulled her hand back quickly. She had never seen him cry. Not once in all the time she had known him.
Rick let out a shaky sigh and crossed over to the dresser, pulling out a shirt and slipping into it.
They stood in silence for a moment before she went over to where he was standing at the window with his back turned to her, and wraped her arms around his waist,"You know, it's okay to cry. No one's gonna think any less of you."
He leaned his forehead against the glass, letting the coolness of it calm him.
After a few minuets of nothing she let go of him,"Just let me know when you need to talk."
When she was just about to disapear out of sight down the hall, Rick pulled back from the window, pressing his hand against it as if there was something there just out of reach."How am I supposed to live without her?"
The question had been barely a whisper, but she had heard him, and froze in her place.
Rick's fingers trailed a line down the glass before he slowly turned and looked at her,"...Why do I have to?"
*********
Alright.... I could not get past this part..... I will eventualy, so this is only the first part of chapter 3, and the next part should be up.... sometime.....
Chapter Three; Breakthroughs
A week later...
Danielle sat at the table in the kitchen. Infront of her sat a salt shaker and a pile of salt, which she was using a pair of tweezers to pick up, grain by grain, and drop into the little holes at the top of the shaker. She jumped and almost knocked the salt shaker over as Rick ploped down next to her.
Rick gave her a crooked grin,"You know, there is an easier way to do that."
She groaned slaming the tweezers down,"We've been stuck in the house for three days cause it wont stop raining! There's nothing to do! I'm about to go back to America." she complained, frowing as she rested her chin on the table.
"Oh grow up." Rick told her, sitting down in the nearest chair. He sighed heavily, looking around and trying to find something to entertain himself with,"It's not that bad."
"*Yes* it *is*." Dani growled, still frowning.
"Dont be so stubborn. There's got to be something you and Jonathan havn't broken yet." Rick suggested, finally picking up the tweezers himself and starting in on the pile,"Maybe you two could go out and ransack London."
She glared over at him,"I dont feel like it."
He shook his head and bushed the left over salt off the table into his hand then stood up and dumped it into the trash can. Instead of sitting back down, he leaned back against the counter,"Ya know... it's kind of funny how you just get used to things." Rick commented,"Then one day they're enough to drive you insane."
Danielle looked up at him, not really expecting to hear that. There was something strange about it. It just.... wasn't Rick.
He sighed and closed his eyes.
When he looked back over at her, she saw the lost look in them. A desprate look that seemed to be pleading with her to help him. And when he blinked, it was gone.
"Wha-What do you meen?" she asked quietly, obviously unsure of herself.
"The rain.... The rain didn't used to bug me so much." And how could it have? On rainy days he used to have his wife safe an in his arms. The family would get together and play games, or just read together. When Alex was little they would take them out to splash in mud puddles.... And those rainy nights, when they made love for hours, and fell asleep snuggled in each others arms, listening to the pitter-patter of rain on the roof and against the window.
"That's good." Dani said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood a little,"For a second there I thought you were talking about me."
Rick laughed slightly and looked back to her,"No, I was never used to you. You've always driven me insane."
Her jaw droped and she gave him a framed shocked look,"I'll show you insane!" she called, jumping up as Rick took off out of the room, her hot on his tail.
**********
"Rick! It stoped raining! It stoped raining!" Danielle exclaimed, throwing open the door and running over to jump into the bed, almost landing on him. She began to shake him when he didn't answer,"Ricki! The rain stoped! Come on! Let's go do something!"
With a moan, Rick rolled onto his side and squinted up at her,"What time is it?" he murmmered, trying to clear his vison.
She grabed his arm and pulled it close to her face so she could see his watch,"....Three thirty."
Rick groaned loudly and turned his back to her,"Go back to bed, Dani."
Dani sat there pouting for a mnuet, then moved closer and floped down onto him,"But what if it starts to rain again?! Then we're never gonna get outta here!"
He yawned and shrugged her off of him, pulling the blankets up over them and tucking her under his arm.
She sighed in defeat and closed her eyes. Enjoying the warmth of her big brothers embrace like she hadn't since she was a little child come running to him because she was scared of a storm or the monsters under her bed, she slowly slipped into sleep.
**********
He woke with a start, gasping for air as he sat up.
His sudden movement was what woke Dani and she tossed over to her other side to look up at him,"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Rick said, quickly. He yanked the blanket off of himself and stood up so fast that it made him dizy for a second.
Now fully awake, Danielle sat up,"What happened?"
"Nothing." he repeated,"It's just what I get for sleeping."
"Bad dream?" she asked, and waited in silence for a long time for the answer that never came. "Wanna talk about it?"
Rick stayed silent as he picked out his clothes for the day and headed for the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind him.
Dani just stared at the door in shock that he would blow her off like that. After a minuet, she pulled herself up and hurried to the dresser, opening up the little jewlery box and pulling out a hair pin. She stuck it in the lock and picked it expertly like Rick had taught her to do when they were kids. "You'd better not be naked, cause I'm comin' in." Dani warned as she steped in.
Rick glanced over at her then picked up his toothbrush and turned on the facet.
She pouted again,"You always forced me to tell you what was wrong when something was upsetting me."
He sighed and set the toothbrush down, resting his hands on her shoulders and holding her out at arms length,"I'm alright, okay? I'm used to it by now, and it's no big deal."
"Well it obviously is a big deal if it's getting to you like this!" she argued as she lifted herself up onto the counter.
He looked up at her with obvious pain in his eyes,"I just miss Evelyn, okay?!"
Danielle reached out to touch his shoulder,"Why can't you just tell me this stuff?"
"I told you I dont want to talk about it." Rick told her firmly, turning to leave.
She jumped off the counter and followed him out of the room,"Why not?"
"Because I don't want to."
"*Why*?"
"Because I *dont want to*!"
"But why?!"
"Beacuse I--"
"Am emotionaly constipated." she cut in.
Rick glared at her and was just about to leave when she grabed him and hugged him."Sorry." she whispered, knowing she should just leave it alone for now.
He clung to her, resting his cheek against her shoulder as he closed his eyes against the tears forming."No, I'm sorry. I shoudn't have snaped at you like that, you're just trying to help." he told her softly, sniffling as he loosened his grip on her.
Dani looked up at him as she realized he was crying. She reached up and used her thumb to remove the tear that had escaped down his cheek. The gesture felt odd and she pulled her hand back quickly. She had never seen him cry. Not once in all the time she had known him.
Rick let out a shaky sigh and crossed over to the dresser, pulling out a shirt and slipping into it.
They stood in silence for a moment before she went over to where he was standing at the window with his back turned to her, and wraped her arms around his waist,"You know, it's okay to cry. No one's gonna think any less of you."
He leaned his forehead against the glass, letting the coolness of it calm him.
After a few minuets of nothing she let go of him,"Just let me know when you need to talk."
When she was just about to disapear out of sight down the hall, Rick pulled back from the window, pressing his hand against it as if there was something there just out of reach."How am I supposed to live without her?"
The question had been barely a whisper, but she had heard him, and froze in her place.
Rick's fingers trailed a line down the glass before he slowly turned and looked at her,"...Why do I have to?"
*********
Alright.... I could not get past this part..... I will eventualy, so this is only the first part of chapter 3, and the next part should be up.... sometime.....