Life After...
Chapter 4
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"Anybody seen, D.K.?" Billy Walsh asked the group sitting around the table in the kitchen of Camelot as he walked into the room.
"Ummm..., I think he's upstairs," answered Jimmy and Billy nodded, sitting down at the table with the group.
"So, I went to see the Lieutenant yesterday," Jimmy announced. The men all nodded - they'd been to see him too.
"He's got an infection brewing. They're trying to get ahead of it. He's really going through a lot," Jimmy said, taking a drink of his coffee and staring out the window.
"Yeah, but his wife seems to be holding up okay. My wife went over yesterday to sit with her for awhile. I went and mowed his lawn, cleaned up some dead branches that had fallen during the storm the other night, and trimmed the hedges. My boys came with me. They wanted to help, even though they're small. We had a good day together," said Wright as he stared out the same window as Jimmy.
"Yeah, my wife made up a bunch of meals that can be frozen for Ruth when she comes home late at night. We brought them over and left them with a neighbor. She said she'd wait up and give them to Ruth when she came home," piped in another of them.
Billy stood up, poured himself a cup of coffee, and headed to the stairs. As he reached the top, he saw D.K. sitting on the bench in front of Alex's locker.
"Hey," he said quietly behind him, startling D.K. slightly.
"Hey, yourself," D.K. answered. "Thought I'd go through Alex's things, sort stuff out and bring her personal stuff over to her Mom."
"Want some help?" Billy asked, setting his coffee cup on the shelf.
D.K. shifted over slightly on the bench to make room for Billy and said, "Sure. Dig in. I can't believe she fit all this crap in here."
They went through some stuff and after a moment they both seemed to stop as they caught sight of the green t-shirt that Alex kept in her locker. It was the t-shirt they'd worn during the last Camelot Cup. Billy reached over and picked it up. It still had the dark stains from the mud that day despite how many times it had been washed.
"I can still see the look of determination on her face that day. She wasn't about to give up, even after she got knocked on her ass a few times," Billy said with a slight laugh.
D.K. smiled at the memory. "Remember when we were going over the plays at the table and you gave her the macaroni to use," he said, both men laughing at the memory.
When they'd both stopped laughing, they sat in silence for a moment. "I still can't believe she's gone," D.K. said, a catch in his voice. Billy reached over and put a hand on his friend's back.
"I know it. I can still feel her here, though," Billy said.
"I always thought about asking her out, but I never got up the courage. Afraid of messing up the friendship or making it awkward around here if it didn't work out," D.K. said sadly.
Billy chuckled again, "She was always complaining about how many times your girlfriend's call here."
"Yeah?" D.K. said with a smile and Billy nodded.
"Remember when she was trying to get out of dating Bobby Caffey? She told him she liked to do 3-ways and wanted to have Jimmy there?" D.K. said, both men laughing again.
"Yeah, and Bobby was on to her and came back and told her it was okay with him. The look on her face that Bobby described was too funny," Billy said and they laughed harder.
Another moment of silence followed and finally Billy reached over and picked up the green t-shirt. He stood up and hung it in D.K.'s locker. "Why don't you hang on to this? We'll have it here to remember all the good times."
"Thanks," D.K. said as the alarm sounded for them to go to work. D.K. shut both lockers and the two men headed downstairs to their next job, the happy memories of Alex still in their minds.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Anybody seen, D.K.?" Billy Walsh asked the group sitting around the table in the kitchen of Camelot as he walked into the room.
"Ummm..., I think he's upstairs," answered Jimmy and Billy nodded, sitting down at the table with the group.
"So, I went to see the Lieutenant yesterday," Jimmy announced. The men all nodded - they'd been to see him too.
"He's got an infection brewing. They're trying to get ahead of it. He's really going through a lot," Jimmy said, taking a drink of his coffee and staring out the window.
"Yeah, but his wife seems to be holding up okay. My wife went over yesterday to sit with her for awhile. I went and mowed his lawn, cleaned up some dead branches that had fallen during the storm the other night, and trimmed the hedges. My boys came with me. They wanted to help, even though they're small. We had a good day together," said Wright as he stared out the same window as Jimmy.
"Yeah, my wife made up a bunch of meals that can be frozen for Ruth when she comes home late at night. We brought them over and left them with a neighbor. She said she'd wait up and give them to Ruth when she came home," piped in another of them.
Billy stood up, poured himself a cup of coffee, and headed to the stairs. As he reached the top, he saw D.K. sitting on the bench in front of Alex's locker.
"Hey," he said quietly behind him, startling D.K. slightly.
"Hey, yourself," D.K. answered. "Thought I'd go through Alex's things, sort stuff out and bring her personal stuff over to her Mom."
"Want some help?" Billy asked, setting his coffee cup on the shelf.
D.K. shifted over slightly on the bench to make room for Billy and said, "Sure. Dig in. I can't believe she fit all this crap in here."
They went through some stuff and after a moment they both seemed to stop as they caught sight of the green t-shirt that Alex kept in her locker. It was the t-shirt they'd worn during the last Camelot Cup. Billy reached over and picked it up. It still had the dark stains from the mud that day despite how many times it had been washed.
"I can still see the look of determination on her face that day. She wasn't about to give up, even after she got knocked on her ass a few times," Billy said with a slight laugh.
D.K. smiled at the memory. "Remember when we were going over the plays at the table and you gave her the macaroni to use," he said, both men laughing at the memory.
When they'd both stopped laughing, they sat in silence for a moment. "I still can't believe she's gone," D.K. said, a catch in his voice. Billy reached over and put a hand on his friend's back.
"I know it. I can still feel her here, though," Billy said.
"I always thought about asking her out, but I never got up the courage. Afraid of messing up the friendship or making it awkward around here if it didn't work out," D.K. said sadly.
Billy chuckled again, "She was always complaining about how many times your girlfriend's call here."
"Yeah?" D.K. said with a smile and Billy nodded.
"Remember when she was trying to get out of dating Bobby Caffey? She told him she liked to do 3-ways and wanted to have Jimmy there?" D.K. said, both men laughing again.
"Yeah, and Bobby was on to her and came back and told her it was okay with him. The look on her face that Bobby described was too funny," Billy said and they laughed harder.
Another moment of silence followed and finally Billy reached over and picked up the green t-shirt. He stood up and hung it in D.K.'s locker. "Why don't you hang on to this? We'll have it here to remember all the good times."
"Thanks," D.K. said as the alarm sounded for them to go to work. D.K. shut both lockers and the two men headed downstairs to their next job, the happy memories of Alex still in their minds.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...