Chapter 16
Romeo & Juliet Had More Time
(same time following the end of the last chapter)
Megan was angry after she had an innocent talk with Hyde when herself, Hunter, and Hannah got back from hanging out at the arcade which seemed like an '80s thing to do. She waited for Hunter to sit on her lap so she could pull the hood from his Christmas Adidas hoodie she bought him over his head, pull the strings tight, and push him off her.
"Hey! What was that for?" He pulled the hood off his head, but it was going to take awhile to get up.
"Hunter, how come you can tell your Dad the whole thing sucks, but you can't say it to me?"
"Megan, I can't get up, you pushed me too hard!"
"Good. I'll get to look down on you!"
"What's going on in here?" Entered Jackie
"Leave him there! He won't tell ME being in a wheelchair sucks, so I pushed him." Megan stuck out her tongue at him
"Now, I can't leave him like that," Jackie might have been small but she would have been able to lift a truck if any of her three children were trapped underneath it.
She helped Hunter back on the sofa so he could sit next to Megan.
"I'm not sorry that I pushed you, Hunter."
"Well, Megan---I can't think of a comeback right now."
"It's not about that. Why can't you TELL ME that being in a wheelchair sucks?"
"Mom, can you help me to my wheelchair? I'm 'afraid' Megan will push me again."
"No, son. I'd also like to know the answer to Megan's question."
"Because, because, it's selfish of me to say it, okay? Can I go now?"
"No, Hunter, why do you think it's selfish? Because I'll be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life and you won't? Well, let me tell you, you're the one that's being selfish for not giving me any credit!"
Megan whacked him with the pillow.
"Mom! Aren't you going to yell at Megan?"
"Nope."
"It does SUCK being like this! There, Megan, are you happy that I said it to YOU? How do I come off being the bad one when I was only trying to protect you?"
"Who said I needed to be protected?" Megan realized with that statement she sounded just like her Mother.
She hit him with the pillow again.
"That's what boyfriends do." Hunter quietly replied
"Okay, we're all tense—" Jackie started to say
"I'm not tense, Jackie, infact I FEEL FINE."
She hit him again with the pillow.
"Mother! Are you going to let her keep hitting your son?"
"Yeah---Actually, I came in here to talk to Megan---"
"I'll go," He looked up at Megan with his sensitive artist's eyes, "It'll take me awhile, but I'll go."
"You know I'll always love him, Jackie—" Megan said when Hunter was finally able to wheel himself back to his own room.
"I know, sweetie. I used to think that a man in shining armor was the most important thing in the world. But, we're allowed to stand on our own two feet—or—"
"It's okay, I know what you mean. You said you wanted to speak to me?"
"Yes. While you kids were out I got a call from your Mother and she'd like you to come home now."
"But I just got here!"
Her Mother was the most impossible person on the face of the ENTIRE universe.
God, she was starting to despise that woman!
"I know, Megan, and you are always welcome here anytime. But, your parents want you home."
Then Megan thought what if something was wrong with them and she was being selfish herself?
"Are Mom and Dad okay?"
"Yeah, they're fine."
Jackie doubted that Donna would ever faint again, now that Eric knew the reason behind it. And although Donna didn't come right out and say it she figured this was why Megan had to leave.
"Now, I feel bad for hitting Hunter."
"Don't feel bad, baby. He needed the wake up call. You two can stay up as late as you want tonight. Your Mom wants you on the first plane out and I know you two will want to say your goodbyes. But try not to stay up too late, because I believe your flight leaves at nine in the morning."
Jackie made a mental note in her head that after she was done talking to Megan she was going to have to call the tutor and cancel her services.
"Well, if I have to go," Megan sighed, "Then I have to go."
Megan figured her packing could wait as she knocked on Hunter's door. He didn't say anything, so she just opened the door and wheeled herself in.
"Hi, Hunter, sit on my lap---"
"Nah-uh. I'm not falling for that twice, Megan."
She laughed, "I'm not going to hit you, but you deserved it then for thinking that you needed to protect me. I have to leave tomorrow." She blurted out.
"What?!"
"Donna called Jackie while we were at the arcade. She wants me home. I know this couldn't have been Dad's idea, he's not as fanatical as she is."
"You're leaving?" He asked again, not wanting to believe it.
"Our time together is always cut short. Romeo and Juliet had more time!"
Megan decided to make it easy on Hunter and got out of her wheelchair and sat on his bed. He admired her for how effortless she made it seem.
"Are you sure you aren't going to hit me?"
"If you don't get on my lap right now, I might have to give you the two pillow punch!"
"You're a spitfire when you get wound up."
"It's only because I love you, Hunter." She put her hands through his hair when he got comfortable on her lap.
"I love you, too, Megan."
He kissed her. She was right their time together was always cut short.
Jackie decided to help Megan out by packing some of her clothes for her. She was going to miss having her around, but at least she didn't grow root here like when Tiffany stayed with Eric and Donna some years ago. The circumstances were different but no loving Mother wants to be separated from her daughter for a lengthy amount of time like that.
"There you are," Hyde entered the guest room and put his hands on Jackie's shoulders and kissed her neck, "I take it that you spoke to Megan."
"Yeah. After she finished 'beating' up on Hunter."
"What?" he raised an eyebrow in confusion
"I'll tell you later, Steven. I'm sure by now they've made up."
"Does Megan---"
Jackie cut him off, "It's not our place to say anything," she whispered, "I hope they handle it right."
"I don't think it's our place to get involved, period." Hyde replied.
He just hoped that whatever transpired would not have a negative impact on Megan.
"Steven, what's Hannah doing?"
"Her homework."
Bless her for being that involved in school.
"I'll tell you what—why don't you find a movie WE ALL can watch and I'll make some popcorn---"
"With real butter?"
Not the phony 100% natural yellow flakes that Jackie bought because his doctor said it was better for his heart than pure butter.
"Steven, you know you aren't supposed to have that. I'll put fake salt on yours."
'Yippee'
"Yippee."
He kissed his wife on the cheek. It looks like come three in the morning he was going to have to sneak some of the cake that was taking up space in the fridge.
He hasn't had another heart attack since he had that one YEARS ago, but Jackie always acted like he was due to have another one if he put anything overly salted, caloric, and fattening in his mouth.
Hyde supposed there were worse problems that one could have. He felt bad for Forman and Donna but it wasn't his situation and for once he'd like to keep it that way.
30 Minutes Later
Megan finished her packing and it was nice of Jackie to have helped her start. Her suitcase wasn't that heavy and she was able to close it and push it off the bed. There was a knock on the door, expecting Hunter she said.
"Come in, honey."
Hannah opened the door, "It's not Hunter, it's me."
"Hi, Hannah, I feel bad that we didn't get to spend much time together."
"It's okay, I accept your relationship with Hunter. You're good for him."
"Everybody always says that. I don't know what they mean by it half the time."
"I can't speak for others, but when I say it--I mean that you break him out of his solitude and that's a good thing. Are you ready to come into the living room? I helped Dad pick out a DVD."
"Almost---"
"You want to talk to Hunter first?"
"You don't mind do you, Hannah?"
"No, Megan," Hannah replied, "Go ahead. I'll help Mom with the snacks."
"Thanks."
They were friends again, but ironically they didn't spend much time together. Infact, all the time Megan was here it was only their recent trip to the arcade that she even spent any social interaction time with Hannah. Megan put on some the perfume that Jackie gave her and went to see what was keeping Hunter.
"Hi, Megan." He covered up a large piece of paper with a book.
"What are you doing, Hunter?"
"I can't say."
"Do you want me to break out the pillows again?" She smiled to show that she was only joking.
"Can you turn your chair around and give me two minutes?"
"Okay, but it better be good."
"It will be."
'He's drawing me another picture. He's the sweetest boyfriend ever. I just love him so. And I hate leaving him.'
"Are you done yet?" Megan asked, about a minute later.
"Yep. You can turn around now, Megan."
"KIDS! The movie is ready." Jackie called out
"In a second, Mom!" Hunter did his best attempt at a loud voice as he handed Megan a picture.
It was a pencil drawing of them as Romeo and Juliet.
"Hunter, you do realize that they died in the end?"
"Well, that's Shakespeare's version anyway."
"I love it, thank you."
She wanted to kiss him, but it was going to have to wait. He blushed, if she could have felt it, it would have made her weak in the knees.
"KIDS!"
"In a MINUTE." Megan called out so Hunter wouldn't have to.
"Thanks," He opened up his center desk drawer, "Would you do me the honor of sitting on the bed?"
She loved how he used words and phrases that no OTHER boys their age did.
"Okay, but we're supposed to be in the living room."
"They can wait for us." He took something out of the drawer and put it in his shirt pocket.
"Hunter, what did you put in your pocket?"
"You'll see," he did his best to sit on the bed next to Megan, not wanting to fall.
"Put your hand in my pocket."
"Okay," Megan pulled out the gold key that had a purple ribbon going through the hole, "What door does this open?"
"Tiffany gave me the key this past New Year's Eve. It's for her apartment."
"KIDS!" This time it was Hyde's voice, but they didn't bother to reply this time.
"Hunter! That was nice of her and everything, but I don't think we can get away with going to New York—do you remember what happened last time?"
"Megan, I think we learned our lesson, and there's a comic book convention in Secaucus, New Jersey in a few months---"
"And Jackie talks to my Mom. Can I think about this for awhile?"
"Of course," Hunter put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her, "I'm going to miss you, Megan. So much." He swallowed so she wouldn't be able to tell that he was choked up.
"I'm going to miss you, too."
"Mom and Dad are getting annoyed," Hannah stood in the doorway, "Are you guys ready to watch the movie?"
"Yeah," Megan put the key back in Hunter's pocket, "Tell them we're on our way."
"Parents are a pain in the butt." Hunter said in an seemingly uncharacteristic tone
"I know. I'm going to ask Donna on why it is SO important for me to come home right this very second now?"
"Maybe, they miss your cute face? I know I'm going to." Hunter replied
They knew if they didn't want another Jackie or Hyde yell on their whereabouts that they needed to appear in the living room as fast they could considering they both had to wheel themselves there.
Megan smiled. She was definitely going to miss his cute face, too.
1:00AM
"Thanks, Hannah." Megan whispered
"No problem." She replied and quietly closed the door.
Megan kissed Hunter on the lips hard; she had wanted to do that all night long. It wasn't fun watching a movie with 'everybody' in the room and not being able to make out on the sofa.
"How did you two manage this?" Megan asked
"Just knowing Mom and Dad would hear my wheelchair, I just pushed myself and Hannah pulled and here I am. Um, not to be ungentlemanly Megan, but can we go back to kissing?"
"Sure thing. Because I can't leave here without a visit from the pirate."
Other than a few kissing sessions they had no real opportunities what so ever in the getting physical department.
"Megan—"
"Hunter, we don't have time for your easily blushed state, so take off your pants!"
Megan squealed and Hunter thought Jackie and Steven surely would catch them in the act. (Well not 'Thee Act' but still--) Ah, the fleeting moments of youth.
Sweethearts
Megan fell asleep with her head on Hunter's chest at two forty five in the morning. She kept her hearing aid in and her glasses on just in case a parent named Jackie or Hyde came in she wouldn't be defenseless. She opened up her eyes at four am.
"Are you awake, honey?"
"sort-of." Hunter yawned
She put her hand inside his shirt and moved her index finger across the center of his chest.
"I'm going to hate leaving you—" Megan trailed her words off
"I know—but I'm going to be fine, thanks to you." He gently scooted her hand out of his shirt and kissed it.
"As long as you can admit to ME that being in a wheelchair sucks."
"It does, Megan. Sorry, I couldn't say anything to you before—it just didn't feel right with your situation for me to be complaining about it to your face."
"Well, Hunter, you weren't giving me credit, and I want you to complain if you feel you have to. And I want you to keep going to your physical therapy—and I'm going to get a part time job, so that I can visit you soon. I'm still p.o.'ed at Donna."
"Are you sure it wasn't a Donna AND Eric decision?"
"I told you before I don't think so."
"Ssh! I hear footsteps in the hall." Hunter cautioned.
Megan put her head back on Hunter's safe chest. "I love you, Hunter," she whispered in such a soft voice that she could barely hear herself, "And I'll be counting the days until our next visit."
"I love you, too," He kissed her on the head, as he heard the footsteps pass, "At least we'll be counting the days together." They had the internet and the telephone to make their days apart almost bearable.
They locked their lips in one last rush of romantic fury, as they wouldn't be able to have a proper goodbye kiss with 'all' of the worlds eyes on them in a few hours. They fell asleep again with clenched hands as Hunter felt a slight shiver as he drifted off to sleep. Their kisses were no longer forbidden.
The End