I enjoyed the Sonic movies more than I thought I would and wound up imagining Tom with a cousin and here we are! I know I might need to change a few things since some of my ideas are sort of based on my thoughts and headcanons about where the third movie is going to go, but anyway, I will change things if need be! I just adore these movies and am so hyped for the third one!
Enjoy this new trip my brain decided to send me on! :)
God Bless and Good Day!
~The Lupine Sojourner
Five years ago I received the worst phone call of my life.
Five years ago, I moved back to the town I grew up in after leaving for almost a decade.
Five years ago, I became almost neighbors with my cousin, Tom, and his wife, Maddie.
Five years ago, I became one of Green Hills' librarians.
Five years ago, my world felt like it had shattered and would never be whole again.
But luckily, I have had nothing but love and support from Tom and Maddie, plus a great grief counselor to help me get my feet back under me, so to speak. It was a really hard adjustment to make at first, but now I look at it as a new chapter in my life.
Sure, I have bad days where I start to feel alone and the world seems to shrink in around me, but if I can't use the techniques my counselor taught me, I call Tom or Maddie and we have movie nights. Tom and I have always been close, especially as kids, to the point where we joke that we were siblings. Maddie and I are close, too. I was even one of Maddie's bridesmaids in her and Tom's wedding, which was a huge honor.
When I moved back to Green Hills, guess who picked me up from the airport? When I needed help moving all my boxes in, guess who came over and helped me start unpacking, no problem? Tom was a gem, especially in those awful first months.
He was the one who found the grief counselor I reluctantly started seeing, Dr. Sharon Herbert, and she's helped me tremendously! Over the years, I've never regretted going to see her, especially when I am in a dark place mentally. I manage to call Sharon and she talks me through it, making things make sense again. Thankfully, those episodes are getting rarer.
All in all, I can safely say that, while I am still healing, I am far better than I had been when I first moved to Green Hills.
Life has led me down some unexpected paths, but I have always liked hiking, so I can't complain but so much.
Mom's house is only a five-minute walk from the Wachowskis' house, so whenever I want I can hop on over. Plus, Green Hills is such a nice town, I found myself fitting right in and feeling welcomed, so yeah. My life is pretty good!
Of course, life then had to throw a monkey wrench into things by way of Tom announcing he wanted to join the San Francisco Police Department.
He said it was because he was growing tired of not doing any 'real police work' in Green Hills, and he wanted to 'find out what I'm really made of' which I can respect, but…at the same time…
I've grown so used to him and Maddie being in Green Hills that I can't help not wanting them to leave.
Of course, I could move with them, but…that would mean selling Mom's house, letting someone else buy it.
And…even though it hurts that I now own it instead of Mom (God rest her soul), I just can't seem to picture myself selling it. It's the biggest connection I have to Mom.
I know I'm being selfish, not wanting Tom to pursue his dream just because I don't want him to be more than five minutes away, but that's how I feel sometimes.
Am I dependent on Tom and Maddie? Maybe a little, and maybe I need to work on that, but for now I try to be happy for my cousin as he awaits the letter that will determine if he is moving to San Francisco or not.
I also try to think about if I want to sell my Mom's house and move to San Francisco or if I stay here and work through having more distance between me and the Wachowskis.
All too soon, I get a text from Maddie. 'The letter is here! Wanna come over for the big reveal?'
I swallow. Sharon said, if I want to be less dependent on Tom and Maddie, I need to start looking at things from Tom and Maddie's perspective, especially about the situation in San Francisco.
Tom wants to know what it's like to be a big city cop, to have people depend on him in life-or-death situations, which I find an odd thing to wish on yourself but hey I do understand his reasoning somewhat.
Maddie, as always, stands by her husband and flawlessly adjusts to possibly uprooting the life they have here in Green Hills to move to a large city. It would be an adjustment, but she was willing to be beside her husband in all things.
I was just the goofy cousin who practically lives with Tom and Maddie. I alone could not and should not deny them this new situation.
So, even though the idea of living in Green Hills without Tom and Maddie makes me sad, I start typing a reply.
'You betcha!'
Maddie and I are pretty close. We do yoga together, we hike in the woods every now and again, and I tell her about all the little things that happen at work.
We also have Girls' Day every month, where we go on a big hike in the morning, eat lunch at the summit picnic-style, hike down, do yoga to help us recover, then spend the rest of the day pampering ourselves with overpriced face masks, bubble baths, cheap wine, and takeout from the one somewhat fancy restaurant in town. We gossip as we do our nails and watch corny rom-coms till way too late at night and then we crash on the couch, Tom taking an extra shift to 'stay out of y'all's way'.
If they do move, I'll miss that. A lot.
I sigh heavily and go about my shift, trying not to think of what might be coming when I get to Tom's house.
As I walk out of work, I get another text. 'Can you swing by the bakery and pick up the cakes I ordered? I got one for each outcome to the letter.'
I chuckle. Of course Maddie would do that. She always goes above and beyond for Tom, which is why I whole-heartedly supported her and Tom when they started dating. It put me in the dog house with Maddie's sister, Rachel, who never liked Tom and tries to separate them, even now they're married. I never understood why Rachel hates Tom, but she does.
Regardless, I text back that I can as I swing into my car.
I laugh at the designs on the cakes as I pick them up, putting the passenger seat belt over the boxes to keep the cakes pristine.
Arriving at Maddie's house, she's already outside when I pull in.
"Hey, girl!" She greets, as always, squeezing tight before letting me go.
"Hey, Maddie!"
We carry the cakes inside and set them on the barstools that would be hidden from Tom until Maddie grabs one.
"I can't believe we're hearing back already!" Maddie muses, showing me the letter.
"Yeah! Maybe that's a good sign?" I shrug, handing it back.
"Hopefully!" Maddie does that nose scrunch that means she's super excited and I can't help smiling back.
"Tom should be here soon, right?" I ask, looking at my watch.
"Yup! Should be!"
As if on queue, I hear Tom's horn beeping. "What in the world?" I laugh. Why would he be honking?
Soon, The door opens and in walks Tom, who seems in a good mood. "Maddie, as Green Hills' most respected veterinarian, what's the fastest way to exterminate a raccoon?"
Ah. Tom and I were both having trouble with those little critters, though the raccoons at my house only seem to want the best of the leftovers. If it was too gross they wouldn't eat it. I did an experiment one time and left whatever leftovers I was throwing away in a takeout container and put the container at the top of my trash can.
Next day, the entire container was gone. I asked Maddie if raccoons normally took entire food containers and she says no but likely, they just tore the container up to get inside it.
I didn't have a better explanation so I leave it at that. I didn't feel up to wasting food trying to understand raccoons, so I didn't pursue it further and the leftovers continued to be the main trash that was taken.
I shake myself as Tom finishes greeting Ozzy and Maddie walks into view, holding the letter. Tom notices and stands.
"What's that?" He asks, then his face lights up. "Is that what I think it is?"
Maddie smiles, "Uh-huh! Open it!" Tom's jaw goes slack as if he had expected to never hear back, hands over his head as he moves toward Maddie. She hands the envelope to him as he eagerly walks over.
He then frowns. "Oh..it's kinda small. Is that bad?"
I chuckle. "You won't know til you open it." I point out, leaning on the doorpost to the kitchen.
"Oh, hey, Ryan!" Tom greets, smiling. "Maddie told you the letter was here before she told me, huh?"
I nod. "Yup. She's got her priorities in order." I tease, laughing as Tom pulls an overdramatic betrayed face.
"I'm hurt!" He puts his hand over his heart and everything.
"Oh please. I wanted her here to celebrate with us!" Maddie shrugs. "Now, will you open the letter already?"
We all walk into the kitchen where I sit at a barstool near the cakes as Tom rips the top of the envelope and retrieves the letter.
He exhales nervously before reading. "'Dear Thomas, we have reviewed your application to the San Francisco Police Department and, pending interdepartmental review and background check, we are happy to inform you that you have been selected to join our team'!" Tom is so excited and relieved, I can't help cheering for him, even though my heart felt heavy as I hug him.
"Congrats, Tom!" I ruffle his hair. "I knew they'd accept you!" Which means I'll be pretty much alone in Green Hills. I have a few coworkers I hang out with, but really, I don't have a lot of people I look to like I do Tom and Maddie.
But I'm not going to drag down the mood, so put on a happy face and celebrate!
"Oh my god!" Maddie squeaks, eagerly grabbing what she thought was the celebration cake, but I saw the sticker on the side that said 'San Francisco Sucks' and can't warn Maddie before she plops it to the island and proudly opens it. "Ta-da!"
Tom's face scrunches in confusion. "'San Francisco sucks'?" He reads, still frowning.
I laugh as Maddie's face pales a little.
"Oh!" Maddie groans as she quickly exchanges the cakes. "Wrong one!" She then opens the correct cake as eagerly as she had the incorrect one.
This cake had a police officer iced on it with the words 'Congratulations! I never had a doubt!' pipped around it.
Tom chuckles. "Never had a doubt, huh?" He teases.
"No!" Maddie replies, as if offended. "Mm-mm." The pair then kiss and hug again.
"I can't believe this!" Tom scans the letter again as Maddie switches to a side-hug, as if reading it again would change the contents or something.
"I know! You did it!" Maddie replies proudly.
At the same time, Tom and I notice Maddie's laptop, open to Zillow.
I gulp. This is all happening so fast now…gosh.
I blink a few times, my eyes starting to prickle with tears as Tom steps toward it.
"Hey, what are those?" He asks.
"Apartments for rent I found on Zillow." Maddie explains, tucking hair behind her ear.
"You didn't tell me you were already looking for apartments…" I mumble before I can stop myself, the prickling growing worse.
"Oh, Ryan, I'm so sorry! I was busy at work, and then I got so swept up looking I completely forgot to tell you!" Maddie replies, genuinely upset she'd forgotten. She knows I like to be told about things like this. It's why she told me about the application before Tom did. She knows I take a little while to adjust to changes.
It's why I'm still dragging my feet making a decision about moving. Part of me was hoping Tom wouldn't be accepted, though a larger part knew with Tom's flawless resume he'd have no issues.
"No, no!" I gulp back a lump in my throat. "I just…it surprised me, is all. It's fine!" I try not to blink too much cus then Maddie and Tom would know I'm about to cry and they'd make a whole big deal about it.
"You sure?" Tom asks, and I nearly blow it, but manage a nod.
"Yup!"
In her excitement, Maddie turns back to the laptop. "I thought Ozzy and I could fly there tomorrow and check out some neighborhoods."
That sends another pang through me, but I distract myself by stealing some icing off the cake.
Why was this happening so fast? Tomorrow Maddie would be gone and Tom would start packing, probably. Then…they'd soon be moved into their apartment in San Francisco, and I'd be here.
Part of me knows I could never sell Mom's house, even if it means I stay in Green Hills while Tom and Maddie move, but another part almost wanted to move...
"You ok?" Maddie asks, and I find myself barely holding in tears.
"Y-yeah. It's just all catching me off guard a bit." I manage.
"Hey, we'll never be more than a call or text away, you know that right?" Tom soothes, hand on my shoulder.
"I know, it's just…not gonna be the same." Tears swim in my eyes and I clear my throat. "But that's ok. I'll adjust. It'll be fine!" The blinking is rapid-fire and I move away to grab a knife. "Let's get some cake!" I try for a happy voice but fail.
"Ryan, I know this is a big change, but I think maybe this will be for the best."
I swallow. "That's what Sharon tells me." I murmur, trying to get myself under control.
"See? It'll be fine. Although I'm right there with you. This is all fast for me, too." Tom assures me, exhaling as he walks over to the table.
"Yeah, it's the craziest thing. You apply for the job, you get the job!" Maddie quips, sitting next to Tom.
"Well, pending a background check." Tom replies, not missing a beat, looking at the letter again.
"Oh, man. Hope they don't find out about the time you…used the neighbor's wi-fi." Maddie teases, and Tom chuckles.
"Correction; I'm still using the neighbor's wi-fi."
I laugh through the lump in my throat. Oh man is Tom funny when he wants to be!
Tom then turns to me. "Are you sure you're ok?"
"I…will be. I don't want to hold you up, Tom. Go live your dream!" I did mean it, even if saying the words made my heart ache.
Tom smiles gratefully at me, then turns to Maddie. "Maddie, are you sure you're ok with this?" He asks.
I move to grab a glass of milk, suddenly feeling a bit like I was intruding, so I stand by the fridge and drink, letting them have their moment.
"Thomas Micheal Wachowski, what did you do the entire time I was in veterinary school?" Maddie retorts firmly.
"I worked a second job to pay the rent and-" Tom starts, but Maddie interrupts.
"A third job to pay tuition."
I still have no idea how he managed it. He even refused to let me help out, barely letting me bring over some food every once in a while. But then things were better and less hectic when Maddie graduated (there was a full weekend of celebration for her after she got that diploma) and life settled into a pleasant routine.
Guess maybe that's another part of why I don't want them to move. I was so used to our routine, I didn't want to lose it and have to find another routine.
"You sacrificed for me, I'm happy to sacrifice for you." Maddie continues and I realize that while on the surface she seemed eager and happy to move to San Fransisco, there might be some secret thoughts she didn't voice about the move.
It feels a tad selfish, but I find that slightly comforting. It made me feel like I wasn't the only one not positively reacting to the change.
Maddie stands up. "Babe, are you sure you're ok with this?" She frowns a little. "I mean, there's been a Wachowski protecting this town for over fifty years. It's a bog change."
Tom barely thinks about it. "I'm positive." I wince a little, but stay quiet. "It's time for this guy yo get out there and prove himself! I love Green Hills, but, you know, I wanna help people in real trouble. I want someone to look at me in a life-or-death situation and I'll be there for 'em."
I sigh. I can't help but love that part of Tom. He always wants to lend a helping hand, and now he wants to see if he could help in something more dangerous than a stuck car or kitten stuck in a tree. And I also can't help knowing he'd rock that new job as much as he rocked this one.
I had to let them go, even if it would hurt.
Maddie smiles proudly at her husband. "I get it." I do too, even if a little part of me doesn't want to. "I'm so proud of you!" I am, too, if I'm being honest. This was a big change and I know he didn't just wake up and decide to do this. He'd wanted to for a long time. I just wish he could find a way to live his dreams in Green Hills.
"Thank you." Tom replies and I decide the moment's over.
"Anyone else gonna eat cake or…should I put it away?" I quip, getting another glass of milk and another piece of cake.
"Yeah yeah, we're coming." Tom replies, chuckling. He side hugs me. "I'm really sorry we sprang this on you, Ryan, but I'm glad you're here to celebrate with us."
I nod. "I'm…glad I'm here, too. I may not like that you're moving away, but I can't help wishing you luck, Tom." I reply, then ruffle his hair. "I'm gonna miss you."
"Trust me, we're gonna miss you, too." Tom replies, kissing my temple. "We'll never be too far away to help you if you need it. I promise."
"I know."
