A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! OK dear readers, how sick is this? This story is now 45 chapters long and Rafe still has no clue that his daughter might be dying. This is insane – even for me. This story is going to last forever I fear. I thought Resolution's 92 chapters was a bit much – but at this rate I don't see Memories ending anytime soon. Good news for you – bad news for me and my poor wittle fingers. :) LOL!
I wanted to bring something up. I know that last time I made all sorts of noise about being done and writing no more. I'm not doing that this time. If after this one I get an idea and if you all still want to read it – believe me - I will write it. It seems impossible for me not to.
I know I mention this a lot and I might be paranoid but I really hope I'm not losing you with all these newbies I've created. I love them almost as much as I love the "real life" PCers that inspired me in the first place.
In the next few chapters I'm setting us up for the ending. We see a few old faces, paths will cross, lives will collide, and there's a twist that I think is a real doozy. I really hope I comes off for all of you the way it plays in my head.
Until 46 - (when Rafe finally learns what's going on…) enjoy! xox-G
Chapter Forty-five
They sat on the couch together reading, each stretched out with the backs resting on either end. The sound of some science fiction movie could be heard in the background. It had kept Aidan and Ty mesmerized for hours. Abby sighed as she looked over at Cam again and found him still chuckling.
She took her foot and poked him in the side. "It's not funny, Cameron."
"Oh Abby. Yes it is." He replied laughing louder as he turned a page. "Rafe put himself in the hospital."
"And scared his wife and children to death in the process." Abby shot back at him.
"I just think it's hysterical. I mean, come on." Cam continued to giggle.
Abby settled back and tried to stay annoyed. It was hard to do. She had to admit Cam had a point, except she knew he shouldn't talk.
"How is this any different than you following the twins on their first date?" She asked him nonchalantly.
He made a face and dismissed her question. "I had a job to do."
"Cameron." Abby said as she dropped her book on her lap and gave him a look. "Remember who it is you are talking to. The Herald did not ask you to do an article on the Valentine's Day Dance at PC High." She tried to kick him again and he snagged her foot.
"DON'T." She warned him as she tried to squirm away.
With a wicked grin he kept his hold on her. He wrapped his hand around her ankle and held tight. She squealed as she fought to free herself. "Cameron…" She giggled as she tried once more without success.
Cam flipped her flat onto her back and hovered above her – knocking their books to the floor. He smiled as he kissed her softly. "Say it…" He whispered.
"No." Abby shook her head and fought to catch her breath. Her eyes were sparkling and bright with tears of laughter. He couldn't believe how beautiful she was. "No. I won't." She insisted.
He tickled her side and make her squeal louder. "SAY IT…" He demanded.
She knew he'd never let her go until she did what he wanted. "OK. OK. I give up. I'll say it. You, Cameron Donovan are the best husband ever." She finally choked out.
"And…" He prompted.
"You're the sexiest and the most handsome and the world's most wonderful father." She added as she wiped at her eyes and tried to compose herself.
"And…" He said again.
"And I'm married to you. I'm the luckiest woman alive…" She finished.
Cam smiled smugly as he kissed her again. Triumphantly, he let her go.
"…next to Alison…" She added. He gave her a look let her know she was in big trouble as she scrambled to get away from him.
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" She screamed as he dragged her back onto the couch. She tried to catch her breath as she reached for him.
"That's it. I'm going away alone." He said as he glared down at her, his eyes lit with amusement.
"NO!" Abby pouted. "No please. Please!! I'll be good. I swear." She promised.
"You're not going anywhere." Cam replied as he let her go and settled back on the couch, pretending to be engrossed in his book.
She sat up and crawled closer to him. "Please take me with you?" She asked as she leaned close.
"Maybe. We'll see. You shouldn't press your luck. You know there are millions of women that would be lined up to get a hold of me."
"Millions huh?" Abby laughed as she nibbled on his ear.
Cam was trying to stay strong but she was getting to him. He smiled as he said, "Yeah. Well. Thousands at least."
"I had no idea you were such a hot commodity." Abby said as she bit her lip and tried to keep from laughing. "I should count my blessings." She added as she leaned in and gave him a long lingering kiss.
He smiled as she pulled away. She ran a hand through his hair and asked him in her most sultry voice. "C'mon Cam. Tell me? Where are we going?"
He grinned widely as he began. He kissed her quickly to distract her a bit. "OK. It's incredibly romantic."
"Really?" She asked completely intrigued.
"And we're traveling in high style." Cam added. "Luxury all the way. Nothing but the best for my darling wife."
"I can't wait." She whispered against his lips, imagining moonlit nights and romantic candlelight dinners.
"You can drive the first shift." He said as he kissed her again.
"Hmm?" She asked, confused.
He smiled wider as he watched her face. "Oh Abby. Wait till you see the RV. It's amazing. It's like a rock star's tour bus. You're going to love it."
Her bright blue eyes flew opened wide. "The what?" She said, his words finally registering.
"RV. Abby. It's out of control." Cam said, trying to keep a straight face.
He had to be kidding. Abby thought desperately. He had to be. She fought to find her voice. "You're out of control if you think I want to drive across country in an RV."
He smoothed her hair off her face and replied. "Oh no. Not across country. Just Niagara Falls."
She knew then that he had to be joking. She still wanted to know but finally admitted defeat. Most of the time she was thankful, but right now it annoyed her that she had such a hard time seeing things that had to do with herself.
"You're not going to tell me are you?" Abby asked with a frown.
"What do you mean? I just did." He laughed at her. She could try all she wanted but she wasn't going to know until he wanted her to.
She should have known better. That was it. She didn't even bother to answer him. Frustrated, she simply grabbed a pillow from the couch and nailed him in the head with it.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
She was thankful that she was given a chance to just wander around a bit. It wasn't the first time she's been in Quinn's apartment but before tonight it had always just been a quick stop to pick something up. Tonight he'd invited her over for dinner. He was even doing the cooking. Billie was impressed and grateful. It was rare to have someone taking care of her. She was slowly getting used to it – a little more every day it seemed. It was all because of Quinn.
Even so, Billie tried to calm her nerves. It was all so new to her, having people she could trust to keep an eye on Tyler, giving her the freedom to do things like this.
The way Quinn made her feel was new as well. Would she ever get over the feeling she got when they were alone together? She'd been engaged to Mark but it was clear he'd never loved her or appreciated her the way he should have.
When they first met she told Quinn to stay away but now things had changed drastically. She couldn't tell you how it happened, but now she wanted to be near him all the time. When he held her close she just wanted him closer. And the way he kissed her, Billie thought with a sigh as she hugged her arms around herself. She wondered if he knew just how much he'd changed her. Quinn made her start to dream again, about things she'd long given up on. Having all that she thought was lost appear within reach again terrified her.
She crossed the room to look at the pictures on the wall. There were various clippings and pictures of Quinn's life before he'd moved back home, before he had to stop playing. She wondered, not for the first time how much he really missed it. Quinn always seemed so carefree and happy but she was sure it must bother him. She knew what it was like to lose something you loved.
"What am I doing?" She said to herself as she traced a finger over the image in the frame, a shot of Quinn in the midst of a celebration in the clubhouse, getting really good champagne dumped over his head. She wondered why he looked so unhappy. Everyone else in the picture looked like they had had the night of their lives.
"That was the last game I ever played." Quinn said from behind her. Even as he did he wondered why he mentioned it. No one wanted to hear his sob story, particularly someone who has had as rough a time as Billie.
"Thanks." Billie whispered as Quinn handed her a glass of wine. "Really?"
"Yeah it was. Cheers." Quinn replied with a smile as he clinked his beer bottle against her glass. "Dinner's almost ready." He added.
She wasn't about to let him get out of it that easy. She looked into his eyes and spoke softly. "I was just thinking you look sad in this picture. You knew it then didn't you?"
Quinn nodded, averting his gaze. "I wonder…"
"What?" She asked as she stepped closer to him.
He wanted to tell her he realized - a bit taken aback. It was a story rarely told. He hated the look of pity people got in their eyes when he talked about it. But Billie was different. He had to at least own up to that fact. What that really meant scared him a bit but he knew before they moved on, however that might be, he wanted her to know all of it.
Quinn ran his hand over Billie's cheek and met her eyes again. "I didn't tell anyone until the next day. We were way ahead so they took me out of the game in the seventh inning. Even though I knew it on that last pitch – even though I'd felt it the minute the ball left my hand I didn't say a word. All the adrenalin kept me from really feeling the pain like I should have. So I kept quiet, like a little kid thinking his problems will disappear if he doesn't mention it. Maybe if I'd said something to the trainers that night I'd still be able to play now."
Billie's heart broke at the look on his face. She'd never seen him look so sad. "Quinn. Are you sure there's nothing more you can do?"
"There's surgery." Quinn said with a shrug. "I already did that but they say there's this other one I could have tried. It doesn't matter. I'm too old to go back to playing now…" He said as he took another sip of his beer and glanced around the room. "I should probably take this stuff down. I just used it to try and impress chicks anyway." He said as he turned to her and gave her a wink.
"Don't…" Billie said softly as she put her glass down on the table beside her. "Don't make jokes, Quinn. This was important to you."
"It was but it's OK. I know it's over." He said softly as he gazed into her eyes. "I'm fine with it." The look on his face told her the opposite was really true.
Billie shook her head at him. She wouldn't let him shrug this off like it didn't matter. He had done so much to help her she wanted to help him in some way too. She took his hand in hers and linked her fingers with his, rising on her tiptoes and kissing his mouth sweetly. She was so focused on comforting him that she didn't realize it was the first time she'd kissed him without him making the first move.
Quinn realized it at once. He was about to mention it when he realized she was talking.
He watched her take a deep breath and begin. "Maybe you can't get it back, not like it was before but you are so talented Quinn. Maybe you could get back there somehow. You could coach maybe – you know - more than little league, though that's not to say you aren't good at that. You are. You are so good with them. But maybe you could be one of the guys who talk during the game on TV. What do they call them again?" She asked him, her eyes huge and full of optimism.
"Commentators." He replied as he ran a hand over her hair. His fingers moved to touch the skin on the back of her neck, making her shiver a bit. Though the subject they were discussing had just been filling his mind now suddenly all he could see or think about was her.
Billie was just as distracted, but still determined to finish this. "Oh yeah right. That's it." She said brightly. "Commentators. You would be wonderful at that. You'd be amazing." She lowered her lashes and inched closer to him running her hands up his chest and settling on his shoulders. "You are amazing."
"I'm amazing huh? I don't believe this. This is coming from a girl who used to hate me." He whispered as he wound his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. What amazed him was how much better just looking at her made him feel. He couldn't believe it. Since he'd had to give up his dreams no one, not his friends or his family, no one had ever given him as much hope as she just had. Other people had said the same words but they meant so much more coming from her.
"I never hated you Quinn." Billie promised him, tears threatening to fall. "I'm sorry I was so mean to you back then. The truth is that I was scared of you." She admitted.
He caught a teardrop with his thumb as he swept it across her cheek. Within seconds he got lost in her eyes again. "It's OK. You're forgiven. I wasn't exactly the nicest to you either." He said as he pulled her to him. "Billie, tell me something. Are you scared of me now?" He asked as his lips touched hers gently. As they did, Billie sank into his embrace and tugged on his shirt to try and get even closer.
"Yeah. I am a little…" She murmured as his mouth closed over hers, more passionately this time. It took enormous effort, but Billie took a deep breath and eased back a bit, wanting him to understand. She traced a finger over his lips as she spoke. "I've never felt like this before." She said as she blushed, completely embarrassed. She felt naïve and foolish, like a teenager. She didn't want to disappoint him. From the stories she'd heard, Quinn had dated so many women in his life. She knew that compared to most of them she was probably nowhere near as sophisticated.
If she only knew what he was thinking at that moment. He was thinking how he'd never had these feelings before for any other woman. How there wasn't any other name in his head now but hers. "Billie…" He whispered. Quinn knew, right now, the only thing he wanted was to hold her like this for the rest of his life. He decided in that moment that his sister could tease him all she wanted, but someday – and someday soon – he was going to have to do something to make sure he got his wish. With those thoughts swirling in his head Quinn pressed his mouth to hers, his arms tightening around her waist and crushing her against him.
"Quinn." She breathed as she pulled back and stared into his eyes. "I really don't know what I'm doing here."
"Me either." He whispered as he gently wound a hand in her hair. His lips moved to glide down the slope of her neck. As they came back to settle on hers again he added. "So. Let's figure it out together."
