Now two weeks later Veronica and Sara had grown close. They talked about almost everything, well except for the one big bad secret but both of them felt as if they could tell it soon.
Maybe on the anniversary? That would leave one week to prepare.
It was gym day for the girls and they already had finished their workout and now were just sitting and chatting at the juice bar.
"What are your plans now?" Sara asked and drank the last of her freshly pressed orange juice.
"Probably go home and sleep!" Veronica replies with a laugh. "Why do you ask?"
"What do you say to dinner at my place and girl talk?"
"Okay sounds great. I'll head home to change and then I'll swing by. Anything I should bring?"
"Some juice for fruit cocktails…!" They said goodbye and parted ways.
At home Veronica told Linc that he was on his own for dinner and changed.
"Vee do you mind if Mike and I watch the game here then?"
"No go ahead. How is he by the way?"
"Do you mean still depressed because he couldn't find a girl that was good enough at his night out? Or do you mean angry that his colleagues call him 'Chandler Bing'?"
"No Linc I meant if he is already pulling out the paper clippings and wallows in whatever bad feeling he has about back then!" she answered annoyed.
"Ahem I don't know but I think he is too busy to wallow right now…! I can talk to him tonight if you want!"
"Yeah you should do that if you feel he is back in his downward spiral! See you later!" and with a light kiss Veronica was out of the door and on her way to Sara's.
LJ came home and met his step mom in the foyer."Where are you going?"
"I am having dinner with Sara so you boys are on your own."
"Amy is staying?"
"Oh don't make such a face. You love your sister and she will be sleeping anyways. You can watch the game with no distractions. Have fun!"
The young man thought about how fast these two had become friends. He wouldn't have bet on that. Well if you took into consideration who his father and Veronicas husband is or better was, finding genuine friends and trusting people was not an easy task. When he opened the door he heard his father talking on the phone.
"Okay pizza it is. You pick it up and come over. See ya!"
"So pizza?"
"Oh hey LJ yeah Mike is bringing pizza and we can watch the game here. Vee is meeting Sara!"
"I know, I met her downstairs." LJ excused himself until Michael arrived and went to his room to change and learn a little.
Sara had prepared lasagna for dinner and had just finished setting the table when Veronica arrived.
"Hey come on in and make yourself comfortable." Sara invited her in and Veronica did as told. She sat down on the sofa and looked around. Her eyes found the paper rose in the back of the display.
"Did you do that yourself?"
"Did I do what?"
"The paper rose!" Veronica clarifies and points also. Sara's face pales a little but she swallows down the lump and answers
"No actually it was a gift for my birthday a few years back. Why are you asking?"
"My husband and brother in law are some sort of origami freaks. They fold paper cranes whenever they want to express some deep emotional stuff."
"Cranes? Why Cranes. You can explain over eating, right?"
"Yes we don't want the lasagna to get cold." Both women shared a laugh and sat down at the table thinking their own thoughts.
That rose looks so familiar. ~ Men that are folding cranes all the time?
"So what is it about theses cranes?" Sara starts up the conversation again.
"Oh yeah, well a crane stands for familial obligations and in their case I suppose also for the love they share for each other. Their parents left them way too soon and well to express that they were thinking of each other even when they were apart the boys would leave each other origami cranes! The ritual somehow survived until now!"
"Sounds cute though! So LJ is folding paper too?"
"Actually no and I am grateful for that." Veronica noticed that Sara wasn't drinking any alcohol and so she said "You don't have to drink only non alcoholic stuff on my account!" Sara was confused.
"I don't drink, don't you know?"
"How should I know?"
"Okay this is weird. I thought LJ told you already…. During my residency I got addicted and when I came to an accident but was too stoned to help I got clean."
"LJ hasn't mentioned it but how does he know?"
"I told my paramedics class about it to encourage them to talk to me about their problems and to show them where unreleased tension and pressure can lead. So now you know why I don't drink."
"Can I ask you something?"
"If you want to know if I stayed clean ever since: No five years ago I relapsed and overdosed in one."
"Oh my god!" Veronica gasped shocked. "Why?"
"I don't want to talk about it right now but maybe sometime soon. Okay?"
"Alright so what do you say lets watch a movie?"
"Yeah and how do you feel about 'Cruel Intentions'?"
"Old school but good." With that they popped in the movie and relaxed.
The boys had enjoyed the game and now were just talking about what had happened during the day.
"You are not going to believe what happened to me today!" Michael said somewhat randomly while LJ told a story about how he had ran into a childhood friend today.
"Ok we bite who did you see today, Jennifer Garner or what?" Linc said turning in his seat.
"No! I was in Fox River today to meet with the warden and all and clear when we could go over the yard and everything. So the warden said I could inspect the yard right now and when we arrived outside someone called me 'Pretty'!"
"You are kidding?" Linc said with big eyes.
"Sadly no!" LJ was confused.
"What is the matter? Why would some inmate calling you 'Pretty' and why is it a big deal?" The older men looked at each other and Linc decided to explain.
"OK you remember the guys which broke out with us?" LJ nodded is head 'yes'
" One of them, T-Bag…"
"The rapist?" the young man interrupted.
"Yes that is him, well he always called your uncle pretty and he always had some young boy as his, well sort of a pet and he is back." LJ shook his whole body in disgust.
"Yeah that's how I felt when I heard him. I requested that he would be put far away from where ever we were working and the warden agreed. He said something about the SHU!"
"Ha-ha that is a great idea!" LJ sat and listened while his father and uncle told him all about T-Bag and made fun about him in the SHU.
"I think I am going to get a tattoo." The young man suddenly blurted out. He had been thinking about it for a while now but he hadn't wanted to discuss it with his father.
"What?" the person in question said in shock.
"I want to get a tattoo. You have several and Uncle Mike has a freaking shirt of ink!"
"Yeah and think how much good it is now! I have to hide it so people think I can be trusted!"
"Oh I forgot!" LJ responded but found his fire again. "If you want to get rid of it why don't you get it lasered?"
"Because it costs too damn much to get everything lasered!"
"Okay guys if I have to be the voice of reason we know something is wrong! Let's call it a night and sleep over this!" Lincoln interrupted the argument between his brother and son.
Michael said his goodbye's and left. LJ cleaned the living room and while doing so he noticed that his uncle had forgotten a folder. He opened it to check if his uncle would need it in the morning but he only found paper clippings and an article about a woman named Sara Tancredi.
The governor's daughter?
He looked through the rest and then it hit him. The woman in the picture is Sara Miller his paramedics' teacher.
"Dad!" he shouted.
Don't kill me! (PLEASE) I know I jumped the shark here and that it was a conversation heavy chapter. Just so you know this doesn't mean it is time to meet... any sugestions as to what is going to happen? Let me know. Sara&Michael no need to apologize and just so you know you don't have to write to create an account. I created one at first so I could review every story :). Sara Scofield happy that you didn't die on me :) Thanks for coming back.