Let's take our time/Don't we have to try?
Life had continued on as normal the next couple of weeks that followed the trial. That morning, Buttercup had got up, helped get Jay off to school and helped Butch rally the triplets into their clothes for the day and get their breakfast sorted.
She'd seemed herself for the most part; maybe a little quiet at times. If anything was bothering her still, she was managing to not show it.
Butch had been trying to not think about any of it now either, and just carry on with things as usual. But it had all been playing on his mind - quite a lot, actually.
And not just the whole, him and Blossom thing, but the Mitch thing too. The stuff Mitch was insinuating about. He couldn't get it out of his head. Even though he knew in his heart of hearts that there was no way Buttercup was cheating on him, that little niggly feeling still lingered, its only defence being that Buttercup had cheated before - on Mitch, with him. Did that count? Was that enough to make him doubt her?
He didn't doubt her, he didn't. But he needed to put this to rest. Mitch said to visit Buttercup at work. So Butch decided that he finally would do just that, if only to quiet the incessant little voice of doubt in his head.
"Oh, hey Butch - hey girls. We wasn't expecting you." Boomer said as Ivy, Emerald and Olive flew over his shoulder and into his house, like three green rockets.
"Hey Boom, need you to do me a solid and watch the girls for a little while. I really won't be long, I just gotta go check something out." Butch said, passing him a change bag filled to the brim with supplies.
"Erm, what?" Boomer mumbled, baffled.
"Anything and everything you could possibly need is in that bag - including snacks for bribery. Call me if you need me - but only if it's a genuine emergency. I seriously won't be long." Butch said, patting his blonde brother on the shoulder and turning to leave.
"Wait wait wait!" Boomer cried, panic rising in his voice. "Bubbles is asleep - she's having a nap - you can't just leave me on my own with five little girls! I won't survive!"
"Dude, you'll live. I seriously won't be long. K thanks man bye!" Butch said, before jetting off into the sky.
Boomer watched him go, before turning to look at the five little girls in bewilderment.
"Good lord have mercy on me." He whimpered.
When Butch arrived at the gym, it didn't take him long to find Buttercup. He passed through the foyer without speaking to anyone and managed to slip through without being questioned - he even avoided the two policemen that were standing at the reception desk talking to the receptionist. He knew he wasn't doing anything they might have been interested in - he just naturally got his back up around cops. He'd also recently been cautioned for using his son's fist to punch a 14 year old in the face, so he really didn't want another altercation with them if he could help it. He was skating on thin ice; they didn't need him getting arrested right now.
He hadn't been there for a while but he still knew the place like the back of his hand. Purposefully, he walked towards the main area of the gym where all the exercise equipment was.
Sure enough she was there, talking to a woman on a treadmill. Butch stopped momentarily, looking at her, taking her in. What was he doing here? She was just doing her job, she was just training someone, what she was supposed to be there for. Nothing was going on. Mitch was just a jerk, he was just making him paranoid for the fun of it.
Butch felt like an idiot. And he felt mad at himself for ever doubting her even a tiny bit. He watched her for a few seconds longer, fully appreciating every bit of her, before deciding he should just go before she caught his eye and wanted to know why he was there. That was a conversation/argument they didn't need to have. But just before he turned away, a young guy, clad in the male gym uniform, approached Buttercup from behind.
She hadn't seen him coming, and Butch hadn't seen what he did next coming either. When this young guy got close enough to her, he swung his arm out, and smacked Buttercup firmly on the ass as he passed her. The slap sound reverberated around the room, and an incredulous expression graced his features.
Without missing a beat, Buttercup turned around and punched him square in the face. And she hadn't held back - the dude was knocked out instantly, and hit the ground with a thud. The lady on the treadmill gasped loudly, as did a few other witnesses.
"Oh shit…" Butch muttered under his breath as he began to walk towards his girlfriend. Everyone on the gym floor had turned around at the loud crack that had resonated around the room as her fist had connected with his face. As Butch got closer he noticed someone else who had witnessed the entire exchange; Buttercup's boss.
"I warned you!" Buttercup cried defiantly to Lonnie, who laid unconscious on the ground. The woman on the treadmill had jumped off and was now at Lonnie's head, checking him over. Another gym go-er was checking his breathing and putting him in the recovery position.
"Buttercup!" Butch cried as he approached her. She turned her head in his direction sharply, screwing her face up in confusion at his presence.
"Butch? What are you doing here?" She asked, but he didn't get the chance to answer, as someone else was now barking out her name.
"Buttercup - what the hell is wrong with you?!"
Buttercup cringed as she recognised the voice of her boss from behind her. He did not sound happy.
"Somebody call 911!" Someone yelped and Buttercup felt panic surge through her as she looked down at Lonnie, out cold on the floor, then up at Butch, who swallowed hard.
"Is there some kind of disturbance going on in here?"
Another voice added to the mix and Buttercup groaned out loud as the two cops were led into the exercise floor by a concerned gym member. "Of course there's cops here, of course." She murmured, covering her face with her hand.
"Oh shit." Butch muttered again. Everything became a bit of a blur after that. One cop bent down beside Lonnie's head to check him over, wincing at his swollen face, whilst the other asked Buttercup what had happened.
"He slapped me on the ass so I, I punched him." She explained, and the cop tilted his head at her.
"He slapped you, you, Buttercup Utonium, on the ass? In front of everyone else in the gym? While you were working?" The cop asked, skeptical.
"Yes!" Buttercup exclaimed, indignant at the hint of disbelief on the officers face. "Ask anyone - ask Butch, he saw, right? You saw!" She cried, looking at the woman she had previously been training.
"I saw you punch him!" The lady replied in disgust, and Buttercup's light green eyes widened in horror.
"Because he slapped me on the ass! I'm not lying!" Buttercup hollered.
"Miss Utonium I'd appreciate it if you'd calm down, and not shout at me." The policeman said, and Buttercup glared at him.
"I'd appreciate it if you'd listen to me - or ask anyone else here what they saw. Butch you saw what he did!" Buttercup looked at Butch desperately, and he nodded rapidly.
"I did, he just slapped her on the ass, hard." Butch replied in an astounded mumble. It was like just saying it made him cloud over in angry disbelief once more.
The cop gave Butch a look that read 'like I'd believe you'. Butch frowned at him deeply.
"So I punched him. It was a reflex." Buttercup added. "He touched me and I didn't want him to touch me! He's been making his interests known for weeks now and I've been telling him to go to hell for the same amount of time!"
Anger flooded Butch's features, then he frowned. "Why didn't you tell me that?" He mumbled, and she flashed him a concerned look.
The officer that had been checking Lonnie over stood up, standing beside the one who had been questioning Buttercup. "He's out cold but he's breathing, and his pulse is steady. His face is really messed up. A civilian has called an EMS. We better book her."
Buttercup's face fell even more. "What?!"
"Come on," The first officer said, retrieving his handcuffs from his person. "Let's not make a scene, hmm?"
"Are you kidding me?! You're arresting me?!" Buttercup cried as the first cop approached her and she took a step backwards.
"Let's not add resisting arrest onto your charges Utonium." The other cop said as he raised his arms to take ahold of hers. Cautiously he walked behind her and she froze as he grabbed her lower arms. The officer was relieved when she didn't resist him. "Please cooperate, or we'll have to call for specialist backup."
"I am specialist backup!" Buttercup replied, exasperated.
"Oh come on!" Butch cried, taking a couple more steps toward them. "You're cuffing her?! Over this? You don't need to do that!"
The second cop reached for his belt instinctively. "Jojo back away."
Butch put his hands up, sighing raggedly. "Jesus christ I'm not gunna fucking do anything - but is this really necessary?! She punched him cos he touched her! So you're arresting her?! Arrest him! Plus you know those cuffs are useless on her!" His back was immediately up, he did not like seeing the cop restraining her.
"If I'm arresting you." The first officer said as he fastened the cuffs around Buttercup's wrists. "I'm cuffing you. Buttercup Utonium, you're under arrest for common assault. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you desire an attorney and cannot afford one, an attorney will be obtained for you before police questioning."
"I can't fucking believe this." Buttercup said under her breath, completely humiliated as the officer began to march her towards the exit, once again relieved when she complied. He was well aware she could break the cuffs in an instant, and render him and his colleague unconscious with one hit - as she had the dude she worked with.
Whilst Buttercup was also well aware the cuffs were pointless, she knew breaking free of the officers grip would only make matters worse for her - and ultimately her family.
"This is a fucking joke." Butch grumbled as he followed them out of the building. "So what, you guys condone some guy touching her when she doesn't want them to?" He asked angrily. "You think that's okay?"
"No Jojo, we don't condone that. We also don't condone assault." The officer holding onto Buttercup said.
"Well maybe you could fill me in on how you guys run things, cos the other week I got a couple of you showing up at my door to caution me for helping my son stand up to a bully at school - and now you're hauling my partner in for punching a guy who sexually harassed her? Where's your fucking logic?!" Butch replied through grit teeth.
"I can put you in the back of my car too if you want Jojo you keep speaking to me like that." The first cop said. Buttercup saw the offer of a challenge rise in Butch's eyes. She knew he would not go down quietly.
"No no, Butch - just follow us down there." Buttercup yelped, images of the two of them sharing a cell rampant in her mind.
"Fine, I'll go there now." Butch said hotly as they pushed her into the back of the cop car.
Butch sighed as he sat in the waiting area of Townsville Police Department. It was strange, sitting out here waiting. He'd scarcely been sat on this side of the department. In his youth, more often than not he was sitting where Buttercup currently was - in a cell. He'd assumed that's where she was anyway. No one had told him anything and he was starting to get irate.
Why was she still in there? So she'd punched some guy in the face - he'd smacked her on the ass first - would they really charge her over that? God he hoped so bad it wouldn't spiral out of control.
What she had done was better than what he'd have done had she not reacted first. He'd have throttled him for ever laying a hand on her. Just thinking it made his blood boil. That fucking asshole, touching his girlfriend. Who the hell did he think he was?
He pulled a hand through his hair, an attempt to calm himself down and settle the unfamiliar feeling in his stomach. Worry, and a bit of dread. What if they pressed charges? Or what if they did let her go, but she was fired? What would they do? What would they do if she went to jail? How the hell would they cope without her? What would they do if she'd been fired? They'd be without a source of income. He would have to find work. And Buttercup would be gutted, as she had enjoyed working there again. Although this Lonnie guy would explain her sudden reluctance to go in.
Why hadn't she just told him about Lonnie? He'd have dealt with him, he'd have dealt with him immediately, and he'd have never bothered Buttercup again afterwards. Maybe that was the exact reason why she hadn't told him about him. Maybe she worried he'd murder the dude, which quite frankly, the moment he'd seen his hand connect with her ass, he had wanted to.
The door to the side of the front counter opened and the manager of Body Limits Gym, Samuel Lawson, was escorted out by an officer. The officer thanked him for his time and headed back into the station. Butch hadn't even known he was in there; he must have missed him coming in.
The green ruff jumped to his feet. "Wait wait - will someone fucking tell me what's going on?!" Butch yelped irritably, but got no answer. Even the woman behind the counter ignored him.
Samuel Lawson gave Butch an uncomfortable look and attempted to leave the station without speaking to him, but Butch stopped him as he passed him.
"Lawson - do you know what's happening? Look man, I'm sorry about everything but, can you really blame her for -" Butch began but he interrupted him.
"Butch, Butch - I'm sorry too, but I don't have time to stop and chat right now. I need to get back to work and close up after this mess. I, I'll see you around." He muttered, before turning and leaving before Butch could stop him.
He cursed under his breath as he plopped back down in the seat he'd been sitting in. Lawson could barely even look at him - she had so been fired.
"Fuck fuck fuck!" He muttered, his expletives getting louder with each word. The woman behind the front counter cleared her throat loudly, glaring at him.
"What?" Butch snapped at her. "Why is she still in there? Can you give me an update? She only punched him in the face cos he slapped her on the ass! I mean come on - if I slapped you on the ass you'd punch me, right?"
She pulled the shutters down in response.
Butch clutched at his head, his thoughts going a mile a minute, until he was distracted by the sound of Buttercup's voice in the distance.
He could hear her complaining to the police officer that was escorting her out. "Oh, no handcuffs this time? Are you sure it's safe to walk me across a hallway without them?" He heard her asking him sarcastically.
"That was for your safety as much as it was for mine Utonium." The officer replied and Buttercup scoffed in response.
"Oh whatever. We both know why you did that." She spat. "One chance to have any power over me and you jumped at it, after years of having to do as I say in a crisis."
"Goodbye Miss Utonium." The cop said flatly as he held the door open for her.
She didn't respond, her expression irked. Butch looked up at Buttercup's face, his emerald eyes filled with dread at her fate.
"They aren't pressing charges." She muttered as Butch got to his feet and clutched at her hands, relieved to see her. He'd been sitting in that waiting room for almost three hours.
"Oh thank fuck. Are you okay?" He questioned, and she nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just pissed off it got blown out of proportion like this. I mean, can you believe they fucking arrested me?" Buttercup cried, as she stomped towards the exit. She did not want to stay in that station another second longer.
Butch followed her and held the door open for her as they both stepped out onto the sidewalk. It was dark, the sky now a midnight blue; it had been lighter when they'd arrived.
"Where are the kids?" Buttercup questioned suddenly, and Butch gave her a reassuring look.
"They're at Boomer's, don't worry. I've had a text from Jay, he's at home. They're all fine. So, the cops aren't charging you?" He asked and she shook her head as they began to walk side by side.
"No, they questioned a couple of witnesses at the gym, Lawson spoke to them too - they also spoke to Lonnie at the hospital - and as soon as they established I was reacting to being hit on the ass they dropped it. Lonnie admitted to doing it too. Then they flipped the narrative and were asking me if I wanted to charge him for sexual harassment. Which was why I was in there so fucking long." She explained, and he paused.
"Are you gunna?" He queried, and she shook her head.
"No. I don't need to. Lawson came in to talk to the cops while I was there. Lonnie's got a broken jaw and cheekbone." Butch gave her a look of grateful pride. "But he's also been fired. I think that combination is punishment enough for touching me."
"I would argue against that but, fair enough. What about you, did you get to speak to Lawson?" Butch said, dread in his voice as his girlfriend nodded.
"Yeah. I've been suspended for 2 weeks. Without pay." She replied. "He apologised for the way Lonnie behaved but, cos I hit him there had to be repercussions, apparently. I've gotta go collect my things from my locker."
"Fuck." Butch hissed under his breath.
"I know. He told me his fucking jaw and cheek is broken and I thought he was gunna fire me there and then for definite, and that the police would decide actually, yeah, let's charge this bitch with assault. But thankfully they didn't. I think Lawson knows I could throw a sexual misconduct in the workplace case his way over this if I wanted to. God, I'm so sorry." Buttercup murmured as they turned a corner, avoiding passersby. But Butch was shaking his head.
"You know what, I'm sorry! I came down there today to, to - I don't even know what - I came down to the gym because of fucking Mitch." Butch admitted, sounding disappointed in himself.
Buttercup's face fell at Butch's words, as she realised what had happened.
"What did he say to you?" Buttercup asked, her voice becoming angered suddenly. "I fucking knew he'd say something."
Butch screwed his face up in confusion. "Huh? How do you know he said something to me?"
"All that you witnessed earlier with Lonnie? That wasn't the first time he's pulled something like that. And one time he did it, Mitch was here at the gym, on a tour. And he got it all wrong, he got the entire situation wrong. He totally thought I was into it - I was not. What did he say to you?" Buttercup questioned.
Butch shrugged, feeling bad for even giving Mitch's words a second thought. "He was just making comments about you being a shitty person, and a cheater. Like, insinuating it. And I didn't believe him. But I just had this little fucking niggle in the back of my mind. But I should have ignored it cos, BC," He'd stopped, taking her face in his. "You're are my fucking dream woman. I mean you broke his fucking face."
She smiled at him. "I should have just told you what was going on."
"I should have just told you what Mitch said to me, rather than listening to him and coming to fucking check in on you at work." Butch said, stroking the side of her face with his thumb. "I'm an idiot."
"We really need to talk more huh?" She mumbled, and he sighed but he was smiling.
"Yeah, we do." He said, before kissing her firmly on the lips. She kissed him back, putting her arms around his waist affectionately and holding him tight.
"So," He asked as she pulled her lips away from his momentarily. "You've just gone and made yourself even more of a badass." She cranked a brow at him. "Spending a few hours in the slammer, you're a bona fide jailbird now."
She rolled her eyes, smirking. "I wasn't even in a cell that long - probably for like an hour. They moved me to an interview room and kept me in there till they let me go. I still can't believe they cuffed me. I've not been cuffed since -"
"Since the other night, at home in bed - I know." He interrupted with a playful leer.
She rolled her eyes and whacked him on the arm. "Noo, I didn't mean like that. I meant by a cop - when we had a big argument at Caspers cafe, remember? They made a big song and dance about arresting us both then too."
"We did leave a hole in the cafe window." Butch reminded her.
"Oh yeah." She murmured.
"Well," He said, placing his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close as they began to walk along the busy street once more. "At least we get to spend the next two weeks together."
"Yeah, two weeks together, as one big, broke ass, happy family." Buttercup replied, her mind on the two weeks without pay aspect of her punishment.
"We'll be okay. It was worth it to watch you break that asshole's face." Butch replied, and she smirked.
"You paged me for a surgical consult?" Tom asked as he leant on the nurses station.
Blossom nodded, going through the armful of charts she was holding, and handed a particular one to him. His eyes scanned it momentarily before he smirked.
"Zygomatic fracture. Is this another of your sisters victims?" He queried and she rolled her eyes.
"Ha ha. No, he's not a victim of Buttercup's, but he does have a broken cheek. His jaw is intact, thankfully." Blossom replied, going back to her chart.
"Unlike Lonnie's." Tom said with a grin, chuckling. Blossom had to hold back her smirk.
"I'd have broken his jaw if he did that to me too, especially while I was at work." Tess said, joining Blossom's side.
Tom scoffed. "So would I. Probably not in such a badass manner as Buttercup did though."
Tess smiled warmly at her fiance as he headed off to see Blossom's zygomatic fracture patient, and then she giggled, turning to face Blossom once more. "I know I shouldn't laugh, but I still can't get over how funny it was, hearing him trying to tell the police your sister punched him in the face."
Blossom smirked momentarily, trying to remain professional. "Yes, it wasn't a highlight of my medical career. I can't blame her though. It wasn't the first time he'd behaved that way around her and she'd warned him to back off more than once. I mean, he can't be the brightest crayon in the pack to keep pursuing her, Buttercup, after she shot him down. He should have known that if you play with fire, you're going to get burnt. Burnt badly, too."
"Well, exactly. God, I think she's amazing. Definitely my hero." Tess said with another laugh, and Blossom smiled.
"Well, I'll pass the message along." She replied, before they went their separate ways to tend to their patients.
Blossom was feeling pretty good. She no longer felt on edge at work anymore - in fact, she was enjoying it as much as she usually did. Going back after the trial had been odd - a lot of people didn't know how to behave around her, she'd noticed. But it had been over a week since she'd been back, and just over two since the trial had all ended, and she felt like things were slowly going back to normal around her.
It was a nice feeling.
People were talking more about Buttercup's latest antics anyway - she was pleased to be old news.
For the most part she'd not thought about Jeremy much. On occasion, his sobbing, remorse filled face came into her head, breaking down in the courtroom and apologizing directly to her. It made her stomach feel weird. She pushed it out of her mind whenever she thought about it.
She also got that same weird feeling whenever she walked down the corridor past Hayley's room. She was still admitted at Townsville General, but Blossom hadn't been to see her since the trial. The pink puff felt a little torn about it.
It didn't feel appropriate. Jeremy was her brother, and he was now in prison. For 11 years, too. He'd not long been sentenced. But, Hayley had helped her get him in prison; Hayley had given evidence that helped prove Jeremy was a serial rapist.
But somehow, going in her hospital room to celebrate her family members' incarceration just didn't feel right to Blossom.
Ethan, the doctor who had taken Hayley over from Blossom, had told her she should pop in and say hello. He'd promised she was doing okay, but Blossom was too afraid - not that she'd admit that to anyone.
She didn't know what to say to her.
So whenever she had to pass Hayley's room, she put her head down and walked purposefully, being sure not to look over at her, or catch her eye. And she did just that today on her way to the lab to grab some patient results; but Hayley's door had been left open, and Blossom heard her calling her name as she passed.
She halted, the polite side of her telling her she could not just pretend she didn't hear her. She had super hearing for crying out loud. After a moment's hesitation, Blossom looked around at Hayley Paxton, who was sitting in her bed, looking at Blossom with a hopeful expression.
Blossom sighed, before entering her room.
"Is everything okay, Hayley?" Blossom asked, approaching the foot or her bed uncomfortably.
"I'm fine - I just, I've not seen you in ages. How are you doing?" Hayley asked eagerly. Blossom could tell she was shocked she had finally come into her hospital room and spoken to her.
"Oh I'm fine." The pink puff replied a little awkwardly, as a small silence followed her words.
"Blossom, I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am -" Hayley began, her voice becoming heavy with emotion suddenly, until Blossom interrupted.
"Hayley - honestly, you don't need to apologize. You did nothing wrong." Blossom told her gently, but Hayley was shaking her head, her expression angered all of a sudden.
"But he's my brother - and I can't believe he would think the things he did were okay." Hayley bit out, and Blossom's mouth went into a thin line. "And you, you treated me for so long knowing full well who I was and he was here, being such a shit to you! I mean what the hell is wrong with him?!"
Blossom didn't say anything; she didn't know what to say.
"Blossom, you're such a good person. You didn't deserve what he did. No one does. And I'm so, so sorry you've had to live with the consequences of his actions." Hayley said, her eyes wet with tears.
Blossom swallowed hard. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. I mean every word." Hayley replied.
Blossom nodded slowly, swallowing back the forming lump in her throat once more. She picked up Hayley's chart and fiddled with it, just to give herself something to do. But she scanned a particular line of Ethan's scrawled writing, and her eyes widened in surprise. "You have a donor?!"
Hayley smiled and nodded. "Yeah. My transplant is in 2 days time."
"Oh Hayley that's amazing news! I'm so happy for you." Blossom cried, placing the chart down and going around to her bedside to give her a hug.
"Thank you. See, there's always a bright side." She said as Blossom pulled away from their hug.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Blossom responded.
Blossom exhaled lightly, before turning in her seat to glance at the clock on the cafeteria wall. Where was Bubbles? She was supposed to be meeting her for lunch, but Blossom had been waiting for 15 minutes now, and still no sign of her.
She'd messaged her, but got no response. And she was reluctant to call her; Bubbles had gone for her first pregnancy scan - she didn't want to phone her in case she was having her scan when she called. Boomer hadn't responded to her message either.
But her appointment had been over an hour ago now - could they have been running that late? She supposed it was possible; if anyone knew how behind things could get at Townsville General Hospital, it was her, she'd worked there for years. But the pink puff had been expecting her sister to get to the cafeteria way before she did. Yet she'd still not shown up.
After sitting waiting for a further 5 minutes, Blossom got to her feet and decided to go search for her sister at the ultrasound department of the hospital. She didn't have long left on her lunch break, and her pager could go off any minute for one thing or another.
But when Blossom arrived at the department, Bubbles wasn't there. She asked the receptionist if her sister was being seen, who told her she'd been sent to obstetrics. That had prompted an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. But she pushed it aside. That didn't necessarily mean something bad had happened. It could mean a number of things. It could be something as simple as some paperwork her ob-gyn needed her to fill out.
But the concern she felt took over, so the pink puff headed to obstetrics in the hopes that she'd find her sister there.
Sure enough, there Bubbles sat in the waiting room; a handful of leaflets in her hand and tears streaming down her face.
Blossom's stomach turned. "Bubbles!" She called as she approached her. But she didn't even move or respond. "Bubbles are you okay?"
Slowly, the blonde puff turned her head to look at Blossom, tears pooling in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks as she blinked. "I lost the baby." She said simply.
"Oh no, oh Bubbles. Oh I'm so sorry, come here." Blossom said, reaching for her sister, who crumpled in her arms.
Blossom wasn't sure how long they sat there. But Bubbles sobbed into her scrubs, and Blossom struggled to keep the tears from flowing down her cheeks as her sister broke into pieces as she held her.
It was only the sudden feeling of several pairs of eyes on them that made Blossom pull away gently from her sister, noting the other women, some heavily pregnant, eyeing them curiously in the waiting room. She flicked away some of the tears that sat on her sisters rosy cheek, and stroked the side of her face affectionately.
"Bubbles, where is Boomer?" Blossom asked her as Bubbles gasped and spluttered as she tried to gain some control back.
"He - he's at work. He h-had to go in." Bubbles hiccuped and Blossom frowned deeper.
"You were alone?" Blossom reiterated in a pain voiced, and Bubbles nodded.
"There was no heartbeat. They looked and looked b-but, no heartbeat." Bubbles stammered, her eyes filling with tears once more.
Blossom felt the lump in her throat forming quickly, but she swallowed it down hard. "Does he know?" She asked carefully.
Bubbles shook her head no shakily.
Blossom exhaled lightly. "Okay. Okay - I'm going to call him and get him over here to take you home, okay?"
"I, I tried to call him. I have tried but, but he's not picking up. He must be sw-swamped at work. They have like 3 people off sick, that's why he h-had to go in." The blue puff explained as Blossom stood, and carefully pulled her sister to her feet as well.
"Well, I'm going to get a hold of him, somehow. Come on, let's go somewhere a little quieter." Blossom said, retrieving her phone from her person and doing a quick search of the phone number of the restaurant Boomer worked at. She placed her phone between her ear and shoulder as she held onto Bubbles' hand tightly and guided her out of the obstetrics department. "What has your doctor said?"
"She said I could wait, and let it happen naturally. Or, take a tablet to make it happen. But, she said she couldn't tell me how long it would take.. And I said I couldn't handle just sitting around waiting for it to happen. So I'm having a 'D&C' tomorrow but, I don't even know what a D&C is… She did tell me, but I couldn't, I couldn't take it all in…" Bubbles hiccoughed.
Blossom frowned as she redialled the restaurant's number. "Dilation and curettage, it's a surgical procedure to… Don't worry about it for now. When you're feeling ready, I'm sure the pamphlets she's given you will help. And you can always give me or your doctor a call… But for now let's just get you sat down and, and a hot cup of tea or something. Oh - yes, hi. I need to speak to Boomer Jojo please. Urgently." Blossom told her gently, the restaurant picking up her call as she spoke. "No, this can't wait, it's an emergency." Her voice gave no room for discussion, and moments later Bubbles heard her husband's worried voice down the phone line.
"Bubbles? Is everything okay?" Boomer asked, his voice garbled and hurried with worry.
"Boomer, it's Blossom. You need to get to the hospital now. Bubbles, she's okay but, she really needs you right now." Blossom explained, knowing she was being extremely vague, but not wanting to be the one to tell him his wife had lost her baby - their baby. It wasn't her place to tell him.
"What? Blossom, what's happened? Is Bubbles okay? Is it the baby? Or one of the girls?" He asked, and she could hear scrambling around in the background as he was clearly hurrying to leave work.
"No, no the girls are fine. And Bubbles, she will be too but, you need to get here." Blossom replied, looking over at Bubbles, who had gone quiet now, her expression lost and numb.
"We lost it, didn't we? The baby. Oh shit. Shit. I'm on my way. Where am I going - where do I need to go?" Boomer queried, his voice somber.
"Meet us at the hospital cafeteria." Blossom instructed as her and Bubbles approached the entrance. Blossom could see it wasn't too busy inside. She said goodbye to Boomer, and sat her sister down in a quiet corner of the canteen, before going to get her a sweet cup of tea.
By the time she returned Boomer had arrived. He'd engulfed the blonde puff into a huge bear hug and held her so tightly as she began to cry once more, telling him what had happened.
"It was only 9 weeks. I was supposed to be like 13 weeks. For the p-past month I've b-been walking around with a huge sm-smile on my face, all the while my b-baby was dead!" Bubbles whimpered into Boomer's shoulder as he comforted her.
Blossom felt a lump forming once more as she placed the cup of tea down on the table and stood beside the embracing pair, feeling a little like she was intruding now. Her pager beeped in her pocket. Slowly she hooked it out and looked at the little screen.
"Oh man, Bubbles, I don't even know what to say. I'm so fucking sorry." Boomer murmured as Bubbles tried to catch her breath.
"No, I'm sorry!" She cried and Boomer shook his head.
"Like you have anything to be sorry for! I should have fucking been there. You shouldn't have had to go through that alone. You shouldn't have had to go through it at all." Boomer muttered.
Blossom's pager went off again, and the pink puff wished it would be quiet for just a second. She looked at the screen; the same message from one of her interns about her patient Mrs Sherman.
"Blossom, if you need to go, you can go." Bubbles sniffled, looking up at her sister, who was looking at her pager with a torn expression on her face.
"Oh it's just, patient results…" Blossom murmured, and Bubbles shook her head.
"Honestly, it's fine. I don't want you getting into trouble." Bubbles said, wiping at her eyes. "I'll be o-okay."
Blossom frowned, leaning forward to hug her sister, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Bubbles I'm so sorry. I really am."
"Thank you for coming to find me." Bubbles replied.
"Of course. I'll call you when my shift ends, okay? Boomer, I'm so sorry. Take her home, and go through those pamphlets… Call me if you need me." Blossom said, placing her hand on his shoulder momentarily and giving it a gentle squeeze.
He nodded. "Thanks Blossom."
One of the worst things about being in medicine was that no matter what was going on in your personal life, you simply could not let it affect your work. Once you were back on the ward you had to push anything that was on your mind away and put your all into your patients. So with a deep breath, Blossom stepped back onto the ICU of Townsville General and did her very best to file away what had just happened to the back of her mind.
She located the intern who had paged her standing by the nurses station with a sullen expression. Blossom swallowed as she approached her and handed her the chart she'd been holding.
"Mrs Sherman's results." The intern mumbled. "She's fractured her hip, several ribs and her right femur. Must have been quite a tumble down the stairs..."
Blossom frowned, going over the chart and sighed lightly. "She needs surgery. But she has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and quite a prominent heart murmur. She won't survive it. Kira, have you spoken to her? Or her relatives?"
The intern, Kira, shook her head, looking frightened suddenly. "No, I, I haven't."
Blossom sighed lightly once more. She remembered the fear of knowing you had to walk into a room and tell someone their loved one was going to die. The first time she'd had to do it, she'd hid in the on call room and cried afterwards. However, it was all part and parcel of their jobs. She wouldn't allow her to duck out of it, however she would hold her hand through it. "Okay. Why don't you come with me and we can have a chat with them?"
"Okay." The young doctor said, following Blossom. She called Mrs Sherman's daughter and son in law from the bedroom and took them to a relatives room to talk them through her condition. After some teary consideration, they too agreed that it wasn't worth putting her through the surgery as the likelihood of her surviving it was so slim. It would be kinder to let her slip away peacefully with her family surrounding her.
But now, Mrs Sherman needed all this explaining to her. Kira's eyes were glassy and Blossom felt making her come and talk to the patient as well would likely push her over the edge for the rest of her shift. She told her to go grab herself a cup of coffee and take a few minutes before coming back in time for rounds.
"Mrs Sherman?" Blossom said as she came into the elderly lady's room. She came to her bedside so she could see her clearly as she spoke to her, as she was unable to sit up. "Hi Mrs Sherman. I'm Dr. Utonium, I've been looking after you since you came in after your fall. I just wanted to come have a talk with you, is that okay?"
She nodded slowly, an oxygen mask over her face helping her to breathe.
"So, the fall you had earlier on today - it's caused you to fracture your hip. You've also got several broken ribs, and your right femur is also broken. When somebody fractures something like their hips, or their thigh bone, it almost always needs surgery to be put right." Blossom began to explain, and she nodded slowly, looking up at Blossom intently. "The difficulty is, it's going to be very hard to do the operation needed when your lungs are as injured as they are. You see, we'd need to put you under a general anaesthetic to operate."
"Okay." She muttered, waiting for Blossom to continue.
Blossom swallowed. "So, the feeling at the moment is that we aren't going to be able to get that operation done at all, I'm afraid. The surgery would put a lot of strain on your already very strained lungs. And, it could open you up to a higher risk of contracting a nasty chest infection, which would make you really, really poorly. And you're already very poorly, right?"
Mrs Sherman nodded lightly. Behind her, Blossom heard her daughter sniffing as she tried not to cry. "Mrs Sherman, what I'm saying is that it may be that we're not going to get you better enough to leave the hospital." She swallowed again, pushing back the lump that had formed in her throat. Over 15 years in medicine and she still got that lump in her throat every time. "I'm really, really sorry to be telling you that."
Blossom could see the lady mulling over her words, and she nodded as she understood what she was telling her. "I see." She said quietly.
"Right now," Blossom continued. "Our main priority is your comfort. We are going to do everything that we can to make sure you're as comfortable as possible, okay?"
Mrs Sherman nodded, looking ahead for a moment then back at Blossom intently. "Well, I'm 96. I've had a good life. A good, long life. I've been blessed in so many ways." She croaked, her voice small but the meaning in her words still evident. "My beautiful, amazing family. They're my everything. Family is everything. I've been very lucky."
Blossom smiled sadly, nodding.
"Thank you for everything you've done for me." Mrs Sherman bleated, and Blossom nodded.
"You don't have to say thank you. I'll leave you with your family. Just call if you need anything." Blossom said, taking a shaky breath and leaving the room.
With a sigh, Blossom pushed her bangs from her face and chucked her keys in the pot on the console table by her front door. She slipped her coat off and hung it up, kicking her shoes off too and trying to be as quiet as she possibly could. It was late, she was assuming the kids would all be in bed asleep. She'd gotten home a lot later than she should have done; but Mrs Sherman's condition had declined a lot quicker than she'd anticipated. So she'd stayed till Mrs Sherman had passed.
Brick had called her to see where she was - she'd messaged him saying she was running late, but hadn't explained why. She'd felt she might just burst into tears if she'd said why she was still at the hospital. It had been a long, emotional day. But now she was home she couldn't say she felt much better.
And walking into the lounge to find Brick fast asleep, both Blake and Rosalie snuggled up against him only made the lump in her throat thicken. She couldn't contain the tears that slid down her cheeks at the sight she'd come home to. Mrs Sherman was right; family was everything.
She sniffed, wiping at her eyes, as she sunk down onto the armchair in the corner of the room, looking at her family with appreciation in her eyes.
Brick's own eyes clicked open at the sound. He looked around, a little disorientated, noting the sleeping children on his front, and then his partner sat in the corner of the room looking saddened.
"Oh, hey - you're home. Hey - what's the matter, what's wrong? Are you crying?" Brick asked quietly, going to sit up but halting when he realised he'd wake up Rosie and Blake.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. It's just been a really, really long and heavy day." Blossom sniffled, wiping at her eyes. "Seeing you three all cuddled up has made me feel a bit better though."
Brick smirked briefly, looking down at their children then up at the TV, playing away to itself. "We were watching a film, but we must have all drifted off. What happened at work?"
Blossom sighed shakily. "Have you heard from Boomer today at all?"
He shook his head. "No, why?"
She frowned deeply for a moment, then looked at her sleeping children's peaceful little faces, her rose eyes flitting from them to Brick."Let's get them tucked up into bed first. I don't want to wake them."
Brick looked a bit puzzled but agreed. Carefully, he scooped them onto his chest, one head resting on each shoulder. Blossom thought her heart may just burst at the sight of them clinging to their Daddy sleepily as he hovered up the stairs towards their rooms. Then Bubbles and Boomer came into her head and she felt her eyes beginning to well up again once more.
Ten minutes later Blake and Rosalie were sleeping peacefully in their beds, and Brick and Blossom were sitting in the living room once more.
"So, what - was it a patient or something?" He asked her gently, knowing on occasion she struggled to separate work and home. He never held it against her, sometimes she dealt with some heavy stuff, it was no surprise it was hard to switch off from it all when she wasn't at the hospital.
"Well, yes but, no. Bubbles' 12 week scan was today. Her and Boomer were supposed to be meeting me afterwards at the cafeteria for my lunch break. I sat waiting for them for ages and she wasn't picking her phone up - which I didn't really expect as you know, she was having a scan and all. But Boomer wasn't responding either, so I went looking for her. Eventually I found her at obstetrics, just sitting on her own; she was a complete wreck. Just sat all alone, all broken into pieces. They lost their baby." Blossom explained, her voice cracking a little on the last sentence.
"Oh shit, really?" Brick asked, and Blossom nodded, her eyes glassy once more. "She was alone when they found out?" Blossom nodded and Brick frowned. "Where was Boomer?"
"He'd been called into work. I managed to get a hold of him, he came straight down there. She lost the baby 4 weeks ago. Which just makes it even worse somehow. I can't believe it, I mean it's so unfair." Blossom said sadly as Brick put his arm around her and pulled her close against his chest.
"It's really, really shit." Brick agreed. "I'll call Boomer in the morning, see if he's okay."
"It was so hard to just go back into work after that and act like it hadn't happened and treat my patients like everything was fine. Knowing she's hurting so much, that they're both hurting so much. It was already a really weird morning; I finally had to face Hayley Paxton, and she apologised for what Jeremy did - which was just weird because she shouldn't have to apologise and I just didn't know what to say." Blossom explained, struggling to not cry once more as she told him about Hayley calling her into her room earlier that day.
"She apologised?" Brick reiterated, and Blossom nodded.
"I've done everything I can to avoid having to go anywhere near her room - I know she's not done anything wrong but it still just felt inappropriate to go and talk to her, no matter how helpful she was with the trial and everything, and how nice of a person she is. But she actually called my name as I walked past her open door today and I just couldn't act like I hadn't heard her. I don't really know exactly what to do with her apology but, I guess it was nice to hear… I don't know." Blossom said, rubbing under her eyes in a bleak attempt not to smudge the small amount of makeup she was wearing all over her face.
Brick rubbed the side of her arm affectionately as she spoke to him. He opened his mouth to respond but she started speaking again first.
"And then just to top the day off, I ended up having to oversee one of my interns first patient deaths. It was a 96 year old lady, she had a lung condition and heart murmur and was in and out of hospital a lot due to issues related to that. She'd fallen down the stairs and broken her hip, femur and a bunch of ribs. She needed surgery but there was just no way she would survive surgery. There was nothing we could do. Some days it's harder than others to tell someone they're going to die." Blossom sniffed, thinking of Mrs Sherman's kind eyes and wise words.
"Was that why you were late home?" Brick asked, and Blossom nodded.
"She deteriorated quickly. I stayed with her till she passed." Blossom explained, and Brick squeezed her tightly against him. She leant into him gratefully.
"I think the fact it still gets to you when you lose a patient just goes to show how good a doctor you are." Brick told her as she wiped her eyes. "The day it stops getting to you, that's when it's a problem."
"I suppose so. Urgh, what a sucky day." She complained.
"Well," Brick said, brushing a tear off her cheek and then gently stroking her face. "You're not working tomorrow, and I finish at 5pm, but I can get out a bit earlier if needed. Why don't I take you out somewhere tomorrow? Just you and me. I'll ask the Professor to sit the kids for us - or we could ask Buttercup or something, seeing as she has some free time at the moment." He suggested, referring to her being suspended from work.
Blossom smirked lightly, and nodded. "Yeah. Okay, that would be nice."
"We could go to Setegaya Special if you wanted? We've not been there for years. It was always your favourite." Brick suggested, and she nodded once more with a smile.
"Yeah, I'd really like that." She agreed, sniffing. "Thank you."
Brick shrugged and kissed her briefly, his mind on the small velvet ring box that was hidden in his desk drawer upstairs. Finally, finally he could propose to her tomorrow. Now seemed like as good a time as any, and to be frank he was getting fed up with his plans not working out. "It's what I'm here for."
Bubbles looked out of the car window, watching Townsville whizz by as they drove. She'd said not to bring the car. It was just them two, she'd said they wouldn't need it. They could just fly. But Boomer had insisted they take it, just in case.
And now as she watched a raindrop drip slowly down the window pane as they came to stop lights, she was glad she'd relented. She didn't feel like flying right now. She didn't feel like doing anything.
She felt empty.
Maybe that's because she was empty.
She'd just had the procedure to remove the miscarriage from her uterus. Her stomach felt crampy and she'd had a bit of bleeding afterwards already. The hospital had made her stay in and be monitored for a couple of hours, and then eventually had let her go home. And now they were on their way home, the blue puff just wanted to go and curl up in bed and try and block the whole thing out. The pain hadn't been that bad, but it wasn't pleasant at all, knowing what was happening.
Knowing the journey she thought she was about to take once more with her husband and her family was abruptly over.
Boomer had been with her the whole time, holding onto her hand tightly throughout. He looked over at her briefly as the lights went green. "You okay?"
Slowly the blonde nodded. "Just tired, and a bit sore. I'm probably going to get into bed once I've sorted the girls out."
"Don't worry about the girls. I'll sort them. Just do what you need to do, okay?" Boomer told her, and she nodded once more, looking back out the window.
"Okay." She murmured quietly.
"Rosie - Rosalie! Will you please turn the volume down on the TV, it's too loud!" Blossom called from the kitchen, her hands busy unloading the dishwasher in Bubbles and Boomer's kitchen.
"I'm not the only one watching TV!" Rosalie replied and Blossom tutted at her daughter's smart mouth.
"The remote control is in your hand!" Blossom called back, angling her head so she could see into Bubbles and Boomer's living room. Rosalie looked caught out and huffed, turning the volume down. "Thank you!"
"When are we eating? I'm starving!" Rosalie called through, chucking the remote control aside without looking. It hit Blake. Bonnie and Bridget burst into giggles as it hit the side of his book, and he flashed her a look of irritation, before continuing to read, ever unflinching to his sister's antics.
"Soon, Rosie. I explained that we needed to help Aunty Bubbles and Uncle Boomer out this evening, didn't I?" Blossom replied as she dried up some plates.
"Yes, but when are we gunna eat? Are we getting takeout?" Rosalie asked once more and Blossom shrugged, hearing the front door being unlocked.
"Maybe." She mumbled, putting the plate away and darting towards the entrance of the house. She greeted Boomer and Bubbles as they came in, a concerned look on her face. "Hi guys. Are you okay?" Instantly she felt she'd said the wrong thing. Of course they weren't okay - but what else did she say?
Bubbles nodded sadly as she pulled her coat off and hung it up. "I'm fine, we're fine. Are the girls okay?"
"They're great, they've been angels as usual - they've just been watching TV with Rosalie and Blake. Well, Blake's just been reading but, that's Blake right? I've heard plenty of giggles coming from the living room so -" Blossom began to babble, stopping herself when she realised she was doing so. She was scared of saying the wrong thing. She didn't want to upset her sister, given how extra fragile she was bound to be feeling right now.
"Good, good. I better get them some dinner ready, they must be hungry." Bubbles said, beginning to float towards the kitchen, until Boomer touched her upper arm gently to stop her.
"Don't worry about their dinner, I'll rustle them something up. Or I could just order takeout - maybe order from Chef Mei's? Your favourite?" Boomer proposed, but she slowly shook her head.
"No, I'm not hungry. But, you and the girls can order something in. I think I'll just go to bed, or something." Bubbles murmured softly. "But I need to give them a squeeze first. I need cuddles right now."
"Okay sweetie." Boomer muttered as she hovered off towards the living room.
Blossom watched her go before turning to Boomer. "Did it all go okay?"
He nodded, his expression somber. "Yeah, yeah. All good. Well, as good as it can be, I guess."
"Right. I'm so sorry Boomer, I really am." Blossom said in a small voice.
He nodded. "Me too. Listen, thanks for watching the girls. I know you probably had other plans, it being your day off and all. We appreciate it."
"Oh no, of course not! Don't be silly, I'm always here when you guys need me. And they've been good as gold." Blossom assured him. "Are you okay?"
Boomer thought about it for a moment before shrugging. "I dunno. Don't think it's really sunk in yet."
They were both distracted by the sound of pots and pans clattering in the kitchen. They both hovered through to find Bubbles beginning to start cooking.
"Bubs what are you doing? I said I'd sort food didn't I?" Boomer said, taking the pan from her hand and putting them away.
"They said they were hungry." She whimpered, but Boomer gently put his arm around her and guided her out of the kitchen and to the bottom of the stairs.
"Honey, please go and chill, okay? Just get into bed, put the TV on, throw on your jammies - relax, okay? I've got it covered." Boomer promised her, and she nodded slowly, swallowing hard before hovering up the stairs.
When Bubbles was out of sight, Boomer turned towards the living room to greet his daughters, who were still watching TV with his niece and nephew.
"Hey kiddos. Bridge, Bon, wanna get takeout for dinner?" Boomer asked them, and their faces lit up at the sight of their father - and what he was offering them.
"Daddy! Yes yes! Can we get pizza?!" Bridget asked excitedly.
"Ooh can we get Pete's-a-pizza?!" Bonnie requested.
"Oooh can we too?!" Rosie asked Blossom.
"Err, if they do takeout, sure." Boomer muttered, scratching his head of blonde waves. "Do they do takeout?" He asked, turning to Blossom.
"I'm not entirely sure -" Her phone began to ring in her pocket and she hooked it out, noting it was Brick. "It's Brick." She murmured before turning to answer it. "Brick, hi."
"Hey, everything okay?" He asked, and Blossom took a couple of steps away from the living area to answer him.
"Yeah, it's okay. Well, as okay as it can be. Bubbles and Boomer have not long got home. Brick listen, we should rearrange tonight." Blossom said in hushed tones.
There was a moment of silence before Brick replied. "Yeah?" He asked, his voice a little lacklustre. She could tell he was hiding his disappointment.
"Yeah… It's not that I don't want to - I do. I really do. But, I just feel bad… Boomer and Bubbles, they just look so - broken. They're going through it right now and, I just feel like we can go out to eat whenever, but they need our support at the moment. The kids have mentioned going to Pete's-a-pizza for dinner -" Blossom said until Brick interrupted her with a groan.
"Ughh, of course they have." He complained.
"So, I'm going to offer to take the kids and the girls down there to eat and blow off some steam in the ball pit. That way Bubbles and Boomer can have a couple of hours to themselves to - I dunno, begin to process this." Blossom said, turning and looking at her brother in law, who was forcing a smile onto his face as Bridget was chatting away to him animatedly.
"Fine, fine. That seems like a good idea." Brick replied, his voice sounding as genuine as he could make it. "I'll call the Professor and tell him Rosie and Blake don't need sitting tonight then."
"Okay, thank you. You don't have to come down there too if you don't want to, you know. I can just take them on my -" Blossom began to say but Brick cut her off.
"No, it's fine. I'll meet you down there in like, 20 minutes?" Brick said with a sigh.
She smiled. "Yeah, okay. See you soon."
Half an hour later, Brick found himself sitting at a sticky table beside an equally sticky looking ball pit at Pete's-a-pizza in downtown Townsville.
Right now, he should have been sitting in the quiet, quaint Japanese restaurant that himself and Blossom had visited often since they were teenagers. It should have been dimly lit, with its usual romantic, cosy charm - and they should have been child free. Also, the velvet box in his jacket pocket should have been empty and on the table top, the rose gold ring inside it sitting on her finger.
But it wasn't. In the box and in his pocket it still sat. And he was instead sitting in perhaps one of the loudest places in existence - especially when his super powered family were visiting it - at a table covered in crumbs and pizza crusts, and half empty sodas, with Blossom sat opposite him constantly eyeing the soft play area to make sure Rosalie wasn't causing too much chaos while she frequented it.
Blake was sitting beside him, eating his pizza boredly as he read through a book. "Hey bud," Brick said, making his son look up from his book. He pulled a couple of bills from his wallet. "Why don't you go hit the arcades? See if you can best that Zombie shootout game."
"That thing is so easy." Blake commented, but he'd placed his book down.
"Getting your name on the top score screen won't take you long then right?" Brick added, and a challenging smile spread across the young boy's lips.
"No it won't." He agreed, taking the money his Dad was offering him and jetting off towards the arcades.
Blossom watched him go with a smile on her face, then looked over at Brick, an apologetic look gracing her features.
"You really didn't have to come, you know. I could have taken them on my own. I know you hate this place with a passion." She murmured, and he shook his head.
"It's fine, we both know Rosalie can get a little… much, in a place like this. Plus, I wanted to see you." Brick replied, and she smiled.
"I know; me too. I'm sorry I cancelled our date night. We'll definitely rearrange it. We've not been to Setegaya for such a long time. It's way overdue." Blossom commented, a fond look in her eye at the thought of her favourite restaurant. "I just felt for Boomer and Bubbles so bad. They really looked so crushed. It's awful, I wish I could do more for them."
"I know. I feel for them too, it's really shit. But, remember you're doing what you can. I mean, you've been at their house like all day, you took the kids to school and kindergarten and I'm imagining you've done all the housework at theirs today too?" Brick asked, and she nodded.
"Anything I could do for them, yes." She responded, and he smiled a mirthless smile, reaching forward to take her hand and giving it a squeeze.
"You've done a lot, and I know they're both grateful. There's not much else we can do but just be there for them." He told her, and she nodded once more a little vaguely.
"I know… Make sure you talk to Boomer too. I mean I did try but I didn't get much - Rosalie! Rosalie!" Blossom barked, jumping to her feet suddenly to scold her rowdy daughter for spinning another child on a spinner in the soft play so fast he was now a screaming blur. "You're spinning him too fast, stop! Stop! Remember what I told you - play nice! I'm so sorry!" She called, her last sentence aimed at the child's bewildered looking mother. Rosalie, ever more unperturbed, had gone onto something else to play with.
Blossom sank back into her seat with a sigh, as Brick ran his hands through his hair momentarily.
"I think we'd have more luck taking Rosalie to a junkyard for enjoyment than here. She'd hurt less people anyway." Brick muttered, as Blossom rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh.
"She's not that bad! She just has to remember how strong she is, and be gentler because of it, just like we did as kids." Blossom replied, and Brick looked indifferent.
"I didn't. Not as a kid." He added, and she couldn't hide the smirk that appeared on her face.
"No you didn't, did you? Don't tell her that, she'll think she can get away with it too." Blossom replied with a small giggle.
Brick exhaled lightly at the sight of her smiling at him and felt that familiar wave of affection bubbling up in his chest. The velvet ring box felt heavier in his pocket suddenly. God, he wanted to ask her. He was sick of waiting for the right moment. Sick of having to call her his girlfriend, or his partner, when she was so much more than that. She was the mother of his children, she was his other half, his better half.
He wanted her to just be his wife already. Or in the least his fiance.
His hand dropped into his pocket and held onto the ring box tightly, and just as he opened his mouth to speak, they were interrupted by a wobbly, nasal teenage voice.
"Bowa-wowa-wowa, can I take your order now-a?" The teenage waiter asked, his expression bored as he held a notepad in his hand, pencil aloft to take their food order.
Blossom looked down at the empty plates, and flattened soda cups on their table in confusion, then looked back up at him.
"Dude, you've done that bit. We've already eaten!" Brick snapped, and the teenager swallowed and nodded, before shuffling away.
Blossom pressed her lips together, suppressing a laugh as Brick groaned and covered his face with a sigh.
"Urghhhh, you know what? I'm done." He complained, and now Blossom did laugh.
"We won't be here much longer okay - give them another 15 minutes or so and then we can -" Blossom began to reassure him, but Brick shook his head and interrupted her.
"No, no it's not just that. I mean, it is that, it is this fucking place but, that's not what I was -" He whipped the black ring box from his pocket, placing it on the table with a thud. "I've been trying to propose to you for fucking weeks. But things just keep getting in the way. If it's not one thing, it's another - so will you just marry me for god's sake?"
Blossom's rose eyes had widened considerably at Brick's words; and they widened even more when he opened the ring box to reveal a beautiful rose gold ring with a sizeable diamond set in the middle. "Oh my god." She said breathily. "Are you serious?"
"Of course I'm serious. You think I'd ask you to marry me, here, in this fucking hell hole as a joke?" He asked, a smirk appearing on his lips.
"No. I just, I mean - it didn't exactly work out last time… I just wanted to make sure you were sure -"
"That was then, this is now. Things are so different now. We're a family. We belong together - come on Bloss, it's always been you. Always. So, what do you say?" He asked her, pushing the ring forward on the crumb ridden table slightly.
"Yes. Of course yes!" She exclaimed, reaching forward and grabbing his face to kiss him deeply. He held her back, relief overcoming him that she'd said yes.
They pulled apart from each other and she inhaled quickly at the sight of the ring again. "Oh my god Brick it's beautiful!"
"You like it?" He asked as he took it out of the box and placed it onto her finger.
She struggled for words as she looked over it. "I love it. How much did this cost? It looks expensive!"
"I'm not gunna tell you that. I just wanted to get something a little different to the first time… But then I didn't want it to be so different you didn't like it." He muttered, watching her eyes twinkle as she surveyed it.
"No, I love it. Oh my god, I can't believe we just got engaged in Pete's-a-pizza." She mumbled with a giggle.
Brick suddenly looked extremely unimpressed with himself. "Maybe we need to tweak this story when people ask and we tell it."
"Oh no way, this is perfect. You frustratedly blurting this out while we're in here of all places is just perfect, it's you all over. And I love you, all over." She said, taking a hold of his hand tightly.
He sighed, not being able to hold back the smile that was playing on his lips. "I love you all over too. Second time's a charm, right?"
She laughed and nodded. "Right."
r&r (:
