I know it's been a while but I think I'm on a roll again. You all are the best and I hope this chapter is worth the wait even though R&M are apart. Just know that when they get together again…whoa!
Thank you for reading this story and I appreciate all of you!
Chapter 11 - Stand By Me
Inspired by: Stand By Me by Ben E. King
Saturday
Michonne always loved the beach. Every summer when she was a kid, her parents would pack her and Noah into the minivan and make the long drive from Atlanta to Myrtle Beach. Her daddy had family there, and they would spend a week staying with relatives so they could enjoy an affordable beach vacation.
When she was small, she'd spend most of her time playing in the sand at her mother's feet or being chased by her daddy through the waves at the edge of the shore. As she got older, she would join her cousins as they experimented with boogie boards and beach volleyball as her inner athlete made its presence known. Some of the best memories of her childhood were made during those lazy days at Myrtle Beach and because of that, beaches always held a magical allure for her.
But if anyone loved the beach more than Michonne, it was her mother. All year, Aline would scrimp and save in preparation for their beach trip and as the days got closer, she'd get happier. By the time they'd walk out onto the beach the first time, her mother was like a kid on Christmas morning. Only one thing could ruin mom's beach attitude and that was rain; not driving six hours, not arguing with daddy over his pre-scheduled stops along the way, and not even being crammed into a tiny house with daddy's irritating relatives.
She'd put on the widest straw hat she could find and spend hours sitting in a beach chair reading one of her trashy romance novels she kept stacked on a shelf in the bathroom inside her bedroom. Her mom would pack at least three of those books every beach trip and she usually finished all of them before it was time to head back to Atlanta. Michonne could expect a butt whipping if her mother caught her looking at her books but she used to steal one out of her bag on the sneak and flip through it wondering what phrases like "turgid shaft" and "dance to the age old rhythm" meant.
Her mother would always get a little down when it was time to go home and her father would always pull her into his arms and say, "One day Aline. One day, I'm going to make it so you never have to leave the beach". Her mom would smile and kiss her dad; and her mood improved, they would settle in for the long drive home.
A few years after her father retired, he made her mother's dreams come true by buying the cottage in Lighthouse Point. He'd bought it as a surprise for their 40th wedding anniversary and her mother burst into tears when he showed her the deed. Having a house on the beach was outside the realm of possibilities when they got married at 18 with absolutely nothing except a whole lot of love.
Unbeknownst to everyone, Daddy had been tucking money away for years; determined to make his wife's dream come true. He'd done pretty well but it suddenly made so much sense why he'd nearly cried when she told him she'd earned a full scholarship at Clark Atlanta and when Noah did the same at Florida International University.
Daddy picked Florida because he knew his wife would want to be close to Noah. He was her baby no matter how old he got, and Daddy used a father son fishing trip as an excuse to scout beach houses. The cottage was nothing fancy, but it was steps from the ocean. The three bedrooms were enough for all of them to be there at the same time and daddy liked to say if anyone else wanted to stay there, the pullout sofa in the den would make do just fine.
While Noah had been slightly irritated that their parents were moving within 25 miles of his college, Michonne was just happy to have somewhere to visit when she wanted to feel the sand between her toes and that was exactly how she was spending the first day visiting her parents.
She'd arrived late Friday night but her father had woken the whole house up around 5:30 Saturday morning to take Noah out fishing. Her mother had cooked a huge old fashioned breakfast before sending them on their way and they left, promising to bring home fresh fish for dinner. While her mother had faith in them, she was still defrosting chicken breasts just in case daddy had to break that promise.
Now, she and her mother were relaxing under an umbrella in their beach loungers wearing matching straw hats and enjoying morning before it got too hot. They both wore swimsuits, despite the fact that neither of them had any intention of actually getting any part of them in the water except maybe their feet. Her mom had raised an eyebrow at the white two piece she'd put on, but she didn't say anything. Aline Pierce was known to rock a bikini or two just to spend the day reading on the beach back in her day. Besides, the black one piece she was wearing would make her father rant and rave if he'd seen it. Even at 54, she could fill out swimsuit.
It was a day for relaxing and she was more than ready for it. It wasn't all fun though. She was reviewing files on her iPad for a case she was starting when she got back to Atlanta and finding it very hard to focus on case precedents between enjoying the day and thinking about Rick.
She missed him terribly already and if she felt this off kilter after not seeing him for a week, they were going to have to talk about the fact that weekends weren't enough anymore sooner than either of them expected. It was yet another thing increasing the speed of the bullet train that was their relationship and if she was thinking think about it, she was sure the thought had crossed his mind too.
All of that was a little too deep for a beach day, so she glanced over at her mother and laughed out loud when she saw the cover of the book her mom had her nose buried in.
"What's so funny over there?" Aline asked, without looking up from her book. "I didn't realize case files were funny."
"They're not, I just can't believe you still like those trashy romance novels," she replied. "Don't they all have the exact same plot?"
Her mother shook her head and turned the page of her book. "Don't talk about my books, baby girl. Sometimes I just want to escape from the real world for a little while. You wouldn't be in need of anything like that these days though…"
She knew what her mother was implying but she decided to play along for a little bit just see how long it would take for her just flat out ask about Rick.
"What are you talking about?" She asked, pretending to dive back into the case files on her tablet.
"Baby, you're glowing. I saw it the minute you stepped in the house. Even your daddy mentioned something about you looking happy and you know that man is as oblivious as they come."
Michonne heard the smile in her mother's voice, along with a plethora of underlying questions. "Things are really good right now," she offered; obviously omitting any details as to why things were "really good".
Her mother huffed, and closed her book on her lap. "Since you haven't told me anything yet, I have to assume that things are going well with your King County Sheriff…,"
She grinned and laid her tablet down. "Less than 2 minutes! I was wondering how long it was going to take you to ask me about him…," she teased.
Her teasing was met with a raised eyebrow from her mother.
"I shouldn't have to ask you," Aline reprimanded, "You should've just told me."
"I was going to. I was waiting for daddy to not be around. You know how he gets," she said, and her mother nodded.
"You're always going to be a little girl to him but he ain't here now so tell me about your man. Give me something that rivals my smutty books."
She glanced at her mom out of the corner of her eye. "For that level of detail, you're gonna have to stick to your books."
"Michonne…don't make me exercise my hands around your neck," her mother said, demonstrating her always unique way with words.
"Ok, ok...so much has happened that I don't even know where to begin," she laughed. Putting into words everything that had happened and was still happening between her and Rick was an impossible task. How do you describe meeting someone who makes you feel like you've loved them your entire life after a few weeks? She struggled finding words that wouldn't diminish the inexplicable connection that sparked between them from the minute they met.
It was like her mother sensed her distress because she suggested, "How about you start by showing me one of the pictures of him you have on your tablet over there?"
Relieved by her temporary reprieve, she scrolled through the pictures on her iPad and finally landed on one from the previous weekend in King County. It was a selfie of her and Rick, taken during their Ferris wheel ride. They were both smiling into the camera with the sun was setting in the background and somehow his eyes looked even more blue than they usually did. They were cheek to cheek, and just looking at the picture was forcing her to think about how he always smelled like vanilla and sandalwood and the way his stubble felt against her cheek.
"This is us on our date last week," she said, handing the tablet to her mom for her inspection. Her stomach tightened as she waited for her to comment. Aline was nothing if not bluntly honest and she wondered how she was going to react to the revelation that the man her daughter was seeing was white. Dating outside their race was a subject that had never been broached in her family, mostly because neither she nor Noah ever had.
Aline adjusted her glasses and stared at the picture for only a minute before a wide smile appeared on her face. "Oh, Michonne! He's so handsome and those eyes! Both of you have the same punch drunk smiles on your faces…y'all are entirely too cute! Tell me about him, right now!"
Acquiescing to her mother's demand, Michonne took a deep breath and launched into the whole story starting from the minute Rick approached her in that bar. She told her about how he'd put himself out there for her that first night and how he'd been completely open with how he felt about her from the beginning. She blushed as she spoke of their first few dates and how he treated her like she was this rare and special thing that he would never get enough of.
Her mother had seen his picture, but she needed to know the things the pictures couldn't show, so she described in detail his deep voice and smooth, southern gentleman drawl that sounded like a caress and his confident, bow legged stride. He was sexy without even trying and that was her excuse when she let her mom know that the family peach cobbler recipe still had it's magic even though she hadn't really needed it. They'd both been goners almost from that first minute.
She wanted her mother to know how good Rick was so she spent a long time talking about how he made her feel loved like no other man ever had. He also had a way of making her smile just by being in the same room. She hadn't giggled like a school girl back when she was a school girl but he inspired giggles all the time and she was glad her skin tone didn't let her blushes show because if it did, she'd be always be red.
Her mother seemed a little surprised when she told her about meeting Rick's family; her eyebrows knitting together as she heard all about Carl and Loretta but being replaced by a faint smile when she assured her that both of them had welcomed her without question. Carl was her new best friend and Loretta was pleased as punch just to see her son happy again after a rough few years.
That brought the story of her whirlwind romance to a close and they sat in silence as Aline processed everything. The silence became too much as she waited for her to say something...anything.
"You're awfully quiet over there, mom…," she prodded.
"You have to admit, that's a whole lot for a month of dating…," Aline mused.
That part couldn't be argued. It would've been a lot for a couple who had been together much longer. "It is," she agreed, "But it feels like we've always known each other. God, I sound like a character in one of your books…"
Aline shook her head. "You sound like a woman in love."
Michonne nodded and fell back in her lounger, her mind flooded with thoughts of the man they were talking about. "Yeah, I am. I never thought I'd be saying that about someone I've only known a month, but...he's everything I've ever wanted plus a few things I didn't know I wanted until he came along."
Aline reached out and squeezed her hand. "I'm truly happy for you baby. Remember how you wouldn't even introduce us to your ex until y'all had been dating one year. You insisted that y'all couldn't be serious before one full year had gone by. Now look at you."
Michonne laughed at the way she tended to overanalyze everything and how being with Rick had quieted that. "This is different..."
"I'm glad. Lord knows you can be in your head too much sometimes. You need to start following your heart every now and then," said Aline.
It was something she'd heard her whole life and she usually just shook it off; but for the first time, she'd actually done it and she couldn't be more grateful for it. "I'm working on it," she admitted.
Aline smiled, "Good. I'm also trying to figure out why you didn't bring him with you this weekend. His mama got to meet you and I'm feeling a little slighted," she said.
"He had to work but I'll work on getting him here before the summer is out," she promised.
"You'd better…and y'all better bring his son with you too!"
"Rick has Carl all summer so it shouldn't be a problem."
They both got quiet for a minute and the waves crashing against the shore was the only thing breaking the silence until Aline shook her head and sighed. "You know your daddy is going to go off the deep end when he finds out his baby girl is in love with a white cop from King County, Georgia."
She groaned, knowing her mother was right. Her father had a tendency to say whatever popped in his head without caring about the fallout. "God. Can you please talk to him?"
Aline shrugged, "I can try but after what happened with the scrub you almost married, your daddy feels like he got played and he'll be dammed if he lets it happen again. So your man better be ready," cautioned Aline.
Before she could respond, her iPad buzzed on her mother's lap and they both looked down to see a text from Rick.
Rick: I miss you
Aline shot her a knowing smile. "Looks like your sheriff is feeling a little lonely."
Michonne felt the blush creeping across her cheeks. "I haven't talked to him today. I was planning to call him when we're done here."
Aline lifted the tablet from her lap and activated the camera, pointing it over at her. "Mom? What are you doing?"
"Trust me. Now, lean back a little bit and smile," she commanded.
Michonne did as she was told and when Aline handed her the tablet back, she had to admit it was a good picture…even though it showed quite a bit of her skin.
"I look like one of those girls in Maxim," she said, feeling more than an a little proud that she she could still pull off that look at her age.
A wicked smile appeared on her mother's face as she picked up her book and flipped back to her page. "Send it to him," she encouraged, "It'll give him something to think about."
XXXXX
She stayed on the beach with her mother reading, laughing, and gossiping until the temperature got to be little too much for both of them and they retreated inside. After lunch, her mom went to take a nap; leaving Michonne time to take a shower and then make a very important phone call.
It was a little after noon and he should've been on a lunch break and she was thrilled when he picked up on the first ring.
"Are you trying to kill me?" He asked, his frustration bleeding into his words and she knew it had to be a result of the picture she'd sent.
"What? I just thought you'd want to see the beach…," she offered.
He chuckled, and she could picture him running his hand over his face. "Don't act all innocent with me. There was only a sliver of beach in that picture you sent. Most of it was you in that bathing suit looking like you should be on the cover of Sports Illustrated."
"You didn't like it?" She asked.
"Oh, I loved it," he said almost a little too eagerly. "It just made me wish I was there with you, is all." His voice was filled with longing and it made her heart hurt a little bit.
"Aww…I miss you too," she said, "…more that you could possibly know."
"How's the trip going?" He asked.
"Really great. My mom and I spent the morning on the beach and I told her all about you. She wants you and Carl to come down this summer."
"We'd love to," he agreed, "I have a week off at the end of July so we could plan something for then?"
"Yeah. I'll request time off then too…how's work?"
"Slow. Everyone is either out of town or getting ready raise hell after the sun goes down. It's gonna be a long night," he sighed.
"At least you have Shane to keep you company," she said.
A humorless laugh slipped out of him, "Yeah…so don't send me any more pictures like that tonight. If I have to hear Shane talk about how hot you are again, I'm gonna have to kick his ass."
The thought of Shane ogling the picture she'd sent, embarrassed her to no end. "I can't believe you showed him that…"
"I didn't! The asshole swiped it right out of my hand!"
His irritation made her embarrassment disappear. "You're going to have to work on your reflexes."
"In my defense, I was a bit distracted by your body," he confessed.
"Mom said I should give you something to think about," she flirted.
"Well, you did. I'm thinking about all the things I want to do when you get home," he whispered; his rough drawl making goosebumps pop across her skin.
She cleared her throat, "You'll have to tell me all about it when you're off the clock, sergeant."
"How about I show you when you get home, counselor?" He asked; the question sounding more like a temptation.
She smiled and fell back against the pillows on her bed. "I like the way that sounds…"
"Me too."
She wanted to stay on the phone and talk to him longer but he was on the job and she had to help him focus on what he was supposed to be doing. "I should go," she said, trying not to sound as disappointed as she was at the though of letting him go. "I wanted to get a nap in before my dad and Noah get home from fishing. If they caught anything, I'm going to have to help clean them."
"Are you telling me my hot, big city, lawyer girlfriend knows how to clean fish? I'll be dammed," he teased.
"Shut up," she giggled, "I'll have you know that I am full of surprises,"
"…and I'm looking forward to discovering all of 'em," he agreed.
"Be safe tonight," she said, "I love you."
"I will and I love you too. Talk to you later?"
"Sooner is always better. Bye, baby."
"Bye."
She dropped the phone on the bed next to her and closed her eyes, hoping her nap would be filled with dreams of Rick Grimes.
XXXXX
Michonne dropped her napkin onto her plate and leaned back in her seat, rubbing her belly in satisfaction. "Mom, that was so good! I can't get fried fish that comes anywhere close to yours in Atlanta."
Aline tried to hide her pleasure at the compliment, but a proud little smile danced on her lips. "Thank you baby but your it's your daddy and Noah who came through," she said.
At the other end of the table, her father was still stuffing himself with cornbread and fried potatoes but he took a time out to address his girls. "Did y'all ever think we wouldn't?"
"Of course not dear." Aline winked at Michonne; a reminder that the defrosted chicken hiding in the bottom of the refrigerator was for the next night's dinner and not a back up plan just in case the fish weren't biting.
Michonne smiled to herself and Noah looked up from his plate and across the table at her. "Where you been lately, Mimi? I haven't seen you on Insta in a while." Noah had started calling her Mimi when he was a baby and couldn't quite say Michonne. It stuck because even though he was in grad school working on his master's degree in electrical engineering at FIT, he still called her Mimi.
She frowned, "If you wanted to check in on me, you could just call, Noah." While she and her younger brother were very close, he had a bad habit of never calling her. He was perfectly content exchanging texts and comments on Instagram posts.
"I know that, sis. I kinda like those arty pictures you post," he explained. He was right; her Instagram had become a gallery for her photography hobby but it had been pretty empty lately.
"I've been busy…," she said, not wanting to explain that she didn't want to turn into one of those people who filled their social media with pictures of their significant other.
Aline took a sip of her iced tea and mumbled, "Busy with that man of yours…"
Her head shot over to her mother who was looking a little too pleased with herself after throwing her daughter under the bus.
Noah's eyes widened, "Man? You didn't tell me you got a new man."
"Yes. I've been seeing someone for about a month now," she admitted.
Sam chuckled from his seat at the head of the table, "A month? Shoot, he ain't her man yet if it's only been a month."
Noah agreed, "Pop's right. It's not that serious if she hasn't posted him on the gram. Unless...she's trying to keep things on the low..."
She rolled her eyes at her brother. "I don't put all my business on the internet for everyone to see like the little girls you date, Noah."
Noah shrugged, "No, but I swear you posted a pic of you and Mike at least twice a week," he fired back.
"Noah," Aline warned, but Noah completely ignored her.
"You're not back with him, are you? Is that why you're keeping it on the DL?"
Her father laid his fork across his plate and raised an eyebrow in her direction. "That ain't happening. She knows that I'd have to cuss her out if she brought that trifling ni..."
Aline narrowed her eyes at her husband, "Sam!"
"...that person…," he corrected, "…back into her life. Right, Michonne?"
"I'm not back with him," she said, hoping that was enough to allow her dad to go back to his dinner but his interest was peaked. Sam leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest; the universal sign that he was ready for a conversation and it wasn't going to be over until he said it was.
"So who's this man you got that your momma seems to know so much about?" He asked.
"Sam, eat your dinner and stop giving her the third degree," directed Aline in a half-hearted attempt to clean up what she'd started. In a way, Michonne was glad they were getting this out of the way before Rick was actually there to witness it.
"I'm just trying to figure out why she already told you all about him and they haven't even been seeing each other that long," said Sam.
Aline dismissed him with a wave of her hand, "It's not a big deal. She told me about him a couple of weeks ago when she called to ask for the peach cobbler recipe…" Her mother caught herself too late. Her father's eyes widened and Noah burst into a wide grin while Michonne closed her eyes and braced for impact.
Sam sat up straight in his chair. "PEACH COBBLER RECIPE?! The hell…" He boomed; the knowledge of what that peach cobbler recipe represented written all over his face.
"Daddy…"
He cut her off immediately. "You made that man peach cobbler and you expect me to believe it's not serious?"
She looked at her mother for help but it was too late for that. She sighed, "I didn't say it wasn't serious, daddy. That was you and Noah."
Sam cocked his head to the side and fixed her with the same look he'd give her when she was a teenager and he'd catch her sneaking in past curfew. "How serious could you be about some sweet talking brother you've only known a month?"
"He's a good man...and we're he took me to meet his mama serious," she said and Noah nearly choked on his tea.
Suddenly, her baby brother flew into overprotective mode. "His mama?! Who the hell is this guy that has you all caught up?"
"Noah James Pierce, both you and your daddy know better than to curse at my dinner table," Aline corrected, earning a sheepish look from her brother.
"I'm sorry mom…"
Michonne sat up straighter in her seat. "His name is Rick and he's in law enforcement."
A little bit of the annoyance slipped from her father's face. "He's in the Atlanta PD? I have some friends I can call to check this dude out,"
Michonne shook her head, "Sheriff's deputy."
Sam had already pulled his phone from his pocket and was scrolling through the contacts list. "That's fine. I know people in all the sheriffs offices too."
Michonne took a deep breath, "He's with the King County Sheriff's Office," she said and that made her father freeze and raise an disbelieving eyebrow at her.
"You got sweet talked by a country ass brother from King County? I didn't know they had brothers in King County," he said.
She shook her head. It was now or never. "He's not...country and he's not a brother."
Glee washed across Noah's face while shock spread across her father's.
"Haaaa! Mimi's dating a white dude!" Noah announced, before falling into a fit of laughter.
Sam glared at his son. "Shut up, Noah," he commanded, and Noah quickly pulled it together as Sam turned his attention back to Michonne. "Let me get this straight. My smart, beautiful, level headed, daughter is seeing a sheriff's deputy from backwoods King County, Georgia who also happens to be white,"
Michonne opened her mouth to respond but was silenced by her mother's hand on her arm.
"Now Sam, we raised our kids to see people for who they are not for the color of their skin," Aline said, pulling Sam's attention completely to her.
"I know we did but he's from King County! I know you've heard the stories out of those little Georgia towns," Her father sounded exasperated, but underneath that he sounded worried.
Aline shook her head. "Now you know as well as I do that there are bad people everywhere but there are good people everywhere too. We are not going to judge him because of where he's from."
"Aline…," he began, but her mother wasn't having it.
"That's all there is to it. She's happy and that's what matters. She's bringing him and his son down to meet us this summer and I'm glad you're getting all of this out of your system before then."
Sam's eyes grew large again. "He has a kid too?" He questioned.
It was Aline's turn to narrow her eyes at him and Michonne recognized that look as being the one that always made her dad get back in line. "Yes, Sam. Is that a problem?" she asked pointedly.
He shook his head and picked up his fork."Nah…ain't no problem. None of this is any problem at all. I'm just gonna sit over here eat my dinner since none of y'all care what I have to say anyway."
Aline took another slice of cornbread and slathered butter all over it before taking a bite. "That's a good idea, dear. Just eat your food," she said.
XXXXX
Sunday
The smell of coffee was the first thing that hit her when she came into the house after waking up early to go running on the beach. She expected to find her mother sitting at the breakfast bar but instead she found her father reading the paper. They hadn't spoken since their "conversation" the night before and she knew it wasn't over.
She pulled her earbuds out of her ear and walked into the kitchen.
"Good morning, daddy," she greeted and Sam looked up from his paper and his smile immediately faded.
"Morning...please tell me you don't go out running dressed like that in Atlanta," he said.
She glanced down at her cropped running leggings and sports bra and rolled her eyes. "This is what people wear to go running, daddy. Where's Mom?"
"She's upstairs. I made coffee. Would you like a cup?"
"Sure."
He reached over and poured her a mug from the pot. "I know you like yours all sweet and light," he said, motioning over to the cream and sugar already sitting on the bar.
"Thanks," she grinned and she slid onto the stool next to him to start fixing her coffee the way she liked it. After a minute, she noticed her dad looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "Something you need to say, daddy?"
He sighed and sat his mug down. "You know I don't give a damn about your boyfriend being white, right?"
She smiled and gave hime the same side eye he'd been giving her. "I know."
"I kinda always thought you and that Daryl kid were going to try it out…," he began and that revelation earned him all of her attention.
"Really? He's always been like my brother," she said. She and Daryl had never even considered crossing that line in all their years of friendship.
Her father nodded, "That's what your mother would say but you're my only daughter so my eye was gonna be on his mumbling ass regardless."
"Daddy…" He always had something not so complimentary to say about Daryl even though he always treated him like another son.
He laughed and kept on talking, "What I'm saying is, because of that I already had time to get my head around you being with a white guy, so that's not my issue with this whole thing," he defended.
"What is your issue?" She asked, unable to think of a reason for his reaction to the news of Rick the night before.
Sam turned to face her and she saw the worry in his eyes. "I just worry about you, Michonne. After everything went down with Mike, you just disappeared on us. I mean, you'd call us, let us know you were alive but you...the real you... was gone for a long time."
She looked away for a minute, finding it hard to face the truth of what her self imposed isolation after her wedding that wasn't did to her family. Those were some dark days and her father wasn't the only one who didn't want to relive them.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, but he placed a gentle hand over hers.
"You don't have to be sorry. It's in the past. Now you're with this new guy, the first guy since it all happened, and it's serious after a month. I'm worried that you're jumping into this thing head first and I don't want to see you get hurt again. I'm your father and you can't blame me for that," he explained, and she couldn't deny him that. Seeing it from the perspective of a father who had watched his daughter go through something she should've never had to go through, she understood his concern.
She squeezed her father's hand. "I get it, daddy. If you'd told me six months ago I'd be in love with guy I just met, I would've called you crazy, but here I am."
Sam pursed his lips before taking another sip of his coffee. "In love, huh? Are you sure you both are on the same page with that?"
She smiled over at her dad, "I'm sure," she insisted. "He makes me so happy, daddy. When you meet him, you'll understand."
He nodded, "Alright then…hurry up and get him down here so I can see for myself. I'll keep my opinions to myself until then."
"You're gonna like him. He's a fisherman too," she said, earning a grunt from her dad.
"Yeah...I bet he loves shooting beer cans off of fence posts too," he said; his implication clear.
"Daddy, no…"
"What? I bet he drives one of those big ass monster trucks with a rifle in the back window...listening to Johnny Cash on the way to the Piggly Wiggly," he ventured.
She couldn't help the laugh that slipped out at the slight truth in his accusation. "Oh my god, stop…"
Sam was laughing right along with her. "I'm right aren't I? Lord. My baby girl is dating Sheriff Buford Justice!"
She frowned, "Who?"
"Smokey and the Bandit? Redneck sheriff chasing Burt Reynolds all over the state of Georgia?"
She rolled her eyes because her daddy was always making some obscure reference to something he saw on television. "You watch way too much tv, daddy."
"It ain't on tv, it's a movie," he corrected.
"Doesn't matter. You watch too much everything."
"I'm retired and if all I want to do is go fishing and watch tv, it's what I'm gonna do…", he began, but Noah walking into the kitchen looking like he'd just crawled out of bed interrupted his train of thought. "Oh look. The dead has risen."
Noah rubbed his eyes and tumbled over to the coffee maker. "Morning…it's not even that late," he yawned.
Sam shook his head in displeasure. "It's ten o'clock in the morning, son. The day is nearly half gone."
Noah finished making his coffee before collapsing into a barstool. "My internship starts next week, pops. Can I please enjoy my last few days of freedom,"
"Welcome to the real world. Where people have jobs they have to go to," Sam preached and Michonne, having heard this lecture dozens of times, polished of what was left of her coffee before moving to go upstairs.
"Oh here we go," Noah groaned. "Help me Mimi."
She laughed, "Oh no! You're on your own, baby brother. Hey, are we still hanging out later?"
Noah nodded, "Yeah. My boys wanna meet you but now you got a man, so..."
She clicked her tongue and raised an eyebrow. "I'm 35 years old, Noah. Like I would give any of your little boys the time of day even if I didn't? Please!"
Sam shook his head and snapped his fingers in front of Noah's face. "Stop trying to pimp out your sister and listen to me, Noah. Your mother and I did you a disservice by not making you work…"
Michonne couldn't help but giggle as she jogged up the stairs to the sound of her father trying to lecture lazy out of her brother. She walked past her parent's bedroom and saw her mother sitting on the edge of the bed, staring out the window.
"Good Morning, mom," she greeted and Aline turned around slowly.
"Good Morning…you went running I see," she said.
Michonne entered the room more fully and leaned against the dresser facing her mother. "Yeah…I've been eating too good these last few weeks…you slept late today. Is everything ok?"
Aline nodded and sighed. "I guess I was just tired. Is your father downstairs?"
"Yeah. He's giving Noah a hard time about being 23 and only on his first job," she informed and her mother just shook her head.
"That man needs to stop," she said.
She reminded her mother, "Daddy is always going to be daddy".
"Did you two talk?" Aline questioned.
Her mind drifted back to her conversation with her father and she nodded. "Yep. Everything is good now."
Her mother looked relieved at that news. "Good. I'm sorry for putting you out there like that last night but I figured better now than when you bring your sheriff here."
"I agree…but warn me next time," she said. Aline nodded and went back to putting lotion on her hands and arms. "…So what do you want to do today, mom? We could go shopping over at one of the malls around here…"
Aline didn't stop what she was doing. "Do you remember my friend Maria?" She asked. "You met her last time you were here. She usually helps me retwist my locs. I have an appointment to see her today."
Michonne seemed to recall a meeting her the last time she down there. "I think so, but you don't need to go see her. I can help you retwist them…," she offered.
"She's also a barber who works from her home and I was just thinking...maybe I should cut my hair," confessed Aline and Michonne looked to see how long her locs had gotten. They fell to the middle of her back and while that was longer than her mother had ever let them get, it didn't seem too long.
"Seriously? How short?" She asked.
"All of it. You know what they say. A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life," she answered and Michonne felt her mouth fall open. She could barely remember her mother without locs and now she was talking about cutting them off completely.
Alarm bells were ringing in her head but she tried to remain calm by pushing down her rising panic. "Ok, now you're starting to worry me. What's going on?"
Aline looked up at her and there was something in her dark eyes that Michonne hadn't seen there before.
"Come here and sit with me for a minute," she said, patting the bed next to her. "We wanted to tell you and your brother together, but maybe it's better this way."
Michonne obeyed and saw on the bed next to her mother. "Tell us what?" The panic was back but this time she couldn't hold it down. It grew and formed a solid lump in her throat and she was finding it difficult to breathe.
"You know I've never been one to beat around the bush so…I have breast cancer," she revealed and the words hit her like knives piercing through her soul.
"Wh-what…," she stuttered, and Aline grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly between both of hers.
"They found a lump in my last mammogram, they did a biopsy and here we are. They found it early, and I'm having surgery to remove it but I'm going to need radiation too. My doctor thinks I could be done with the whole thing by Christmas," she explained.
Michonne nodded dumbly and blinked a few times trying to process what her mom was saying to her and no matter how may times her brain tried to reframe it, she kept landing on the same conclusion.
Her mother had cancer and no matter how early and treatable they claimed it was, she'd never been more terrified in her life.
She cleared her throat and tried to get her voice to work. "When…when is the surgery?"
"Next Tuesday," Aline confirmed.
She shook her head and tightened her grip on her mother's hand. "I-I should be here…"
"No, I don't want you to put your life on hold for this. Your father has nothing else to do but wait on me hand and foot, so don't you worry," comforted Aline, but it had little effect. She refused to cry; she had to be strong, but her eyes burned with unshed tears.
"You're my mom," she croaked, "How can I not worry about you?"
"I know, baby. It's going to be tough for a little while but I'm going to beat this. I know it in my bones. There's no need for you to worry because I'm going to be around for a long time. You hear me?"
"But…"
"Michonne, listen to me baby. I'm going to be just fine. I'm more concerned that you get checked out not that we know it's in the family. Promise me you will when you get back to Atlanta."
She released a shaky sigh, trying to lock down her fear and panic before promising, "I will".
"Good. Now…they say the radiation is probably going to make my hair fall out and I decided if I have to let go of my locs, it's going to be on my terms. Will you come with me?"
She nodded immediately, stopping only when an idea came into clarity in her head. "Do you think...do you think she'll have time to do mine too?" She asked.
Aline shook her head, "Michonne…I appreciate it baby, but you don't have to..."
It was Michonne's turn to shake her head. "I know. I want to do it. Please let me support you," she begged. There wasn't too much she could do to help her mother fight her illness aside from being there for her, and she was aware that cutting her locs in a show of solidarity wasn't going to miraculously cure her. Still, doing it would make her feel like she she was in it with her.
Her mother must've understood because she cupped her face in her palm for a moment and Michonne saw the pools of tears welling up in her eyes. "Alright then," she conceded, "Go take your shower and I'll give her a call."
XXXXX
Hours later, they were standing in front of the mirror in Maria's home salon admiring their new haircuts. Maria was an excellent barber and the fact that both of them were ready for their locs to be re-twisted, left them both with more hair than they'd expected. Her mother looked at least twenty years younger with her TWA while she'd opted for an even shorter faux hawk cut. They were often mistaken for sisters as it was, but now they looked even more alike.
As they stared at their reflections in the mirror, she noticed her mother's eyes filling with tears. She frowned and was just about to say something when he mother smiled brightly and shook her head.
"No…these are happy tears. We look damn good!"
Within seconds, her smile matched her mother's and she nodded in agreement. "Yes, mamn, we do!"
Aline raised an eyebrow, "What's your man gonna think about this?" she asked.
She really didn't know how Rick was going to react to her hair being gone but she did know that he loved her so it wouldn't matter. "I don't know, but the more important question is, how's daddy going to react?"
Her mother laughed, "We talked about it, so he already knows…but I'm sure he's gonna have something to say about it!"
After leaving Maria's, they did make it to the mall for a very late lunch and shopping. By the time they made home, both of them were loaded down with bags.
"Sam! We're home!" Aline announces as they walked into the house.
She heard her father in the living room, "Finally! Did you two go out and spend all my…money…" His words trailed off as stepped into the hallway and saw them with their new looks.
"Well?" Aline asked, and she had the nerve to look nervous; like she wasn't the only woman Sam Pierce had ever thought about loving. He just stared at Aline for a few silent seconds before walking over and engulfing her in his arms. He hugged her to the point where he was lifting her off the ground, and when he allowed her to find her feet, he gently pressed his lips against her forehead.
"You're beautiful, but you already knew that," he whispered, bringing a bright smile to her mother's face.
She placed her palm against his cheek. "You can be awfully sweet when you want to be Sam Pierce,"
He pulled back and fixed her with a smirk. "Woman…36 years of marriage and you're just learning that?"
Aline laughed and slapped at his chest. "Oh, shut up…" she said and he only laughed more and hugged her even tighter.
Watching them like that reminded her of all the reason why her parents had always been relationship goals for her.
Finally, her dad looked up and smiled at her too like he just remembered she was even standing there. "You decided to get yours done too, huh?" He asked.
She nodded, "You know me and mom are partners in crime."
"It suits you. Makes you look even more like your mother," he complimented.
Michonne cocked her head to the side and grinned at her parents. "Well…if that's not the best compliment I could ever get, I don't know what is," she giggled.
Noah emerged from the living room, tapping away on his phone. "Mimi, are we still…," he stopped and looked between her and their mother, "Y'all cut off your locs…" he mused; confusion settling in his eyes.
Aline and Sam shared a look before Aline left her husband's embrace to draped her arm over her son's shoulders. "Noah…your dad and I need to talk to you about something…"
Michonne took that as her cue to go upstairs and give them time to talk. She was halfway to her room when Rick's ringtone blared from her pocket. The day had gotten away from her and they hadn't talked.
She brought the phone to her ear just as she closed the door to her room.
"Hi," she said.
"Hey, baby," he greeted with a smile in his voice. "I just wanted to call…I hadn't talked to you today and I got to missing you."
"I know…it's been a day," she said; rubbing her forehead with her thumb and index finger to fight the headache that had been threatening ever since she'd heard her mother's news.
There was a brief silence and when he did speak, the smile was gone replaced with concern. "Is everything alright? You sound upset."
She released the breath she was holding and whispered, "My mom…my mom told me she has breast cancer."
His response was immediate, "Jesus, Michonne. I'm sorry..."
"She doesn't want me to worry but...how can I not?"
He sighed and she could almost see him pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's hard, but you have to try," he said.
"I know…I'm just…scared," she admitted. "They're removing the lump next week and she'll start radiation treatments afterwards. They think she'll be fine after all that," she explained. She was trying to sound confident; like she completely believed in the prognosis, but she probably wasn't fooling him. He'd been through this with his dad and that realization sent the fear swirling around in her stomach again. His father hadn't made it.
"There's nothing I can say to you right now that'll make it better," he said, sounding a little helpless. He was the type of man who wanted to fix things and this was something he couldn't fix.
"No…but thank you for listening," she confided.
"I'm always here for you but I wish I was there with you so I could hold you," he said.
"I wish you were here too," she agreed.
"When do you get in tomorrow?" He asked, and she could almost hear the wheels turning in his head.
She'd completely forgotten about her flight the next day and it took a a minute for her to recall her flight information. "Late…10 I think."
"Dammit...I don't get off till 9:30…," he groaned, his frustration over the fact that he wasn't going to be able to be there for her, evident.
She didn't want him to beat himself up over it. "It's ok. I'll see you Friday like we planned," she said.
"Michonne…," he began and his tone was so comforting, so warm, that it almost made the tears she'd been holding in all day, fall. She had to get off the phone before his calm understanding made her lose it.
"It really is ok," she interrupted. "I have to go. They're telling Noah now and I should be there for him after…"
"I understand. Call me if you need to. I don't care if I'm working or not," he said.
"Ok…I love you," she stated.
"I love you too…and Chonne? I know I've never met your mom but can you tell her I'm thinking of her?" He asked.
There it was. His sweet sincerity made the first tear roll down her cheek. "I will. Thank you," she muttered, making herself recover quickly from almost falling apart.
"Ok…," he hesitated like there was more he wanted to say.
"Good night, Rick," she said, hating the was her voice cracked with the emotions she was trying to keep inside.
There was another pause and she knew that he knew what she was trying to do but she hoped he would let it go.
He sighed deeply and said, "Sleep well, baby."
Grateful for the reprieve, she whispered, "You too."
XXXXX
Monday
"Thanks for giving me a lift," she said as Noah pulled his car up to the departures terminal at the airport.
"It was the least I could do considering we didn't go out last night," he replied. After hearing mom's news, Noah hadn't wanted to meet up with his friends anymore and honestly, Michonne was glad. After the day she'd had, hanging out with a bunch of 23 year olds was the last thing she wanted to do.
Instead, they'd stayed home and dad grilled those chicken breasts while she and her mother made a big salad to go with them, and the four of them had dinner together out on the deck enjoying the cool ocean breezes and each other's company. It was like old times; her father had his old school soul playlist pouring through the speakers and she caught him dancing with her mother by the grill more than once.
After their parents went to bed, she and Noah stayed up all night watching old episodes of Chappelle's Show to take their minds off of everything. When both of them emerged from their rooms well after noon that day, Noah wasn't the only one her father called a lazy ass.
"Maybe next time?" She offered, but Noah shook his head.
"Next time you'll be here with your man and I doubt he's the clubbing type," he said.
She had a hard time picturing Rick in a Miami nightclub but he had a way of surprising her. "He might go but either way, but I could still go with you."
Noah raised an eyebrow and looked so much like their father in the process. "And leave him alone with pops?"
She laughed and nodded. "Yeah…that's probably a bad idea," she admitted.
They climbed out of the car and he pulled her suitcase from the trunk. They stood there silently until she decided to broach the topic neither of them really wanted to discuss.
"Are you ok, Noah?" She asked.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and shuffled from side to side for a minute before answering, "Yeah, I'm good. Mom is gonna be fine. I'll be here after the surgery so I'll keep you updated."
She nodded; accepting his answer as proof he really didn't want to talk about it. "Ok…," she said.
Noah closed his eyes and sighed, "I mean…I am scared for her. I don't even wanna think about her not being ok, you know? But mom always says we gotta have faith, right?"
"Right," she agreed remembering all the times she'd hear her mother say those words to her and she'd never been wrong. "Mom's a fighter. She's gonna come out of this even stronger."
"Exactly. Cancer picked the wrong one to mess with…," he began but his voice faded out and she noticed that he was tearing up. She stepped closer and pulled him into her arms just like she did so many times while they were growing up. "Sorry, Mimi…I didn't mean to…"
"It's ok," she cooed, and his arms tightened around her.
He settled down after a few minutes and took a step back out of her arms.
"I'd better get moving before the airport police come get my ass for being parked in the drop off lane," he said.
"Yeah…I'll be back next month but you can call me sometimes you know. I want to hear all about your internship."
"I will. I promise," he said but she didn't expect him to follow through. He would text her and send silly memes just like he always did.
She leaned over and kissed him on the temple. "I love you, baby brother."
"I love you too, Mimi," he said, walking around the hood of the car back to the driver side.
She grabbed her bags and started pulling them toward the terminal doors.
"Hey, Mimi!" He shouted and she turned around to see him leaning against the car facing her. "I expect to see some of those arty pictures up on your Instagram," he demanded.
"Got it," she chuckled.
"…And I guess you can put some pics of my new white brother up too," he added, grinning as he swung open his car door.
Her brother was such a fool. She shook her head and laughed, "I'll think about it."
XXXXX
That's it for this one but the next chapter is half done because I split it off of this one so it shouldn't be as long between updates. :) Thank you again for sticking with me and for all of the follows, faves, reblogs, and reviews. You honestly have no idea how much it all means to me.