Richonne (Short Love Stories) A Gifted Heart Part II (Chapter 44)
Present Day
Rick stares at his cell phone, wondering if he should call his friend just to say hello or to offer his help with her move. He's planning to be there on moving day of course but maybe he could help with the packing and preparing. He starts as his cell unexpectedly chimes, alerting him to an incoming call. He picks it up and notes the ID, a bit disappointed that it wasn't her.
"Hello," he answers after the third ring.
"Ahh…you answered. Great! What are you doing?" Morgan asks.
Rick looks around his apartment, the lack of noise and activity palpable. "Nothing much. What's up?"
"How about a game of pool? We haven't done anything in a while so let's get out tonight."
"I don't know."
Morgan sighs. "Come on. What else is going on?"
Rick hesitates for only a second. "Alright. Be here in 20 or I change my mind."
"On my way."
They travel further out to a place that is geared towards families. It was a huge arena like set up with video games, rock climbing, bumper cars, virtual sports simulators, etc. Rick had been there before as he and the sheriff's department treated his group of mentees to a day of fun. He remembers it vividly as Andre and Michonne accompanied him. It is also one of the few places that is completely smoke free. He had to be more vigilant about smoke free environments since before his surgery but even more so afterwards.
He and Morgan get set up for a game of pool quickly, ordering drinks as well. He was content with a diet coke while Morgan had a beer. The latter sets up his break to begin the game and asks casually, "So you talk to her yet?"
Rick takes a sip of his drink. "Who?"
Morgan gives him a pointed look before taking his shot and watching as the balls scatter across the table.
Rick rolls his eyes, knowing exactly who Morgan is mentioning but doesn't know where to begin with her. "No."
"What are you waiting for?"
"She was married to the guy whose heart saved my life. She loved him. How can I expect her to feel anything for me knowing that? It's probably best we remain friends. I mean, obviously that's all she wants. Otherwise…."
"Otherwise what?" Morgan huffs. "Are you going to tell me you're waiting for her to make a move on you?"
Rick considers the question then answers, "Well yeah. The ball's in her court right?"
"How does she know the ball's in her court if you've never even placed the ball there?"
"So you're saying I should tell her?"
"It's only what I've been telling you for weeks now. Why are you afraid to take a chance? I don't think you've ever felt this way about anyone. Why let that slip away?"
"I don't want to ruin what's already there. She's been a really good friend. I'm crazy about Andre. If telling her how I feel compromises that then maybe I should just keep my mouth shut."
"But what if she feels the same way you do? You two could have something beautiful together. She's not immune to you, man. I've seen the way she looks at you."
"Really?"
"It's time for you to take a chance on what you want. Don't let her get away."
Twelve months ago
Michonne arrives home to a quiet and dark house. Her son was spending the week with Mike's parents and she assured her parents that she'd be fine alone for the first time since the accident. The pain is ever present and she truly misses her husband but tonight for the first time in weeks she felt something other than a heaviness in her heart. She's not sure if it was just doing something different, the atmosphere itself, or the people she'd met.
She thinks back to her last moments with Rick Grimes and how he insisted that she and Sasha allow Morgan to drive them to their car parked in the hospital's garage even though it was within walking distance of the emergency room. He even got out and opened her door for her as Morgan did the same for Sasha. She knew without a doubt that he should be taking it easy but he insisted that he could open a door with no issues. It was quite….endearing. She shakes her head to clear it and locks in on a photo of her, Andre, and Mike on their last vacation together before the accident.
The tears start to flow yet again as she never imagined a life without him. Never imagined that she'd be a single parent, trying her best not to break down each day when her three year old asks after his daddy. She explained as best as she could that his dad had gone to heaven to be with other relatives and friends and that they'd see him again one day but it might be a very long time. Some days he accepted the answer and some days he'd demand that she call his daddy so he could tell him to come home.
It was enough to make her think she was going insane with the grief but she knew she had to hold it together for him. Most days were fine but at night when she'd crawl into bed on her own even at her parents' house as her old room was their room when they visited, the pain of his absence would surround her and she'd cry herself to sleep most nights than not. She held it together a lot better when Andre asked to sleep with her but he was such an independent little one that rarely happened.
She showered, checked in with Andre, her parents, and Sasha before climbing into bed and powering on the TV. For some reason, the sound of the set helped her to sleep better at night.
Mike, I miss you…so much. I wish it were all a dream and tomorrow when I wake up, you'd be here with me….again. She burrows in deeper, adjusting her pillows before closing her eyes and welcoming slumber. She feels herself slowly drifting off when a pair of bright, blue eyes flash in her memory. She gasps and opens her eyes suddenly, wondering at the image. She frowns with confusion and closes her eyes again, praying for a peaceful rest.
The following week proves to be a busy one as she was working from home part-time, finalizing some of Mike's affairs, and packing up the last of his belongings to give to his parents. They wanted to take their time going through items before giving some of them away to goodwill. She decided to keep a sweater of his that she loved, an old tattered shirt that she teased him about, his wedding band, and several photos. It was so hard letting go of a huge part of your life when you weren't expecting it. She thought throwing herself back into work would help ease the pain but it was a mistake trying to go back so soon so her boss approved her for a leave of absence. She recently accepted assignments on a part-time basis and that seemed to be working well.
Rick Grimes enters her thoughts again and she wonders how he is faring after his visit to the emergency room. She realizes she probably should've asked for his contact information the night of the social but she wasn't thinking along those lines at all. She retrieves Maggie Rhee's business card from her purse and dials her work extension. Her call is answered on the fourth ring and Maggie was more than happy to give her Rick's cell number although she ensured that she'd checked in with him and he was fine.
Michonne was sure to thank her and ended the call after the two of them made plans to meet for lunch in the near future. She stares at the number she scribbled onto a nearby notepad and contemplates using it. She knows if she thinks about it too hard, she will convince herself not to call so she dials the number without any further consideration.
He answers on the second ring and she almost disconnects but returns his greeting and identifies herself.
"Hi. How are you?" He asks.
"Hi. I'm fine. As I matter of fact, I was calling to see how you were doing. I uh….I got your number from Maggie Rhee. I hope that's ok. I mean, I hope you don't mind that I called you."
"No, of course I don't mind. I'm doing fine and I'm glad you thought enough to check on me."
"I was…just concerned for you." There is an awkward pause and she rushes to fill the silence and blurts, "Would you like to meet for some coffee? Well I'm really not a coffee drinker but I always like a nice cup of tea." She cringes as she can't believe she asked him to meet her.
"That sounds nice. I have a doctor's appointment in an hour but I could meet you around 11:30. Is that ok?"
"Yes, that's fine." She gives him a location and finalizes their plans before ending the call. She places her cell phone on the table and wrings her hands nervously, unsure why things unfolded the way they just did. It was all on her as she was the one to do the asking but she's confused as to what propelled her to ask.
She arrives at the coffee shop at 11:35 and Rick is there seated and waiting. She smiles and joins him, taking in his black shirt and jeans.
"Hi. Thanks for coming."
He stands to pull her chair out for her. "Hi. Thanks for inviting me. You look great." He eyes her from head to toe and Michonne is surprised by the compliment especially since she is wearing a simple shrug, skinny jeans, and flats. It warms her in an unexpected way.
"Thank you. How was your doctor's visit?"
"It went well. Next week will determine if I can start seeing him once a month."
"That's good."
A waitress stops by to take their orders which they give promptly.
Michonne is still questioning how she found herself here and her need to find out more about him. "So have you been able to return to work?"
"No, not yet. I'm hoping to return part time in another month or so," he explains.
"I'm on a part time basis as well. I think I tried to go back too soon. I guess I was hoping keeping busy would help me cope better. It kind of made things worse."
"I'm really sorry. I can't imagine what you're going through," he sympathizes.
"It's been one of the hardest things I've ever dealt with," she returns.
The waitress serves their orders as Rick asks, "And Andre? How is he holding up?"
"Some days are better than others but….." She stops mid-sentence wondering how he knew about Andre as she distinctly recalls that she never mentioned having a son. Could this have been some information that was in Mike's profile or something? "How do you know about Andre?"
He looks away somewhat guiltily, realizing that he was going to have to reveal the truth. "My job….I'm a deputy with the sheriff's department so I did a little digging to find out more about my donor, about Mike. I saw some of his social media pages and you and Andre were there, so…." He notices the change in her immediately and rushes on to reassure her. "I swear it was for information only. I truly wanted to reach out to his family, to you, to thank you and show my gratitude."
Michonne hears his words and she understands that maybe he didn't mean any harm but this feels like an invasion of privacy. She looks at the man seated across from her and wonders who he truly is. All of a sudden what she was feeling earlier, the connection with him seems misplaced somehow. "I really think I should go."
"Please don't. Listen I'm sorry. I just wanted to know more about him. That's all."
"No it's fine. Thank you for meeting me." She stands and rushes out of the coffee shop. She looks back to be sure he isn't following her and makes her way to her car where she promptly enters, starts the engine, and drives off.
She dials up Sasha and relays the situation to her, feeling like an idiot for being pulled in by him.
"Well what are you so upset about? They were social media pages. Anybody can access those."
"But he knew about Andre. I never told him about Andre. He asked about him like….like he knew him," Michonne states.
"I didn't get a bad vibe from him. He seemed like a decent enough guy. Wait a minute. What were you doing with him anyway?"
"I…that's not the point and don't change the subject. I felt….I don't know. It felt wrong all of a sudden," Michonne admits.
"What felt wrong?"
"Nothing. Just forget about it. I'll talk to you later." Michonne disconnects the call and drives to her local gym. Maybe a good work out would help her to focus on what's important right now.
Two weeks pass and things go back to normal in a sense. Andre returns home and she throws herself into caring for him and continuing her slow but sure trek back to full time status at her job. She is surprised that Rick Grimes hasn't called although she is sure he has her number. She surmises that maybe it was for the best. There was something about him that was a bit unsettling or was it just me?
She is at the grocery store, trying to convince Andre that he doesn't need three different cereals when the little one gasps and yells, "Hi Mr. po-lice man!" She looks up and wants to gasp herself as Rick Grimes is making his way towards them. He is dressed in his deputy's uniform and her heart skips a beat before it starts racing at the sight of him.
She wants to give in to the excitement of seeing him again but immediately puts a wall up as she determines that she shouldn't be so attracted to him. I just lost my husband. She reminds herself of his invasion into their privacy and that is all the ammo she needs.
"Hi there." He drops down to his haunches in front of Andre. "How are you?"
"I'm three. How are you?" Andre answers.
Rick smiles. "I'm doing fine. Thanks for asking."
"Are you here to afvest somebuddy?"
"No. I'm not here to arrest anybody. Just buying some groceries." He tips his hat to acknowledge Michonne and she gives him a small smile.
"Can I touch your star?"
"Andre, no. We shouldn't….."
"It's fine," Rick assures. He smiles as the little one reaches forward and glides his fingertips across the shiny gold badge. "So do you want to be a policeman when you grow up?"
"I sure do. I want a star and a gun and a big car with noise and lights. Do you have a big car with noise and lights?"
"I do. Would you like to see it?"
"Oohhh…can I Mommy? Please," Andre begs.
Michonne hides her irritation, quelling the need to tell her son no. "We really shouldn't bother the officer son. We….."
Rick stands. "It's no bother. I'll wait for you to finish your shopping."
"NO! I wanna see it now!" Andre exclaims.
"Andre….." Michonne starts but Rick looks down at the little one and says, "Let's allow your mom to finish shopping and then we'll go the car. Is that ok?"
"You won't change your mind or go away?"
"I won't change my mind or go away. I promise," Rick states.
"Ok." Andre turns to his mom and fists her skirt. "Come on mommy. Hurry up."
Michonne shows her surprise that he backed down and actually listened to Rick, a stranger. She shrugs. Well he is a police officer. She shares a look with Rick and mouths, "Thank you" as she and Andre move on.
Twenty minutes later, she was in the parking lot, standing nearby as Rick sat in the driver's seat of his squad car with Andre in his lap, pointing out different gadgets and buttons and explaining what they are used for. She can't help but smile as Andre is beyond excited and the happiest she has seen him in a while. She practically had to use her 'firm' voice to try and coax him away. A few reassuring words from Rick and he was complying. She didn't know if she should be thankful or resentful of the ease he seemed to have with her son.
He walks them to her car and waits patiently while she secures Andre in his safety seat. He even loaded in her groceries earlier.
She closes the door and faces him. "That was really nice of you. I appreciate it."
"I was happy to do it." He pauses. "Listen. I'm sorry about what happened before. I honestly only sought the information because I wanted to thank you. That's all."
"It's fine, Rick. Maybe I….overreacted. Things have….this has been an adjustment," she admits.
"I understand. Two things. I'm supervising a mentor program through the Sheriff's department. I've been released to return to work but with restrictive duties so this is part of it. I'd love it if you allowed Andre to join but no pressure." He gives her his business card. "You can verify everything with my boss. The other thing…..can we have a do over with the coffee? My treat."
She looks at the card then brings her eyes back to his. She wants to deny it all, shout at him to go away as he is having some sort of effect on her, an effect she doesn't understand. "Ok." She cringes as she is thinking one thing but acting out another.
He smiles. "So that's a yes?"
She returns his smile. "Yes, I'll look into the program but I'm sure Andre would love it and yes to a do over with the coffee."
"Can I call you tomorrow?" He asks cautiously.
She gives him an affirming nod. "We should get home." She moves to open the driver's door but Rick beats her to it, opening her door with a tip of his hat. Who is this man? "Thank you." She enters the car, setting her purse in the passenger's seat.
"Bye Rick!" Andre shouts from the back seat, waving wildly.
"Bye Andre. Have a good night ok?"
"Ok."
He looks to Michonne. "Have a good night."
"You too." She starts the engine after he closes her door firmly. She reverses out of the parking space slowly, her eyes going to Rick repeatedly as he stands close by watching them. She puts the car in drive and moves forward, looking at him in her rearview mirror, watching as he returns to his squad car.
"Rick is nice. I like Rick," Andre announces.
"I do, too."
A/N: More to come. I promise.