Bob laid in best staring at the ceiling that was all he could really do these days, he wasn't really getting worse but he definitely wasn't getting any better. The upside to the whole situation was that they had caught his cancer quick enough that it hadn't spread past his prostrate, he was thinking back to the beginning again kicking himself for not just telling Linda that he felt like something was wrong, maybe they would have caught it sooner but he put it off so long he was already up to stage 3. He was receiving aggressive external radiation treatments but he wasn't hopeful, who would be in the situation he was in? Even if no one would talk to him he had a decent idea of their situation, he knew what shape the restaurant was in when he got sick and because of his mom he had an idea on the cost of treatment. He knew he had almost bankrupted the restaurant, he had cost Linda her sanity, whether she would admit it or not he knew that he had cost Louise his schooling. She may have hid it well but he knew his angel dust. He chuckled quietly at the thought, he never was good with pet names. Speaking of the devil he heard Louise coming in to take Linda's shift. He tried to convince them at first that they didn't have to alter their lives around him but he was so weak that he wasn't able to fight it anymore.
"Hey Mrs. Belcher, long time no see." Bob's ears perked up at the odd voice in the living room, who the hell was it? Some guy had come in with Louise. Bob heard his wife respond surprised yet happy. "Oh my God Logan, it's been so long! How are you?"
Bob groaned to himself. "Ugh of course it's that guy." Logan was decent enough but he had a bad streak and Bob was never able to fully trust him, he knew how close he and Louise had been though and it crossed his mind that maybe he would be able to bring some light back to her life.
"Booooooooooob I don't know if we trust that guy." Bob said to himself in a high pitched voice holding up his pill bottle.
"I know Mr. Pills but we have to trust my little girl." Bob replied in his own deep voice.
"Okay Bob." The pills responded not sounding quite sure. Bob had tuned out of the conversation in the living room while Logan and Linda caught up when all of a sudden he heard Louise ask, as she did every night, how Bob was doing and if she should get anything for him. Linda replied with her same response, he's the same and he's good, Louise sounded like she had more to say though and Bob's ears perked again.
"Well mom, if you don't need anything then I may go hang out with Logan for a few hours, I'll have my cell the whole time so if you need anything then don't hesitate to call." Linda started her usual teasing at Louise about hanging out with a Boy but Bob knew that Linda was thrilled, she had been begging Louise for months to reconnect with her old friends but this was the first time Louise had shown any interest. After a while Gene and Tina both went back to their own lives but Louise just couldn't let go of everything that had happened and she would never know how grateful Bob and Linda felt to have her there with them.
"I'm gonna run in and check on dad before I go." He could hear the forced exasperation in Louise's voice and he could tell that she was smiling she had grown to love and appreciate her mother's teasing. Bob heard Louise's steps heading towards the door, he wanted to talk with her but he also didn't want to ruin her night since their conversations always ended up being about his illness or bills or other stressful things and he didn't want that on her mind right then so he closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. He heard the door open and felt Louise sit on the bed next to him and put her hand on his arm. "I love you daddy, I'll see you in the morning." She planted a kiss on his forehead and as she started out of the room he let a small smile fall across his face as he actually drifted off to sleep.
Linda sat on the couch watching Louise and Logan stare at each other, she knew how Bob felt about Logan but she had always had a soft spot for him and figured him being back would be good for Louise. "Alright you two," Linda started sounding stern "now have fun but I'm not bailing anyone out of jail tonight, okay?" Linda laughed as she walked towards the bedroom leaving the two on their own. As she opened her door she saw Bob fast asleep, he looked weak and ashen his eye sockets obviously sunken in even in his sleep, he had lost a significant amount of weight and barely ate anything anymore. She kicked herself once again just like every night for not seeing that he was sick earlier. She gave him a quick kiss as she laid down next to him and settled in for then night with a book.
Louise left Logan sitting in the living room as she ran towards her room to change, it had been so long since she had hung out with someone that she wasn't even sure what to wear. She finally settled on a pair of comfortable jeans with pink converse, a blue tank top, and her cropped leather jacket. She pulled her hair out of her signature bunny ears and pig tails quickly ran a brush through it and threw on her black beanie. With a quick brush of Chap Stick and a little eyeliner she glanced in the mirror and appreciated what she saw. Louise was always someone that was happy with her appearance and tonight was no exception, she may not have gotten much taller but she was wholly aware that she had more than filled out in all the right places. She gave herself one last glance before heading out to Logan.
When she left her room though Logan was nowhere to be found. She checked the kitchen, the bathroom, even the spare bedrooms before finally heading downstairs. Once she reached the street she quickly spotted Logan leaned against the building smoking a cigarette.
"Didn't you know that those will kill you?" Louise giggled as she reached up and snatched the almost full cigarette from Logan's lips. "Just looking out for you." She said gesturing towards him with the cigarette before walking away and taking a long drag. Logan smiled as he lit another cigarette and chased after her towards Wonder Wharf, he had a pretty good idea of where she was going. It was already well past midnight and almost everything was closed, the only place open was the park near the wharf and, of course, the beach.
Two years earlier they had spent every night wandering around town after hours it felt more like nostalgia than a habit. He found himself reminiscing on all the times they spent walking the streets sharing cigarettes and sipping alcohol, lying on the beach, or sitting on the swings. They talked about all of their problems, their goals, how they felt misunderstood by their families and people their ages. They had both grown up a lot since then but Logan still hoped that being back here would help her loosen up a bit. They finished their cigarettes as they reached the end of the pier.
Louise stared up at the sky, this was the only time that you could see the stars and it was amazing, the wharf had shut down and the businesses closed making everything go quite for just a while, it was the only place she could think. All of a sudden Louise felt Logan tap her on the shoulder with something and when she turned she saw him holding out a bottle of her favorite liquor, she wasn't sure how he got it down there without her noticing but she was glad. She hadn't truly let go and been young ever since Bob got sick and she wasn't going to lie, she missed it. She took the bottle from Logan and started sipping it slowly, not sure if her alcohol tolerance was still any good Logan however had his own bottle and started chugging it, just like the old days.
They worked their way back down to the beach and laid down in the sand after casting their jackets and valuables to the side. They laid in the sand, stared at the stars, puffed cigarettes, and sipped vodka. It had been so long since Louise had felt this relaxed and she was soaking up every second of it. She was so exhausted because of all of her responsibilities that she started drifting off to sleep as she stared at the stars.
"Oh no you don't!" Logan slurred at Louise as he noticed her dozing off, suddenly in his slightly drunk state he got an idea. He started chuckling as he stood up and wobbled over to Louise and lifted her up.
"What the fuck are you doing fuckface?" Louise screamed as Logan housed her off the ground causing her to drop both her liquor and her cigarette. Logan didn't respond though, he just laughed as he tossed her over his shoulder and started towards the ocean. The entire walk was maybe fifty feet or so but in his intoxication it felt like miles, he was determined though and the constant screaming and cursing coming from Louise didn't deter him a bit. As he reached the edge of the water he stopped to talk to Louise for a second.
"Hold your breath and shut your eyes LouLou, this is happening." He laughed as he heard her inhale deeply and jumped throwing both of them into the water. It was a warm summer night but the water was still freezing and immediately woke Louise up as she pushed through the water and started swinging at Logan. She couldn't hide it though, it was just as funny as it was refreshing. They quickly decided that they were both too close to drunk to be in the water and linked arms as they made their way back to the shore, they each grabbed their bottle of liquor and laid down in the sand next to each other.
Logan grabbed his cigarettes and lit one he almost instantly felt Louise take it from his mouth though and looked over to see her smoking it herself, he couldn't help but to laugh. She looked absolutely breathtaking. Her long hair was soaking wet sticking to her skin, her clothes were clinging to her, she was flushed from the water he couldn't stop staring at her. She looked over and locked eyes with him, her cheeks immediately getting flushed.
"What are you looking at?" Her voice was small and slightly shaky as she shivered still recovering from the water. He didn't say anything but as he thought about it he realized that it was a good opportunity to get a little closer to her, he stretched out he arm to her and watched as her cheeks burned even redder as she scooted over and laid her head on his chest.
"Gotta stay warm," Logan started "I don't wanna have to take care of your sick ass all week." He laughed as he took the cigarette from her. They laid there silently as they passed the cigarette back and forth and finishing their drinks. He looked down at her and saw her staring up at the stars, she looked just like she had two years ago but more mature. Everything that had happened had really made an impact on her yet she handled it all without any complaint and with more grace than anyone he knew ever could have. Logan couldn't take it anymore, he knew it was a mistake and that it probably had a lot to do with the alcohol but he just couldn't control himself anymore. He leaned into Louise and gave her a long passionate kiss.