Chapter Eleven
The Homecoming
Ruthie was still weak and a little bruised but she was still being released and she was thankful for that. She wanted to get out of the hospital so bad that she could have broke out in song when she saw Lucy enter her hospital room as the nurse was helping her into a wheelchair.
"Why is she in a wheelchair?" Lucy asked the nurse in a concerned voice.
"Procedure." The woman replied, "You're all signed out so I guess you're ready to go."
"Thanks." Ruthie said.
"I bet you're glad to be getting home." Lucy said as she wheeled Ruthie down the hospital halls.
"I guess." Ruthie said, "So why are you here?"
"I asked if I could pick you up." Lucy replied sarcastically, "Do you want me to go call mom and have her come?"
"No." Ruthie said, "I was just wondering."
"Kev and Savannah came too." Lucy said wheeling her through the automatic doors and over to the black SUV.
"Hey Ruthie." Kevin said helping Ruthie out of her wheelchair as Lucy held the door open, Ruthie slipped into the backseat beside little Savannah.
"Ruthie!?" Savannah squealed with delight.
"Hi Savannah." Ruthie said kissing her niece's cheek.
"Cookie!?" Savannah begged holding out her little hand. Lucy smiled and handed her daughter an animal cracker.
"Ruthie too!?" Savannah said pointing to her aunt.
"Do you want one?" Lucy asked her biting back laughter.
"Sure." Ruthie said surprised at how hungry she was.
After handing Ruthie the bag of animal crackers and leaving her in charge of feeding Savannah, Lucy got in the passenger seat and Kevin drove off. Silence filled the car after Savannah fell asleep with her little hand wrapped around Ruthie's hand.
"So are you happy to be going home?" Kevin asked breaking the silence at last.
"I guess." Ruthie said bringing it back.
"We're trying to have a baby." Lucy said trying to get Ruthie to talk.
"I thought we weren't going to tell anyone yet." Kevin said.
"Ruthie won't tell anyone." Lucy said gesturing with her hands. Neither Kevin nor Lucy seemed to notice that Ruthie hadn't responded to their big news.
"Is everything ready?" Annie asked for the thousandth time.
"It's all set!" Freddie said grinning, "We just need some tape or thumbtacks to hang up the banner."
"There's sticky tack in the top drawer next to the kitchen sink." Annie said pointing
"I'll get it." Olivia said bouncing off the chair she stood on.
Once the welcome home banner Sam and David had made was hung, Annie began to set the dinner places. They were having a small welcome home party for Ruthie. It was just going to be Annie, Eric, Sam, David, Olivia, Freddie, Kevin, Lucy, Savannah, and Ruthie of course.
"I hear a car." Eric said, "Everyone quiet."
"On the count of three," Annie said, "1-2-3."
"SURPRIZE!!!!!!" they screamed as the door opened.
"Surprise?" questioned Simon.
"False alarm."
"False alarm?" Ruthie said walking up behind Simon.
"SURPRIZE!!!!!" They screamed again.
After eating the delicious meal of Annie's, which happened to be Ruthie's favorite, Ruthie took Olivia and Freddie up to her room.
"I have something to tell you two." Ruthie said looking down as she took a seat on the end of her bed.
"Spill." Freddie asked plopping down on Lucy's old bed and getting that look he got when he thought he was about to get some juicy gossip. Ruthie sighed and mumbled under her breath.
"Huh?" Olivia and Freddie asked coming closer. Ruthie just mumbled again.
"Louder." Freddie begged.
"I'm pregnant!" she nearly yelled looking up at them both with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Pregnant?" Olivia said shocked.
"Yeah, pregnant." Ruthie said, "Two and half months pregnant."
"That means its Martin's." Freddie concluded.
"Of course it's Martins!" Ruthie said throwing her pillow at Freddie's head, "who else's baby would it be?"
Simon stopped dead in his tracks he'd heard almost every word. His little sister was pregnant. He wanted to run into her room and yell at her or comfort her but instead he headed back down the stairs and let her friends help her. For now.
Martin wished he could feel nothing at all instead of this aching pain that seemed to be tearing his heart apart. She wouldn't forgive him and he hadn't even done anything. He sighed taking another sip from the bottle of liquor in his hands. He never drank, he hated the feeling of being drunk but in this very moment he wanted to be sloppy drunk and to have her off his mind.
Mac walked in at that moment to find his friend sitting at his kitchen table and drinking liquor straight from the bottle. He walked right over and ripped it from his friend's hands.
"Hey!" Martin yelled, "Give me that back."
"You're never going to get her back this way." Mac said pouring the bottle down the kitchen drain.
"Mind your own fucking business." Martin said.
"Hmmm…Let me think…" Mac said, "No I don't think I will. You're my best friend and I'm not going to let this destroy you."
"Why not?" Martin asked, "It already has. I lost her."
"Go change your shirt." Mac said ignoring him as he began to clean Martin's kitchen, "Take a shower and shave. You look like a grizzly bear."