Casey reached over, pushing the button on the small radio beside the bed and let the sounds of some awful love song from the eighties pour into the room. She settled back on the bed, covered herself with the navy blue comforter and smiled to herself happily. The light blue sheets under her had a soft, broken-in feel and the fluffiness of the pillow where her head rested was dreamy. She realized with a start that it was her pillow. She had bought the pillow for use when she stayed here and left it when she left Cappie. She was amazed that he still had it after all these months.
She imagined him curled around it and wondered if he thought it still smelled like her. Then her mind roamed to all the girls she knew had been in this very bed, resting on her pillow and a streak of jealousy she had no right to claimed her for an instant.
She had broken up with him. She had moved on. She couldn't very well be angry because he tried to do the same. Still, it rankled her to image another girls head on her pillow, in her spot on his bed, resting against him.
She stopped herself before she went any further. It was all over now. She was where she was supposed to be. Happy, in love and secure in the knowledge that he loved her, too.
She felt... she couldn't actually describe how she felt. Peaceful was as close she as could come, but even that didn't really define it properly. Then it came to her. She felt complete. That was the feeling. Leaving Cappie had been like leaving part of herself behind as well and now that she was finally back where she belonged, she was whole once again.
Her mind drifted back to all the other times she had laid in his bed, all the passion they had shared here, and now looking back, she realized, all the love. Moments were shared in this bed that she could never forget.
It seemed to her that, maybe that was exactly what life was all about, making moments. Wasn't that all a life really amounted to in the end, a series of moments, good and bad, that made a person who they were. Moments that fused in a person's remember so vividly that they could never forget them.
In her entire, albeit still relatively short, college experience, almost every moment involved Cappie in some way. Even in those he wasn't involved in directly, he was there.
There was her first day on campus. She was so lost and scared and had no idea where to go or what to do. He was the first person she met and he helped her find her dorm, helped her get settled. Her first party, she had gotten so wasted and Cappie had been there, a pledge at the Kappa Tau house. He helped her back to her dorm and got her tucked into bed. He had been so sweet and concerned for her. Then there was her first date. They went the to planetarium and stared at the fake stars. Then they came back to Kappa Tau house, threw a blanket in the backyard and stared at the real ones until they began to fade with the dawn. He had kissed her that night, a sweet tender kiss like she had never experienced before or since. A kiss that would stay with her a lifetime.
Then there was the night in his dorm, a room not far now the hall from Rusty's actually, where they had both experienced sex for the first time. A night spent exploring and learning. It had been perfect and she knew if it had been with anyone other than Cappie it wouldn't have been as wonderful. Many girls she knew had terrible story about their first time. She was one of the lucky ones. Hers was a night she would never forget.
But even after they had parted ways, he was always there, in the background, waiting for her to come back to him. He was there for her first date with Evan, a loud kegger at the Omega Chi house, much less romantic than her other first date. And that night when she drank too much and Evan had passed out, unable to help her home. There was Cappie, walking her back to the ZBZ house and making sure she was okay before he left. He was there, waking her with a gentle hand on her shoulder when she fell asleep in the library before one of her midterms. If he hadn't been there, she would have missed the test and failed the course.
And of course he was there when she suffered through finding out about Becca and Evan the first time. Holding her all night and never letting on that he knew she was crying on his shoulder.
He was always there, like some guardian angel watching over her, helping her through all her bad times and making her good times that much better. Not one of his Kappa Tau brothers knew the real Cappie, the one that was shy and emotional and so very endearing he was impossible to resist. She liked to imagine that she was the only one that knew that Cappie, like something he held in reserve especially for her because he trusted her enough to let her see the real him.
She had no idea what she had done to gain that kind of trust from him, actually she was pretty sure it was completely undeserved. She had hurt him more times than she cared to calculate and the guilt of that weighed on her heavily. Of all the people in her world, Cappie was the one person she never wanted to hurt. And she vowed silently that she never would again. She would make it her mission from here on to do everything in her power to make him happy.
Her thoughts came back to reality as the door opened and the man in question walked in with two plastic cups and two plates balanced precariously in his hands. He shut the door with his foot and handed her one of the cups.
Taking it, she looked at its contains with a questioning eye. " Milk ? " she asked.
" Yes, milk. It does a body good. " he answered, turning and locking the door before coming back to join her on the bed.
" So what is this surprise you've kept me in suspense for ? " she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he sat the rest of his burdens on the table beside the bed.
He brought the plate in front of her and she looked down at it and smiled. " A piece of Chocolate pie ? "
This was a tradition with them. One she truly enjoyed, sitting in bed and eating pie with him was one of her fondest memories, but how had he managed to arrange to have a pie sitting around at just the right moment ?
" It's better than chocolate pie. " he smiled, obviously very proud of himself. " It's chocolate caramel pie with a brown sugar crust. "
" Where did it come from ? " she laughed. " I mean how did you know you would need a chocolate, caramel pie with a brown sugar crust tonight ? " Then she stopped laughing and looked at him seriously. A new thought occurring to her that she didn't like one bit. " You haven't been sharing pie with the other girls you've had up here, have you ? "
He sat the plate down for a moment and grabbed her to him with a smile and they tumbled over in a heap of legs and arms. " Why ? Would you be jealous if I did ? "
She smiled at his playfulness. " Oh, I certainly would be. I wouldn't like it at all. "
He turned serious suddenly. " You know I wouldn't do that. This was our thing. I couldn't eat pie in bed with another girl. It wouldn't feel right. "
" Then how did you just happen to come across a pie tonight ? "
" Beaver went and got it for me before I left to go find you. " he confessed. " I wanted it to have it just in case things turned out the way I wanted. "
She kissed him abruptly. " That is the nicest, sweetest, most romantic thing. " she told him.
He kissed and nodded. " I know. It really was, wasn't it ? Now can we eat it ? Because it looked really good when I cut it up and I'm dying to try it. "
She kissed him again, letting her tongue slide into his mouth. " I can taste chocolate. You can't lie to me, you already tasted it. " she said as she pulled away.
He laughed. " Okay so I tasted it downstairs. You caught me. I have no willpower where pie is concerned. "
He sat up, pulling her with him and reached for one of the plates. When he offered her a fork full of the delicious-looking concoction she accepted it readily and let the creamy decadence fill her mouth.
Before she could swallow, he was kissing her again, sharing the taste with her.
She groaned at the sweetness of the chocolate and the hint of caramel and he deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue over hers.
" Wow, " she smiled, when he pulled away. " That is really good pie. "
Her offered her another bit, but before it made it to her lips, a small portion fell and landed on her chest, just above her breast.
" Oops. " he smiled, before bending his head and slowly cleaning the offending mess from her skin with his warm mouth.
They finished the pie in much the same way, dropping bits on each other, 'accidently' on purpose and making sure to clean every bit as throughly as possible. When he took a bite of warm pie and kissed her, then took a drink of cold milk and kissed her again, the sensation of hot and cold so closely together drove her crazy.
Soon they found the pie and milk was forgotten and they busied themselves with each other instead. Using hands, lips, tongues and teeth to drive each other into a frenzy of passion once again.
" I love you. " he whispered, locking eyes with hers as he entered her again.
" I love you, too. " she answered, clinging to his shoulders as the feeling of completion once again consumed her.
It was later, laying together, sweat covered and panting that a knock on the door interrupted them once again, breaking into their inner sanctuary and imposing on their refuge from the outside world.
" What ? " "Cappie called out in a voice loud enough to be heard through the door.
" Dude, there's trouble downstairs. I think you need to get down there. " Beaver's voice answered, full of anxiety that was completely foreign for him.
Cappie jumped up, kissed Casey briefly and slide on his clothes on the way to the door. " I'll be right back. " he told her, before disappearing.
He was only gone a moment before he reappeared looking worried and very serious.
" Casey, " he started with a deep breath that caused her to moved to the side of the bed and begin to get dressed.
" It's Evan, isn't it ? He's back. Causing trouble. " she stated making a guess at his grave expression.
" No, " He shook his head and took her hand in his leading her from the room once she was dressed. They started down the stairs. Her eyes never left his face, but worry consumed her. " What is it ? You're scaring me. "
He stopped only briefly and sighed. " It's Rusty. Beaver says there's something wrong with him. "
She paled visibly and swayed. " Where is he ? "
" This way. " he answered, leading her again.
A crowd of people stood around the couch in the den once again and once again, Cappie cleared them away with an authoritative voice.
Rusty was sitting on the end of the couch, clutching his head in his hands, a look of intense concentration on his face, his eye brows furrowed together and his mouth set in a hard line.
Casey went to him and sat down. " Rusty, are you alright ? " she asked, worriedly touching his shoulder.
He shrugged off her arm forcefully. " No, my damn head hurts. " he spat in a voice that was nothing like she had ever heard him use before.
" He doesn't know who any of us are. " Beaver told Cappie quietly over his shoulder as he crouched down in front of the younger man, trying to look at his eyes.
" Spitter, " Cappie called and hissed when Rusty finally looked at him.
He stood and turned to Beaver and a few of the other guys standing around him. " We need to get him to the hospital. "
Casey looked up at him abruptly, then back to her brother. " Rusty, " she said, causing him to look at her. When she saw the reason for Cappie's concern her heart skipped a beat and she tried to fight down the panic rising in her, one of his pupils sat lower than the other.
" We tried to get him to move off the couch but he starts fighting us every time we suggest it. " she heard Beaver explain to Cappie.
Cappie looked back at Rusty and put his hand on his shoulder. " Hey, Spitter how about we go for a ride ? " he asked, his voice casual and deceptively light.
" I'm not going anywhere. " Rusty slurred and batted Cappie's hand roughly.
He pulled back and looked at Casey. " We really need to get him out of here. " he said, quietly.
" Rusty, Let's go find something to make your head feel better. " she offered.
He turned his eyes to her and looked at her with a glare that caused her to swallow hard. " My head wouldn't be hurting if it wasn't for you. " he spat.
She shrank away from him and fought against tears that suddenly threatened.
" Okay, that's enough. Rusty. " Cappie told him, taking him by the shoulder and hauling him from the couch whether he liked it or not. " Get your ass to the car. We need to go for a ride. "
Rusty swung at him, trying to knock him away, but Cappie was faster and he ducked out of the way of the offending arms and bent instead. When he stood back up it was with Rusty over his shoulder.
" I said that's enough. We are going whether you like it or not. " he told him as he started for the door.
Casey hurried to catch up and opened the front door for him. " Maybe we shouldn't be moving him. I mean didn't I hear that somewhere, that you shouldn't move someone with a head injury ? "
" Yeah, " Rusty called over his shoulder. " You shouldn't be moving me. I can walk. "
Cappie ignored the feeble fist beating against his back. " You're probably right but we're already moving now. Best we get him looked at as soon as possible. "
Casey nodded and started off. " Just wait here. I'll get the car. "
The ride to the hospital was impossibly long and every start and stopped jarred Rusty. Cappie was having a hard time keeping him awake and his head lolled on his shoulders making Casey wince and grip the steering wheel tighter every time she hit the brakes.
When they finally arrived, it wasn't a long wait before several people rushed, a now mostly unconscious Rusty through two impressive looking wooden doors.
Casey paced the corridor outside the doors and looked around wondering where Cappie had disappeared to.
He appeared suddenly as if her thought had summoned him and folded her in his arms.
" Where were you ? " she asked against his shoulder.
" I called your folks. They're on their way. " he answered.
She leaned back from him to look into his eyes. " You called my parents ? " she asked, stunned by his thoughtfulness. She hadn't even thought to do that and here he was taking control of the situation and making sure things were taken care of.
" Yeah, is that okay ? " he asked, clearly confused by her look. " I didn't mean to take over or anything, but I figured you were too busy thinking about Rusty. " he babbled, quickly trying to explain his action in case she was mad.
She chuckled and kissed him quickly. " No, I wasn't mad. I just... " she trailed off, trying to compose her rapidly running thoughts. " Thank you. I hadn't thought to call. I appreciate you taking care of it. " she said after drawing a ragged breath and getting her head together.
He kissed her cheek. " Your welcome. " he whispered. " Has anyone told you anything yet ? "
" No, they said they'd let me know as soon as they knew something. "
As soon as the words were out of her mouth the door opened and a short, overweight woman dressed in blue scrubs, holding a clipboard came to them.
" What exactly happened to your friend ? " she asked, a touch impatiently.
" He's my brother. " Casey corrected, as she turned in Cappie's arms and he rested his hand on her shoulder. " He got hit and he hit his head when he fell. He seemed alright but then he got angry and said his head hurt. "
" Has he been drinking ? "
" Possibly. " Cappie offered.
The woman looked to the hand resting on her shoulder and Casey immediately shook her head. "He isn't the one that hit him. " she insisted.
Her eyes said she didn't believe her but she didn't argue. " How was he before he lost consciousness? "
" He blacked out when he first got hit, but he came around and he seemed fine. " Cappie said. " I checked his eyes and they were okay. And he knew everyone. We applied ice for a while. But then he got combative and unresponsive. " Casey turned to look at him as he continued to explain, like he knew just what he was talking about and she wondered for a moment where all the knowledge had come from. " His speech was slurred, but I'm not sure if it was from alcohol or the bump on his head. Then I saw his pupils were uneven and we brought him in immediately. "
She sighed disapprovingly. " Did either of you give him alcohol ? "
"No, " they answered truthfully and in unison.
" Have his parents been notified ? We are going to need someone to sign some papers for him. "
" I called them. They're on their way. " he answered.
She looked at Casey and her eyes said she was very unhappy about the whole situation. " Is he allergic to anything ? "
She shook her head. " Not that I know of. "
" The doctor will be seeing him soon. We're going to get some x-rays and find out just what we're dealing with. " she informed them.
" Is he going to be okay ? " Casey asked before she could leave.
" We'll know more after the x-rays. Just have a seat and let the receptionist know when your parents arrive so we can get those papers signed. " she answered before disappearing behind the doors once again.
She turned and collapsed against the strong chest that was doing more to support her than she was doing for herself at the moment. Firm arms slid around her and encased her firmly to him as the tears she had been holding back finally started to flow freely.
She felt his hand in her hair, smoothing it tenderly as reassuring sounds fell to her ears, barely audible over her sobs.
" He blames me for this. " she cried. " You heard him. If it wasn't for me, his head wouldn't be hurting. "
Cappie pulled away and looked in her eyes. " He didn't know what he was saying. He doesn't blame you and he's going to be okay. " He told her in a firm voice that left no room for argument.
She buried her head against him once again and let him lead them to a couch in the corner of the waiting room.
They settled and prepared to wait, her quiet sobs against his shoulder the only sound in the deserted emergency room.