Best Friend
Pt 22-Blue
R-M
"Hey Gin." Bonnie spoke lowly into the wireless headphones.
"Hey babe. How's it going? Damon having any progress?"
"Uhh, he's opened his eyes several times. He doesn't recognize me because his dosage of medicine is pretty high. But he smiled and fell back asleep. I don't think he knows what's going on. He thinks he's dreaming." She said.
"Wow, but, he seems okay, right? No amnesia?"
"No, no amnesia. But he's just drugged up and confused. I hear him speakin' in his sleep. I've heard mine and Dimitri's names several times, so his memory is fine. But- uh... I'm probably gone stay in Georgia a little while, with him. He's incapable of doing anything for himself." She said glancing at him.
"I totally get it. It makes perfect sense. What about family?"
"Uh, his parents are flying out tomorrow, and my momma should be here today to get Dimitri. It's gone be hard, but she's gone take him for a few days. So, I can be here at the hospital with Doodle. I, just... I can't leave his side. I can't explain it. The nurses are bein' nice and letting me stay nights. I grabbed a room on post at the hotel. We leave here at night shower and I sleep a couple hours, then drive back. I just hate, leaving him here."
"I get it. Bons, I'm sorry his happened. What an awful timing. But, maybe, it's a good thing you can be there for him. Imagine you didn't see him two months ago, in Mystic Falls, and this happened. How would you have known?"
"Well according to the Army were still married. They contacted me as his wife."
"Wow, how strange. I'm sure he can clear it up when he's back on his feet."
"Yeah."
"And Dylan?"
"Umm, he's snacking right now. Sitting in the chair with some snacks. He wants his daddy to wake up. I'm hoping Doodle wakes up a little, before my momma takes him. It'd be beautiful to wake up after all these days and see this little face."
"Yeah, he needs the mental motivation to stay awake. I wish I had time to come and help you with Dylan."
"No, you have helped enough, you're too good to me. The season is starting, you've really got to focus."
"Well, the season might be put on hold. I mean we may practice, but there's a chance we won't play. Our sponsors had a falling out with the owners and we may not have money to travel back and forth, unless players pay out of pocket for transportation and room and board. Which is out of the question. We're just a state team, we have to rally around finding ways to raise money."
"Geez. I'm so sorry Gin. What a bummer."
"Yeah, and obviously, some of these girls are too good to put in work. So four girls threatened quit the team, finding replacements this point in time will be disastrous, so, I'm not sure what's happening. But I got an offer to coach a local, college team. It pays alright. I might take it just to stay afloat."
"But as for the team, don't they owe you all a stipend regardless? Because you forfeit, playing with other teams, and signing other contracts. This should mean they should at least pay you your stipend."
"They will. Which is what I have to rely on until I get my first collegian paycheck, because I'm told, I may not be paid until mid-season. Ugh, I don't know, Bon, it's all confusing right now. I just wish Mike was here, and I could just have him to look forward to." She sighed.
"Well, if it all works out and you coach, you get holidays off... every holiday working for the school. Plus, summers."
"Yeah true. Well, I've taken up enough of your time. Call me later when Dylan naps, if Damon's not awake. I need to catch you up on our television show dramas."
"Oh yeah, I missed our shows. Okay. I'll try to call you later. Also, Mike says to let you know he loves you both and he's here if you need anything."
"Thanks, Gin, for keeping him posted. I just haven't had the mind frame to call everyone."
"Of course."
"Alright I'll try to call later. Love you."
"Love you too."
...
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Salvatore."
"Hello, Mrs. Henley. Back on schedule? Means it's night shift already, I'm losing track of time."
"Ah, it's okay. It happens in here. Time goes by slow and fast and steady, it's weird." The nurse said laughing. She proceeded to check his vitals carefully. "I heard he opened his eyes for a few minutes today?"
Bonnie sighed. "Was it a few minutes? It felt like seconds. He was still out of it. I just, wish I could hold him."
"You know, before you know it, he'll be wrapping his arms around you."
"Yeah. It'll be nice to feel his hug again." She smiled.
"Ma ma... nackie?" Her son called from the chair having run out of his snacks. She turned to him and grabbed the small container and put more snacks in his little bag. She pushed his wild hair out of his face, like always, then kissed his rosy cheeks. She finally, had her family together, with the opportunity, to live the life she not only wanted and needed, but craved. With the man she could no longer part with and their child. And now, a minor setback, pushed her back to eight years ago.
Her thoughts were interrupted. "Ma'am. He's doing okay. He's actually reacting to my touches, so, he may be waking up any moment now."
"Really?" Bonnie asked hopeful. "Amazing. I'm hoping he wakes up before my momma picks my son up."
"I'll keep my fingers crossed for you sweetie." Bonnie pulled her son's chair next to hers facing Damon, and grabbed his hand, gently rubbing her thumb on the space between his thumb and index finger.
Years ago...
Bonnie sat at school with Stefan, one day. Waiting to be picked up by Abby. They sat on the steps in front of the middle school and waited. "I thought Doodle was comin' from the high school. High school got out before us. He should've been here."
"He didn't come to school today." Stefan said, looking down and out. He used the heel of his shoe and started to beat a rock with the pressure of his foot. He was slightly aggressive, and she grabbed his hand.
"Stefan, what's wrong?"
"Today, Momma 'spose to pick him up for a breakfast, birthday date. Then he was gone come to school late. I'm guessin' if he ain't here, she never showed up."
"His birthday is tomorrow."
"Yeah, but... she was comin' today."
"She stood him up the last two years. Shame on her." Bonnie's disappointment showed. She reached over and grabbed Stefan and hugged him.
"She don't really like bein' around G, and G don't really like bein' around her. So, we get stuck in the middle. And one day, we won't be anymore. Just sucks, because, we eat like shit some days. When G ain't home, we literally eat sandwiches. I miss warm, food." Stefan said laughing.
"Not anymore. Y'all are gone come by for supper. I'm gone talk to my momma tonight."
"Naw, Bird. Don't. That's embarrassin' Plus G won't accept no handout."
"Handout? Y'all are family." She sighed. Plus, my momma said my grams might be movin' back with us, so, it'll be great havin' everybody 'round the table at supper."
Abby was pulling up to the two. She honked her horn and they got up walking towards the car. They headed home and Bonnie kept looking in the mirror back at Stefan. He was different than Damon, he handled sadness different. He just looked broody. But pretended to be fine. Damon, wore his emotions on his sleeve, and acted out in anger. So now, she worried, about what Damon did today, when his mother didn't show up. They pulled up to the isolated street where only four spread out houses were on a large culdesac.
Houses with a bunch of land and trees. The Salvatore's had a farm, the Bennett's had the beginning of the woods. Which Abby's husband had several trees cut down, in order to give them some light. They Bennett's had no animals, because Abby had no idea how to care for them. So, she let Bonnie spend time with the Salvatore boys when they tended to their animals. Damon taught Bonnie how to ride a horse, and she fell in love with animals, when they introduced her to them. Still, she never had any. Damon, rode the horses when he was angry. If he didn't ride horses, he got into trouble. And sense he's gotten older, he rides less, and makes more trouble.
After they settled into the afternoon, Bonnie walked to find Damon. He wasn't at home. He was out and about. She strolled all the way into town. It was a twenty-minute walk to get to the diner. She was in a hurry because it was getting dark. But her momma would kill her for missing supper. She walked in the diner, and spoke directly to the owner, who was out front. "Hello Oscar... have you seen Damon?"
"Hey Bonnie. He's in the bathroom, washin' his face."
"His face? What happened?"
"A couple of the cooks found him in the back alley, fightin' some of the boys from the other side of town."
"Again? What happened this time?"
"I don't know sweet heart. I was helpin' serve food. You might wanna talk him into headin' home. If I'm bein' honest, he's been drankin' probably his daddy's stash. But he is a dogone mess." Oscar shook his head, feelin' bad for Damon.
"I gotem' Oscar. Thanks." Bonnie walked towards the bathroom. Knocked slowly. "Doodle?... Doodle?"
"GO AWAY!"
"Aye, it's me." She jumped.
"I don't care! Bird, get the hell outta here!" He yelled from inside, making her jump again. Luckily there were only few patrons, and she wasn't about to let him talk to her any kind of way. She marched her small hundred-pound self inside the bathroom and poked him in his back.
"No, you listen here; you ain't gone talk to me any kinda way. Yellin' and goin' on. Oscar told me what happened, and we need to get you home. Now!" She yelled. Middle school, girl, yellin' at a sixteen-year-old boy.
He looked at her angrily. She saw the blood on his busted lip, and busted knuckles, as well as his darkened eye. She startled as he walked towards her lookin' psychotic. And she stood up tall with her short stature, looking unafraid. He walked all the way to her face and focused solely on her eyes. "You tryna' act like my momma?"
"No, I'm not. But-"
"But nothin' Bird!" He yelled. "Don't try to come in here and act like a woman, who doesn't even act like I exist! Don't do it. Okay. Because it's gone make me hate you, like I hate her, and I don't wanna hate you!" He screamed and punched the wall next to her face making her jump. Her lip shook, and wiggled fearfully, and her face rose in terror.
"I just wanted to... take you home so you could have dinner with us."
He remained harsh, until he remembered it was her he was speaking to. She turned her head to look at his fist, which was bloody, again. She grabbed his hand and walked him back to the sink. She held his hand gently and washed it. Then she grabbed paper towels, and carefully wrapped his knuckles. She turned towards him and with a wet paper towel and began dabbing his face. He didn't look her in the eyes at first because he was embarrassed by how he acted. She looked at every single cut and scratch, and carefully tended to them. She was gentle and she was forgiving. Because even though he screamed at her, she saw through his anger to his pain.
"Why? Why you bein' nice to me Bird? I'm an asshole."
She finally looked into the blue eyes, that looked into her green ones. "I ain't never had siblings, Doodle. I don't have men around me. You and Stefan are my family. Family, don't give up on each other." She smiled. It was something about her smile, and the twinkle in her eye that always made him feel at home, she was the same girl, always.
"I mean, you too damn hard-headed. I got enough to worry about, then to have you, in the way sometimes."
"Such a big brother thing to say."
"Such a little sister, annoyin' thing to do. Chase a guy, who wanna be left alone. You hear me? Stop puttin' yourself in my way, or one day I might accidentally knock you over. My temper gets the best of me, sometimes." He spoke harshly.
"I won't let you mull me over. I push back." She giggled. "It's so funny. Your cheeks get red when your worked up, or over heated. And you are both right now." She shook her head, laughing for a second. Later in life their son would inherit the same trait when he cried or got angry.
He didn't want to let her soften him, but she somehow did. Her hand and towel, moved to his eye cut, and as she began patting, he grunted, "OUCH!" making her jump.
"Okay, grumpy pants." She laughed. "When I love people, I love all of them. Every flaw. Because, I expect no less."
"You're thirteen, y'on't know nothin' ' bout love."
She gave him a hard look and her green eyes darted at him. "Thirteen ain't got nothin' to do with it. Love, is love. And sometimes, you just know who you're gone love no matter what. Some people, are placed in your life for a purpose. And just b'cos you don't believe it now, don't mean you won't get it one day."
Why was this thirteen-year-old girl so wise? She lived at home with her lonely momma and had him and his brother as friends. She had no life experience, to be preaching to him. But, yet, every word she said made perfect sense. "Well, I hope, when you get married one day, he's the kind of fella, who needs your tough love."
"When I get married, he's gone be my best friend." She smiled, and continued wiping his eye until it stopped bleeding. "Alright, come on, I walked all the way here, so you can drive me back, before momma kills me." They walked back towards his truck, and said "goodbye" to Oscar, politely. Then he helped her into his truck, and began driving home.
He stared at her for a few seconds, then back out to the road. That phrase she said stuck with him. Her plan to marry her best friend. "You're a dreamer. You know that?"
"It's all I got, my dreams. You need to have a dream Doodle. Otherwise, you just gone settle into this life of trouble. You get bad grades. You get into fights. You're like a brother to me. You... are better than that. I know you are."
"I'm not better than that. But thank you for sayin' it. And you're right. You're my family. I love you." She smiled, sweetly, as he saw from the corner of his eyes. She reciprocated.
"I love you too." He kept a straight face looking forward, until she said that, it made him smirk. They sat silently for a few minutes before she started to hum a song. Her voice relaxed the space between his ear drums. After, a while, she turned the humming to words and sang. It made him smile.
"I ain't never realized your voice was so pretty."
"Church choir." She smiled. "If you came to church more often, you would hear me."
"Jesus don't want no parts of me. Besides. I'm not goin' to church 'til somebody makes me." Little did he know, soon enough, Grams was gonna turn his whole life around.
"Oh stop."
"Maybe, I'll go now. So, I can hear you sing."
"Yay. I'd love that." No other face was as pretty as her when she smiled.
"My, momma, she used to sang to me. Especially at night. I miss it a bit, but I just try to block out her voice in my mind. But your voice, makes me forget it."
"Maybe your future wife will sing to you, if you're nice."
"Ain't no woman, gone marry me. I'm too much to handle." Bonnie looked at his profile, and he wasn't smilin' he was serious. "My momma left us, b'cos we must not be lovable."
"She left, b'cos she was selfish; but I'm sure you're in her mind every day. Your future wife will, love you for all your flaws. And you will love hers."
"Maybe." He sounded unsure of himself. He turned the radio on, and one of Bonnie's favorite songs came on. Blue, by LeAnn Rimes. He was going to turn it until her heard her amazing vocals.
"Bluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuueeeeeeee,
Oh, so lonesome for you,
Why can't you be blue over me?
Now that it's over... I realize
Those weak words you whispered,
We're nothing but lies.
Bluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuueeeeeeeee,
Oh, so lonesome for you
Why can't you be blue over me?"
His entire heart stopped. If she wasn't who she was, he may have fell in love with her in that moment. He'd never seen, or heard a more beautiful sight and sound than Little Bonnie Bennett, singing her entire soul at thirteen, just like LeAnn did. He wanted to grab her and slow dance with her, she was beautiful and everything in that moment he never knew he needed. A pure heart, a good soul, and a melodic tune from a precious face. She made him feel guilty for being a hot-tempered boy, because she was accepting of him, he felt ashamed to be in her presence.
That was the moment her realized, she was the most special girl, in the world.
Today...
Still rubbing the space between his thumb and index finger, she wanted to sing that very song. She felt Blue. Not in the same context of the song, but blue, because the most special man in the world, was in pain, and she was unable to take it away. It had been three days, she sat there and waited to see his beautiful blue eyes. Even though they were pained looking, and blood shot fogging the beauty in them, she'd wanted to see him, see her, and feel his stare burn through her soul, because it would be then, her heart would beat again. When she felt his spirit, reaching for her.
"Hey baby." She snapped and turned to see Abby and Nik. Her face smiled, subtle, but a first in hours maybe days. Her face had literally, been frozen in disbelief since she got the call.
"Oh momma." She called out. Abby rushed to her side and hugged her. "Oh gosh, thank you. I'm so glad you came."
It was music to her ears to hear Bonnie say she needed her. "Of course. Oh, my lord. How is he? I- I have no words baby. He just looks like he's in so much pain."
"He is momma. He's been heavily sedated for days. The nurse says she thinks he'll wake up today. He has that catheter, so he hasn't been out of bed. Not even to be bathed. So, I need to take him home and take care of him.
"Bonnie, Darling... how are you holding up dear?" Nik asked softly rubbing her shoulders.
"Honestly, I'm just... at a loss for words. I wish I could fix it, and I can't. I don't even know how he's feeling."
"Darling, it's important to know that, all you can do, is what you can do. He needs your support and strength more than anything. I wouldn't over exert yourself, because you'll stress yourself out, and it'll make things hard on you both."
"I know. I just want him to look at me. I miss his blue eyes." Her tear ducts filled with her pain. Abby grabbed her daughters face and kissed her forehead.
"Bonnie, would you like a coffee. I'm going to go get some coffee for your mum and me?"
"No thanks." She just kept looking at Damon.
"Look at me, before you know it, he's gone smile at you, like he did when you were in that prom dress. On those pictures, I have of you and Kol. I didn't wanna say it in front of Nik." Abby giggled. But you remember that day? You were standing with Kol and I told you to get a picture with Damon. Then, you turned Damon, and he just wrapped his arm around you and for one spilt second, when your faces met, he smiled, like I'd never seen him smile. It only lasted a second or two. But it was just genuine love. Genuine, awestruck. He's going to be looking at you again like that before you know it. Before night's end." Bonnie grinned. She'd never heard that story before. Just then her son woke up from sleeping on her shoulders. His groggy eyes looked lost, and he rubbed them with his small stubby fingers. His hair was all over the place, and Abby grabbed her scrunchy from her own hair and put his hair in a baby bun.
"Gah-lee. My grandson needs a haircut," she laughed.
"Momma, it's not happenin' anytime soon."
"Unless, I bring him back to you, with it-"
Don't finish that sentence. Momma, I will disown you." Bonnie laughed.
"There it is. Just wanted to make you laugh." Abby said. Nik came back in the room with two coffees and a snickers.
"Hey, thought you might like this... since you seem like you haven't left for coffee or snacks." He said tossing the candy bar to Bonnie.
"Oh, thank you. This actually looks delicious. So, much that I won't cut it in half, like I normally do."
"You better not. That's a travesty. It's a snickers. Eat the whole damn thing." He said with a serious face, making her laugh.
"I promise I will." Abby began grabbing Dylan, and he was happy to see her. "Na na. Uppie." When she picked him up he hugged her and smiled. Then he smiled at Nik who made silly faces, and surprisingly reached for Nik.
"Oh, seriously Dimitri. You gone reach for him?"
"Him? What am I chopped liver? I've had to have made some type of mark on him. I spent a month spoiling him."
"You really have, Nik. And I would like to say thank you. You've been..." she paused and licked her lips contemplatively, "you've really been a male role model, slash, great father figure over the years. And, for that, I'm more than grateful for what you've brought to my momma and her life. Because of that, you've brought a lot to our family." She looked at him sweetly. "Thank you."
He felt the words leave her lips and hit his heart. "Well, thank you. Miss, Bonnie. I've only ever wanted to be a part of your family. To be someone you can come to, if ever you need." He smiled back at her. They were all interrupted by the night nurse again.
"I'm sorry folks. Visitin' ours are over."
"Sure Mrs. Henley. Uhh, this is my momma and her husband, Abby and Nik. Y'all this is Mrs. Henley, Doodle's night nurse."
"Oh, well we've heard you've been great. Thank you for lettin' my daughter stay and for keepin' her fed. I know she won't leave his bedside if given the choice." Abby said.
"Oh no, she sure don't. She just waits for the moment he opens his eyes. We've had a couple pediatric nurses offer to take Dylan on half hour walks. She reluctantly agreed a couple times. They take him to the nursery and sang, and they walk him 'round in his stroller, and we get the balloon artists who comes through the children's wing. He loves them." The nurse said. "But, she only gives us thirty minutes with him, so... we respect it. She sits with her husband like, the strong woman she is."
"Husband?" Abby looked at Bonnie questionably to which Bonnie suddenly gave a look of worry. The nurse realized she may have said much.
"Uh, I should go, just want to let y'all know visitin' hours are over. I'll be back to check his vitals soon as y'all had your goodbyes." She smiled.
Abby nodded her head as the woman walked out. "Bonnie, this woman called you his wife..."
"Yeah, momma. She did." Bonnie spoke in self-disappointment.
"How could you not tell me? How long y'all been married?"
"Uhh, technically, we signed divorce papers four years ago."
"You're married." Abby looked hurt. You're married, and I had no idea. I don't remember a weddin' invite. Or a phone call. How could you, just..."
"Abby, love, this probably isn't the right time. We should get going, back to the hotel. Our flight leaves early. I have to get some rest as I go straight to work once we get back. I'm sure Bonnie would love to explain everything, as soon as things calm down, darling."
Abby looked at Nik then Bonnie. She was hurt, but, she knew her hurt couldn't, and shouldn't matter in these moments when Bonnie needed support. "Yeah. Sure thang. Baby boy, give momma a kiss."
"Momma, y'all gone stop by tomorrow, before headin' out?"
"Yes, sugar. We will." Abby kissed Bonnie forehead, and Bonnie handed her mother Dylan's bag. Then she walked them out and to the elevator.
"Momma, nobody knew. We married when I was five months pregnant with Baylee. Damon proposed, and bought me a ring and everything. It was beautiful, the proposal. We had a court room ceremony. Just us."
"Okay. You know you deserved a whole lot more than that, right?"
"Maybe, momma. But we wanted it the way we had it. It meant everything to us, because at the time, we were all we had."
"Right."
"We coming on eight years, in September. I mean, if we really are married, still. According to the Army, we are. I'll square things away with Doodle when he wakes up."
"Eight years. Oh, my God, Baylee would be been-" Abby caught herself. "God, I'm sorry. I-I just, I think about her all the time."
Bonnie's eyes glossed. "It's okay, momma. I do too."
"I'm so, proud of you. You really are the best daughter, I momma could ask for." She hugged her daughter one last time, with them sandwiching Dylan.
"Oh, baby boy." Bonnie began to cry. "Mommy's gone miss you. So, so, so much." Bonnie pushed his hair out of his face and looked him in his innocent eyes. "Momma, I'm not sure I can do this... I have never been a full day without-"
"Baby, I was the exact same way with you, and it made you feel suffocated. It's gone be okay, I promise. It's just me, and Nik. He'll be fine. You need to be here for Dimitri, your husband." She smiled thinking about the words, her daughter being married. "He'll be alright. I promise. It's different than when you were little. We have Facetime, and snap-a-doodle."
"Snap chat, momma."
"Yeah, that. He loves playin' that on Nik's phone."
"Abigail, darling. We should go. Bonnie, I promise he's in the best hands."
She nodded her head crying, watching him in her mother's arms, luckily, he wasn't fussy or crying. His cold was going away, but he was still a little congested and slightly achy. But, she was just lucky he wasn't crying, Because, it made it easier for her to watch them step on the elevator, and watch the elevator door, close. She cried, and turned to see a group of nurses at the nurse's station holding a box of tissue, and waiting for her. They signaled her over, and hugged her. Told her it would all be okay. And let her know, how strong and beautiful she was. They told her, that when she saw him again, he'd even probably have better manners. Not that he missed behaved, because he was very well-behaved. But grandmothers just had that touch. She will appreciate him more, and he'd appreciate her more, having time apart.
"Your husband needs you, and you're doing what's best for your son." She smile-cried and grabbed a tissue, and wiped her tears, laughing with the women as they told her stories of their experiences.
...
Midnight approached, she was sitting uncomfortably in the chair, next to his bed. She managed to put two chairs together, and stretched her legs out. The nurses gave her extra pillows and blankets, but she used one for her neck. Then she leaned uncomfortably on her right arm, as her left arm topped it. It was dark, and quiet in the room. She attempted her best to fall asleep, as her arm began to go numb in the chair, then a light coughing sound he made, sat her directly up and she looked at him attentively for a few seconds. Waiting to see that he was okay.
Seconds turned into minutes, and he said nothing, and made no more noise. She sat, and waited, and then she may have heard him sniff, but no more mouth sounds. She looked at the moonlight reflected on the dark room, hitting the walls in darkness and she began to cry.
Silently. She cried so lowly, as to not disturb him. Sniff after sniff, she sobbed quietly. She didn't want even a nurse to hear her. One hand at a time clammed over her mouth, while she waited for him to awaken. The tears hit the backsides of her hands as she cried, uncontrollably. The first time she'd let herself really cry because of his being hurt, because every other time she had her son. But this time she was sure she needed to let it out because it hurt her to know he was in pain.
After several minutes of silent crying she heard a faint sound.
His throats clearing again. She stopped. Dying and sat quietly again, looking his direction. He finally forced out a word. "Wa-ter." His throat was dry and scratchy. "Water." He whispered again.
"Huh? Oh gosh, Doodle? Baby are you awake? You need water?" She asked quiet, yet excitedly. "Let me call the nurse." She jumped up to push the button on the side of the bed. But he stopped her with his whispers.
"No-no. Please. Just give me some water." She was so relived he didn't forget who she was or did he? "Please baby girl. Don't call them nurses, they gone poke and prod. I wanna go back to sleep, just need water, my throat hurts." She walked skeptically towards him and put the water bottle to his mouth and listened to his dry throat absorb the small sips. She could feel his relief. After listening to his dry spell tongue almost crack at the taste of water she pulled the bottle away from his mouth. He was finally able to talk gain.
"Baby girl, what did I tell you 'bout cryin' like that?" He said with his eyes closed. "You can't hide it from me, didn't I say that?"
She coughed and cried, clearing her throat and nodding her head. "Yeah." She said lowly. "Sorry I tried not waking you."
"Naw, I didn't wake b'cos of that. I could feel your pain for days now, I've been wantin' to hold you in my arms, tell you everythang's gone be okay. I just... ain't had the energy to move or wake up. But I could feel you the whole time. Your love, your pain, your anxiety."
"Oh God, I'm so sorry. I can't believe..."
"Did you hear me?" He snapped. "Don't apologize. Ever. I felt you. The moment you arrived, I felt you and our son. And I wanted to cry, but my body wouldn't let me." He slow laughed, causing him to cough again. She put the bottle to his mouth again. "God, it felt good, feelin' y'all near me. For a while I thought it was Heaven. But I said, naw, God wouldn't let me just feel y'all and not touch y'all." She cried listening to him. All she's wanted for three days was to hear his voice. So, she listened. "God, I'm so happy." He said, forcing another gentle cry from her, and a quivering lip. "Come...come on. Come lay with big daddy. Tell me all about it." She smiled and cried again.
"I can't do that."
"Please. I'm going back to sleep, but I'd sure love to hear your voice, and feel you in my arms. Well, arm." As one was broken.
"Baby, I can't. You're...broken. I just don't wanna-"
"Please, I need to feel you." She walked to his side, and kissed his cheek.
"I can't, baby. I'll hurt you."
"You're hurtin' me by denyin' me a simple embrace. Now come on, please. Plus, my bed is more comfortable than that, whatever you're layin' on." His eyes were still closed and she reached for the remote with the nurses button and he grabbed her wrist with his lose hand. "Please, baby girl. Give this fella motivation, to stay awake tomorrow." She watched the grip his free hand had on her wrist, and it was firm. He pulled her body down gently and made her hop her short legs onto the bed and lay next to him. "Grab your blanket." She pulled her blanket and covered them both.
He pulled her into him and squinted and winced slightly at his bodies bruising. "Oh God, baby, I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. This feels better than anything I've felt." He said making her laugh.
"God will strike you where you lay, that fibbin' tongue." It made him giggle too, slightly. Until he winced again.
"Ouch."
"Baby, I should get down."
"No, don't. Sleep with me. Please." She bent her arm to where her small hand was on his chest. She lay carefully next to him. She turned her face to the hand he had on her shoulder and she kissed his fingers. "Oh, give me some sugar, sugar. Put me outta my misery, and kiss me."
She tilted her head up to his face, and turned his head slightly towards her and she kissed his lips, gently. She felt him smile. He gave a gentle squeeze to her delicate shoulder and they lay there silently for a few minutes, before she started to sing. A song he hadn't heard in a while.
"Bluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuueeeeeeee,
Oh so lonesome for you
Why can't you be blue, over me?
Bluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuueeeeeeee,
Oh so lonesome for you,
Tears fill my eyes, 'till I can't see.
Three o'clock in the mornin' here am I
Sittin' here, so lonely, so lonesome I could cry.
Bluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuueeeeeeee,
Oh so lonesome for you
Why can't you be blue, over me?"
She sang for him, letting him know she was lonesome, and wounded, without him. It wasn't the context of the original song, but he knew exactly what and why she sang it for.
"I ever told you, how pretty your voice was? Type a voice, to make a man go to church." She laughed. It had been thirteen years since the first time he said that to her. "Type a voice, make a man commit to one woman, for his lifetime." She smiled, big against him and melted. "I fuckin' love you, baby girl. Your love will always bring me home. I love you, so much"
Home, meaning to her.
"I love you more than you'll ever know."
"G'night."
"Night."They were both snoring within minutes.
Excerpt Pt 23:
He never believed he was worth loving, until this day. When Bonnie and Sheila Bennett, loved him in his darkest days. When he didn't believe, he was worth loving, they loved him. He was given another chance that day. He wasn't a nobody. He was somebody, to them.
I hope you guys enjoyed this Chapter. Thank you for reading!
LeAnn Rimes/Blue