Best Friend
Part 24- Surprise!
R-M
Thank you for supporting;)
"Abby, how did you manage to get this past Bonnie?" Ginny said as she lifted the streamer and stuck it to the wall. Turning it and twisting it.
"Well, they got back late yesterday afternoon. So, when I picked her up from the airport, the lost luggage really stressed them out. I knew at that point, I could have Nik pick you up from the train station." She smiled. "Thanks for coming early today to help decorate. Now, we just have to keep you hidden until the party."
"Well, Stefan offered me to stay at his place. He's been staying with Sarah."
"So, that ain't awkward." Abby laughed.
Ginny sighed, then huffed. She gave a guilty grin to Abby. "These men, Ms. Abby. I swear. I'll say one thing. Since I came to visit, I made a very good friend in Stefan. And I have a really, amazing boyfriend in Mike. I'm in a good place with coaching. Better than I thought I would be. My first year not playing softball."
"Well, Miss Ginny. I'll say. You really done made some crazy changes."
"Yeah." She shook her head.
"I'm gonna be twenty-nine... I really do appreciate these changes." She finished with the streamers. They were decorating the B.I. For a welcome back party for Damon and Bonnie. Matt and Zack were moving all of the heavy equipment around.
"Hey, Ginny. How you been? It's been a couple months." Matt said.
"Oh, yeah, I know. Surprised to see me already?"
"Actually yes. This is Mystic Falls." He laughed. "People don't usually come back that soon."
"Well, Bonnie's my best friend, so I'm sure y'all will be seein' me more often. Especially if she decided to move back home. Anyway, how's football?"
"Gosh, whelp, last year of college ball is over, I've been contacted by a couple teams, but, I obviously would be a bench warmer, for a while. I just... the business side of things, I can't exactly trust an agent. I mean, I need one, but the last guy, didn't care much about helping a bench player. I mean, I'm good, I can and will work my way up. But..." he sighed. "Pro-ball is a dog eat dog world out here."
"You know, Matt, I've gotta perfect guy for you. He's an amazing agent and used to play pro-ball. He will really get you where you need to be."
"What? You for real Ginny?" He asked shocked.
"Yes. Just... keep in mind, he's a city man, and the country life isn't his thing. But, he'll sign and he'll argue the hell out of some amazing opportunities for you."
"Got damn, Ginny. Thanks. Seriously, I appreciate it."
She winked at him, and went to finish decorating.
.x.
Lily and Giuseppe decided to take Dylan during the days, with Stefan. They took turns, between them and Stefan while Abby and Nik worked. Today, they two of them sat at the house and let him help feed the animals. He liked the pigs the best. Because they were slow, and made funny noises.
Every time he walked by them he would stare at them, like he wanted to play with them. But they weren't fun enough. Aside from their funny noises, they didn't do much. The Salvatore's didn't really farm pigs. They just had these two pigs, that didn't do much. But, Dylan sat and watched them. "Baby boy, we have sold the pigs to the Gilberts. We are not a pig farm. We just train animals." Lily said smiling. "Limiting our farm to only horses."
"And cows Lily."
"G, I'm tired of milking cows. Ever since the boys got the BI, we get no help with the cows. Damon's, not riding horses, or training them. So, that means I have to. So you milk the damn cows."
"Lily, woman, you-"
"No, Giuseppe. This is where our problem lies. You don't respect me. I said, I need help. Now you help me, or I swear, I'm selling these cows to the lowest bidder." Her face was serious, and he shook his head.
"I have to work, every day."
"Fine. Let me go to work. You quit that stupid factory job, and let me work. I am a doula. I make good money. I can start working full time again. You stay here, and tend the animals. The milk makes us money. Let that be your job. Quit killing yourself at the factory. Your son, Damon, is just like you. Let him see that you trust me. Let him see you believe in me. Or he's going to do what you've done. I know I messed up, but we both know you played your part as well." She sighed in exhaustion, "He has a family and he needs to be able to see, us get along for the sake of his family's future. He needs an example Giuseppe." She threw a rag over her shoulder and stood her grandson up and wiped the dirt and hay off his overalls.
"Sometimes, I look back... and see Damon's face when I see Dimitri." He grinned.
Lily smiled in awe, "He's so damn cut, ain't he?" Those rosy cheeks. I should take him in, it means he's over heated. Remember, Damon used to get nose bleeds when he was child?"
"Gosh, ruined all the damn carpet in the house. Took years before we could change it. Plastic rugs everywhere."
"Yeah." She picked up the little brown skinned version of Damon. "Come on, baby boy, I'm gone make you some lunch and we are gone take you a bath and a nap. The heat got to this old lady." She looked on at Giuseppe and smiled. "Come on gramps, if you're lucky, I'll feed you too."
Giuseppe shook his head, and walked behind her.
.x.
Bonnie walked around Damon's place, and it was exactly how they left it before they parted ways. Baylee had two cribs. One from Georgia, and the other that was always at Abby's place. She saw that Damon hadn't taken it apart still. She looked in his second bedroom, and the clutter of boxes. Now they'd be adding the rest of the Georgia boxes, as soon as the moving company would deliver them. She pulled the door closed and walked back into the room where Damon sat going through paper work.
"What you lookin' for baby?"
"The divorce papers."
"Oh God, Damon. Seriously, it's okay. I don't wanna think about it. We both spoke our peace." She attempted to get him to put the papers down, but he kept shuffling through them. "Doodle, don't be stubborn."
"Bird, I get it. It ain't right, what I did. Let me make it right."
"So, what? You gone sign the papers, and divorce me now? What sense does that make?"
"Every bit of sense. All you have with me is my word, and if you can't trust me, what do we have?" He said seriously, continuing to shuffle through the papers.
"I mean, I get it. We were never over each other. We always held on so tight. How could you sign them, knowing you knew me, better than I knew myself sometimes? Well, at least when it came to what we were to each other. It's okay." She spoke softly. Placing her hand on his, and taking the paper out of his hand. She sat them on the dresser. "It's alright. We move on and forward." She smiled. She kissed his cheek and lay her head on his shoulder.
"Baby girl, we get to see our son today. I'm so excited."
"Me too. Two weeks is the absolute longest I've gone without him."
"Wish I could say the same." He laughed.
"Come on baby. Let's go get you washed and dressed. We need to head to the B.I. in a bit and check on things. Unless you wanna stay here while I go?"
"Hell no. I'm getting out into the sunlight, and away from my bed confinement."
"Are you sure it's not just because you ready to roll around in the flashy wheelchair?" She joked.
"Haha, very funny. You're the one that's gone be pushin' me."
She smiled, and stopped him from getting ready to speak again. "Baby, I wanted to talk to you 'bout somethin' serious."
"Okay." He looked at her stand there with her short wavy hair, and her jeans and tank top on.
"Well, you're gone need some therapy, to get to walkin' again. Dr. Parker told me. She said around the six to eight-week mark, you should start working on movement again. Small movements. Not walking, but muscle strengthening around the bone. It's only been almost two weeks. So, in about another month, to a month and a half."
Damon's face fell flat. There was something about the idea that he wouldn't be in control of his life for a while. "Damn, baby girl. So, what? What's that mean for my healin' process? How long 'till I can walk again?"
Bonnie looked down at her fiddling hands and back to his disappointed face, "Four to six months. Maybe longer, because you have a fracture. Not a clean break. The bone is doggone big."
"Got damnit. How can I be fresh out of the Army, and broken? I can't just... not work. How the hell am I gone support you, and my son?"
"Hey, hey. Listen to me." She picked his face up between her two palms and made him look her in the eyes. "The thing is, we can get you healed quicker."
"How?"
"A really good physical therapist. But you have to trust in everything they say and follow their orders. You can't slack off, and you can't bitch about what you gotta do." He held her hands as they held his face.
"How the hell we gone find that person? Someone who will bust their ass to get me healed, properly."
"You married her silly." He removed her hands and looked at her crazy.
"No, absolutely..." he paused "baby? Hell naw."
"What, why?"
"B'cos. Baby girl, you're my wife. It would be stressful on both of us. Me, you... our marriage. We just got back together. What about Dimitri? Huh? Who's gone take care of him? I can't very well walk? And another thing-"
"Baby!" She interrupted him. "Stop. I've already decided. I thought about the pros and cons. I did. For two weeks. And I'm the best person for his job."
"Baby girl... I really don't think-"
"Baby, do you trust in me?"
"Of course, I do. But-"
"But nothin' Doodle. I went out there and busted my ass to be great at my job, what better patient then my husband?"
"So, what I'd pay you, or what?"
"No. I'm your wife silly. Come on now?"
"Technically, my insurance can pay you. Long as your licensed."
"I'm not gone charge you, baby." She grabbed his knuckles and rubbed them with her thumbs. "I just want, you to have the best care. And that is me, b'cos nobody wants you to be at your best more than me. I just need you to trust me. I can do this, Damon."
He shook his head. "I'on't know Bird. I really think it's more than our already fragile marriage can handle. Besides, I promised you, I was gone take care of you. I don't feel like a man. I can't just let you take on all this."
"Baby, I'm a grown woman. I can handle this. Okay? Listen, we got another four to six weeks to think about it. So, can you do me that favor, baby? Think about it?"
"I'll think about it baby girl." Both smiled with uncertainty towards each other.
"Alright, well, let's get ready to go see our baby boy and the B.I. Time to get you washed up."
.x.
"Here baby. Come eat your lunch, please." Then she laughed. "Oh wait, I gotta bring it to you, don't I?" She said aloud to herself.
"Baby, how you suppose I get to you?" He yelled out.
"I was just kidding." She lied.
"Haha, funny." He said making her giggle to herself. She walked into the bedroom with a tray of food. He was cute, just helpless. Staring at her, while she was amused. "So, you crackin' jokes at my expense, I see?"
"Sorry baby. I forgot. Here. I know it's not some crazy food, but we are starting with some heavy vitamin D and fiber intake. We need to build your calcium up, for those bones to heal nice and strong."
"What do we got here?"
"Spinach and steamed salmon, and a cup of yogurt. Did you want OJ or milk?"
"A beer?" He squinted his eyes.
"No. Baby, OJ or Milk?"
"Can I have chocolate in my milk?"
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
"What are we, five? Dimitri don't even take chocolate in his milk."
"Well, I don't blame him, he was drinking his momma's milk up until a few months ago. If I was him, I wouldn't taint that either." He smiled.
"Fine." She giggled. "Chocolate milk coming up. Don't move." She looked at him and laughed. He squared his eyes at her.
"Lord, I gotsta deal with his woman crackin' jokes for how many months? And she ain't even good at it." He said to himself loud enough she could hear. Bonnie laughed and grabbed him his chocolate milk.
.x.
A very calm came over the day. Rounding three in the afternoon, Bonnie was easing Damon into his truck. His big truck, that she had to jump to get into. Still everything of hers was back in California. She was without, the hints she grown attached to for the past four years. "Baby, hold around my neck tight." She said as she prepared to lift him since she couldn't ease him in.
"Got damnit, Bird. I'ma break your damn back." He said impatiently.
"No, you won't. I've lifted far heavier clients than you. Just hold me. I don't work out his body for nothin' and this a t just a beautiful physique sheesh." He held her and she lifted him three seconds later. She could already feel his frustration that she had to help with everything. He was feeling helpless and emasculated, with the fact that, she was basically caring for him as if he were a child. Once she got him inside, she noticed he clenched his fist, and put his other hand on his forehead. "Lord help me." She walked around the truck and jumped in.
They drove, headed to see the B.I. They were headed to meet Stefan, who told him he'd brought Dimitri there, after picking him up from G and Lily. To break the tension, she spoke. "Dimitri, huh? I miss him so much. Can't wait to see those cute rosy cheeks and his hair. Oh lord, I hope my momma didn't cut his hair." She laughed. Her words weren't resonating with him, he was stuck on the idea he's been helpless for damn near two weeks. She looked at him. "Baby, come on now? We are goin' to see our son, aren't you happy?"
"What?" He shook his head out of his own mind. "Oh yeah, real excited." She faux smiled and looked at his leg.
"Ya know, your arm should heal in a few weeks. Clean break, no surgery needed. We'll be able to take your cast of around baby boy's birthday."
"Yeah, I guess so. I'll still be immobile, but maybe I can hug my son on his got damn birthday." He said loudly. She jumped, and turned to him. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I don't know what overcame me, okay. I'm just, I don't know what I'm gone do. This is awful."
She lifted her hand right hand and touched his arm cast, in the space where she drew two stick figures holding hands of a small stick figure in between them. "Baby, it's a minor setback, alright? A few months. We have a way to go. Hang in there. We will get through this together. I promise." He looked at her hand on his cats, and laughed.
"You're not very good at drawing. Did I ever tell you that?"
She rolled her eyes. "We ain't all artists."
Twelve years ago...
Sheila took Stefan and Damon to the diner. Oscar had two guys quit on him, that bussed tables. The fourteen and seventeen-year-old Salvatore boys, were being put to work. One year after Sheila's being there, the two boys had acclimated into the community much more. They went to church every Sunday with her. They also, ate with the Bennett's a couple times a week, for supper.
Damon always asked Sheila if she needed things done. Abby started working at a company for the Mikaelsons. She specifically worked for Nikklaus Mikaelsons. The family was well known, for having money. They owned several businesses in Mystic Falls, and Abby was able to re-establish her independence, and her mother was helping out by taking Bonnie to and from school. Her last year of junior high was proving to keep her busy with student council and volunteering.
"So, these two boys are here to help out for as long as you need, 'till you find replacements. They need work and money, and responsibility." Sheila laughed. "Not to mention they're both into girls now. So, they are desperate for money."
"Whelp. Thanks for bringing them in. I have two positions. Dishwasher and Busser." He smiled.
Damon quickly spoke up and shut Stefan up before he could speak. "Busser."
"Really?" Stefan said unamused.
Oscar spoke, up in agreement. "Honestly speaking, its a good idea. Since your underaged Stefan, I should have you stay in back. Especially, since I'm paying you under the table."
"Fine." He said snapping at Damon. "I'm grateful, Sir." He told Oscar. Damon smiled wickedly, and winked those sharp blue eyes.
"Okay, boys. I'm headin' out. Ya'll respect Oscar. Supper will be ready at seven. If you won't make it, just let me know." She smiled, and left.
...
"Momma, can you make sure Bonnie sets the table, before the boys get here. I can't get to it, because I need to make a phone call to my boss about a discrepancy in my pay check." Abby shouted from the bedroom.
"Sure thing." Sheila sat the mashed potatoes once table next to the gravy. "You heard your mother. Set the table."
Sweet little Bonnie, was always polite to her grams. "Yes, ma'am. Should I put out three plates or five?"
"The boys haven't called and said they'd be late. So, I'm guessing they're almost here. Just put out five plates. Five cups. And five sets of utensils." Bonnie politely put everything out. And after a few minutes the boys walked in late. Abby was still upstairs making her phone call, and the boys looked slightly exhausted. "Go to the bathroom and wash your hands." Sheila said. When they walked passed her they each kissed her cheek.
"Yes ma'am." And when they passed Sheila, they each spoke to Bonnie.
"Bird."
"Hey Bird." Damon said.
"Hey boys." She smiled. Damon kissed her cheek when he passed her. She smiled before sitting out the chicken and corn on the cob. Sheila took her seat on the head of the table. Bonnie sat next to an empty seat for Abby. The boys sat across from them after washing their hands. Damon's cell phone began to ring.
"Ah, ah. No phones at the table, young man."
"Sorry, Grams." Damon looked at his phone silencing it and smiling at the name that popped up. Bonnie looked at him and grinned.
"Hmm, who was that? Oohoo..." She laughed.
"Nobody. Just a friend."
"That girl, Rose." Stefan whined.
"How would you know?" Damon asked annoyed.
"Please, everyone talks about her at school. She's the "bad girl" and you were all over her in the hallway." Stefan rolled his eyes.
"Wow, Doodle has a girlfriend." Bonnie laughed.
"No, I don't have a girlfriend. She's a cool girl. We hang out is all." He looked at Bonnie.
"Uh huh, sure." She looked down at her napkin placing it into her lap. When she looked up she was meant with hard eyes.
"She's just my friend." He tried to be convincing.
"Oh. Oohhkaayyyy." She laughed with Stefan as hey teased Damon. He rolled his eyes and looked down.
"Alright now. Enough of that talk, who's gone say grace when Abby gets down?"
"I think Doodle should. He's a new man and all." He kicked her foot under the table. "Ouch."
"Sorry." He cleared his throat.
"Doodle and a girl sittin' in a tree. K-i-s-s-i-n-g!" She laughed. Stefan joined in on it.
"Geez, y'all are annoyin' grow up!"
Sheila began to smile but wanted to conceal it. "Okay, okay, y'all. Stop teasin' him. Just Abby walked down. She was excited and happy.
"Well, momma turns out there was no discrepancy. I got a raise." Abby smiled. Her ninety-day probationary period was over. "Which, means, I'm so hungry I could eat a cow. I'm gone say grace. Everybody bow your heads."
"Good, Abby. That's very good." Sheila said with a smile on her face.
"That's great Ms. Abby."
"Yes, ma'am."
Both Salvatore's congratulated her.
"I'm proud of you momma. That's amazing." But Bonnie said, before looking at the boys, "And you two, also. First day of work. Things are getting better for everyone." She looked at Damon, "I told you, you could do it. I'm proud of you Doodle." Abby just kept smiling and everyone bowed their head as she said grace. Damon reached his hand across the table to Bonnie's and tickled her palm during grace. At some point during dinner, Bonnie's feet found their way on top of Damon's boots. She had on flats, and he hardly felt her feet on top of his, but he liked when she did it. He would wiggle his feet around to make her legs move, and she'd laugh at him when no one noticed.
.x.
Ginny walked over to Stefan who was sitting with his nephew. She felt a little awkward, but there's a few minutes before Damon and Bonnie arrived and she hadn't had a face to face conversation with him since the wedding. "Hey little man. Come give auntie Ginny some kisses." She said holding her arms out. The small boy went running and slobbered all over her cheek. "Oh, my gosh, I've missed these wet kisses so much." She embraced him and smiled. "Hey, country boy."
"City girl." He grinned.
"How's Mystic Falls life treatin' you?"
"Good. I can't complain. The B.I. has really gotten popular, and it keeps me busy. My nephew bein' here helps too. I kind of love spendin' time with him. He's very... intelligent. He outsmarts me into givin' him sweets all the time."
"You must want to give Bonnie a heart attack." She widened her eyes then laughed.
"Little Bird... she don't scare me."
"Sure. I saw you, standing in between her and Damon, unsure if you should've ducked or not, the night I met you."
He grinned. "That's just them. I'm used to it. Anyway, how are you and Mike?"
"Good. Long distance is hard, but we are going strong and I'm happy. You and Sarah."
"Real good. She, is a good girl. I'm lucky I guess, because turns out she moved back to Mystic Falls to see if we could try a "relationship." And it's good. She has a child too. Who, I'll be meeting this summer, in fact."
"Stefan, you are... lucky. She seems sweet."
"Yeah, anyways, the offer is still there if you want the back house while you're here. Just let me know."
"I will."
"I should get goin' now. Looks like somebody's here to see you." He said before hugging her and walking away with his nephew in his arms. Ginny looked confused and turned to see what he was talking about. She just about dropped the cups in her hand and covered her mouth. Stefan politely grabbed them from her. "Go. He's waiting." He laughed.
Ginny ran to him and wrapped her arms around him in a huge bear hug as he mimicked with her. She didn't speak right away. She just held him and squeezed her face in the crook of his neck and started to cry.
"I didn't pin you for the sappy type." He said when she refused to let him go. "Gin? Gin?" He laughed. "Well, damn. I missed you too." She pulled up to look him in the face.
"Mike!" He wiped her tears. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? Knowing I was coming for this, why wouldn't you tell me?"
"What's the element of surprise then?"
They hugged for minutes upon minutes and she just kept looking at him and cupping his face and hugging him again. The moment was sweet and innocent. "I missed you."
"I missed you more." He kissed her lips and made it count. They gave each other Eskimo kisses, and played young love for a few minutes before Abby was running inside shouting, quietly.
"They're here everybody, they're here." She walked quickly to the bar, and made sure the banners were straight, and everything was okay. The Salvatore's, along with Stefan, Ginny, Mike, Matt, Zack, Abby Nik, and Sarah, must've showed up just minutes before, and a few other of the bar workers and little Dimitri Dylan were all there. The bar didn't open for couple hours, and they wanted it to be just family before the rest of the patrons showed up. They had advertised the welcome back party, but excluded the first two hours to family.
They were all excited to see them.
...
Damon wasn't in the best mood. The two-week mark had just reminded him of how long of a way he had to go. He wasn't used to being helpless and needy. He tried to put on a front for Bonnie but she could read through him.
"Damon... I know you're not in a good mood. Maybe you're in pain-"
"Pain. Yes. Lots of fuckin' pain. But I can't just be in the house all got damn day."
"Damon, please calm down."
"I'm calm damnit. Stop trying to calm me Bird. Im fine." She pushed his wheel chair, and rolled her eyes. This was week two and they needed to really get on the same page if she was going to help him.
There was light tension between the two as they headed towards the entrance of the building. She knew already he probably needed to get home soon and not be gone too long, because he looked uncomfortable in his wheelchair. "Baby just relax. I see you fidgeting in the chair, and I fixed everything the way it was supposed to be fi-
"SURPRISE!" Bonnie nearly jumped out of her skin walking in and seeing everyone standing there and waiting on them. Damon's eyes grew and the two of them stood in shock, not sure of what to say. "Surprise!" They said again. And Stefan felt something was wrong, so he stood Dylan up and let him run towards his mom and dad, who he hadn't seen in a week.
"Da-da! Ma-ma!" Tiny feet shuffled all the way to the front entrance from the bar. The second they saw him they lit up. Bonnie ran to him, and picked him up.
"Baby boy. Oh, my God. Momma missed you." She squeezed him and her eyes watered. She didn't full on cry, because it was surprisingly easier than she thought it would be to leave him with their closest family to help out. As she kissed him and hugged him, she was walking back towards Damon, who wanted to cry, because being so fresh into his son's life, every time he saw him for the first time was an emotional moment. And he couldn't fully hold his son because of his leg and arm cast, so Bonnie knelt beside him with Dimitri. "Daddy missed you, baby boy. Say hi da-da." She smiled.
"Da-da." The small child cried reaching for his father. He wanted Damon to grab him like the other times and airplane him, and squeeze him and run, but he couldn't.
"Oh gosh, my beautiful baby boy. Look at you. You got so much bigger. What are you two now?" Damon said jokingly. "I can't believe my eyes. You're a giant now." His son scream and cried for him and Bonnie couldn't in good conscience put the toddler on Damon's lap. However, an insistent Damon didn't want to feel incompetent.
"Bird, just, give me my son." He whispered. "Put him on my lap, I'm fine."
"It's not smart, baby. Handling a toddler is considered strenuous. He has no concept of space, pain tolerance, his hyper-activity is too much right now, he's excited, and liable to hurt you by mistake." She said. Everyone watched the exchange unable to hear what was going on.
"Give me... my son." He softly demanded. She looked at him pleading, but he used his right arm to grab him, anyway. It was assumed everything was okay, so the group filtered in, finally after letting them reunite with their son to say hi, and welcome them home.
"Damn, look at you. Two deployments, and almost ten years in the Army, and now you want to get roughed up." G said.
"Yeah, well, y'all know, I always kept my soldiers out of danger. Couldn't always keep myself out of it." He held Dylan who was relatively calm right now staring at his dad's cast, and all the colorful pictures his mother colored on them, probably in downtime.
"You look great, considering... a couple of weeks ago. Plus, I'm sure you have a great nurse." Nik said, giving a nod to Bonnie, who'd been fake smiling for a couple minutes, trying to focus on Damon's holding their son.
"She's amazing." Damon smiled.
"I don't know, I think the casts make you look kind of tough."
"Why thank you Ginny. I feel somewhat tough. Although, this woman, watches me like a hawk, thinking I'm gone break."
"Well, yeah, you're broken. I'm just tryna keep you from breakin' again."
"Sal, you look like you got in a fight with Bird, and she kicked your ass. 'Bout damn time!"
"We all know, she's the boss. She roughed me up, a little... this is what happens when I talk back I guess." He laughed making Bonnie laugh.
She spoke up. "Yeah, well, he looks good. He's healing well, and he's tough as nails. He's lookin' better every day.
"Ehh. You look like shit! Don't let these people lie to you." Stefan said, causing Damon to laugh.
"You look like shit every day. So, I wouldn't be makin' jokes." He laughed while his son started to try and stand up on his lap. "Aye, sit down silly boy, you can't stand up on daddy's lap." But he was too excited, before he got too hyper, Bonnie grabbed him.
"Okay, enough baby boy. Let's go take daddy to the bar, and get him a beer." She was greeted by, her best friend. Immediate Ginny sensed Bonnie's irritation. "Hey Gin, how could you keep this from me?"
"Because, it was a surprise. Here let me take Dylan." She reached for him. He began screaming for his daddy again. Ginny hugged Bonnie. "I'm sorry, I know you have a lot going on. We can catch up in a little while, enjoy your family okay."
"Sorry, Ginny. Thanks." Their son was giving Ginny a hard time, which garnered Damon's attention.
"He okay?"
"Yes, I'm gonna bring him, right back. We I got him some toys, that I brought with me, and I was hoping to give them to him, I'll bring him right back... if that's okay?"
"Sure, Gin. Go ahead." Bonnie said. She turned to Damon, who didn't look happy she was being so over-protective of his injuries. Ginny smiled and walked him out to her rental car. "He'll be right back baby. Come on, don't you want a beer?"
"Sure, he wants a beer!" Stefan said loudly. "How do you work this got damn thing. I got him Bird." Stefan always felt, and knew when Damon and Bonnie were fighting, so he wanted to ease the tension.
She walked to it and pointed to the break. "You just unlock it here, and push. It's a really good model, he can control it as well. But it'll take time because his left arm is still broken."
"Come on big brother, let's get you a beer. On the house!" Stefan laughed. Lily and G greeted Bonnie and hugged her.
"Hang in there kiddo." G told her. "You're a good woman."
"Baby? You look good considering."
"Oh, hey momma. Listen thanks for taken Dimitri. I'm not sure how I would've gotten through the last week with him. Plus, he seems like his cold his gone."
"Oh, yeah we knocked that out right away, that damn hospital keeps people sick. He got here and was better two days later. We brought food. I'm gonna go and help Nik, Matt and Zack, get the food out of the truck." Abby kissed her daughter's temple. "You look beautiful by the way." She said before walking away.
"She's right you know. You look beautiful. Despite Sal's pain in the ass attitude."
"Awe, it's alright. You know how stubborn he gets."
"How's he handling it all?"
"I mean, he's fine one minute, the next minute he's very... angry. He doesn't like feeling helpless."
"Well, soon as he started physical therapy he'll be good. When's he starting that?"
"After about two months, we get to work. Which is... six weeks from now."
"Whoa, whoa. Bird don't tell me you're gone be his physical therapist." Mike said.
"Why not. I'm very good at what I do, and nobody will make sure he's in the best care, and conditioning like I will." She said. "Nobody!"
"I know that, but, let's be honest... your marriage is fragile already. You're giving him 'round the clock care, as it is. Six months of this will wear on you mentally, physically, and emotionally. It's a lot for even you to handle superwoman." She looked at him, like she was being paranoid. "Besides, he ain't the only one in the marriage with a stubborn disposition. I remember you two back in the days."
"Mikey, I have to do this. I just have to." She said, and he knew the way she said it, she wasn't backing down from her decision. She smiled. "How are you and Gin?"
"Perfect. I mean, accept the distance. She's perfect. We video chat, every day and I surprised her, by being here."
"Really?" Bonnie blushed. "That's romantic."
"Yeah. I have a light schedule right now. No summer recruits like I thought, but still all this other business I am involved in with the college. I um... I'm trying to see what I can do about getting Ginny and interview soon. There will be an opening, for an assistant baseball coach. Which, she can do. I believe she can coach men. If she got the job, she'd still travel, but she'd be so involved in the NCAA, it would be amazing for her career. She's so damn good. Ya know? But uh... I'm not saying anything just yet. The opening isn't for another few months, and it's for next year not this year, which means she can finish her coaching job this year. I just want to see where this goes, because... I'm serious. And if she is too, I'd like us to be closer. But, again, I'd go to LA if I could. The Army has me in Blacksburg. I don't know, it's a lot to ask a woman."
Bonnie's eyes grew big. "Yes, asking a woman to relocate, is huge. Trust me, you know what I went through. I don't regret it. I learned a lot. But, I mean, I was lost a little while. Ya know?"
"Yeah, maybe I should leave it alone. I don't want to force anything. She's... good to me, and for me. I'll take long distance as long as I have her. But, the option is there, if she wants to."
"I'd wait 'till the end of the summer to mention it. See where her head is, on LA. I mean, you never know." She reached in and hugged him. "You look great. I think you lost about fifteen pounds seen I last seen you."
"Eighteen to be exact. Yes. I have gotten leaner, and been working on my running. Can't let these kids think I ain't capable." Just at the moment, Ginny came walking back in with Dimitri and a bag of toys. Bonnie walked over to them and grabbed her son smiling again. They sat down and put the toys on the dance floor and let him play. She sat with her son and Ginny too. Mike went over to Damon, and Stefan.
"So?"
"What?"
"You and Mike seem great."
"We are. I think I might be what you said I was a couple weeks back."
"You mean, the L word?" Bonnie laughed.
"Yeah, crazy right?"
"Not at all. It's nice seeing you like this. You guys are a good match."
"We are. He's so silly. I love it."
"All you have to do, is decide, one day if you're okay with long distance, or if you two want to eventually be in the same zip code."
"Yeah. I think about it sometimes. I mean, it's good, right now the way it is. But later on, down the line... ya know? I don't know. We'll see." They played with Dylan, while Damon watched. He drank a bit, and just looked at his wife and son, sitting on the dance floor of the bar.
...
"Who knew you'd be here, fifteen years ago? Trouble maker." Stefan said.
"Or even eight years ago, when I met him. Fresh-faced in the Army."
"That's my wife, and my son, sitting in the middle of the bar I own. In my home town. The woman I watched get on my nerves since she was a little girl. My neighbor. The daughter, of the War hero next door. The girl, with the crazy momma and Grams, who didn't take no shit. Me, a knucklehead, fighting everybody, ditching school, and failing most of my classes. I'm here b'cos of her. I'm alive, and I may look like shit today, but I'm here b'cos of her. She keeps me goin' every day. She always, and I mean always, makes me fight to be a better man. And I sit here and this got damn wheel chair, unable to be the man she needs. The man, I promised her just weeks ago I'd be. I'm so fuckin' angry I can't stand it."
Both his brother and his best friend looked at him, like a broken man, they'd never seen. He was always strong, even when he wasn't. He was always, pretending to be okay, even when he wasn't. He'd never been so broken on the outside. This man, that was showing, was only a man that Bonnie had ever seen. This pain, and helplessness. Stefan hadn't seen it since their mom left, and Mike had never seen it. Accept when Baylee died. Even then, these men, saw a man who mostly, held everything in.
"Whelp, the first thing you gotta do, is realize... things could be worse. You could've lost your legs, or even your life. You're still here with a fighting chance at a normal life. I'm not discrediting your feelings, because the way you feel is totally warranted. I just don't want you to feel like, this makes you less of a man. It doesn't." Mike said, as his friend looked out into space, almost not listening.
"He's right. D, you need to relax. It don't help your situation being hard on yourself. And Bird... she's here b'cos she wants to be. She loves you. If she wanted to be somewhere else, she'd be in LA."
"I just don't wanna talk about it. I need another beer." Stefan poured him another beer. "So, tell me about the last two weeks here at the bar. Seems different."
"Yeah, well, Nik Mikaelson comes here a lot to have a drink. He mentioned once that the place needed more light."
"Light?"
"Yeah, the week you left, I spent so much time cleaning up at Abby's after the wedding, I lost out on some money here. I called Bird, and asked her what I should do, if I should tell you. She said, if I opened up a couple hours earlier on weekends, I could make that money back in no time. Anyway, I did, and Nik came in, saying, if I added more stream lighting, it would kind of trend the place up. So, I started opening up a couple hours earlier on weekends and added more stream lighting."
"Trendy? It's a bar. A country bar. Not a club."
"It's still the same bar. But, it's about marketing. Bird, agreed."
"So, you and my wife, are having phone conversations about my bar, without me?"
"Really, D? Come on, I've helped make the bars money back. Were you not seeing the numbers? I email you everything."
"I've been letting her deal with the emails, b'cos-"
"Exactly. Stop being angry. I get it, you're in pain. I'm sorry. I'm doin' all I can here. Your knucklehead little brother. You trusted me, and when I needed answers I went to her, b'cos you trust her. I didn't want to stress you out."
"It's fine. I just need to go to the office and look up some paper work, and-"
"Not today, today it's just about you bein' home... finally after almost ten years."
"Can you take me to the office, please Stefan?"
"Sure." Stefan and Mike looked at one another, and shook heads, silently. Damon headed to the office with Stefan. Then, was prompted to leave Damon alone. Bonnie walked towards the office, and as Stefan was coming out.
"Hey, what's goin' on?"
"He needs to be alone. I'll explain later. I didn't think his transition out would be this hard?"
"Yeah, it's something to get used to."
"I just thought he'd be proud of me. I really have maintained my part, and his for the past couple months. I'm tryin' hard, and my life is changing' too. I just wanted him to be proud of me like I am of him."
"He's proud of you Stefan. He's so proud of you, he tells me all the time. And he'll show you and tell you. I promise." She cupped his cheek.
"He's, different. And I can tell. I just wish we could be like we used to be sometimes."
"It's not gonna be easy, but we'll get through this. We'll... get him through this. Okay? Together." Bonnie said quietly. "But, it's important to know, he needs us." She held Stefan's hands. "All of us, right now. Doodle, has a lot of things goin' on. We just need to be supportive, and patient. I'll explain, later, when he's ready to talk about it. But right now, just trust me... he needs us." She said. "And I need you Stefan. Okay. You and me, need to work together. I'll help you, you help me?" She smiled sweetly, trying to bite back any tears she could spill.
"Of course, Bird. You know I got you. I ain't goin' nowhere. Okay?"
"Okay. Thank you, Stefan. I love you."
"I love you too." He hugged her gently, until she grabbed Stefan and squeezed him tight. He ended up squeezing her back. He felt it in her hug she needed him, right now.
Excerpt Pt 25:
Damon sat on the bed with his son playing. "Hey baby boy. Look at that wild hair. Look at that head full of black hair on your head. Too much, maybe? Maybe we should start cutting it. It just falls over your eyes and you can't see a got damn thing. Pretty soon you gone be bumpin' into walls. I think, if I see you bump into somethin' I'm gone chop it off. But we'd have to do it when momma goes to LA, right? Like a secret. Shhh. Don't tell her okay?" Damon said, grinning big at his son who put his finger to his lips like his daddy and said "Shhh" too. He laughed at his daddy and fell backwards on the bed. Then, out of no where he started to shoot a stream of pee in the air. "Oh shit." Damon said, laughing, trying to find the diaper. Damon hurried and grabbed a diaper and put it on him. He looked at his son and rubbed his chin. "You peed on me."
Thank you for reading;)