Chapter five… wow.. *In awe* This is the longest chapter yet, so I hope you enjoy it!
Laney was so embarrassed. It seemed like every ten minutes someone came in and told her to get well and then thanked Dirk; she wasn't used to so much attention, and by the looks of it, neither was Dirk.
She had spent the past few days in the Konohana clinic, recovering from hypothermia and a high fever. And, surprisingly enough, Dirk had been there for her. He hadn't left her side. Well, he probably had, she fell asleep often enough. Laney had grown quite fond of Dirk, he was a good friend.
It had surprised Laney how physically and emotionally drained she was. She really needed the rest she was getting, if she hadn't, Laney was pretty sure she would have fallen apart at the seams at any minute.
Laney was blowing on a spoonful of soup, while Dirk talked about his last village, and how lively it was. But he seemed a bit distant, and it irritated Laney to not know why.
"Hey, Dirk. Is something bothering you? Not to interrupt you or anything! But…" She asked.
Dirk looked up at her from his chair, right in the eye. "Actually, yes Laney. I can't get over how Cam treated you a few days ago. It just makes me mad…" Dirk said, growling at the last part.
"Ah! Dirk! Please don't be mad! I probably deserved it anyway. Being yelled at that is..." Laney said, looking back down to her watery soup. Ugh, she still preferred Bluebell food, but Dirk ate it like it wasn't hospital food.
Dirk put his soup bowl down on the bedside table and stood up. "No Laney. You have to stop doing that to yourself. It's not your fault. He's the one who hurt you. He should be the one who is feeling bad now."
"It's… Not my fault…?" Laney whispered, slowly, looking up at Dirk with wide eyes.
"Alright. That's it." Dirk said, his body tense.
"Wait, Dirk, what're you..? WHOA."Laney said, as Dirk lifted her out of the bed and brought her outside.
"Calm down Laney, you can't walk soooooo, I get to carry you!" Dirk said, weirdly cheery.
He brought her just outside his house, where he set her on one of the stone slabs. "Stay here, I knew I kept that cart for some reason…." Dirk said, disappearing behind the small house.
"Not that I can really go anywhere…" Laney muttered. She stretched; it felt good to go outside after being cooped up in that stuffy clinic. Plus, Dirk was a pretty fun guy. She felt like she could trust him, which was weird because, shouldn't she be able to trust everyone on the mountain? Maybe it was because she hadn't known Dirk very long…
Dirk came around the house with a ramshackle cart led by a white pony. Wait, did that horse look familiar…?
"Dirk, I didn't know you had a horse." Laney said, a little intrigued.
"Funny story really, Lillian gave me the pony when she bought her new one. This cart was hers too, I don't know why but she insists on giving me her hand-me-downs." Dirk said, a slight smile touching his lips. And Laney laughed heartily.
He picked up Laney and was about to set her on the cart when Hiro came bursting onto the scene, followed by Kana.
"DIRK! Put Laney back in the clinic THIS INSTANT!" Hiro said, absolutely fuming.
"No can do Hiro, Laney's been in that bed long enough. And I have some business to attend to on the other side of the mountain anyway…" He said the last part a little more serious, but the others didn't catch it.
"Yeah c'mon Hiro, let Dirk spend a day with his princess!" Kana said, walking up to the cart. Dirk's ears turned notably pink at the comment. Then Kana motioned for Laney to come closer, and he whispered into her ear: "Now Laney, I know you can't run well, but if Dirk tries anything you can just scream alright? Just kidding! Wow you're red. But seriously, just, I dunno, go easy on him. He hasn't been acting himself lately."
Isn't that almost exactly what Lillian said to me before the accident?
Kana bounced back, leaving a red and befuddled Laney. "Okay Dirk, see ya later!" Kana said as he waved them off.
"NO. She has a FEVER. Why won't any of you listen to me?" Hiro yelled frantically, with Kana just chuckling and patting Hiro on the head like he was a common dog.
It was cold outside, probably because of all the snow, but who can say really? So Laney and Dirk huddled together as Laney and Dirk talked.
"Hey, I just remembered something; you haven't delivered any mail in a few days." Laney said
"Oh yeah. Huh. Well if you didn't want me with you, you could have told me to leave." Dirk said slowly.
"Oh, goodness no Dirk. You don't know how grateful I am that you've been beside me…" Laney said softly. She rested her head on Dirk's shoulder. "So why are we going to Bluebell? You're not kidnapping me are you?" She said, aiming to make him laugh, but instead he just stiffened up.
"Laney, I'm just really mad at Cam. I'm not sure what will happen when I see him, but it might be bad so just, brace yourself. I almost asked Kana to go with to back me up, but I decided not to."
"Dirk… It's alright. I'm fine now, really I am." Laney said, but that was a lie. Cam had traumatized her to the breaking point. It wasn't entirely his fault, but he's what tipped her over the edge.
Laney slumped, and cried. That's all she ever seemed to do now. She really had gone over the edge. She figured that if she cried out all the sadness in her heart, nothing would be left except for her to smile.
But Goddess it was painful to smile when you weren't happy, and Laney knew Dirk could see the pain in her eyes. Laney wished she could talk about it to someone, but she didn't want to make people worry. It's not something that can easily be understood by someone who doesn't have the same feelings. She barely understood the feelings herself. So Laney would cry alone. And with Dirk, who silently understood her feelings.
Dirk stopped the cart and held her, like he promised. She looked up at him, and was surprised to see that his eyes were red.
"Laney. I can't stand it. He made you cry, and he hasn't been punished. I won't let your tears be shed in vain." Dirk said, hugging Laney close.
He started up the pony again while holding Laney's hand. His eyes set in a determined glare. Dirk stopped the cart at Georgia's farm, picked Laney up off the cart, and stomped across the plaza for all to see.
When he got to the café, Dirk set Laney down on one of the white tables so her legs were dangling over the edge. Laney watched in horror as Dirk swiftly went to Cam's flower stall.
And punched Cam right in the face.
Laney gasped as Cam staggered and held his jaw as he jostled his flower cart, but before Cam could say anything, Dirk clenched his fists and yelled, "How dare you even show your face to the public after what you did to Laney? How could you be so cruel as to yell at her and watch her cry? How could you make her leave her own home and run out into a blizzard and not go after her? She almost died Cam, could you live with that on your conscious? I don't think you could, you're no man, you're a coward."
It was then that he quickly walked over to Laney, picked her up, and took her into the café. Howard was there, stirring something in a bowl very, very slowly. When he saw Dirk and Laney, he dropped the bowl, which broke, and his faced immediatly brightened. He screeched: "Laney! You've come back! We've all missed you!" he stepped over the mess on the floor to take her from Dirk. Howard gave his daughter hugs and kisses and twirled her around the room while they laughed.
Dirk couldn't help but smile at the sight of them, but it made him feel sort of… empty. Since he came to Konohana, he didn't have anyone who would need him to be around. Someone who's face would light up when they saw him.
Oh. He was homesick. That made sense. But Dirk had wanted to leave his hometown. It was just that, sometimes he felt like it was the wrong decision. Maybe he overreacted by leaving…
"I'll just a… go then…" Dirk said quietly, not that anyone was listening to him anyway.
Dirk left the café, and outside he found Rose leading Cam into the town hall to get patched up, and everyone else staring at him. And instead of getting embarrassed, he marched over to his cart and headed home. Kana stopped him on the way there.
"Dirk! How was your time with the lovely princess?" Kana said with a smirk.
"I gave her back to Howard, oh, and I punched Cam. So when the word of it gets to Konohana, don't be surprised." Dirk said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Wow, way to go buddy! I personally can't stand that guy, what's his deal? And speaking of Princess Laney… Do you like her Dirk?" Kana said, his voice quieting as the sentence went on.
Dirk's face didn't even redden, he just simply thought. And… he really didn't know.
"Kana, I-no. I don't. But, she's something special isn't she? I feel like she gets me. Or something. Gahh! I don't know…"
Kana just smiled and put his hand on Dirk's shoulder. "Alright buddy. See ya later!"
Howard had been ecstatic to see her, but immediately sent her to bed. She did have a fever after all, but it was still the middle of the day and she wasn't tired in the least.
Dirk had vanished, and she was a little sad for this. She mentally shook herself. Dirk probably had better things to do than hang around Laney. But him punching Cam… that was amazing. She would never in a million years have expected that.
After Howard left, (he had to carry her up the stairs) she just started to lay down when Lillian ran into her room. And from her facial expression, she was serious.
"Laney! I'm so glad you're back! Something just happened, Ash…" She quieted abruptly. Leaving Laney just as frantic as Lillian.
"What? What happened with Ash? Is he hurt?" Laney asked. Lillian started to laugh crazily. "No, no, he… He asked me a question. You know, THE question?" Lillian said.
"Oh Goddess he didn't. Laney, did Ash propose?" Laney asked incredulously.
"Yes! But, I don't know why, I got scared and ran here." Lillian said, rather sheepishly.
"What the… Lillian! You wanted to marry in the first place didn't you? Why did you leave?" Laney asked her, very seriously.
Lillian smiled, with tears in her eyes. "I wanted to make sure my bridesmaid approved." She put simply.
"Of course I approve silly!" Laney yelled immediately, and hugged Lillian, who hugged her right back. They were laughing and crying together when Ash entered the room.
"Did she say yes Lillian?" Ash asked, as if Laney's answer even mattered. But Lillian nodded anyway, and Ash joined the group and laughed and hugged and kissed Lillian's cheeks every now and then.
"So when is the wedding?" Laney asked Lillian, who looked over to Ash.
"A week from now." They said in together, and smiled.
"Why a week?" Laney inquired.
"Because by then it will be spring again!" Lillian said excitedly.
Laney giggled, that was all three of their favorite seasons.
"Oh but Ash, who's going to be your best man?" Laney asked, curious. The couple hesitated, and looked at one another until Lillian said, "Well, we assume Cam but… after the recent events, we thought it would be too uncomfortable for you two."
Laney laughed at this. "You two don't need to worry so much! I'm positive Cam and I will settle what happened soon enough, and be back to the way things were before the wedding."
"That might be the case," Ash started. "But what about Dirk?"
Laney frowned. "What do you mean 'what about Dirk'?"
"Well, we just heard that you and Dirk have become pretty good friends. And we just assumed that you would be the one to bring him as your guest. But if I know anything about Dirk, he won't easily forgive Cam. And that might make the wedding a little more awkward than it needs to be." Ash told her.
"I think you should be worrying more about the mayors arguing than Dirk and Cam arguing." Laney said defiantly.
"They might argue a little, but not enough to ruin someone's wedding. Ash's ma would probably kill the both of them if they did that." Lillian said, making Ash chuckle.
Laney giggled and said, "Well, best of luck to you two!"
They said there goodbyes and left Laney alone to mull over what had happened today, but now she was exhausted, and fell into a deep sleep.
When she woke, it was nighttime. Great she thought my sleeping patterns are all messed up.
Laney looked over at her bedside table and gasped. Twenty-four pale, blue roses sat in an ornate vase. Hold on, there was a note, scribed in elegant handwriting.
Laney,
Meet me by the brook after dark.
~Cam
What was he thinking? She could barely walk, and he expected her hike up the mountain? It was freezing out! And gee, the last time she did this it hadn't turned out too swell.
But something compelled Laney to go anyway. She bundled in her warmest clothes, and a small piece of her hoped she wasn't too late.
Getting down the stairs was a challenge, but she found walking up the mountain not as hard as she would have thought. She sat down by the stream, still running despite the cold weather. She huffed, a puff of her breath could be seen, and she wondered if Cam stood her up.
Cam stepped from behind a boulder, a single blue rose in his hands. "I was afraid you wouldn't come." He said quietly.
Laney crossed her arms across her chest. "This had better be good Cam, I can hardly walk and it's cold outside."
"I'm sorry I put you through all this trouble Laney, I really am. But I needed to talk to you, I can explain everything." He said, handing her the rose and helping her to her feet.
And so he did.
"After the cooking festival, I decided to go along with it. But the day of the date, you spent all day at Lillian's house, not coming out. I guess I just didn't realize girls did that…" Laney raised her eyebrow at that. "And then when Ash and Lillian barged in, I thought that you were all trying to prank me. Like you didn't like getting paired up with me so you had to make a joke out of it…"
Laney slowly started to understand Cam's side of the story.
"And I just got so mad at the thought of you making our date a joke, I acted out. I'm so sorry Laney, after you started to cry, I realized I was wrong. But you ran, and from the looks of the direction you went, it seemed like you were heading to Lillian's. But then Ash and Lillian came out of that storage room and told me you had nothing to do with their weirdness, and they both thought you were going to Lillian's house too. That's why we didn't go after you; we thought you needed to blow off some steam. Like I said, I can't even express how guilty I feel, I'm sorry. Forgive me?"
Laney could see tears in the florist's eyes, and was surprised to feel them prick in her own eyes. She couldn't be mad at Cam; it was all a horrible misunderstanding.
"Y-yes Cam. I forgive you." She said with a small smile.
Cam was beaming at her words. "Thank you Laney! You don't know how relived I am. When I heard you almost died on that mountain, I think I almost died myself. I didn't leave my room for days, the thought of you dead was just too much. But I'm glad you're alright now." Cam said, smiling brightly at Laney. And Laney couldn't help but to smile with him, and give him a warm hug. Cam even gave her a long kiss on the head, their foreheads touching. Laney, embarrassed, quickly thought of something to say.
"Hey C-Cam, I'm sorry Dirk punched you in the face. I swear I had no idea he was going to do that." Laney said, as Cam grew the slightest bit paler.
"You know what Laney? I was a jerk to you, and I deserved being hit. I'm not mad at Dirk, but he's probably still mad at me…" Cam said, trailing off.
Cam escorted her back to the café, where Laney slept peacefully. Knowing that her best friend was about to be married, she and Cam were friends again, and she knew much more about the happy-go-lucky mailman from Konohana. And despite the almost dying part, this was the best, most exciting winter she'd ever had.
What would be in store for her come spring? Laney didn't even care. Every day she was alive and healthy was a good one.
I think that Dirk was pretty poetic in this chapter, and Cam. Actually, all the characters here were pretty darn poetic. Except Ash, 'cause he didn't say much. (Way to be a team player Ash)
This is my favorite chapter for one reason only: Cam gets punched in the face by the mailman (Can you even imagine?)
And now I get to plan Lillian's wedding! Fun fun fun! I think Cam might be a little sweet on Laney e.e (nudge nudge). Anywho, please review!