Nooo you're not seeing things - it really is another update & it hasn't even been two weeks!
On that note: should I continue? I don't know if people are liking where its going, if you just feel obligated because you've come this far. Anything?
Anyways thanksss to the two (I believe it was two, maybe three) reviews: I still absolutely adore you.
But the rest of you: continue? don't? Shut up & let you get to the story?
"Phew, ok Pete – you're done for today," Lucy, his physical therapist, finally spoke the four little words he'd been dying to hear ever since he'd heard the words 'leg lifts' an hour and a half ago when he had arrived to the gym. There was no doubt his leg was becoming stronger but the effort was nearly killing him with pain.
"You sure PT doesn't stand for 'pure torture' miss?" Pete asked with a grimace as he took the towel the young girl had offered him and wiped the sweat from the back of his neck. It had been nearly three months since he'd come out of a coma and although they were making progress on his leg this was still a ways to go and the thrice weekly PT appointments still caused massive pain to shoot up his leg.
Lucy threw her head back with a laugh, shaking out her long auburn hair, "Sorry pet, I'm pretty sure it doesn't."
"Coulda fooled me," he mumbled under his breath. Taking a long drink of water he rifled in his gym bag for his cell phone. Flipping it open he sighed when he saw there were no new texts or calls.
"Expecting someone?" Lucy interrupted and Pete looked up startled to meet a pair of blue eyes staring down at him keenly. He stared up at her warily. She was a good-looking girl but unlike Josie, she knew how attractive she was and shoved it squarely in your face.
"Yeah," he said shortly before continuing, "My fiancé. She's finishin' up her Master's dissertation and has been holed up in the bloody library for the past two weeks."
"Fiancé?" she asked with a confused head tilt, "You look a bit young to be gettin' married." She finished, eyeing him appreciatively.
"Erm, not really..." Pete replied shortly, not understanding why it was any concern to her.
Before he had a chance to continue the door of the small gym swung open and Pete felt his face light up at the sight of said fiancé beaming at him. She was dressed simply in a pair of old, faded blue jeans and a soft, yellow tee that hugged her slight figure appealingly with her brown hair flowing down her bag and eyes shining brightly. He sighed in relief to see the familiar smile gracing her face. There hadn't been many of those face-splitting grins in the past few months but they were getting more and more frequent.
"Joze!" he shouted to her as he strode as quickly across the room as he could before pulling her into his arms, "What'ere you doin' here?"
Josie smiled up at him, "Welllll…I've been a shit future wife to you lately so I thought I'd come take my best guy out for lunch after his torture session."
Pete snorted slightly as he leaned down to kiss her gently. Taking her hand he turned to lead her back towards where Lucy stood watching the couple with interest, "Josie – this is my therapist Lucy. Luce – this is my fiancé."
Locked in Pete's arms Josie extracted her hand to offer to the other girl who grasped it lightly, "Pleasure to meet you, miss."
"Nice to meet you too. Pete was just starting to tell me about you. Never got around to just how adorable you are," Lucy cooed, making Josie feel like she was an adolescent who needed her self-esteem built up with empty compliments.
Fighting the urge to roll her eyes Josie bit back a snort as the other girl was clearly trying to size her up and not quite so discreetly, "Mm hmm, well he normally reserves singing my praises unless he knows I can hear him and reward him…if you get my drift." Josie said with a slightly smug smile and a wink as she sensed that Lucy knew exactly what kind of rewards she was talking about.
Meanwhile, Pete stared between the two girls feeling a slight swell of pride at how blatantly Josie was marking her territory. It was a rare occasion that she was on the jealous side and Pete took a perverse pleasure knowing that he affected her just as deeply as she did him.
He pulled her into his side tighter and placed a gentle kiss on her temple before turning back to Lucy, "I am a lucky bloke so I try not to brag too much," he said with a smirk before leaning down to grab his gym bag, "Well Luce – until next torture…I mean therapy session, I'll see ya."
Lucy gave a tinkling laugh as she reached up to kiss Pete on the cheek and he felt Josie tense slightly in his arms while he tried not to shove the other girl away, "Ok Pete, I'll see you in a few days. And it was such a delight to meet you, Jessie."
"It's Josie," Pete bit out through gritted teeth as he saw Josie's face flush in anger as he attempted to shove her out the door.
"Bye bye Lucy!" Josie squealed in a high pitched voice and a huge smile on her face, determined to avoid smacking the girl.
Pete finally managed to maneuver the two of them out the door and into the waning heat of the August day. They made it a few feet down the road before Josie slyly gazed up at him, "So that's Lucy eh?"
He snorted down at her and grinned as he dropped his bag and lifted her into his arms, "Yes – bloody slag, huh?"
"She makes the local girls in the pub look like dignified ladies. It's the sneaky, pretty ones you have to watch out for," Josie said with a hint of bite to her words no matter how much she tried to act as though the encounter hadn't bothered her.
"Somebody's jealous!" Pete sang out as he watched her pout up at him.
"Well had I known that was your therapist I'd have taken a more active role in your rehab besides just at home," Josie said with an eye roll and her stomach clenched at the thought of Pete with that girl spending hours alone each week.
"Well baby, you should know by now that you can't get rid of me so believe me when I say I just noticed today she was actually a girl," he said reassuringly as they linked hands and strolled down the street.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure today was the first day you noticed she was an attractive bird, jerk…" she mumbled under her breath but still managed to smile up at him. She'd come to meet him with the happiest of news and no encounter with a girl who had her eye on Pete was going to ruin what she had to tell him.
Pete stared down at her happily noticing the smile still painting her features and he squeezed her hand softly, "What's making you smile like this, gorgeous? Not that I'm complaining but…"
"I've been pouting more than usual lately," she finished for him.
"With good reason but I'm liking this change," he said as he ran his eyes up her slight frame. Over the past month there'd been no change with her family life but strangely enough with the return of Matt she'd started to sleep a little better, eat a little more and gradually seemed to just be moving forward. Pete had been hesitant to mention it as he didn't want to jinx them but there was no mistaking the happy glint in her brown eyes.
"Well –" she started, "I've got news."
Warily glancing down at her as he narrowly avoided a teenager shoving past on his other side he raised his eyebrows questioningly, "And what's that?"
"My dissertation is done! Finished, over, complete – handed in as of 10 AM today!" Josie practically squealed the news out as Pete pulled them to a stop in the middle of the busy street and lifted her up into a tight hug while kissing her deeply.
"Fuckin' hell Joze that's the best news I've heard in awhile," he said with a soft smile. She'd been panicking at getting it done and he'd barely seen her as she was spending nearly 10 hours a day in the library, "I think that means we've got some celebrating to do."
Josie smiled up at him happily as she hugged him tightly. Although it wasn't some amazing feat to have accomplished it seemed like it was the first good omen they'd had in months. In a month's time Pete would be back teaching, she'd be starting her PhD and it seemed like their life as one would officially be starting.
"There's something else," she mumbled into his chest, though not quite as sure as she'd been before.
"What's that love?" Pete asked as he ran his hands through her hair and leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"I want to get married this spring," Josie said in a rush of words.
Pete groaned slightly, "Josie, we talked about this…I want a wedding. Not some civil ceremony with just the two of us. And I know you want that too." He didn't want to admit quite how badly he wanted that normal celebration with him in a tux and her in a gown but it was the truth.
"I do want it, that's what I'm saying," she replied in earnest while biting nervously on her lip, "I know you said you'd wait for my family to sort themselves out but with the way things are going…I just don't know how long that will be. And I want to start our life together. I don't want to wait any longer."
"Spring, eh? I haven't knocked you up have I?" Pete asked as he pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her neck.
"Well I've been meaning to tell you…" Josie trailed off causing Pete to inhale sharply and pull back from her until she broke down in laughter, "The look on your face. No I'm not 'knocked up' as you so charmingly put it. But I'd like to be eventually and I'd prefer the more traditional route of marriage then baby."
"Whatever baby wants, baby gets – we'll get married in the spring," Pete said as kissed her soundly on the mouth while he tried to play it off like he was giving in when really his heart was pounding and he could feel every nerve on fire at the fact that she'd one day – soon – be a Dunham.
"Well?" Josie stood in front of the collected group, smoothing the skirt of what felt like the fiftieth dress she'd tried on over the past three hours. She stared expectantly at the faces who all wore the same look: sheer wonder. No one spoke.
Finally, Emma squealed in delight, "This is it Joze! This is the dress!" She leapt from her seat and rushed towards Josie who was standing slightly elevated in front of not only Emma but also Colin, Terry, Swill, Ike, Dave, Steve and Matt.
Josie had originally resigned herself to shopping alone with Emma as she was pretty much her only girl friend but to her pleasant surprise the rest of the boys had taken it upon themselves to assist in the planning of her and Pete's wedding. And so they'd spent the better part of a rainy late October Sunday trapped in a bridal shop as she was shoved into about a million dresses.
But now, based on the looks on everyone's faces, this was the dress. It had been Emma (of course) who had picked this dress: an a-line silhouette with a sweetheart neckline. The dress gathered softly at one side of her waist before falling gently down the front and (Josie's favorite part) a row of tiny, detailed buttons that ran up the length of the back.
Emma linked arms with her as she edged onto the platform with her, "Well boys? Doncha think this is it?"
Swill gave a low whistle while the rest of the boys nodded their heads in agreement, "You look gorgeous Josie Jo," Colin commented in approval.
"That Dunham bastard, how he managed to get you I'll never know," Terry said and no one seemed to disagree with him as all the boys seemed to stop and ponder just how Pete had pulled off landing Josie while she just rolled her eyes at the collected group.
"Oh thank fuck, I've felt like Emma's own personal Barbie doll today," Josie said with a sigh of relief as she tried to maneuver off of the pedestal and the boys all stood up as well, a few slinking out to grab a smoke as it seemed the rain had finally stopped.
A few minutes later, Josie emerged dressed and ready to get out of the stifling bridal shop. She'd never been a fan of anything super girly and it didn't seem like she'd caught bridal fever. As she quickly discussed a fitting schedule with one of the sales people she discreetly tried to check her phone to see if Pete had called while they'd been inside.
Instead, to her shock, she noticed a missed call from Eamon. Her heart stuttered to a stop and she felt her blood thundering through her ears.
"Miss? Miss Murphy?" the salesperson's shrill voice cut through her shock and brought her back to her surroundings as her head snapped up.
"Huh?" she replied stupidly, "Oh yeah, sorry. This is perfect. I'll be back in December." She hurriedly signed the agreement before whirling around and rushing out of the shop.
"Joze, love? Where's the fire? You change your mind already?" Dave joked as she shoved passed the group of boys who were crowding the shop front. Ignoring him she made a beeline for Colin who had his arm wrapped around Emma, whispering God knew what in her ear as she was turning a vibrant shade of red at his words.
"Oi! Lover boy!" she shouted as she grabbed her brother's ear and dragged him off of her friend.
"Jesus Christ Josie Jo, what the fuck?" he snapped angrily as he tried to extract himself from her grip but stopped short when she shoved her mobile phone in his face. His eyes widened in surprise at the highlighted missed call and he immediately pulled his own phone out to check but there was nothing.
"Did he call you too?" she practically screamed at him. Josie had called both her father and brother every single day since they'd walked out of her life in an attempt to get them to talk to her. They never answered. She'd kept up a running, one-sided dialogue of her life via voicemail and got bits of news about them from Ronan to satisfy her.
"Nope, nothing," Colin mumbled, wondering what it could mean, "He leave a message?"
"Shit," Josie said softly. In the shock of seeing he'd called she hadn't even thought to check her voicemail. She noticed the flashing indicator and she called her voicemail quickly, tapping her foot impatiently as she entered her password, barely aware of the looks the boys and Emma were exchanging around her.
"Joze, ahem, Josie – Its uh, Eamon…you're older, stupider brother. Listen: I just…this has been…fuck I suck at this shit. Listen Josie Jo, I know no words can make up for the past few months but…fuck. We just got your wedding invitation…So, just call me back, ok? I…I love you Josephine," the sound of her brother's voice stopped her heart before it restarted at a frantic pace. He'd sounded so unsure and so alone it nearly broke her heart.
Wordlessly she handed Colin the phone so he could listen as well. His face flashed from confusion to shock to bitterness and finally into a twisted mask of anger, "Well that's fuckin' fantastic – he thinks he can just call after MONTHS of no word and everything will be fine and dandy?"
Angrily chucking her phone at the brick wall they were next to Josie stood shell shocked as it shattered to the ground. She shoved her hands into her brothers chest, "So what? It's something," she shouted back at him.
Colin's eyes flashed dangerously and Josie noticed the looks of horror Emma and the boys were all wearing as he towered over her, fists clenched at his side, "For fuckssake Joze – you're just going to accept that shit excuse for an apology? Call him back and cry and say it's okay? That you understand? That oh 'no big deal Eams, no big deal daddy, I didn't really mind being disowned, in fact, I love being fucked over and treated like shit,'" he imitated her voice cruelly.
Josie turned beet red at his words and lifted her head high, setting her jaw stubbornly, "So what if I do forgive them that easily – they're our family."
Colin gave a derisive snort as he glared down at his sister clenching and unclenching his fists so menacingly that Swill stepped in to intervene, shoving the pair apart from each other until both Murphys turned to snap, "Stay out of it!" causing him to step back warily but close enough that he'd take the hit if Colin snapped.
"Don't you remember what they've done to you? What they've done to this family," Colin yelled angrily, a hint of pleading in his voice, "They crushed you. Rejected you because of who you love and then walked out, leaving me to pick up the pieces."
"Oh that's rich – you pick up the pieces? Try Pete picked up the pieces; Dave, Terry, Swill, Ike picked up the pieces – all you did was fuck my best friend and act like you were here for me," Josie shouted back, the words tumbling from her mouth without thought.
Colin turned an impressive shade of red at her final words as he leaned down, face inches from hers, "Fuck. You. Go back to them – go. When they quit on you again see if I'll be here. Just see if I'll be around to watch you become a shell of a person again. I'm not doing it again Joze – I'm not going to watch you become a pathetic excuse for a human being again."
With that he turned on his heel and stormed down the street, but not before deliberately stomping angrily on her now destroyed mobile phone. Josie felt bitter tears stinging her eyes and she sucked in deep breaths as she tried to calm herself done, closing her eyes tightly to prevent them from falling.
"Holy shit, that was terrifying," Swill managed to mumble out to Dave with a slight grin at the spectacle they'd just witnessed. At his words, Josie snapped her head around as though just remembering everyone was standing there, all with mixed looks of horror, fascination and humor on their faces.
"I am sorry you guys had to see that," Josie managed to grit out stiffly, "Now – may I borrow someone's phone?" she more demanded rather than asked.
Emma looked horrified at the sight of her best friend and boyfriend's blow out and wordlessly nodded her head as she handed her phone to Josie's waiting hand, "Thank you," she managed to get out before stepping away from the group to call Pete.
"No wonder Dunham does whatever she wants, she is petrifying to fight with," Ike quipped out, a little too loudly as he cringed slightly at the glare Josie shot at him.
Terry snorted a bit, "Guess we all just got to witness the famous Murphy temper we'd heard about."
The rest of the boys shifted about slightly uncomfortable but more amused than anything at the display of sibling aggression as they all highly doubted Colin would ever turn his back on Josie and knew it was more of a gut reaction than anything else.
Josie rejoined the group minutes later, handing Emma her phone back as she rubbed her temples in frustration, "Well boys – who ever said wedding dress shopping would be boring?" she managed to joke slightly having calmed down marginally after talking to Pete for a minute.
"Joze, you alright?" Emma asked her hesitantly, stepping towards her friend and hugging her gently.
She sniffled ever so slightly but returned the hug, "I'm fine Ems, you should probably let him cool down before finding him, yeah?"
Emma nodded her head and gave her a weak smile, "Whatever you say Joze."
"Riiiiight," Steve broke the awkward silence after a minute, "So...beers?"
Hah, so that's it! I have to say I throughly enjoyed writing the sibling fight scene so I hope you were slightly amused/entertained.
Reviews are always kindly kindly appreciated! :)