Explanation: So there was a test, an evil test and there was a birthday and another story. But well evil test equals evil Mia. Finally just posting it, doubt many of you will read it, but hey…
Reminder: I named Val's hubby, Deke in E&O. I'm sticking with it.
Before I confuse you, the memory is an old memory. Pre-boozehound Val (hence the title).
The Girl Who Should Have Died a Saint
"Neighbors said she had no family," she grasped at some of the words being said around her.
"Shame, she's so young."
"Probably was a looker before," the original voice, "bigger shame is she had a blood alcohol content of .17."
"She was still standing?" the other voice asked in amusement.
"Obviously not very well."
Well that was uncalled for, she wanted to tell him.
The woman chuckled.
"Chronic alcoholic, just look at her."
No, no she wasn't. She'd just been upset after Deke…
"Shame."
"Neighbors say her boyfriend moved out a few months ago haven't seen her with anyone steady since."
Husband, Deke was her husband. And those guys…She hadn't meant for those guys to happen…
"So no one to miss her stuff?" the woman's voice asked.
She would!
"Paramedics or her neighbors picked her clean before she got here. Looks like there used to be a ring on that finger."
Her ring wasn't there? It had to have been that old biddy in 4A.
"She looks like she used to be a sweet girl," the woman's voice sympathetically commented.
"There are a lot of those in this city," the man dryly retorted.
"No one should have to die alone."
Nice to be worried about that after you were…Die? Die? Wait no, die? She wasn't dying. She fell. Her heel had caught or she lost her balance…She remembered trying to grab onto something…
"Doc didn't want to free up the bed?"
"Morphine's in tight supply, he just gave her enough to make her comfortable. Nature will do the rest soon."
No, no. She was NOT dying. She'd just turned 30. You didn't die at thirty. She was going to grow old, have kids, fix everything she'd screwed up. She had too much left to do, she couldn't die.
She couldn't die. Not like this.
-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-
She felt the arm around her waist and a quick pull back that nearly sucked the breath out of her. Not so much as the car whizzing by created though.
He reacted without thought and turned her into his body, cradling her against him.
"My heel," was her shaky gasp into his chest. Soft green eyes looked down as she continued, "it got caught."
"If it got caught, shouldn't you have stayed put?" his wit remained even after such a fright, it was the kind of thing that would have endeared him to her even if she didn't love him.
"Tell that to my body," she smiled as he did, "it decided to pitch forward."
He suddenly pulled her in tighter, "God Val, you've got to be more careful, I could have lost you."
-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-
If only. He had loved her, she'd had a family. People had talked about her with smiles, they hadn't pilfered her stuff.
She'd had it all. She grown up to be the person she'd always dreamed of being and she threw it all away.
He had loved her. He would have grieved. He would be holding her hand, ordering doctors not to give up, just as he would order her not to. He'd be on the phone with specialists, calling in doctors from everywhere. He'd be reminding her that she was his wife; she didn't get to leave him. Remind her that they had promised forever and this was nowhere near close to that.
He would grieve for her.
He would make sure she was buried in her favorite dress, surrounded by her favorite flowers; he would deliver her eulogy to her, not the crowd, though it would move them to tears.
He would lay flowers, he would grieve, but most importantly, he would remember.
She would have died a saint.
She should have died a saint, perfect girlfriend, who became the perfect fiancée, who became the perfect wife.
She would have been missed, she would have been remembered; she would have been.
Without the endless bottles of wine and vodka…
The fights picked for no reason…
The men picked up because he wasn't there…
The icy looks given as she realized she'd lost him forever…
The stoic back turned to her as she destroyed them once again…
She would have died a saint.
A brief mention from his lips because the pain would be too great.
A woman he compared all others to.
Valerie Elizabeth Cale.
"You sure she didn't come in with an address book or something?" the woman asked.
Her address book. Logan!
"Just the clothes on her back, if she had a bag it's long gone."
No, no. She needed Logan. They needed to find Logan.
"Poor girl," the woman once more sympathetically began.
"It'll be over soon," the man quickly replied, "and so will our paychecks if that witch finds us in here again."
"Ugh," she groaned, "I can't believe I have to be here for three more hours…" she said as they walked away.
-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-
"So what are we doing for lunch?" she asked with a smile as she grabbed his hand, swinging it with spring like enthusiasm, she'd skip if she thought he'd join her.
"I don't know," he looked down at her with a smile. "What are you in the mood for?"
"I don't know," she said as they walked in step down the sidewalk in a well-off part of town, still lined with stores filled goods you'd want to buy.
"Not Italian," he decided.
"Or a sandwich," she countered, at least narrowing their list. "Sushi?"
"I still don't trust sushi," was his quick answer.
"It's been years Logan; you've got to start trusting seafood again."
"I'll trust raw fish again when the lights stay on for a full month."
She pouted, "Fine."
They continued to walk hand in hand down the street in their spring gear. The violet dress that swooshed as she walked, the jeans and a peach button up with its sleeves rolled up. Not needing a destination, just having each other and the day.
"Think we should have gotten that bowl?" her face scrunched.
"A bowl that's supposed to remain empty for 300 dollars?"
She frowned and shot him a look, "Says the art lover."
"It's a bowl," he retorted with a smile swinging his gaze to her.
"Hey," she smiled brightly, "think of it as a sign the economy is rebounding."
He laughed.
"So seriously about lunch?"
"Hmmm," he murmured. "Thai?"
Another frowning, pondering face, "Simpler?"
"Simple food, close by," he repeated thinking to himself.
"Oh hey look, that looks like the stereo you wanted," she yanked his arm towards the store front.
"No," he said peering into the window, their hands separated for the act as he tried to block out the sun. "I think that's the old model, maybe we'll stop in after lunch though?"
"Sounds good," she turned on her heel with a bounce, "ooh maybe we could go to Marrietto's? Oh I love those pizzas," she declared with near drooling glee, she bounded with mindless joy, quite near that skip that had been threatening to emerge all day long. Her head halfway turned as she heard Logan's chuckle as she was stepping off the curb and then her foot didn't lift, making her body pull harder at it. She felt herself going forward, unable to stop it; she could almost feel the fingers almost reaching her. So close…
And then it went black.
-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-
A woman's finger pressed the button that silenced the monotonous tone being emitted from the antiquated machine; they had no money to replace.
She looked down with a sad smile, "I hope you found peace," she whispered.
So did I confused anyone with that?