Disclaimer: Not mine and never will be.
Title: Burning Memories
Author: Catgurl83
Feedback: I love feedback. My e-mail address is catgurl83@yahoo.com
Rating: PG. 13
Author's note: Flashbacks are marked; everything else is current day.
Thanks to Alex for beta reading this for me.
***********
Robert stepped into the hospital and immediately headed toward the elevator.
"Robert!" Kerrie called out as she hurried after him, her cane clicking against the linoleum floor.
Robert stepped into the elevator and turned to face Kerrie. "Not now," he snapped seconds before the door slid shut.
The elevator stopped and he stepped out. He walked quickly down the hall towards his office, ignoring the few people that he past.
He walked past his assistant and let the door slam shut behind him.
He sat silently at his desk for several minutes before wrenching his bottom desk drawer open. He shuffled through the papers inside until he found the picture he wanted.
He stared down at the old photo as he tumbled back through time.
**********
Flashback
**********
"Come on Robert, we are going to be late," Natalie called out.
Robert stared at himself in the mirror. "I'm not wearing this," he called through the bathroom door.
Natalie opened the door and stepped into the room. She choked back her laugh at the sight of him. "I love it," she proclaimed as she kissed his cheek.
Robert could hear the laughter in his wife of three month's voice. "Do I have to wear this?"
"Yes," Natalie answered before grabbing his arm. "Come on. Caleb and Amanda are waiting for us downstairs."
Caleb and Amanda were spending a week with them while both sets of parents were out of town.
Robert sighed as he followed his wife out of the room and down the stairs.
As they walked into the room, both children looked up. Amanda laughed out loud. "You look silly Uncle Robert," she announced.
"Thanks," Robert grumbled at his wife. "Now your niece is making fun of me."
Amanda approached him. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings Uncle Robert. You look nice in a silly way."
"You'll fit right in," Nattie assured him. "Besides, all of us are wearing the shirts."
It was true: all of them were wearing shirts with Mickey Mouse on them. But only Robert was wearing Mouse Ears.
Caleb joined them near the door. "Ill get a pair too," he offered kindly.
Robert smiled at the sweet little boy.
The children chatted excitedly during the whole ride to Disney Land. Robert did his best to tune out their zealous discussion about the best rides.
He parked at Disney Land and he and Nattie each took a child's hand in their own for the long walk from the parking lot to the park itself.
Their hands were stamped with yellow florescent ink.
Amanda and Caleb practically dragged Robert and a laughing Natalie into the theme park. Caleb, who had never been there before, stood still looking wide-eyed at his surroundings. "Wow," the boy finally said in amazement.
"What do you want to do first?" Natalie asked an impatient Amanda.
"It's a Small World," Amanda announced cheerfully.
Robert groaned. She had to choose that ride.
Natalie laughed at her husband's reaction. "It isn't that bad," she whispered to him as they headed toward the ride.
"Yes it is," Robert disagreed. The song would probably be playing in his head for the rest of the day.
They joined the short line for the ride. A few minutes later they were directed to a boat. Amanda quietly sang along with the song as she swiveled this way and that to watch all of the dolls. Caleb sat next to Robert watching the singing dolls bemusedly.
They had barely climbed out of the boat when Amanda started dragging them through the park again. This time she wanted to ride in the Tea Cups.
Robert couldn't help but smile as the two children and Natalie all squealed with delight as the Tea Cup they were in spun faster and faster. They were having a great time.
They walked through the park and Caleb pointed to the Pirates of the Caribbean. "I want to ride that," the little boy stated.
Robert groaned when he looked at the long line. This was going to take a while.
The children laughed hysterically at the humorous pirates. Natalie didn't find the ride amusing. She never had. Robert tended to agree with her. He really didn't know why this ride was so popular.
They were drenched on Splash Mountain.
They laughed as they watched the Country Bear Jamboree.
They squealed in fake fear as they made their way through the Haunted Mansion.
"Are you ready to get dinner?" Robert asked several hours later.
"Yep," Caleb answered.
"Okay," Amanda answered, turning from side to side so that she didn't miss anything going on around them.
They found a pizza place and ordered a large cheese pizza since Natalie didn't eat meat.
About half way through her first slice of pizza, Amanda jumped up. "There's Cinderella." She ran toward the Princess. Robert sighed as he followed the child. Children could be very tiring. He snapped two pictures of Amanda with Cinderella before Natalie convinced Caleb to join them. The little boy posed for one picture before running back to his aunt.
After they finished eating, they continued through the park.
They speed through Autopia.
They climbed the Swiss Family Tree House.
They rode the carousal.
They laughed as they rode Thunder Mountain.
Caleb and Amanda had their picture taken with Snow White, Winnie the Pooh, Donald Duck, and Peter Pan. They made Natalie and Robert join them for a picture with Mickey Mouse. Robert grumbled but he really didn't mind.
Robert finally glanced down at his watch. It was getting dark. "We should find a spot on Main Street for the Light Parade."
After several minutes, they found a good spot to watch the parade from.
The children oohed and aahed throughout the entire show. They loved it.
As the parade was ending, Amanda tried to hide a yawn but Natalie saw it. "I think that's it," she said quietly. "Time to go."
"Aw, Aunt Nattie. I'm not tired," Amanda objected. She yawned again.
Robert raised an eyebrow. "I think you are."
"I'm not," Amanda insisted.
Caleb yawned. "I am," he admitted.
Natalie took the still protesting little girl's hand and led her toward the front gates.
"How about we stop at a candy shop on our way out?" Robert offered in order to placate the child.
Amanda thought a moment before agreeing. "I want a Mickey Mouse all day sucker."
Robert was about to agree but Natalie met his eyes and shook her head. "You need to choose something else for tonight," Robert told both children. "The sucker would take too long to eat."
Amanda's lip protruded.
"We'll get the suckers for tomorrow," Robert put in quickly. He didn't want to deal with the child throwing a fit in the middle of Disney Land.
Amanda happily chose a sucker before choosing a chocolate candy bar with Donald Duck on it for the car ride. Caleb sleepily chose the same candy as his cousin.
Caleb fell asleep before they were even out of the parking lot. His head thrown back against his car seat and his still wrapped candy bar in his hand.
Amanda finished her candy bar before she too succumbed to sleep.
Natalie covered her mouth as she yawned; it had been an exhausting day.
Robert smiled as he yanked his Mouse Ears off with one hand and handed them to his wife.
"Thank you," Natalie whispered softly.
"You're welcome," Robert answered. It hadn't been as bad as he had thought. He had seen many, many other people wearing the ears.
"That was fun," Natalie said after a few minutes.
"Yes," Robert admitted. He usually had fun with Natalie's niece and nephew.
Natalie was silent for several minutes. "Have you ever thought about having children?" she finally asked.
Robert thought for several minutes. He hadn't really given much thought to that question. "Not really," he finally answered.
"Oh." More silence. "Do you like spending time with Amanda and Caleb?"
Robert nodded silently.
Natalie finally got to the point of the conversation. "I want a child," she said so quietly that he barely heard her.
"A child," Robert repeated. He thought for several minutes before speaking again. "Are you sure this is the time Nattie? You are running the shop and I'm a Resident."
"I'll always be running the shop," Natalie told him. "And you will probably always work long hours. If we wait, we might not ever have a child."
She was right, Robert admitted to himself. "Okay," he finally agreed.
"Okay?" she repeated.
"Yes."
Natalie leaned over to kiss Robert's cheek.
********
Robert wiped a stray tear away as he stared at the picture of Natalie, Amanda, Caleb, and himself with Mickey Mouse.
Natalie had been so happy that day. He had been so happy that day. They had always been happy when they were together. They had very rarely argued and never about anything important. They had had as perfect a marriage as was possible.
He wished that he had known what was going to happen. Maybe he could have stopped it. Or maybe he could have stopped the pain by withdrawing from Natalie. Maybe he wouldn't have had to deal with the heartache, fear, worry, and accusations then.
His head jerked up when his door opened loudly.
"What do you want?" he demanded.
Kerrie stepped farther into the room. He was in an even worse mood then usual. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
"No," he answered curtly.
"Fine. I need you to sign this," she handed him a piece of paper.
Robert grabbed a pen. Apparently, this was the only way to get rid of her. He signed it without even reading a word on the page.
Kerrie watched him curiously. This was not the Robert she knew. He would never have signed something like that without knowing what it was. Something was definitely wrong.
She stood up. "I'll be downstairs. If you want to talk to someone, let me know." She left before he could snap at her again.
***********
Title: Burning Memories
Author: Catgurl83
Feedback: I love feedback. My e-mail address is catgurl83@yahoo.com
Rating: PG. 13
Author's note: Flashbacks are marked; everything else is current day.
Thanks to Alex for beta reading this for me.
***********
Robert stepped into the hospital and immediately headed toward the elevator.
"Robert!" Kerrie called out as she hurried after him, her cane clicking against the linoleum floor.
Robert stepped into the elevator and turned to face Kerrie. "Not now," he snapped seconds before the door slid shut.
The elevator stopped and he stepped out. He walked quickly down the hall towards his office, ignoring the few people that he past.
He walked past his assistant and let the door slam shut behind him.
He sat silently at his desk for several minutes before wrenching his bottom desk drawer open. He shuffled through the papers inside until he found the picture he wanted.
He stared down at the old photo as he tumbled back through time.
**********
Flashback
**********
"Come on Robert, we are going to be late," Natalie called out.
Robert stared at himself in the mirror. "I'm not wearing this," he called through the bathroom door.
Natalie opened the door and stepped into the room. She choked back her laugh at the sight of him. "I love it," she proclaimed as she kissed his cheek.
Robert could hear the laughter in his wife of three month's voice. "Do I have to wear this?"
"Yes," Natalie answered before grabbing his arm. "Come on. Caleb and Amanda are waiting for us downstairs."
Caleb and Amanda were spending a week with them while both sets of parents were out of town.
Robert sighed as he followed his wife out of the room and down the stairs.
As they walked into the room, both children looked up. Amanda laughed out loud. "You look silly Uncle Robert," she announced.
"Thanks," Robert grumbled at his wife. "Now your niece is making fun of me."
Amanda approached him. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings Uncle Robert. You look nice in a silly way."
"You'll fit right in," Nattie assured him. "Besides, all of us are wearing the shirts."
It was true: all of them were wearing shirts with Mickey Mouse on them. But only Robert was wearing Mouse Ears.
Caleb joined them near the door. "Ill get a pair too," he offered kindly.
Robert smiled at the sweet little boy.
The children chatted excitedly during the whole ride to Disney Land. Robert did his best to tune out their zealous discussion about the best rides.
He parked at Disney Land and he and Nattie each took a child's hand in their own for the long walk from the parking lot to the park itself.
Their hands were stamped with yellow florescent ink.
Amanda and Caleb practically dragged Robert and a laughing Natalie into the theme park. Caleb, who had never been there before, stood still looking wide-eyed at his surroundings. "Wow," the boy finally said in amazement.
"What do you want to do first?" Natalie asked an impatient Amanda.
"It's a Small World," Amanda announced cheerfully.
Robert groaned. She had to choose that ride.
Natalie laughed at her husband's reaction. "It isn't that bad," she whispered to him as they headed toward the ride.
"Yes it is," Robert disagreed. The song would probably be playing in his head for the rest of the day.
They joined the short line for the ride. A few minutes later they were directed to a boat. Amanda quietly sang along with the song as she swiveled this way and that to watch all of the dolls. Caleb sat next to Robert watching the singing dolls bemusedly.
They had barely climbed out of the boat when Amanda started dragging them through the park again. This time she wanted to ride in the Tea Cups.
Robert couldn't help but smile as the two children and Natalie all squealed with delight as the Tea Cup they were in spun faster and faster. They were having a great time.
They walked through the park and Caleb pointed to the Pirates of the Caribbean. "I want to ride that," the little boy stated.
Robert groaned when he looked at the long line. This was going to take a while.
The children laughed hysterically at the humorous pirates. Natalie didn't find the ride amusing. She never had. Robert tended to agree with her. He really didn't know why this ride was so popular.
They were drenched on Splash Mountain.
They laughed as they watched the Country Bear Jamboree.
They squealed in fake fear as they made their way through the Haunted Mansion.
"Are you ready to get dinner?" Robert asked several hours later.
"Yep," Caleb answered.
"Okay," Amanda answered, turning from side to side so that she didn't miss anything going on around them.
They found a pizza place and ordered a large cheese pizza since Natalie didn't eat meat.
About half way through her first slice of pizza, Amanda jumped up. "There's Cinderella." She ran toward the Princess. Robert sighed as he followed the child. Children could be very tiring. He snapped two pictures of Amanda with Cinderella before Natalie convinced Caleb to join them. The little boy posed for one picture before running back to his aunt.
After they finished eating, they continued through the park.
They speed through Autopia.
They climbed the Swiss Family Tree House.
They rode the carousal.
They laughed as they rode Thunder Mountain.
Caleb and Amanda had their picture taken with Snow White, Winnie the Pooh, Donald Duck, and Peter Pan. They made Natalie and Robert join them for a picture with Mickey Mouse. Robert grumbled but he really didn't mind.
Robert finally glanced down at his watch. It was getting dark. "We should find a spot on Main Street for the Light Parade."
After several minutes, they found a good spot to watch the parade from.
The children oohed and aahed throughout the entire show. They loved it.
As the parade was ending, Amanda tried to hide a yawn but Natalie saw it. "I think that's it," she said quietly. "Time to go."
"Aw, Aunt Nattie. I'm not tired," Amanda objected. She yawned again.
Robert raised an eyebrow. "I think you are."
"I'm not," Amanda insisted.
Caleb yawned. "I am," he admitted.
Natalie took the still protesting little girl's hand and led her toward the front gates.
"How about we stop at a candy shop on our way out?" Robert offered in order to placate the child.
Amanda thought a moment before agreeing. "I want a Mickey Mouse all day sucker."
Robert was about to agree but Natalie met his eyes and shook her head. "You need to choose something else for tonight," Robert told both children. "The sucker would take too long to eat."
Amanda's lip protruded.
"We'll get the suckers for tomorrow," Robert put in quickly. He didn't want to deal with the child throwing a fit in the middle of Disney Land.
Amanda happily chose a sucker before choosing a chocolate candy bar with Donald Duck on it for the car ride. Caleb sleepily chose the same candy as his cousin.
Caleb fell asleep before they were even out of the parking lot. His head thrown back against his car seat and his still wrapped candy bar in his hand.
Amanda finished her candy bar before she too succumbed to sleep.
Natalie covered her mouth as she yawned; it had been an exhausting day.
Robert smiled as he yanked his Mouse Ears off with one hand and handed them to his wife.
"Thank you," Natalie whispered softly.
"You're welcome," Robert answered. It hadn't been as bad as he had thought. He had seen many, many other people wearing the ears.
"That was fun," Natalie said after a few minutes.
"Yes," Robert admitted. He usually had fun with Natalie's niece and nephew.
Natalie was silent for several minutes. "Have you ever thought about having children?" she finally asked.
Robert thought for several minutes. He hadn't really given much thought to that question. "Not really," he finally answered.
"Oh." More silence. "Do you like spending time with Amanda and Caleb?"
Robert nodded silently.
Natalie finally got to the point of the conversation. "I want a child," she said so quietly that he barely heard her.
"A child," Robert repeated. He thought for several minutes before speaking again. "Are you sure this is the time Nattie? You are running the shop and I'm a Resident."
"I'll always be running the shop," Natalie told him. "And you will probably always work long hours. If we wait, we might not ever have a child."
She was right, Robert admitted to himself. "Okay," he finally agreed.
"Okay?" she repeated.
"Yes."
Natalie leaned over to kiss Robert's cheek.
********
Robert wiped a stray tear away as he stared at the picture of Natalie, Amanda, Caleb, and himself with Mickey Mouse.
Natalie had been so happy that day. He had been so happy that day. They had always been happy when they were together. They had very rarely argued and never about anything important. They had had as perfect a marriage as was possible.
He wished that he had known what was going to happen. Maybe he could have stopped it. Or maybe he could have stopped the pain by withdrawing from Natalie. Maybe he wouldn't have had to deal with the heartache, fear, worry, and accusations then.
His head jerked up when his door opened loudly.
"What do you want?" he demanded.
Kerrie stepped farther into the room. He was in an even worse mood then usual. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
"No," he answered curtly.
"Fine. I need you to sign this," she handed him a piece of paper.
Robert grabbed a pen. Apparently, this was the only way to get rid of her. He signed it without even reading a word on the page.
Kerrie watched him curiously. This was not the Robert she knew. He would never have signed something like that without knowing what it was. Something was definitely wrong.
She stood up. "I'll be downstairs. If you want to talk to someone, let me know." She left before he could snap at her again.
***********