Rick hadn't slept well the previous night, which was perhaps the reason he had fallen asleep on the couch watching interdimensional cable. The sound of the doorbell rang throughout the house, awakening him from his slumber. He groaned as he rubbed his eyes and got up to answer the door. As soon as he had opened it, his granddaughter had thrown himself into his arms, crying, "Grandpa! I've missed you!"
He closed his arms around Summer and pulled her tight. Though he would never admit it, it felt really good. A smile crept over his face as he looked down at her orange hair. "I've missed you too, Summer," he admitted. "Please, come in," he said, moving aside so she could enter the house.
Liz was walking out of the kitchen, cup of coffee in hand when she spotted Summer. A wide grin spread over her face. "Summer! Good to see you," she greeted.
"You too," Summer replied. "I'm really glad you're here."
It didn't take a genius to figure out that she meant for Morty. Because without her, Morty would be going through his attempted suicide on his own. A fresh wave of guilt washed over him as he caught the sad look in Summer's eyes. He hadn't meant to cause so much pain. That was the opposite of what he wanted. He had just wanted to end his own.
"Summer! You're here!" Morty called excitedly, rushing from the kitchen to give his sister a hug. Rick didn't miss the way she held on tighter than normal.
Rick knew he had to do something to lift the grief in this room. His mind wandered through the many dimensions, trying to think of somewhere beautiful and (relatively) harmless. He smiled slightly as he pictured the perfect place. "Well kids, now that we're all here, why don't we take a little trip?"
He didn't miss the way all three of the college students' eyes lit up in excitement. "I've missed our trips," Summer commented.
"Where are we going?" Morty asked.
Rick gave a sly smile as he pulled out his portal gun. "You'll see," he said. He shot open a portal and quickly ran through it. Behind him, he could here the three college students anxiously follow him and gasp in wonder. This dimension was just as beautiful as he remembered it.
They had landed in a meadow covered in pink flowers. Rick turned to see the three kids looking around in amazement. He smiled, glad that he could still make his grandkids and Liz happy. "If you think this is beautiful, just wait until you see what I really brought you here to see," he said.
He could tell the three were dying to ask what if was he wanted to show them, but they kept their mouths shut.
After all, that would ruin the mystery. He led the way through the meadow of flowers, turning around every once in a while to make sure the kids were still following him. Summer's excited giggling echoed through his ears, and it was only then that he realized he had missed that sound. He couldn't blame Summer for staying away from Beth and Jerry's fights, but he had missed her.
At some point, Morty and Liz had fallen behind, and Summer had caught up to him. After a few minutes of just walking in silence, she turned nervously to him and asked, "So, how are you feeling?"
"Good," Rick replied dismissively. He had never been one to talk about his feelings, and he wasn't about to start now.
"The truth, Grandpa," Summer pressed, and Rick turned to look her in the eyes. The fear and sadness he saw there was enough to send another rush of guilt through his body. He sighed. He really was getting tired of those.
Rick maintained eye contact and replied, "I'm doing better than before."
Summer smiled, and her eyes began to glow with love, making Rick slightly uncomfortable. "Good," she said. "Because I can't lose my grandpa. Not yet anyways."
After clearing his throat, Rick went back to staring in front of him. He wondered if this was how Morty had felt four years ago, with everyone fussing and worrying over him. It was an uncomfortable feeling, but deep down Rick had to admit it was also heartwarming. When he had downed those sleeping pills, he had truly believed that he wasn't needed, but since then, Morty and Summer had pulled through for him in a big way. It was about time he started to show his appreciation for the kids who added meaning to his life. He hoped this was a start.
Finally, they reached the edge of a cliff. Rick sat down with his feet dangling over the side and pat the ground next to him. Morty and Summer sat on opposite sides of him while Liz stayed by Morty. "So," Morty began. "What'd you bring us here for?"
Rick smiled with anticipation. The sun had almost set, and darkness was taking over the sky. The first few stars began to twinkle. He heard Summer gasp at its beauty, and Rick smiled even more. "Just wait for it," he instructed.
Suddenly, a flash of light streaked across the sky, too close to be a shooting star. Summer gasped again, and Morty asked, "Whoa! What is that?"
Rick's smile widened as he put his arms around his grandchildren's shoulders. "That is a giant firefly, native to this planet," he explained. "And it just so happens to be mating season, so we'll see plenty more where that came from."
Both Morty and Summer leaned into him, and Rick's heart grew warm. For a man who felt so unwanted only days ago, he couldn't be feeling anymore loved. He blinked back the tears threatening to spill over as he leaned back and watched the lights flicker across the sky.
By the time they got home, Morty was exhausted. He kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto the couch, not even bothering to change. Now that Summer was home, he had let Liz take his room. He pulled a warm blanket up around himself, fully preparing to fall into the sweet embrace of sleep when he heard footsteps.
Morty suppressed a groan, but only because he knew it was Rick. Who else would be up at this time of night? "Can I help you with something?" Morty asked, his voice sleepy, still not opening his eyes.
"No, actually," Rick said quietly. "I just wanted to talk."
If it had been anyone else, Morty would have told them to piss off and leave him alone, but this was Rick. His grandpa needed him. So, Morty brought himself up into a sitting position and offered Rick the other side.
His grandpa sat down with an odd look in his eyes. He hesitated before speaking. "Morty, I just want you to know that I'm really sorry."
"For what?" Morty asked, rubbing his sleepy eyes. "Tonight was amazing."
"Not about tonight," Rick replied, a nervous tone in his voice. "About a couple of days ago, when I..." He struggled to finish the sentence.
"When you tried to kill yourself?" Morty supplied.
Rick swallowed hard. "Yeah. That," he said. "I didn't realize how much I was going to hurt everybody. I never wanted to cause that kind of pain."
"Rick," Morty gently interrupted. "I've been where you are. I know what it's like. And you have nothing to be sorry for. Hell, even if you did, you'd be forgiven one-hundred percent."
His grandpa actually looked like he was holding back tears, which surprised Morty, but lately Rick had been more emotional than normal. "You're a good kid, you know that right?" Rick asked.
Morty gave a soft smile and replied, "Yeah. I know." He didn't bother telling Rick that he was technically an adult now because in Rick's mind, Morty would always be a kid, and Morty was okay with that because that's what Rick needed. And in a way, it was true. When it came to their adventures, he hadn't lost his sense of childlike wonder, nor did he ever cease to be amazed by his grandpa. "If anything, we're the ones who should be sorry," he continued.
Rick furrowed his brows in confusion. "Why?" he asked, genuinely confused.
The boy suppressed a sigh. He knew the dark place Rick was in, and he knew that it was clouding his mind. "We weren't there for you, and we should have been," Morty clarified. "But for what it's worth, we're here now."
"Thank you," Rick whispered. By this point, Morty could tell he was definitely holding back tears.
Suddenly, Morty bridged the gap between the two and wrapped his arms around Rick. He heard his grandpa sniffle as he returned the hug. "I love you," Morty said sternly. "Don't ever forget that."
"I love you too," Rick replied. He pulled away from the hug. "I should go. You look exhausted. I'm sorry for disturbing you so late."
Rick got up to leave, but before he could make it very far, Morty said, "Don't be. I'm here for you whenever you need me."
His grandpa turned his head slightly, and Morty could see a smile on his face, which caused Morty to smile too. He settled back into the couch as he watched his grandpa walk up to his room. Morty was starting to feel hope that Rick was going to be okay.