This is it. You will know what Amy decides by chapters end.
On a better note... I've been in a writing frenzy for the past month or so and have written 5 chapters staright. This is the third one in the stack. I'm debating on releasing the rest of them all at one time or not since there is still quite a bit of this story to go. It's over 25 chapters and this is chapter 17? There is still alot more to get to!
"I'm serious, I can handle it." Jack stated, placing the mug back on the table, eyeing him, "I just have to tell coach I won't be at practice"
Waving his hand in dismissal, "Thanks, but I think I'm perfectly capable of going myself. Besides - " Ricky took a sip, and pushed the chair back to stand, "I've got to go anyway, I gotta get to the nursery before I go to the airport"
"Does she know you're going to be there?"
"That's what makes it a surprise." He tapped his knuckles against the table, a smile coming to his face, "John's going to be so happy when she steps off the plane!"
"Now when mommy comes out, you're going to give her these, okay?" He instructed, handing John a small bundle of flowers nestled inside of crate paper, rolling the stroller to a stop by a desolate chair, as the toddler climbed up them to get a better view, beaming, shaking the flowers as he watched the busy airport goers flood in and out of their destined terminals.
28 minutes later
"Daddyyyy, where is mommyyy?" John whined, now sitting on his bottom, the flowers falling from his palms, onto the floor.
Picking them up, Ricky placed them on the stroller hood, pushing it back and forth slowly to calm the irritable infant down after a round of peek-a-boo, and a handleful of cheerios failed, "She's coming buddy. She'll be here" He ran his fingers over the top of his son's head, knowing he was getting as restless as he was.
After another 20 minutes of waiting, and watching the terminal Amy was supposed to exit from over an hour ago, he sighed and pointed at the stroller, "Sit right here with Emma, okay? Don't move. I'll be right back."
Taking the 16 steps to the nearest ticket station, Ricky tapped his knuckles roughly against the marble, and cleared his throat until one of the attendees came into view. "Excuse me - I need to check when the flight from New York is supposed to land?"
A short blonde with pink streaks on the tips, lifted her eyes lazily, tapping a button before turning again.
He let out a deep exhale through his nose, aggravation taking over as she popped her gum and continued to tap on a keyboard. Putting his left palm flat on the counter, he spoke again, "Flight 578 from New York. I need to know when it will land."
Tapping a few more times, she popped her gum again, "That flight landed 4 hours ago."
His brow furrowed, "No, that's impossible I called my wife when she was boarding - it's supposed to be here by 6"
"It boarded early. Landed four hours and fourteen minutes ago -" She turned the screen to show him - the red line over the flight number with the words Arrived in black and white. "It's right here."
He felt the tug of his pant leg, "Daddyyyy!"
"Anything else?" She rose a brow, peeking over the counter at the tiny child.
He shook his head, "No," taking hold of his son's hand, and turning on his boot heel, "No, that's all, thanks."
Returning John to the seat, Ricky glanced inside the stroller at Emma gnawing on a purple teething ring. John raised his hand, pulling it out of his dad's grasp to scratch his cheek, and looked around again before lifting his eyes up, "Where mommy?" Taking hold of his hand again, Ricky placed it on the stroller handle. "Where mommy, daddy?" John asked again, quieter as he was being led down a narrow walkway.
He ignored his question, too confused and angry to answer without raising his voice, instead choosing to shuffle his feet along side the boy, and take slow breaths in and out of his nose in an attempt to combat his rising temper, "It doesn't matter, c'mon we're going home." Throwing the small bundle of flowers into a nearby trashcan.
"Is there anyone I can call for you?" A short brunette nurse asked sadly, her pink attire showing a small spot of the evidence.
She shook her head, tearfully, her back heaving as she cried atop the table. The girl put a hand to her back, moving it in a slow circle, "I'll be back with your discharge paperwork shortly..."
The door closed like a vacuum; trapping Amy within the gray walls, and the cold table, left broken and alone.
The device by her thigh began to vibrate, Ricky's face popping onto the screen with his number following. She stared at it, closing her eyes and biting her lip so hard it drew blood, before opening them again. His smile spanned his entire face, his brown eyes light and happy; tearing open the wound she was slowly starting to close. It appeared again, the vibrating relentless before it stopped altogether and his face disappeared.
Gathering the device in her hands, she clicked the button, bringing it, and the image of their smiling family, to life. Zeroing in on his face again, she traced the picture; a dark red seeping into her skin, staining under her fingernails in a cruel reminder of why she was sitting there, alone.
The thought was too much to bare, as she took another glance, before hurling the device across the room; the loud crunch signifying she had hit something that caused damage.
Hopping off the table, she saw that it did do just that - as the once smooth screen shattered: the once perfect picture of their happy lives, now fractured into several small slivers; mirroring the way her heart was breaking as she hit her knees, bent down, and wept loudly over its - and their - broken pieces.
"And they lived happily ever after..." He whispered softly, closing the purple book with the flick of his thumb. Johns hand twitched against his leg, while Emma's snores tickled the bottom of his jaw that she pressed herself against.
A buzz from his jeans caused him to jolt slightly, hoping with a held breath that it wasn't enough to wake either one of them as he pulled it from his pocket and pressed it to his ear, "Hello?"
"Hey, you home? I'm coming over to see Amy - got something I want to show you." George's voice sounded happy, like nothing was wrong: his daughter shattered Ricky's world, and he was happy?
Swallowing the lump forming in his throat, Ricky pressed the phone deeper into his cheek, "You can come by George, but it's just me. Amy's not here."
"What do you mean she's not there? Her flight got back hours ago - she called me."
"Yeah well... she played everyone. She never boarded a flight back." He sniffled, "She didn't call when she landed because she never did. She wouldn't be on the plane, and she knew it"
He sighed, "Ricky I - "
"I have to go." He quickly rushed off the phone, swiping at the tears running down his cheeks.
10 minutes later
"There you go" Ricky's voice was soft, barely above a whisper, making sure she was content in the crib before he walked away. Emma hiccuped twice, stirring with a small but audible whine, drawing his attention back to her as he leaned in and tucked a loose curl behind her tiny ear, a small smile coming to his face as he brushed her forehead gently with the pad of his thumb, "We'll be okay, baby girl - promise"
Taking a seat on the floor, she buried her head in her hands, drawing her knees up to her chest as she hiccupped and struggled to breath through her tears: alone, in the dark, sheltering her heartbreak after trying - and failing - to remove the dark red splotches that stained her nail beds; the sickening reminder of what happened.
She didn't hear the door click, nor the footsteps that followed - the sound of her heart shattering inside her chest the only thing her ears would absorb.
"Woah - you look like hell" Emery stated flatly, gliding across the carpet in a swift motion. Her brow creased at the sight of her, "everything okay?" Concern laced through when she lifted her eyes and saw how swollen and puffy they were "Did you -"
Amy nodded slowly, struggling to release a breath without shaking and crying again. Emery's eyes softened, taking a seat next to her, "Oh. I'm sorry"
"I had -" Amy started after several seconds of silence between them, gulping before continuing, "I had to let him go."
Emery put her hand to her shoulder, "Do you wanna talk about it?" Amy sniffled, shaking her head and covering her face with her palms.
After five minutes of hearing her friend cry, Emery put a hand to her knee, "Well then I know the perfect cure for heartbreak - c'mon" and rose to stand, tugging her shirt down, "C'mon, let's go, get up. We're going out tonight!"
Amy stared up at her, struggling to keep her face from contorting in disgust as she shook her head again and Emery tugged harder on her arm, to which she swatted away twice before whining out like John often did, "I don't want toooo!"
The place was dark, and a pungent sour smell wafted through the air, causing her to wrinkle her nose and glance around the dingy club littered in bodies pressed tightly against each other on a small slab of concrete that flashed from blue, to yellow, to red, with disgust. The red making her breath hitch.
"Ax - yo, Ax!" Emery shouted across the bar loudly, plugging her left ear from the loud thumping coming from the speaker located a few feet away
The guy, who had blue and green spiked hair along with a neck tattoo of three black birds, nodded and shoved two small glasses over with his fingertips, "Two typhoons, salted rim" nodding his chin in her direction, "one for your friend"
Emery waved her hand dismissively, shaking her head as she glanced at Amy cautiously, "Just me. She's not like that."
Amy took a seat on the stool apprehensively, the sticky leather rubbing against her skin uncomfortably. The fake smile she plastered on her face, shileding the onlookers from the blank stare she was giving, and the tsunami of pain she was struggling to hide as she watched the single cube of ice sink to the bottom of the glass; the small and sad words from the burnette in pink ripping through her like a blade, "It was nobody's fault, dear."
Without thinking, she grabbed the glass and tipped it back; the pain being replaced by a vile burn before she shot it further and slammed the glass on the counter.
Emery's eyes widened, mouth agape, "Whoa!"
Shutting off the light, he heard something in the distance - what sounded like a faint, small, knock coming from the front door.
Holding a breath he quickly, but quietly, sprinted over to it, ripping the door open to find nobody on the other side. He released the breath, his heartbeat rising at the sight of the small envelope addressed to him lying on the doormat.
Stiring at the noise, John lifted his head off the cushion, eyes barely open as he mumbled tiredly, "Mommy..."
Leaving the envelope in its spot, Ricky stepped to the sofa, picking his son's small frame up with ease, "It's time for bed, buddy" and carting him into the bedroom. John mumbled again, nuzzling into his chest before he laid him down on the mattress, lingering over him with admiration as he whispered into his ear, "and they lived happily ever after," placing a kiss on his forehead, "so will we" a single tear falling from his glassy eyes down his jaw.
"SOS? Really?" Adam shouted through the packed space, plugging his right ear with his finger as he held up his phone. Emery nodded, pointing to the dance floor - Amy was hanging on some guy, barely able to stand as he grinded into her, too oblivious and wasted to care. Adam's brow furrowed, watching the scene, "What happened?"
Emery was about to respond when Amy stumbled, nearly missing a table, and a girl getting up from it, on her way over.
"Heyyyy youuu!" Amy slurred, practically catapulting into him, her eyes widening, giggling as she grabbed his arm. Adam kept a firm grip on her elbow, trying to keep her upright and from falling on her face. She giggled again, tracing his jaw with her index finger, visibly wasted, "dance with me!"
Emery rolled her eyes and put her glass down on the counter, brushing past them both.
Letting her lead him to the dance floor, Adam kept his hands on her arms, fearing that if he let go, she'd fall backwards. Removing his hands, Amy got closer, pressing her body into his as the song changed.
He pursed his lips, "Amy, we shouldn't-" He was stopped by her lips against his, eyes enlarging as he pulled away, his breath quickening, "Your ring -"
She pressed her lips to his again, moving her hand to the back of his head as she moved into him further, closing any existing space between them as her other hand ran along the opening of his leather jacket. The familiarity of the fabric against her fingertips shot a pain through her as Ricky floated into her mind.
"I still can't believe they charge $16 for a sandwhich!" He chuckled, shaking his head in both amusement and disbelief. She was oddly quiet, as they strolled down the brick walkway. "Amy?" He nudged her arm a few times, "Amy? Hey, Ames -"
She snapped her head up, seemingly oblivious to anything he had just said, "Sorry - what did you say?"
"Are you cold?" Ricky saw her wrap her hands around her arms, shivering against the late October air. Amy shrugged again, allowing him to wrap her shoulders up inside his jacket he'd taken off, a small smile coming to her lips, "Thanks"
They stopped on a light colored brick, his lip tipping up, swiping some hair behind her ear with his fingers, "No problem." Her eyes shifted prompting him to ask, "What's up? You've been silent since we left the restaurant."
Amy sighed, a tear rolling down her cheek, "Do you ever think about the future? About you and me?" Sniffling, "Do you ever think about where we'll be in 5 years? If we'll even still be together?
He swallowed, wanting so badly to make a joke, or a snarky comment because he felt uncomfortable having this conversation.
Taking a few seconds to ponder the question, he took her hands, staring into her dark eyes that were clouded by tears, before taking a deep breath and nodding, "Yeah, yeah I do, Amy." Sighing, he reached up and wiped the tears away from her left cheek, kissing her forehead, "I love you - you know I love you, but... why do we have to think about the future right now? I want to just live in the now. Right now. Today. Today is all that matters to me because I have you."
He blinked back a tear threatening to fall from his lashes, understanding why she was so adamant on the answer given how tragedy had struck their circle just 2 weeks prior. That night breaking something inside both of them as their friend's world shattered, and their world started to blossom into something more.
She sniffled again, bringing him out of his thoughts. "I know why you want to know... but we're not them Amy."
She nodded, shrinking more into the jacket, "I don't want to lose you, Ricky... I can't." Her voice became shaky, closing her eyes as the tears fell from them, "I just want you, and our son - I want us to be a family forever."
He nodded slowly, bringing her into his embrace, squeezing her tightly against his chest as she cried, and he kissed her hair, "You're never going to lose me, Amy. I'm here for you and for John, always. Promise." She bit her lip, breathing in his scent as she grasped onto him, the leather rubbing against her fingertips as she craned her neck and pressed her lips to his.
Amy pulled away, bringing her lips to Adam's ear as she whispered seductively, "Wanna have some fun..." pulling on the collar of his faded Pierce The Viel t-shirt as she took shaky footsteps off the dance floor and led them down a hallway.
The door hit with a loud thud, her boot kicking it closed as she clicked the brass deadbolt, locking them inside.
His eyes raked over her, pinning her to the wall with his hands pressed into her waist. Taking his jaw in her hand, she started kissing him again with more passion; pushing his body further away from the door with her own until they bumped against the row of sinks and she hopped up on them.
Adam moaned into her mouth, no hesitancy as he pressed further into her; the dress she was wearing slightly too short as it hiked up and her legs opened, closing the gap between them. He mumbled something before dipping his head down to her neck.
Amy closed her eyes for a second, too numb inside to stop him - this is what she needed: this was the way to put Ricky away once and for all.
Her head tilted back, giving him more access like she knew Ricky always liked. The flower tattoo on Adam's hand shined against the dingy light as it traveled up and down her inner thigh with his long and rough calloused fingers. His kisses were quick and sloppy, sucking on the spot right above her pulse point.
She moaned anyway, the entire time gluing her eyes to the dark tiles of the ceiling, envisioning someone else. Someone she loved more than anyone, but also hated more than anyone. Dark eyes clouded with a mixture of love and lust; lips soft, and skin silky against hers; curls damp with sweat but somehow still managed to smell like mint and honey. Ricky.
Moaning softly into his arm that was pinned under her, she blinked a few times, taking in her surroundings and rolling onto her other side.
His head was lolled to the left, chin pressed into his shoulder as he snored lightly from his barely parted lips.
She smiled at him adoringly, craning her neck up to press her lips against his. He smirked into her kiss, keeping his eyes closed as he felt her body start to shift over his, and her teeth drag his bottom lip down. He blinked tiredly, his smirk becoming bigger at her seductive "Good morning" pressing his mouth against hers to keep the contact going.
She didn't object, straddling his torso as she sat on top of him, caressing his face with both of her hands.
His hands moved to her exposed waist, gripping her hips with his fingers as he started to roll them over, now lying her on her back as he dipped his bare chest against her to give him better access.
"Now it is" Ricky chuckled in a husky whisper, pressing his lips to her skin as he nursed her neck, delighted by the tiny moans coming from her as she ravaged his hair with her fingers. "Kids up yet?"
Shaking her head, "not yet - I don't think they've ever been alseep this long at the same time," Amy craned her neck slightly to the right to check on them.
"Guess they knew mommy and daddy needed some alone time." He continued, tapping a finger against her bra strap, "think we have time for another round before they wake up?"
She pushed on his biceps, "You're persistent this morning"
"Am I?" He cocked a brow, drawing the corner of his lip between his teeth
She nodded, flipping her bangs back with her fingers, leaning into him, "I didn't say I didn't like it though..." pressing her mouth against his again, allowing his tongue to massage hers as his right hand cupped her face. She sighed into his mouth before pulling away slightly, "I'm really sorry for the way things have been these past few months"
Ricky's forehead creased, before he let out a small chuckle "I think you made up for that last night."
Amy giggled under her breath, pushing on his chest playfully, "I'm serious. I know I've been really horrible to be around -" eyes shifting down as the smile faded from her lips, and she whispered, "especially to you -"
His eyes shifted to meet hers, finding her left hand and threading his fingers through hers, "You don't have to apologize for anything, Amy. You literally brought a small human into the world -" his voice was soft, squeezing her palm lightly, "that alone gives you the right to be a little crazy" She bit her top lip, a single tear making its way down it. He brushed it away with the pad of his thumb, kissing her again with more fevour.
A small, muffled whimper cut through, signifying the end of their quiet morning.
He groaned, pausing with his fingertips pressed against the base of her throat, "Any chance we could ignore that for a few more mintues?" Amy's eyebrow raise told him his answer as be blew air from his cheeks dramatically and threw his head back.
"I love you, you know that?" Her hand lingered on his bicep
Ricky rolled his eyes at her, tilting his head as he stood up, "I was going to get her anyway," chuckling before leaning back down and pecking her lips with his, a sweet smile coming to his face, "love you too"
The whimper grew into a merciless cry for attention, Emma's small arms and legs pumping and batting inside the playpen. Planting his feet firmly on the carpeted floor, Ricky leaned in and picked her up, propping her against his shoulder to quiet her cries, as she toothlessly gummed his skin. He chuckled again, spinning them around, and taking slow steps towards the bed. "Somebody wants mommy." Emma grunted in response.
Amy giggled, craning up and over to kiss Emma's forehead, "Hi, baby girl!" Before putting her hands out, accepting the squirmy baby from him.
"Good Mwor-ning!" John squeaked, trying his best to move off the bed that was a little too high off the ground for him to jump down. His tiny brow furrowed before jumping onto his bottom and turning onto his stomach, sliding down to the floor.
Gurgling along with their daughter as she grabbed at and pulled on her bra to get her breakfast, Amy glanced over at Ricky, "Guess we'll have to take a raincheck on that alone time."
Ricky sighed playfully, helping his son who was trying desperately to climb onto the bed they were all occupying.
John plowed into the bedding, crawling up towards the headboard, careful of his baby sister in his mother's arms. Stumbling from his foot getting caught in the sheet, he grasped onto Ricky's shoulder, hard, causing him to wince at the tiny razors of the boys fingernails digging into his skin.
"This is nice - Comfy"
The sarcastic lilt in his tone getting her attention, as Amy reached for his hand, "It's perfect." Mouthing I love you.
Ricky's eyes were soft, watching Amy nurse their daughter, while their son was pressed against his back, head lying against the back of his own, as he mouthed I love you back and smiled at her sweetly, threading his fingers through hers and bringing their intertwined hands to his lips.
The happy memory brought her warmth, but was quickly replaced with the haunting tone, "It was nobody's fault dear... these things happen" The words were spoken, but weren't registering. Not this. Not to them. Not to her.
The room was cold, it's gray walls burning her eyes, as the blank screen mocked her.
A tear slid down her cheek, a small whimper escaping from her throat as her mind tormented her; the image of the still screen too much as she began to cry, "No! No, I can't -" pushed him away, and slid off the sink.
Adam's eyes filled with confusion, "Amy, wait!" Grabbing her arm with his tattooed hand.
Amy couldn't catch her breath, grasping her abdomen tightly as she struggled to speak, "I - I - c-can't" unlocking the door quickly, gasping into her palm.
"I'm so embarrassed" She half chuckled, stumbling against the door frame of the dorm with her hand pressed into her face, throwing her purse across the floor, "I've never had alcohol before - guess now I know why"
His hands were in his pockets as he shrugged, "Don't be. It happens." Letting a few seconds pass, Adam bit his lip and took a step forward, "Did you mean what you said?" His voice was low, eyes to the floor before his head rose up to look at her, tracing the outline of his tattoo with his other index finger, "About your relationship ending...?"
Opening and closing her mouth quickly, Amy sighed, keeping her eyes on her shoes, "It's complicated..."
He shrugged again, "Well if you ever want to talk to someone..." Taking out a slip of paper from his pocket and handing it to her, "here's my number". Standing there, he waited for her to take it, watching as her hands were hesitant and shaky before she accepted it with a sniffle and silence. Nodding silently, he put his tattooed hand on her arm, his eyes soft, "get some rest"
Sighing against the closed door, Ricky wiped a tear away from his cheek, glancing quickly at the unmade sofa bed before slowly starting to walk to the door: throwing it open and retrieving the envelope from the mat.
It wasn't heavy: one single sheet of paper tucked inside. Ripping it open a fraction, the heart shaped diamond ring fell to the floor with a heartbreaking clink; spinning twice before falling flat.
"It's so cute! I love it!" She beamed, admiring the diamond on her finger, a wide smile on her face as she looked over to him, "I love you... so so so much, Ricky!"
His smile matched hers, eyes squinting and dimples popping out, taking her ringed hand into his and bringing it to his lips.
Amy giggled affectionately, running her other hand along his shoulder, "Can you believe it? I'm pretty sure we were standing right here, in this exact spot, when -"
She was stopped by his lips against hers. Smiling into them, he moved his hands to her waist, pressing her against his old locker in the dingy hallway.
They stayed that way, just caught up in each other, for several more minutes before he pulled away for air.
Chuckling, Ricky smirked before pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "It's Amy, right?" His smirk deepened, "I'm just messin with you...How could I ever forget the night we spent at Bandcamp?"
Her brow furrowed in a moment of confusion before she caught on and bit her bottom lip a little shyly, "Richard Underwood... are you-"
"Wishing I could rewrite history?" Ricky's tone became a little sad as he nodded slowly, "Yes, I am. You deserved better, Amy - you deserved -"
"You?" She cut in, running her nails lightly over the hair by his ears, "I deserved you. And I got you. That's all that matters to me now. I love you." She kissed him again, lighter; their lips sweetly pecking the other.
"Are we interrupting?" George asked from a few steps away, "someone wanted to say goodnight before he went to sleep."
Breaking apart, they both turned, small smiles on their faces as their little boy sleepily yawned and outstretched his arms towards them, "Hey buddy!"
Amy took John into her arms, cradling him against her like she did every night. Like she did every night since he'd been born.
Ricky's gaze went to the boy, but his thoughts went back to that first day he'd saw her in the hallway; the way her eyes shifted to her shoes and she walked away at the sight of him. Unknowing at the time that that gesture was her way of masking her pain; masking the biggest secret, and the biggest blessing both of them had.
That cocky boy who smirked like an asshole when she walked away that day, was now smiling in admiration and love on her holding the only person he loved more than anyone. The thought brought a tear to his eye.
"You okay?" Amy asked softly, touching his forearm, snapping him out of the trance. His nod of a response was enough for her as she went back to their son.
Leaning into his little family, Ricky smiled again and kissed his son's head, whispering softly into his shaggy locks, "This is perfect. I love you"
His jaw twitched watching the ring spin before it stopped, shaking his head as it stayed there, mocking him silently as he ripped the remainder of the seal open and pulled out the slip of notebook paper; her handwriting inked neatly in purple.
"It doesn't matter what I say because I know you're upset with me. I'm not ready yet. I'm not ready to fix something if I can't even decide what I want. But I can't leave you in limbo; I can't leave you with the notion of staying tied to me when I can't give you want you want. So I'm letting you off. You once told me that you'd never ask for the ring back... so I'm giving it to you. I don't expect you to understand, or be happy with this decision, but I'm hoping that in time you'll come to forgive me. I never wanted to hurt you. Please tell John and Emma that I love them, and that I am sorry. I'm so sorry for everything."
He swallowed hard, so hard he started to choke on the lump in his throat and the tears clouding his vision, as he released the page: letting it float to the floor to lay beside the diamond catching the light.
"I'll call you when I get to the airport?" He nodded again, allowing her to fall back into his arms for the last time. She sniffled against his chest.
He stroked her back before pulling away and holding her face between his palms, crying as she touched her forhead to his, "I'm sorry I couldn't fix us, Amy..."
She brought his hands down, into hers, kissing his knuckles lightly, "I know..."
Drawing in a shaky breath, he pulled his phone out, closing his eyes when the cheery message he was so accustomed to hearing, was now replaced by the cold robotic tone of Voicemail Full.
Bringing his bottom lip between his teeth, Ricky grabbed the roots of his curls with his right hand aggressively before picking up the silver band and hurling it in the air.
It hit with a sickening thud against something, but he didn't care. It could have shattered into a million little pieces and he wouldn't have cared because whatever they used to have was over; their life together tossed away like nothing by a single piece of loose leaf paper that his boot had stepped on after throwing the symbol of his love for her, across the room.
The pillow was wet; stained with a mixture of salivia, tears, snot, and mascara, with some bile mixed in. The pain almost too much to bear as the throbbing radiated in her head, and the elephant pressed into her chest, weeping in agony.
The phone buzzed, bringing the image of the happy life she left behind, to her spotty vision. The visible cracks in her children's smiling faces - a time when they were all one happy family - a physical representation of the inside of her chest.
The haunting words came again: the splotches of faint red staining her clammy skin cruely; the painful reason she couldn't deal with seeing his face in her mind. The reason she couldn't look at an image of their life together without falling into despair.
Letting the tears fall like rain down her face, Amy bit her lip and gasped for air again, before bringing the device to her face, and clicking on his name: Ricky's wide smiling face shooting a sharp pain through her chest - because as much as she was dying inside, and wanted him to help her, she still wanted to shield him from having to do so, and from bearing the weight of the crushing despair.
About to press the button, the slip of paper fell from her nightstand, landing on the floor by her shoe.
Picking it up, she brought it to her fingers, staring tearfully between it and the trail of numbers on the screen.
I spent a whole day on my couch, crying into a pillow because of this chapter. It pained me so much to invision, and to act out in order to do it justice. Stay tuned, we're still on the rollercoaster together.