I slammed this out in one week - the company I work for got bought out, and turned over new ownership so they left us with literally nothing to do for 18 days. So I've had time to write: hence this chapter. I'm half done with the next one so look out for that in the upcoming weeks. Also, happy late birthday to me! I had planned to upload this on my birthday, but I got locked out of my account again. So please accept my 2 days later apology.
Her thoughts were scattered and pained, floating freely through the darkness behind her closed eyelids. She twitched slightly, hearing a low thud from somewhere nearby. Groaning out for him, "R-rick-" she paused, taking a moment to cough through the discomfort. Her eyes were still closed, but she heard his scurried footsteps and the cracking in his voice as he whispered "I'm here," while stroking his fingers against her forearm. They were warm against her cold skin.
Another round of rough coughs felt like broken pieces of gravel scrapping against her throat; blinking rapidly to adjust to the darkness of the room. His teaful smile the first thing she saw as he leaned in and placed light kisses on every visible part of her face. The affection was comforting.
"What happened?" Amy was still slightly disoriented and confused: the last thing she remebered was a cry before everything started to get fuzzy. She heard him speak through an intense throbbing on the left side of her head: like someone had hit her with a hammer.
The frown on Ricky's face as he spoke, "You hemorrhaged...during delivery" caused her face to go slack; her eyes tearfully landing on the purple tape bound tightly against his left arm. His eyes traveled with hers, "You were going into shock and losing so much blood - it was awful… I was so scared I was going to lose you... I couldn't let them give up on you, not yet. They were asking for me to let John give you blood; said he was a perfect match...but he's too little and I couldn't - I couldn't let them so… I gave them mine." His swallow was rough, bracing the hand she reached out to him, "I d-didn't care how much they needed; take it all. Anything as long as it brought you back to me. To us."
Craning her neck to pull him to her, felt like she'd smacked into a boulder; a pain so sharp ripping through her right side it nearly took her breath. His eyes widened at her gasp, as she pulled the cover up to examine herself: a thick white patch of gauze tapped heavily above her pelvis, along with the small bandages littered across her abdomen, concerning her, "What's this?"
The gentle pats he placed against her hand signified that it wasn't good. "They took you into emergency surgery - after they kicked me out of the room that is - The doctor said you're appendix ruptured while you were in labor."
Ruptured? Labor? Huh? The swallow was painful, involuntary, fighting back the tears stinging her eyes as she looked into his; the pain and anger behind them, stabbing through her, before she closed them - fearful of the sentence he would utter that would kill her; break her into a million tiny pieces, with a stroke of his thumb across her hand. The dark bruises splayed across his knuckles only adding in her pain as she mumbled weakly, "What about the baby…. is it…"
Without pause, he shook his head quickly, "No..." The air was replenished into her lungs, before it was stolen again by his tearful explanation about their child. "She's uh- she's uh… her odds aren't good. The infection it- it traveled to her lungs while still inside, and - and she's got - she's got a ventilator helping her breathe…"
She... They had a daughter! John had a little sister! She and Ricky created a beautiful little girl!
What if she had his dimples, and her eyes? Or her smile, and his curls? Would she look like John did, or favor one of them more?
Ricky's sniffle, and squeeze of her hand broke the trance: his red and puffy eyes making her heart break at the sounds of his weeping into the still silence, "She's so small..."
The pounding was back, both in her head, and in her heart. Each hiccupping breath he took, breaking a small piece of her.
Reaching for him, his face became fuzzy; blending into the light until he became just a blur. "Ricky?" She mumbled out, reaching for him to no avail as the darkness consumed the room, and he was gone again.
"Hey!" An angry voice shouted from the depths of the dark. "Hey!" Rougher, with a movement, as she was starting to come to. Slowly opening one eye, before closing it at the harshness of the light blinding her, Amy groaned, feeling the tile under her hands, and the fabric encasing her entire body as her head laid flatly against the corner of the porcelain: the dried remnants of her mistake on the corners of her mouth.
"You look like absolute shit" Emery stated bluntly, handing her the large cup of coffee she had in her hands. Amy slowly shook her head, wincing as the tiniest of movement made her skull feel as though someone had stomped on it, and sent her dry heaving into the toilet. Em shrugged, bringing the cup to her own lips.
Gulping back a breath, she struggled to open both eyes, squinting hard as she braced the floor to stand - still slightly disoriented and confused as to what happened that had landed her in the bathroom. Clutching the sheet, that covered her entire body for dear life as it drug the floor with each shaky step, she grasped the sink, quickly splashing water on her face.
Closing her eyes again, the flashes started to come; hazy snippets of his lips pressed against hers: the overwhelming scent of alcohol laced through the rough trail as they brushed hers and his fingers grasped her wrists, closing the space between them. Ben's eyes were clouded, urging her to sit as she held the back of her head - the fuzziness of her vision making it hard to distinguish what was happening. He held her wrists as he kissed her, rougher, pinning his body weight against her half conscious petite frame: her eyes starting to get heavier with each passing second, before a blackness took over and time was lost.
Glancing down, she saw the red marks, on her skin; gulping back the bile at the cruel thoughts plaguing her disheveled mind.
Clutching the sheet tighter, her footsteps were slow, bracing the wall as she came back into the room; body immediately going rigid, and breath catching, at the sight of the stainless steel flask lying on the rug by the bed. It fell from her hands when he kissed her.
Emery's eyes traveled there too, picking it up as she clicked her tongue, "Have fun 'catching up'?" The venom in her tone was evident, her daggers piercing through Amy.
"Did I get drunk and sleep with... Ben?" Amy questioned silently, biting her lip at the pounding in her head. Her eyes squinted roughly, still not able to comprehend what had happened. What was happening.
His breathing was shallow, eyes closed while he was... over her. There was a slight pain in her throat and behind her eyes, before everything went dark again.
"Or did Ben..." No. No. No. She shook her head, unable to hold back as she ran into the bathroom again, and threw up violently into the basin; her thick tears mixing in as she sobbed.
"Mom!" She pounded on the door, trying to hold back the rough sobs trapped in her throat. This wasn't happening. Not like this.
"Mom, open the door please!" Pleading, now with both palms flat against the white wood, she began to cry, weakly choking out, "Mom!" Bracing the frame, and shakily looking for the spare key in her purse. Finding it, Amy sniffled and walked through the room where her mother was staying, clean and organized, like she had already checked out.
"Mom?" She called out again, walking in slow steps around the carpet, before another hazy thought ripped through her mind. Ben was grunting, slurring her name between his alcohol laced lips.
Just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, leaving behind the rise of bile in her throat. Closing her eyes to hold it back, she dropped her purse and ran into the adjacent bathroom on the other side of the room, violently dispelling the contents of her stomach into the pristine porcelain.
Amy took a swig, tilting her head back slightly as the burn cascaded down her throat. It tasted funny on her tongue, the fire different than the fruit or tartness she was used to periodically accepting. Ben didn't seem affected, taking it back from her to finish off the rest of what was left. He'd been buzzed prior to their encounter. The way his lip tipped up and his eyes had a glaze over them, told her that. But it became evident when she stupidly leaned in and kissed him. Her fingertips brushing the flask before it fell to the floor.
Taking in multiple deep breaths through her mouth, she swallowed roughly, grasping the roots of her hair hard. The wall was cold against her back, the shelter of the darkness hiding her disheveled appearance.
"I brought you some gingerale..." Ricky whispered quietly, tiptoeing into their apartment bathroom, and holding out the bottle to her. She shook her head slowly, dry-heaving into the toilet. Without pause, he took her thick dark locks in his hand, and rubbed her back with the other, knowing she was crying while puking. He didn't say anything, just stayed there, watching her - a pained look in his eyes. Pained because she was in distress, and he wanted to help her. Ricky loved her. And the life inside her that was causing her to look utterly disgusting on their bathroom floor.
"I'm sorry -"
"I'm sorry -" Amy whimpered into the empty room
"Don't be sorry, Ames." Ricky's voice was soft, rubbing her back in small circles as he kissed the back of her head, "I should be sorry for putting a another baby inside you" They both let out a little chuckle, before she sniffled and closed her eyes and tried to stand. She was wobbly, bracing him for balance. Like the rock he always had been for her.
But not anymore. He'd never forgive her. Not for this.
The door clicked, a light tapping penetrating the silence.
"Mom?" She sniffled, wiping her eyes with her palms.
"Housekeeping!" An unknown person shouted back, her accent showing, before she appeared in the doorway. She was shorter than Amy, dark wavy hair cut right at the shoulder, the bags under her eyes complimenting their dark shade of brown. Her lips pursed at the sight of her before they turned to a frown.
"I'm so sorry - I'll help you clean up" Amy spoke quickly, struggling with what little strength she had left, to get up. She failed, legs going out beneath her, sending her back to her previous position.
"You go to bed, I'll clean up in here" Ricky embraced her, planting a soft kiss on the base of her forehead.
The woman glanced around the small space, before looking back at Amy. She pursed her lips again before disappearing, and coming back a few seconds later with a full bottle of water. Stepping further into the room, she handed it to her, speaking softly, "you don't look so good, honey. Go take a seat - you're very pale" Taking the bottle into her hands, Amy tried to smile, but instinctively touched her face, and stayed in her spot, gulping back another round of vomit. The woman looked her up and down again, gesturing to the bottle, "drink that, it will help."
"Nothing can help me..." Amy squeaked softly before erupting into another round of deep, painful, sobs, "I ruined everything! He'll - he'll never forgive me for this... Ever!"
Taken aback by the young woman's brash emotional meltdown, the Housekeeper sighed and moved towards the sink, leaning against the rod in the shower, "Whatever it is - whatever you did - or whoever you're worried about... will understand. They may be angry for awhile, but everyone must learn to forgive in time." She was wise, and looked as though she had lived much more life than her age depicted. The sad lilt in her voice also showed it.
Amy took a shaky breath, twisting her fingers around each other to keep the plastic water bottle in her hands from tumbling to the floor.
The woman took a seat on the ledge of the tub, reaching out a hand to place on the knee that was high into Amy's chest, "Start with yourself, dear. Whatever you did - whatever happened - forgive yourself." She sighed again, "Life is much too short not to, chica."
Running his fingers through her hair, Ricky kissed her jaw; lips lingering on the spot he'd just nursed. A lone tear stayed there - much different than the stream that stained her cheeks the last time they'd been together. The last time they'd been intimate. The day their son was conceived.
A small, but audible knock sounded from the other side of the apartment, penetrating the silence of their quiet moment. He got up to attend to it, grabbing his jeans off the floor quickly, confusing her. He'd done the same thing at band camp: left her there on that couch after they had done what they did. Was he doing it again? The panicked thought made her breath hitch.
No. Not this time. Ricky wouldn't just leave her there. He had changed: changed for her.
He must have noticed her pained expression, because as soon as he zipped up his pants, he leaned forward and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be right back, promise" His whisper was strained, like he was fighting getting emotional.
Nodding slowly, Amy clutched the worn sheet between her fingers and to her chest, fighting back the emotion in her own voice.
His return a minute later, left her stunned.
Ricky was clutching their son to his body; John's head burrowed into his neck, fingers twitching as he nodded back off. "What's wrong?" She swallowed roughly, holding the sheet tighter, "Why is he here?"
He didn't speak, just looked at her with tear filled eyes, biting his bottom lip hard, before he started to break, "I had to see him, Amy. I -" He started crying softly, "W-what if it were us?" sniffling as he glanced at the boy, "What if we - l-lost h-him?"
Shifting quickly, she nearly leapt off the bed, keeping the sheet firmly against her naked frame. "Hey, hey it's okay." She comforted, running her hand up and down his bare forearm, fighting back the tears brimming in her eyes, "He's okay." Placing the hand on John's back, she looked up at Ricky "He's right here. He's alright. Look."
Obeying, he allowed himself to swallow back a large lump in his throat, accepting the side hug she was giving him. Sniffling herself, she put her hands out for their son, but was quickly taken aback when Ricky simply shook his head and held John tighter. His silent plea to her. A plea that nearly broke her too given how vulnerable everything around them was. "Come back to bed, he can sleep between us..." She offered, guiding them back to the mattress and taking a stayed quiet, sniffling as Ricky's tears fell against their son's dirty blonde locks.
"Why is life so unfair?" He questioned a few minutes later, staring blankly into the darkness of the room, before turning slightly to look at her, "Why did we get to have him, but they -" not being able to finish as he broke into sobs again.
Throwing herself against him, Amy shook her head, and held his face as she spoke to him, "Hey, stop. Stop thinking that way - I don't know why, but... just... love him...and never let him go, okay?"
He tearfully nodded, grasping onto her sheet covered body tightly, mumbling into her neck, "Never...Both of you, I'm never letting either one of you go again." He swallowed again, a little rougher than before, "Life is too fragile, too precious... and I- I want to spend the rest of it with you."
"I know." Pulling away, she saw his face contort in sadness again, so she put her hands on his cheeks, drawing his lips to hers, "I love you, Ricky"
"Do you need me to call someone for you?" The woman asked again, breaking the trance.
She was sobbing again, heart aching for him; his loving embrace that would tell her everything would be okay - they would be okay. But the red marks against her creamy skin - the cruel reminder - made that possibility all the more fleeting. She glanced up at the woman before shaking her head quickly, toying with the end of the towel hanging above her head on the rack, "No. The people I need... they won't answer..."
"The c-ow jus sa-ays moooo!" He giggled to himself, flipping the page in his sisters book, "an-d the piggy jus go-es oi-nk oi-nk!" as she grunted and shook her own rattling toy, biting the side while she kicked her legs against the seat.
Hearing them, Ricky's lip tipped up, amused by their early morning banter in the otherwise silent car ride. She continued staring out the window, unknowing how to talk to him because she couldn't judge his mood.
After Kathleen had left last night, Nora came out of the bathroom, with a passed out baby in her arms, to him sobbing into his hand. She had heard what was spoken, and knew that her adding any more commentary to an already fragile situation, could be interpreted wrong. So, instead of speaking, or wrapping him in a hug like she wanted to do, she sighed and went into the bedroom, put the baby into the crib, and took a seat on the air mattress wedged into the corner.
The morning was the same, both giving each other quick glances as they passed kids back and forth or boxes of cereal across the table. She knew he was putting up the wall; not allowing anyone to see him giving in to his vulnerability - or rather breaking down in a way he wasn't ready for, nor wanted. She of all people understood why - after all, she did it too.
About to speak, she was interrupted by a squawk-turned-raspberry-squeal coming from the backseat, making both of them chuckle as the car made its decent onto the slanted driveway.
"Do you... need a ride to Leo's office?" He asked hesitantly, glancing over towards her quickly.
Nora shook her head, undoing her seat belt, "Leo gave me the rest of the week off to help George with the wedding" Getting out, she opened the side door and unfastened the carseat carrying the rambunctious infant, from the base, "Didn't Bunny give you the rest of the week off too?"
Shutting off the engine, Ricky undid his own belt, "I'm off starting tomorrow - three big deliveries today and Ethan's last day of summer school, so..."
"So..." She chuckled absent-mindedly, "come inside and chat for a minute - get them settled in." His eyes shifted between her and the console, unknowing exactly what to say. She chuckled again, breaking the awkward tension, "Oh come on, this - whatever this is - has to end eventually." He stayed silent. "I'm not mad - if that's what this is about. I'm not mad you didn't take the money. Or that you took Kathleen's offer."
..."you're not?" He finally asked after another minute of silence, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything by not taking the money... it's just that - you're newly sober and it's not just one of them: John by himself is enough, let alone a baby on top of it -"
"I know. And like I said, I'm not mad." Nodding, he cracked a very small smile.
"Come on John, don't wanna be late for our first day of wedding bootcamp!" Nora teased, holding out her left hand to her grandson.
Closing the book in his hands, John shook it away, "No, I go to the n-ur-swey!" They gave each other a confused look, as she tried again with the same result, "No, gran-ma, no!"
Ricky sighed, "John, we talked about this - remember you and Emma are going to Kathleens for the next couple of days?"
"I do-n't want to!" John shot back, tossing the book from his lap dramaticly, "I wa-nna go to the n-ur-swey!" His outburst upset his sister, who started in on her own tantrum.
He sighed again, pointing towards the house with his index finger, "we'll be there in a few minutes." Nodding silently, she hoisted the carrier better on her arm and started up the driveway. Turning in his seat, his eyes softened, "What's going on, buddy?"
The tot's tiny brow furrowed, keeping his gaze down on his shoes, "I - I -"
"Slow down, take it easy"
"I do-n't wa-nna go to Kaff-weens!" He shouted, fists balled on the sides of his booster seat
"I know you don't... but you also can't go back to the nursery..."
"Why?"
Closing his eyes, Ricky exhaled slowly, trying to figure out the best way to talk to the boy in a way he would understand, "you remember yesterday? When you and Trevor got into a fight and hurt each other?" John nodded slowly, keeping his eyes down as he fiddled with the cup holder. "Well... when that happened - the nursery expelled you... they uh - they sent you home for the day, but they also can't let you come back anymore... you and Emma won't be going there anymore..."
He stopped banging the cup holder, tilting his head up and squinting his eyes, "No, Lil-ly?" John's voice squeaked, the sad lilt poking through.
Ricky exhaled again, reaching over and stroking his son's jean covered knee with his hand, "I'm sorry, buddy..." Without pause, John's hands went to his eye sockets, his little sniffles turning into full fledged sobbing, breaking Ricky's heart more.
"Hey Johnny!" George greeted from the other end of the fridge, half a sandwich between his fingers.
Closing the door with the shove of the side of his boot, Ricky ran his hand over his son's cheeks, wiping away a few stray tears, "He's not in a good mood."
Setting his sandwich down, George put his hands out for him, and put them down when John shook his head and swatted him away.
Sighing, Ricky put him on his feet, and pointed to the livingroom, releasing another long breath and shoving his hands into his pockets upon the boy sprinting away. Taking a few steps forward, his eyes caught something: brows rising at the sight of tiny green and white sneakers laid on their sides. Sucking his lip in, he closed his eyes, shook his head, and scoffed, "You just had to do it, didn't you? You couldn't leave it alone?"
George stayed silent, shoving the sandwich into his mouth, his brow raised to show he was confused by the question.
"Cut the crap, George! I know -" taking another step forward, Ricky pointed to the floor, "Unless your foot shrank like 13 sizes over night - those are Robbies shoes. Robbie was in New York, and that's where you were last night, weren't you?" His ex father-in-law took another bite, avoiding looking directly at him. "George!"
Pausing from chewing, "I went there to talk some sense into her; show her that she can't have it both ways," he tossed the rest of his breakfast to Moose, crossing his arms over his chest, "that little stunt you pulled didn't aid in the matter, either. What were you thinking?
"What do you mean 'what was I thinking?'" Ricky remarked, "Amy did this! She decided that we no longer mattered to her when she sent me that letter!" He paused, rubbing some tension away from his neck with his right hand, "I had no other choice, George - Anne isn't taking me to court to substitute for Amy being a bad mom. I won't let her... and if by some chance she does... I'm ready for the fight."
"I hope so, because you just fired the first shot my friend" George countered, leaning against the edge of the kitchen counter, brows furrowed, "Are you ready for the fallout?"
He pushed his tongue into his cheek, "Bring it on. Amy isn't going to win this time."
Stacking the crumpled shirts on top of each other, she drug the zipper across aggressively, swallowing back the bile rising in her throat as the tears rolled down her cheeks. The last time she had done this, he'd stilled the zipper as his lip quivered, begging her not to leave.
The dark purple blouse on the top, taking her back to the desperate pleading in his voice, "A-Amy p-please" She shook the case harder, unable to get all its contents securely zipped inside. Giving one last shove, a bent piece of paper fell out; eyes widening in surprise and sadness when she reached out and picked up the image she'd forgotten was stashed away, of a then-baby John with Ricky, before she went to that music program a couple of summers ago. Unbending it to show the happy moment without the creases ruining his smiling face, she broke down; sobbing hard against the hard-shell of the suitcase now closed at her feet.
"I can't handle whatever this is anymore." She'd said weakly, avoiding his pain filled eyes as he rambled about how he would change - how things would be different for them. "Please. Please Amy, don't do this!" He'd begged, reaching for her arm and pulling her by the wrist until their lips were crashing; his last attempt to get her to stay. She'd tried to fight it - fight him - but the warmth of his hands and the gentle way his tongue massaged hers, failed her. Both of them fighting desperately against time and their hearts breaking, to savor what they had; what they had fought so hard to build.
Ricky had fought, and in the end, she had left.
Every ounce of heartache Amy was experiencing since she allowed herself to walk out the door of the Butchershop, was on her. And it took this moment - this hazy, vile, unknown piece of what may or may not have happened to her, to make her realize how badly she had fucked up.
The door opened roughly, "Welcome back." Emery muttered under her breath, continuing the dagger glares at Amy.
Without giving her roommate the satisfaction of seeing her swollen and puffy eyes, Amy rose to stand, grabbing the suitcase by the handle and storming towards the door.
"What the hell!" She snapped when Amy's foot kicked one of Em's many purses across the littered floor, crossing her arms across her chest, "Where are you going now?"
Shaking her head, and biting her lip, Amy turned to speak, but the sight of the wedding invitation her mom had left on the corner of the desk before she stormed out the night before, falling to the floor, stopped her. Picking it up, she clicked her tongue, shoved it into her jacket pocket, and calmly stated, "I need some air," Before slamming the door closed.
"I wish Grace's flight didn't get delayed again - I want her to see the dress before the wedding..." Kathleen stated rather sadly, adjusting the top portion of the dress against her frame
"You know how flights are these days, Grace will be here." Adrian assured, flattening out the bottom of the train against the carpeted set of miniature steps, "In the meantime... you look absolutely gorgeous in that dress!"
She beamed, a large smile spanning her lips as she stared into the mirror, "You think so? It's not too much for my fourth marriage?"
"Fourth marriage - third husband. Or would it be fourth marriage, third husband but also first husband?" Nora noted amusingly, "I only had one and he beat the crap out of me, so I'm not well versed in these things." The room fell into a pause of awkward silence, nobody really knowing what to say to the statement. She took note, gesturing with her thumb, to the other side of the room, "I'll just be... over there with the bab-" stopping as she noticed the stroller wasn't were she left it. Her breath quickened, momentarily panicking, "where did she go?" Before hearing her granddaughters high pitched squeal.
"How did you get over there?" Nora asked her playfully after walking the three feet over to where the baby was grabbing at the array of brightly colored dress attire hanging on the racks. Emma squealed again, kicking her exposed feet out, and throwing her head back against the stroller seat. Nora furrowed her brow, still confused.
Adrian pursed her lips, "Maybe it rolled backwards if you didn't lock the wheels properly?"
"The wheels lock?" Nora's eyes widened in slight shock, glancing back to the infant babbling incoherently, "You're only like 10 pounds, how did you gain enough momentum to move over here?" She chuckled, putting her hands under her arms and lifting her out.
"You haven't heard from the girls have you?" Kathleen turned, pursing her lips inward at their unison head shakes, "I hope they come... for George's sake anyway. I know he's hurting..."
Adrian rolled her eyes, "Maybe it's better if they don't come. Ricky just filed for full custody, so I can't imagine Amy showing up for the wedding would sit well with him."
Stopping in her tracks, from the one handed game of peekaboo, "Whoa, hold up -" Nora's eyes got wide, turning to her, "How did you know that?"
Taken aback by her sudden hostile tone, "Um, because I was watching Emma and John while he talked to my father..." Adrian crossed her arms over her chest, "My dad's the DA, you know."
"Yeah I know - but Ricky wouldn't just give out that kind of information... unless..." Nora's brow furrowed at her, eyes accusatory as she sucked in a breath, "No, no, no... he didn't!"
"Didn't what? We just had some dinner and talked - geez you act like we slept together or something -" Adrian's eyes grew wide, "No, we did not sleep together!" Her eyes didn't change. "We didn't!"
Jostling the baby, Nora's eyes shifted, and her tone became less rough, "I hope not because my son has been through enough -"
"Yeah I know! You seem to forget I know him a little better than you do. I was around for him more." She shot back, flipping her bangs with her fingers.
"Ladies... this really isn't the place..." Kathleen interjected rather quietly, gritting her teeth to keep her calm
But Adrian wasnt letting up, taking a step forward, "Look - I know you want to protect him. I know you're just trying to guard him from getting hurt... but I swear to you, we are on the same side. I don't want Amy to win, either." She paused, fighting the tears stinging her eyes, as she spoke lowly, "She doesn't deserve it... and I don't say that because I used to love him, I say that because Amy got everything, and she threw it away like it meant nothing!" Nora's eyes too were starting to water, as she nodded slowly.
Kathleen reached for her arm, "Adrian do you -"
Sniffling, she shook her away, and stormed off towards the back entrance, "I'm fine - I just - I need some air."
"Your services are required at work!" Bunny shouted over his shoulder, causing his hand to slip and the numbers he was writing to smudge.
He let out an aggravated sigh, but quickly set the clipboard down on the table, "Sorry... lot on my mind."
She raised a brow, "Wedding jitters?"
"Funny." Ricky deadpanned back, walking up to the main counter and starting to wipe it down, "Did I do the right thing? Filing for custody I mean?" He bit his bottom lip, "Maybe I should fly out to New York next weekend and talk to her face to face? Hope we can come to some kind of understanding, or agreement on our own so neither one of us don't have to be drug through more court?"
Bunnys brow furrowed, "You didn't share this notion last week - what changed?"
Pausing, he glanced at the rag, seeing his naked finger, that not long ago held his wedding band, "I don't know... I've been angry for so long... I'm tired of being angry. I know I'll probably always have some bottled up, but Amy and I shared something together - we created two other lives, together... I don't know why... but I don't want to hurt her. Even though she doesn't feel the same." It fell silent, his single sniffle aiding in the lone tear sliding down his left cheek, "Am I crazy?"
"No..." Bunny comforted, putting a hand on his bicep, "You're still in love."
The room was quiet; the chaos that had encompassed the space for most of the day, now being overtaken by some weird sounds coming from a device on a table a few feet away.
The stuffed giraffe nestled in her tiny palms, letting out a small little squeak. She grunted, batting it against the mesh before turning onto her stomach and grasping onto the playpen to pull herself up to the bar. Once up there successfully, but very wobbly, she released a squeal, dropping the giraffe to the floor.
"Hi, Peanut..." a voice trailed in softly, catching her attention. Within seconds of hearing it, Emma recognized it, and started to grin and babble excitedly - reaching out with one hand shakily. "Hi!" Being lifted from the playpen, she flailed her arms, continuing to squeal and give her two-teeth smile to the familiar face.
"What are you dwoing hwere?" He questioned, standing in the doorway with his arms crossed against his chest, brows knitted.
"I didn't know she was just going to show up!" Kathleen stated through a whisper, craning her neck around the corner to spy into the livingroom.
"Well, she did!" Tom responded, pointing to the back door a few feet away, tilting his head as he loudly asked, "Are you gowing to tell Rwicky?"
As if on cue, Ricky stepped through the door, a look of confusion immediately coming to his features as he could sense something wasn't right, "Tell Ricky what?"
Kathleen smiled sheepishly, fiddling with a napkin to avoid answering his question, "Hi, Ricky."
Now knowing something was amiss, he took another step forward, brows knitted, and voice starting to get rougher, "Tell me what - what's going on?" Not waiting for the answer he took off into the livingroom, stopping dead in his tracks when he reached the hutch.
It was like a dream. The familiarity sending all kinds of emotions and thoughts through him.
"What?" She yawned tiredly, fighting the sleep her body desperately craved as the infant grunted against her.
He stepped slowly back into the darkened room, careful that his shoes didn't squeak against the linoleum and disturb their son who was passed out crookedly on the chair next to the bed. "What?" He repeated, smiling at the sight of her, "you're beautiful - you know that?"
Squinting at his compliment, she slowly maneuvered over to the side to give him a sliver of space - careful with the baby nestled in her right arm. His eyes traveled with her, mesmerized by the tiny child they created together, nursing against his wife's chest. He'd never gotten to experience any of this when she had John - and rightfully so given how fragile the situation was between them; they shared a child, but were essentially strangers.
This time though, they had a daughter, and were married and in love, and he'd gotten to experience everything - the good little kicks when his hand rested on her belly, and even the bad as he held her in his arms, both weeping over their sick child.
Every little hiccup to get to that moment, they did together. And now, he was sitting on the edge of a really uncomfortable mattress, at 2:37am, watching the woman he loved more than life itself, feed a small little baby that had completely wrapped herself around his finger just by looking at him.
"What are you thinking about?" Amy giggled, snapping him out of his thoughts.
He blinked twice before giving her another smile, "just you, and... her... and us, and life, and everything else." Putting his hands out, his eyes lit up upon her laying their daughter against his bicep - the baby's small head fitting in the crook of his left arm perfectly. Amy was hesitant to let go - and he completely understood why - keeping her fingers on the bottom of their daughter's right leg. His eyes shifted to the little beings red face, their brown sparkle bright as the grin on his face took over, "Hey you" He cooed softly, brushing the pad of his finger across that incredibly tiny hand, "You ready to go home?"
"Da!" Emma squealed tiredly, reaching out towards him, snapping him out of the trance.
He blinked a few times to register what his eyes were witnessing; to make sure it wasn't going to disappear right in front of him.
Amy moved some hair away from her eyes, turning around, and giving a sheepish smile as she blushed at the sight of him, "... Hey, Ricky..."
Well... AMY IS BACKKKK!!!! But... for how long? Stay Tuned!