Chuck vs. The Courtyard Bench
Well, in the previous chapter: Chuck and Sarah are walking along their beach otherwise known as Avalon. It's there that Sarah informs him that Bryce wants to talk to him and shares that he has by the weekend to do so. Why? Bryce's surgeon flies in on the following Monday so it will be considerably busy. Chuck responds by telling her he'll think about and after she leaves Avalon to head up to Casa Bartowski so her boyfriend can a few moments by himself, he experiences a strange sensation with his hands. This would lead Chuck to asking advice during the week before Bash At the Bench from the following 3 individuals: Morgan, Hartley, and Ellie. Each giving their opinions and sound advice to the point where Ellie became the one to break the tie on whether to consider talking to his former stanford roommate on Thanksgiving no less. The older Bartowski sibling basically left it up for him to decide and once she returned inside to Casa Woodcomb, Sarah would come out to speak with Chuck. The nerdy business owner informed Sarah he would make his decision after Bash At The Bench. So, what happens in this chapter? Here are the who, what, where, when why, hows? Who is Emmitt's favorite band after Chuck reads aloud on the mic to make announcement to the crowd about his vehicle's license plate number? What song is Emmitt's favorite that relates to his license plate number on his Toyota Prius? Where does the hospital's attorney head off to in a rush after finding out about the license plate number? When Chuck starts sharing with the crowd why he chose Five For Fighting's song "Superman" how does he relate it to the lives of the two newest Rockstar Rebels? Why did Chuck choose another Bryan Adam's song from the 2002 animated movie Stallion of the Cimarron? How does Chuck react when Sarah noticed something about him during his conversation with the newest Rockstar Rebels before informing her he's going to talk to Bryce? Read and find out! I hope you enjoy the read and leave a comment to share your own thoughts on this particular chapters. As always, reviews are awesome.
Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment, I truly appreciate it. Please continue to do so as it gives me the incentive to write more chapters.
I don't own Chuck.
Wonder Twins Powers Active
XXX
Bash At The Bench started off with a rousing performance by Chuck of Five For Fighting's song "Superman". Once again, the nerdy host brings down the courtyard after he finishes the awesomely stellar performance that receives deafening applause that has a mixture of claps, whistles, dog pound barks, etc. Of course, it takes a while for the applause to die down and as much as he's gotten so much love coming from the audience in person, as well as online it's still considered absolutely mind blowing to him after all these years.
Before he steps forward to speak center stage concerning why he chose the song, a nurse suddenly approaches the stage and hands him a piece of paper. After briefly reading it, he the nurse in question a firm nod then addresses the crowd.
"Just one quick announcement. Does anyone here own a silver Toyota Prius…." Chuck pauses to read the information on the piece of paper once again. While doing so, he momentarily peers up to catch Harry Tang speaking to the hospital's head of security. Both then take their leave leading the nerd to continue on, but not before speaking with Chief Beckman. "…license plate #H0LD0N90" he shared out loud, with the audience.
Instantly, someone makes their presence known and emerges from the crowd. That individual is none other than Emmitt Milbarge. The hospital's weasel faced attorney makes his way on stage and stage right in front of his adversary. "That's my car Bartowski!"
"Really?" Chuck returns his attention back to the piece of paper.
"Yes, really." Emmitt repeated back, with attitude behind it. Both hands placed on his hips after flipping back the bottom of his suit coat. "It should be in my assigned parking space next to the esteemed Chief Administrator of Westside Medical Center." he pointed out, directing his attention to Chief Beckman. The auburn-haired boss standing by camera stage with Sarah and Casey.
It's at that point, Chuck can clearly hear a combination of moans, groans, and murmurs along with a clearly "Seriously? I didn't think the employees got assigned parking spaces."
"Well, I did." he responded back, in a pompous manner. "So, what's this about my car?"
"Ok…ummm…first off…your license plate reads…I think…hold on 90?" he added, shaking his head expressing confusion.
"It's my favorite Wilson Philips song from the year 1990."
"Oh yeah. I remember that song." Chuck responded, nodding his head. "Mostly from the movie Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. Awesomely funny."
"I remember the scene!" hollered Morgan. "It was after Harold and Kumar took someone truck from a convenience store from the "extreme" guys!" he shared, with air quotes. "Thank you come again!" the bearded camera man added, with a terribly bad Indian accent.
At this point, the look on Emmitt's face goes from annoyed to angry inevitably shifting into absolutely insulted by having his favorite song associated with truly idiotic movie causing him to speak up.
"I'll have you know Hold On is considered one the best songs to come out that year by those 3 beautiful ladies. Carnie and Wendy Wilson along with Chynna Phillips. They just bring those lyrics to life." Emmitt shared, in a seemingly passionate tone of voice. A soft smile being expressed and his eyes briefly closing as if he's listening to the song in his head. It takes Emmitt a few seconds to suddenly realize that he's being a fan boy of a popular 90's female musical trio to where he hears some faint chuckles coming from the crowd. It would lead him to snaps into serious mode. "Did you have it towed?"
"I've been here most of the day, Emmitt. You can ask anybody. Chief Beckman, Sarah, Morgan, and Casey can vouch for me on that."
"Liar!" he spitted out loud. His right finger pointing defiantly at his tall, lanky rival standing in front of him.
"Mr. Bartowski's correct." Chief Beckman appears walking up to the stage. Her attention on Chuck is then directed to Morgan. "He couldn't have been in two places at once."
"Yeah, Emmitt..." Chuck stated. "…I'm not Superman." he jokingly remarked, expressing amusement on his part.
"Obviously." responded Emmitt, rolling his eyes. The soft smile Chuck expressed suddenly falling flat to where it morphs into a stink face directed down towards the hospital's attorney.
It's at that point, Chief Beckman speaks up. "Mr. Grimes. Time?"
"Back in 4, Chief!" he hollered, holding up his left hand. Palm facing out.
"Excellent." Her attention on Morgan is now directed to the hospital's attorney. "Emmitt, Chief Walker can confirm he's been here setting up. Also, if Casey were here he would say the same."
"She's right, Emmitt." nodded Sarah, standing beside Beckman.
Emmitt expresses a mixture of frustrated disappointment after hearing that. He then spits out another name. "Grimes! What about him!?" He shouted, pointing at the bearded camera man. "There's always an accomplice to the crime!"
"What crime!?" hollered Morgan, from his spot from the camera stage. "Are you saying always two there are? No more. No less? A master and apprentice?"
While standing there a few feet away from Emmitt, Chuck is trying his best to hold in laughter because of the Star Wars: Phantom Menace quote he just uttered aloud for everyone to hear in the courtyard. A quote that Yoda said as he was having a serious conversation with Mace Windu during Master Qui Gonn's fiery funeral. A funeral honoring the Jedi Master who fought bravely and honorably facing off a very formidable, as well as skilled Sith named Darth Maul. His thoughts concerning unfortunate death of a Jedi Master at the hands of Palpatine's apprentice fade when he hears Emmitt's voice once again.
"What drivel and nonsense are you spouting off about?"
It's at the point, Emmitt's frustrated disappointment leads him to angrily mutter to himself. He then turns his attention to the piece of paper in Chuck's hand and snatches it from him in order to look at it. After reading the information on it, his eyes go completely wide leading him to jumps off stage and head directly stage left running towards the street like a mad man. Upon reaching that location, he quickly darts right to where he completely disappears out of sight. This all happens in a matter of seconds leaving Chuck standing there on stage with everyone turning their attention back to him.
"Well, that was something." Chuck said, expressing an amused, toothy smile.
"What happened to Emmitt's car?" wondered Sarah. For her, the words plausible deniability immediately come to mind knowing full well that even though Chuck and/or Morgan didn't personally do anything to Emmitt's car, they know who did. Chuck knows at least, she thinks to herself.
"Apparently…" replied Chuck. "…his car is parked up a tree. Not making this up if I wanted do." It's that surprising announcement that causes the crowd talk amongst themselves. Afterwards, the youngest Bartowski sibling speaks up once again. "This takes having an environmentally friendly car to a whole other level don't you think?" he added, expressing a faint chuckle of amusement. After shrugging his shoulders, he briefly glances at Sarah who is clearly arching her right brow up at him. His attention would then be averted to the sound of Morgan's voice.
"All right Nerdy Nerfherder…" he bellowed. "…we're back in 30 seconds!"
"Thanks, Fuzzball!" Chuck hollered back.
"Mr. Bartowski."
"Yes, Chief?" questioned the nerd, turning around to peer down at her. Eyes locked on one another. A serious expression on Beckman's face as she gazes up at him standing on stage. An expression that Chuck is somewhat nervous about but masks it with a seemingly relaxed demeanor.
"Let's give a warm welcome to our latest Rockstar Rebels." softly smiled, Chief Beckman.
Chuck simply gives a firm nod acknowledging her request. The crowd and view audience in a matter of moments will find out who will become the nest member of a truly special community.
XXX
"All right Bartowski Brigade, before I introduce our two newest Rockstar Rebels…" stated Chuck, standing center stage. "…I wanted to share with you earlier why I chose Superman as the opening song for the show but got interrupted. Anyways, the song basically views the other side of the story. How Superman is perceived as a perfect beacon of hope, happiness and strength everyone wants to be. However, the truth is…" The nerd pauses for a moment briefly shaking his head. "…the truth is he never even existed."
The nerdy host pauses for a moment to briefly gather his thoughts and while doing so, the crowd is truly captivated as they're hanging on his every word. They don't have to wait long as Chuck clears his throat and continues speaking.
"Thinking about it, perhaps the real Superman is afraid of flying, maybe suffering from loneliness, weighed down by the burden of his own power, or fears his immortality so much that he ends up dying alone. Essentially, Superman has been viewed as a symbol of our naive way of viewing the world when we never see pass the layers of our own flaws. It's our flaws representing are failures, mistakes, rejections, frustrations, disappointments, heartbreaks, falling in love, marriage, having a family, etc." he thoroughly shared.
In that moment, Chuck takes a deep breath as he's sharing a deep reflective thought, he's having right now concerning Five For Fighting's song "Superman'. After being silent for what seemed like forever, Chuck snaps out of his thought haze and immediately notices everybody staring at him. This causes the youngest Bartowski sibling to shakes his head inevitably expressing his trademark toothy smile.
"So, what I saying here? What I realized is even though we all may be naïve in the way we think and/or dream, it helps us deal with the way life is. Plain and simple, life isn't easy sometimes but there are days where it can be all right. Oftentimes, it can be absolutely awesome…" Chuck's demeanor and body language picks up within that slight pause. "…which leads me to introduce to you this awesome pair of 10-year-old twin boys go by the name of Carter and Max Hayes. They have been dealing with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, which is a type of hereditary cancer relating to the TP53 tumor suppressor gene that controls cell division and growth though action on the normal cell cycle."
The nerdy business owner waves the twins over to the blue courtyard bench while their parents stay back letting them enjoy their time being interviewed. After a brief moment of fist taps between the twins and Chuck, he motions for them to have a seat while he continues standing, especially since he's interviewing 2 brothers.
"So Carter and Max, who is older? You guys can just call me Chuck by the way."
"Ok, Chuck." Max responded. "I am…" briefly holding up his head. "…by a year and 5 minutes actually."
"Whaattttt? You're kidding me."
"My mom said I was born New Year's Eve on December 31, 1999, at 11:59:59 and then…
"I was born on January 1, 2000, at 12:05." chimed in Carter.
"Awesome." Chuck breathed out in disbelief. After shaking his head, he speaks up. "Born in different years. I got to ask, since you're identical twins, do you think and act the same?" he inquired, with immense curiosity on his part. "You're not like the twins from the movie The Shining, right?"
The twins briefly look at each other quizzically not knowing how to answer that particular question because of the movie reference that's before their time. This would lead Max to shrug his shoulders and then speak up. "We don't always think alike or act the same. We're not like Fred and George Weasley from Harry Potter."
Instantly, Chuck expresses a smile then responds to the latter part of what Max just said. "I know someone personally that is probably smiling right now when you said that."
"Who?" wondered Max.
"Chief Walker." he answered. Chuck then points over to her location by the video camera stage. The Chief Operating Officer of Westside Medical Center and self-proclaimed Harry Potter nerd waves then points to Max. "She's a Potterhead as well."
"And proud of it!"
"What house are you in?" wonder Max, turning his attention to a fellow Potterhead.
"Gryffindor! You?"
"Ravenclaw!" he proudly hollered back.
"Awesome! We'll definitely talk later!" she retorted back, flashing a smile towards Max.
The interaction between Sarah and Max definitely made the crowd, as well as the viewing audience smile, especially Sarah. For her, she has a fellow Potterhead who she can listen, talk with and discuss all things Harry Potter regarding the books and movies. As for Chuck, his ability to be able to find something and make any sort of positive connection that it brings a smile to any of the Rockstar Rebel's faces is something to behold. In any case, the nerdy host brings back the focus on the twins by asking a question.
"How are you and your twin brother different?" Chuck wondered.
It's at that point, Carter speaks up. "I'm more outgoing, enjoy playing music, and my favorite sport is the game of basketball." he pointed out, directing his attention to the Lakers jersey he's wearing.
"I like reading and enjoy getting lost in the pages of whatever anime manga or fantasy adventure book I read. Plus, I'm into video games." shared Max, taking a moment to readjust his glasses.
"You're a gamer like me. Awesome." said Chuck, reach out to give Max a fist tap.
Max is a bit shy at first but leans forward to reciprocate Chuck's fist tap with some reluctance on his part. For him, he's knows how awkward it can be for a child to suddenly be put in the spotlight and talk in front complete strangers. He recalls some kids being able to handle it without any problems whatsoever while other kids freeze up completely. In any case, he's learned over the years to try to keep the atmosphere of the interview itself considerably fun and positive knowing how exhausting of an ordeal dealing with what they have can most definitely be in every sense of the word.
Of course, when he first started interviewing the kids about the type of cancer they're going through it was tough for him to listen to, especially when each of them shared how either their mom, dad, relative, and/or guardian were coping at the time or still are. In the nerd's mind, he wanted to alleviate the weight and pressure they've been experiencing for quite some time even if it's merely for a couple of hours. A couple of hours of being distracted with fun, stupidity, and singing of songs to the point where he, she, and/or they have been absolutely entertained. No fears, worries, and anxieties to speak of within those couple of hours for the adults and kids as well.
"So, how have you boys been feeling as of late?" inquired Chuck. "From my understanding, you both aren't going through the standard treatment because there is no actual treatment unfortunately. With no treatment, there's no cure."
Chuck, along with the crowd, is totally transfixed on the twins as to how they'll respond. The nerdy host did his homework and found out the lifetime risk for a person with LFS are about 50% in developing cancer by age 40. 90% up to age 60. While waiting for either of the boys to answer, he can't help but be discouraged by those medical statistics. However, he's hopeful that they'll be able to defy the statistics and not ending up becoming a unfortunate notch on cancer's belt, so to speak. The nerd is suddenly snapped out of his momentary though process when one of the twin boys speaks up.
"You've probably heard this a lot, Chuck…" Carter said. "…but we have our good days and bad days. Some days I feel like shit…" Carter eyes suddenly widen. "…sorry." He briefly glances back at his parents then returns his attention back to Chuck. "I didn't mean to…"
In response, Chuck shakes his head. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. Keep going." encouraged the nerdy host.
The apologetic and worried look on Carter's face is replaced with a sense of relief he didn't get in trouble for cursing. After taking a deep breath, he gathers his thoughts and continues on. "The chemo and radiation therapy make you feel sick. I'm glad I'm not going through this alone. I have my big bro with me who's going through the exact same thing."
"It sucks." Max blurted out. He quickly corrects himself. "The feeling sick part I mean. I wouldn't be able to get through it without my brother." he shared, with genuine heartfelt emotion in the tone of his voice. Afterwards, he wraps his left arm around his little brother's neck leading the both of them to exchange fist taps.
At this point, the entire courtyard and quite possibly the viewing audience is visibly emotional with how they're considered warriors at such a young age. The strength in their bond as brothers and their overall attitude while going through their tough journey is most definitely inspiring. It causes the nerdy host to take a moment to wipe away the tears forming in his eyes and after composing himself his attention is focused on Max continues on.
"Our parents always have said to the both of us…" He pauses briefly. "…always be there for each other. Whatever happens between the two of us, even if it's something bad we've done or said, make it…"
"…make it right." Carter repeated, in unison with his older brother. He nods then continues on for where Max left off. "We annoy, insult and get angry with each other, but that's what brothers do."
"Our parents say, they don't care who started it. Step up and talk things out. It's never easy even when you're the person you messed up. It's what family does." Max shared. His left arm still wrapped around his younger brother's neck.
For Chuck, what Max and Carter just shared with him concerning what their parents instilled in them deeply resonated with him. A type of deep resonation that may have very well helped in making a decision about talking with Bryce. His thoughts concerning Bryce are subsequently set aside as his thoughts returns to the 10-year-old twin boys. While standing there, a sudden image pops into his head causing him to speak what's on his mind.
"You two are a couple of awesome wonder twins."
After hearing that, Max and Carter briefly look at each other then turns their attention to Chuck. Both boys staring blankly at him. "Who?" they both responded, in perfect unison.
"DC characters from the 70's animated classic Super Friends. Zan and Jayna. Brother and sister. Obviously, you two our boys. So, brothers. Anyways…" Chuck stammered out. "…Zan's power is turning into water while Jayna's power is being able to transform into any animal. In 2009, they did show up in the series Smallville. Season 9 episode 8, I believe." he quickly shared, clearly babbling on and potentially spiraling. Once again, Max and Carter just stare blankly at Chuck. "Marvel fans I take it."
A few seconds go before Chuck suddenly starts to experience the same weird sensation in his hands that happened to him on the beach. In addition, he starts to feel a bit antsy as he turns to the crowd who are also staring at him causing him to experience something that he's never felt before ever on Bash At The Bench. It's during that unexplainable experience in which he bawls up his fists up, shuts his eyes, and momentarily gets tight lipped. After taking a deep breathe, he can feel his pulse racing and hearting pumping considerably fast. Yet, he continues taking deep breathes then a few seconds later he pops his eyes open inevitably opens his hands in order to clap them together as everything is fine.
"Never mind." he stated shaking his head, expressing an amusing chuckle afterwards. "How about we go hands in before I go perform the sing, I chose for you two." he suggested, stepping forward. His right hand extends in front of them to do the same.
The twins look at each other to where they end up shrugging their shoulders. Afterwards, they lean forward placing their right hands on top of Chuck's leading the nerdy host to speak up.
"On 3, wonder twin powers active!" he firmly nodded, with as much Chuck energy he can muster. The twins can't help but laugh and so does the crowd as well. Three seconds later, all 3 holler out those aforementioned 4 words leading the crowd to erupt in a combination of cheers, applause, whistles, and dog pound woofs.
XXX
"This song is called "Brothers Under The Sun" from the 2002 animated movie, Stallion of the Cimarron sung by Bryan Adams. Although it's about the relationship forged between a horse and Native American, there's a much deeper meaning to it." Chuck pauses for moment while gripping both the mic and the mic stand. "For me personally, I interpreted this song to be about how regardless of distance and no matter how old you are the relationship between two different species will forever bond the two of them as brothers. Always connected not only through the earth, but through their own memories." he shared, turning his attention to his lift. A soft smile expressed towards the brothers sitting on the blue bench along with their parents.
"Max and Carter. Different personalities bonded by blood." Chuck gives the twins a slight nod. "You guys are not always going to see eye to eye causing you to possibly walk away from each other. Venture off and travel on your own wide-open prairie. Never lose sight of the bond you share with one another. There's two of you, but you're of one spirit with your lives always entwined even when there's distance between the two of you." he added, pointing to the two of them. "You're brothers under the sun."
Afterwards, Chuck glances behind him in order to signal Jeff who is sitting behind the keyboard to begin playing with Lester joining in on the drums. A few seconds later, the nerdy hosts closes his eyes, grips the mic and mic stand then takes a deep breath. His eyes then slowly open leading him to sing the song dedicated to two awesome twins.
I had a dream
Of the wide-open prairie
I had a dream
Of pale morning sky
I had a dream
That we flew on golden wings
And we were the same, just the same
You and I
In Chuck's mind, there's an uncertainty looming over Max and Carter, but hopes they'll beats the odds and live a long life. He'd rather focus on the positive rather than the negative knowing the twins share an inner strength with each other that just flows within them. In a sense, they're two strong young stallions who hopefully have their whole lives ahead of them. The opportunity to travel their own wide-open prairie shouldn't be wasted instead of not letting the painful obstacles keep them from enjoying what life has to offer.
Follow your heart
Little child of the west wind
Follow the voice
That's calling you home
Follow your dreams
But always remember me
I am your brother
And under the sun
We are like birds of a feather
We are two hearts thrown together
We will be forever as one
My brother under the sun
When it comes to their parents, they shouldn't hold them back for their own safety because of fear. Instead, just allow them the freedom to follow their inner voice and heart instead. Wherever the wind takes either of them. Life is scary and you're going to get hurt in every sense of the word. They're boys after all that will eventually become men. Mistakes will be made, and they have to learn from them to the point where they'll be able to adapt from the lessons learned. If they allow their kids to live by letting them spread their golden wings and fly free together or individually, they'll be able to make their dreams a reality, he thinks to himself.
Whenever you hear
The wind in the canyon
If ever you see
The buffalo run
Wherever you go
I'll be there beside you
'Cause you are my brother
My brother under the sun
We are like birds of a feather
We are two hearts joined together
We will be forever as one
My brother under the sun
Under the sun
It's at this point, Chuck to take a step back for Jeff to step forward from behind his keyboard in order to perform his electric guitar solo. As Chuck is standing back feeling the energy of Jeff's electric guitar solo, he can't help but mentally root for Max and Carter knowing they're on a tough road and it's going to get tougher; but as long as they have each other as support nothing will stand in their way. They're like a canyon wind and even though you can't see you can at least feel it. Although one brother may not be physically running beside you like a buffalo you can somehow sense his presence.
The power of the twin force can be sensed with those padawans who'll most definitely grow up become strong Jedi. However, if God forbid their struck down, then they'll become stronger as Force Ghosts, he thinks to himself. It's that particular thought in which he expresses a soft smile as he steps forward once again in order to softly sing the last two lyrics of the song.
Under the sun
My brother under the sun
When the song slowly fades into silence, there's a brief moment where it's peacefully calm. That would soon end with the sound of applause, cheers, claps, whistles and dog pound barks, etc. After acknowledging the crowd, he jumps off stage and heads directly towards Max and Carter where he exchanges high fives with the two of them. He then gives the attention where it rightfully should be and that is the two newest Rockstar Rebels for Bash At The Bench.
XXX
Chuck is sitting on the edge of the main stage with Morgan after another solid and eventful show. The courtyard is completely empty except for 5 other individuals staying around. Those 5 individuals are Sarah, the twins and the twin's parents. In any case, the childhood best friends are talking with the twin's parents and as they do, Chuck glances over to his right in the location of the blue courtyard bench. He sees Max and Sarah having a conversation presumably talking about all things Harry Potter since they're part of the fandom. Carter standing right beside his older brother of 5 minutes utterly confused at what they are even talking about, which causes the nerdy host to breathe out a faint chuckle.
A few moments later, the Hayes family take their leave from the empty courtyard but not before saying their farewells and exchanging contact information. This would inevitably leave Chuck, Sarah and Morgan left standing there. However, Morgan would end up taking his leave to spend time with Alex on her lunchbreak giving the nerdy couple the opportunity to spend together before the Chief Operating Officer go back on administrative duties. The couple are sitting on the blue courtyard bench enjoying some momentary quality quiet time together with Sarah's resting her head on Chuck's right shoulder. Her eyes closed as she enjoys the moment together. A few seconds later, her eyes open and then speaks up.
"Chuck are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Awesome actually." he answered back. "I'm a little tired but that's because of being the host and all."
In that instance, Sarah left her head off of Chuck's right shoulder and straightens up in order to face him. A look of concern expressed on her face. "That's not what I'm talking about."
The tone in Sarah's voice and the look on his girlfriend's face causes Chuck to suddenly tighten up physically. In his mind, he thought he was able to recover quickly from whatever he was experiencing while talking with the twins. I guess not, he thinks to himself. So, he does his best to not make a big deal out of the situation.
"Like I said, I'm a little tired. I guess I've been overworking myself this week. I'll be my awesome self once I zonk out tonight and recharge the batteries." he responded back, with reassurance. Chuck flash of trademark toothy smile to show her that all he needs is some rest.
Sarah silently sits there quirking her right brow knowing she can either believe what he's saying to her is truth or dig deeper in order to find out what's really going on with him. In that instance, she decides to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"I know this week has been stressful." she softly smiled. "Plus, with Bryce here…it doesn't help adding on that stress." Sarah added, reaching up to softly rake her left hand through his hair. A feeling that is absolutely soothing to Chuck.
Speaking of Chuck, the way her right hand is raking through his hair causes his eyes to nearly roll to the back of his head. Fortunately, he is able to compose himself and focus on a matter of importance regarding his former Stanford roommate.
"I'm going to have a talk with Bryce."
The beautiful blonde freezes in mid rake of Chuck's hair. Her eyes locking with his as he turns to face her. A moment of shared silence between the two of them, but it wouldn't last as Sarah forces herself to respond.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. I need this. I have to do this. He's a part of my past that can I finally move on from." Chuck firmly nodded.
"I'll come with you."
"You don't have to."
"I want to. You're not alone in this…" Sarah ducks her head a bit. "…remember."
Once again, Chuck expresses his toothy smile towards her but this time it represents gratefulness for a woman who most definitely is, as the kids say, his ride or die. His thoughts concerning how she's made his life so much better are interrupted when she suddenly stands up.
"Plus, you need a proper designated color id pass and a senior administrator to take you up to the 5th floor. So, there's that." she shared, reaching down to pull up her boyfriend to a standing position.
"No problem. I know the Chief Operating Officer."
"Do you now?
"I do. I hear she's a real ball buster though." Instantly, Chuck hunches over in slight pain as he's playfully punch in the stomach by Sarah. However, he faintly laughs it off by pulling Sarah into a hug. The nerdy couple rocking side to side to the point where the sound of laughter is heard between the two of them in front of the courtyard bench.
The following Saturday afternoon, Chuck would find himself stepping out of the 5th floor elevator with the aforementioned designated colored id pass hanging around his neck. As promised, Sarah right there by his side as his unwavering support and holding his hand as they head towards Bryce's room. It wouldn't be long before the couple find themselves seeing Bryce's manager, Tommy, walk out of his private room and takes notice of them as he is about to raise his iPhone up to his ear.
"I was just about to call you, Chief Walker." he shared, quickly hanging up. He then sticks his iPhone in the inside pocket of his jacket.
"About what?" wondered Sarah, standing with her back to the open doorway. Chuck standing beside her. All 3 individuals now standing in front of the open doorway of Bryce's private room.
"Bryce's surgeon was able to arrive earlier than expected."
"Awesome." responded Chuck. "Is it ok if I talk with…"
Chuck is suddenly interrupted by the sound of his girlfriend's name being spoke out loud. "Sarah Walker."
It's at that point, Sarah eyes suddenly widen as she hears a familiar voice from her past. "It can't be." she faintly muttered out under breath. This would lead the Chief Operating Officer to slowly turn around and as she does, a look of concern is expressed on Chuck's face.
"Sarah? What's wrong?"
Sarah doesn't respond. All her focus is on the man standing in front of her within the open doorway of Bryce's room. She's in absolute shocked disbelief as she forces herself to speak the person's name. "Cole."
XXX
NOTE: Dun Dun Dun! Sarah's ex has arrived. So, will Cole make things interesting for the nerdy couple? Good question. Let me just say, strap in because there's another arrival at the hospital that will add more fuel to the proverbial fire Charah. What do you think about this chapter? Share your thoughts whatever they may be. As always, tip of the hat to NEVR for doing the beta!