"You got so much love in you..." -- The Rocket Summer 'So Much Love'
21
He never got better. For a single moment, everyone thought he was better. With his eyes open and lips moving slowly as he smiled at his baby. But then, at four a.m., he died.
It had been almost a year, and almost every night at four in the morning, she would wake up and stare at the clock for an hour. Because that was how long she cried before passing out from exhaustion. Because that was how long it took for a nurse to come in a finally unplug the machine that was no longer making any sounds because Becca had finally gotten tired of hearing the continuous beep with the flat green line, and she got up and turned it off herself.
That was how long she would talk to Amie and Tiffany and Laynie and whoever else she decided to call for the next few months until they finally unplugged their phones so that they could get a solid night of sleep. She didn't blame them, though.
It was how long Teddy comforted her after the funeral, with one arm wrapped around her and a box of tissues in the other hand.
She closed the scrapbook that held all her special memories of him when she heard a knock on her door. Aubrie was playing the floor, lying on her back and kicking her legs as she watched the fan spin round and round.
She subconcsiously wiped her cheeks, just in case there were any traces of tears before she opened the door just a crack to see who it was.
It was Teddy. He had flowers. "I know you used to like pink tulips, but these are more cheerful."
She opened the door a little farther and let him in. He laid on his side in the floor next to Aubrie and tickled her side, which she laughed at.
"So what's up?" She tried to act nonchalant. Like everything was ok again.
He shrugged. "I wanted to come see you."
"Thats what you say every week, Ted. I look the same." She laughed at pitiful appearance. "Same stringy-looking hair, same pale skin, same dark circles under my eyes. Same, pathetic-looking me."
"You're not pathetic." He said. "If anything, its me. I'm still chasing you after all these years."
She rolled her eyes. "Please, you're just saying that."
He snorted. "Why would I lie?"
"Because everything is just going to leave me."
"That's why you won't go out with me?" He laughed. "I'm not asking to get married tomorrow Becks. I just want you to get out of the house. Come see one of my shows, or not. I don't care what we do. As long as you come with me."
She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she rubbed her tired eyes.
"Get some sleep. You look like crap." He told her as he kept playing peek-a-boo with the baby in the floor. Way to be brutally honest, Ted.
- - - -
She woke up, and her house smelled different. Aubrie wasn't in the floor anymore, but in a swing in the kitchen, where someone was singing.
Was that vanilla? And cinnamon? She yawned as she threw the blanket off of her. When had she covered herself up? She walked to the edge of the kitchen and saw that Teddy and Amie were sitting in her kitchen, and Amie was feeding Aubrie.
She blinked as the bright flourescent light burned her eyes.
"She's awake!" Amie giggled as she spotted her. Teddy turned around and smiled at her. Amie spoke up again. "Why don't you go take a nice long shower?"
At first she thought she was hallucinating, but she realized that she was actually listening to her friends and making her way to her bedroom to take a shower. 'Am I being brainwashed?' she thought as she stood under the hot water for a good five minutes before moving on to wash herself.
"Hey, its Amie, just put your underwear and a robe on, then come on in your room. I have a surprise for you." She heard Amie shut the door and she gave the walls of the shower strange looks as if they could tell what she was thinking.
"Seriously. Am I in some sort of twighlight zone?" she said aloud before turning the water off and stepping out of the shower.
When she stepped in her room, she saw Amie and Tim leaning against her bed.
"What's going on?" She asked warily.
"Sit here," Amie pointed to a chair she had brought from the kitchen. "Tim is going to give you a little massage, and I am going to fix your hair."
"Seriously, whats going on?"
"You and Teddy are going out tonight," Tim told her. "Now shut up and be still."
"I don't want to go out." She told them, but they kept her in her chair and continued their work on her. She felt like she was on one of those makeover shows, but luckily she wasn't going to be seen by all of the United States.
"You're wearing this outfit," Amie told her as she handed her a red, silkly, short sleeved button up shirt and a pair of skinny jeans and black flats.
She grumbled and moaned as she began to get dressed right in front of them, after all they were all friends, and had seen more of each other than they had ever intended anyway.
"You're not wearing that underwear are you?" Tim asked. "You've had that since eleventh grade."
Her mouth hung open in astonishment that he actually remembered catching glimpses of her underwear.
"Seriously, wear something else."
She looked at Amie. "Does this not bother you?"
"Hun, we're married, your my best friend, but you really can't wear those anymore. They should be burned." Amie told her honestly and she caught herself smiling, and almost laughing. "She
can smile! Who knew?"
She scoffed at her friend before digging out a lacy black and purple bra, with matching underwear. "Better?" She asked before heading to the bathroom to changed into them.
- - - -
She had to admit, she did look pretty hot. She washed her hands in the public bathroom of one of Dillon's finest restaraunts before making her way back to the table.
"So how was your massage?" Teddy asked. "That was all Tim's idea, by the way. He's quite creative when he wants to be."
She rolled her eyes. It did feel good. "It was good. I'm not having headaches anymore... So far, anyway."
"I'm glad you're out with me tonight," he told her. "Even if we did have to drag you into it."
"Don't you mean force me into it? Like you always do?" She said, wondering if he realized the meaning behind it.
"You're a smart one," he laughed. "But not as smart as me, of course. No one can top me."
She rolled her eyes and smirked. "Sure Ted."
"Is that the smallest hint of a smile I see?" He teased her, and she began to let the expression fade. "You have a great smile, but I don't want to see it. Don't show it to me, now."
This caused her to break out into the biggest smile she had probably ever given, which led to a little laugh.
"Thats the Becca I know," he said softly. "Are you ready to go to the next place?"
She nodded, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked out of the restaurant. The sun was fading, but the sky had yet to come alive with pinks and yellows and oranges.
"You have to close your eyes for this one," he told her, and after a bit of arguing, she relented.
When she opened them, she was in her favorite place. She was surprised he even knew how to get here. He'd only been here once... Or so she thought.
"I've came here every Saturday night," he told her. "Weather permitting, of course. I watch people and sometimes I wonder if you still come here."
"But you live in Tulsa," she said and he shrugged.
"I usually do shows on Friday and Saturday nights in Texas, so I'll rent a hotel and stay the weekend with John."
"I've been here once since I moved back," she confessed. "I actually never brought Austen here."
"How come?"
She shrugged. "I never thought about it, really. I guess I considered it a special place for just me... And you now, you little special place thief."
He giggled a little before wrapping his arms around her as the last bit of light faded away and all the stars in Texas could be seen.
"When did you become a hopeless romantic?" She teased and he rolled his eyes at her.
"This hardly takes any sort of critical thinking. I just knew you loved this place, so I decided to take you here."
"Well, thank you. I'm glad you helped me finally clear my head." She told him. "Even if it did take a small army."
"Me too," he said quietly as he wrapped his arms around her. For a minute, he looked as if he was going in to kiss her, but instead, he placed one on her forehead before standing up and holding his hand out to her.
"Come on, let's go see Laynie."
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OK! What did you think?
It was a little more cheery this time!
