Chapter Text
She pulled herself up and scooted to the edge of the bed, giggling as he slipped his arms under her knees and brought her legs around, setting her feet on the floor. He was still singing with that goofy smile on his face and it made her feel ridiculously happy...he was like an angel, her own sweet angel, the person she never thought would find their way into her life. He raised his face to hers and his eyes were so bright in the morning sunlight that it took her breath away for one exciting moment, that interminable second when you first go under the water and your panic response stutters briefly on am I going to drown or will I find the surface again?
"Dance with me, pretty girl."
She gave him a scolding look but he wasn't about to be deterred. "Come on. Up with you. I love this song, it's a shame to waste it."
Leaning over to slide his arms under hers, he lifted her easily, holding her against his chest as he shifted his grip so that his arms circled her back. She felt him nudge his feet under hers, then he lowered her just a little so that when he moved his legs, hers moved with them.
"See? There's nothing to dancing. All you need is a good song and someone to mock your total lack of rhythm."
She laughed, tilting her head back to look up at him. "So all we need now is the good song." A fake pained look came to his face and he began singing more loudly, with even more determination, spinning her slowly.
"A little bit of Sandra in the sun
A little bit of Mary all night long
A little bit of Jessica here I am
A little bit of you makes me your man..."
Eight years before
There was nothing beyond the shrill sound of tires losing traction, no memory of the car trying its best to stay on the road despite being pushed sideways through the divider wall between the two lanes. The sound of another car losing control was followed by the dizzying sight of headlights rolling and then flashing toward the sky, of her mind thinking briefly well that's not right...but after that there was nothing until the bright lights of the emergency room blinded her, the only sound now the voices of a dozen strangers rushing to save someone's life as she looked around, hoping that whoever they were, they were going to be okay.
A week later
Her head hurt, but she opened her eyes as she was told, earning praise from someone whose voice she had come to recognize through the hazy fog she'd been lost in. It gradually cleared, and other voices joined the one she knew.
Most of their words had no meaning, but the ones that did made tears squeeze out the corners of her eyes. She hadn't thought at first that they were talking about her, but when she tried to wiggle her toes like the familiar voice asked, she knew the words were about her after all.
Eight years later
"Would you like to go ahead of me?"
"No, no - I'm good. Thanks."
"But you only have one thing." She motioned to the basket full of groceries on her lap, then at his lone bottle of vitamin water. "I'm going to take a while. Go on ahead of me."
He smiled, an embarrassed sort of loopy grin that was every bit as bright as his brilliant blue eyes. "Are you sure you don't mind? I'm really in no rush."
She shook her head, gripping the wheels of her chair to move back so that he could step in front of her. He thanked her graciously as he put his bottle on the counter and pulled out his wallet. He looked back at her, his eyes sweeping over her briefly as his smile returned. "You look very nice. Going to a party?"
"Just getting back from a wedding."
"Ah." He smiled, leaning toward her slightly, raising one eyebrow quizzically. "Were you the bride?" She laughed, pursing her lips at him.
"No."
"Bridesmaid?"
"Can you see me in a procession? I've run over my own dress so many times it's gone beyond ridiculous."
He looked down, nodding, noticing the hem of her long dress was hanging to the floor. "You're about to to pass ridiculous and enter the realm of ludicrous." Crouching down, he lifted a handful of the dirtied ivory satin and tucked it behind her leg. She flinched.
"Sorry," he said quietly, a look of mildly panicked concern crossing his face. "I didn't mean to - "
"It's okay." She waved her hand, indicating it was nothing. "The nerves in my legs are a little unpredictable sometimes." His brow was furrowed in worry so she smiled to reassure him, leaning forward to push her fingertip into the crease between his eyebrows. He gave her a quick grin and stood up.
The cashier rang up his water and he paid, but instead of leaving he stuffed his wallet back into his pocket and turned around to lift her basket onto the counter. "Can I carry your things to the car for you?" Looking around, he didn't notice anyone waiting by the doors. "You're not alone, are you?"
"My sister is here somewhere, probably in the parking lot screaming at the owner of the Camaro that was parked in the handicapped spot."
A look of horror came over his face and his mouth dropped open, followed by a groan as his hand came up over his face. "Shit, that's me."
"Ahh." She couldn't keep from laughing out loud, he looked so mortified.
"Oh god...I'm so sorry...it's two in the morning, there were three other cars in the entire lot, I wasn't thinking - "
"It's okay. Really. We parked right next to you, it was actually closer."
"Fuck." He slapped a hand over his mouth, his sheepish look turning to pure embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."
"You're going to have to move."
"Yes, I'll go move it right now - "
"No, I mean you need to move or I'll run over your foot." She'd paid and had her basket in her lap again, inching her chair forward till the footrest was tapping him on the shin. "Beep."
He scrambled out of the way, cheeks red, as a voice from the sliding entrance doors began shouting a license plate number, demanding to know who the car parked illegally in the handicapped spot belonged to.
"Don't say anything, just go in the bathroom until we leave. Trust me on this." She nodded toward the snack bar, pushing past him to meet her sister before she got too far into the store.
As he headed for the restrooms, he turned back to look at her again. "Is there any chance I could get your phone number?"
"I'll have yours by tomorrow afternoon," she said with a laugh, pointing toward her sister at the customer service desk. "Once she has the police trace your license plate, I'll know everything there is to know about you.'
The look of panic came back to his face, but she was laughing, and somehow he felt like she'd find a way to make it okay.
"Right," he said, backpeddling into the men's room door. "Well, call me when she traces me, if you want to maybe chat a bit. Maybe I could take you out for a coke or something, to make up for it - you know, since I'm really good at parking in the disabled spot already. Might as well give myself a reason to do it legally."
She nodded, turning away quickly as her sister came striding over, indignantly complaining about inconsiderate assholes in a loud voice meant to be heard all over the store. "They're probably hiding in the bathroom," she groused, grabbing the basket and heading for the door without waiting. "If it wasn't time for your meds I'd sit on the hood of their car all night - they have to come out some time." She was to the door before she glanced back. "Come on Chloe, let's go."
Reaching down to hike up the hem of her long dress, the girl turned to glance over at the men's room and saw him standing there, his head poking out the door, checking to see if her sister was gone yet. He waved, that sheepish little grin coming back to his face again.
"See ya, Chloe," he mouthed silently.
To be continued...