Chapter 12, squee!
Aug. 8th, 2005 09:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
axesladeGetting closer to the end of Bliss...
Chapter 12
March 18, 1982-10:30 AM
James had been awake for two hours, and was contemplating going to back to sleep because he must have misunderstood her phone call, when the door opened. He turned his head towards the sound of the creaky hinges, smiling when he saw a black high heel, leading up to a long white leg, slide hesitantly through the crack into a shaft of sunlight.
“Umm, you awake?”
“What do you think?”
He heard her giggle, something he hadn’t heard in far too long, and then the door opened completely and without thinking he slid his legs off the bed and started towards her when he stumbled. His palms hit the floor and then he saw her ankles level with his eye, though a second later it was her chest, with something bundled in pale blue and white clasped to it with one hand while another pulled him up.
“You okay?”
“’Course” he looked up, blinking when he saw her smile, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling like they used to. Then suddenly he shrank away. He’d seen himself in the mirror few days ago, he knew he wasn’t the same man she’d married. Sure, it was her fault but still. How could she…
“James? Honey?” she put a hand under his chin when he turned away, forcing him to face her.
“You must think I’m hideous, huh?”
She squinted, shaking her head.
“How could you ever think that?”
“The way you were carrying on before…”
“James I was angry. I didn’t mean a word I said. You should know that. Look, the scars will fade and everything else…it’ll just serve to remind me how stupid I was.”
He managed to laugh a little.
“Could you get me up off the floor and help me to that wheelchair over there?”
“Sure” she slipped her hand under his arm, pulling him so he was standing and could lean against the bed. He licked his lips nervously, fiddling with his hair.
“So, um…how’s Jamie holding up?”
“I explained to her what happened…well, kind of. I told her that you were sick and that’s why you did what you did. She handled it okay. She misses you though, and she hasn’t really spoken to me that much.”
He nodded weakly, accepting her hand when she came back with the wheelchair. He hated feeling this helpless around her when she had always expected him to be the strong one.
Mandy frowned a little when she noticed his subtle change in attitude.
“James? You okay?”
“Yeah, fine. It’s just…I feel so…so useless to you right now. I feel like I’ve let you down.”
She shook her head, kissing his hair.
“You haven’t. It’ll all be better soon, you know that.”
“Yeah…” he trailed off when she shifted the bundle in her arms to his. He glanced at her oddly.
“Man-“
“Shush. He’s your son too, and you haven’t gotten to see him. Besides, I need to use my hands for this thing.”
James smirked a little, gently shoving the blanket away to glance at their son. God, even if he didn’t love Mandy so much, he’d go through with what they were planning just for the kids.
When he remembered that, something else cruelly hit him in the face.
“…Mand?”
“Hmm?”
“The things I said that night, I didn’t mean any of them. You know that, right?”
“Why darling, of course you meant some of them” she said this very casually without a hint of pain or malice in her voice.
“What?”
She sighed dramatically, shoving one of the glass doors open with her hip.
“I could tell from the look on your face, even after you told me what you were doing, that you’d bottled up some of those things for years and it felt good to let them go. Don’t worry, I understand. I was a little hurt for a bit, but I’m over it now.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that…”
She smiled, taking Seth from his arm and opening the car door.
“Believe me, if I were even the tiniest bit hurt, I’d have ripped your heart out twenty minutes ago.”
James laughed, shaking his head as she helped him into the car.
“That’s my girl.”
Chapter 12
March 18, 1982-10:30 AM
James had been awake for two hours, and was contemplating going to back to sleep because he must have misunderstood her phone call, when the door opened. He turned his head towards the sound of the creaky hinges, smiling when he saw a black high heel, leading up to a long white leg, slide hesitantly through the crack into a shaft of sunlight.
“Umm, you awake?”
“What do you think?”
He heard her giggle, something he hadn’t heard in far too long, and then the door opened completely and without thinking he slid his legs off the bed and started towards her when he stumbled. His palms hit the floor and then he saw her ankles level with his eye, though a second later it was her chest, with something bundled in pale blue and white clasped to it with one hand while another pulled him up.
“You okay?”
“’Course” he looked up, blinking when he saw her smile, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling like they used to. Then suddenly he shrank away. He’d seen himself in the mirror few days ago, he knew he wasn’t the same man she’d married. Sure, it was her fault but still. How could she…
“James? Honey?” she put a hand under his chin when he turned away, forcing him to face her.
“You must think I’m hideous, huh?”
She squinted, shaking her head.
“How could you ever think that?”
“The way you were carrying on before…”
“James I was angry. I didn’t mean a word I said. You should know that. Look, the scars will fade and everything else…it’ll just serve to remind me how stupid I was.”
He managed to laugh a little.
“Could you get me up off the floor and help me to that wheelchair over there?”
“Sure” she slipped her hand under his arm, pulling him so he was standing and could lean against the bed. He licked his lips nervously, fiddling with his hair.
“So, um…how’s Jamie holding up?”
“I explained to her what happened…well, kind of. I told her that you were sick and that’s why you did what you did. She handled it okay. She misses you though, and she hasn’t really spoken to me that much.”
He nodded weakly, accepting her hand when she came back with the wheelchair. He hated feeling this helpless around her when she had always expected him to be the strong one.
Mandy frowned a little when she noticed his subtle change in attitude.
“James? You okay?”
“Yeah, fine. It’s just…I feel so…so useless to you right now. I feel like I’ve let you down.”
She shook her head, kissing his hair.
“You haven’t. It’ll all be better soon, you know that.”
“Yeah…” he trailed off when she shifted the bundle in her arms to his. He glanced at her oddly.
“Man-“
“Shush. He’s your son too, and you haven’t gotten to see him. Besides, I need to use my hands for this thing.”
James smirked a little, gently shoving the blanket away to glance at their son. God, even if he didn’t love Mandy so much, he’d go through with what they were planning just for the kids.
When he remembered that, something else cruelly hit him in the face.
“…Mand?”
“Hmm?”
“The things I said that night, I didn’t mean any of them. You know that, right?”
“Why darling, of course you meant some of them” she said this very casually without a hint of pain or malice in her voice.
“What?”
She sighed dramatically, shoving one of the glass doors open with her hip.
“I could tell from the look on your face, even after you told me what you were doing, that you’d bottled up some of those things for years and it felt good to let them go. Don’t worry, I understand. I was a little hurt for a bit, but I’m over it now.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that…”
She smiled, taking Seth from his arm and opening the car door.
“Believe me, if I were even the tiniest bit hurt, I’d have ripped your heart out twenty minutes ago.”
James laughed, shaking his head as she helped him into the car.
“That’s my girl.”
