Dolphin Tale 4

Chapter [9]

"Phoebe, I think we should hold a party."

Phoebe sighed and shook her head. "For what? Besides, we don't have the funding to hold one, anyway."

"A welcome back party for the Hasketts; you know, to welcome them home. It doesn't have to be big. Just you, me and other friends."

Phoebe sighed again. "Sawyer, they'll be back in a day or so. I just don't think we have enough time to organise a party, even if it is a small one."

"Come on, Phoebe. We can do anything if we believe in ourselves. Have a little more faith in us. We're us, and we can do anything."

"Think rationally, Sawyer. We have to organise food, drinks, a guest list, find a suitable venue..."

"Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a suitable venue. It is, after all, their home."

"But what about food? What about drinks? Who do we invite? What about music and decorations? What sort of budget do we have; how much money can we put into this party?"

Sawyer sighed. "Leave the funding up to me; I'll use my own money. You just figure out what time the Hasketts will be back and who to invite. I'll make the invitations and take care of everything else."

Phoebe gazed at Sawyer sceptically. "Are you sure you can handle all of that? I'd be perfectly happy to pitch in a few dollars."

Sawyer shook his head. "I'll be fine. All you have to do is find out exactly when the Hasketts will be back, and who we should invite to the party. I'll take care of everything else."

Phoebe nodded, still slightly hesitant. "Okay, if that's what you want."

"It is."

***

Sawyer lay in bed that night, wondering how he was going to make this party special for the Hasketts, but for Hazel especially. So special, that she would forgive him if he ever told her about the kissing incident with Lacie.

He still hadn't decided whether or not he was going to tell her the truth straight up. Sawyer had been contemplating both the pros and cons for days on end, but neither option really appealed to him. He was just going to do whatever he felt was appropriate at the time. He was just going to follow his instincts and hope for the best.

No ideas came to him as to how he was going to make Hazel feel special. No inspiration. Nothing.

Sawyer sighed and closed his eyes, letting sleep wash over him and take him away from the shores of worry and speculation.

***

"Do you have the guest list?"

Phoebe looked up at Sawyer. "The guest list? Oh, yes. Here you go." She handed Sawyer a piece of paper.

"Do you know what time they're coming back yet?"

Phoebe nodded. "They'll be back at sunrise tomorrow. Sometime around then."

Sawyer nodded. "Thanks." He scanned over the guest list, one name in particular standing out to him. "Lacie. Why did you invite Lacie?"

Phoebe frowned. "Why not? She's part of our staff now. I invited all of our staff members, and I'm still waiting for replies."

Sawyer groaned. "This was supposed to be a reunion. Hazel, Dr. Clay, and Reed have never even met Lacie before. And Lacie might do something that will have even more impact on my already rocky relationship with Hazel. Did you already ask her if she could come?"

Phoebe stared at Sawyer, calculating. After a while, she nodded slowly. "Yes, I have already asked Lacie if she could come."

Sawyer drew in a deep breath. "And what did she say?"

"Yes. She immediately accepted my invitation. She was quite delighted, actually, to be invited."

Sawyer sighed. "Wouldn't anyone be excited to be invited to a party? Free food, drinks. Music... Great. Just great. I just hope that she doesn't do anything remotely stupid."

Phoebe frowned. "What's the worst she could do, anyway?"

Sawyer shrugged. "I don't know. Kiss me? Say she loves me in front of everyone? I don't know. I just hope that she has the sense not to try anything stupid in the presence of Hazel."

"I'm sure Lacie has more common sense than you think she has. I'm sure she won't try anything stupid when you're around Hazel. Now that Hazel's back, I'm sure she'll give you two some space."

Sawyer sighed. "You never know. But I really hope you're right. I love Hazel. I love her so much. I've missed her so much, and I'll do anything to keep my relationship with her. Anything."

Phoebe smiled slightly. "I know you love her, Sawyer. You deserve a girl like Hazel. Hazel deserves someone like you. You two are such a perfect couple. Even before you two discovered your true feelings towards each other, I knew."

Sawyer frowned. "Knew what?"

"That you two were going to great together. I knew you two were going to fall for each other. I just knew it from the first moment I saw you two together. It was so obvious to me." Phoebe smiled. "And I wasn't wrong. You two are perfect together; the two jigsaw pieces that click together without any spaces."

Sawyer sighed. "Thanks. I just hope that what Lacie did won't make our non-existent spaces become existent. I don't know if I can bear to not be with Hazel. She's, like, my soul mate. She's my meaning in life. She's the centre of my universe. I love her so much, no amount of words will ever be enough to express just how much I love her."

Phoebe smiled. "Well, let's just hope, then, shall we? Let's just hope that Hazel is fast at forgiving you when you tell her about your incident with Lacie."

Sawyer bit his lip, smiling slightly. "Yes, I should hope she's fast at forgiving. I also hope that Lacie has some common sense. I'll be crossing my fingers from now until the end of the party."

Phoebe nodded. "You do that. It can't hurt to hope, right?"

Sawyer smiled. "No, it can't hurt to hope at all. Sometimes, a little hope can go a long way."