Remember This (Virgin River)

Sweet Tooth

"Look, Xanax and alcohol together depresses the central nervous system function like breathing, which can be fatal." Her warning spoke volumes. I knew I had messed up. I scared her and Jack, which wasn't fair to either of them. I also couldn't answer all of their questions, or what caused me to do such a thing. I had no death wish, I guess you could say I was more at a loss for how to get through all these feelings of doubt, sadness, and confusion.

"I was uh, having such a bad day." I was feeling quite emotional. It had been a while since I had a true friend to talk to about everything with. I held a lot in, despite wanting to tell her what had happened before I was ready to. "I can't go into all the details right now. Let's just say it wasn't my finest moment mixing those two things together."

"I get it. You know, after Jack was shot, I also had some bad days."

"I started taking Xanax before the shooting."

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?" I sensed her hesitation to go there, not knowing me very well. I appreciated that she was trying, even though a part of me knew it was her duty as a nurse to make sure I was okay.

"I was dating this guy in Sacramento. He was an attorney." My hands began to shake, more from nerves than this blustery day "It ended badly. Really badly. So, I quit my job and came to Virgin River hoping I could start fresh. I'm not sure how well that's working."

"You still can. Did you work with him?"

"No, I couldn't stand the idea of seeing him in court. I'm going to try and get the hang of things soon."

"I'm really sorry. You know, there's no rush or pressure to get the hang of life. I'm still trying to figure that out, as is most of this town. I really hope you know if you ever want to talk, I'm here for you, and so is Jack. He is really worried about you."

"Thanks. I don't know about that." I sighed, knowing the hurt I was harboring wouldn't be resolved in a day. He had been so distant with me and the rest of our family since he got home from serving his country. "We're not as close as we used to be. It's hard for me to tell him what's going on in my life."

"I get it. You know what? You're both here now, so maybe you can change anything going on between the two of you. I've never been good with relationships, but I can see when you're around, the love he has for you. I've also found that Jack is not a man of many words, but his love runs deeply for those around him."

"Sorry to break it to you, he's always been like that. Not saying much, I mean. All I know is he was a lot more outgoing before he served in the marines."

"Hmm. Yeah, I bet he was. Anyway, they have really good cinnamon swirls in that tent right there." Mel pointed her thumb towards the white tent directly behind us, a scent of butter and cinnamon swirling around us.

"I'm going to need two of them."

"Okay." Mel looked delighted I had still accepted her invitation to grab some food. She wrapped her arm through mine as we walked towards an older gentleman sitting behind a white table, a woman busily dishing out some sort of treat to a customer on the other side. "Hi, four cinnamon swirls, please."

"Eight dollars, please." Stepping in front of her, I handed him the money before Mel could get hers out of her wallet.

"You didn't have to do that."

"Here you are." The woman handed us each two cinnamon swirls wrapped in a bag, our conversation paused until we stepped away from the tent.

"Think of it as a small thank you from me. I'm really glad you were there when I needed you most."

"I hope you know if things start feeling hard for you, you can always come to me, no matter what is going on in your life."

"I appreciate that." Taking my first bite, I reveled in the taste of butter, sugar, and just a hint of cinnamon. "You know, even though I had my doubts when Jack first asked me, I'm really glad I came up here. The food alone is to die for."

"It is."

"So, it's my turn to ask," I told her after a few moments of silence as we munched on our food. She took a deep bite, her other hand holding onto the other sack. "How are things between you and Jack?"

"We're doing okay. I think I'm finally getting used to his snoring."

"He told me you slept in your car one night. I always knew his snoring would get brought up one day, considering it was atrocious when we were kids."

"That I did. I could have used your wisdom back then. It was interesting and yet uncomfortable at the same time." Mel laughed awkwardly, holding her hand up to her mouth as she continued to chew. "He was more than I thought I would be getting when I arrived in Virgin River. In fact, your brother was the one who talked me into staying."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He and Ricky worked on fixing up the cabin I'm in now so I wouldn't feel like I had to leave. You should come and see it sometime. It took a while to get everything sorted out, including my job, and I have to say I'm glad I stayed."

"You seemed surprised you did."

"I was. At the time, my sister Joey was trying to talk me into coming back to Los Angeles. I was fully prepared to book it out of here too. My life felt messy and complicated. What am I saying? It still is. I guess I never realized how much I needed someone to lean on after my husband passed away."

"Oh, Mel. I am so sorry."

"It's okay. It's been a couple of years since he died. I think it's more that I never thought I would find anyone like Mark. Then I found Jack, and well, the rest is history."

"I can tell he loves you. Speaking of. Have you seen my brother? He wasn't exactly specific with what he wanted me to help with."

"The last time I saw Jack, he was walking around helping vendors set up tents. That was early this morning though." Gazing around at the sudden influx of visitors, everyone dressed in plaid made it unusually hard to pinpoint Jack. "You know what, I bet he's down by the logs or heading that way soon. It's almost time for us to start sawing, and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't miss that."