Stevie sat in that chair all night long, wide awake. She couldn't go to sleep, and for a long time Kim couldn't either, then finally his head fell back against the recliner in the room and he was out for a couple of hours.
And that was perfect- it gave her some time to just sit in the silence that had engulfed the room and think... She had so much on her mind.
It was seven when the door crept open, the light from the hallway slipping into the darkness. "Mom...?" Becks had always had a very calming voice.
Something about her presence was peaceful, even when it wasn't at times.... she was a handful too, like all natural humans are on the occasion.
With a faint smile, she held turned back to look at her other daughter. "Hi, sweetie." She whispered, holding out her hand for her to come in and sit with her.
With her cardigan wrapped around her shoulders, Becks slipped into the room, closing the door behind her and walking right to her mom. "Did you sleep?" She wondered, sitting down on the arm of the chair and leaning in to hold the older woman close. "That was a silly question..." she added a moment later, a really soft and sad laugh escaping her.
Stevie slid over, making enough room in the chair for Becks. "Daddy did." She smirked, motioning towards her ex husband, who had started snoring by then.
The younger woman chuckled, head falling on Stevie's shoulder as she snuggled in close. "George is here this morning..." she lingered, eyes traveling to those brown orbs that always made her feel better.
"Do I have to go out there...?" Stevie whispered, arm wrapped around Becks shoulders.
She shook her head, eyes falling closed. "No..." Becks didn't like him anyway. "I can send him home." She couldn't help but crack another little smile, even though she knew Stevie wouldn't find that as funny as she did.
Kissing the top of her head, the older woman gave her a warm squeeze.
"Are you really going to sell the house?" She had held off about asking for as long as she could and even though she knew it wasn't the best time, she was still curious.
Stevie sighed, mind drifting back to her favorite place in the whole world... The place had stolen her heart and held its place like nothing else ever could. "We're selling it." She nodded, already upset but getting more emotional thinking about it. "But that doesn't matter now." She shook her head softly, bringing her hand up to her face to wipe her tears. "I've missed too much and this is where I need to be." She believed that... to some extent.
Becks bit down on her lower lip as she gently swayed her mom back and forth playfully. "Stop doing that to yourself, Stephanie." She grinned, tears rolling down her cheeks. "It's time to do what makes you happy."
~~~
Neither Kim, nor Stevie had even considered leaving Constance until her nurse came in, reassuring them that she was doing okay and if they went to get coffee or even went home for awhile, she'd still be fine. So with that, they both slipped into the hallway and it immediately felt like a small weight had been lifted off their shoulders for just a moment.
That room was so depressing and overwhelming.... It made her feel sick to her stomach.
"I'm gonna get some coffee." Kim had been incredibly soft, which was not like them at the time. "I'll see you in there, honey." He added, patting her back lightly before he headed down the hall.
He wasn't good in times like that, he really wasn't and she was honestly surprised that he was holding up as well as he was.
With a soft sigh, she half heartedly put one foot in front of the other, almost forcing herself to move into the room across the hallway.
She could hear the soft voices circulating before she even opened the door and a part of her, deep down, really wanted to just escape those walls.
She wanted to be back in Hawaii, where life felt easier than ever... And she also wanted to be at home, with her kids, watching old movies like they did every Friday night when they were teenagers.
She wanted to be anywhere but there.
But when her eyes traveled the room, she was met by a million familiar faces.
Everyone was there- Karen, Matty, Becks, Ann, Silas, her fiancé, Kim's wife, his two younger children, Mick, Carol and of course, there was Lindsey.
He was sitting on the couch next to Silas, playing their fourth or fifth round of "Go Fish," after they hunted down the vending machine for snacks... Anything to distract the child from the world around them.
She was only in the doorway for a split second before he looked up from his hand of cards. And the moment his blue eyes met her much darker ones from across the room, he was pushing himself up to stand.
"Linds..." her voice cracked, his name coming out of her mouth in a whine.
She was more relieved to see him than anything else.
Without much thought, he met her in the center of the room, wrapping one arm around her waist as the other hand got lost in her hair. "It's okay, Steph." He whispered.
For a moment, it was just the two of them lost in their own little world and everyone else in the room could feel it, too.
