Kind Hearted (Patrick Kane)

63- Reunited

Patrick

"Where are we going" Tori asks as I walk behind her, my hands covering her eyes as I try to make sure she doesn't trip.

"To the restaurant" I tell her.

"Is it really a surprise if you tell me where we're going" she giggles.

"Not if that's not the surprise" I tease.

"Right. What could possibly go wrong" she scoffs.

After walking into the restaurant I go up to the booth I always sit in when we come here. I see a girl sitting there with another man and I smile big. I had picked them up from the train station earlier today and got them to chill out here until I got Tori out of the apartment. It's hard to get her out on her days off but I told her she had to for a surprise and she easily agreed to leave.

The lady lights up when she sees Victoria in front of me and that made me really happy. I had been working my ass off for this moment and I knew that in the matter of seconds it was all going to be worth it.

I stop us from walking and she stumbles a little. I make sure she's okay and doesn't fall over.

"Are you ready" I ask her.

"Yup" she claims.

"Are you sure" I ask.

"Now I'm not so sure since you keep asking" she pouts and I laugh.

"Well I'm letting go" I tell her. I take my hands away and she rubs her eyes a little. Once they open she sees the girl sitting in the booth and she gasps loudly.

"Alicia, holy crap... is that you" she squeals.

"Hey Little V" the woman replies.

Tori pulls her out of the booth and into one of those huge hugs she gives out. It was a mixture of happiness and shock as the two best friend embrace each other for the first time in a very long time.

"What in the world are you doing here" Tori asks as they break apart. She holds her dear friend close never wanting to let her go again.

"Your Dad helped Patrick find me then he brought us out here" she explains.

"Us" Tori questions.

"Yeah. It's been a little and honestly this is the only thing that's changed since you left. But this is Danny" she introduces as she points to the man who used to be sitting next to her. "As soon as I told him I was coming out to see you he insisted he tagged along. I've told him so much about you and I wasn't allowed to come if he couldn't meet you" she explains.

"It's wonderful to meet you" Tori says.

"You too" Danny smiles.

We all sit down and order some drinks before starting to talk. After a while it feels like Alicia and Tori have been together forever. I've only seen her and I connect so naturally.

"I hear you ended up being a head nurse here" Alicia says and Tori smiles.

"Yeah. It took some trial and error. I missed the interview for the nurse position, then I got it and was scared to apply for the head nursing position. But with some help I got there" Tori explains as she smiles over at me.

"How did you miss the interview" Alicia wonders.

"I met Patrick" Tori says and I kind of laugh. That's one way of putting it.

"Aww. So how long have you guys been together" she wonders.

"Over a year" I smile.

"You know. A lot of her friends are not happy about that" Alicia giggles.

"Yeah. I wouldn't think they would be" I laugh.

"How did you even find each other" Tori wonders as she points between me and her friend.

"Well I called up some friends in Detroit" I start. "Your Dad knew who would know where Alicia would be so I had my friends look for her. Showed them some pictures from when we were looking through your scrapbook. One of my guys found her and her fiancé working at a school his son went to and I reached out to them" I explain.

"Fiancé" Tori gasps.

"Yeah. And I'm really happy Patrick found us in time because it would mean the world to me if you were my maid of honor at our wedding" Alicia claims.

"Seriously" she asks.

"Absolutely. V, you're my best friend in this whole world. No one took care of me like you did and I'm older than you" she laughs. "But I know that I can't get married if you're not the one by my side. We used to sit and talk about this moment when we were kids. How we would be at each other weddings. And now you're a successful nurse and I'm teaching elementary school kids more than what is in a text book just like we always dreamed up. Then we would find the perfect man for us and be totally in love, and it's happening. I remember we used to practice on each other, you would always let me be the bride because I was a total diva. But you always told me that one day I was going to find a man that would make me happy like you did as my fake husband. And I did, and I want to marry him more than anything. But I want you there just as bad" Alicia says.

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world" Tori smiles.

"And I'm hoping you'll be there too" Alicia admits as she turns to me.

"Of course" I smile.

Alicia's fiancé Danny and I decide to let the girls catch up on their own and I promise to show him around town. He's always wanted to see Chicago and I knew all he places to take him to get the full experience. We end up in melinnium Park at the bean like most of the pedestrians this warm March day.

"Thank you for what you're doing" Danny says and I shrug my shoulders.

"It just felt right. Victoria never asks for anything, not a single thing. But she asked to see Alicia again and I knew what I had to do" I admit.

"You know, when I first started dating V it was right after Tori left. I thought she had just broken up with a guy she had been dating for a few years because of how broken up she was. Turns out it was worse. It was her best friend in this entire world. Alicia told me what Tori and her dad did for her. They saved her life and wouldn't even let her thank them" he explains and I laugh.

"Unfortunately I know exactly how that goes" I admit.

"Really" he asks.

"Yeah. When Tori said she missed her interview because she met me was because she found me drunk on a sidewalk at the beginning of January. If I wasn't going to die from the cold or the alcohol poisoning I was surly going to die because someone recognized me and exposed me. But she missed her interview for the job of her dreams to take what little she had and give it all to me. She saved my life and it was like she didn't even know it" I explain.

"From what I've heard, she's pretty incredible" he claims.

"She's amazing" I admit.

"So what about you guys, are you planning to get married anytime soon" he asks.

"I sure hope so" I admit.

"What's stopping you? Are you nervous" he wonders.

"Tori and I have been through a lot lately. More than any couple should go through. We're still healing" I explain.

"That's all the more reason to get married. You don't need a big wedding, a marriage shouldn't be a show. It's about two people promising each other to give them their all for the rest of their lives. If you know that she's the one then there's no reason you should wait" he says.

"It's hard, being who I am. I feel like it won't be just about her and I. I don't want us to turn into some spectacle" I insist.

"It shouldn't matter what they say. If the love is true then none of that matters" he claims.

"The love is the greatest thing I have ever called mine" I insist.

"Then show her."