The Quiet Kid: (choni)

7: surgery

CHERYL POV:

"Toni." I sit down next to my boyfriend. He looks at me. "What?" He ask quietly. "Are you nervous?" He nods. "I just don't want to wake up one day and realize I'm doing the wrong thing." I rub his cheek. "You're going to be ok." I reassure him. "I'll be there for you either way." He kisses me slowly. "I'll be here when you get out." The doctor comes in and talks to Toni. They get him all set up and wheel him out.

"How are you doing?" I ask walking into Toni's bedroom. He has been asleep for the past few hours. "Loopy." He says quietly. "Yeah obviously I ask how you are doing not how you are feeling." I rub his arm. "Oh well I'm doing loopy." I lie down next to him. "You're a dork. You know that right?" I ask. "Well obviously because if I was the opposite of a dork I would be a bark." He says quietly. "Oh Toni. What would do with out you?" I laugh. "I don't know, but I don't know what I would do without you either." He kisses me slowly. "You're so beautiful." He cups me cheek. "You're hot." He lies his head on my shoulder. "I just want to sleep." He raps his arm around my waist and goes to sleep. I rub his arm for a few until he starts panicking in his sleep. The sad part is this happens all the time. "No! Don't hurt her! Please!" He yells in his sleep. Sweat starts pouring out of him. "You're ok." I whisper. He wakes up in a panic, breathing hard. "Toni..." I sit up looks at him. "Can you help me get my shirt off? I'm so warm." I nod and undo his shirt. He looks down and sees past scars. "Cheryl..." I rub my finger over them. "There is more on my thighs. Some of these are over ten years old. I haven't since we started dating." He looks up at me. "Why?" I ask quietly, not in a threatening way. "I didn't know what was wrong with me. Because of that I used to cut myself and use drugs and alcohol to hide the pain. Now I draw and see a therapist." I rub his cheek. "There is nothing wrong with you Toni, you still drink though." He nods. "I know that's still a problem of mine. But, I don't wait until Sarah leaves to get drunk anymore because one time she did and I was passed out on the couch and Jason was in his room screaming." He says rubbing my thigh. "But the party?" He looks down. "Umm... about the party." He rubs my thigh nervously. "Note: we were broken up at the time. I got really drunk and Veronica and I hooked up." I sit back. "Cheryl, I'm sorry. I was drunk and I know its a lousy excuse but it's true." I look down. Of course he did. "Toni, why are you willing to have sex with her, but not really me?" He looks down as I rolls my eyes and look away. "I didn't take anything off. She was the one who walked into the bedroom insisting that we make out and one thing led to another. If you want to break up with me it's ok." I shake my head. "No! It's fine." He gives me a look. "Cheryl, you say that and you let your feelings build up and lose your shit at me." He says quietly. "I know, but I love you and you were drunk and we were not together. You obviously didn't get her pregnant, so I'm going to pretend like everything is ok." I joke. "It's ok. I don't care." He sits up, he winches in pain. "The drugs are wearing off." I have him the pain killer and he takes them. "But the drinking." He nods. "It started when I was 13 and it hasn't stopped. The foster house I was at a few years ago, the father of the house had medical marijuana and I found it. I still use it for my anxiety but that led to other drugs." He takes a deep breath. I cup his cheek. "I moved from self harm to alcohol to drugs back to self harm and alcohol. I have so many issues and I'm sorry you have had to deal with them all." He says.

TONI POV:

I slowly walk down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Sarah, can I ask you something?" I sit down at the counter. "Sure?" She nods. "Should I have told Cheryl about what happened between Veronica and I?" I ask. She stops what she's doing and looks at me. "What did you and Veronica do?" She ask wiping down the counter. "Veronica and I hooked up, and Cheryl said it was fine but, Cheryl is again a stereotypical girl." I say quietly. "What happened that night?" She ask. I don't really remember. "I drank a lot, I made out with a few people, had sex with Veronica and got back together with Cheryl." She shakes her head. "Did you tell her about the other people?" I shake my head. "That stays between us." She nods. "Ok." I take a deep breath. "How are you feeling?" She ask quietly. "Good, I'm just in pain. And still loopy." She hands me my medication and a cup of water.

"I can't feel my chest." I say to Cheryl. She kisses me slowly. I deepen the kiss. "Are you more comfortable with your body now?" She ask sitting up. I nod. "Yeah." I rub her thigh. "I was thinking since I'm more comfortable with my body and I can move around more and be more active that maybe tonight we could go on a date and maybe come back here afterwards." I sit up slowly. "Do I have a choice?" She ask all smiley. I shake my head. "No, I have something set up already. But the part where we come back here is up to you." She smiles, hugs me and we roll over. She kisses me slowly. "I love you Cheryl." I kiss her again. "I love you Toni Topaz." I move hair out of her face. "How is Jason doing?" She ask quietly playing with my necklace. "Good, he not as fussy." I take a deep breath. "What's wrong?" She ask quietly. "I'm sorry about your brother. I never really said that." She looks down. "We never really talk about it. I-." She interrupts me. "Good. I don't like talking about it. Not yet at least." She lies her head on my shoulder. "When you're ready, I'll listen." I say quietly.