Till We Meet Again

Chapter Fourteen

"Hey there," I said, plopping down crisscross on Collin's bed.  

"What time is it?" he groaned.  

"A little before three."  

He wiped an arm across his eyes, letting out a yawn.

"Have you been out of bed today?"  

"I think I got up to pee once."  

"How're you feeling?"

"Okay I guess," he said, pushing himself up vertical.

"Do you know if Scooby's been out today?"

He reached down and nudged his sleeping dog with his foot.

"No idea babe, I just got here."  

Collin put his head in my lap, letting out another yawn.  

"Did you sleep well?'  

"I didn't wake up once. Well, except to pee I think."

"So, all you need is a little brain surgery to cure insomnia."  

"I'll recommend it to all my friends."  

I laughed as he sat up again, rubbing his eyes.

"I need to take Scooby out."  Scooby's head lifted up at his name.  

"We could go to the dog park," I suggested.

"Get a little sunshine."  

"Okay," Collin agreed. 

I gave him a quick kiss before heading out to his living room, giving him a few minutes to freshen up.  Chris was lugging his suitcase to the front door, Catherine behind him.  

"You're leaving?" I asked Chris.  

"I've maxed my vacation days," he said, with a half-smile.

"My boss might kill me."  

"We're going to miss you," Melissa said, jutting out her bottom lip.

"I'm going to miss you too Ms. L," Chris said, giving her a tight hug.  

"What's going on?" Collin asked, coming out into the living room. 

He'd managed to get dressed, sporting a pair of khaki shorts and a baseball tournament t-shirt.  

"My flight leaves in a couple of hours," Chris informed him.

"That's today?" Collin asked.  He nodded.

"But I have a present for you."  

"It must be my lucky day."  

His living room was scattered with Get Well Soon balloons, teddy bears, and flowers.  Everybody loves Collin Langford.  Chris swiped his gift bag off the counter, tossing it to Collin.  Collin caught it, plopping down on the couch. 

Scooby was immediately by his side, his nose stuffed inside the gift bag.

"I think this one is for me bud," Collin said, giving Scooby a good scratch before opening his gift. 

Inside was a white beanie.

"You talked to my mom," Collin said, laughing as he pulled it out.

"I wanted to get you something useful," Chris defended. 

Collin disappeared back into the bathroom and came back in a few minutes with his beanie pulled over his head, more importantly over his scar.  

"Looking stylish there," I said, with a smile. 

Collin chuckled.

"I think he pulls off the beanie look," Catherine mused.  

"I'd date him," I said, with a nod.

 "We're going to the dog park," Collin informed his mom.

"Come take your meds first," she said, giving Chris one last hug before heading over to the kitchen to find Collin's medicine.  

"Beanie and glasses," I said, taking a seat on a barstool in the kitchen.

"You could totally be like one of those guys that hangs out in coffee shops and snaps at other people's poems."  

"Hey, I could be one of those people that presents a poem," Collin defended.

"I think you need a little more hipster clothing first," I said, observing his outfit.

"You're not quite there yet."  Collin raised an eyebrow at me.

"Right now, you're like a hipster wannabe."

"I could pull it off," Collin muttered, before accepting his medicine and a glass of water from his mom. 

Scooby let out a whine at Collin's feet.  I turned around and gave Scooby some attention.  

"He's been needy lately," Collin said, after he finished.

"He won't leave me, and whenever I'm not paying attention to him he does that."

"He was worried about you while you were gone," I said, scratching Scooby's belly.

"And his daddy came home with a scar on his head and glasses. It probably freaked him out a little."  

"You're too needy," Collin chastised, reaching down to pet Scooby.

"Let's go."

"Good morning sunshine," my mom greeted, as I made my way into the kitchen.  

"What time is it?" I muttered, opening the refrigerator to locate the orange juice.  

"A little after 12."  

I turned to stare at her.

"In the afternoon?"  

"Well, if it was in the morning would I be sitting here fully dressed in my hair and makeup done?"

I rolled my eyes, pulling the orange juice out of the refrigerator.

"Why did you let me sleep so long?"  

"You've hardly gotten any sleep this week," she pointed out.

"Dear, I know you're worried about Collin; we all are. But your health is important too."  

I really was not in the mood for a mom-lecture.

"Okay," I agreed, pouring myself a glass of orange juice before taking a couple of sips.

"Where's dad?"

"He went down to the golf course with a few friends, and I'm getting ready to go to lunch. Do you have plans?"

"Well, I didn't before now. I suppose I'll go to Collin's."  

"Are you sure? I can cancel my plans."

I shook my head, putting the orange juice back in the refrigerator.

"He's been locked in a house full of girls all morning, I'm sure he'll be grateful for the relief."

"I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but you are also a girl."  

I shook my head at her, heading out of the kitchen.

"I meant that we could go somewhere mom."  

"Oh."

I headed into my room, changing from my pajamas into a pair of blue and white polka dot shorts and a white lace shirt. I paired it with my eyelet lace white Keds before running a straightener through my hair and dabbing a little makeup on.

"I'm leaving!" I heard my mom announce.

"I love you!"  

"Love you too!" I called back. 

I located my purse and my phone, seeing that I already had a couple of text messages from Collin, all within the last twenty minutes. 

Just woke up. 

Are you coming over? 

Please tell me you're coming over. 

Aubrey, come over. 

Why aren't you here yet?

Do you realize that this is a desperate situation? 

I rolled my eyes, texting him to let him know I was on my way.  I left my house and was at his house in less than 10 minutes.  Catherine greeted me at the front door, letting me back into the living room.  Collin was playing Grand Theft Auto five; Scooby curled up right next to him.  

"So, I was thinking like an aqua green color for the bridesmaid dresses," Catherine said, taking a seat on the couch.

Melissa was sitting in the armchair; a wedding book open in front of her.

"Aqua green would be pretty," Melissa agreed, marking it down in her notebook.  

"You agreed with her about the teal too," Collin reminded her, without looking away from his game.

"And that other blue, all of which are exactly alike."  

"This is why you can't be involved in the planning process," Catherine informed him.  

"This is why I don't want to be," Collin countered. 

I took a seat next to him on the floor.

"Please tell me you're going to get me out of here."  

"If that's what you want."  

"More than anything."  

I turned around to face Melissa.

"Are there any errands you have that need to be done?"

"What?" Collin asked me.  

"Oh nothing that you need to worry about dear."

"Collin and I would be happy to do them," I countered.

"He's dying to get some fresh air and I'm more than happy to spend the afternoon doing pretty much whatever. And I know you have to be busy between everything that's been going on."

"I did not agree to this," Collin reminded me.  

"Well now that you mention it, I do have one thing that I could use some help on," Melissa mused.

"We'd be more than happy to help."

I nudged Collin in the side, hard. "Right?"  

"Yeah," Collin muttered. 

Melissa headed into the kitchen to find her grocery list, which had about a total of seven items on it.  

"We'll be back later," I promised, standing up.

Collin disappeared back into his bedroom and came out a minute later with a beanie and a different shirt.

"Be careful," Melissa instructed.  

"Okay," Collin muttered. 

Melissa kissed his cheek, and the two of us left, much to the dismay of Scooby.  

"Thank you," Collin breathed, once we were safely inside my car.

"If I heard one more thing about that wedding I was going to lose my mind."  

"I think you already have dear," I pointed out, with a half-smile.

"But I'm always happy to spend my afternoon with you."  

"I thought cheesy lines were my thing," Collin said, with a laugh.  

"You always have to ruin the moment, don't you?" I teased.  

"Judging by the way you just turned on your blinker, you're going to force me into going to Panera for lunch?" Collin asked.  

"You bet," I said, with a smile.

"Did I mention that I love you?"  

"You better."  

"What's next on the list?" I asked, as Collin put both of his feet up on the shopping cart. 

Somehow I didn't see a guy that just had brain surgery riding around on a shopping cart as a good idea.

"Frozen chicken," he said, stepping back down off of the shopping cart as I gave him a look.

"I know what my mom likes."  

"Good, lead the way."

He took us through the cookie aisle, stopping at the mega-stuffed Oreos.  

"What are you doing?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him.  

"I had my head opened up," he informed me, taking a package of the Oreos, and putting them in the cart.

"I deserve these."  

"Somehow I'm not accepting that excuse."

"I have to get my perks in wherever I can."  

"I definitely wouldn't waste it on mega-stuffed Oreos."  

We made our way over to the frozen food aisle, and I grabbed the frozen broccoli on the list and went back over to catch up with Collin, who was at the frozen chicken.  

"Did you find it?" I asked, as I rounded the corner. 

Collin's forearms were pressed against the shopping cart, his forehead pressed into his palms. 

My heart began to pound in my chest, and I jogged over to the basket.  

"Hey," I said, dropping the broccoli into the basket.

"What's the matter?"  

"It'll pass," Collin muttered.  

"What will pass?"  

He was silent for a few moments, and I felt my stomach start to churn.  He'd just had brain surgery. What if something was wrong? I could feel the nerves building up inside my stomach and creeping through the rest of my body.  

"Hey," I said, rubbing his back.

"Talk to me."  

"I feel dizzy and nauseous," he said, breathlessly.  

"Let's get you some fresh air."  He straightened up, and the two of us exited the store, leaving the shopping cart where it was in the frozen food aisle. 

We got a few strange looks on the way out.  Collin leaned up against a cement pole outside, slowly sliding to the ground.  

"Take in a few deep breaths," I said, placing my hands on my hips. 

I felt as though I was going to be sick myself. I don't think I could handle it if something was the matter with him.  Collin leaned his head back against the pole, doing as I instructed.  

"Is everything alright here?" a police officer asked, coming up the two of us. 

I recognized him as the officer stood by the front doors inside the store.

"Yes sir," I said, with a nod.

"He's just feeling unwell."  

The officer looked over at Collin.

"Do we need to call for assistance?"  

"No," Collin declined, his voice a bit stronger than it was inside.

"I just need a minute."

The officer looked between the two of us, clearly confused.  And then Collin took off his beanie, revealing his staples.  

"Oh," the officer said, his eyes widening.

"Is there anything I can get you?"  

"No," Collin declined, resituating the beanie on his head. 

The officer waited with us until Collin was feeling well again, and then gave Collin a hand to stand up.

"And you're sure you're feeling alright son?" the officer asked.  

"I am, thank you," Collin said. 

The officer nodded, and then headed back inside.  

"I should call your mom," I said, reaching into my purse for my phone.

"Don't," Collin said.  

"I can't keep this from her."  

"But you know what will happen if you call her. My mom will rush down here and make a big deal out of nothing."  

This was not nothing.  

"Let's just go home, and you can tell her there and let her freak out."  

"You don't look well," I said, taking his pale and sweaty cheeks between the palms of my hands.  

"Let's just go home."  

And so I took him home, where Melissa was in the living room, reading a book in the arm chair.  Catherine wasn't in sight.  

"Hello," Melissa greeted, with a smile.

"What did you two do this afternoon?"

"Well we were at the grocery store," I said, as Collin lied out on the couch, closing his eyes.

"And then Collin got sick."

"Sick?" Melissa asked, closing her book.  

"It's not a big deal," Collin muttered.

"He said he felt dizzy and nauseous," I filled in.

Melissa disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a wet rag.

"How are you feeling now?"  

"A little better," Collin said, his eyes still closed. 

She took the beanie off his head and put the rag across the back of his neck.

"It's probably overexertion honey. You had surgery on Monday; we need to take things slow."  

He didn't answer.  She went back into the kitchen and came back with another rag, laying it across his forehead.  Scooby came out into the living room, pressing his nose into Collin's palm.  Collin reached over and petted Scooby's head without opening his eyes, before letting his palm drop. 

Scooby pressed his nose into Collin's palm again.  

"Not now Scooby," Collin muttered. 

Scooby hopped up on the end of the couch, his head resting on Collin's feet.  

"It's just overexertion then?" I asked Melissa. 

She nodded.

"A mixture between the steroids, the pain meds, and then trying to do too much too soon I think."

I felt my nerves uncoil, and I let out a sigh of relief. 

I reached down and kissed Collin's cheek, and he reached up and squeezed my hand, his eyes still closed.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again Collin Langford."