Susanne giggled at Chuck's humor before nuzzling into his hug. She
sighed deeply and wrapped her arms around his waist, glad that he was so
flexible and willing to go with the flow, even when she'd ruined
dinner.
"Yeah don't gnaw off your arm, please...I like both of them to hold me."
Gunner had been lost in his own
little world, so when he heard Bree's voice, he jumped, startled. "Huh?
Oh..." He glanced in the backseat and shrugged. "Naw...I mean...it's not
much."
He hadn't talked to her all day, which was not
his norm, but he knew that by now Bree would know everything either
from Hope or JT. And it wasn't fun. He didn't like being in this
position. He didn't like needing them to take care of him. He didn't
like not understanding why he felt the way he did. Nothing made sense.
Realizing he was still just sitting there, he finally forced
himself to unbuckle his seatbelt and exit the car. Walking around to
Bree, he gave her a small hug and kiss, but it was quite obvious he was
either very distracted or very tired...maybe both.
"Deja vu," he mumbled as he reached in the backseat to grab his
two bags. "First time I was getting out of a mental hospital. This time
I'm just going mental in general."
He shut the door and sighed before he looked back at Bree. As
quickly as the irritation had come, it was gone, leaving his eyes
faraway and hollow. "I don't know what's happening to me," he admitted
softly. "And I'm sorry you have to put up with me 'til I get it figured
out. I wouldn't be here if Hope hadn't insisted."
Though not as much on guard as he should be, Garret was
unsurprised by Victoria's sudden presence. Still ignoring the rain, he
returned her embrace, feeling almost a sense of relief that his arms
could finally hold her again. Four weeks was an eternity.
Instead of answering her question, he pulled back slightly, his
palm finding the side of her face. Leaning in, he kissed her with
passion, letting the depth speak for his emotions. He'd missed her. He
cared for her. She was his sanity in this chaos. Lightning created a
silhouette of their embrace before thunder again shook the sky. It did
little to Garret's concentration on Victoria though.
Eventually drawing away, his hand remained on her face, his thumb
caressing her cheek. Despite the rain streaming down his own face
though, it could not hide the darkness in his gaze.
"I'm only okay when you're around," he finally answered. "When you're not, the world doesn't exist, and nothing else matters."
