Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Felicity 'Flick' March (OC)
Absence makes the heart grow fonder; that's what Flick and Jake tell themselves as they prepare for their first deployment as a couple. But being apart only highlights what they need from each oth...
Warnings: 18+ no minors please. Swearing, medical conditions, mentions of past mentally abusive relationships.
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"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
Flick beamed at her laptop screen. Her closest friends from England; Molly, Kat, Tess and Mark (Tess's partner) filled up three video call squares. Each of them wore silly party hats and were covered in the streamers from the party poppers they just launched across their rooms.
"Hi! This is such a lovely surprise, thank you so much!" Flick said excitedly, waving back. "I love the banner, Molly."
A hand-painted "Happy Birthday Flick" banner was stuck up on the wall above Molly's head, and each wobbly letter was covered in glitter, feathers and sequins.
Molly's dark eyes sparkled. "The boys made it, they'll be so pleased you like it," she said, referencing her twin sons. They wanted to post you a slice of their birthday cake from the other day, but I had to tell them it wouldn't get there in time."
Flick laughed. "Well, it's the thought that counts right?"
"Exactly!" Tess said. "Mark and I thought about shipping ourselves over in a jiffy bag, but Mark had a heart attack when he saw the postage fees," she joked. Mark just groaned.
Flick bit her lip at Tess's flippant mention of a heart attack. She knew it was just a figure of speech, but it caught her off guard all the same, and there was a short but uncomfortable pause before Kat piped up.
"Anyway... how has your day been so far Flick? I hope you've treated yourself."
The first day of Flick's 32nd trip around the sun began like most other days had in the past month. She'd taken her heart medication with a glass of water as soon as she woke up, then did half an hour of Pilates stretches before having a quick shower. It was a Saturday, so she had met her mum for a relaxing breakfast and a walk along the beach before Molly had summoned the "Oxo Cubes" to assemble at 1300 hours San Diego time.
"That sounds lovely," Kat said. "How is your mum these days?"
"She's..."
Flick hesitated. She wasn't quite sure how to describe her mother's current state of mind. Flick's cardiac arrest had caused Betty's grief to fester close to the surface again. She'd been faced with the prospect of losing her only daughter in the same way she'd lost her husband, and she was coping by doing everything she could to dote on Flick and make sure she took care of herself, but her affections had quickly become smothering. She called morning and night to make sure Flick had taken her pills, she turned up unannounced with food she'd made from "heart healthy" recipe sites and insisted Flick try all sorts of supplements and meditation exercises. Betty had even gone as far as laying out crystals and spraying essential oils in various corners of Flick's flat. Yet, somewhat ironically, Flick didn't have the heart to ask her mother to stop.
