Believe It Or Not (An Eddie Munson Story)

Orion

Eddie's POV:

A few weeks have passed since Ripley's birthday and to say they have been bliss is an understatement. No hospitals, no impending doom, and no crazed lunatics trying to kill us has really been freshing.

Ripley has acclimated back to school fairly well. She unfortunately isn't able to do cheer anymore and hasn't been able to dance the way she once had, but she has been to every game to cheer Chrissy and the rest on. She tries to tell me that it doesn't bother her; the fact that she is alive is enough, but I know better. I see the yearning in her eyes as she watches them move through a routine and I hear her mumble along to their cheers. Dancing has always been who she is and it breaks my heart to know that that part of her may be lost.

She has been working with a number of physical and occupational therapists and has gotten walking down fairly well, but her gait is still stiff and she still struggles from time to time.

Her main therapist, Jenna, has been a huge support to Ripley during her recovery and has even encouraged her to look into sports and dance medicine as a potential career following high school. The sentiment is if Ripley can't be a dancer, why not help them.

She has been talking about the idea pretty animatedly since Jenna bought it up and I genuinely support and like the idea. I feel like when she talks about it, some of that diminished spark has returned to her eyes. She has applied to a few colleges with that goal in mind and I couldn't be more excited for her.

Her mom, of course, is also thrilled by the idea of her daughter getting into a medical profession. True to her promise, Mrs. Marro has been home a lot more than she once was and even has me over regularly for dinner. What she doesn't know is that I often sneak back into her home once she has gone to bed to make love to and cuddle with her daughter. Even now, it's early on a Saturday morning and she has already gone to work, completely unaware that I spent the night.

Ripley is fast asleep in bed and I have tiptoed to the kitchen to grab a snack while I wait for her to wake. I don't dare try to cook anything lest I burn the house down. I grab a bag of Funyuns and head back to her room.

I sit at the chair in front of her vanity and watch as Ripley takes sound and peaceful breaths. Her back is bare and glowing in the morning light and I long to lean over and trail my lips over the little scars over her shoulder blades, some of the many left on her skin from Jason and his league of assholes. I shake myself and try to focus on my chips, taking slow and deliberate bites so as not to wake her.

My plan does not work, though, and Ripley blinks one eye open, squinting over at me.

"What are you doing over there?" She asks, her voice sleepy and wonderful and she holds up her hand longingly in my direction. I place the bag of chips down on the vanity and wipe my fingers down the front of my sweats. I take her hand and let her pull me down beside her, a smile on my face.

"I didn't want to wake you with my chewing," I say softly. "Or get crumbs in the bed." She looks up at me lovingly and leans in, her lips a breath away from mine.

"But I-," her voice cuts off as her eyes widen in fear, my mouth almost completely against hers. She quickly pushes me away from her as if she is revolted and hurtles her body out of bed and towards the bathroom. I hear her quickly scramble across the tile floor before the sound of her retching fills the air. It's the fastest I've seen her move since the attack and I'm still frozen in place, unsure what to do.

"Ripley?" I ask, coming around the bathroom door to see her huddled on the floor in front of the toilet, clinging to the bowl for dear life. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

She nods but throws up some more and I want to be there for her, I do, but my stomach quivers at the smell.

"It's alright, Eds," she assures me, knowing full and well that I am a sympathetic puker. I will throw up as well if I stay with her any longer. "I just caught this foul smell. Do you mind seeing if you smell anything in my room and getting rid of it?"