Just Me.

Chapter 9: Memories

Morty was wondering around in this black darkness, not knowing where to go. He didn't even know if where he was, was a 'where'. It's black. There's nothing. Nothing to touch. Nothing to smell. Nothing to feel. Nothing to see or hear even. Just nothing. He couldn't even tell if he was still alive. And the saddest part to even the boy, he still feels like this is better than life itself. He'd rather be here than out there. Anywhere but there. But there was thing that he felt. He missed someone. He missed his Grandpa. All he wanted was for him to walk in through a portal through the darkness and say "Okay dipshit! Let's go on a classic Rick and Morty adventure, you piece of shit!" But he knew that wouldn't happen. 'Even if he could, why would he? I'm just a Morty.'

Morty's nothingness looked and felt the same all the time. That was when he was hit by something. His whatever subconscious or mind or whatever started racing once something happened. The boy doesn't know what it was. But whatever it was it triggered something. It was- memories.

Once the trigger sunk in, Morty began having a bunch of memories race through the vision of the subconscious. And coincidentally, they were all with his grandfather. Then there were these memories that- didn't even feel like memories really. He had forgotten most of them. All of these ones.

Morty was a toddler, still in diapers and he was crying. Sobbing actually. And his mother and father didn't pay much mind. The boy was waddling around with his space bottle at hand, looking for something or someone who will help him feel better in this gigantic world; it seemed to be at the time. And all the sudden his grandpa Rick came into the living room and saw the boy. He pulled out his flask looking down at the small toddler and asked him "Why are you crying? What have you got to be sad about? All you gotta do everyday is eat, sleep, and shit." The toddler couldn't really make out what the man was saying. But he did realize the man paused after noticing his bottle. It was space. The old man looked down at the kid with a more softened face and picked him up. "So you like space?" Rick asked the boy. The tiny Morty only nodded while shaking his bottle. Rick also noticed that his bottle was bone dry. 'Jesus, when did they feed this kid?' Rick thought. Rick went to the kitchen with the little boy still in his arms and got him some milk. Put it in the microwave for 17 seconds and took it out. While handing it to the boy, he did something stupid. He looked into the boys big bright eyes. He went to the living room to sit with the boy in his lap while he drank his lunch. And Rick decided to do the same by pulling out his flask. About fifteen minutes later, Rick felt the calm steady breaths of the sleeping toddler on his chest. He picked the child up and put him in his crib. His blanket was space too. After setting the kid down and tucking him in, Rick had an idea and went to the garage. When the boy awoke he looked around and was not surprised to see no one had even checked on him. But how did he get here? He couldn't really remember until later that night after dinner, his grandpa came into his room with something in his hands. The old man tucked to the boy in and hung up something above Morty's crib. Rick whispered to the toddler to nudge the thing that dangled above the crib. When Morty did, he was so blown away by the sight. It was a holographic solar system. It twinkled in the boys room and his big bright eyes fluttered with excitement and joy. Rick didn't let anyone else see it, but he had squated down to the boys level and almost cried with happiness after seeing his grandsons reaction. Once Rick almost left the room, the little one yanked on the man's lab coat. Rick turned and looked at the bright eyed boy confusedly. Little Morty pointed to the couch in his room. Rick understood what the boy wanted from him. He thought he would be pissed but nope. He was fine sleeping in his little buddy's room. So he dragged the couch closer and laid down while taking turns flicking the hologram. Morty wanted to be closer to Rick for at least a little while, so he convinced with his eyes and body language to get his grandfather to let him lay down with him. But then they ended up both falling asleep. Little Morty on Rick's chest, and Rick holding his little treasure.

'That couldn't of happened..' Morty thought. But why was his brain making false memories? Isn't he dead? Or did he fail at that too?! But the boy really couldn't believe the things that were all flooding back. He literally couldn't believe it. He didn't believe it. So he just sat back and still somewhat hurt through the false memories. I mean, what else could he do?

Rick walked out of the hospital room after an hour of just holding Morty's hand remembering memories, and feeling so guilty for not treating him right. The only person who will ever love him in full is the person Rick hurt most. And on top of that, he didn't tell him how he truly felt. Like how he had felt in that moment seeing his grandson experience the closest thing to space as a toddler could. "Why didn't I just let him see how happy I was in that moment? Why didn't I just hold him close and tell him that if I died in that moment, I wouldn't have any regrets?" Rick quietly sobbed to himself.

When he walked in the house his daughter already passed out drunk. Summer left a note telling us she also went out drinking. Rick walked to his room and sat down on his cot. He began to cry. He knew why. But at the same time he also didn't know why. He lifted his mattress to reveal the floor boards beneath it and he opened the fake floor board. And hidden at the bottom of the compartment was a wad of photographs. Photographs of Morty. From the time he was a toddler, to just a few months ago when Morty had saved Rick's life from the galactic federation. And as the old man picked through each of the photos dating back to Morty's childhood, he felt a pain in his chest as he finally noticed something. In every photo from the last three years, Morty visibly gets more and more miserable. Rick took a photo from when Morty was a baby and holds it so tightly. He then grabbed one from six months ago and stared at it. The man started to sob uncontrollably, while clenching the photo in his shaking hands. Memories swarmed the brilliant mind of Rick Sanchez, ones that he couldn't believe he forgot. And some of them seemed so amazing, he barely believed they actually happened.