"Measure Of A Man"
Written by Sara (goneplatinum@live.com
Two Thousand and Nine
Nick was standing in front of the open fridge, clad in a worn t-shirt and basketball shorts. His blond hair stood on end, even more so than usual, and his blue eyes were bloodshot and puffy. He smiled sleepily at his best friend before grabbing a gallon of milk. “Hey, man.”
Brian smiled back. “Hey yourself, sleeping beauty.” He went over and rinsed out the mug he had dropped off on his way to the living room. “I came to talk to you last night but you were zonked out. What’s up with that?”
“Yeah, well…” Nick scratched at the stubble on his chin and shrugged. “I got lost in the music and sort of just crashed.”
“What were you listening to?” Brian poured himself a fresh cup of coffee.
Before Nick could answer AJ cut him off with a loud, “Dude, you actually own Captain and Tenille!?” His voice trailed off into riotous laughter that echoed throughout the kitchen and Brian shook his head.
“It’s not mine,” Nick shouted back. He threw Brian a confused look. “What the hell is he doing in there?”
“Practicing for his karaoke debut? I really have no idea.” Brian rolled his eyes, accepting the gallon of milk Nick offered him. He poured a little bit into his mug and stirred it up, watching as the two liquids swirled around until it was a light brown. “So… you were sayin’?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Found Jilly’s iPod and she had a shitload of James Taylor, so I just kinda plugged in and fell asleep listenin’ to “Carolina In My Mind”. It was great.” Nick grinned, bringing the cup up to his lips. “Wait a second, who made this?”
“Your skillful, all-knowing, buffer than shit barista, Jizzle, that’s who.”
“Since when do you work at Starbucks?”
Nick raised an eyebrow at AJ, who grinned and motioned with his hand for Nick to take a drink. Upon ingesting the liquid, Nick crinkled his nose in disgust and felt his stomach do a sudden flip. “Dude, I’d fire your ass. This is terrible.”
-----
The silence was deafening, even above the din of the ventilator, and it made Nick want to scream until his throat was on fire. He sat in the overstuffed recliner next to Jill’s bedside, keeping a constant vigil. He wanted to be the first one there when she woke up. He wanted to be the first one to look into her eyes. More importantly, he wanted to be the first one that she saw.
He absently cracked his knuckles and rubbed his hands together, trying to maintain his sanity. It had been a little over forty-eight hours since the accident, and just over twenty-four since the surgery. Her entire right leg was currently wrapped up in a thick bandage, resting atop a stack of pillows. The nursing staff came in every once in awhile to reposition it, but now was the first time Nick had been truly left alone with Jill since the accident. Being this close with her in such a bad state, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander off to another realm where they were both happy.
---
“Jilly? Where the heck are you, girl?” Nick’s voice traveled down the darkened hallway. He scrunched his nose and looked back towards the front of the house. He knew he had seen Jill’s beloved mini Cooper parked in front of the garage… so where was she?
He wandered throughout the house for a few more moments before a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He could faintly hear a female voice singing at random intervals. Although he couldn’t quite make out all the lyrics, he grinned and followed the voice until he found himself at their bedroom door. He leaned against the doorjamb and stared down at the floor as he listened in on her self-imposed jam session.
“Every time I‘m telling secrets, I remember how it used to be.”
Nick laughed softly as he padded across the beige carpet, and peeked into the bathroom. Jill stood in front of the mirror in only her bra and underwear, her round brush in hand acting as a microphone, belting out the words as they flooded through her headphones. And what made it all the more interesting and amusing to watch was the fact that she was completely oblivious to anything or anyone around her.
“No, only in my dreams. As real as it may seem, it was only in my dreams,” She sang, wiggling her bottom as she did a little dance.
The next American Idol she wasn’t but Nick couldn’t help but listen and stare as she continued to, literally, dance and sing to the beat of her own drum. It was one of the things he loved most: her spontaneity, her lust for laughter, and the fact that she didn’t care one bit what anyone thought of her. At the end of the song, or what Nick presumed to be the end, he applauded wildly, letting out a loud whistle between his teeth.
Jill jumped, screeching “OHMYGOD,” as she turned to face Nick. The brush bounced to the floor as she clasped her hands tightly to her chest, her face flooded with horror and a crimson blush. All Nick could do was shrug in response. It was either that or bust out laughing, and that for sure would’ve killed the moment.
She yanked the small ear buds from her ears, switching the volume off as she set them on the bathroom counter. “How long have you been standing there?” she asked breathlessly, flicking a few wisps of hair off her face.
“Long enough,” Nick grinned, folding his arms across his chest as he settled back against the counter. He casually picked up the hot pink iPod and began skimming through the playlists. “What else have you got on here?”
“Mostly stuff from the 80’s, stuff you don’t care about,” she said with a smirk as she snatched the player out of his hands and held it behind her back. “Unless you’ve suddenly become a fan of Debbie Gibson?”
Nick cringed and shivered at the thought. “Oh god no, anything but that.” He could handle most music, even classical to a point, but that… that was out of the question.
“Aww, come on, Nicky, you know you want to sing with me,” Jill replied, siding up to him. Jutting out her lower lip, she began to whimper like a lost puppy. “You know how your voice makes me weak in the knees.” She grinned, wagging her eyebrows suggestively.
Nick rolled his eyes and let out a snicker. Under normal circumstances he wouldn’t be caught dead singing such cheesy songs, but to appease her and make her happy, he would. He’d do anything for her. He sighed in mock defeat and she beamed, clapping her hands happily. He cleared his throat and his rich, full voice soon filled the small space with her favorite song, “Don’t Forget Me(When I’m Gone)” by Glass Tiger. Sure, he didn’t share her penchant for the cheesiness and sappy songs, but it was all worth it to see her beautiful smile.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry this took so long to get out. But, as an added bonus, I'm posting two chapters today! Please R&R, thanks!
