The Book Shop - Chapter Eight
Title: The Book Shop
Author: bsgroxmysox
Rating: T
Summary: Since the decommissioning of the Battlestar Galactica, Laura Roslin's life has changed dramatically. Now it's time for her to move to a new town and make another change. Will the support from a familiar face and a new friend help her get back on her feet?
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters just borrowing them for a little fun
A/N: I'm so sorry about the delay! My crazy life has been...well....crazy! This story was written before I began posting to prevent posting lapses like this but you can't predict life eh? Anyway, please enjoy and again....my deepest apologies.
Thank you to bsg_aussiegirl for the beta!
*
Part of the duties of Maid of Honor was to organise the Bridal Shower. It was basically an excuse for women to gather together and cackle like hens while someone opened gifts they didn’t really need.
Laura stood by the entrance to Emily’s kitchen watching her friend interact with a room full of women Laura had only met this morning. Wrapping paper was strewn around the floor of the living room and Emily was currently tearing into another gift.
“Oh, I needed this exact one!” she exclaimed in excitement. Laura leaned forward to glance at the gift: a whisk. Emily worked in a bakery. She must have had a dozen different whisks, she thought bitterly.
She chastised herself for being so mean and grabbed an empty tray to refill. The kitchen provided a moment of solitude for her but the high pitched squeals of the women in the room next door were still loud enough to penetrate the silence.
Placing various cheese and crackers on the tray she carried it back to the living room and worked her way through the crowd, playing the perfect hostess. When she arrived at Emily’s side she pushed the tray forward urging her to eat as much as possible.
“You’ve had quite a few glasses of champagne already and the night is still young, please eat something.”
“I’m fine, Laura!” Emily waved her hand theatrically, the alcohol inside her glass sloshing dangerously close to the edge.
“If you don’t eat you’ll collapse soon and miss the surprise.”
“There’s a surprise?” Emily giggled childishly and Laura couldn’t help but smile at her.
“Yes. And it’s a good surprise so eat up, okay?”
She was happy to see Emily take a fist full of crackers but almost horrified to watch her try to stuff them all in her mouth at once. Giggles caused most of the crumbs to spill on the floor but it was the most that Laura could hope for for now.
Emily had been adamant that she only wanted a bridal shower, no crazy bachelorette party. So Laura had taken it upon herself to organise some entertainment that Emily would otherwise be missing out on.
She had ordered two male strippers to come dressed as firemen. That was sure to please the ladies that were currently downing glasses of champagne like they were glasses of water.
The doorbell chimed at exactly the right time and Laura placed the tray back in the kitchen while one of Emily’s friends went to let in her surprise guests. She could hear the squeals of excitement from the other room. She guessed her firemen must have made a great first impression.
Not wanting to miss the show she hurried into the other room only to come to a stop at the entrance from kitchen to living room. Instead of sending the firemen like she asked for two police officers stood beside the table of presents, discarded wrapping paper and empty champagne glasses strewn around their feet.
Even though she could see the velcro that held their pants in place and she could tell they obviously weren’t wearing anything under their skimpy navy shirts, she could still feel the cold fear wash over her.
She could hear their sympathetic voices as they broke the news as gently as possible.
We’re very sorry to inform you...
Drunk driver....
Your father and sisters....
Killed....
“Oh my Gods, did you organise this?”
She was jolted out of her thoughts by a beaming Emily who was gripping the edge of the couch to stay upright. Thankfully she remembered to smile and not panic the bride to be.
“Yes, I did. I hope you like the surprise.”
“Like it? I love it! Laura you are the best friend a girl could have.”
Laura smiled tensely all the while trying to hold back the urge to be sick.
“Laura, are you okay? You look a bit pale?”
Suddenly seeing a way to escape without offending her friend Laura placed a hand against her stomach and grimaced.
“I’m not feeling too good. I think I must have had some bad cheese or something.”
“Do you want to go and lie down in the--”
“I think it would be for the best if I actually went home. I don’t want to ruin anyone’s fun.”
“I’ll call the Commander and he can--”
“No!” she cried hastily. “It’s okay,” she added, calmer. “I’ll be able to make my way home. Now you go have fun with those very expensive men I paid for.”
Emily giggled, oblivious to Laura’s inner struggle and staggered over to where her friends had placed a chair in the middle of the room for her. Laura hurried from the room as quickly as she could. Despite what she said to Emily she knew she wouldn’t make it home just yet. Darting through the kitchen she fell into the small bathroom and collapsed to her knees on the floor in front of the toilet and emptied the contents of her stomach into the porcelain bowl. She retched heavily, barely able to catch her breath until there was nothing left to throw up.
Minutes passed as the retches slowed and eventually stopped. Her breathing was still harsh and erratic and a resounding headache had begun to pound at her temples. Slowly rising on shaky legs she wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand and reached for the medicine cabinet above the sink.
Her hand fumbled amongst Emily’s makeup and moisturisers trying to find something, anything, for her headache. Her fingers knocked against a pill bottle and it landed in the sink with a clatter. Picking it up Laura read the inscription and felt her heart rate increase.
She had no idea why Emily would have been prescribed these pills, maybe it was after the car crash that had killed her husband and left Emily with two broken bones in her leg, but whatever the reason, at that moment Laura didn’t care.
It had been such a struggle to get over her addiction to these tablets before but Gods did she need them now. She needed to stop hearing her father teaching her the rules of boxing at the first fight he took her to, needed to stop seeing her sisters laughing faces, needed to stop feeling the devastating loss of her entire family all over again.
She popped the lid of the Chamalla tablets. Just one, she promised herself. Just one to stop the pain. She could almost feel the relief as she dry swallowed the pill.
After cleaning herself up a little she slipped out of the bathroom and through the back door. She hurried around the corner to her shop before anyone could see her.
She stumbled when she entered her old apartment. Even though she spent her nights with Bill she had never managed to move all her stuff from the small apartment she had previously been living in.
Stumbling slightly she knocked furniture aside as she made her way to the bed and she winced when she heard the smashing of a lamp. She curled up on the bed, tears silently falling. The brief period of relief she had felt was over too soon. Their voices were back only now she could almost see them standing in front of her. Shutting her eyes only opened her mind to the memories she had of her family as it once was: loving, caring and whole.
Her tightly clenched fist uncurled and the pill bottle stared back at her. Opening the lid she prayed for the souls of her family.
*
Next Chapter >
< Previous Chapter
Author: bsgroxmysox
Rating: T
Summary: Since the decommissioning of the Battlestar Galactica, Laura Roslin's life has changed dramatically. Now it's time for her to move to a new town and make another change. Will the support from a familiar face and a new friend help her get back on her feet?
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters just borrowing them for a little fun
A/N: I'm so sorry about the delay! My crazy life has been...well....crazy! This story was written before I began posting to prevent posting lapses like this but you can't predict life eh? Anyway, please enjoy and again....my deepest apologies.
Thank you to bsg_aussiegirl for the beta!
*
Part of the duties of Maid of Honor was to organise the Bridal Shower. It was basically an excuse for women to gather together and cackle like hens while someone opened gifts they didn’t really need.
Laura stood by the entrance to Emily’s kitchen watching her friend interact with a room full of women Laura had only met this morning. Wrapping paper was strewn around the floor of the living room and Emily was currently tearing into another gift.
“Oh, I needed this exact one!” she exclaimed in excitement. Laura leaned forward to glance at the gift: a whisk. Emily worked in a bakery. She must have had a dozen different whisks, she thought bitterly.
She chastised herself for being so mean and grabbed an empty tray to refill. The kitchen provided a moment of solitude for her but the high pitched squeals of the women in the room next door were still loud enough to penetrate the silence.
Placing various cheese and crackers on the tray she carried it back to the living room and worked her way through the crowd, playing the perfect hostess. When she arrived at Emily’s side she pushed the tray forward urging her to eat as much as possible.
“You’ve had quite a few glasses of champagne already and the night is still young, please eat something.”
“I’m fine, Laura!” Emily waved her hand theatrically, the alcohol inside her glass sloshing dangerously close to the edge.
“If you don’t eat you’ll collapse soon and miss the surprise.”
“There’s a surprise?” Emily giggled childishly and Laura couldn’t help but smile at her.
“Yes. And it’s a good surprise so eat up, okay?”
She was happy to see Emily take a fist full of crackers but almost horrified to watch her try to stuff them all in her mouth at once. Giggles caused most of the crumbs to spill on the floor but it was the most that Laura could hope for for now.
Emily had been adamant that she only wanted a bridal shower, no crazy bachelorette party. So Laura had taken it upon herself to organise some entertainment that Emily would otherwise be missing out on.
She had ordered two male strippers to come dressed as firemen. That was sure to please the ladies that were currently downing glasses of champagne like they were glasses of water.
The doorbell chimed at exactly the right time and Laura placed the tray back in the kitchen while one of Emily’s friends went to let in her surprise guests. She could hear the squeals of excitement from the other room. She guessed her firemen must have made a great first impression.
Not wanting to miss the show she hurried into the other room only to come to a stop at the entrance from kitchen to living room. Instead of sending the firemen like she asked for two police officers stood beside the table of presents, discarded wrapping paper and empty champagne glasses strewn around their feet.
Even though she could see the velcro that held their pants in place and she could tell they obviously weren’t wearing anything under their skimpy navy shirts, she could still feel the cold fear wash over her.
She could hear their sympathetic voices as they broke the news as gently as possible.
We’re very sorry to inform you...
Drunk driver....
Your father and sisters....
Killed....
“Oh my Gods, did you organise this?”
She was jolted out of her thoughts by a beaming Emily who was gripping the edge of the couch to stay upright. Thankfully she remembered to smile and not panic the bride to be.
“Yes, I did. I hope you like the surprise.”
“Like it? I love it! Laura you are the best friend a girl could have.”
Laura smiled tensely all the while trying to hold back the urge to be sick.
“Laura, are you okay? You look a bit pale?”
Suddenly seeing a way to escape without offending her friend Laura placed a hand against her stomach and grimaced.
“I’m not feeling too good. I think I must have had some bad cheese or something.”
“Do you want to go and lie down in the--”
“I think it would be for the best if I actually went home. I don’t want to ruin anyone’s fun.”
“I’ll call the Commander and he can--”
“No!” she cried hastily. “It’s okay,” she added, calmer. “I’ll be able to make my way home. Now you go have fun with those very expensive men I paid for.”
Emily giggled, oblivious to Laura’s inner struggle and staggered over to where her friends had placed a chair in the middle of the room for her. Laura hurried from the room as quickly as she could. Despite what she said to Emily she knew she wouldn’t make it home just yet. Darting through the kitchen she fell into the small bathroom and collapsed to her knees on the floor in front of the toilet and emptied the contents of her stomach into the porcelain bowl. She retched heavily, barely able to catch her breath until there was nothing left to throw up.
Minutes passed as the retches slowed and eventually stopped. Her breathing was still harsh and erratic and a resounding headache had begun to pound at her temples. Slowly rising on shaky legs she wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand and reached for the medicine cabinet above the sink.
Her hand fumbled amongst Emily’s makeup and moisturisers trying to find something, anything, for her headache. Her fingers knocked against a pill bottle and it landed in the sink with a clatter. Picking it up Laura read the inscription and felt her heart rate increase.
She had no idea why Emily would have been prescribed these pills, maybe it was after the car crash that had killed her husband and left Emily with two broken bones in her leg, but whatever the reason, at that moment Laura didn’t care.
It had been such a struggle to get over her addiction to these tablets before but Gods did she need them now. She needed to stop hearing her father teaching her the rules of boxing at the first fight he took her to, needed to stop seeing her sisters laughing faces, needed to stop feeling the devastating loss of her entire family all over again.
She popped the lid of the Chamalla tablets. Just one, she promised herself. Just one to stop the pain. She could almost feel the relief as she dry swallowed the pill.
After cleaning herself up a little she slipped out of the bathroom and through the back door. She hurried around the corner to her shop before anyone could see her.
She stumbled when she entered her old apartment. Even though she spent her nights with Bill she had never managed to move all her stuff from the small apartment she had previously been living in.
Stumbling slightly she knocked furniture aside as she made her way to the bed and she winced when she heard the smashing of a lamp. She curled up on the bed, tears silently falling. The brief period of relief she had felt was over too soon. Their voices were back only now she could almost see them standing in front of her. Shutting her eyes only opened her mind to the memories she had of her family as it once was: loving, caring and whole.
Her tightly clenched fist uncurled and the pill bottle stared back at her. Opening the lid she prayed for the souls of her family.
*
Next Chapter >
< Previous Chapter