RP Log with notskywalker
[Occurred 16th October 2009]
Leila was slumped in the booth of The Bondi, her foot resting on the seat next to her cousin. She nursed her second beer in her hands and pressed her lips together as her mind once again slipped to Rob, and if he was safe right at that moment. He had to be. She'd already suffered through him being sick, and not being able to do a damn thing about it. She couldn't take the idea of him being injured and still not being able to do a thing. Although if he did end up in the infirmary again it would mean hearing from him...
She slapped herself in the forehead as she groaned. "FUCK! I actually want my husband to get injured just to hear from him. I am seriously fucking losing it, Lulu. I need help." She tilted her beer towards him, something else occurring to her. "You think we should feel guilty getting pissed while Andy can't even be here?"
Her birthday drinks were small with it being just her and Luke, and to be honest, she didn't mind. She wanted things intimate. There had been talk of going out for dinner with Andy the next night, but tonight Leila had just really needed a drink or ten. She'd been thinking herself in circles since she'd missed Rob's call. At least she had Mike to talk to now. He had turned her down with the moving in thing, but the offer was always open. She was being partially selfish in her reasons for asking him. It was like if she could look after him, she'd look after Rob.
Luke took a long gulp of his beer, swallowing as he shook his head. "Andy didn't come because of that. He said we should just go out and have a good time because he's struggling lately. He can't be anywhere near booze. It's that aftermath. I remember when he had it the first time around, he couldn't even eat cake or chocolate with liqueur in it. But he knows how much it sucked for you to miss Rob's phone call and the fact he's away on his birthday. You know, we seriously are screwing our birthdays over. First Andy's with the miscarriage, now you missing Rob's phone call. I should have invited some of the Princeton bunch to keep you distracted," he decided. "Or you should have invited your new first best friend."
Leila nodded. She remembered a lot of her time with Andy in London. She'd never purposely put him around bars if she could help it. Despite her working in one. And she really did shower before she got home, or as soon as, so he didn't smell booze on her. "I think we're having dinner tomorrow night... I got confused because Jamie kept giggling down the phone line and pulling her daddy's nose. Let's just hope we don't fuck up your birthday. Two's enough." Leila stuck her tongue out a little. "He's not my new best friend, Kujo. He's just a friend of Rob's. Sue me if I want to be nice to him."
Luke laughed. "She tries to eat the phone when he talks on it. That nose grab thing, you know exactly when she's going to do it. She goes cross-eyed. And look at it this way. By the time my birthday comes, your other half will probably be back home on NY soil. Stay positive, Lei. He might pull strings and give you a quick call on your birthday. Do you have your phone with you? Did you get the homeline forwarded to your cell? Have you spoken to the guy since? Sure you're not just projecting with him?"
Leila nodded again, and held her phone up. She had it on the loudest ring setting, and had double-checked the forwarding thing several times by calling the home phone herself. Why she hadn't done it the other day was beyond her. If she'd had it forwarded, she wouldn't have missed Rob's call. "Not really. I was planning on calling him soon. I just want to know he's okay. And I probably am projecting, but he's got no one here, Luke. He needs friends. He can't even shag anyone until he gets his head straight. She makes the cutest faces... She's adorable."
"Hmm, it might be hard for him transitioning back into the normal life. He's been over there for eight months, so his head is probably all over the place trying to feel normal. Fuck that for a joke. No way would I be military. I don't think I have the balls for it. Then, I used to think that about Andy and his paramedics, too. Only this guy is like a military paramedic, so it's two strikes. He must have seen some fucking awful shit out there," Luke said, shaking his head. "You should call him, tell him to come get a drink with us if he wants one. She's a fun kid, and I love watching Andy with her. She and Ali gave him this whole new lease on life, even if it's been hard."
"That's what he said. Also said he had a lot of trouble sleeping at night. Nightmares, I think. Who can blame him? They'd all have to have PTSD to a degree. No one can go to a war zone and not be affected." Leila hummed in agreement, but she texted the guy instead. Trying to yell into a cell phone in a busy bar was never easy. If Rob did call, she already had her escape route mapped out for the alleyway out the back so she would be able to hear him. "They really did. I can't remember the last time I've seen him like this. Even before... everything."
Luke picked at the sticker on the beer bottle. "Do you think Rob is going to be like that when he gets home? All weird and... odd? I mean, it's got to be impossible to just come home and step right back into normal life. It's hard enough finding your feet after being on holiday somewhere. How do you think you'll deal with that? He might not be in the mood for fucking or socialising or anything. Maybe you should just... I don't know. I have no idea. You picked a hard road, Lei. I just worry about you," he told her, pressing his lips together with a wry smile. "It was before Uncle Jack was killed. But even then, Andy was a workaholic. You had to book time in to see him. He's mellowed."
"He said he might be. He also just said that it would help having me around. I think I'd ground him... I don't really know how to explain it. Like when you were taking care of Tab. You told me about when you followed her to Princeton in the early days and she was watching her brother suffer. That's not easy either, and she could have easily pushed you away, but she didn't. It was the comfort, and the human contact that kept her grounded. I know I picked a shitty road, but I love him, Lulu. I appreciate you worrying about me, but this is what I want. Or rather he's what I want." She tried to give him a strong smile, showing him she was really okay with it all. "I'm glad he has. He couldn't have ever worked that hard and not crashed, or burned out. Which was a bad choice of words now I think about it."
Luke nodded slowly, remembering back to those days will a small frown. "Yeah, it was hard. Probably one of the hardest things I've had to deal with. He was so sick, I felt useless. He tried to kill himself. He cut his wrist. It was friggen terrifying," he admitted, not having really spoken about it much since it happened. "I know I'm being a pain in the arse trying to protect you. It seems hypocritcal considering we have one of the strongest family groups out there, and we have a number of spouses who have pushed through so much shit and stuck by each other to pull it off. Tara when Lachlan got shot, Evie with Riley, Aiden with Pat's illness, Andy with Ali. I just wish you didn't need to hurt so much in the process, because I know it sucks. I guess I just feel guilty I didn't get to know him much before he left. I was waiting for him to fuck up so I could say I told you so."
"Sometimes I didn't understand how you could do it, but now I can. It was easy trying to relate it to doing the same thing for Andy, or me for you, and you for me. Or you for your sisters. I just... Shit, I couldn't understand how you'd do that for someone you barely knew. Only you and Tab had a connection, right? You just wanted to be there for her, even when it was scary. I want to be here for Rob, even if it sucks with the waiting, and not hearing from him. That's all I need you to get, okay? Please, Luke." She raised her beer to her lips as she took a moment to think of each of those couples. Their strength was phenomenal, and Leila still wasn't sure she was on the same level yet. "Sometimes I'm not so sure this would have been any easier if we'd had more time. I wanted you to know him, but you'll have to wait. And hopefully you still won't need to say 'I told you so'."
"I don't understand how I did it either. Or really why I did it initially. Sure, we had a connection, but I don't think we were quite at the love stage yet. Definitely lust, and curiosity about each other. We went away to Atlantic City together and it was awesome, but the next thing I know she's calling me and telling me her brother had been attacked, that he could have HIV, and it was the most surreal feeling in the world. I guess most people would have run screaming in the opposite direction but she was alone. She didn't even have Riley because he was slipping away and I don't think she knew how to hang on to him. So, before I even realised what I was doing, I was offering to go to her and I did, then I just stayed. I helped where I could, but it was a really dark time. And I think it's very much on the same ground you are with Rob, just different circumstances. The unspoken thing lingering in the air here is he might not come home. That's what being a soldier at war is. Just like we didn't know if Riley would pull through. It's fucked up, but you just have to do what you can and what you need to do to stay sane," Luke told her and took her hand, squeezing it.
"Between you and Andy I'm kind of in awe of the men in our family. He stuck by Ali in her darkest time. You guys are strong... Tab and Ali are lucky they have you. They both did pretty fucking good. Me, I just agreed to marry the guy so I'd know if something happened. And so he'd come back to me... And because I loved him. I thought it would be too early to know, but it wasn't." Leila squeezed his hand back as she smiled a little. "I don't know what I'd do if he didn't come back... I really don't."
Luke waved one of the waiters over so he could get another drink. "Sometimes you just know. That seems to have happened with a lot of us. We'd all sort of been around the block in some capacity, but when it's right, you really do just know in your gut. That doesn't mean it's always easy to get the happily ever after. In fact, it rarely fucking is. But that's just the way it goes. All I remember is you telling me you wanted to fuck someone with a good walk. Or who had a fuck walk, I can't remember exactly the way you worded it. Do you know how long I watched the bloke at Andy's party trying to figure out what the hell a fuck walk was? I really wanted to find something bad about him to tell you that you were being stupid, but all that I kept coming back to was he might get taken away from you and you would get hurt. Then he was, and you were. I've seen clips on the news of what it's like over there, and if you think about it, those images won't even be from the worst parts because cameras couldn't go there. But he also must be excellent at what he does to have ranked Sergeant. I think you just need to have faith he can keep doing that."
"He doesn't want me watching the news. Doesn't want me worrying. Which is easier said than done, although I have kept pretty good at not watching the news. Wasn't much of a watcher to begin with." Leila couldn't help but grin as she shifted in her seat just thinking about Rob's walk. "And I am fucking a guy like that. Or will be when he comes back. I'm glad you didn't find anything wrong with him, even if I know it's your fucked up way of protecting me. It hurts, but I'll be okay. So long as he's okay. I just have to get used to the fact that no news is good news."
Luke's forehead creased as he listened to her last comment and it was just a wave of skepticism that washed over him. "That can't always be true, though, can it? How can you ever know with the Army and all the military secrecy? I won't elaborate to fuck your birthday over or anything, but I think keeping busy is a good idea. Maybe you're right about inviting his mate to stay, too," he conceded. "At least you won't be on your own."
"And I promise to have him checked out," Leila smirked, referring to one of her cousin's comments the other day. "Look, I know it's slightly living in denial, but even he said no news can be good news. He can't carry a cell phone or anything like that with him. I'm just happy so long as no men in uniform show up at my door. Mike scared the shit out of me when he introduced himself as a Sergeant. My heart stopped." She picked up her beer to take a long sip, almost finishing off her second bottle.
Luke smirked. "They barely even have enough food. Fuck living on ration packs. I swear my gut would want to eat itself if I couldn't have a huge breakfast every morning. And sleeping on camp beds. How crap would that be? Your new place is going to seem like a palace for him. All those rooms to christen..." he added deviously. He finished his own drink again, realising he was probably going through them quicker than he normally would. He didn't often get drunk. Booze lost it's shine when you owned a pub yourself. "Well, he is still technically a Sergeant, even if he isn't working. I guess it was just automatic for him. Sans uniform, though, is much better. You see shit like that on TV and in movies. How could you even react? It would suck. But at least the bloke could let you know your other half was okay a few days ago."
"Does Tab actually make your breakfast? I'm sure she said once that she didn't cook. I couldn't live on rations, anyway. It would just taste like fucking cardboard." Leila crinkled her nose, and stuck her tongue out in distaste. "I can't exactly cook either. I'm not sure he'd think my food was much to come home to. Although I am more than excited about christening the various rooms." Leila pointed at him with her bottle. "Stop being so logical! I'm worried sick about him, I couldn't help thinking the worse. It was the fact he was dressed normally that stopped me really freaking out. It would massively suck. I'd have nightmares. I'm glad he gave me the photos... He looked like shit, but at least he was alright."
Luke shook his head as one of the waiters brought them another round. Luke gave him a thumbs up in thanks, already reaching for his next beer. "Nah, I usually do breakfast. She just eats cereal. I need more than that to get me going for the day, especially if I'm going to be at the bar all day and in the night. Some days Riley, Evie and me share off when they are working, only Evie isn't working now and she tends to sleep in. Can't say I blame her. Riley's a good cook, though. He must have gotten that gene when they were dividing up the talents between the twins. Who doesn't look shit when they feel crook? Anyone pointed a camera at me if I spent four days with a puke bug and I'd want to shove the bastard up their arse sideways. It won't be long before he calls you again. He's got to rest sometime, right?"
Leila laughed, taking her own beer. "So you must get off pretty easy if all you've got to make her is cereal in bed. I think it's cool that you're all living together. Especially with Evie pregnant. I bet she'll welcome the extra hand when the twins pop out. Can you imagine? Not one, but two crying new borns..." Leila nodded. "Yeah, but he doesn't know when. I don't know when." As if on cue, Lelia's phone went off, and she only noticed when she saw it rattling against the table top. She'd put it on vibrate just in case, realising the tone would get drowned out in the noisy bar.
She picked it up without checking the ID, covering her other ear so she could try and hear. "Hello?" She stared down at the table, not looking at Luke as she forced herself to focus on the voice on the other end of the line. Suddenly the colour drained from her face, and she was sure the floor was about to open up and swallow her. "I... um, yes, thank you. I understand. I'm sorry, I just--thank you." She snapped the phone shut and just continued to stare at the table, not even sure her heart was beating, or that she could remember to breathe. Eventually she looked at Luke, still too stunned to know how to react. "He's MIA."
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Leila was slumped in the booth of The Bondi, her foot resting on the seat next to her cousin. She nursed her second beer in her hands and pressed her lips together as her mind once again slipped to Rob, and if he was safe right at that moment. He had to be. She'd already suffered through him being sick, and not being able to do a damn thing about it. She couldn't take the idea of him being injured and still not being able to do a thing. Although if he did end up in the infirmary again it would mean hearing from him...
She slapped herself in the forehead as she groaned. "FUCK! I actually want my husband to get injured just to hear from him. I am seriously fucking losing it, Lulu. I need help." She tilted her beer towards him, something else occurring to her. "You think we should feel guilty getting pissed while Andy can't even be here?"
Her birthday drinks were small with it being just her and Luke, and to be honest, she didn't mind. She wanted things intimate. There had been talk of going out for dinner with Andy the next night, but tonight Leila had just really needed a drink or ten. She'd been thinking herself in circles since she'd missed Rob's call. At least she had Mike to talk to now. He had turned her down with the moving in thing, but the offer was always open. She was being partially selfish in her reasons for asking him. It was like if she could look after him, she'd look after Rob.
Luke took a long gulp of his beer, swallowing as he shook his head. "Andy didn't come because of that. He said we should just go out and have a good time because he's struggling lately. He can't be anywhere near booze. It's that aftermath. I remember when he had it the first time around, he couldn't even eat cake or chocolate with liqueur in it. But he knows how much it sucked for you to miss Rob's phone call and the fact he's away on his birthday. You know, we seriously are screwing our birthdays over. First Andy's with the miscarriage, now you missing Rob's phone call. I should have invited some of the Princeton bunch to keep you distracted," he decided. "Or you should have invited your new first best friend."
Leila nodded. She remembered a lot of her time with Andy in London. She'd never purposely put him around bars if she could help it. Despite her working in one. And she really did shower before she got home, or as soon as, so he didn't smell booze on her. "I think we're having dinner tomorrow night... I got confused because Jamie kept giggling down the phone line and pulling her daddy's nose. Let's just hope we don't fuck up your birthday. Two's enough." Leila stuck her tongue out a little. "He's not my new best friend, Kujo. He's just a friend of Rob's. Sue me if I want to be nice to him."
Luke laughed. "She tries to eat the phone when he talks on it. That nose grab thing, you know exactly when she's going to do it. She goes cross-eyed. And look at it this way. By the time my birthday comes, your other half will probably be back home on NY soil. Stay positive, Lei. He might pull strings and give you a quick call on your birthday. Do you have your phone with you? Did you get the homeline forwarded to your cell? Have you spoken to the guy since? Sure you're not just projecting with him?"
Leila nodded again, and held her phone up. She had it on the loudest ring setting, and had double-checked the forwarding thing several times by calling the home phone herself. Why she hadn't done it the other day was beyond her. If she'd had it forwarded, she wouldn't have missed Rob's call. "Not really. I was planning on calling him soon. I just want to know he's okay. And I probably am projecting, but he's got no one here, Luke. He needs friends. He can't even shag anyone until he gets his head straight. She makes the cutest faces... She's adorable."
"Hmm, it might be hard for him transitioning back into the normal life. He's been over there for eight months, so his head is probably all over the place trying to feel normal. Fuck that for a joke. No way would I be military. I don't think I have the balls for it. Then, I used to think that about Andy and his paramedics, too. Only this guy is like a military paramedic, so it's two strikes. He must have seen some fucking awful shit out there," Luke said, shaking his head. "You should call him, tell him to come get a drink with us if he wants one. She's a fun kid, and I love watching Andy with her. She and Ali gave him this whole new lease on life, even if it's been hard."
"That's what he said. Also said he had a lot of trouble sleeping at night. Nightmares, I think. Who can blame him? They'd all have to have PTSD to a degree. No one can go to a war zone and not be affected." Leila hummed in agreement, but she texted the guy instead. Trying to yell into a cell phone in a busy bar was never easy. If Rob did call, she already had her escape route mapped out for the alleyway out the back so she would be able to hear him. "They really did. I can't remember the last time I've seen him like this. Even before... everything."
Luke picked at the sticker on the beer bottle. "Do you think Rob is going to be like that when he gets home? All weird and... odd? I mean, it's got to be impossible to just come home and step right back into normal life. It's hard enough finding your feet after being on holiday somewhere. How do you think you'll deal with that? He might not be in the mood for fucking or socialising or anything. Maybe you should just... I don't know. I have no idea. You picked a hard road, Lei. I just worry about you," he told her, pressing his lips together with a wry smile. "It was before Uncle Jack was killed. But even then, Andy was a workaholic. You had to book time in to see him. He's mellowed."
"He said he might be. He also just said that it would help having me around. I think I'd ground him... I don't really know how to explain it. Like when you were taking care of Tab. You told me about when you followed her to Princeton in the early days and she was watching her brother suffer. That's not easy either, and she could have easily pushed you away, but she didn't. It was the comfort, and the human contact that kept her grounded. I know I picked a shitty road, but I love him, Lulu. I appreciate you worrying about me, but this is what I want. Or rather he's what I want." She tried to give him a strong smile, showing him she was really okay with it all. "I'm glad he has. He couldn't have ever worked that hard and not crashed, or burned out. Which was a bad choice of words now I think about it."
Luke nodded slowly, remembering back to those days will a small frown. "Yeah, it was hard. Probably one of the hardest things I've had to deal with. He was so sick, I felt useless. He tried to kill himself. He cut his wrist. It was friggen terrifying," he admitted, not having really spoken about it much since it happened. "I know I'm being a pain in the arse trying to protect you. It seems hypocritcal considering we have one of the strongest family groups out there, and we have a number of spouses who have pushed through so much shit and stuck by each other to pull it off. Tara when Lachlan got shot, Evie with Riley, Aiden with Pat's illness, Andy with Ali. I just wish you didn't need to hurt so much in the process, because I know it sucks. I guess I just feel guilty I didn't get to know him much before he left. I was waiting for him to fuck up so I could say I told you so."
"Sometimes I didn't understand how you could do it, but now I can. It was easy trying to relate it to doing the same thing for Andy, or me for you, and you for me. Or you for your sisters. I just... Shit, I couldn't understand how you'd do that for someone you barely knew. Only you and Tab had a connection, right? You just wanted to be there for her, even when it was scary. I want to be here for Rob, even if it sucks with the waiting, and not hearing from him. That's all I need you to get, okay? Please, Luke." She raised her beer to her lips as she took a moment to think of each of those couples. Their strength was phenomenal, and Leila still wasn't sure she was on the same level yet. "Sometimes I'm not so sure this would have been any easier if we'd had more time. I wanted you to know him, but you'll have to wait. And hopefully you still won't need to say 'I told you so'."
"I don't understand how I did it either. Or really why I did it initially. Sure, we had a connection, but I don't think we were quite at the love stage yet. Definitely lust, and curiosity about each other. We went away to Atlantic City together and it was awesome, but the next thing I know she's calling me and telling me her brother had been attacked, that he could have HIV, and it was the most surreal feeling in the world. I guess most people would have run screaming in the opposite direction but she was alone. She didn't even have Riley because he was slipping away and I don't think she knew how to hang on to him. So, before I even realised what I was doing, I was offering to go to her and I did, then I just stayed. I helped where I could, but it was a really dark time. And I think it's very much on the same ground you are with Rob, just different circumstances. The unspoken thing lingering in the air here is he might not come home. That's what being a soldier at war is. Just like we didn't know if Riley would pull through. It's fucked up, but you just have to do what you can and what you need to do to stay sane," Luke told her and took her hand, squeezing it.
"Between you and Andy I'm kind of in awe of the men in our family. He stuck by Ali in her darkest time. You guys are strong... Tab and Ali are lucky they have you. They both did pretty fucking good. Me, I just agreed to marry the guy so I'd know if something happened. And so he'd come back to me... And because I loved him. I thought it would be too early to know, but it wasn't." Leila squeezed his hand back as she smiled a little. "I don't know what I'd do if he didn't come back... I really don't."
Luke waved one of the waiters over so he could get another drink. "Sometimes you just know. That seems to have happened with a lot of us. We'd all sort of been around the block in some capacity, but when it's right, you really do just know in your gut. That doesn't mean it's always easy to get the happily ever after. In fact, it rarely fucking is. But that's just the way it goes. All I remember is you telling me you wanted to fuck someone with a good walk. Or who had a fuck walk, I can't remember exactly the way you worded it. Do you know how long I watched the bloke at Andy's party trying to figure out what the hell a fuck walk was? I really wanted to find something bad about him to tell you that you were being stupid, but all that I kept coming back to was he might get taken away from you and you would get hurt. Then he was, and you were. I've seen clips on the news of what it's like over there, and if you think about it, those images won't even be from the worst parts because cameras couldn't go there. But he also must be excellent at what he does to have ranked Sergeant. I think you just need to have faith he can keep doing that."
"He doesn't want me watching the news. Doesn't want me worrying. Which is easier said than done, although I have kept pretty good at not watching the news. Wasn't much of a watcher to begin with." Leila couldn't help but grin as she shifted in her seat just thinking about Rob's walk. "And I am fucking a guy like that. Or will be when he comes back. I'm glad you didn't find anything wrong with him, even if I know it's your fucked up way of protecting me. It hurts, but I'll be okay. So long as he's okay. I just have to get used to the fact that no news is good news."
Luke's forehead creased as he listened to her last comment and it was just a wave of skepticism that washed over him. "That can't always be true, though, can it? How can you ever know with the Army and all the military secrecy? I won't elaborate to fuck your birthday over or anything, but I think keeping busy is a good idea. Maybe you're right about inviting his mate to stay, too," he conceded. "At least you won't be on your own."
"And I promise to have him checked out," Leila smirked, referring to one of her cousin's comments the other day. "Look, I know it's slightly living in denial, but even he said no news can be good news. He can't carry a cell phone or anything like that with him. I'm just happy so long as no men in uniform show up at my door. Mike scared the shit out of me when he introduced himself as a Sergeant. My heart stopped." She picked up her beer to take a long sip, almost finishing off her second bottle.
Luke smirked. "They barely even have enough food. Fuck living on ration packs. I swear my gut would want to eat itself if I couldn't have a huge breakfast every morning. And sleeping on camp beds. How crap would that be? Your new place is going to seem like a palace for him. All those rooms to christen..." he added deviously. He finished his own drink again, realising he was probably going through them quicker than he normally would. He didn't often get drunk. Booze lost it's shine when you owned a pub yourself. "Well, he is still technically a Sergeant, even if he isn't working. I guess it was just automatic for him. Sans uniform, though, is much better. You see shit like that on TV and in movies. How could you even react? It would suck. But at least the bloke could let you know your other half was okay a few days ago."
"Does Tab actually make your breakfast? I'm sure she said once that she didn't cook. I couldn't live on rations, anyway. It would just taste like fucking cardboard." Leila crinkled her nose, and stuck her tongue out in distaste. "I can't exactly cook either. I'm not sure he'd think my food was much to come home to. Although I am more than excited about christening the various rooms." Leila pointed at him with her bottle. "Stop being so logical! I'm worried sick about him, I couldn't help thinking the worse. It was the fact he was dressed normally that stopped me really freaking out. It would massively suck. I'd have nightmares. I'm glad he gave me the photos... He looked like shit, but at least he was alright."
Luke shook his head as one of the waiters brought them another round. Luke gave him a thumbs up in thanks, already reaching for his next beer. "Nah, I usually do breakfast. She just eats cereal. I need more than that to get me going for the day, especially if I'm going to be at the bar all day and in the night. Some days Riley, Evie and me share off when they are working, only Evie isn't working now and she tends to sleep in. Can't say I blame her. Riley's a good cook, though. He must have gotten that gene when they were dividing up the talents between the twins. Who doesn't look shit when they feel crook? Anyone pointed a camera at me if I spent four days with a puke bug and I'd want to shove the bastard up their arse sideways. It won't be long before he calls you again. He's got to rest sometime, right?"
Leila laughed, taking her own beer. "So you must get off pretty easy if all you've got to make her is cereal in bed. I think it's cool that you're all living together. Especially with Evie pregnant. I bet she'll welcome the extra hand when the twins pop out. Can you imagine? Not one, but two crying new borns..." Leila nodded. "Yeah, but he doesn't know when. I don't know when." As if on cue, Lelia's phone went off, and she only noticed when she saw it rattling against the table top. She'd put it on vibrate just in case, realising the tone would get drowned out in the noisy bar.
She picked it up without checking the ID, covering her other ear so she could try and hear. "Hello?" She stared down at the table, not looking at Luke as she forced herself to focus on the voice on the other end of the line. Suddenly the colour drained from her face, and she was sure the floor was about to open up and swallow her. "I... um, yes, thank you. I understand. I'm sorry, I just--thank you." She snapped the phone shut and just continued to stare at the table, not even sure her heart was beating, or that she could remember to breathe. Eventually she looked at Luke, still too stunned to know how to react. "He's MIA."
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