Original: Lean on Me (Rick and Mel) PG
Title: Lean on Me [ INDEX]
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Mel, Rick and Mel's Dad (mention of Josh, Jamie and Mel's mom)
Rating: PG
Summary: Mel's got to get through one of the hardest nights of her life. And, thanks to Rick, she doesn't have to go through it alone.
Warning: Any drooling brought on by a certain fireman being awesome is expected... the same night as The Ending and the Beginning (September 16, 2008), about a month before Started as a Flicker.... *Written for Round 25 of prompt_in_a_box. Prompt #6: "airport" *for luxuria_oceanus. BECAUSE.
Disclaimer: For the first time, I can say that EVERYTHING about this one is MINE, ALL MINE. Mwahaha!! Inspirations all come from characteraday, with thanks. Title by bizarra, with love!
Lieutenant Rick Harper turned the corner of the staircase and saw the landing of the fourth floor just in front of him. Feeling his bag starting to shift, Rick made quick work of keeping the pizza box balanced on one hand, while he tried to heave the bag back onto his shoulder without dropping the mail under his arm.
'Could have planned this better,' Rick told himself. The mail would have survived until the next morning. Rolling his eyes at himself, Rick managed up the rest of the stairs and turned left. Stopping in front of his door, Rick shoved the mail under his chin and dug into his pocket for the key.
Finally getting the door open, Rick grabbed the mail, flung it into his apartment and shifted the pizza box into his free hand. Dropping his shoulder, the bag hit the floor with a thump and was promptly kicked into the apartment. Rick pulled the door shut, flipped the key back, locking the door again, and turned around to head back toward the stairs.
As he reached Mel's door, Rick grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open. "I got your pizza pie-" he announced, stopping short at the sight of Mel on the floor, curled up against the cabinet and crying. He dove toward her, managing to get the pizza box onto the counter, and dropped down next to her.
"Mel?" He automatically gave her a look-over, to see if she was bleeding or otherwise injured, but saw no signs. "Hey, what-" he started to ask, but was interrupted by Mel, who had uncurled herself and threw her arms around his him. Rick pulled her into a hug and rocked her slightly as she cried into his shirt.
"Hey," he said quietly as she shook against him. Rick didn't know what had happened, but the tighter Mel held on to him, the tighter he held back. In the back of his mind, Rick knew that he shouldn't be thinking about how much he could get used to holding her like this. He continued to rock her, one hand on the back of her head and the other on her back.
"Talk to me," he whispered as Mel started to calm down. "Who's gone?" It only took a few seconds for him to work through the possible reasons for her - anyone really - to be reacting this way. She wasn't the type to freak out over a lost job, and the cancellation of a TV show tended to get a book thrown at the TV, along with some ranting. No, someone had died, and it wasn't just some joe she had met once, or a coworker she passed in the hall. This was personal.
Mel leaned back slightly and turned her head as one hand dropped down from Rick's back to his side. She wanted to let go of him, but couldn't make herself do it. She hadn't even thought about it when he kneeled in front of her; she just latched onto him, holding on for dear life. Mel managed to catch her breath and leaned farther away.
As she fell back against the cupboard, Mel stared at the floor and reached up to wipe at her eyes and push her hair off her face. She must look like a crazy person, she decided, and tried not to look at Rick. She was embarrassed now, not because she probably looked like a mess, but because she was usually much better at keeping her emotions in check.
Letting out a breath, Mel reached up to grab a hold of the counter and started to pull herself up. Rick stood with her, holding out a hand to catch her. "Mel," he said, a bit more demanding than he'd intended for it to sound. Her jaw locked and Mel stared at the sink for a moment, wondering if she should risk trying to keep some water down. Rick's hand came into her line of sight and, before she could react, he'd grabbed her arms and turned her toward him.
"Mel," he said again, leaning down as her eyes shifted away slightly. As he caught her eyes again, Mel's jaw shook slightly and Rick raised one hand to neck. "Who?" he asked again, fearing that it was either one of her parents or her brother. She looked away again and closed her eyes. Saying it out loud would make it true and...
"My grandpa," she barely whispered, and had to blink back new tears. Rick made a noise and pulled her into another hug. Mel stood there, her mind racing a million miles a second, and let Rick be her support. God knew she didn't have the strength. Dropping her head, Mel reached up to grab hold of Rick's arms and let out a slow breath. "I think I should have stayed on the floor," she mumbled.
Rick reacted almost immediately, pulling away and turning her slightly. "Let's get you over to the couch, okay?" he suggested, dropping right into an EMT-mindset, treating Mel as if she had been involved in an accident and needed medical attention. Mel didn't argue, and allowed Rick to lead her around the counter and across the living room. Thankfully, the distance to the couch wasn't that far.
Once he managed to sit her down, Rick reached up to hold Mel's face still and looked into her eyes. "I didn't hit my head," she dead-panned.
"Humor me, okay," he asked with a smile. Rick tapped her leg and pushed himself up. Mel watched him move back into the kitchen and open the cupboard with the glasses. As he pulled one out, then opened another cupboard and pulled out a bottle of aspirin, Mel turned back and let her eyes wander to the framed photos hanging on the wall near her desk.
She could see the snapshot Josh had sent a few months before - Jamie wanted to try surfing and Josh was all too happy to put the man in the water. Remembering the screaming fit her mother threw when Mel asked Jamie about it made Mel laugh. She sucked in a breath and promptly coughed as Rick returned to her side. "You okay?"
Mel sniffed and nodded, letting another laugh out. Rick held out his hand, offering the few pills, then the glass of water. "Take it," he ordered. Mel forced a frown and took the pills, then made a face and took the glass of water. They both knew she was only teasing him, and that she was quite thankful for his help.
Rick watched Mel until she finished the whole glass of water - which she also knew he was waiting for - and then offered to take the glass from her. He twisted and set the empty glass down on the coffee table, then turned back and shrugged out of his jacket. He dropped the coat on the end of the couch and sat down next to Mel, slipped an arm behind her and nudged her toward him.
"Talk to me," he said, lifting a foot up and resting it on top of a stack of magazines on the table. When Mel sighed, he leaned away and looked down at her. "Hey, who's the professional here?" Mel raised an eyebrow and he scoffed. "I can raise my eyebrow, too, missy," he nodded and then proceeded to raise both eyebrows, separately.
Mel laughed and gave him a poke in the side. Rick turned his head and leaned down, so that his chin rested on his shoulder. "Trust me," he whispered into her hair, just behind her ear. Mel closed her eyes and, almost instinctively, leaned into him. Rick's right arm came around and closed the hug.
"Dad said he went down for a nap," Mel said quietly. "And he didn't wake up," she added a moment later, even quieter. Rick let a sad smile slip and gave Mel’s arm a slight squeeze.
"That's how I want to go," he said before he realized it was out loud. Mel turned to look up and Rick let go of her to reach up and press a thumb between his eyes. "Sorry," he hissed. Mel turned her head again and gave his stomach a pat, letting him know it was all right. He'd told her before that, with his line of work, he'd rather go out in his own bed, or in front of the TV, watching SportsCenter.
"He's... your mom's-," Rick prompted. Mel nodded.
"You met him once," she said, raising her eyes to look at him.
Rick reared back slightly to look down at her. "I did?" Mel nodded again and turned her head.
"'couple months after I moved in," Mel said, flashing back to sitting on the front steps of the building with her grandfather, nearly two years ago. "My mom was freaking out that I was alone in the big city, so he offered to come out and check on me." Mel sighed and closed her eyes. "I had just started work and I got held up. He decided to make dinner, so he walked down to the store to get food. He was on the way back-" She started to chuckle at the memory of Jamie's retelling of the overflowing bags of food and the blustery wind that threatened to knock him into the street, which was occupied by a marching band - every time he told the story, there was something new added to the tale.
"-he got back to the building and realized he couldn't get the keys out of his pocket because he had two bags of food." Mel gave Rick a quick hug to illustrate and sighed again. Rick smiled, because he could tell she was nearly asleep, which was what he'd been hoping for as soon as he gave her the aspirin. "All of a sudden," she continued, "he realized that he'd left the keys up here." She tried to fight back a yawn and turned her head into Rick's chest.
"So, while he was standing there, wondering how he'd get inside, a firetruck pulled up in front of the building, and you jumped off the back. Gramps said you waved to the guys and they drove off, then you came up the steps and told him you'd hitched a ride home." Rick smiled. He didn't remember the specific meeting, but he did remember a few times that he'd tagged along on the constitution to save the walk home.
"Did I let him in?" Rick asked with a grin.
Mel nodded slowly and took another slow breath. "Said he got home and told Mom I would always be safe, 'cause I had a fireman looking out for me." Rick smiled and nodded slightly, as the memory of an older man, with a slight Scottish accent, came to him.
"My granddaughter just moved into the building and her mother is worried that something terrible is going to happen to her," Jamie said as Rick pulled the door open and motioned for the older man to pass.
"Well, I've only been here about a year, myself," Rick nodded as the door swung shut behind them, "but, I haven't had any problems." Jamie started for the stairs and Rick pointed toward the door. "Police station is half a mile that way, hospital is on the other side of the park and... fire station is close enough that I'm that lazy and got a ride home," Rick finished with a laugh.
"A fireman?" Jamie asked as they turned the first corner.
"Yes, sir," Rick nodded. "Technically, a Fireman/EMT."
"I beg your pardon," Jamie said with an impressed smile.
"No problem, sir," Rick replied with a laugh as both men reached the first landing.
Rick glanced down to Mel, who was finally asleep, and he smiled. Dropping his head slightly, he whispered: "Always." Rick watched her for another moment before lifting his head and letting it fall back to rest of the back of the couch.
"Well, sir, you can tell your granddaughter's mother that, if there should ever be a fire in the building, she's the first one I'll go for," Rick said with a nod as the men reached the fourth floor landing.
An odd buzzing sound caught Rick's attention and his head jerked up as his eyes opened. Glancing down, he saw that Mel was still asleep and threw a glance toward the kitchen when he heard the sound again. It took half a second for him to realize it was a phone ringing, and he quickly shifted away from Mel, taking care not to wake her, then he headed over to the counter.
Reaching over the ledge, he saw the screen on her phone was lit and he grabbed it, wondering if he should let it ring or answer when he saw her parent's names on the screen. Wincing slightly, he took a breath and answered. "Mel Walker's phone."
"Uh-" he heard a male voice stumble. Rick closed his eyes and realized that a strange man answering his daughter's phone was probably not what her father was expecting.
"Mister Walker, this is Rick Harper. I live across the hall."
"The fireman," Rick heard a moment later, which made him want to laugh. It seemed everyone in her family knew him as "the fireman".
"Yes, sir," Rick replied, giving another look to Mel, who was still asleep on the couch. "She's asleep," he offered.
"Well, that makes one of them," Mel's dad remarked quietly. "Don't wake her," he continued. "Take a message?"
Rick nodded. "Of course. Anything I can do."
"Josh just finished getting her ticket. Should be in her e-mail, shortly. Figured I should call, in case she wasn't at the computer," he added with a hint of sarcasm. Rick laughed slightly, trying to imagine Mel away from the computer for an extended period of time. "The flight is at, uh..." Rick heard a rustling of paper and a throat clearing. "Noon. On United... Josh, which-" Rick could tell he'd turned away from the phone. "Out of O'Hare."
"I'll get her there," Rick nodded. There was a silence on the other end of the line, and Rick gave another look to Mel.
"Thank you, son," Mel's dad said quietly, "for taking care of my daughter."
"It's no trouble," Rick replied. "After all, I did make a promise to her grandfather."
Rick made sure that Mel's dad had his contact information before they ended the call and he put the pizza in the fridge. Rick moved back into the living room and wondered if he should move Mel into her bedroom, but he really didn't want to risk waking her up.
Instead, he shifted the coffee table and reached for the button on the TV, letting his finger hover over the volume button so he could quickly mute the TV before the sound woke Mel up. Flipping the TV over to ESPN, Rick settled on the floor, gave a look over his shoulder to Mel and then turned back to watch the sports scores. A second later, he reached for the remote again and flipped the captions on.
Mel woke up to an odd glow on the ceiling and wall and had to take a minute to remember why she was on the couch. Turning her head slightly, Mel figured that she'd fallen asleep before the movie ended. Another second later, Mel remembered that they'd never gotten to the movie, and why.
Wincing as the light from the TV hit her eyes, Mel noticed Rick was sitting just in front of her, facing the TV. She could see two people on the screen, talking rather animatedly, but couldn't hear them. Smiling slightly at the angle of his head, Mel reached up to wake Rick by running a finger along the side of his face, top of his ear to his jaw - made him squirm every time
Rick jerked slightly and raised a hand up to rub the side of his face, then jumped and sat up. Closing his eyes, Rick turned away from the TV and blinked the bright spots out of his eyes. Mel had raised her arm to cover her eyes and lifted her hand slightly, in order to see him.
"What time is it?" she asked quietly. Rick turned back to look at the TV and blinked again at the brightness of the screen.
"Six-thirty," he replied. He turned back and pushed himself up to lean against the couch. Mel turned her head to look up and back at him. "Your flight's at noon," he said quietly. Mel nodded. "Which means we need to leave here about nine," Rick continued, nodding once. "Which means you've got an hour and a half-"
Mel raised a finger and poked him in the nose. "Nebraska math says two hours." Rick caught her finger and pointed back, but Mel spoke before he could. "Always give yourself enough time to change a tire." Rick tried to make a face, but it came out more like a smirk.
"All right, comedian," he grumbled and pushed himself up with the free hand. Rick tugged on Mel's hand and, as soon as she'd sat up, he pulled her up from the couch. Gravity worked against both of them for a moment, and sent Mel into Rick a bit faster than she could balance. "All right?" Rick asked, trying to ignore just how close she was at that moment.
"Yeah," Mel said, closing her eyes until the room stopped spinning - whether from getting up or the proximity to Rick - and she stepped back. Rick let go of her hand and moved over to turn off the TV and move the table back.
"You need a bag?" he asked, picking the empty glass up from the table. Mel crossed her arms and shook her head.
"No, I'll- I'm good, thanks." Rick nodded and glanced around the room.
"Want me to hang out?" Mel smiled and shook her head. Rick nodded and pointed to the computer. "Oh, flight info is in email." Mel nodded again. "And I'll be back in two hours."
"Thought you said I only had an hour and a half," Mel replied with narrowed eyes as he moved past her.
Rick stopped just next to her and leaned forward slightly. "Let's just hope we don't have to change a tire." He put a hand on her shoulder and nodded before continuing to the door. "Two hours," he repeated, opening the door. Mel raised a hand and forced a smile as he pulled the door shut.
Turning back to the living room, Mel let out a breath and moved over to the desk to get the ticket printed before she started to do anything else. As she waited for the attachment to open, Mel glanced up to the photo on the wall and frowned.
"You have your ticket?"
"Yes."
"Phone cord?"
"Yes."
"Extra socks?"
"Yes, Mom," Mel groaned as Rick pulled her bag out of the back of his truck. Rick set the bag down on the curb and turned to Mel with a raised finger. Mel made a face and he laughed.
"I hate to just drop you at the curb," he said a moment later, waving to the door. Mel put a hand on his arm and pushed it down.
"I'll be fine. And you're gonna be late for work, schleppin' me all over," she told him, giving him another nudge toward the truck. "Go."
Rick sighed and nodded, but didn't step away. Instead, he opened his arms and stepped toward her. "Call me when you get there," he half-asked. Mel nodded into his shoulder and lifted her head before he let go.
"Thank you," she whispered, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Rick smiled and nodded as he stepped back. He could see the Drop-off Police coming back down the length of the terminal, blowing his whistle and giving folks dirty looks. "Don't speed!" Mel hollered over another tweet of the whistle. Rick held up a hand and waved as he opened the truck door, then turned and waved to the man with the whistle.
Mel also gave the man a polite wave as Rick threw a look over his shoulder to make sure there was an opening. As the attendant reached the front of Rick's truck, he waved Rick out and continued walking. As soon as he was past the rear wheel, he blew the whistle again and Mel jumped.
Mel bent down to pick up her bag and turned to give the doors a look. She let out a deep breath and forced herself to take the first step.
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Mel, Rick and Mel's Dad (mention of Josh, Jamie and Mel's mom)
Rating: PG
Summary: Mel's got to get through one of the hardest nights of her life. And, thanks to Rick, she doesn't have to go through it alone.
Warning: Any drooling brought on by a certain fireman being awesome is expected... the same night as The Ending and the Beginning (September 16, 2008), about a month before Started as a Flicker.... *Written for Round 25 of prompt_in_a_box. Prompt #6: "airport" *for luxuria_oceanus. BECAUSE.
Disclaimer: For the first time, I can say that EVERYTHING about this one is MINE, ALL MINE. Mwahaha!! Inspirations all come from characteraday, with thanks. Title by bizarra, with love!
Lieutenant Rick Harper turned the corner of the staircase and saw the landing of the fourth floor just in front of him. Feeling his bag starting to shift, Rick made quick work of keeping the pizza box balanced on one hand, while he tried to heave the bag back onto his shoulder without dropping the mail under his arm.
'Could have planned this better,' Rick told himself. The mail would have survived until the next morning. Rolling his eyes at himself, Rick managed up the rest of the stairs and turned left. Stopping in front of his door, Rick shoved the mail under his chin and dug into his pocket for the key.
Finally getting the door open, Rick grabbed the mail, flung it into his apartment and shifted the pizza box into his free hand. Dropping his shoulder, the bag hit the floor with a thump and was promptly kicked into the apartment. Rick pulled the door shut, flipped the key back, locking the door again, and turned around to head back toward the stairs.
As he reached Mel's door, Rick grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open. "I got your pizza pie-" he announced, stopping short at the sight of Mel on the floor, curled up against the cabinet and crying. He dove toward her, managing to get the pizza box onto the counter, and dropped down next to her.
"Mel?" He automatically gave her a look-over, to see if she was bleeding or otherwise injured, but saw no signs. "Hey, what-" he started to ask, but was interrupted by Mel, who had uncurled herself and threw her arms around his him. Rick pulled her into a hug and rocked her slightly as she cried into his shirt.
"Hey," he said quietly as she shook against him. Rick didn't know what had happened, but the tighter Mel held on to him, the tighter he held back. In the back of his mind, Rick knew that he shouldn't be thinking about how much he could get used to holding her like this. He continued to rock her, one hand on the back of her head and the other on her back.
"Talk to me," he whispered as Mel started to calm down. "Who's gone?" It only took a few seconds for him to work through the possible reasons for her - anyone really - to be reacting this way. She wasn't the type to freak out over a lost job, and the cancellation of a TV show tended to get a book thrown at the TV, along with some ranting. No, someone had died, and it wasn't just some joe she had met once, or a coworker she passed in the hall. This was personal.
Mel leaned back slightly and turned her head as one hand dropped down from Rick's back to his side. She wanted to let go of him, but couldn't make herself do it. She hadn't even thought about it when he kneeled in front of her; she just latched onto him, holding on for dear life. Mel managed to catch her breath and leaned farther away.
As she fell back against the cupboard, Mel stared at the floor and reached up to wipe at her eyes and push her hair off her face. She must look like a crazy person, she decided, and tried not to look at Rick. She was embarrassed now, not because she probably looked like a mess, but because she was usually much better at keeping her emotions in check.
Letting out a breath, Mel reached up to grab a hold of the counter and started to pull herself up. Rick stood with her, holding out a hand to catch her. "Mel," he said, a bit more demanding than he'd intended for it to sound. Her jaw locked and Mel stared at the sink for a moment, wondering if she should risk trying to keep some water down. Rick's hand came into her line of sight and, before she could react, he'd grabbed her arms and turned her toward him.
"Mel," he said again, leaning down as her eyes shifted away slightly. As he caught her eyes again, Mel's jaw shook slightly and Rick raised one hand to neck. "Who?" he asked again, fearing that it was either one of her parents or her brother. She looked away again and closed her eyes. Saying it out loud would make it true and...
"My grandpa," she barely whispered, and had to blink back new tears. Rick made a noise and pulled her into another hug. Mel stood there, her mind racing a million miles a second, and let Rick be her support. God knew she didn't have the strength. Dropping her head, Mel reached up to grab hold of Rick's arms and let out a slow breath. "I think I should have stayed on the floor," she mumbled.
Rick reacted almost immediately, pulling away and turning her slightly. "Let's get you over to the couch, okay?" he suggested, dropping right into an EMT-mindset, treating Mel as if she had been involved in an accident and needed medical attention. Mel didn't argue, and allowed Rick to lead her around the counter and across the living room. Thankfully, the distance to the couch wasn't that far.
Once he managed to sit her down, Rick reached up to hold Mel's face still and looked into her eyes. "I didn't hit my head," she dead-panned.
"Humor me, okay," he asked with a smile. Rick tapped her leg and pushed himself up. Mel watched him move back into the kitchen and open the cupboard with the glasses. As he pulled one out, then opened another cupboard and pulled out a bottle of aspirin, Mel turned back and let her eyes wander to the framed photos hanging on the wall near her desk.
She could see the snapshot Josh had sent a few months before - Jamie wanted to try surfing and Josh was all too happy to put the man in the water. Remembering the screaming fit her mother threw when Mel asked Jamie about it made Mel laugh. She sucked in a breath and promptly coughed as Rick returned to her side. "You okay?"
Mel sniffed and nodded, letting another laugh out. Rick held out his hand, offering the few pills, then the glass of water. "Take it," he ordered. Mel forced a frown and took the pills, then made a face and took the glass of water. They both knew she was only teasing him, and that she was quite thankful for his help.
Rick watched Mel until she finished the whole glass of water - which she also knew he was waiting for - and then offered to take the glass from her. He twisted and set the empty glass down on the coffee table, then turned back and shrugged out of his jacket. He dropped the coat on the end of the couch and sat down next to Mel, slipped an arm behind her and nudged her toward him.
"Talk to me," he said, lifting a foot up and resting it on top of a stack of magazines on the table. When Mel sighed, he leaned away and looked down at her. "Hey, who's the professional here?" Mel raised an eyebrow and he scoffed. "I can raise my eyebrow, too, missy," he nodded and then proceeded to raise both eyebrows, separately.
Mel laughed and gave him a poke in the side. Rick turned his head and leaned down, so that his chin rested on his shoulder. "Trust me," he whispered into her hair, just behind her ear. Mel closed her eyes and, almost instinctively, leaned into him. Rick's right arm came around and closed the hug.
"Dad said he went down for a nap," Mel said quietly. "And he didn't wake up," she added a moment later, even quieter. Rick let a sad smile slip and gave Mel’s arm a slight squeeze.
"That's how I want to go," he said before he realized it was out loud. Mel turned to look up and Rick let go of her to reach up and press a thumb between his eyes. "Sorry," he hissed. Mel turned her head again and gave his stomach a pat, letting him know it was all right. He'd told her before that, with his line of work, he'd rather go out in his own bed, or in front of the TV, watching SportsCenter.
"He's... your mom's-," Rick prompted. Mel nodded.
"You met him once," she said, raising her eyes to look at him.
Rick reared back slightly to look down at her. "I did?" Mel nodded again and turned her head.
"'couple months after I moved in," Mel said, flashing back to sitting on the front steps of the building with her grandfather, nearly two years ago. "My mom was freaking out that I was alone in the big city, so he offered to come out and check on me." Mel sighed and closed her eyes. "I had just started work and I got held up. He decided to make dinner, so he walked down to the store to get food. He was on the way back-" She started to chuckle at the memory of Jamie's retelling of the overflowing bags of food and the blustery wind that threatened to knock him into the street, which was occupied by a marching band - every time he told the story, there was something new added to the tale.
"-he got back to the building and realized he couldn't get the keys out of his pocket because he had two bags of food." Mel gave Rick a quick hug to illustrate and sighed again. Rick smiled, because he could tell she was nearly asleep, which was what he'd been hoping for as soon as he gave her the aspirin. "All of a sudden," she continued, "he realized that he'd left the keys up here." She tried to fight back a yawn and turned her head into Rick's chest.
"So, while he was standing there, wondering how he'd get inside, a firetruck pulled up in front of the building, and you jumped off the back. Gramps said you waved to the guys and they drove off, then you came up the steps and told him you'd hitched a ride home." Rick smiled. He didn't remember the specific meeting, but he did remember a few times that he'd tagged along on the constitution to save the walk home.
"Did I let him in?" Rick asked with a grin.
Mel nodded slowly and took another slow breath. "Said he got home and told Mom I would always be safe, 'cause I had a fireman looking out for me." Rick smiled and nodded slightly, as the memory of an older man, with a slight Scottish accent, came to him.
"My granddaughter just moved into the building and her mother is worried that something terrible is going to happen to her," Jamie said as Rick pulled the door open and motioned for the older man to pass.
"Well, I've only been here about a year, myself," Rick nodded as the door swung shut behind them, "but, I haven't had any problems." Jamie started for the stairs and Rick pointed toward the door. "Police station is half a mile that way, hospital is on the other side of the park and... fire station is close enough that I'm that lazy and got a ride home," Rick finished with a laugh.
"A fireman?" Jamie asked as they turned the first corner.
"Yes, sir," Rick nodded. "Technically, a Fireman/EMT."
"I beg your pardon," Jamie said with an impressed smile.
"No problem, sir," Rick replied with a laugh as both men reached the first landing.
Rick glanced down to Mel, who was finally asleep, and he smiled. Dropping his head slightly, he whispered: "Always." Rick watched her for another moment before lifting his head and letting it fall back to rest of the back of the couch.
"Well, sir, you can tell your granddaughter's mother that, if there should ever be a fire in the building, she's the first one I'll go for," Rick said with a nod as the men reached the fourth floor landing.
An odd buzzing sound caught Rick's attention and his head jerked up as his eyes opened. Glancing down, he saw that Mel was still asleep and threw a glance toward the kitchen when he heard the sound again. It took half a second for him to realize it was a phone ringing, and he quickly shifted away from Mel, taking care not to wake her, then he headed over to the counter.
Reaching over the ledge, he saw the screen on her phone was lit and he grabbed it, wondering if he should let it ring or answer when he saw her parent's names on the screen. Wincing slightly, he took a breath and answered. "Mel Walker's phone."
"Uh-" he heard a male voice stumble. Rick closed his eyes and realized that a strange man answering his daughter's phone was probably not what her father was expecting.
"Mister Walker, this is Rick Harper. I live across the hall."
"The fireman," Rick heard a moment later, which made him want to laugh. It seemed everyone in her family knew him as "the fireman".
"Yes, sir," Rick replied, giving another look to Mel, who was still asleep on the couch. "She's asleep," he offered.
"Well, that makes one of them," Mel's dad remarked quietly. "Don't wake her," he continued. "Take a message?"
Rick nodded. "Of course. Anything I can do."
"Josh just finished getting her ticket. Should be in her e-mail, shortly. Figured I should call, in case she wasn't at the computer," he added with a hint of sarcasm. Rick laughed slightly, trying to imagine Mel away from the computer for an extended period of time. "The flight is at, uh..." Rick heard a rustling of paper and a throat clearing. "Noon. On United... Josh, which-" Rick could tell he'd turned away from the phone. "Out of O'Hare."
"I'll get her there," Rick nodded. There was a silence on the other end of the line, and Rick gave another look to Mel.
"Thank you, son," Mel's dad said quietly, "for taking care of my daughter."
"It's no trouble," Rick replied. "After all, I did make a promise to her grandfather."
Rick made sure that Mel's dad had his contact information before they ended the call and he put the pizza in the fridge. Rick moved back into the living room and wondered if he should move Mel into her bedroom, but he really didn't want to risk waking her up.
Instead, he shifted the coffee table and reached for the button on the TV, letting his finger hover over the volume button so he could quickly mute the TV before the sound woke Mel up. Flipping the TV over to ESPN, Rick settled on the floor, gave a look over his shoulder to Mel and then turned back to watch the sports scores. A second later, he reached for the remote again and flipped the captions on.
Mel woke up to an odd glow on the ceiling and wall and had to take a minute to remember why she was on the couch. Turning her head slightly, Mel figured that she'd fallen asleep before the movie ended. Another second later, Mel remembered that they'd never gotten to the movie, and why.
Wincing as the light from the TV hit her eyes, Mel noticed Rick was sitting just in front of her, facing the TV. She could see two people on the screen, talking rather animatedly, but couldn't hear them. Smiling slightly at the angle of his head, Mel reached up to wake Rick by running a finger along the side of his face, top of his ear to his jaw - made him squirm every time
Rick jerked slightly and raised a hand up to rub the side of his face, then jumped and sat up. Closing his eyes, Rick turned away from the TV and blinked the bright spots out of his eyes. Mel had raised her arm to cover her eyes and lifted her hand slightly, in order to see him.
"What time is it?" she asked quietly. Rick turned back to look at the TV and blinked again at the brightness of the screen.
"Six-thirty," he replied. He turned back and pushed himself up to lean against the couch. Mel turned her head to look up and back at him. "Your flight's at noon," he said quietly. Mel nodded. "Which means we need to leave here about nine," Rick continued, nodding once. "Which means you've got an hour and a half-"
Mel raised a finger and poked him in the nose. "Nebraska math says two hours." Rick caught her finger and pointed back, but Mel spoke before he could. "Always give yourself enough time to change a tire." Rick tried to make a face, but it came out more like a smirk.
"All right, comedian," he grumbled and pushed himself up with the free hand. Rick tugged on Mel's hand and, as soon as she'd sat up, he pulled her up from the couch. Gravity worked against both of them for a moment, and sent Mel into Rick a bit faster than she could balance. "All right?" Rick asked, trying to ignore just how close she was at that moment.
"Yeah," Mel said, closing her eyes until the room stopped spinning - whether from getting up or the proximity to Rick - and she stepped back. Rick let go of her hand and moved over to turn off the TV and move the table back.
"You need a bag?" he asked, picking the empty glass up from the table. Mel crossed her arms and shook her head.
"No, I'll- I'm good, thanks." Rick nodded and glanced around the room.
"Want me to hang out?" Mel smiled and shook her head. Rick nodded and pointed to the computer. "Oh, flight info is in email." Mel nodded again. "And I'll be back in two hours."
"Thought you said I only had an hour and a half," Mel replied with narrowed eyes as he moved past her.
Rick stopped just next to her and leaned forward slightly. "Let's just hope we don't have to change a tire." He put a hand on her shoulder and nodded before continuing to the door. "Two hours," he repeated, opening the door. Mel raised a hand and forced a smile as he pulled the door shut.
Turning back to the living room, Mel let out a breath and moved over to the desk to get the ticket printed before she started to do anything else. As she waited for the attachment to open, Mel glanced up to the photo on the wall and frowned.
"You have your ticket?"
"Yes."
"Phone cord?"
"Yes."
"Extra socks?"
"Yes, Mom," Mel groaned as Rick pulled her bag out of the back of his truck. Rick set the bag down on the curb and turned to Mel with a raised finger. Mel made a face and he laughed.
"I hate to just drop you at the curb," he said a moment later, waving to the door. Mel put a hand on his arm and pushed it down.
"I'll be fine. And you're gonna be late for work, schleppin' me all over," she told him, giving him another nudge toward the truck. "Go."
Rick sighed and nodded, but didn't step away. Instead, he opened his arms and stepped toward her. "Call me when you get there," he half-asked. Mel nodded into his shoulder and lifted her head before he let go.
"Thank you," she whispered, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Rick smiled and nodded as he stepped back. He could see the Drop-off Police coming back down the length of the terminal, blowing his whistle and giving folks dirty looks. "Don't speed!" Mel hollered over another tweet of the whistle. Rick held up a hand and waved as he opened the truck door, then turned and waved to the man with the whistle.
Mel also gave the man a polite wave as Rick threw a look over his shoulder to make sure there was an opening. As the attendant reached the front of Rick's truck, he waved Rick out and continued walking. As soon as he was past the rear wheel, he blew the whistle again and Mel jumped.
Mel bent down to pick up her bag and turned to give the doors a look. She let out a deep breath and forced herself to take the first step.