"Mom and Dad are here."
It sounded so familiar, so natural: the favorite daughter-in-law talking about her favorite parents-in-law. It was like she was a sister he never had, how comfortable she was with his family. The kind of girl you bring home to the folks and they like her so much they warn you that if you two break up, she's staying. And he loved that about her.
A brief flash of panic stopped him on the stairs. That wasn't right. Mom and Dad were dead--weren't they? Had that, too, just been a part of his horribly vivid comatose dreams?
He pushed past her and hurtled down the rest of the stairs to make certain.
And, sure enough, there she stood by the window, looking out sadly, until she saw him and turned towards him, opening her arms wide: "Mom," Rome whispered, whimpered, even, and actually fell into her arms, like he was a giant six-year-old. She wrapped her arms around him and he felt safer there than he had in...he couldn't remember how long. Mariane Remington had never been big on the doting thing, or overt displays of affection. So this was a welcome change:
"My boy, my boy," she whispered, pulling him away to look at him. She seemed about to say something as she searched his face, but only pulled him back into a hug.
"I'm so glad you're here, Mom," Rome said, slurred slightly by his face pressing against her shoulder.
"Why wouldn't we be here, Rome?"
"I...dunno." Rome sniffed. "Where's Dad?"
"Outside, by the pool," Adara said.
"We have a pool?!" he blurted out before he could stop himself. The two women looked immediately uncomfortable, so he spoke again, quickly. Rome hated awkwardness: "Uh, I mean, yeah, of course we do, you know. I just...crack on the old dome. I'm forgetting weird things, like--"
"It's all right, son, we know," Mariane said, brushing the longish hair back from his face to reveal a stitching scar along his brow. "You don't have to apologize." She kissed the spot and then told him, "Go see your father."
Roger Remington indeed stood outside, contemplating the pool. Dad had an athletic body, even now: he had always loved swimming, and tennis, and polo, hunting, golf and other rich guy sports--and he still loved them, apparently. He looked like he was half-contemplating diving into the pool in his his suit until he heard the screen door open, at which he turned and gave Rome a soft smile.
"C'mere, son," he said, opening his arms wide. Roger had never been shy about displays of affection. So it was no surprise to Rome that when he got up close, tears were glistening on his father's cheeks: he had always been closest to Rawson.
"Thanks for coming, Dad," Rome said, embracing his father.
"We've been here since the accident, though of course you probably don't remember that," Roger explained. "I'm glad you're up today, though. Glad you'll be able to see him, you know, one last time." This was awkward, so he quickly continued on another track, finally breaking the hug but still leaving an arm around his son's shoulder. "Adara is just divine, she's been so good to us while we've been staying here, and of course on top of looking after you..."
Rome nodded. "Yeah, I know." He forced a laugh. "I know how to pick 'em."
"Boys?" came his mother's voice from inside the house. "It's time to go."
It sounded so familiar, so natural: the favorite daughter-in-law talking about her favorite parents-in-law. It was like she was a sister he never had, how comfortable she was with his family. The kind of girl you bring home to the folks and they like her so much they warn you that if you two break up, she's staying. And he loved that about her.
A brief flash of panic stopped him on the stairs. That wasn't right. Mom and Dad were dead--weren't they? Had that, too, just been a part of his horribly vivid comatose dreams?
He pushed past her and hurtled down the rest of the stairs to make certain.
And, sure enough, there she stood by the window, looking out sadly, until she saw him and turned towards him, opening her arms wide: "Mom," Rome whispered, whimpered, even, and actually fell into her arms, like he was a giant six-year-old. She wrapped her arms around him and he felt safer there than he had in...he couldn't remember how long. Mariane Remington had never been big on the doting thing, or overt displays of affection. So this was a welcome change:
"My boy, my boy," she whispered, pulling him away to look at him. She seemed about to say something as she searched his face, but only pulled him back into a hug.
"I'm so glad you're here, Mom," Rome said, slurred slightly by his face pressing against her shoulder.
"Why wouldn't we be here, Rome?"
"I...dunno." Rome sniffed. "Where's Dad?"
"Outside, by the pool," Adara said.
"We have a pool?!" he blurted out before he could stop himself. The two women looked immediately uncomfortable, so he spoke again, quickly. Rome hated awkwardness: "Uh, I mean, yeah, of course we do, you know. I just...crack on the old dome. I'm forgetting weird things, like--"
"It's all right, son, we know," Mariane said, brushing the longish hair back from his face to reveal a stitching scar along his brow. "You don't have to apologize." She kissed the spot and then told him, "Go see your father."
Roger Remington indeed stood outside, contemplating the pool. Dad had an athletic body, even now: he had always loved swimming, and tennis, and polo, hunting, golf and other rich guy sports--and he still loved them, apparently. He looked like he was half-contemplating diving into the pool in his his suit until he heard the screen door open, at which he turned and gave Rome a soft smile.
"C'mere, son," he said, opening his arms wide. Roger had never been shy about displays of affection. So it was no surprise to Rome that when he got up close, tears were glistening on his father's cheeks: he had always been closest to Rawson.
"Thanks for coming, Dad," Rome said, embracing his father.
"We've been here since the accident, though of course you probably don't remember that," Roger explained. "I'm glad you're up today, though. Glad you'll be able to see him, you know, one last time." This was awkward, so he quickly continued on another track, finally breaking the hug but still leaving an arm around his son's shoulder. "Adara is just divine, she's been so good to us while we've been staying here, and of course on top of looking after you..."
Rome nodded. "Yeah, I know." He forced a laugh. "I know how to pick 'em."
"Boys?" came his mother's voice from inside the house. "It's time to go."