Chapter 6
One Same Fact, Two Broken Lives
“I don’t know…after they divorced I didn’t really bother trying to get them back together…I mean, they always fought anyway” Sydney shrugged.
“Yeah” Michael nodded, “Mine never did divorce, I still think it probably would have been best though”
“Yeah…but I mean…every other weekend, Thanksgiving, Easter and New Years…it’s not much of a way to get to know you’re parents” Sydney told him.
“I guess” Michael agreed, “But constant yelling isn’t much of a way either”
“So apparently both of our childhoods sucked” Sydney laughed.
“Guess so!”
*~*
“So I was talking with Anna, you know the one on night shifts?” Francie grinned.
“Uh…sure” Sydney nodded.
“Well, she said that you were here until like 3a.m” Francie snickered, “In a certain Michael Vaughn’s room”
“Must have been someone else” Sydney shook her head, “I was at home sleeping”
“Uh huh” Francie rolled her eyes, “Syd, why did you go see him?”
“I just wanted to talk to someone” Sydney shrugged.
“Well, you should have called me, or Nadia, not trucked your ass to the hospital to talk to a patient” Francie told her, “What is it with you and this guy?”
“Nothing is with me and Michael” Sydney told her, “He’s just easy to talk to…like we have some sort of connection”
“Syd…he’s a patient, and not just a patient, he’s a war patient, he’s off for a few months and then he goes back to Iraq or wherever he’s stationed” Francie shook her head, “Why are you letting him in if you know he’ll just go away?”
“Because Francie, I don’t need him to be here. Not right here, I just…he means something” Sydney told her.
“But why?” Francie asked her.
“I can’t tell you that” Sydney shrugged.
“Why not?” Francie pressed her.
“Because I don’t even know!”
*~*
Sydney and Francie hadn’t fought since the seventh grade over Jimmy Johnson, the football player. And now she remembered why, it sucked.
There she was, 11:30 at night, watching her wedding video over and over again, wanting nothing more than to call her best friend to come over and eat some ice cream with her, well, that and cry.
Finally, she broke down and picked up the phone, sniffling she called Francie.
“Hello?” Francie answered the phone groggily: Francie always went to bed early when she and Sydney were in fights.
“Hey, it’s me” Sydney sniffled.
“Syd, hey, are you okay?” Francie sat straight up.
“I’m okay…I just…I’m watching the wedding video and I really need you to come over” Sydney whimpered.
“Okay honey, I’ll be there in half an hour. Chocolate Chunk or Mint?” Francie asked her.
“Mint please” Sydney responded.
And so, thirty five minutes later, Francie unlocked the door to Sydney’s apartment and held up a tub of Mint chocolate chip ice cream.
“Got spoons?”
“Yeah” Sydney nodded, smiling briefly as Francie walked into the house and hugged her.
“I’m sorry for earlier Syd” Francie hugged her.
“I know… me too” Sydney nodded.
“So…the wedding tape” Francie glanced at the T.V
“Not my smartest move, I know” Sydney sighed.
“You’re right, it’s not…I mean, I look like a monkey on speed”
“Crack” Sydney laughed.
“Huh?” Francie looked at her.
“A monkey on crack”