4Ever & a Day : The Next Generation of R5

It All Comes Flooding Back

Romeo

I sat at my house and watched everyone talking and having a good time. I just wasn't into Christmas for some reason. All I wanted to do was go back to my house and sleep. I had been working so much in the past month to try and make Christmas extra special for Bentley and the kids. Since Jude Connor had come along Bentley hadn't been working. He was happy to stay home and be a stay at home dad and I was glad we were in the position so that he could do that. Tonight, though for some reason I just couldn't shake the feeling something bad was going to happen.

I heard Jude Connor cry from the other room and got up to go get him at the same time my mom did. I picked him up and went into the kitchen where my mom was heating up a bottle. Juliet wasn't here yet or she would have insisted on breast feeding him. She was really good about pumping and delivering it every day. I loved my sister but sometimes I wondered if it would be confusing to Jude Connor later if she was so involved in his life. It was what Bentley wanted so I just gave in. She was his mother and he needed her as much as he needed us.

I took Jude Connor and sat down in the rocking chair my mom had set in the kitchen for us to feed the babies in peace. She left me and Jude Connor alone without saying a word. She just kissed both our foreheads and left. I let all the noise fade away and concentrated on my son. My boys were the most important thing in my life and the best thing that ever happened to me. I smiled down at Jude Connor as we made eye contact.

Once he was done I burped him and headed to the living room with him. I noticed uncle Riker had arrived while I was in the kitchen. I knew he was bringing his new girlfriend but for some reason no one would tell who she was. I didn't even know her name. When I made eye contact with her I saw why they didn't tell me. I wished someone had told me it was Mabel Winchester so I could have prepared myself for it. I just stood there and stared. I couldn't move.

"Babe are you okay?" I faintly heard Bentley ask.

When I didn't answer, he took Jude Connor from me and I continued to stare at her. How could he do this to me? I needed to get out of here but I couldn't move. It was like my feet were glued to the floor. I must have blacked out then. I could hear people saying, what's wrong with Romeo? But I couldn't answer. Suddenly I was in the car with Mabel all those years ago. I had never been able to remember the accident but now it all came flooding back to me in vivid detail. I remembered the sound of broken glass and the sound my tires made when I slammed on the brakes...

"Oh my God! I love this song!" she said as she turned up the radio to a deafening level.

I smiled when she started to sing along. I realized it was a 4Ever and a Day song. It was the first time I had ever heard one of their songs on the radio. I saw the traffic in front of us but it was too late. I wasn't going to be able to stop in time. I also knew I had been drinking so my judgement was off. For a brief second I thought about what a mistake this was and regretted it.

I slammed on the brakes but it was too late. We hit the car in front of us and the airbags popped out. The force was so much that my head slammed back and I hit my head on the window of the driver's side. Then I was thrown forward again and slammed my head into the steering wheel when someone hit us from behind. My last thought before I passed out was I hope Mabel's okay.

I could hear everything going on around me even though I couldn't open my eyes. I listened to all the sounds around me as I was moved from the car. Some of them I couldn't place but I tried hard to hear about Mabel. I needed to know she was okay. This was all my fault and I hoped I got the chance to make it right.

"This one didn't make it," I heard a male voice say.

I tried hard to open my eyes but I just couldn't. I needed to know if it was Mabel. I blacked out again and when I woke up I was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. My head was pounding and the siren blaring loud was making it worse. I couldn't open my left eye at all and my right one only opened in a slit. I panicked and heard my heart rate speed up on the monitor.

We pulled into the ambulance bay at the hospital and I heard what the paramedics were saying, "Sixteen-year-old male, pulse is tachycardic at 124 beats per minute, respirations at 28, BP 160/90, lost consciousness in the field and had to be resuscitated," and I passed out again.

When I realized where I was I was on my knees on the living room floor. Bentley was by my side holding my hand and my dad was kneeling in front of me. Both of them had concerned looks on their faces. I didn't know what to say. I couldn't find my words. I was so unsure of what had just happened.

"Romeo are you okay?" my dad asked.

"No," I stammered.

"Babe what just happened? You scared us," Bentley said as he wiped tears I didn't realize were there from my eyes.

"God Mabel I'm so sorry," I said as I looked up at her.

"Romeo it was a long time ago," she said.

"But I never remembered until now," I explained.

"Bentley why don't you take Romeo home? We'll keep the boys tonight," my mom volunteered.

I had to smile as Montague made a noise like he was disgusted to have the kids in the house all night. He was still kind of afraid of all the kids. Especially the babies, like he was scared they'd kill him in his sleep or something. Then I just started laughing as Lilliana smacked him in the back of the head. I got up from the floor and let Bentley lead me out the door after I said goodnight to Brandon. I knew I had scared him and he had no idea what was going on. I knew I would never tell him because he still had nightmares about his mom's accident and I couldn't add to that.