Then *Poof* I'm Always There: Book 3 (Final) #Wattys2014

Chapter 19: The Return

We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets. -Marilyn Monroe

I drove us home that afternoon. mark was ordered not to move around much so his stitches would heal. I asked him what he wanted to do all he said was "eat". I guess after being out for so long anyone would want some real food.

After I lay him down in bed, against all his protest, I went down to the kitchen and tried to make his favorite meal; chicken and dumplings. I found a recipe online, but the end result was far from what it looked like on the picture.

"Something smells good."

"Mark! Get back to bed, mister!"

"I'm not doing a ding dong damn thing you say! I'm a grown man and can care for myself." He held onto the railing and wobbled down the stairs carefully.

"You better listen to the ding dong damn things I say! You'll hurt yourself if you don't."

"Looks like I hurt myself no matter what happens."

"Shut up!" He sat in a chair at the kitchen table and rested his face in his hands.

"Make me."

"Eat. Unless they suck which they probably do. You'll shut up either way." I set a plate of the gunk down in front of him and handed him a fork. "I've never made these before so don't blame me if you get sick."

"Oh I'll blame you all I want!"

"Just try it." He rolled his eyes and put a small bite into his mouth. He chewed and looked at me. Once he swallowed, he took the fork, got a larger bite onto it, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Best I've ever had."

"Don't talk with your mouth full. You'll choke."

"Sorry, MOM. I didn't think a T-Rex could reach the stove with their tiny arms."

"You're such a jerk!" I gently hit him upside the head and got myself a plate. "I'm happy you're okay though."

"Hey, when I'm fully recovered, I'm going to tackle you so hard!"

"That's what he said."

"That wasn't even that good of a joke."

"Don't care. He still said it."

"And 'he' being me?"

"Bingo."

"Bingo the game or Bingo the dog?"

"I dunno!"

Our late afternoon meal went on like any other meal, except with the fact everything seemed to be back to normal. Well, almost.

"So did you want to go to his funeral?" I looked up at Mark and swallowed my food.

"I don't know. Maybe? Would it be weird if I did?"

"I don't think so. He did you wrong, but if you go it'll show you have respect at least."

"I can't really respect him as a person, but as a dead man...I guess." I pushed the food on my plate around, making a big mess of food that I had lost an appetite for.

"Do you not want to?"

"Maybe. It's just that...the last funeral I went to was for Ty. Just the thought of going to a cemetery again for a real reason...I don't know if I could handle that." Mark nodded in understanding. His eyes bulged for a second as if he remembered something, but shook his head. "What's up?"