Love In Twenty And Five

DAY ONE

One Year Later

"Arrrgggghhhh!" Mike growled, frustrated as the sound of the alarm clock rippled through his skull, leaving him with a headache. His hands grappled frantically in the air, knocking the alarm clock off the lamp stand. He heard the clock crash to the floor, but it didn't stop ringing.

Throwing a pillow over his head in a failed attempt to muffle the sound of the clock, as well as ease the pain in his head, Mike finally forced his aching body to a sitting position, his eyelids giving way to the dingy apartment that smelled of vomit and alcohol.

His phone chirped in that moment. Groaning, he reached down to the floor, his fingers coming in contact with an empty bottle. He searched blindly among dirty dishes, dirty clothes, bottles, the alarm clock -All of which littered the floor-until his hand finally found his cell phone buried in the junk.

Moaning, he leaned back against the wall and pressed the green button.

"Huh?"

"Mr. Stacks?" A female voice called from the other end of the phone.

"Yeah?"

"Well I'm calling from Franklin and Peterson, your legal representative. Mr. Fritz wanted to make sure you do not violate the terms of your probation. You're required to resume community service at St. John's Children's Hospital today."

Mike swore under his breath, unconsciously banging his head against the wall. Hissing in frustration, he threw the phone to the floor and closed his eyes. He vaguely remembered being pulled over for drunk driving and failing the sobriety test. After being held for twenty four hours in jail, he had been taken to court and sentenced to three hundred hours of community service in a hospital, his license had been seized and he was advised to join a sobriety group.

For a few seconds he sat still on his bed, dreading the thought of rising up. Yet, the Judge had made it very clear that he needed to do the community service, or do the time in jail.

Knowing he didn't have a choice, he threw his legs down the side of the bed, and rose to his feet. After rummaging through a pile of dirt clothes on the floor, he pulled out his black pants, a shirt, and an old jacket, before making his way out of the apartment.

~*~

"So, when's the wedding?"

Eden paused in her attempt to give Frankie a shot, and lifted her eyes up.

"Oh, don't look so surprised, Eden, I told you I was psychic." The six year old beamed, displaying two missing front teeth.

Focusing her attention on carrying out her mission, she injected Frankie on the arm -evoking a soft sigh from her lips- and straightened.

"So?!" Frankie, now rubbing her arm, raised a brow.

"Christmas," Eden admitted, tiring of all the talk about a wedding. She was exhausted from having to plan it, as well as having her Fiancé be absent through it all. She understood that the elections were only a few months away, but she would have loved for him to dedicate a little more time to her right now.

"What's up with the frown?"

She turned back to Frankie who was now settling comfortably on the bed.

"Oh, nothing." She forced a smile to her lips and turned to leave the room. Pausing by the door, she turned to Frankie once more. "Hey, Frankie?"

"Yeah?" Her eyelids were pulling close on her brown eyes.

"I know you're not psychic, sweetie, you most likely overhead a conversation with Judie, or a nosey nurse, to even have a clue about the wedding."

"What? You are truly mistaken, doctor and frankly, I am offended." Frankie rose to a sitting position and folded her arms, forcing a smile to claim Eden’s face; Frankie looked adorable in her pink overall and beanie.