It took about fifteen minutes to get Justin into Joeys SUV comfortably. Lois tried to help him in, but accidentally banged his broken leg off the side of the car. Justin screamed in pain and banned Lois from ever helping him again. After giving him the finger, she hopped into the front seat to pout.
When they had finally all piled into the car, Joey headed for their first destination.
"So, where are we going?" he asked as he pulled onto the highway.
"I don't care. Where do you want to go?" Ryan asked as she turned to Doc and Justin.
They shrugged as they continued to flick at each other. They had not been around each other for more than twenty minutes and were already bickering.
"Well, it cant be anywhere too public because we have no security for you two." Lois pointed as she looked between Justin and Joey. "And since the kid's all jacked up, the fans would drop his skinny ass easily."
Justin turned at her comment, failing to block Doc from flicking him in the middle of his forehead. "Ow!" he whined as he reached out to flick Doc in the arm.
"Well, since Doc hasn't been out for a while, its his choice." Ryan smiled at the elderly man as he stuck his tongue out at Justin. "Where do you want to go Doc?"
Doc thought long and hard. It had been too long since he had been outside, but couldn't really think of a thing that he wanted to do.
Finally, a smiled pressed his lips as he looked over at Ryan. "Can we go to a park?"
"Um, sure." she answered. "What park?"
"Just this quiet little place just out of town. Its really peaceful and I don't think you'll have to worry about any young people bothering the boys."
Everyone agreed that it was Docs choice, and Joey followed the directions towards the small park.
After a fifteen minute drive, Joey pulled his car into a deserted parking lot. There wasn't another car or person anywhere in sight, and Joey looked over at Lois confused. "Why does he want to come here?" he whispered.
"Shh!" she scolded. "I'm sure he had his reasons."
The five friends all filed out of the car, and helped Justin emerge without causing any more injuries.
Handing Doc his cane, they followed the elderly man across the parking lot and into the small park.
It was a peaceful place. A swing set and jungle gym were set up in the far corner, as picnic tables were scattered around beneath the huge trees around the property. A warm breeze blew the leaves on the trees, causing a gentle rustling sound.
Joey continued to look around confused, and Lois smiled at the content look on Docs face.
Ryan and Justin followed behind, looking around the large lot.
No one said a word as they followed Doc to a quiet little pond. Tiny ducklings swam around the water, as their mother quacked happily at them. Three long benches lined the edges of the pond, looking out onto the water.
Doc seemed to forget that there were others with him. He seemed to be in his own little world as he neared the pond, and sat slowly on one of the benches. Placing his cane in his lap, he sighed contentedly. A peaceful smile crossed his face as he closed his eyes.
Justin looked at Ryan confused for a moment before sliding down to sit beside Doc. Ryan sat beside Justin as Lois and Joey stretched out on the grass at their feet.
The peaceful calm that overtook them was almost surprising. They were used to busy and hectic schedules, screaming fans and no privacy. Sitting here, on a warm spring day as baby ducklings quacked happily from the pond in front of them, they all smiled. This was without a doubt the best place for them to come.
Turning to look at Doc, Justin grinned. He had such a look of calm on his face, that Justin was wary of whether to speak.
Almost as if he had read Justins mind, Doc spoke up. "I love it here." he said quietly. "Its so peaceful and quiet. It is probably my favorite place in the world." He opened his tired eyes to look out at the water in front of him.
"How long have you been coming here?" Justin asked as he watched Docs expression.
"For as long as I can remember." he answered plainly. "This place holds many memories for me. Most of them I have forgotten, but some," he paused as his smiled widened. "Ill never forget."
"Like what?" Justin inquired. For some reason, he found himself curious as to why this place held such meaning for his new friend.
Doc was quiet for a moment, as he watched a tiny duckling swim around the surface of the water, his tiny legs kicking beneath him.
"This is the place I met my wife." Doc finally answered. "I was twenty three and I worked in a small shop around the corner." Doc paused to point out to the edge of the park, as humble shops lined the street. "I was on my lunch break, and stopped off here for some reason. I had never really stopped here before, but for some reason that day I did. I had only been sitting here for a short while before the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life came walking up. Without saying a word, she sat at the other side of the bench." Doc stopped to look over to where Ryan now sat, listening intently to the story being told to her. "I looked over, and my heart stopped. I knew at that very moment, that she was my destiny. I was meant to stop at this park that day, because she would be there, too." Docs eyes fell as he thought back to that day. "I swore right then and there never to leave her." His smile fell as he closed his eyes. "And I never did. Fifty four years later, she was the one who left me." His sad eyes reopened to look at the grass at his feet. The tiny blades swayed in the breeze, just as they had done that day. "I thought my life was over the day she died. I didn't know how to go on without her. She was my life, and with her went a piece of me. But I knew deep down that we would be together again when the time was right." Doc stopped to look over at his new friends as a sad smile crept across his lips. "And when I think about it, she never really left me. She's always with me, in my heart." he finished as he placed a hand over his heart.
The four young people sat in silence as they listened to the touching story being told to them. Doc smiled weakly at them before turning back to face the quiet pond again.
There was a long silence before Lois sniffed and broke the moment. "That was the most beautiful thing I have never heard." she whimpered as she grabbed Joeys sleeve to wipe her nose.
Yanking his arm back, Joey gave her a look.
"I'm sorry." Justin whispered at Doc.
"Don't be." the old man smiled at him. "It is just a part of life. People live and people die. But they are never really gone, because you will always remember them and the lessons they taught you. But take a little advice from an old man, kids. Never take them for granted. The ones you love mean more than anything else in this world, so make sure they know just how much they really matter. Because there is no guarantee that they will be there tomorrow."
Ryan looked over at Justin. She couldn't imagine her life without him. Losing him would shatter her soul, and she couldn't even bare to think of having to carry on without him. She saw Doc in a new way, the old man gaining a newfound respect from her. His strength to carry on after losing someone that important to him was amazing to her. She had the same feeling of loss when her grandfather died, and couldnt bare the thought of having to go through that again.
Doc noticed the way Ryan was looking and Justin and grinned. "You two are lucky that you have each other. In a way, Justins accident was probably a good thing. It taught you to realize just how short life is, and to always cherish every moment you have together."
Justin turned to smile at Ryan. "I think that's a lesson Ive already learned, Doc."
After sitting at the park for hours listening to Docs story of the war and of his wife, they all decided to head back home. It was almost seven, and Ryan knew that the hospital would be having a fit if they didn't get Doc back soon. Justin insisted that he come along to drop Doc back off at the hospital, so Joey headed there first.
His original idea of a day of Doc-Fun had been to go out and do wild and crazy thing, but Justin had to admit that this was the perfect way to spend their day. He knew just how lucky he was to have the people in his life that he did, but listening to Docs stories of his wife made him realize that maybe he didn't tell them enough how much they meant to him. Sure, he said that he loved them from time to time, but those words didn't mean as much as they used to.
Pulling into the visitors parking lot, everyone slid out of the car and headed into the hospital. Ever since leaving the park, Doc had had the most relaxed and content smile on his face. He seemed to be completely at ease, as the memories that simple park held had been brought back to him.
Arriving on Docs floor, everyone stepped out and headed for his room. Justin smiled down at the familiar faces of the nursing staff, who all greeted him with warm grins.
Entering Docs room, everyone waited as he slowly slid off his jacket before turning to a small framed photo on his dresser. An old black and white image stared back at him, the young woman in the photo smiling happily.
"Is that her?" Joey asked as he stepped up to the picture.
"Yup. Thats my Anna." Doc grinned proudly.
"She's hot, dude." Joey smiled over his shoulder at Doc.
"She sure is." Doc laughed.
After settling Doc back into his room, everyone said their goodbyes and headed for the door.
Justin promised to come back the next day, since he had a doctors appointment with Dr. Hughes that afternoon. Doc said he would be waiting with bells on as he hugged his new friends and ushered them out the door.
Waving to them as they filed down the hall to the elevator, Doc turned back into his room and closed the door behind him.
Shuffling over to his bed, he sat on the edge, reaching out to retrieve the photo from his night table to bring it to his face.
The lovely woman smiled back at him, as a grin came to his face.
He ran his fingers over the glass of the frame, his tired eyes blinking slowly.
"Ill see you soon, Anna." he whispered before setting the picture back on his night table and heading for his small bathroom to change into his pajamas.
After dropping Ryan and Justin back off at Lynns, Joey and Lois headed home.
Lynn was already home by the time they arrived, and smiled as she listened to the stories of their day with Doc.
"Sounds like you had a very nice day." she grinned.
"It was great." Justin smiled. "But the best part was seeing the look on Docs face. Just being there brought back all these memories of his wife. He seemed to happy and at ease. It was just nice seeing him like that."
Lynn smiled wider at her son. Doc had brought out a new side of Justin, and Lynn couldn't thank him enough. The influence that the elderly man had on her young son was one that she was certain would stay with him for a long time. The lesson of realizing what you have and being thankful for it, and knowing that nothing lasts forever is a hard lesson for some young people to learn. But thankfully, Doc had instilled this in Justin, and Lynn would be forever grateful.
Justin yawned, stretching his tired arms over his head sleepily.
This had been a long day for him. His days were usually spent hobbling around the house or picking fights with Lois, but he had rarely been outside in the last month or so. Spending an entire day out in the sunshine and fresh air had knocked him out and he was ready for a nap.
Sliding over to his mother, Justin leaned down and hugged her tightly. "I love you, Mom" he said sincerely. "I love you very much."
Lynn smiled up at her son, the sincerity in his voice bringing tears to her eyes. "I love you too, Justin"
Helping Justin up the stairs, Ryan settled him into his room.
He hadn't said much since leaving the park. Thoughts of Docs life running through his head made Justin wonder of regrets or mistakes he had made in his own life. He thought of the day that he would be Docs age, and wondered when he looked back on his life, what would he wish he had done differently.
As Ryan tucked the covers tightly around him, Justin smiled up at her.
She was the one thing in his life that he was certain of. He knew his career would one day end, and that he would return to a normal life to some extent. His fame would fade, and his life would change. But the one thing he knew would stay the same was the way he felt for the young woman standing above him.
Looking up at her, Justin smiled tiredly. "Lay with me for a little while?" he asked.
Grinning back down at him, Ryan laid down beside him, snuggling up to the warmth of his body. Laying her head on his chest, she closed her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her protectively.
They stayed in silence for a while before Justin spoke up. "I love you more than I could ever say."
The deep meaningful sound of his voice caused Ryan to open her eyes. She lifted her head from his chest to look at him. He had the most somber expression on his face.
"I mean it, Ry. Not to sound corny here, but without you in my life I just wouldn't be living at all." Justin grinned as he recited a line from his famous song.
A smile came to Ryans face as she stared back into Justins deep blue eyes. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his. Pulling back, she touched his lips with her fingers. At that moment, she felt the most complete sense of happiness she had felt in a long time. The love she felt for Justin filled her heart and soul, and she knew that no matter what lay ahead for them, that those simple feelings would never die.
"I love you too, Justin." she whispered as she kissed him again softly.
Laying her head back down on his chest, Ryan fell asleep to the steady sound of his beating heart.
