[for Meredith]

[missingthekeep]

It's long past late by the time Sean weaves his way around Doc and pulls himself through the front door, battered and sore but feeling on top of the world in spite of it all. A few drinks to calm his nerves had unfortunately had something of the opposite effect, making him more jumped up and energetic than ever and turning into a few more, which wound up costing him half the evening. Either way, he's home now, no matter the shape he's in. And anyway, he hadn't meant to get in a fight, he'd been more curious than anything when he turned up to the little gathering, but then he wasn't exactly given a choice and that had been that. He certainly can't regret it, at any rate, not when coming home to Meredith has been the perfect ending to far worse days than this one.

Hopefully she's still awake.

Comments

[drownondryland]

Meredith's been reading the same page in this novel for half an hour, turning it so violently she almost rips it out before she realizes she doesn't know what happened on the last one and has to go back. It's an impossible habit to break, worrying when he's late. There are a dozen reasons easy why they could be, almost none at all she should fret over it, and if they could be back in Seattle or somewhere else, anywhere but here, she tells herself she wouldn't. But it's the island and she can't help it, because for all he knows, the reason he's late is because he's not coming back.

She's so wound up she almost jumps out of the chair when she hears Doc barking, and the composure she's regained by the time Sean opens the door is shot when he steps inside. "What happened to you?"