Richie Gets The News

Richie & Libby

by Atonia & Layne

Richie had a couple of beers while he waited on dinner. He’d gotten so used to picking up a take-out dinner for Libby and himself since her accident, he’d walked over and done it tonight without even calling her, but he’d seen her car parked around back of his building so he knew she was home.

“Hey Andy, didn’t know you were back?” he accepted the boxes of food in a bag.

“Yeah, started back this morning and my arse is dragging. Should be everything you need in there Richie.”

“Thanks Andy.” Richie took the bags and walked over to his building and up the stairs and knocked on the door.

"Richie!" Libby took the bags from him and gave him a hug and a kiss. "You gotta stop this. You're gonna have me spoiled. I CAN cook, you know. I'm no gourmet, but it's edible."

She was a little nervous. She'd seen Toni and Travis and found out about Toni's pregnancy today. She'd decided she needed to tell him, but she dreaded it. She was afraid he'd be hurt, and she didn't want to be the one to hurt him. On the other hand, though, it ought to be a friend who let him know, before he heard about it through the town grapevine.

Libby carried the bags over to the table and began taking out the food.

“I’ve kind of got in a habit, next time it’s on you,” He was familiar with her kitchen and he went to her cabinets and pulled out plates and cutlery.

“Miss Peeg said she saw you up the street today. Anything newsworthy happening I need to know about?”

"Oh, not really." Libby was trying to be noncommittal. "Cal wanted me to do a story on the butcher shop the McGee's are planning to open. I went down to take a few pictures and talk to Bill McGee."

Not meeting his eyes, she said, "Travis and Toni were around too."

Richie took a breath, still sorry about the fracas in his office, “that’s a good thing he’s doing opening a butcher shop, the town needs one.” He busied himself filling his plate, “you said Toni was there?”

"Yeah." Libby was pouring him a glass of iced tea. "She was across the street at Lucy's, but she came over to say hello."

She bit her lip, looking down at Richie. "She and Travis said-" Libby paused until he looked up at her. "Toni's pregnant."

Richie stared at her for a moment and looked down. Moving his fork around his plate, he took a drink of the tea and carefully put his glass down. Quietly he said, “That’s what she wanted was to have a baby, that’s really…all she wanted. I wouldn’t…make that happen for her. That’s when it all started spiraling downhill…I’m glad for her. Thanks for telling me.”

Libby sat down in the chair next to his, putting her hand on his arm and looking into his eyes. "You okay Richie? Really okay?"

“I’m not sure what okay is anymore. I still love her you know? But I will say this and I never thought I would, Travis McGee is doing right by her. She deserves to be happy and if he can do it…that’s good. I think I’ve got past the break-up, I just haven’t got my life straightened out yet. Sorry…we better eat this Andy’s cooking tonight, he’d be pissed if we let it get cold.”

She gave him a comforting hug and a kiss on the cheek before going around to her own plate on the other side of the table. "You'll get things straightened out," she told him encouragingly. "It just takes some time."

Sighing, Libby picked up her fork and took a bite. "I kinda envy her, you know. Not Travis, but...the baby..." The loss of her own baby was still new and still painful.

“Ah Libby, you’ve got plenty of years ahead for that, find a guy first.” He smiled.

It was good to see him smile. She liked that smile. It made her happy.

"You know- I've thought a lot about that the past few weeks. Since the accident." Libby looked at him, being totally serious. She really HAD been giving it a lot of thought..

"I honestly don't think I have to find a guy. I can be a mom on my own. A good one, I think. A guy means getting into a relationship and that's not something I want to do. You can understand that , can't you?" She thought that, if anyone could understand not wanting to be in a relationship, it would be Richie.

"I'm not saying I'm gonna go out and get pregnant tomorrow or anything." She grinned at him. "But I don't think I have to have a guy around to be a mom."

“Well let me tell you something okay, a kid needs a father, I don’t care how good a mom you are, a kid has needs too. I can say this because I failed miserably as a father and somebody else is raising my kid. You know…sounds like you’re just looking for a sperm bank. That ain’t good Libby. You better go back and think again.”

His criticism of her hurt, but not nearly so much at the moment as the way he said that he'd failed miserably as a father. Concerned, she looked him in the eye. "You say that as though you've given up on being a father. As though you've given up on spending time with Michael. Have you?"

Richie had talked about Michael at times and Libby could tell that he loved his son. He just didn't seem to know what to do as a father.

“No, as soon as I can get a place I’m gonna have him over. It was gonna be this summer but that all went to hell. I’m lookin’ for a house, I am, Every day a new place goes up on my windows, I look…I do. I don’t even have a place for him to sleep right now. I’m thinking of going over for Thanksgiving, Laurie invited me.”

She felt a little pang at the thought of him being so far away, but she was still glad to hear he was thinking about it. "I'm glad. That'd be great for all of you. And you know, my offer still stands--for me to move out, so you can stay here, I mean. You'd have a room for Michael that way. We could just trade. You here and me at Millie's." She smiled at him.

“Move you out no way Lib, we got a contract I don’t break contracts. You gonna eat that?” his fork was hovering over her plate ready to stab a piece of chicken, he looked up and she was still smiling, “What?” he grinned.

"Oh- Nothing." She shook her head slightly, grinning back at him. "It's just good to see you looking happy."

"You bring me food and then you steal it!" she teased, as he took the chicken off her plate.

"Richie-" She was being serious again. "I do know how great fathers can be for kids. My dad- He was one of the best in the world." She hadn't talked much about her family to Richie, but he was the first person she had talked to about them at all and she still felt a little awkward about it.

"In my family-" Libby speared some of the vegetables she hated and forced herself to eat them. "It was my mother who was a rotten parent." She was staring down at her plate. "She was an alcoholic. A drunk and a drug addict." She'd never told anyone that before and it was difficult to say.

“We can’t all be lucky Libby. The first eight years of my life I lived with my Grandmother in New York. I was a happy kid ya know, then one day my mother and father show up, I don’t even know her ya know and I’m moving with them to New Jersey. I don’t know where she was the first eight years. I survived childhood in a tough neighborhood…at least my kid is getting all the right stuff with Laurie and his stepfather.” He picked up his iced tea.

She hadn't known that about him, was curious about what kind of relationship he'd had with his own father, but she let it go for now. "Well, that's one thing you can say about the Glen. It's a pretty nice neighborhood. 'Course, we have had our share of crime lately."

"Hey!" Libby brightened, remembering something. "Speaking of finding a house, Abby told me that hers is up for sale. The one that Dwayne bought before all that mess happened with them. Maybe you should look at it."

"It's huge and probably ridiculously expensive, but maybe you could take on a roommate." She gave him a sly look. "Maybe Mr. Jessup would be interested." She got ready to duck in case he threw something at her.

“Jessup huh? I’d like to see him out in the country, instead of hovering around across the street. Nah, that property is more than I’m looking for. I may do like Miss Peeg and just wait until what I want comes on the market. There are a few houses around the Glen that were here before the town started up.”

He'd refused to let her move out, but Libby had seriously considered asking him if he'd like to move in. Be roommates. She'd never gotten along with anyone as well as she did with him. They were comfortable around one another and he seemed very comfortable around the apartment. Knew where everything was in it as well as she did. And it would get him out of Millie's.

Friends did that, didn't they? She knew they did, but she and Richie didn't exactly have the usual kind of friendship. She'd been afraid to even bring it up. On one hand, he could think that she was pressing for some kind of deeper relationship. On the other hand, if he took her up on it and moved in, it might end up messing up the friendship in the long run. So, she let it ride. Maybe he'd bring it up at some point.

Aloud, she said, "Yeah, there are some really pretty smaller houses around here. I've actually thought of looking at a few of them myself."

Richie began cleaning up his mess, “yeah see get a house make a home then find a guy…you’re on the right track then.” He got up and tossed things in the trash bin. “Then you start thinking about kids.” He rinsed his plate and left it in the sink.

Checking his watch, “I gotta run kid,” He came around the table and gave her a kiss, “got a hot date,” he winked. He actually was going to see Stephen Scott, “anything else you need, anything I can do while I’m here?”

Libby clung for a minute, enjoying that kiss. "Hot date, huh?"

"Nope. You've done more than enough. Just remember- Next time, I cook dinner."

She walked him to the door. "Oh, but you could save next Friday night for me! I'll be your hot date then." She fixed him with a longing look. "My six weeks will be up."

Richie slid his arm around her waist and pulled her up against him, “Friday huh, I’ll remember that,” He kissed the top of her head and patted her behind and releasing her he opened the door and left.

Libby watched him go, thinking she'd been doing that a lot lately. Watching him leave. She wondered about that 'hot date' he'd mentioned. Was surprised to find herself feeling a touch of jealousy.

I'm just jealous because I've gone six weeks without sex, she thought to herself. That had to be it. She had no reason to be jealous of Richie. They were friends. Nothing more. He could have all the hot dates in the world and it would be none of her business.

She was definitely looking forward to Friday, though. Had made some plans for it that she hoped Richie would like.