Me or the Music?

Matt's POV

Marie was home, five days later. Jackie and Hannah had come over already and remove all the alcohol from the house, along with cleaned up the bathroom. Marie was still on medications and would be the rest of her life. She was definitely different now, the same but eerily different. She was not allowed to be alone, and the doctors had suggested us getting her a service dog to alert us when her heart was palpitating unusually. So we did.

Marie got to pick from five dogs that had the ability she needed for her issue. She was reluctant at first, but she saw a younger German Shepherd and picked him. His name was Bax. He was very calm and low key, but then again weren't service dogs supposed to be?

He was trained that if he sensed anything wrong with Marie, anything he would alert about, he had a small sensor on his collar that when he barked rapidly it would cue a signal that set off a bracelet Marie was wearing, and it would send an alert to my phone. Fucking technology, right? She was very good at wearing it, and considering he never barked unless something was wrong, it was a great idea.

I came home from grocery shopping Tuesday afternoon to find Bax and Marie cuddled up on the couch watching some crappy soap opera that she was obsessed with. I smirked as I walked in to the kitchen, quickly putting the groceries away, hearing movement and then something on my back.

"Hi." Marie smiled in to my shirt, holding her arms tight against me.

"Hi." I turned around and kissed her lips softly "How ya' feeling?"

She shrugged, hoisting her small frame on to the counter island as Bax came in and rested at her feet. "Hey dude." I smiled and scratched his ear gently, earning a small hand lick in response.

"What are you up to this week?" Marie asked, spinning the monitor bracelet around her wrist, kicking her feet against the cabinets "Like, any shows anywhere?"

"Uh," I paused and looked at the calendar on the fridge "Yah. Thursday and Friday nights, but they're in Huntington so I'll be home after each one." I nodded and looked at the next week "I have the next week off though, wanna do anything?" I asked "Maybe go up to Big Bear?"

She shrugged "Up to you, I'm free." She smirked "No plans."

"Obviously." I smiled and took out my phone "I'll have Brian see if his dad can get us a cabin. No, they're not gonna come with us. We're going alone." I glanced up at her as she nodded. Her eyes trained on the floor where Bax sat, smiling up at her with his knowing eyes. "Alright, he's gonna have him book us one, right on the lake. It'll be nice."

"Ok." She smiled and looked up at me finally, tilting her chin up and smiling wider "I need coffee."

"We can go get some on our way to Zack's, he wanted to go over some music tonight and Hannah wants to see you."

I watched as she hopped down from the counter, her foot bending awkwardly beneath her "Fuck!" She groaned and collapsed to her knees.

"Marie!" I rushed over, helping her up quickly "Are you ok?" I asked.

She brushed her hair from her face "Yah, I just.. I can't feel my feet." She muttered, staring at the floor "I'll go put on some sneakers and meet you in the car?" She asked, I nodded, watching her carefully as she walked from the kitchen and ascended the stairs. Bax at her heals as usual. I could only wonder when she would be over that.

I sighed and made my way to the car, shooting Zack a text, letting him know we were finally on our way. He had wanted us to come over an hour ago, Hannah really wanted to see Marie, but I had been out. I buckled myself in and started the car just as Marie walked out, sliding her arms through a light sweatshirt. She walked carefully over to the car, opening the back door for Bax and then climbing in the fron herself.

"Are you sure Zack's ok with Bax coming with us?" She asked, opening her purse and sifting through it.

"Of course he is, why wouldn't he be? You need Bax with you, anyways. So if he didn't want him there he would have come to us. Stop worrying." I watched out of the corner of my eye as she nodded, pulling a medication bottle from her bad "Weren't you supposed to take those in the morning?"

"Morning and afternoon." She shook them "The ones for my numbness are mornings only. Obviously didn't work." She laughed "Don't forget coffee." She gestured to the coffee shop up the street. I nodded as she reached back and patted Bax's muzzle that was resting on the center console between us "He's really a good dog."

"He is." I smiled "Better love him cuz you're gonna have him for a while."

"I know." She muttered as I pulled in to a parking spot. "This should be fun." She laughed and opened her door, beckoning Bax to follow her. He leapt from the back seat and over the console, following Marie out the door. She quickly snapped his lead to his collar and walked in to the building.

I took my eyes off of them as my phone rang "Hello?"

"Hey, dinklebrain." Brian answered "You going to Zack's?"

"Yah, you?" I asked "Bringing Jackie?"

"Yah, she wants to see Marie, you're bringin her right?" He asked, I grunted a yes out as I watched Marie walking out of the building, three coffees balancing in her hands "You ok?"

"Yah, I gotta go. She just came out with coffee and she has three. She better not plan on drinking all of those." I laughed as Brian said goodbye and I hung up. Marie opened the backdoor, Bax jumped in, and she climbed in the front "Those better not all be for you." I eyed her as she handed me on "Thanks."

"No, I texted Hannah she said she wanted one. Zack didn't want anything." She muttered as she buckled in again "Ok, ready to go." She smiled "I hope that's right. It's just cream and sugar.."

"Right on." I smiled and took a sip, placing it in the cup holder before I began driving again "Oh, Brian and Jackie are coming too. Jackie also wants to-"

"See me." She finished, opening her window slightly "I gathered."

"Is that bad?" I asked "They miss you."

"I just got out of the hospital yesterday, they all saw me at home. How can they miss me? Fuck." She groaned "Like, space. Space is good." She laughed and sipped her iced coffee "Space is so good, and so is music. This car is too silent." She smiled and turned on the radio, sighing in relief as music filled the car. I could see Bax trying to push his head in to the back seat and laughed.

You and me both dude, you and me both.