Almost Easy

Liz’s POV

“It’s just nerve wracking,” I shrugged answering Matt’s question about how I felt moving my mother in to a nursing rehab facility today, “I don’t know if she’s ready for it, or how long they’re going to keep her before sending her home.”

“I can imagine, I just want to make sure you’re going to be ok. You do remember I’m not home for the last half of the week, right?” Matt followed me in to the bathroom, taking a seat on the counter as I stepped in to the heated up shower.

“Yeah, Big Bear for some head clearing and writing.” I peeked out at him with a smile, “I remember, because I’m spending the weekend at Marie’s.”

“Oh really?” He asked, “I thought you were going to hang out with Jacky and Liddy?”

“Marie texted me last night and asked if I wanted to come over, I figured I haven’t seen her in so long, other than a few weeks ago at her house, may as well right? Have some girl time. Don’t get me wrong I love seeing Jacky and Lideya, it’s just nice being able to get trashed and not worry about having to make sure the baby’s still asleep.”

“Gotcha.”

I rolled my eyes and, head full of conditioner, peeked out again, “You gonna be ok with that?”

“Me? Yeah fine babe, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Matt gave me a confused look as I shrugged, dropping the topic and going back to washing myself off, “Anyways, I’m glad you’re adjusting to it well. I hate seeing you stress about this kind of stuff.”

“It’s still stressful, but at least she’ll be in good hands. I’m more worried about dad I guess, I don’t know. He’s taking it all so smoothly I’m just waiting for the breakdown.”

“He’s strong, he’ll be ok. You need to focus on yourself now, Lizzy. Now that she’s in a facility and doing rehabilitation you don’t have to be there as much to keep her company.” Matt handed me a towel when I shut the water off, wrapping myself in it before stepping out, “I mean you’ll obviously go visit her but it won’t be like leaving her alone at a hospital.”

“You’ve got a point there Mr. Sanders.” I smiled, placing myself between Matt’s legs and taking his chin in between my finger and thumb, “I love you, I’m going to miss you like crazy this week.”

“I’ll miss you too baby.” Matt leaned down and kissed my lips gently, “We will definitely plan some alone time when we get done with this album. A vacation somewhere just the two of us even just to lay in a hotel room with room service for a week.”

“God that sounds lovely.” I sighed deeply and began untangling my mess of hair on my head, “We should go somewhere cold, where we can get a hotel room over looking the mountains or something. That would be amazing.”

“Why don’t we go to Europe for Christmas?”

I stopped mid brush, my eyes catching Matt’s in the mirror as he stared at me. I couldn’t come up with words, “As in the Alps?”

“As in the Alps.” He nodded, “It’ll be beautiful. We can spend the holiday there, just us, a hotel room, champagne, stay long enough to ring in the new year and come home to a new year and a fresh start. How about it?”

“I… uh…” I stammered, this was one way of taping together a marriage, “Yeah, let’s go. That would be amazing..”

“Ok, I’ll see what I can put together then.”

I nodded and watched him walk out the door back to the bedroom. My jaw was half slacked but I continued to brush out my wet hair. That was unlike Matt, especially new married Matt. I squinted at the mirror and quickly applied some makeup. I didn’t have much to do today outside of meeting my dad and the transport team at the rehab facility so a full face of makeup wasn’t necessary. I dropped my towel in the bedroom and began sifting through my clothes to find the nearest pair of shorts and a tank top, threw on a light sweatshirt over the top and grabbed my purse from the end of the bed before making my way downstairs to find Matt had already left for the day.

“Typical.” I laughed to myself and pulled my sunglasses on over my eyes a I grabbed my car keys from the bowl by the front door.

:.:.:.:.:.:

Matt’s POV

“So you’re planning her a trip to fucking Europe as an apology?” Jimmy looked up at me from his cell phone screen, he was currently twirling himself in the studio chair in front of the switch board, “That’s definitely how it’s done.”

“It’s not an apology,” I narrowed my eyes as Zack was leaving the booth to get ready to leave and go meet up with Liz, “It’s just a trip, reconnect, have some privacy time.”

“Because we don’t give you the opportunity to have that here.” He gave me a disbelieving eye roll and looked up as Zack entered the room, “Your brother-in-law is taking your sister to Europe to rekindle their marriage flame.”

Zack stopped in his tracks, in the middle of adjusting the laces on his shoes he looked up at me, “Come again?”

“We were talking about places to go spend some alone time, she brought up spending time in the mountains and I mentioned Europe… she specified the Alps.” I shrugged a little as Zack righted himself and continued staring at me. From the corner of my eye I could see the devious look on Jimmy’s face as Zack connected a few dots in his head, “Listen-“

Zack stopped my with a finger pointed in my face, “I don’t want to know why you’re going, I just want her to be the one who comes home alive. On that note I’m going to help put my mom in a home this morning, have fun..” He gave me one last disgusted look before shrugging on his jacket and leaving the studio.

“Well I don’t think I’ve ever hated you more in our lives, Jim.” I kicked my feet up towards his chair and glared, “If he fucking says anything to Liz before I can..”

“About the trip? She already knows, man didn’t you two talk about it this morning?” Jimmy smirked and turned back to his phone as Johnny walked through the door.

“Yeah… the trip.” I mumbled as the two struck up a quick conversation.