I'm Still Here: Goodbye to You

Sitting up, Don adjusted as he threw back the covers and stood on his feet. Stretching his arms gently his gaze caught the time and not to mention the tie sitting haphazardly on the dresser. Exhaling and throwing his fingers through his tossled hair, he realized that he had only managed to get his tie off before crashing to sleep.

Although he no longer felt exhausted and no longer like a ghost on wheels, Don realized his shirt and tie could use an ironing-and him, well he could use a shower and a cup of coffee for the day he was about to go through.

I'm Still Here: All the Things She Said

Tearing a piece of toilet paper off the roll Megan wiped her mouth and hastily threw it into the bowl before flushing and placed her hand against the wall as a ledger. Her first thought was that although the lasagna was delicious-it was no longer in her stomach. And maybe she shouldn't have had that second piece.

Opening the door to the bathroom, feet shuffling as she walked to the mirror-and found she did not look as terrible as she felt at the moment. Refraining from pushing back the razzled look on her expression she let her body lean up against the porcelain sink as she ran her hands through the water. Picking up the soap Megan lathered it in her hands before letting it fall back in the holder with a thud before rinsing. Then letting her fingers curl against the rounded sink, the water ran through the silence as she stole another quick glance in the mirror, only to find this time that all of color had drained from her cheeks.

I'm Still Here: Change Your Mind

"You've reached the voicemail of Don Eppes. Leave a message at the beep." There was a moment of silence and she exhaled in defeat before closing her phone. As much as the decision to leave was obvious, it could wait to be discussed tomorrow right? Megan placed her phone on the table beside her before pulling back the covers and slipping in.

She had been thinking about her decision quite often for the past few days. And she would have to make a trip back to the office anyway to retrieve a few things from her desk, and the chances of her sleeping tonight or tomorrow-like usual-was slim to none. And quite possibly she would run into Don.

I'm Still Here: May It Be

"Charles" Larry called out in greeting as he walked in the front door. "What made you figure to start redecorating?" Pulling the key from the lock, he looked around. Besides the TV that was on in the entertainment area, the living room area had clearly been redecorated.

Setting his bags down, he heard the swinging door open and there was a brief stopping shuffle. "Larry I didn't hear you come in. How was your trip to New York? Charlie pointed towards the front door and wiped the condensation from his hands onto the napkin.

I'm Still Here: A Little's Enough

And soon enough the sobs slowly but surely died over the running water. She exhaled, brought herself to a standing position and let the water run over her face one last time before her hand fell over the knob. The water that had blocked out her sobbing was left by the few drops that fell down from the shower head into the tub and went down the drain.

Scrunching her dripping hair she stepped out onto a towel that had been placed as a mat, and wrapped another towel around her body while grabbing a fresh towel to run through her hair. Immediately she felt exhausted as she sat down against the edge of the tub.

I'm Still Here: Lifeline

By the time Megan had returned back to the hotel, her mind was on the proposal that she had just accepted. Her fingers touched the edge of her lips where his lips had met hers, and she sat on the edge of the bed before pulling the pillow up against the wall and leaning against it for a moment before standing up again and walking over to her purse.

Hand reaching into her coat pocket she pulled out her father's number before wondering what she was doing. Unfortunately she was taken right to voicemail, but although she found her lips twitch in a smile she never thought that the sound of her father's voice could be so comforting, even if it was just a recording.

I'm Still Here: He Said, She Said

Pushing a hand through her hair, she trailed back to the entrance of the airport. Suddenly the early mornings and sleepless nights were catching up to her somehow. Not surprising that it was. Feeling quite partial to late nights at the office and taking a load of files home with her, that part felt absent as she had left it all behind when she had left LA.

When she had first started out she hadn't taken that many files home with her, but lately she had just been pushing it-knowing she was growing far worse in some ways than Don. Her thoughts before now had been tuned strategically to work, which caused more then one concern-far outgrowing the small voice in the back of her mind.

Her green eyes caught in the sunlight as she stood on the sidewalk waiting for a clearing. Walking across the crosswalk, keys in hand, she weaved betweeen parked cars until she had got to hers. With a sigh she gazed across the way toward the airport entrance before stepping in, the car slightly breezed with the shadowed parking lot.

I'm Still Here: Sunrise Avenue

Please ignore all the grammar and spelling errors that might be in these chapters. I wrote this story about three years ago.

Everything was starting to sink in. Despite everything that went on this week, it had the perfect ending. And both knew it. They had both come out of this with a new meaning. His hand rested inside his pocket with his phone; he had never stopped thinking about his father since they had talked. She had a piece of paper with her father's phone number inside her jean pocket, the one her father had given her before they had departed to the airport.

If anything came sufficently out of their lives, both Megan and Larry knew their futures were just beginning. And although their own fears had come out and laid just inside the border, wounds were slowly beginning to heal.

I'm Still Here: Learning to Fall

His mouth slacked, slightly. He couldn't say that she wasn't going to answer, but he was certain now that he had her closer. Taking in a deep breath he let his shoulders relax. Taking a deep breath herself, she realized her answer echoed back to her, yes… "I would love to be with you." Her eyes flickered up towards him.

"I'm not saying you have to make a decision right now" He put in. "I wanted to… and ask if you'd accept being with me, eventually." Clarifying, he opened his hand to reveal a beautiful ring.

I'm Still Here: The Middle

Both sat in silence, again.

This gave Megan a chance to wonder what path she was going down. There was one way that made the corner of her lips turn up in a smile as they drove to the airport. And with that she found that he was always there… waiting, always willing to be there for him. He had given her father a chance…and so had she.

I'm Still Here: Where Do You Run?

Pushing back in her seat, she pulled into the parking lot of the school, parked the car and turned off the engine. Unbuckling her seatbelt her voice was soft but unfaltering as she faced him. "I haven't. It takes time. And maybe in time I will, but we both have a lot of baggage to work through and several or a hundred ridges to go over."

That made him think even further, and something in the back of his mind longed to be heard. It wasn't the fact that he longed for her always to be there, because she understood him for who he was. It wasn't that they were alike, no, they were vastly different which made at times, very interesting discussions.

I'm Still Here: On the Ride

Setting his packed suitcase on the bed, he zipped it up. Megan pulled in the window curtain to let the soft sun in. Her hair had been curled in tight curls, flowing softly onto the back of her green shirt. He smiled tenderly watching her casually move around, adjusting the blinds so they were nicely pulled back before they took off.

He was still thinking about her. Everything seemed to slow as her graceful movements overtook him. So much could happen within a day, and he was leaving without her. He had to just remind himself that she would be back tomorrow. And as if she had read his thoughts her shoulders fell in satisfaction. Turning around to face him, pieces of golden curls fell to the side, gracing her beauty.

I'm Still Here: Heart of the Matter

"I'm taking it things went well this time around?" Larry inquired as he sat on a bench outside the hotel doors, a newspaper in his hands. She turned around as he strolled over to her and let her lips collide with his, the discarded newspaper sitting on the bench.

She smiled against his lips, "It's getting there, if that's what you're asking." Both of their smiles grew wider as her hands wrapped around his neck. "You're getting really close."

I'm Still Here: All We Are

"From the day that I held you in my arms" He cupped his hands side by side as if he were cradling a small baby. "I had a feeling that you were going to be my last one, and I didn't want to bring myself to disappointment that…" He realized and felt ashamed of the words that were running through his head.

"That I was another girl." Her mouth twitched, "I was told that her last pregnancy was your last chance of having a boy." She filled him. He sat there, finally leaning back against his chair. "What I don't get is when did you realize you had four daughters?"

I'm Still Here: Closure

Megan steps towards an old familiar coffee shop. In stride, her gaze catches the overhead of a scarlet red and a faded yellow pattern of the overhead as she crosses the street. The shop was owned by an old neighbor, mid twenties; widowed and had a son who was almost the same age as she was. If instinct was right, that same boy now all grown up, was in that same shop today. His enthusiastic demeanor just like his own father, who as she sees it, is still working right beside his son.

A smirk plays upon her lips, seeing a middle aged man she recognizes as her neighbor through the shop window. As she enters she looks upwards toward the same familiar ring of the bell above the door. Her hand pulls off the handle, and the man gazes at her with familiarity as she scans the surrounding tables and stands in the middle of the brown and white checkered tile floor.

She is keenly aware from the corner of her eye that he is leaning against the handle of his broom that he had been sweeping with but she continues to search the premises until her green eyes strike a chord with another familiar face. Her father, to whom he raises a hand to her in greeting. Instinctively she senses the pattern of apprehension as he rests his hand back on the table in front of him.

I'm Still Here: This Is My Now

Time drew on and the rain had grown to an almost pour. She hadn't changed the position of stance as her piercing green eyes stared out the window, not even once in the last twenty minutes. He waited patiently, one hand resting on the curve of the bed. If there was anything he had learned in his life, it was patience.

Just like he knew the ways of advanced mathematics, she was a profiler, a psychologist who understood the human emotions and could tap in without difficulty into other's minds, drawing out whatever she needed. That's what made her so good. She pushed away her own, focused on the case at hand and she knew that she would have to reverse the process and then some in order to get herself out of this one.

I'm Still Here: Dreaming Out Loud

Running her hotel card for entrance to the room, she pushed down on the handle and entered. "Larry?" It was almost after twelve now. After the talk with her father she needed some time to collect her emotions before returning so she had driven a couple blocks to a park to where she had gone with her friends after school.

"Megan" Larry greeted with a smile as he rounded the corner. The lamp on the right was on, glowing softly upon the couch beside the place he had been occupying. At first glance she looked slightly ruffled. A smile curled on her lips indicated a partial weight that had been lifted off of her shoulders. He embraced her in a friendly hug, her tension slowly releasing as she pulled back from his hold. "I take it your meeting with your dad was quite contrary to what you assumed?"

I'm Still Here: Here Is Gone

The bell outside rang loudly, symbolizing the beginning of class. It hardly had fazed him when some of his students walked into the classroom, quickly taking notice of someone they had never seen before, and they definitely had questions. Whispers of wonderment had already been placed among the early morning class.

"I should let you get to your class." She signaled quietly, taking a step back towards the door, and he swore that his heart skipped a beat because she was about to step out there and reality set in that this really was his last chance to make anything of the moment. A desperate stare, he watched her take the few steps, her hand grasping the knob and he did the only thing that he could think of—he called out to her.

I'm Still Here: Stop and Stare

Time seemed to slow. From the moment that she had entered the classroom, she knew that things had changed. But her father hadn't changed everything. Despite that they were about to stand face to face, she turned her attention towards the door and waited. This moment wasn't any different. She had always been waiting.

I'm Still Here: Photograph

Megan sat on the edge of the hotel bed, pushing back a strand of hair from her face as she slipped on her shoes. Listening to the silence, she exhaled as a small ironic smile parted through, somehow to the fact her confidence was that of a lost princess, slipping on that glass slipper that she had always deserved to wear, but hadn't gotten the chance until now to do so.