September 1976
Time has a funny way of changing things; the summer has come and gone, fall has begun. The leaves are starting to turn brown. The air has become more crisp, cooler for Chicago this time of year. A lot of things are changing, in the windy city. The summer of '76 was quite the summer for 3 Chicago couples; lives were forever changed in both good and bad ways. Susan and Bruce no longer live together; they're not divorced but, it's headed that way. Janet has learned to survive on her own; Ask Janet is doing really well. The biggest change however, has Tom and Trina Decker, who, after a few serious conversations, decided to have a baby. It's been a life changing experience, but neither of them would trade it for the world. It definitely took some getting used to-the morning sickness, the mood swings, the hormones (man are those scary), but the one thing that hasn't changed-the sex.
"Wow, I think that's the best sex we've ever had" Tom says, out of breath as he uses his arms to hover over Trina, who's still basking in the aftermath of the earth shattering orgasm she just had.
"Oh my God...sex before was amazing but this? This is heaven" she says as Tom runs a hand over her stomach, a slight bump present.
"Just think, we're gonna have a kid" Tom is grinning like an idiot, his head now resting on her stomach while she runs her hands through his hair.
"Y'know, I think we're the only ones who had a good summer; I feel so bad for Susan and Bruce and Janet and Rodger..."
"Babe, you have nothing to feel bad about. They're all adults"
"Who if they hadn't gotten involved with us, would still be happily married" Tom gives her a look for that line
"They weren't happy; we just helped them realize that...sometimes, things work out for the best" Trina sighs heavily
"Yes I suppose you're right" Tom wraps his arms comfortably around her and she melts into his embrace
"Pretty soon I won't be able to do this; pretty soon our mornings will consist of-"
"Promise me something Tom?"
"Anything"
"Promise me that we won't lose this part of ourselves" Tom smiles softly and kisses her
"I promise you we won't; this kid will only make us better" Trina isn't so sure
"You say that now; but what about with this baby comes and it's crying every couple of hours? What about when I get fat and-"
"Trina, nothing makes me happier than this"
"Are you sure Tom?"
"Shut up, and get over here" she grins, crawling into his arms as he kisses her passionately
"I love you, Tom"
"I love you too" he places his hands on her stomach and she can literally feel the love all over her, radiating from the inside, out.
oOo
"Susan, hey there; long time no see" Susan looks a bit nervous as she steps inside
"...Is Trina here?"
"She's out by the pool; you feelin okay Susan?"
"Uh yeah, yeah I'm...doing as good as can be expected; Bruce filed for divorce"
"Oh, Susan I'm sorry"
"Yeah, me too"
"Listen if you ever wanna talk-"
"Yeah, I know, thanks"Tom simply points her in the direction of the patio where Trina is.
Swimming always helps her feel better; it's her thing, always has been. She can swim in any kind of weather, even the cool crisp air of September. By the time she emerges from the water, Susan and Tom are near the edge of the pool.
"Is that really safe?" Tom's wearing a look of concern as he holds out a towel for her, she simply smiles, pulls him in for a kiss.
"Perfectly fine dear, I promise; Susan, how are you. Long time no see" she can tell that something's wrong, gives Tom a glance, but he's already aware
"I'll leave you ladies to it, Trina-"
"I'm headed inside to change clothes dear, don't worry" he smiles at her; she honestly loves this side of him, the protector. It's what reassures her that her choice to tell him about the baby was the right one. He simply sends her a smile before heading back inside.
"I can't believe it, Trina Decker is pregnant" Susan's wearing a smile that doesn't quite meet her eyes as she stares out at the beautiful view.
"I can hardly believe it myself"
"How do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Make it all look so...easy and, effortless" Trina scoffs at this statement
"Nothing about my life is easy or effortless"
"You've got it all; the great marriage, you're having a baby-"
"A baby that I almost considered aborting, plus there's the fact that my husband and I had an open marriage and when we met, I was a young dumb stewardess and he was in a committed relationship. Tom's mother hates me, I haven't seen my father since I was 9, I haven't spoken to my mother in years...my life's not perfect Susan, it's far from it"
"But you make it all look so...effortless"
"You wanna tell me what this is all about Susan?"
"Bruce is filing for divorce"
"Oh, Susan I'm so sorry"
"No, it gets better...Rodger wants to work things out, with Janet. He told her we were seeing each other...I lost my best friend because of this" And this, is what breaks Trina's heart, causing her to pull Susan in for a hug.
"Susan, I'm so, so, sorry"
"No, it's my fault; it, this past summer, I opened the door, and...I'm paying the consequence" Trina sighs, starts to wonder when she'll have to suffer the consequences of what she's done.
oOo
"You okay babe? You've been in here for a while" Tom's standing in the door of the bathroom, leaning against the frame, watching Trina as she sits in the tub, bubbles up to her neck.
"Just thinking..."
"About Susan and Bruce?"
"And Janet and Rodger; Rodger told Janet he and Susan were seeing each other"
"Why?" Trina shrugs; she didn't ask that question, Tom sighs in return
"Lemme guess, he's going to try and work things out with Janet, isn't he?"
"Yeah, he is; Bruce is filing for divorce, apparently Janet called him, told him Susan and Rodger were seeing each other. I feel so bad Tom"
"Why do you feel bad?" by now he's crossed the room, kneeling next to the tub
"Because they're our friends and, they look to us for advice; they say we make marriage look so easy"
"If only they knew"
"That's what I said; but, we should help them-"
"Treen..." he's saying her name in that way that let's her know that it's not their battle to fight; he doesn't have to say more
"Yeah, I know..."
Not so surprisingly, Janet shows up on her doorstep the next morning, just as she and Tom are getting out of the shower (she can't seem to get enough of him these days).
"Janet, this is surprising"
"Can I come in?" her voice is short, sharp as she marches inside
"Ya know what? Why don't I make the three of us some breakfast?" Tom's got his hand on her stomach, which makes her smile
"We'd like that...oh, and the eggs, make sure they're-"
"Over easy? Got it; can't have a disaster like last time...I love you but the puke? Not so much" she laughs, swats him on the arm as he heads towards the kitchen
"Janet, how are you?" Janet looks about as uncomfortable as she did the first time they met
"I'm assuming you heard? That Susan has been seeing Rodger behind my back?" Trina winces; she should've known this was coming
"I may have, heard it in passing; Janet I'm really sorry, really" Janet blinks away tears and Trina sighs
"Janet I-"
"Did she say why?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Susan; I know you two talk. Did she say why she would do something like this?"
"Can I ask you a question?"
"What?"
"How were you, before you found out who Rodger was seeing?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Obviously Rodger didn't take the job in Cincinnati, you decided to continue writing Dear Janet, he told you he wasn't happy...how did you feel about everything, before you knew he had fallen in love with Susan?"
"I felt...I was happy"
"Then why should you feel any different now?"
"Why? Because Susan-"
"Did a messed up thing, but we all make mistakes Janet"
"So you're telling me if Tom cheated-"
"He did, he slept with someone else while he was in Tokyo; it's why we closed our marriage for a while." Janet looks surprised by this information
"You need to learn how to be happy and content with yourself. You know who I miss? I miss the Janet that ate a pot brownie at Susan and Bruce's cabin, went skinny dipping in the lake and wore my clothes" Janet smiles fondly at the memory
"But-"
"No buts, tell me, how did that feel that day up at the lake?"
"It's the happiest I've felt in a long time, since of course I decided to take the job at the Daily Sun"
"You shouldn't allow something like what's going on with you and Rodger and you and Susan to keep you from being happy" Janet stares at her in disbelief
"You make it sound all so easy" Trina simply smiles in return
"That's because it is Janet; you can either let this little...setback make you unhappy and miserable, or you could make the most of it, decide what you want. Like I told you before, this isn't 1952, it's 1976 and you have the right to decide what's best for you...be happy for you, Janet"
In the end, Janet decides that Rodger is not what she wants; they file for divorce and Janet is a better woman for it. She marries Walter Porter 4 years later.
Spring 1977
"Trina, I can't believe you of all people are having a baby" Sylvia says a few months later at Trina's baby shower
"Well dear believe it, because I am" Trina places a hand on her very swollen stomach; she and Tom have decided to keep the sex of the baby a surprise, though she may have caught a sneak peek the other day during their check up.
"How is it, motherhood?"
"I'll tell you when the baby comes"
"What do you miss the most?"
"Alcohol" Sylvia chuckles
"And the sex?"
"Better than ever; in fact, it's even better than when we had an open marriage" At this comment, Sylvia's eyes widen
"No!" Trina nods, leaning forward as if to tell a secret
"It's like Tom can't keep his hands off of me" Sylvia grins
"How often?"
"Being pregnant hasn't slowed us down one bit; you should've seen this place before everyone got here...a total mess"
"Really?" To prove her point, she grabs Tom as he walking towards her with Brad, pulls him in for a kiss and instantly, Tom's hands are all over her.
"Trina, really? You're making a scene" She simply smirks over at Sylvia who is grinning like an idiot
"Not a scene dear, just proving a point"
"Oh, and what point is that?"
"That me being pregnant hasn't slowed us down in the romance department at all" Tom grins at this and pulls her in for another kiss
"That part of our lives has definitely not slowed down one bit" Trina grins and Brad starts off on some study that shows that pregnancy sex is quite powerful
The baby shower gets a little bit awkward when both Susan and Janet show up; they purposefully avoid each other, or rather, Janet avoids Susan, who feels guilty as ever, although they both decide that Trina's baby shower is not the place to air out their dirty laundry.
May 1977
Her water breaks around 2 am and it's all hell from there; labor is a real bitch. She's sure to let Tom know how much she fucking hates him, over, and over, and over again. Labor pain is horrible, she hates it, begs for mercy. Tom's not quite sure about what he should do, he's almost as scared as she is. However, they have the greatest doctors and nurses who assure them that everything will be okay. By the time she's ready to start pushing, Tom is right there, holding her hand, telling her how much he loves her. Just after 1 am, Tom and Trina Decker become the proud parents of a 6 pound baby girl.
"I can't believe we did this" Trina stares down at the sleeping baby in wonder
"No, you did this Treen; I've never loved you more than I do right now, in this moment" Tom moves closer to the bed where Trina and the baby are
"I can't believe it, I'm a mother" her eyes are glistening over with tears as the baby wakes up, a yawn spilling from her perfect little lips.
"She's amazing, so are you...thank you"
"For what?"
"For keeping her; I know back then I didn't seem like father material but-"
"Tom, you're an amazing father; you've shown me that since the minute I got pregnant with her. I almost didn't tell you...but Susan convinced me to. I'd been thinking about it, telling you but, I was afraid of how you'd act, of whether or not you'd want children or-"
"Nothing makes me more happier than this, the two most important women in my life" Trina's smiling now, the feeling of love that she shares with Tom and their baby completely overwhelming.
Susan shows up the next morning, Sylvia's already there fawning over the baby while Tom and Brad chat in a corner nearby
"Trina...gosh I still can't believe it" she's beaming as she makes her way over to Trina's bed
"I'm sure she's adorable"
"Oh she is...the spitting image of Trina; I'm not sure where Tom was when this happened" Tom simply rolls his eyes at Sylvia's comment
"Oh haha Sylv; that little girl is mine and you know it"
"Hmmm...now that you mention it, she does have your frown"
"Sylvia, leave him alone...she looks exactly like her father"
"I'm proud of you Trina; you spent all of last Summer being there for everyone else and making sure everyone else was happy. Now, it's your turn; you've got this life, this beautiful family..."
"I just wish everything could've worked out for you and Janet..."
"That's not what's important right now; the important thing is that beautiful little girl of yours. Tell me, what's her name?" Trina smiles; she's had this name planned out for quite some time now.
"Morgan; Morgan Summer Decker; though something tells me she'll mostly go by Summer" Susan has a smile on her face when she learns the baby's name.
"I think Summer is a great name; it fits her, and I like to think that last summer as a really great year"
"You think last summer was great? Susan, you got divorced after 18 years of being married, you lost your best friend..."
"But I also learned a lot about myself...I've decided to go back to school, get involved with politics. There's so much out there I wanna get involved with. You may think that last summer was a disaster, but it changed us, all of us, for the better. I mean, look at Susan; had we never gotten involved with you, she'd still be that boring housewife. Now, she writes a successful advice column. You helped us Trina, whether you believe it or not"
"You really think so Susan?"
"I do; Trina, change may not be the most comfortable thing, but sometimes, change is for the best. Sometimes, change is a good thing. I mean, look at you and Tom, you have a baby, pretty sure that change was for the best" She looks down at the baby in her arms and then over at Tom and smiles
"Yeah, I suppose it was"
xxx
Okay so, I watched Swingtown yesterday-the entire series and...I loved it! I haven't forgotten about All About Timing-I'm almost done writing chapter 4. I absolutely LOVE Tom and Trina Decker plus, I'm a total Grant Show fan...he played Addison Montgomery's brother on Private Practice. This was a piece I really wanted to write about after I saw the final episode. It's just a filter story until I update All About Timing. I started my first week of classes at my new school. Let me be the first to tell you, 8:00 classes-a BIG no, no! Updates might be slow for a while until I can get myself trained with this new schedule. I would've updated sooner but I had a bit of a family emergency with my grandma so...yeah. I hope you guys enjoy this and I promise to try and have updates for you guys this weekend!
Xx