I dont own anyone or anything, though I would like to ;)
Before We Got It Annulled
"Can I get a coffee please?" Chuck Martin looked up at the sound of a bell as Susan Lewis walked through the door to Doc Magoo's. The moment Susan sat at the bar she turned around and noticed her husband sitting in a booth alone. Just after saying their "I do's" in Las Vegas last week, it became apparent to them that they had just made a mistake, especially since they had just met 24 hours earlier.
"Fine, don't invite your wife to join you in a cup of coffee," Susan said with a smirk. She joined Chuck at the booth looking rough around the edges. "Any chance they can spike this coffee?"
"Bad day?"
"Very bad…I just lost a patient who has been in my care since yesterday," she said with a sigh. "She complained of back pain which I figured she was lying about because I couldn't diagnose anything. There was absolutely nothing there. I even asked Weaver to assess her. We told the lady that there was nothing we could do except give her Advil. She ended up killing herself. Sometimes I think I get too attached; like I can't control my emotions."
"You do get attached rather quickly. Hell you married me after just one day. Maybe I just have that effect over women. I am ruggedly handsome you know," Chuck said with a wink.
"What can I say; I'm a sucker for redheads." As witty as that would have been to hear, Susan said it with gloom.
"OK! Get up! Let's get some fresh air in those lungs and a hippity hop in that walk of yours."
Chuck escorted Susan outside. The April air was getting chilly but neither one of them wanted to go home. "So where are we going?" asked Susan.
"Where ever the road takes us." There was a slight pause. "Listen, Susan I talked to an attorney today."
"Are we divorced yet?" asked Susan.
"I believe it will be annulled not divorced. And no, not yet. I don't think there will be any problems though. We'll just say that we were intoxicated and didn't know what the hell we were doing."
"That's kind of true. All we wanted were burgers and fries. We didn't know it was a chapel."
"But we also consummated our relationship that night."
"Quite a few times if I remember correctly."
"And a few the next morning too," Chuck said with a sly smile. Susan laughed for what seemed like the first time all day.
"You do something to me," she said with a questioned look on her face. "You make me feel good."
"Well, you make me feel good too Suz. In more than one way," he said with a chuckle. "So what is your schedule like for the next few days?"
"Let's see… I have tomorrow off, and I work all day Wednesday until Thursday morning at 7am," said Susan hoping that Wednesday and Thursday won't be as bad as today. "I'm actually supposed to go to New Jersey to see Chloe sometime this month. I just keep putting it off."
"Chloe is your sister?" Susan nodded.
"Yeah, she has a daughter named after me. Little Suzie," she said with a smile. "I actually delivered her. Chloe was staying with me at the time and we didn't make it to the maternity ward in time for little Suzie, so I delivered her in E.R. It was seriously the best thing in my life that I had ever done. It was beautiful." Susan had stars in her eyes just thinking of her niece. "I think she is eight now."
"How often do you get to see her?"
"Well, I lived with them for five years. So I saw her everyday. I was practically a second mom to her. But I've been back in Chicago for over a year now, and have only seen her once. When they moved to New Jersey from Arizona, I figured it was time for me to get a life of my own."
"And here you are. Already getting divorced," Chuck said with a grin.
"Annulled, not divorced," she said mockingly. "Do you have any family here?"
"I have a younger brother, Jase. He's 29. He lives in Indiana, same town as my parents."
"Is he married? Single? Have a girlfriend? Susan said with amusement
"I know what you're thinking. You'll have your way with me and move on down the Martin family tree." Susan laughed at Chuck
"You have nothing to worry about Chuck. Oh hey! This is my street."
"You don't take the "El" to work?"
"No I walk, it obviously didn't take us long to get here. Do you want to come in for a beer? Or maybe a mixed drink?"
"Thanks Suz but, I think it's getting late."
"Nonsense, it's only one in the morning. Come on, just one drink."
"OK, just one." Susan and Chuck walked up the stairs to Susan's apartment.
"OK, beware; I haven't had company since Christmas. But I know I have booze." Susan said matter-of-factly. Susan opened the door and turned on the lamp. A cozy one bedroom apartment lit up. Chuck looked around. Not a single thing was out of place. She had a big red floral floor rug in the living room spread atop beautiful hard wood strips that filled the entire space of the apartment. Her love seat and chair looked like they had never been sat in. Her 20 inch flat-screened T.V. was polished. Her kitchen was just the right size for one person. There was a rectangle table with four wooden chairs surrounding it. Each chair had a cushion on the seat. Next to her microwave sat 7 unopened bottles of wine ranging from Merlot to Pinot Grigio to Chardonnay. Susan noticed Chuck eyeing the wine and said, "I also have Whiskey, Vodka, and plenty of juices if you don't want wine."
"Actually, wine sounds good." Susan opened a bottle of Merlot and retrieved two wine glasses.
"I can't believe you live like this…" said Chuck still looking around the room. "I mean, my apartment is WAY cleaner than this." Susan laughed handing him a glass.
"Having no furniture doesn't count to being cleaner than this," said Susan.
"No, no, I have furniture. Of course they don't match with a damn. Susan how could you ask me to be aware of your "messy" apartment? This is like living in my mom's house you clean freak." Susan laughed at Chuck's comment.
"I know. I'm just never here to get it messy."
"You must work…a lot!"
"I work five sometimes six days a week. The hospital requires at least two attendings on every shift. There are only Kovac, Carter, Chen, and myself to do it. Corday is surgical, Romano is well…dead…and Weaver is located in an office on the third floor. So yeah, I'm hardly ever home."
"Would you be home more often if you had someone to come home to?" Chuck said with wonderment.
"Just drink your wine Mr. fancy-pants." They both paused and sipped their wine, looking at each other through their glasses as they drank.
"So, I heard through the grapevine that you were once engaged," said Chuck, trying to pry some personal issues out of the dark.
"Well, yeah. This cowboy asked me to marry him after dating him for two years."
"A cowboy? So would that have made you a cowgirl? Wow, that suites you too. You were good in that position."
"In the cowgirl position?" Susan looked shocked but pleased with herself. "Well Reid was an honest to God cowboy. He had everything; the bowed legs the pick-up truck, and even the damn sheep to go with it. Let's just say I really missed the city. It's Hicksville down there. I didn't know how much more I could take it. What about you? Ever been close?"
"Oh yeah, once or twice. I dated this girl named Claire for 3 years."
"Wow, 3 years?"
"Yeah, she cheated on me for two of them." Susan looked taken-aback.
"Oh…Go on," she urged.
"Well Claire had a 4 year old son, Duncan who I loved. I was practically his father. But things got ugly when we split and I haven't seen him since. And let's see. There was Leslie. We dated for a year and a half. Things were pretty good until I decided I wanted to move to Chicago for this nursing job. I have seen her once since I've moved. We definitely changed since we last saw each other. I actually proposed to her in hopes that that would convince her to move with me to Chicago. But she called off the engagement."
"Lucky for me," Susan said with a wink.
"I've had maybe two others, but they were more like flings. My first girlfriend ever, I lost my virginity to."
"How old were you?" asked Susan.
"I was 17 and scared to death. So was she. She took a pregnancy test the moment she got home. We were so young," he said with a scoff.
"I was 15 when I lost my virginity. I think he was 17 though. I was a pretty young thing," she said with a smile.
"You're still a pretty young thing Suz."
"Oh why thank you Charles. Did you want another drink? I'm going to the kitchen."
"Actually, I think I should get home. It's almost 2am. And I have to work at 8."
"Oh alright. Rain-check then." Susan and Chuck got up and walked to the front door.
"Maybe next time I can see where you sleep," Chuck said with a nudge. Susan smiled and casually said, "Goodnight Chuck."
"Susan…I was wondering, if you don't have plans tomorrow night, we should do something."
"Are you asking me out?"
"Well, technically we are still married. But yes, will you go out with me tomorrow night? Say 8 O'clock?"
"Sure."
"OK, dress nice. Goodnight." Susan closed the door behind Chuck and just leaned against it with her whole body. She stayed there until she could no longer hold her head up. Susan turned off all the lights and crawled into bed.
The door bell rang and startled Susan as she was applying her last bit of lipstick. She was shocked to know it was already 8:00pm. Time had run away from her. She quickly put her make-up in her cosmetics bag and hurried out her bedroom to open the door.
"Wow…Susan…you're gorgeous!" Chuck eyed her from top to bottom. Her hair was curled into ringlets. As Chuck looked down her body he noticed a shiny silver diamond necklace that stopped just above her cleavage. She wore a little black dress with silver high heels which brought her to Chuck's eye level. She smelled of Dove shampoo and body wash with a hint of Chanel perfume.
"Thank you," she said with a full smile. "You look great too. So where are you taking me?"
"Ambria, French cuisine."
"What? That's…no…no…that is way too expensive for a first date. Or any date for that matter unless you're Donald Trump!"
"It'll be great. I earn enough to splurge every once in a while."
"Chuck…you can't be serious…"
"Oh but I am," he said with liveliness. Chuck offered his arm which Susan hesitantly took.
"You better be kidding Chuck Martin." The door shut behind Susan.
"Oh my gosh…there's valet parking and everything…" Susan was shocked. It was such a fancy place that she felt totally awkward. A valet parker opened the cab door for Susan and offered his hand as she got out of the car. Chuck soon followed.
"Susan, just relax. It'll be great. Hey Smithy!" Chuck yelled over the crowd that was congregating toward the restaurant doors. A big man, someone who looked important, yelled towards Susan and Chuck.
"Chuck, man what are you doing here?" said Smithy. Chuck and Smithy forcefully shook hands.
"I'm taking my girl out man. Think you can get us some good seats?"
"For my man Chuck, of course! I'll get you the best seat in the house. How's Jase doing?"
"He's doing great. Just got a job at a new law firm in Indiana. He loves it."
Susan and Chuck sat down at their table. Smithy gave them a wink and left.
"How do you know him? Who is he?" Susan asked inquisitively.
"That's Kit Smith."
"Kit?"
"Kitcher. We just call him Smithy. He was Jase's best man."
"I thought Jase wasn't married?" Susan was looking more and more confused.
"He is recently divorced. His wife was a bitch."
"Oh… So this is how you take girls out. You just don't go somewhere fancy just because do you? You knew Smithy could get you in right?"
"Well, yeah, but you have to admit. This is nice huh?" Chuck was looking through his drink menu. "So what do you want to get started on?"
"Tequila Sunrise sounds good to me," said Susan with ease.
Susan and Chuck were eating their filet mignon when Chuck asked, "So where's the strangest place you've had sex in?"
"What? That is so not appropriate Mr." Susan said raising her index finger in his face. "We are in a nice restaurant Chuck."
"Oh come on. Here I'll go first. Drive-in movie theater."
"That's not strange. That's normal." Susan said with a laugh.
"Yeah, but I was in the back of the pick-up with nothing covering us."
"OK, well top this, a ferris-wheel."
"Really…" Chuck said with a light in his eyes. "Any where else?" Susan thought. She wasn't sure she wanted to say this. But Chuck looked like he was about to question her so she said, "in Sunday school…"
"Whoa mama…"
"We were the only two there. We forgot they cancelled Sunday school that week so we just kind of…. hung around and started going at it right there in the class room in a church."
"Who is this guy and how old were you?" asked Chuck.
"We were both 16. His name was Owen."
"Was?"
"Yeah, he died in a car accident a few years later." Susan looked down picking at her meal. "OK your turn."
Chuck paused. "It was in a handicap pubic bathroom in the E.R. wing of a hospital."
Susan laughed. "Charles Martin…are you saying that the second strangest place that you have had sex in was just three days ago with me?"
"Yup." Susan and Chuck locked eyes and just smirked at each other.
They had just finished eating their filet mignon when a chocolate soufflé was placed in front of them.
"Compliments from Mr. Smith. As always, enjoy," said the waiter just before he walked away.
"OK, what the hell. Exactly how many girls have you brought here?" asked Susan looking rather annoyed at such a gesture.
"You have been the only one. I have only been here twice before and both times it was with Jase and my parents. Trust me; Smithy only gave us free valet parking then. This is a first."
"It's just all so much. I really didn't know what to expect from Ambria. I mean, I've heard about this place and how good it is. But, I surely didn't expect special treatment."
"Why don't we take this soufflé to go?" suggested Chuck.
Susan waited until they were directly in front of her door before she fumbled to get her keys out of her handbag. She unlocked the door. It was 10:30pm and Chuck was about to say goodnight.
"Susan…I had a good time tonight..."
She just smiled and leaned in to kiss Chuck full on the mouth. It was as if they had never kissed each other before, like it was their first time. It was so full and slow they didn't want to part. Chuck wrapped both of his arms around Susan's waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Susan inserted her tongue and began massaging the insides of his mouth exploring every inch. She wanted to know him, inside and out. They parted for just a minute to gaze into each others eyes. With a sly look on her face, Susan dropped her hand from Chuck's shoulders to the door knob just behind her back and slowly twisted it. Her door released and they entered her apartment…
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