Authors Note: This is set during a fictional season 2. I was having a hard time respecting Jack knowing that he had cheated on his wife. I wrote it before the end of that season soI had no ideathat she was so cruel.No real spoilers though. This is the first time I've ever shared my work on this site, so please review but no flames.
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. Don't sue.
A Single Word
Jack
It was late. Marie and the kids were sound asleep. There was no reason for Jack to still be awake. Work wasn't any more stressful than it always was and things were going pretty well at home. Still there he was sitting all alone in his dark living room, staring at the phone. He knew he should just go to bed, knew he had no right to do what he was contemplating. He knew too that it wouldn't be fair to any of them to make that call; and yet...what would it really hurt just to talk to her. They spoke all the time at work, and he really needed to hear her voice. He weighed the stupidity of calling against his desire to talk to her and formed a plan. He would call her cell and give her the option of not answering. It would be her choice if they spoke. Stupid plan, but he picked up the phone and dialed Samantha's cell phone number anyway.
Hello. A gruff, drowsy voice answered the phone-the wrong voice. Jack didn't worry. He dialed his coworkers' numbers so often he must have punched in the wrong one. The man on the other end was so out of it he probably wouldn't even remember that Jack had called. Jack quickly mumbled something about a wrong number and was hanging up the phone when he heard a single word. One word that would haunt his dreams tomorrow. There was little chance he'd get any sleep tonight.
Martin
It was late. Martin was sound asleep when a small noise woke him. He groped for the cell phone in the dark. If he'd been more awake he would have noticed that it wasn't his phone that was ringing. Hello. His voice was gruff, drowsy. He wasn't fully awake. The man on the other end mumbled something about a wrong number; and Martin was reaching for the end button when he heard a single word. Martin, Samantha whispered as she awoke next to him. He pulled her close to him, the wrong number already forgotten, and they both fell back into a contented sleep.