September 02, 2012

I am trying to finish this story, but unfortunately it has been so long that I actually don't remember the details. So I have to go back and reread the entire thing. In this process I have noticed that I wasn't a very careful writer when I began this story. I have decided to edit it and make some changes. Bare with me through this process. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Cheers.

The smell of decomposing flesh was sickeningly strong in the lab air. The room almost felt weighted and suffocating, threatening anyone inexperienced who dared enter. Unfortunately for her, Mandy was its unexpected victim as she breezed through the door. Immediately choking gasping sounds erupted from her small frame, and she clamped her slender hand over her mouth and nose.

"Oh, gross," she squealed, the sound muffled against her palm.

"You get used to it," Sara looked up from where she was crouched over the bucket that seemed to be the origin of the smell. "It helps if you breathe through your mouth. Something I can do for you?"

"Well, I was going to say men suck and do you want to get a drink with me but now you have Mr. Goopy there," the print tech spoke between the cracks of her fingers.

"Though she is the right consistency? I wasn't planning on drinking her," Sara said, tipping the bucket towards Mandy to give her a better view of the human liquid inside.

"That-" Mandy moaned, her unoccupied hand sneaking down to hold her stomach, "is not even funny."

"If you're going to puke step outside or you'll push me over the edge," Sara winced at the greenish hue seeped into Mandy's olive complexion.

Swallowing, the disgusted tech thanked God for the millionth time that she didn't have to work in the field. Taking a few exaggerated breaths through her mouth, she set her brow determinately, "I'm not going to puke. Will you come?"

Putting down the sieve that she had improvised to strain the remains with Sara peered into the bucket. "I doubt you are going to want to be within 200 feet of me by the time I finish with Mrs. Lindelmann here."

"I'll get you a bag of lemons," Many looked hopeful. "Talk around the lab is that's the cure…"

"Thanks Mandy, but I'm going to decline. I just want to go home and go for a run or something," Sara picked up the sieve again and began dragging it through the contents of the bucket, occasionally pulling it out to look for solid masses.

"Some other time then," the tech shrugged, barely concealing the disappointment in her voice.

Feeling guilty Sara lifted her eyes again. She didn't have many friends, and though she did appreciate her introverted lifestyle, she knew that it was nice to have company around too. "You could come by later," she said before she could change her mind again. "I have tomorrow night off and was thinking about coming in anyway," she looked back down at the ooze dripping through the mesh back into the bucket in long slow droplets. "I guess it wouldn't kill me to take the night off and spend it with someone-"

"It's a date,'" Mandy cut her off. "See ya tonight."

Reaching up a hand to wave it wasn't until she was hit in the side of the face with slick room temperature goo that Sara realized her gloves were covered in decomp. Gagging she leaned over the trash can she kept close by and emptied her stomach, thankful that Mandy had closed the door behind her and that she had opted to just have coffee for lunch.

XXXX

Sara looked down in time to get a full face of dog breath as Hank yawned widely. "You're worse than Gil," she informed the boxer tapping his nose with her index finger. "I'll have you know 'Steele Magnolias' is an excellent film if you give it a chance. Everything will be boring to you if you assume it is before trying it out."

In response the dog laid his head back down on her stomach and shut his eyes.

"Men," Sara muttered.

The lanky brunette was currently pinned to the couch by her 40 pound boxer watching one of her favourite movies in her pajamas and munching on high fat, over buttered and over salted popcorn. Hearing the lock on the front door snap as it was unbolted and then the door swing open behind her, Sara glanced over her shoulder to find Mandy letting herself in. Nothing was said until her newly arrived friend had shuffled across the room and plonked down on the couch at Sara's feet.

Sara greeted her by holding out the bowl of popcorn.

"Hey," Mandy nodded, taking the bowl from Sara and scooping a handful of popcorn directly into her mouth.

Sara paused the movie and turned to give her full attention to her friend. "How was the drive over? Heard traffic sucks."

A half laugh erupted from Mandy's pink buttery lips. "Doesn't life in general?" She asked, swinging her legs underneath her.

"I guess that's why we have beer," Sara empathized pushing Hank off her legs and getting up. Heading toward the kitchen she glanced out of the corner of her eye to see the large dog lay his head on Mandy's lap apparently feeling sorry for himself for having had his nap disrupted. "Suck up." She muttered to him as his new lap began petting his ears.

After retrieving two beers Sara sat back down on the couch, "So…. You alright?" She asked.

"Men suck, but yes."

Sara nodded watching Mandy drop her head back heavily against the couch. "How are you doing?"

Shrugging and muttering a solid 'fine', Sara looked down at her hands in avoidance. She twisted the simple white gold band on her ring finger, thinking that it could use a good cleaning and polishing. The once flawless surface had become dull with the daily abuse of her work and her own constant handling of the piece. She would often, more so lately than ever, find herself absent mindedly spinning the ring around her finger and tracing its shape.

Mandy's eyes, like Sara's, were on her long thin fingers fingering the band. "You talk to him?"

Brown eyes met brown for a second before Sara broke contact and frowned, shaking her head. "I don't have a contact number."

"He called you?"

"Nope."

"He'll be back," Mandy assured her, giving Sara's knee a gentle squeeze.

"I know," Sara offered a smile that barely turned the corners of her mouth upwards. And she did know. This was not the first time Gil had taken an unexpected and extended leave of absence from work, or even from her. But, that didn't make the distance any easier, the empty bed any smaller or less cold, or the ache in her heart and stomach any less painful. In fact, knowing that they had come so little a way since their marriage four months before tugged at her heart and unsettled her in a way she couldn't describe. She looked up at Mandy who was sifting through the popcorn in the bowl trying to find a suitable piece.

"Men really suck," the tech repeated.

"What did Henry do this time?" Sara asked pushing thoughts of her absent husband to the back of her mind where she knew they wouldn't stay for long. All she got from Mandy was an exaggerated shrug. "You don't know?" Sara prodded, reaching for the bowl.

"He skipped our anniversary dinner to go to a comic book convention… I don't know if I feel better or worse assuming he just forgot and didn't deliberately skip out for some stupid… cartoon," the print tech said explained glumly, feeding Hank some popcorn.

"Ouch, sorry," was all Sara offered at first. "Did you talk to him?" She asked after she received only a nod from Mandy.

"He texted me," the words came out with a sigh. "He's not home from the convention yet. Should I let him off?"

Shrugging Sara contemplated her answer. "I know this is not excuse? But in one of Henry's more enlightened moments, which come few and far between, by the way," she smiled a little when Mandy rolled her eyes and nodded her head vigorously in agreement, "he told me that the last time, when he forgot Valentines Day and you were fuming, it wasn't because he doesn't care but because everyday he is with you it is special to him and he doesn't need a specific day to appreciate you or celebrate."

Mandy's brow furrowed in disbelief, "He said that? To you?"

"When he was in the dog house and not getting laid well into March," Sara confirmed.

"So what should I tell him?"

Sara lifted one shoulder. "That has to be up to you. You are the only one who knows what works in your relationship."

Nodding Mandy sipped her beer. "Why does this matter so much? I mean, I'm happy with him, really happy. But sometimes I just want more."

Pulling her knees up to her chest Sara shrugged her shoulders. "Sometimes it's nice to feel important." She watched as Mandy dropped the now empty bowl, save for a few unpopped kernels, to the table with a clang and climbed further onto the couch closer to Sara. Shifting to accommodate her new position on the sofa, Mandy wrapped one arm around Sara's shoulder and smiled sweetly at her.

"Well, you're important to me."

"Thanks," Sara said sullenly, tilting her head back as Mandy tugged on her ponytail.

"How longs he been gone?"

"Two weeks, four days," she answered, resting her cheek on her knees feeling an ache start to settle in her stomach. Thinking about Gil's absence made her feel loneliness so strong it became a physical pain in her gut making her feel queasy. She hated the idea that she could be this hurt by him, or anyone, for that matter. But Gil had become her family, her only family. His absence has irritated ancient injuries caused by neglect and abandonment.

Mandy began rubbing slow soothing circles on her back. "Did he say anything?"

"About?"

"Why."

Reaching forward, Sara picked up the large post-it note that had been in the same place on the table since she had discovered it after work one day. "Sara," she read aloud. "I got an offer to study the African Pentatomid Bug- I am assuming that's somewhere in Africa," she added sarcastically. "I will call you as soon as I get a chance, Love Gil."

"Africa?"

Sara shrugged, "I called his association. They said he did register for a trip and a grant. Both of which were approved, so I guess."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I'm fine," Sara smiled tightly.

"I know that smile, Sara. And I know we haven't been friends very long, but I like to think that we have grown close quickly. I hope that you know you can trust me to care and to listen."

"I don't have anything to say."

Mandy nodded, "And that is perfectly okay too." She squeezed Sara's arm. "Scream, cry, throw stuff, or we can sit here in silence… Whatever makes you feel better. Though, I will admit, I'm partial to the screaming and throwing things part myself."

Sara shrugged one shoulder. "I don't think I will feel better until Griss comes home."

XXXX

A glob of 'Summer Sky' blue paint dropped onto the counter, drawing a curse from Mandy. Looking around frantically she settled on using her finger as a squeegee. Holding the roller carefully she tried to avoid any additional spillage as she used a rag to clean the new installed cabinets. Sighing at the blue streaks on the wood, she wondered why she hadn't gone with her initial instinct and had them installed after all the painting and tile was complete. The kitchen renovation was taking much longer than she had planned, mostly because it had become a one-man show since Henry had been forced to take up some extra shifts at the lab. Hearing the door open she turned around to find him struggling to carry two large boxes, which she assumed held the contents of his comic collection.

"Guess what I got you?" He said excitedly as soon as he had placed the boxes on the floor.

Putting her roller down Mandy took a seat on a kitchen stool, the painters plastic crinkling under her butt as she got comfortable. The entire kitchen had been covered in tarps, old shower curtains, and plastic because she apparently couldn't paint without splattering paint everywhere. Using her hands to push her short hair behind her ears she scrunched her face up when she felt the cool paint streak across her cheek.

"Wash your hands first," Henry instructed crouching down beside one of the boxes on the floor.

Climbing to her feet Mandy turned on the faucet and did as she was told. She scrubbed around her fingernails and up to her wrists dutifully, wondering what she would say to him. She knew they needed to talk, but she had never been good with confrontation. By the time she turned around her husband was directly behind her holding a bag out to her.

Holding back a sigh she accepted the bag from him. Holding a grudge was another thing she had never been very good at. "I missed you," she told him as she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Open it!" He encouraged her, bouncing a little on his heels, his large dark eyes gleaming, the blush creeping into his ears giving away his enthusiasm.

Mandy slid the bag down to reveal large, red, bolded letters.

"All Stars number eight!" Henry underlined the words with his finger, "December, 1941." He exclaimed excitedly tapping the top of the sealed comic book. "The first appearance of Wonder Woman. I have been talking to his guy in Phoenix for months trying to convince him to sell it to me and agreed to meet me at the convention this weekend so we could make a deal. I had to trade him one of my 'Spiderman' comics but he finally agreed. I knew you had to have it."

Taking his hand in hers Mandy gave a gentle squeeze. "Thank you."

"Still in its original package and everything," Henry continued.

Nodding along, Mandy took a deep breath and placed the comic back in the bag and rested it on the counter. "Sara told me. About what you said the last time you forgot about Valentines Day," she ventured, jumping back a little as his hands darted out to snatch the comic off the counter and out of danger of the paint.

"What do you mean?" Henry asked crouching down beside the boxes he had come in with.

"How every day you spend with me is special. Did you mean that?" She asked trying to sound casual as her husband pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it through the archway onto the living room floor.

"I said that?" He picked up a roller. "Whoa, that was romantic, wicked."

"So do you?" She asked, entertaining the idea that maybe Sara had made the whole thing up to make her feel better.

"Do I what?"

Sighing Mandy forced a tight-lipped smile and picked up her roller, dripping paint down her jeans onto her running shoes. "Never mind," she rolled her eyes and resolved herself to letting the whole thing go. Henry was… Henry; sometimes thoughtless, always a nerd, but genuine and adorably awkward, and she loved him. After painting for a few minutes in silence she looked over at him. "Can you do something for me?"

"Sure- I mean I can try," Henry nodded, inspecting the splattered cupboards with a frown.

"When you were in Africa, the monkey project, you had a contact number for the embassy? Well, Grissom is there studying the… uhhhh, the… some bug, somewhere… I'm not sure which country... Can you maybe give me the contact number, maybe I can find out where he is."

"I might still have a couple numbers but that was a long time ago Mandy. And the lines there aren't really reliable. Not to mention Africa is a big continent, if you don't even know what country he is in, it's pretty impossible for me to do much."

She shook her head, "Anything. Please. Sara needs it."

"I can try Mandy but no promises," he shrugged.

Simply nodding she went back to painting the walls, giving up on avoiding dripping and splattering.