Alone

Chapter One

It had been a perfect wedding. In a pearl-gray tux with formal tails, Steve had never looked more handsome. The bridesmaids sparkled in dresses the color of polished silver and the bride was ethereal in her custom-made gown with silver gossamer threads woven through the veil and train.

The OSI 'family' was seated in the entire back row, where they were least likely to attract attention. Almost all of them had been offered roles in the ceremony, but the nature of their careers made it impossible to guarantee their availability, and they'd all been forced to respectfully decline. Fortunately, they'd all been able to clear their schedules (some at the very last minute) to attend the festivities.

She slipped in at the very last possible moment, sitting on the end of the row, slightly apart from the group – alone. Oscar noticed that her eyes, although clear and dry, were red-rimmed and her face was very pale. Was she alright? There was no time to find out. Oscar was an expert at reading people, but she wouldn't meet his eyes – or anyone else's.

When the minister asked for any objections, Oscar saw that she was biting her lip resolutely and staring into the distance at nothing. When the newlyweds kissed and were presented to the assemblage, her sharp intake of breath (only audible if you were really paying attention) was the only clue to her deep, overwhelming sense of distress. Where was her husband, and why wasn't he here for her to lean on? Oscar's heart broke at the thought of the pain and inner turmoil she must be dealing with – all alone.

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He looked for her at the reception, searching the huge dining room and the cavernous ballroom without success. As he made his way through the receiving line, Oscar happened to look up and notice, through the over-sized plate glass windows, the stream that ran across the grounds back behind the country club. Stream...water...suddenly, he knew where to find her. Once he'd offered his heartiest good wishes to the bride and groom, Oscar slipped unnoticed out the rear door.

He found her at the very edge of the property, staring out at the water with her back to the huge building as if she was trying to shut out the memory of what had just taken place there. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself in a futile attempt at self comfort and Oscar saw that her shoulders quivered slightly; she was crying. Alarmingly, she didn't hear him approach and he didn't want to startle her, but he couldn't bear to see her suffering – and so very, very alone.

"Jaime...?" he said, very softly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm alright," she whispered, without turning around.

"I don't even almost believe that."

Jaime turned around slowly, her arms falling to her sides in a gesture of pure helplessness. She could barely see through the torrents of silent tears. "I thought...I thought I'd be ok...with this...didn't think it would affect me, but..." Her sobs took her voice and she turned back toward the water.

Oscar couldn't help it; she was in pain. He moved to Jaime's side and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Jaime, where's Chris? Why isn't he here with you?"

"Chris and I separated about three months ago," she answered in a flat voice.

"I'm so sorry, Babe; I had no idea -"

"No one knows yet. We...didn't wanna say anything 'til we knew for sure...what we were gonna do." Jaime took a deep, shuddering breath. "I filed the divorce papers last week."

Oscar was completely stunned. A double-whammy: losing her husband and having to watch Steve marry someone else. Without thinking about it, his hand drifted onto Jaime's back, moving in a soft, tender rhythm. Jaime leaned toward him, ever-so-slightly; his touch was warm and felt so comfortable.

"Today was really hard on you," he empathized.

"Yeah, it was. Sort of like losing both of them, you know?" Jaime's voice broke off in a little, plaintive cry as she tried mightily to gain control of her emotions.

"I know."

Oscar's voice, so close to her, made Jaime tremble inside, but not with fear. It was something else entirely...but this was her boss, and she forced the errant thought away.

"You can't deal with all of this alone, Babe," he told her quietly. Then, as though he was reading her mind, he continued. "For now, forget about Oscar Goldman; I left him back at the office. This is Oscar - your friend – talking, and I have two waterproof shoulders, no waiting."

"I'll...be ok," she insisted, not so convincingly.

Oscar grasped both of Jaime's shoulders and gently but firmly turned her body around so she was facing him. One look into his kind (loving?) eyes was all it took, and Jaime broke down completely. Oscar eased her head onto his shoulder as her body shook with the pain she'd tried so hard to ignore. His arms moved easily to encircle her, pulling her closer, and her vulnerability – something she never let him see in the office - touched him deeply. When her soul-wrenching sobs had quieted to softer tears, she tilted her head back and looked at him questioningly. One gentle hand brushed the last few teardrops from her face and their eyes met in a context they'd never known between them before.

The feeling was startling, and electric. Neither was sure what to make of it, or what to do about it, but they were definitely not willing to let it go. "Would you feel more comfortable talking in my limo?" he suggested. "It's a bit more private. My driver is at the reception and won't even be looking for me for at least a couple more hours."

Jaime nodded her agreement. It would be good to talk, and – although she tried not to acknowledge it – his arms around her felt so very right.

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