"So, you're married?" Waverly asks as I try to sit up in the hospital bed.
"I…uh…Waves…" I begin.
"I met Shae. She's beautiful. And a doctor." Waverly says. I fully sit up in bed and place my hand over hers and am relieved that she didn't pull away.
"Waverly, please look at me. Please let me explain." I plead not even trying to keep the pleading tone out of my voice. I need to explain this to Waverly. God. It's way past to due. I take a breath and finally tell Waverly everything, "I got married…"
"In Vegas. After Brittany Live concert," Waverly says absently.
"Yea, but Shae and I haven't been together in years. We made decent enough friends and just never got around to the paperwork involved with getting divorced," I tell her honestly and add, "plus the tax break didn't hurt when I was at the academy. I helped put Shae through medical school and she wanted to return the favor and help me out when I moved up here, but living in different cities, having a joint bank account was easier than sending a check or something."
"Why didn't you just tell me?" Waverly asks in a whisper clearly scared to hear my answer. Good going, Haught. Way to make everything worse.
"I wanted too. I was going to tell you after the party, but then everything happened with Willa. It didn't seem like a good time to bring up Shae. Then I decided I was going to tell you before I went on shift for Homecoming weekend, but when I got to the Homestead…" I trail off because that routine Waverly did has to be the hottest things I've ever witnessed.
"That was still months again and after we…" Waverly trails off. I instantly feel even guiltier about not having told her sooner. I should have told her months ago and before I took her to bed, but I've never felt what I feel for Waverly before and I just didn't know how to tell her. The longer I put it off the less I wanted to tell her because I wasn't sure how she would react since I had been keeping this secret since I met her almost a year ago.
"I know and I should have told you sooner," I say, because I know she deserved to know the truth.
"Why didn't you?" Waverly asks again.
"After homecoming, then we found out about Michum and we had to deal with that. Then soon after Wynonna was pregnant. Then I fucked up and hid the DNA results from you. There just hasn't been a good time to bring it up," I finish lamely.
"Were you ever going to tell me?" Waverly asks looking me in the eye for the first time since we started this conversation.
"Yes, I swear Waves," I had decided that when I got the text from Waverly this morning about wanting to come over and talk that no matter how horrible the timing I had to tell her. I couldn't keep the fact I was married to Shae from Waverly any longer.
Waverly squeezes my hand that she is still holding before saying, "I want to talk about all of this more and have our big sorry party, but I …"
"Waverly, I have the best news ever," I hear from outside the room. It's Wynonna. She comes walking into the room, I refuse to think the word waddle because I have this feeling Wynonna would just know and she would kill me. Waverly releases my hands and places hers in her lap and looks down. She was upset but the appearance of Wynonna has her all but shutting down. Her hair covers her face and she looks like she is trying to make herself as small as possible.
When Wynonna gets into the room, I can see that there is a vial of something in her hand and when she sees me awake and probably with a bit more color in my checks she exclaims, "Haughtdamn you made it," before throwing her arms around me in a tight squeeze.
I put my around her and tell her, "still not a hundred percent so maybe less squeezing."
Wynonna looks over at Waverly who is still not looking at anyone since Wynonna walked in the room. Something happened; I have this sinking feeling that whatever Waverly did to save me wasn't something she did with Wynonna. Especially since Wynonna seemed genuinely surprised to see me awake and not screaming in pain from the Widow's bite.
"I told you to wait," Wynonna says and she sounds more hurt than I've heard her sound before. I didn't think anything would beat Wynonna finding out Willa was a traitor, but whatever Waverly did seems to be worse than that.
Waverly finally looks up at Wynonna and then over at me and says something about not being able to be here and she rushes out of the hospital room without another word or look at me. After just staring at the doorway I finally ask Wynonna, "what happened?"
"Doc's ring wasn't in Nedley's mug…" Wynonna says absently, like she's putting the pieces of a riddle together.
"Okay," not quite getting the connection.
"Doc's ring was the last seal," Wynonna says.
"Did Waverly give the ring to the Widows?" I ask dreading the answer, but already knowing it in my heart.
"Yea, look Haught, I need to get over to the cop shop and let Dolls know what happened," Wynonna says and she makes her way to the door to follow Waverly out. Just as she gets to the door she turns and looks back at me, "I'm glad you're okay, Haught. I have to go." With that Wynonna followed Waverly out of the door.
I lay back down on the bed and cover my eyes with my hands. I feel worse than I did after Widow Mercedes bit me. The Earp girls are at odds and I can't even leave this hospital because the doctors still have questions about how I survived my 'animal' bite.
"You survive a mysterious virus that I've never seen or read about. And you are poison free and have no indications of lasting effects and your doctor is drawing up discharge papers, but you look like someone shot your puppy." Shae says. I open my eyes and see her leaning against the doorway. Despite knowing she had to be here somewhere because Waverly met her its still odd seeing Shae in Purgatory General.
"You know I hate that expression," I say as she walks into the room and takes a seat on the chair next to the bed.
"I know, but it seems pretty accurate right now," Shae says smiling.
"Thank you for coming," I tell her sincerely.
"Even though I told Waverly I was your wife?" Shae asks.
"I should have told her months ago," the guilt is eating away at me all over again.
"Why hadn't you? It's not like you to keep something from a woman you are falling for."
"The timing just was never right." I say lamely.
"You should have made time. Waverly looks at you like you hung the moon and stars."
"I know and I tried so many times, but it just never happened. There is always something going on," I know I sound like a broken record now. Shae just looks at me for minute, but thankfully she drops the subject
After a few minutes of silence Shae finally asks, "Do you want to tell me what you actually happened to you?"
"I don't want to lie to you, Shae." I say. I've lied to enough people in my life lately.
"Nicole…" Shae starts.
"How about we leave it at Purgatory is a lot like a Chicago ER on a full moon." I tell her, the look in her eye makes me immediately regret the comparison no matter how accurate.
"Nicole, this is the second time you've been in the hospital in less than a year. Both times you nearly died," Shae says. She is calm, but I can see that she is fighting to remain calm.
"I'm fine, Shae." I say because in truth I feel just fine after the cure Waverly got from one of the Widows. Thinking about the cure makes me feel guilty about the fact the Earp sisters are fighting.
"They had to resuscitate you on site the first time," Shae says.
"I know." I say.
"It was a snowy, cold day. They found you on the side of the road." Shae says slightly louder than before.
"I know," I repeat.
"Twice in less than a year," Shae says again.
"Shae! I know." I say getting angrier.
"I'm sorry, Nicole. I know you can handle yourself, it's just this town is so small and somehow it seems to be more dangerous than Chicago ever was. How is a town that has a thousand or so residents more dangerous than Chicago?" Shae asks.
"I know, that a lot of this doesn't make sense, but this is where I am supposed to be." I say because no matter what happens between Waverly and I; I know this is where I was meant to be.
Shae looks at me for a long time. It's silent in the room so long I start to get uncomfortable under her unwavering stare. Finally, after the silence had long descended into awkward, Shae finally spoke, "I like Waverly. I think she will be good for you."
With that Shae gets up and grabs her coat from the back of the chair she had been sitting on, "What?" I finally say lost. I really thought we would end up arguing about how unsafe Purgatory really is, not what she thought about Waverly.
When Shae reaches the door, she turns back and looks at me, "The way Waverly looks at you. I want that someday. She looks at you like you could solve any problem, I don't know why the two of you were arguing. I don't know what you're feeling so guilty about, but that girl will always forgive you. Don't give up, Haught, I think you found the one."
I smile and hope that Shae is right and that Waverly will forgive me for the DNA and for Shae, "I'm sorry." I tell her because our marriage might have been over for years now, but now it's different. I know I found who I want to spend my life with.
"Don't be. Be happy, you deserve that. We all do," Shae says and adds, "I'll draw up some divorce paper and have them sent up."
"Thanks, Shae." Is all I say.
"Nicole?" Shae says at the doorway.
"Yea?"
"Just be careful. I don't want any more phone calls saying you are in the hospital in a life or death situation." Shae
says. Neither of us mention that with a divorce she wouldn't get that call anyways, but I appreciate the sentiment non the less. Shae gives me a wave and turns and leaves.