Amy snored, and Bruce shifted a lot, but all was good.
Morning light filtered in through the blinds, creating stripes across their sleeping bodies. Amy was the first to awaken, stretching and yawning. She gazed over at Bruce, who was lying facedown, right arm slung over the side of the bed. She smiled to herself.
"That's definitely a sight I could get used to," she said, leaning over a brushing a kiss across Bruce's shoulderblades. He stirred slightly, but didn't wake, so Amy padded to the bathroom, picking up her cell phone on the way to check any missed calls.
She entered the small room and closed the door, not wanting to wake Bruce, then turned on her phone. The green-lit screen announced she had several new voicemails, most of which she assumed were from her mother.
She stood in front of the mirror, fixing her hair, while listening to the messages. The first two were from Maxine, as expected, but the third one threw her for a loop and she nearly dropped the phone in her surprise.
Just then, a sleepy Bruce pushed open the bathroom door, scaring her further, and she let out a little shriek.
Bruce held up his hands, blinking the sleep from his eyes. "Whoa, whoa, it's just me. What are you doing?" He motioned to the phone.
She gaped at him, then at the phone, as if she had forgotten she was holding it, then back at Bruce. She didn't say anything.
He furrowed his eyebrows and stepped closer to her. "Amy? What's wrong? Did something happen back home? Do we need to go back to Hartford?"
She shook her head. "David," she mumbled.
Bruce's eyebrows narrowed even further. "David MacClaren? What the hell did he want?"
Amy looked up at him, as if she just realized he was just standing there. "He said he saw me on C-SPAN and wanted to congratulate me."
Bruce scoffed. "Typical. Leaves without saying a word and then expects that he can just get you back with a phone call. I can't believe his nerve. Hasn't he caused you enough pain?" He looked at the ceiling and shook his head.
Amy remained silent. She was still looking lost, like she wondered where David had even gotten her number or why he was calling her. "Why did he call me?" she spoke aloud, causing Bruce to look at her. "I mean, after everything that happened, you wouldn't think he'd just pick up the phone and call me after he saw me on C-SPAN. Or would he?"
"What's his number?" Bruce asked, reaching for her phone.
Amy pulled her hand out of his reach. "Why?"
"I am going to call Mr. MacClaren and give him a piece of my mind. There is no way he's going to get away with harassing you and not hear about it from me." He reached for her phone again, and she put a hand on his chest to stop him.
"No, no, Bruce, I'm sure he meant well. There was nothing threatening in his voice. He probably just..." She trailed off, at a loss for what to say next.
"Probably just what?" Bruce asked. "Come on, Amy. You don't need to stand up for these men. You're way too good for all of them. I don't know why you can't see that." He tipped her chin up with the tips of his fingers.
"I know, I know," she said, moving closer to him and wrapping her arms around him. "I guess it's just in my nature to give people second chances."
"Well, there are second chances and then there's you," Bruce disagreed. "I've seen the way you operate. You can be completely done with a guy, and as soon as he shows interest in you again, you decide that maybe he's not so bad after all. You don't need to do that anymore."
Amy was silent for a minute, then finally repeated, "The way I operate?" with a slightly disgusted tone to her voice. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She slipped out of his arms. "Like I have some kind of game plan when it comes to relationships? That's reassuring coming from you, of all people." she stepped past him and entered the main room, sitting on the bed and changing into her clothes.
"You know I didn't mean that," Bruce said, joining her in the main room. "Besides, every time someone says something less than stellar about you, you get defensive."
"Do you blame me?" she asked, yanking on a stocking. "I haven't exactly been the poster girl for successful or healthy relationships. I don't need you reminding me of all the horrible choices I've made in the past."
"I know," Bruce said, swabbing a hand over his face. "I'm sorry. You know I..." He trailed off, realizing what he had almost said without even realizing it.
"You what?" Amy asked, trying to keep her grin in check. She wasn't about to let him just stop right there.
He smiled himself, closing his eyes and shaking his head at the floor. He walked over to her, squatted in front of her, and took her hands in his. "I was going to say, you know I..."
A knock sounded at the door, interrupting Bruce. Amy groaned, and Bruce grinned down at their intertwined hands, then kissed her on the cheek before she got up to answer the door.
"Talk about bad timing," Amy muttered as she stood up. She walked towards the door, tossing a, "Get dressed!" at Bruce as she did so.
She was smiling and shaking her head as she answered the door, but the smile soon turned into a look of surprise.
"Don't look so happy to see me, Judge Gray."
"I'm just...surprised, that's all, Donna," Amy responded, and Donna pushed past her and entered the hotel room.
"Whoa, nice digs!" Donna exclaimed, taking in the surroundings. "This Marty guy must really like you, huh?" She elbowed Amy in the side, nodding at her, and as she was doing so, Bruce walked out of the bathroom, buttoning up his shirt.
Donna saw him and waved, like it was completely expected for him to be there. "Hey, Bruce" She started looking around the room again, then it hit her and she reeled back in realization, pointing back and forth from Bruce to Amy. "Bruce. Like, you mean, Bruce, as in...Bruce?"
Amy and Bruce both grinned at Donna's reaction. Bruce slung an arms over Amy's shoulders, and Amy answered, "Yeah. As in, Bruce."
"Wow," Donna breathed. "That is so cool!" She started giggling, and Bruce and Amy began laughing with her.
"So, Donna, why are you here?" Bruce asked, and Amy shot him a grateful look.
Donna shrugged. "Just wanted to offer my support." She turned to Amy. "Please tell me you're still considering running for the Senate. They need someone like you. You can change things, I know you can."
Amy let out a deep breath. "It's not that easy, Donna. I have a lot to consider, like..." She trailed off as she suddenly remembered the promise she had made to her daughter. She slipped out from under Bruce's arm and rushed to grab her phone.
"Like what?" Donna asked.
"Lauren, honey," Amy said into the phone, ignoring both Bruce and Donna. "Yeah, everything's fine. I just wanted to check in. No, no, of course I'm still keeping my promise. Well, yes, that's something we'll all have to get used to. I'm sorry I didn't - look, noodle, it was a long time coming. And I promise that this is serious." She lowered her voice as she continued. "You like Bruce. He's never been anything but respectful. No, no, you are still a big part... Of course I'm going to listen to what... Honey, honey, when I get back home, we can talk about this more. Okay? I'm not making any decisions yet. I don't know how long I'll be here. I kinda thought I'd take it easy for awhile, have a little fun while I'm here... Okay, sorry. I know you didn't want to know. Look, whenever I'm ready to come back home, I'll let you know. And every decision from here on out is the two of us. I promise. See you later, noodle. Love your guts!" She pulled the phone from her ear and flipped it shut, turning back to Bruce and Donna, who were smirking at her. "What?"
"You're gonna have a little fun while you're here?" Bruce repeated. "I'd like to know what exactly you have planned for us." He raised an eyebrow and started laughing, and Amy joined him.
"Yeah, no kidding," Donna suddenly said, and both Bruce and Amy gave her a look. "Oh. Right. You were talking about... I think I'm gonna go check out the city. I'll...see you back in Hartford. I guess."
"Bye, Donna," Amy said, and Donna nodded, quickly leaving the room.
Once Donna was gone, Amy flipped around to face Bruce. "So, whaddaya say we get a head start on that fun we're going to have?"
Bruce moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her. "I'd say the fun's already started, wouldn't you?" He grinned and leaned down to kiss her, and her response to the kiss was all the agreement he needed.
