Ch. 11

I do not own Higher Ground or any of its characters. I own the character of Patrica.

Daisy gave up cleaning downstairs and sat on the coach with a glass of wine instead. She wasn't sure how she felt about Scott and Juliette liking each other. Part of her didn't care, but not caring made her feel like she was betraying Shelby. She and Shelby talked about Scott throughout the years. Shelby seemed hesitant over the years to recommit to Scott.

Daisy watched as Shelby exceled in college and work. Looking ahead, Shelby relished her freedom and new found successes. She didn't go wild, but she worked hard, traveled, and socialized. Their mutual friends and her own friends never clued in on her being a former teenage prostitute or druggie. Even at Horizon, Daisy thought Shelby would be one of the success stories.

As much as Shelby confided in her, Shelby was still a secretive person. Well, maybe more of a mystery. She kept things to herself, especially issues she was still processing. She liked to do things on her own and then let others in after she had internally assessed the situation. Daisy was left wondering if Shelby feared Scott would bring her back into the pit of despair he seemed to be constantly hovering near.

Shelby wanted Scott to show he was capable of moving forward and not live in the past. Daisy pointed out that Shelby was part of the past, so if he moved completely on, then they would be never get back together. Daisy also reminded Shelby that his sadness was probably tied to her reluctance to be with him.

Daisy was there when Shelby struggled accepting Scott's other relationships. Despite not officially dating, they did occasionally have sex together. Something Daisy didn't think was a good idea but didn't say openly. Their hook-ups stopped once Scott started dating Charlotte.

They both mocked Charlotte as being peppy and preppy like Juliette until they met her once. She was lovely, gentle, and caring, which made Shelby nervous. After Scott's break-up with Charlotte, he declared he was going to remain single and focus on work. He kept his word, and Daisy noted Shelby seemed more relax. Perhaps fate was going to keep the possibility open.

Shelby started school again to be a detective and was one of the best student's in her class. Daisy heard through the grapevine the city was going to offer Shelby a job. Shelby was already a well-known social worker who advocated hard for her children. Adult Shelby reminded Daisy of Sophie. With everything going on in her life, she continued putting Scott aside.

Shelby told Daisy over a year ago that Scott seemed to be doing very well. At work, yes, but Daisy wondered about emotionally. Was he sitting around waiting for Shelby to make the first move? He had learned not to push Shelby into doing something she wasn't ready to do.

Neither Shelby nor Daisy ever expected Juliette to enter into the picture. Certainly not work related. Juliette didn't have Shelby's 1950's All American beauty, but she was striking. She had grown into her angular, sharp features. Always the princess of the Cliffhanger girls, she had an air of je ne sais quoi like Audrey Hepburn…or Charlotte.

Daisy suspected Shelby had said or done something to end Scott and Charlotte's relationship. Shelby saw Scott three months before his relationship ended. Daisy never asked Shelby about it and knew better than to ask. Shelby would tell her in her own time and in her own way.

Her musings were interrupted by Juliette flouncing down the stairs with a bucket and a grin. The bathrooms and floors were cleaned, so she was going to the grocery store. Daisy admitted to not cleaning and offered to go instead. Juliette decided to take a nice warm bath and read Outlander. At least someone was having romance.

Juliette didn't read much though. Instead she thought of Scott but in a happy way. Not the worrisome drama associated with him. After her bath, she wanted to be in a more comfortable place.

Scott returned to look for insurance information for his dad. Even in the hospital, his dad was the ever prepared businessman. After ransacking his dad's room, he finally found what his dad wanted.

Once in the hall, he heard noises. The noises sounded muted. He walked down the hall listening for the source. The end of the hall led directly to the guest room Juliette was in and the location of the noises. He opened the door and startled Juliette. She yelped and pulled the covers to her chin. Her face crimson. "Get out! Get out now!" she yelled.

Scott pulled the door shut but was unable to move. He felt a warm blush come to his own cheeks. He stood there deciding what he should do next. Juliette flung the door open and went into the bathroom. She avoided eye contact and was still red faced. He forced his way into the bathroom wanting to address what he had seen. He also wanted to alleviate her embarrassment.

She didn't fight him but looked down as she stood at the sink. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Many people do it. I do," he sputtered. Still no response. "Juliette, please," he leaned over trying to make eye contact with her. She turned her head away from him.

"Oh you want to be like that, eh?" he teased before tickling her. He got the response he wanted as she twisted in his arms and squealed with laughter. She thrashed on the ground laughing before he stopped essentially torturing her. "You know better than to be embarrassed with me," he said looking down at her.

She sat up and looked him in the eyes. "I was thinking of you," she admitted.

"I think of you too."

He found her too attractive for his own good. Her lips parted as if she was anticipating something. "I have to…get back to the hospital," he stuttered. The desire her felt towards her sometimes could be so intense it made him physically ache.

He gripped the steering wheel as he drove back to his dad. He stretched to relieve the tension in his shoulders. Since their relationship felt forbidden, Scott often felt he was verging on an illicit affair rather than simply being a man attracted to a woman.

Juliette was right to stall or stop any physical intimacy. It would create a euphoria, which would further cloud his thinking. He had two major things to figure out-Shelby and his stance on children. He didn't need hazy desire to add to the confusion. The problem was the desire was already there though. It was his fault back there, and he would need to reassure her that she had done nothing wrong.

When Scott returned to the hospital, he found Peter and Sophie visiting his dad. He was still tense from his interactions with Juliette and hoped they wouldn't notice. He was easy to read after all. His former teachers were surprised Juliette was in town too. He explained their work ties. Both were glad to hear Jules was doing well. Sophie and Peter soon left to find Shelby and Patricia.

Once alone, Martin asked how Juliette was doing since she was relatively new, at least to the group as it was now. Scott said she was doing fine. "It's funny because I remember her from Horizon. It was her smile. She has a nice smile," Martin noted. Scott told him Juliette and Susan hit it off well when they had met. His mom and Jules used to send each other Christmas cards for years, but then, Juliette went silent. Scott learned it was around the time she and Auggie were trying to have a baby.

"It's nice to see her again," Martin said, "It was also very nice of her to come here."

Scott looked suspiciously at his dad. "Peter and Sophie asked if you and Shelby had spent any time together. Patricia suggested you two go on a date tomorrow night. Has anyone asked if you and Juliette are together? I know I'm curious," his dad said, getting to his point.

"It's complicated," Scott answered.

"I know I've meddled before. It was an overcorrection of what happened to you when I failed to notice the signs, but not everything has to be complicated. Perhaps go on the date for closure or to reopen a door but make a decision. You either aren't ready to move on from Shelby or you are ready. You probably already know but are scared to hurt someone. Make a decision and learn from your mistakes," Martin advised his son.

For the first time in his life, Scott felt his dad understood him. "Juliette may not be able to have children," Scott told his dad. Patricia and Shelby suddenly came in to say goodbye. Scott didn't want to overwhelm is dad, so he left too.

Patricia convinced Peter and Sophie to stay overnight at her place. They could have dinner at Martin's place with the others. They roasted hotdogs and s'mores over a fire and recounted old stories mixed with new ones. Scott looked around for Juliette and saw her up by the house. She watched the group before going inside. Scott excused himself and went to talk to her. It was the first time he had seen her since the moment in the bathroom. He had wanted to speak to her in person.

He found her packing since she was flying out the next day. He sat down on the bed and took her hands in his. "You didn't do anything wrong. I left because you are right about not adding another complication until we figure everything out. It would've been easy to cave in then," he said.

She looked brokenhearted but then started laughing softly. "It's ironic. I started thinking I should be with you in every way while I had the chance. I was going to offer myself to you as an anniversy gift. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I see my time with you dwindling," she told him.

She continued, "It's silly. I don't know what I expected you to do. Be with me before talking Shelby. You're right…I was right. "

"Don't do this to me. Don't say goodbye."

"It's no longer about Shelby. It's about giving you the chance to have kids and have them easily. You've had to overcome so much. You don't need to be with someone who will make having kids a huge ordeal. And I may never have them. You need to be with someone normal, stable, and can give you everything you want. I'm not being dramatic or fearful. I…care…" she trailed off and ended.

Don't go," he pleaded, wrapping his arms around her waist and looking up at her. She kissed him and slowly pushed him back onto the bed. Her hair hiding them from the world like a dark, silk curtain. She ran her hands along his chest and leaned into him. His hands moved along her back and waist. He tucked her hair to the side to look at her, then kissed her neck. She titled her head to give him better access.

After they kissed a few times, she got off of him. They stared silently at each other. They kept wavering back and forth. Now Scott was willingly to cross boundaries and she was hesitant again. Sophie gently knocked and opened the door. She wanted to see if Juliette was okay since she had been gone for a long time. Sophie evaluated the scene before her. The two looked somber, almost sad. Scott sat on the bed, while Juliette stood nearby with her arms crossed.

"Is everything okay?" Sophie asked. She figured something was going on between them but didn't want to outright ask in case she offended them.

"I was packing, and Scott and I were discussing business," Juliette spoke first.

"Yeah, boring stuff. Let's go eat some s'mores," Scott added. Sophie wasn't convinced but she played along.

The next morning the group gathered at Patricia's house for one last breakfast together. Sophie and Peter were driving back to Horizon soon, and Juliette was flying home in the afternoon. During their meal, Shelby stepped outside to take a work call. While she was outside, Patricia brought up the idea that Shelby and Scott should go on a date tonight. Both Sophie and Daisy looked towards Juliette as discretely as they could. They noticed her jaw tensed and her eyes became laser focused on her coffee cup. She swallowed hard.

"I think it's a great idea," Peter chimed in, agreeing with Patricia.

"Peter…" Sophie cautioned.

"Sophie, I think they need to do this. They had a good thing going and shouldn't throw it all away," Peter countered. Sophie and Peter both advocated Scott and Shelby to end up together, but Sophie didn't want to disregard Juliette now that she knew there was something between the two.

"Everyone wants you and Shelby to be together. You two obviously haven't found anyone else. I know you came here to see your dad, but here's your chance to possibly be with Shelby again," Patricia told Scott.

"Stop it!" Daisy yelled. Everyone froze. "People don't like when a woman's autonomy is taken away from her, yet here you are doing it to Scott. Let him decide. Because it's been 10 years," Daisy stated.

"For what it's worth, I think you should go on a date with her," Juliette put in softly, looking at Scott.

"I'll think about it. End of discussion," Scott gruffly said. Everyone knew not to push the issue when he was agitated. Patricia and Peter were both upset he was being reluctant to go on a date with Shelby. She was still the same loving, understanding Shelby.

Daisy cornered Sophie as she was putting her luggage in her truck. "Why did you look at Juliette whenever Patricia suggested the date?" Daisy asked but already knew the answer. She confirmed Sophie's suspicions about Juliette and Scott. Both agreed Scott, Shelby, and Juliette needed to sort it out without other's input. Sophie suggested Daisy contact Auggie and tactfully tell him to stay out of it.

After Peter and Sophie left, Scott offered to drive Juliette to the airport, but she had already called a cab. While waiting for her ride, she went out to the lake. Shelby and Daisy went for a run, so the two were left alone. Scott watched the sun hit her long hair and realized she had natural red highlights. Like garnet.

Scott thought about his dad's words to him. He was scared. He knew that part already though. If Shelby's actual person was no longer a source of comfort to him, the memory of their teenage relationship was still comforting. Juliette was part of the unknown. Their relations might fail, or they might not meet each other's expectations. What if they no had strong basis for a relationship outside of desire? If they got into a fight, would he yearn for Shelby? If she got snarky with him, would he forgot Shelby did the same thing and painted Shelby as a saint?

He looked up and noticed Juliette was staring at him. He pictured himself walking up to her and passionately kissing her. Taking her upstairs and exploring every part of her. No shame. No restrictions. His pulse quickened as she walked up the path towards him.

"My cab's here."

He turned around to see her cab waiting in front of the house. "Goodbye. Thank you for letting me stay here. I'll see you in Pasadena. My decision on the job is slowly running out, so I'll talk to you about it again soon," she said.

She turned around and added, "Peter's right. You two have too much history not to go on a date with Shelby."

"I'll see you again, won't I?" he worriedly asked.

"I said we would," she gave him a reassuring smile and climbed into the cab.

Daisy and Shelby received texts from Juliette telling them goodbye. While Daisy showered, Shelby pondered to Scott if Jules would change her mind about the reunion. During a conversation lull, Scott nonchalantly asked Shelby if she wanted to do something fun tonight like go bowling or the movies. Shelby said she driving home soon to get ready for work the next day.

She asked if he was going to the reunion and suggested they do something then. He wasn't planning on going, but Shelby told him he should go to it. "You should get Jules to come too, so she can maybe get some kind of closure," Shelby added. "We'll see" was Scott's answer.

After everyone had left, he went to the hospital to see his dad again. His dad pounced on the Juliette issue soon after Scott's arrival. Being stuck in the hospital with no work to do had given Martin time to think. Scott admitted he had no inclinations for children until faced with the possibility of not having them. He assumed he would have them because it's what people did in society.

"At thirty-two, your feelings probably won't change drastically in ten years. Your mother and I loved you but were never children people, even after we had you. I know this may sound harsh since you are my child, but our lives would have gone on fine even without having you. Life continues and you adjust to life with kids and vice versa," his dad told him.

After giving Scott time to process, his dad continued, "There are other ways to be a father. Look at Peter and Sophie. You can adopt, be a foster parent, or do volunteer work. Heck, you can even be an open donor. You can find fulfillment elsewhere. You may occasionally experience a sense of loss and grieve the missed opportunities. I feel it for your mom and Patricia from time to time, but it doesn't mean I want to go back to a life with them."

Several seconds passed and Scott laughed. "You have a heart attack and suddenly gain 100 years of wisdom," he teased his dad.

"Wisdom is something I've lacked, so I guess that's the silver lining," his dad chuckled.

His dad was to be released from the hospital soon, so Scott left Tuesday to go back to work. Scott left in a better mood feeling his dad and he had repaired some of their relationship.

Note: I'm torn now if I want Scott and Juliette together. I created two possible endings and waver on them depending on my mood.