USMC Family Day - September 1989
To say she was completely freaking out would be an understatement and Elizabeth didn't freak out all that often, she was a pro at keeping her emotions well under control so this was huge. She was a mess and in just a few hours she would come face to face with the two men in her life...How the hell had she gone from being completely alone to having two guys wanting her... And then there were her own feelings!
Since the whole Rochana situation, she had been desperately trying to work out what the hell was going on in her own head. She was quiet and unassuming and yes, ok.. she could be very opinionated, but how on earth had she managed to get herself into a situation like this... and more to the point, what was she going to do about it.
5 weeks... 5 whole panic stricken weeks she had spent in the wake of her confession of not only having had sex with Henry, but the one that had shocked her more than anyone... That she was actually in love with him. She had spoken to Jake several times and he clearly knew nothing..Chatting about graduation and how he couldn't wait to see her and kiss her... But she'd had no communication with Henry in any way, and that's what was getting to her the most... She could cope with most things, but disappointing him would be too much.
The tiny hotel room she found herself pacing around was beginning to close in on her and there didn't seem to be enough air in her lungs... She had to get out before she lost it completely. Sitting on a bench in the small courtyard, her eyes fixed firmly on the ground in front of her, Elizabeth didn't notice someone sit next to her, nor did she hear them speak at first... It wasn't until she tilted her head back to scrape her hair into a ponytail that she noticed the lady studying her.
"Oh, I'm sorry... I was a little lost in my thoughts... I'll be going." As she rose from the bench, the lady ushered her sit back down.
"You look like you could use someone to talk to... What's he done?"
Elizabeth laughed at the assumption
"Actually... It's what I've done and am still doing that's the issue."
"It can't be that bad my sweet... You look like a decent enough person."
"Oh, I assure you... I'm really not." She hung her head again and couldn't stop the tears from falling.
She felt an arm around her shoulder and was grateful for the comfort.
"Now now... Don't upset yourself... Things will work out the way they're supposed to... I'm Marie by the way."
Elizabeth looked up and smiled, opening her mouth to speak
"It's nice to meet you... I'm..."
"You're Elizabeth." Marie smiled back at her
"What...Wait...How did you know that?" She was stunned and couldn't hide the shock on her face
"I knew as soon as I saw you."
"I don't understand?"
"He told me you were beautiful... and kind... And I see both in front of me right now."
She was too confused to comprehend what this woman was saying
"You'll work it out my sweet... Just trust your heart." She gave Elizabeth a squeeze and left her alone again.
Who the hell was that... and what the fuck was going on.
Elizabeth took a deep breath and waited...She was moments away from seeing Jake again after 13 weeks of not understanding what the hell was going on in her head... 13 weeks of being married to someone she hadn't actually seen and now she had to put that all aside as if everything was perfectly fine. As she waited, she could feel her heart starting to thud against her chest and she could barely catch her breath. She closed her eyes for a split second and suddenly felt arms around her waist and lips on her neck
"My god I've missed you... Let me look at you."
She turned around and looked into Jake's eyes... That's when over 3 months of emotion and confusion hit her and she bust into uncontrollable sobs.
"Oh baby... come on, it's ok."
"No, it's not ok... Nothing's ok."
He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly as she tried to regain some composure.
"Jake... I have so much to say.." She was going to tell him, she'd made up her mind that it had to be done... She needed to for her own sanity.
"We have plenty of time to catch up sweetheart... But my parents really want to meet my wife."
Oh god... there it was, that word... Wife... And now she had to meet his parents and look them in the eye when all she really wanted to do was see Henry. And then her mind clicked into overdrive... Would she get to see Henry, and how would he react after her drunken confession to his girlfriend... Would she be able to keep her emotions under control... Right at that moment she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her... And more than anything else in the world... She needed her best friend.
Jake seemed oblivious to her inner turmoil and dragged her off to meet his parents, who were extremely sweet and made her feel so at ease. She'd found herself agreeing to have some big party to celebrate their marriage and Christmas would be spent in New England... It would all have been perfect had she not been thinking of Henry the entire time she was speaking to them. She needed to see him, to find out what he knew and to look into his eyes and work out what she was actually feeling.
"Jake... I need to go and freshen up a bit... It's been a long day... Where can I go?"
Jake pointed her in the direction of the nearest restrooms and she took herself off to give herself a minute or two to process.
She washed her face, fixed her hair as best she could and took many deep breaths... She really didn't want to go back out there but knew she had no choice. She would have to smile and nod in all the right places until she could get back to the hotel and wallow in self pity.
She pushed open the restroom door and heard his voice..
"You promised me you'd keep smiling Adams…"
She looked up and there he was, her best friend... The only person she'd wanted to see and speak to... and now that she could, the words wouldn't come out.
"It's not like you to be so quiet... What's wrong?" He looked concerned and that only added to her distress.
"I've missed you so much." She threw her arms around him and more tears filled her eyes.
"'I've missed you too." He gripped her tightly, knowing that he really shouldn't but he just couldn't help himself.
She pulled away and looked at him again
"Henry... "
They stood there looking into each other's eyes, unable to quite find the words they needed at that moment. Elizabeth's heart was beating so fast it was all she could hear and Henry could barely focus... She found herself leaning in towards him, her lips parting slightly as he met her halfway...They lingered there for what felt like forever... Lips almost touching but not quite...
"Hey McCord... Your parents are looking for you."
The almost perfect moment had come crashing down around them as Henry pulled back and shook his head
"Uhh... I'm so sorry.. I wasn't thinking... Come and meet my parents."
Before she had a chance to respond... She found herself following him in a daze... Her head felt like it was full of cotton balls and she was still stuck in the moment like it was on freeze frame
"Mom, dad... This is..."
"Elizabeth... How are you my sweet?" Marie smiled at her as she pulled her in for a hug
"Ummm... You're..it's you... You're Henry's mom?"
Marie nodded and cupped her face in her hands
"You look a little flushed my sweet... Are you ok?"
What a question... She wasn't even remotely ok. Had her and Henry nearly kissed just then? Or did she imagine it? And would she really have done that with her husband only feet away.
"I'm really not feeling so good... I think I need to go back to the hotel." She felt incredibly light headed and nauseous and was sure she was going to pass out.
"Ok honey... Sit down... You're as white as a sheet."
Too little, too late as everything went black and she was out like a light.
Jake came over to see what was going on and found his wife in a bit of a heap on the floor
"Hey baby... What happened... Are you ok?"
Her eyes fluttered open and as she looked up, the sun blinding her a little, there were Jake and Henry stood over her, looks of concern spread across their faces.
"I'm so sorry... I don't know what I'm doing."
"I think it's all a bit much for the poor girl... What she needs is a stiff drink and good nights sleep... We'll take her back to the hotel and you can both see her tomorrow."
Elizabeth was in no condition to argue and had never been so grateful for an intervention.
As she lay in the bath, her salty tears mixing with the Luke warm water... All she could think of was what had almost happened with Henry... She knew it was wrong but somehow it didn't seem to matter. If they hadn't been interrupted, his lips would have been on hers and she'd never wanted anything so much in her life. And then there was jake... He was loving, attentive and everything she could possibly want in a husband... the only issue was, he wasn't Henry. She had been hoping to see them both to be sure of what to do... And as she pulled her body from the water, dried herself off and curled up in bed... She knew exactly what she had to do.