Over the next few days Frank noticed a change in Denise. The side effects from the pills seemed to be getting worse, he could see she was visibly weaker and in more pain but she'd only let him hold her when it was at its peak and then it seemed it was more from need than desire.

Jeremy had helped his mother to the living room one morning to receive guests; Frank woke up to voices and an empty bed. He dressed quickly and went to see what was going on. "Morning, I didn't know we were having company," he said giving Denise a kiss on lips.

She didn't respond to his kiss only looked at him with a hint of pain and anger in her eyes. The Holden's arrived and behind them was Roxy.

They all sat down in the living room to visit with their friend, Frank sat beside Denise but she wouldn't even look at him.

"I'm so glad you seem to be feeling better, Denise," Claudia Joy smiled. "And you too Frank you're looking more rested."

"Yeah, I feel better today than I have in weeks," Denise replied smiling at her friend.

"Good, I'm glad," Claudia Joy smiled. "Maybe, if you're up to it, we can all go to dinner soon. Would you like that?"

She smiled, "Yeah, that sounds great," she said. "Might do me some good to get out of the house," she added.

"It's a plan," Michael said watching the body language between Frank and Denise. He'd seen it before, she was pushing him away again, she didn't need him anymore and now she was ready to cast him aside. Frank noticed this too and it stung. When their guest left and Roxy had helped Denise to bed, he went to try to talk to her.

He walked in, she was lying in bed facing away from him, he went over and put a hand on her shoulder and again she shrugged him off.

"What is wrong, Dee?" Frank asked. "You hurting?"

"No," she said simply then got quiet again.

"Then what is it, Baby? You're upset I know that. Tell me, Angel, please," Frank pleaded.

"It's nothing Frank, I don't want to talk about it right now," she said trying not to cry, but refusing to even turn in his direction.

Frank moved back from her, "Michael was right," Frank sighed. "You wanted me when you needed me now you're feeling better so I'm done, is that it?"

"No Frank that's not it, I just don't understand how you could do that to me," she said her voice filled with emotion "How could you?" she asked.

"Do what to you?" Frank asked honestly confused now. "What did I do?"

"Who is Jordy, Frank?" she asked.

"What?" Frank asked caught off guard. "Where did you hear that name?"

"You called me that the day you were took to the hospital, you were talking out of your head, you called me Jordy and said you couldn't do this to Denise! Now who is she?" she asked getting angry.

"She's a friend, a colleague I worked with in Iraq," Frank replied. "She's smart, powerful, and pretty; she's a lot like you. One day we had lunch together and talked about love and vows and commitment, we argued and I lost my temper. She offered to make coffee for me, real US coffee and I went to her quarters just to clear the air. She kissed me and I let her but it didn't go farther than that."

"That bull Frank, if it didn't go any further why did you try to hide it from me," she asked now in tears.

"I was ashamed, and I know how my heart hurt when I found out about you and that guy and I couldn't let you feel that much pain. I just couldn't do it," Frank said getting off the bed.

She started sobbing. "How could you do that to me Frank, I know I hurt you, but at least I was honest with you, I admitted what I did, but you hid it from me, that's what hurts more than anything," she said.

"Oh come off it, Denise," Frank said his temper getting the best of him. "A kiss in her barracks is nothing compared to a weekend romp in the hay with a double amputee, Dee, my God! Was he the only one or have there been others? Maybe this latest mess we're in is a result of your "free love" lifestyle and not that damned attack!"

Denise was extremely hurt now, she turned around quickly. "Yes, Frank he was the only one, I swear on my life he was the only one, I didn't get this from being careless Frank! I was brutally attacked, now I am going to die, but you know what, it isn't your problem, I am going to go stay with Roxy starting tomorrow so you won't have with the slut anymore, because apparently that's all I am to you!" she yelled.

"Why wait?" he asked bluntly. "You said today was a good day, pack your things and go."

"Fine," she said and got up, ignoring the pain shooting through her legs back and neck, she went to the closet and got her suitcase down and began packing.

Denise was gone for about three hours when Jeremy came home. His father was drinking a beer on the sofa staring at a picture of the three of them the day he was born with silent tears running down his cheeks.

"Dad, what's wrong? Where is mom? Is she okay?" Jeremy asked walking over to sit beside Frank.

"I don't know if she's okay, she at the LeBlanc's," Frank replied. "I have no idea if she's okay; part of me doesn't even care."

"Dad, you don't mean that, what happened? You to have a fight?" he asked trying to get to the bottom of this.

"You could say that," Frank sighed and leaned back. "She knows about Major Davis and didn't believe that nothing happened."

"How did she find out?" he asked.

"I told her that day we went to the hospital," Frank frowned. "Then, well, it really hit the fan."

Jeremy sighed, "I'm sure she knows nothing happened she is just upset, and so are you, you need to go over there, talk to her and work things out."

"There's no working this out, not after the things I said," Frank took a sip of his beer. "No, I lost my temper, we have that in common you and me and it is almost always destructive."

"Dad, she will forgive you, she loves you, and I know you still love her," he said trying to convince his dad to go make things right.

"I do love her, that's why it hurts so damned much to know she...When I married her she was a virgin, but some other things had happened to her so her nerves on our wedding night were more than just jitters, I promised her I'd never let another man touch her, I never thought for a second she'd want one to do it," Frank sighed. "And she did she had an affair and that hurts, that really hurts."

"I know dad and you have every right to be hurt, but you can't let this go, you both love each other, you need to work things out," he said.

"Get's worse," Frank said. "Before she left I...I said she probably got the HIV from screwing around with other men and not from the attack. She'll never forgive me for that, she'll forgve those bastards that raped her before she'll forgive that. Can't be saved, not after that."

"Dad, how could you say that?"he asked him shocked "Okay, we can fix this, go over there apologize, tell you love her, doo everything you can to make things right" he added

Frank shook his head, "Can't do that Jeremy. I just don't have it in me anymore. I'm so sorry, Son. I'm so sorry."

"Alright dad," he said getting up and walking out the door.

Jeremy drove around for awhile collecting his thoughts. His parents had to be together, they had to be, one could not exist without the other, and he knew that. Finally he knew it was time to man up and take charge, if his folks weren't going to fight for their family, he would. He knocked on the LeBlanc's door and waited.

Roxy came to the door. "Jeremy, hey, you heard about what happened?" she asked moving aside to let him in.

"Yeah, Dad's pretty tore up over it," Jeremy sighed. "How's my mom?"

"Not good, she is in the guest room she won't stop crying, she keeps saying you dad is right and she is a slut," she told him.

"Other than that, though?" Jeremy asked.

"She is okay, I think she is in pain, but not too bad," she replied.

"Let me go see her. Dad feels terrible but he doesn't think she'll forgive him for what he said," Jeremy told her. "Thanks for helping her."

"No problem, go on in," she said motioning toward the guest bedroom.

Jeremy went to his mother; she was crying into the pillow she had been clinging to like a lifeline. Jeremy sat next to her and stroked her hair, "Mom? Mom, it's okay. It'll be okay."

"No Jeremy it won't," she cried "He called me a whore, Jeremy."

"He was hurt, Mom," Jeremy soothed. "He didn't mean it, you know he has a temper, he just lost it that's all. If he hates anyone right now it's himself."

"Then why isn't he here, why did you have to come in his place?"she asked

"He's lost his fight," Jeremy replied. "He's surrendered. Just keeps saying he doesn't have it in him anymore."

"See, he gave up on me, he doesn't love me anymore," she cried.

"He gave up on himself because he loves you too much," Jeremy corrected. "He's in a lot of pain and he's held it all in for you. He doesn't think what he said is forgivable, he's put himself one level below those animals that attacked you. It hurts me to see you both in so much pain and I don't know how to fix it. How do I fix this, Mom?"

"You can't, he and I have to work through this, but we can't until he comes here and talk to me, but do me a favor okay," she said.

"What?" he asked hugging her.

"Go home and tell your father I said he is nothing like those animals, he is better than them no matter what, and tell him I love him," she said.

"Why don't you come home with me? You can tell him, it's you he needs," Jeremy suggested. "Just like he's what you need."

"What if he doesn't want me there, he told me to leave" she asked, afraid he would push her away.

"He didn't' mean it, and if he did I'll bring you back here," Jeremy offered. "But he won't turn you away, just like you didn't turn me away after what I did. Come on."

She sighed. "Okay," she said nervously and got up off the bed.

Jeremy drove Denise home, "I'm going to wait outside."

"Okay," she said and got out of the truck and made her way nervously to the door, she knocked and took a deep breath.

Frank didn't come to the door, he didn't care who was on the other side of it. He just sat.

Again she knocked

Again he ignored it and went to their bedroom. His body was still sore from the battering it took and his heart ached. They'd go away, nothing mattered anymore anyway. Not to him.