Laws of Motion – Book 2
Written by: Ms. Maggs/Edited by: KJT
Chapter 35
Saturday – September 17, 2005
Becca's House – San Marino, CA
1:34 p.m.
Stirred from slumber by the sound of Becca's familiar laughter, Greg took a moment to get his bearings. "Right," he murmured while staring at the framed photo of Becca and Vartann sitting on the nightstand. His father had dropped him and Becca off at her place, so they could decompress while a cleaning crew worked to get the house in order after the bloody ordeal there that morning.
Tense, and already exhausted from a sleepless night, he had helped himself to one of Becca's Xanax and crashed on the bed next to her to discuss the shocking information she had shared that morning. Checking his watch he realized that he must have dozed in the middle of the conversation.
Figuring his friend was lounging in her home office having phone sex with Vartann, Greg stealthily approached the partially open door separating the bedroom from the study and listened for something juicy he could use to bust the detective upon returning to Vegas.
"Yeah, I just checked, he's out cold. Sorry for cutting you off, but I didn't want him to overhear us."
Now he was certain they would be extra naughty.
"It didn't work, Girlfriend," she lamented while plopping into her red leather office chair. "Bev's stupid suicide plan totally backfired. Hoj told the doctor he didn't want to see her and wrote her a letter instead."
Standing against the wall, Greg wondered who Becca was speaking with now that he knew it wasn't Vartann.
"No, I don't know what the letter said." Becca kicked her spiked heels up on the desk and sighed. "What I do know is that Bev's going to be pissed and blame us. Why? Because I played it too sincere, and you made him feel too damn good about himself. He thinks he doesn't need anyone but you to get by in this world."
"Wh…" Greg's breath caught in his throat.
"Jesus, not again," Becca groaned, "Tawny, I really don't' give a shit that you fell in love with him along the way. You can't keep him. After the babies are born, you have to rip his heart out and scram, so he'll go running back to Bev and let her raise the kids. If you don't, neither of us are going to see the money she promised. I'm in debt up to my eyeballs, and marrying the pauper cop isn't going to help me out." Laughing she admitted, "Okay…okay…I am enjoying the hot sex with my stooge. Ha! And you're stuck in bed with Hoj. Yeah, whatever…you're not going to convince me he's a god in the sack. No, I'm not just jealous because he didn't do me in the poolhouse…well, maybe a little," she cackled. "Okay, a lot. I still can't believe Hoj has two inches on Tony! If I had known that I would have told Bev to go to hell and bagged him for myself years ago."
Greg gripped the doorframe to keep from falling to his knees.
"Blondie, if you don't fix this, then I'm making you pay off my debt, because I know you got a shitload of cash from your last scheme with the Texan, you little con artist. Don't even think about denying it because Bev said she hired you because you…" Whipping her head around, Becca said, "Hold on…I heard something. He might be waking up."
Too heartbroken to handle a confrontation, Greg ran for the bedroom door, but halfway there he tripped over one of Becca's shoes and came crashing to the ground.
"Hoj…" Becca loomed over him smiling, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he squeaked.
Her voice deepening she prodded, "Hoj…come on, we have seventeen years of history, you can tell me anything."
"I'm uh…I'm just a little freaked," he panted while staring at his duplicitous friend and the cell phone on which she had been conversing with his scammer wife. "I had a nightmare and…"
"You're having a nightmare." Grabbing onto his arm, Becca yanked hard, "It's time to wake up, Hoj!"
"Let go of me!" When Greg jerked backwards he sent them both flying off the bed.
"Dammit!" Becca rubbed the back of her head where she had banged it against the nightstand. "That hurt." Staring at him as he sat against the bed breathing hard, she said, "You weren't kidding when you said you have scary-ass nightmares. Watching you flip out had me totally freaked."
"You weren't talking to Tawny just now, were you?" Greg queried, sure it wasn't real, but still panicked. "Were you!"
"No! I was sleeping right next to you, until you whapped me in the face and started screaming." Pointing at the television she said, "You wanted to watch a soap opera to prove our lives weren't melodramatic. Remember? It was just like old times… taking drugs, chilling out, watching stupid shit on TV and making fun of the show."
"Right." His eyes focused on the TV screen. "That's right, I remember now." Calm again, he smiled, "The blonde chick wanted to trap the rich guy by getting pregnant."
"But we found out today that the rich guy is sterile." Becca cackled. "I think it's the bartender's baby. That chick is screwed. When are people going to learn that duplicitous shit like that doesn't work?"
"I love how you talk about crazy schemes like you've never been a part of one." Greg took another steadying breath. "Your Xanax really helped me chill out…not."
"I told you we should have stopped for some Mary Jane on the way back here."
"Yeah, my dad didn't seem too keen on the idea for some reason." Greg laughed to further the levity he was using to avoid insanity. "I thought that the three of us getting arrested for drug possession would have rounded out the day very nicely."
"Wow." Standing up, Becca rubbed the bump forming on her head. "I never thought you'd be rough in bed, Hoj."
Greg stood next to his friend of seventeen years and chuckled, "You know the roughest sex I've ever had was in college when Elsie Randall laughed her ass off at me after my sex fumble…yep, it's official…it still hurts every time I think about it."
"Ugh, that bitch, I hated her even before she mocked your love making skills…or lack of them. You know, I never told you this, but," Becca covered her laugh, "when she started dating that guy Stefen…I told him she had genital herpes."
"Is that why he dumped her!" Greg exclaimed, having always wondered my Elise's dream man spontaneously dropped her.
"Yep," Becca proudly replied. "Does that make up for the bad stuff I've done?"
"Not even close, but it's a great start," he affirmed before turning serious again. "Becks, I know your head was just as messed up as mine when you were thirteen. My mom took advantage of that and you going along with her plan because you wanted the things your mother wouldn't give you is totally understandable, but this recent stuff…the drugging…the things you've said about Tawny." He shook his head. "It's going to take some time and some work on your part for me to get past that. I gave you another chance because in spite of everything, you saved my life by being my friend that first year after my suicide attempt, and even though I know now that it started out because my mom arranged it, I know it was real after a while."
"It was," she tearfully admitted. "Thank you for not abandoning me like every other guy I've ever loved. Not that some of them didn't have great reasons for running away from me and not looking back."
"Your dad didn't have a good reason," Greg softly replied while pulling her close. "And if you change your ways, I know Tony won't leave you either, because he's a stand-up guy, but you can't pull the shit you've been known to pull from time to time. I'm serious, Becks…you can still be bitchy, because Tony can be a real ass, but the diva and the schemer in you need to go."
"I know." Sinking into Greg's embrace she watched her tears stain his shirt.
"You're doing great though. You're taking your meds, you're starting therapy, you've been a good, honest friend." Hugging her tight he bestowed a little Tawny-like enthusiasm. "I can totally see you living happily ever after this time, and I can see you playing the role of aunt to my girls."
"Really?" Wiping her tears she asked, "You'll let me influence your daughters?"
"Uh, maybe I need to rethink that last one," he chuckled while pulling his ringing cell phone from his pocket. "It's Tawny."
"Still planning on keeping her in the dark until you're home?"
"Yep." He was too worried the news would make her fly out against doctor's orders and cause her to lose the babies. "How's it going, Princess? We're busy packing up here."
Nick and Carrie's House
2:01 p.m.
"Time to unpack!" Carrie excitedly announced to her fiancé, brother and father once the movers were gone. It was still hard to believe the beautiful house and the man she'd be sharing it with weren't just parts of a fantastic dream.
"Time to shop too," Nick commented as he looked around the great room. "It seemed like we had a ton of stuff when we were livin' in a fourteen-hundred square foot apartment, but we've got five thousand square feet now and it's barely filled."
Paul laughed at the newbie. "Welcome to one of the many joys of home ownership. You have a blank space, so you buy a couch…then your wife realizes the old carpet looks dull next to the new couch, so you get new carpeting, but then the curtains look blah. You get new curtains and the room is perfect, unfortunately that makes all the other rooms look dated, so you save money to fix up the next room, but right before you start, the air conditioning blows and your savings account is emptied fixing that. Do I sound jaded?"
"Yes, Son, you do. Stop raining on your sister's parade and giving Nick an ulcer." As Ken thought back to his first home a smile crested on his face. "Caroline, you're a spitting image of your mother on our moving day. I think our first house was a tenth of this place, but it didn't matter, to her it was the Wrigley Mansion. I remember watching her zip from room to room planning what it would look like…talking about the curtains she could make. It was a great day," he summarized, feeling the memories stir his emotions a little too deeply. "I'm sure she's enjoying every minute of this as she's looking down." He clung to the hope that she was because the smile on his daughter's face would have brought his wife such tears of joy.
Hugging her father, Carrie sniffled, "I'm sure she is enjoying it, Daddy, especially all the ridiculous banter. I bet she laughed her butt off watching you three carry me across the threshold."
"I know you and Nick will be very happy here," Ken affirmed while looking at his future son-in-law. "If not, just let me know and I'll run the Texan out of town with my twelve gauge."
Paul stood on the other side of his sister to stare down his future brother-in-law. "I'll bring the tar and feathers."
"Don't you worry." Carrie stood there patting her belly and smiling. "Nicky promised to do right by me."
Staring at the three Blakes, Nick chuckled, "Y'all are pretty good at the redneck thing for a bunch of liberal Californians."
"I hooked up your TVs and stereo, Uncle Nick," Sean proudly boasted as he hurried into the room. "May I play a CD? Because I'd like to see how it sounds to have music piped into every room in the house and the yard."
"Yeah, go for it." Nick surveyed the area then said, "My CDs are in that box next to the fireplace. Play somethin' Country in honor of the Hillbilly Blake Clan."
"Where's your brother?" Carrie asked when she realized she hadn't seen Ryan in a while.
"Dad gave him a black trash bag and said he couldn't come back inside until it's full of hand picked weeds."
Paul shrugged, "The house was professionally cleaned, so I had to think of some way to make him work until it was time to unpack. I'll go tell him we're ready to empty the boxes."
"He can unload all my book boxes that were in storage and shelve them in the proper order," Carrie suggested. "I pre-made a chart of how they should go and it's self-explanatory. That will take a while."
Paul laughed in Nick's direction. "A pre-made chart of how the books should be shelved? I can't wait to see how anal she is hanging pictures. Stokes…you're destined to suffer at my Type-A sister's hands for the rest of your life."
Slipping his arms around Carrie, Nick pecked her cheek and replied, "I can't think of a better way I'd like to spend it." Leaning in for a proper kiss he whispered, "Here's to forever together, Sweetheart."
The Sanders Home
2:17 p.m.
It was supposed to last forever, but one week ago Scott Sanders realized his marriage wouldn't be making it that far.
After an initial round of fiery anger, he fell into a haze of shock and denial and sought comfort in the tasks at hand, whether it be making his boy pancakes for breakfast, tending to Tawny while she was on bed rest, or filing divorce papers. Feeling loved, useful and appreciated, he even convinced himself that his new life without Bev wouldn't be that different, and for seven days Scott had managed to keep his mind in the present and his emotions in check.
Walking into the house he had shared with his wife for thirty-five years and seeing a bloody graduation photo of Greg, his streak promptly ended.
In the center of the blood spattered living room, Scott fell to his knees and released the tortured wail trapped inside. The one he had been hiding from Greg as well as himself. A sob full of pain, guilt and remorse. A sob fueled by questions that were moot …why didn't I figure it out…how could I let it go on for so long…what made her love him more than me…where did I go wrong?
Eventually, when he ran out of tears, Scott once again became aware of his surroundings and discovered he was curled up on the floor clutching Greg's bloody photo. "Your life is mapped out," he said in a voice thick with phlegm. "Where do I go from here? How do I go from waking up with the same person for thirty-five years to going it alone for the rest of my life?"
Rolling onto his back, Scott stared at the white ceiling until it blurred. "This wasn't supposed to happen." In shock no more, reality set in with a vengeance…his life with the only woman he had ever loved, in the home he had lived in with her for decades, was no more.
The Grissom Cabin
2:30 p.m.
Holding his wife as they stood staring at the infamous repaired drinking glass they just placed on the mantel, Gil whispered, "You came here to escape a bad memory, but we're going to make a lifetime of happy memories here." Sliding his palm over her womb, he added, "Family memories."
Relaxing against his chest Sara teasingly replied, "If only Flash had licked your butt crack here instead of at the no-tell motel last night."
"Haven't we exceeded the statute of limitations on that yet?"
"Are you kidding?" she laughed. "I have twenty jokes still in the hopper."
Stepping out of the embrace he eyed her with disdain. "Just remember…since it happened at a no-tell motel, you can't tell your gal pals during your next chick chat."
"Come on, let's bring in our stuff." Sara headed for the door. "The quicker we unpack, the sooner I'll get to kick your ass at Scrabble."
Glancing over at Flash who was sprawled on the plush rug in front of the fire place Gil asked, "Do you think he'll run out if we leave the door open?"
"You think he runs?" Sara made a beeline for her SUV. "Running is what you'll be wanting to do when I'm kicking your ass at Scrabble."
"Keep talking smack," Gil encouraged while grabbing the first box from the back. "The more you talk yourself up, the harder you'll fall."
Nick and Carrie's House
2:41 p.m.
"Whoa!" Losing his balance, Ryan fell backwards off the step ladder, crashing into a pile of empty cardboard boxes. "Shit."
"Hey!" Sean shook his head. "Watch your mouth!"
Pulling himself to his feet Ryan snipped, "Unbelievable. You're more worried about me cursing than if I'm okay?" He screamed, "I'm fine by the way!"
"Sorry."
"I'll let you make it up to me." Rubbing his back, Ryan said, "Since I'm banned from touching the stereo for putting on gangsta rap, could you go put something new on? This old people country music sucks."
"It's Patsy Cline," Sean informed his tasteless bother. "She's a legend. Mom loves her." He had fond memories of his mother singing him the songs when he was younger.
"Newsflash…Mom's old, which was my point." Returning to the ladder Ryan groaned, "Uncle Nick has lost some serious cool points for having that CD in his collection. Pick Brooks & Dunn or Trace Adkins."
"Okay." Leaving his aunt's office, Sean headed for the family room, where he had shelved all of the CDs next to the main stereo unit that piped the music through the house and grounds.
While looking for his brother's requests, Sean recognized one of the CD covers from Sunday School the previous week. Tami Carlin, one of the high school helpers, had played a song by Big & Rich called Holy Water. "That's perfect," he said with a smile as he pulled the Horse of a Different Color CD from the shelf.
After forwarding to song six, he hurried out of the room.
By the time Sean reached the living room where his grandfather and dad were hanging a decorative mirror, he saw the song had already tugged on their heartstrings.
"I need some water," Ken remarked, while lowering his side of the mirror. "This song…"
"That's just how I used to feel about Carrie," Paul finished.
"Exactly."
When he found Carrie in the backyard staring at the swimming pool, Nick slipped his hand in hers "Hey there, wanna dance?" he tenderly asked, knowing exactly what she was thinking as she stared at the water.
"That's just how I used to feel," Carrie whispered as they swayed in time with the music, "and then I met you."
"I love you, Sweetheart," Nick's smile spread when he out of the corner of his eye that Ken was watching the tender moment from the kitchen window. "Change the she's to he's in this next verse and it's about you saving me."
From across the room, Sean watched his grandfather and when he saw a tear slip down the man's cheeks, the teen knew his plan had worked even better than he imagined. Seeing Carrie in Nick's loving arms while the bittersweet song played had made his grandfather finally see that Nick was the perfect guy. "Grandpa…I know that making a baby is the ultimate act of love between two people and it's wrong to make one before they're married..."
"I'm glad someone in this day and age still does," Ken quietly replied.
"After Nick almost died, I think he and Aunt Carrie realized how much they loved each other and got a little too excited," Sean softly said as he came to stand at the window. "I read in a book once that everyone has someone they're meant to be with…they're called soulmates. That's what I think Nick and Aunt Carrie are. I really like the soulmate idea, because it means even someone unpopular like me has a girl out there to love when the time comes."
Wiping his tears, Ken nodded. "Don't worry…I have a feeling the young ladies will be lining up at your door one day, Sean."
"Thanks, Grandpa." Looking him the eyes the teen shared, "I know about the terrible thing that happened to Aunt Carrie when she was a little girl. She and I talked about it at length the other day. So, even though she's breaking the rules by living with Nick and making a baby before taking wedding vows…I'm really happy she's happy, because I know she used to be really sad and lonely."
"I'm happy she's happy too, Sean." Ken hugged his grandson. "I know I've said some stuff around the house that makes it seem like I'm not happy…a lot of stuff." He sighed. "Sometimes grown ups get a little too hung up on the rules and forget what's really important. Thank you for reminding me."
"You're welcome." When the special song Sean had selected abruptly changed to a cowboy singing acapella notes he stared at the wall speaker. "Huh?"
After forwarding to song nine, Ryan blasted the volume. "Oh, yeah…this is more like it."
In the backyard, Nick stopped dancing, "Ugh, your father's gonna love this. The CD player must have been set to random, because this isn't the song after Holy Water."
"Hey, Uncle Nick!" Ryan yelled from the open family room window. "It's your theme song! Save a horse, ride a cowboy!"
"You played this on purpose, didn't you!" Nick blasted the teen, and when he saw Ryan nod, he took off. "You better run, Boy!
Big Sky Ranch
Flagstaff, AZ
3:07 p.m.
Leaning against the wood fence sporting her new red cowboy boots, Ellie flirtatiously asked, "Watcha lookin' at, Cowboy Ren?" They were waiting for her father to return from the restroom. "Hmm?"
"The spider on your head."
"What!"
When her eyes popped wide, Ren calmly said, "I was debating if I should smush it or flick it."
"Flick! Definitely flick!" Standing still she watched him bring his hand to the top of her head. "Do it already!"
He narrowed his gaze. "Thing is…I'm worried it might be poisonous and now I don't want to touch it."
"What!" she panicked. "So you're just going to let the poisonous beast sit there!" When he cracked up in front of her, Ellie yelled, "It's not funny! It's not funny at all!"
"Yeah, it is, because there's no spider…never was one," he told her while patting the top of her head. "I was just havin' some fun with ya while we were waitin' on your daddy."
"That's not funny!" Grabbing the black cowboy hat from his head, Ellie used it to beat him. "I hate spiders! You're not allowed to pick on the inmates!"
"You're not here with your group, you're here with your father," he pointed out while rescuing his hat. "The whole point of a day pass is to help prepare you for transition back into regular life." Returning his Stetson to his head Ren said, "In regular life, people play pranks, don't they?"
"You're weird."
"Me? I beg to differ since you're the one who had four different colors in her hair until today."
Ellie's most mischievous smile appeared. "You noticed I had my hair done."
"Who wouldn't? It's normal now."
"No." She wiggled her brows. "You noticed, noticed because you're crushin' on me, Cowboy. You want to go out with me."
"Sorry." He tipped his hat. "It would be unethical to date someone in the equine therapy program, so I'll have to turn you down."
"What!" She laughed from the belly. "I didn't ask you out."
"Yes you did," he corrected. "You said…you want to go out with me?"
"I didn't raise my voice at the end to make it a question. It was a statement. I said…you want to go out with me." Pointing to the corral Ellie said, "We better keep it down, or your sheep girlfriend will get jealous."
"Sheep love jokes are so unoriginal."
Upon approach Jim yelled, "I feel like an ass!" Then he saw a donkey. "No offense. Hey…do you know Mr. Peebles?"
"Daddy?" Ellie was certain he was losing his mind. "What's with the Roy Rodgers get up?" He was wearing a goofy patriotic cowboy shirt and big white hat. "It looks like the American Flag threw up on you."
"I'm taking my little girl horseback riding and I thought I'd look the part." Smoothing his hands over the stars and stripes shirt, Jim chuckled. "I bought it in the gift shop. It's supposed to make you laugh."
"It's making me wish we went for ice cream instead."
The Blakes
3:54 p.m.
Sitting on the couch in front of her ballet students, Tawny paused the CD player. "That was much better, girls! Are you ready for ice cream? You've earned it."
The ring of the doorbell sent the ballerinas to the window.
"It's my daddy! We can do our dance for him!" Cassie cheered as she hurried to open the door. "Daddy!"
"Howdy, girls," Drew sweetly greeted the giddy playmates. "Are you best friends now?"
"Yep!" McKenna confirmed. "She's gonna be in my kindergarten class on Monday."
"I know, that's why your mommies wanted you to play together." Drew took his tutu-wearing daughter's hand and spun her around. "Were y'all dancin'?"
"Miss Tawny taught us!" Cassie told her father while tugging his hand. "Come meet her, she's really fun!"
"Hi, there." Waving at her ex-lover Tawny pretended to be a stranger for his daughter's sake. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Stokes."
"Drew…please call me, Drew." Flashing his killer smile, he went along with the ruse and extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tawny." Although it was the last thing he wanted, when their hands met, the old spark was there. "Uh…" He stammered, "I've uh…heard a lot about you from my brother and his fiancée, Carrie."
"Dance time!" McKenna announced while grabbing her friend's hand. "Places!"
"Daddy, sit on the couch and watch us." Cassie placed her palms on his stomach and pushed him next to Tawny. "Don't forget to clap loud at the end."
While pressing play, Tawny assured Drew, "I taught her ballet, in case you were worried there was a pole involved."
"I wasn't worried," he chuckled while watching the girls. "So, uh…are you feelin' good? No cramping or…"
"I'm great."
"Good. Yeah, my sister told me not to worry." Smiling at his daughter he tenderly whispered, "I would have hated myself if something happened after the test."
"I appreciate that." With her right hand she signaled her students to spin when they forgot what to do. "I've been sleeping much better now that we know the truth."
"Yeah." The handshake still on his mind, Drew anxiously asked, "When we shook hands just now, did you feel anything?"
"Like a twinge?"
He kept his eyes locked on his daughter. "Yeah."
"Nope."
"Good, me either."
"Yes, you did."
"It doesn't mean anything," he laughed. "We were bein' sneaky about not knowing each other, that's why there was a twinge."
"I know. I'm just making you squirm." Tawny beamed with pride at her students. "Leap…and jump…and pose! Awesome! Take a bow, ladies."
"Brava! That was fantastic!" Drew clapped for the giggling girls as they rushed to hug their teacher. "Miss Tawny taught you all that in one afternoon?" Seeing Cassie in his ex-lover's arms was bizarre. "Don't forget to say thank you."
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome, girls." Tawny pointed toward the backdoor. "Kenna, take Cassie out back with you and tell your mommy that your playdate is coming to a close."
Holding hands, the new best friends darted off.
Catching Tawny's eyes, Drew confessed in a husky whisper, "I lied the other day."
"You lied to me?" Tawny groaned, "About what?"
"No, I lied to myself. About this…" Placing his palm on her belly, he explained, "I wouldn't have been able to walk away if they were mine. I said I would if that's what you and Greg wanted, but Nicky called me on it, and seein' you in mommy mode just now…I know he was right. I love my kids and I would have loved my kids with you just as much as my kids with Lissa. I would have wanted it all, Tawny…to be there when they were born…to write my name on the birth certificate…to spend time together." He shivered at the thought. "Lissa wouldn't have handled it well."
"Greg would have felt displaced."
"Thank God we dodged that bullet." After patting Tawny's belly, Drew removed his hand, sighing with relief that the babies were still safely inside her womb and that they weren't his.
"Ecstasy and unprotected sex in public?" Tawny rolled her eyes. "What the hell was wrong with us that night?"
"I think I was hallucinatin' I was still in school."
Shaking her head at their stupidity Tawny remarked, "God really does protect fools and little children…he spared us and the babies."
"Those photos…holy hell, we looked like porn stars." He could laugh now that the worst hadn't happened.
Glancing over she chuckled with him, "I was making the funniest face."
"I don't think anyone was lookin' at your face."
"You're right," she deadpanned, "I'm sure they were checking out my hair."
"Uh huh."
Stepping over to the couch with the girls, Wendy cleared her throat to announce her presence to the laughing duo. "Sorry I took so long." If her husband ever had an affair, she couldn't imagine tolerating his ex-lover laughing with him cozied up on the couch. In all honesty, she couldn't imagine tolerating his ex-lover living in the same state…or allowing Paul to continue breathing. "Nice to see you again, Drew."
"You too." Standing up, Drew smiled. "Thanks for havin' Cassie over to play. She's been missin' her friends and havin' a house, so this is real nice for her." Sniffing hard he said, "That smell…is that your famous banana bread I've heard people talkin' about?"
The Grissoms Cabin
4:12 p.m.
When Gil stepped onto the front porch he had a basket covered in a cloth napkin. "I warmed up a few slices of the banana bread Wendy put in your birthday basket." Placing it on the table where his wife was setting up Scrabble, Gil smirked. "I thought you'd need a little energy food to keep up with me while we play."
"I'm in the zone, thank you very much," Sara snagged a slice, "but the baby appreciates the snack."
Next he tossed two milkbones on the blanket Sara had fluffed for Flash and placed on the floor. "There you go, Boy." Gil pointed. "Settle in and watch your mommy lose the match and her dignity."
"Your daddy's delusional," Sara informed the basset hound as he waddled over to the soft blanket and plopped down to enjoy his snack.
"Pick a tile to see who goes first." Gil held open the bag.
"O"
"A" Gil flashed a pleasant smile. "The gentleman goes first." With flair he proceeded to select another six tiles and then handed over the bag.
"Thank you." Ignoring her husband's play, Sara studied her letters.
"C-I-BLANK-A-D-A-E," Gil announced. "That's an insect you know. Think how many you don't know. It's so easy to make them up too."
"An unnatural bingo on the opening play," Sara nodded with approval. "Nice. That's sixty-eight points."
"An unnatural bingo?"
"It's Scrabble lingo for using all seven tiles with at least one being blank."
"Ah." Gil reached into the bag to replenish his supply. "Did you study up for this occasion?"
Sara answered while placing all seven of her tiles down. "Yep and here's what I learned, D-O-G-S-B-O-D-Y."
"Dogsbody?" Gil burst out laughing. "Did Flash help you with that one?"
"Nope." Sara calculated her points. "Look at that…sixty-eight. We're tied."
"I challenge." Her nonchalance was a dead giveaway.
"Okay." Sara handed over their new Scrabble Players Dictionary. "That's the same one the National Scrabble Association uses in tournaments."
"A menial worker?" Gil read in surprise. "I didn't know that."
"It was the NSA Word of the Day on Thursday. They put up a new one on their website daily." With pride Sara informed her opponent, "I surfed and studied every NSA Word of the Day from the last three months while you were working late the other night. I also watched, Word Wars, it's a documentary on the nation's top Scrabble players. It was fascinating."
"Sneak."
"I prefer Master Strategist, thanks." Cracking her knuckles Sara declared, "Be prepared, I'm about to do some serious damage to your ego." Her grin expanded when she saw she already had another bingo with her new letters. "Do you want Flash to go inside so he doesn't see you getting ass-whooped…because we know how much he cares about your ass?"
"No, thank you, Honey," he said with irritation while she entered a big fat zero for his lost turn.
"Oooh…you said that rather G-R-U-M-P-I-L-Y." She played off the 'I' in cicadae. "Bingo! Both the M and the Y are on triple spaces…and with my bonus fifty, it's eighty total!" Picking up the basket of banana bread Sara suggested, "Here…I think you'll be the one needing extra energy."
He grabbed a slice and bit it hard.
"To review," Sara cheerily said, "You have sixty-eight and I have a whopping one hundred and forty-eight." Sitting back, she sipped her lemonade. "Your turn, Dear."
"B-I-T-C-H-Y," Gil spelled off the 'y' in 'dogsbody. "Can you guess where my inspiration came from, Honey?"
"Oh yeah, the claws are out."
The Brown/Willows Household
4:30 p.m.
"I'm home for my break!" Catherine yelled into the seemingly empty house as she tossed her keys on the entry table. "Hello?" Since Warrick's truck was in the driveway, she figured they were out back. "I guess asking if you missed me is out."
Heading into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, Catherine saw a bag of Friskies on the counter. "Cat food?" Suddenly her daughter's laugh pierced the air. "Linds?" Catherine left her water bottle on the counter and headed down the hallway and into her daughter's room. "Hey, why is there cat food on the…who's cat is that?"
"Mine." Her smile filled the room.
Hands on her hips, Catherine snapped, "What! I never said you could get a cat."
"I know you didn't." Lindsay nuzzled Pinto and released the comeback she had been waiting to launch for hours. "My daddy said I could."
"Warrick!"
Lindsay spoke to her feline friend. "I think Mommy and Daddy are going to argue."
"Warrick!" Catherine upped her volume.
"Hey, Baby." Warrick entered the room wearing only damp swim trunks. "I was cleaning the pool and didn't know you were here until I heard you call me." When he leaned to kiss her, his significant other pressed her palm to his mouth instead of her lips. "Uh oh."
"You gave Lindsay permission to get a cat?"
"Yeah." He cracked his brightest smile. "Check it out…it was Lindsay's idea, but I couldn't say no when she told me she wanted to adopt a cat because she was being adopted. You know…she wanted to give something back, now that she got her wish fulfilled."
"Aww." Catherine brought her palms to her cheeks. Then she narrowed her eyes. "I'm not buying it. She's wanted a cat for years. The cat goes back."
"What!" Lindsay clutched the kitty tighter. "The volunteer lady at the shelter said my 'adopting a cat because I was adopted' was the sweetest story she ever heard!"
"She volunteers in a shelter, Lindsay," Catherine bellowed, "of course she has a bleeding heart. Me? Not so much. We don't do pets. It needs to go."
"It's two votes to one," Lindsay reminded her pet-leery mother. "Dad and I love the cat because it's black and white, just like us."
"Oh!" Catherine laughed her ass off. "Unbelievable! You're playing the race card to get sympathy? What's next? Is the cat gay?"
TV3 – Dallas, TX
4:45 p.m.
Sitting in the station manager's office, Ana Silva continued to plead her case. "Mr. Barnett, I'm telling you, I have proof that Nick Stokes is gay and his partner is Greg Sanders. They snowed everyone at the press conference. That pregnancy slip by Carrie Blake wasn't an accident, it was a tactical maneuver to prop Stokes as a straight man! Just like all the outrageous womanizing. All you have to do is hire me and the story is yours."
News veteran Kevin Barnett replied, "You expect me to believe you, when you just got fired from KTBC in Vegas for not fact checking a story before taking it live."
"I learned my lesson! I'm a serious journalist, Mr. Bartnett!" Ana hoisted her skirt a little higher to make sure she was heard. "I have photos…witnesses on record." Grabbing her briefcase, she snatched one of the more scandalous pictures and held it up. "The love between the two of them is undeniable." Softening her voice she said, "It's sad that they're forced to live a secret life due to Mr.Stokes's father being such a conservative Republican."
"Holy shit." Kevin grabbed the photo. "This was taken in a gay bar in Vegas?"
"Yep, and I have multiple witnesses who had plenty to say about the lovers that night."
"Justice Stokes just blasted gay marriage a few weeks ago." Sitting back Kevin released a joyous laugh. "The Dallas activists are going to love this story when it breaks."
"So, I'm in!" Ana rejoiced.
"As a consultant on a special report to start and we'll see how it goes."
"You won't be sorry!
The Grissom Cabin
5:00 p.m.
"I bet you're sorry you were so smug." Basking in her victory, Sara raised her lemonade glass. "Here's to me winning by two hundred points. Did you hear that Flash?" she chuckled. "Mommy's smarter than Daddy."
"I have one word for you, Honey." Gil started bagging the tiles. "Rematch."
"Okay…" she grinned wildly. "If you really think it will make you feel better to lose twice."
Shaking the bag of tiles Gil replied, "If I didn't know you were pregnant, I'd swear you were high."
Becca's House
5:04 p.m.
"Wait! Don't hang up! Mushrooms!" Greg yelled as he stumbled out of the bathroom. "You forgot the shroomage, Becks!"
Laughing into the phone Becca told the pizzeria worker, "Didn't I say mushrooms already? I know! He doesn't trust me. Actually, he has good reason not to trust me considering some of my behavior." She held up the cordless phone. "Hoj! She wants to talk to you."
Standing there in the boxer shorts he had left behind the last time he had gone swimming at Becca's, Greg asked, "Who is it?"
"The pizza chick." Becca returned the phone to her face. "What was your name? Right! Right." She extended the phone again. "It's Camry."
"Like the car?" Greg cracked up as he took the phone. "This is Corolla, how may I help you, Camry?"
"Ha!" Becca fell back on the bed in stitches.
Camry yelled into the phone. "I got your freakin' mushrooms already, so back off your girlfriend!"
"Whoa!" Greg counseled into the phone. "Have you ever considered enrolling in an anger management course? I'm a recent graduate and it changed my life. Oh, and she's not my girlfriend." Looking at Becca he said, "I'm gay. She's my fag hag."
"How wasted are you?" the pizza girl queried.
"Don't worry, I didn't inhale," Greg jokingly replied. "How long before we get our 'za? My friend will give you and the driver a fifty dollar tip to split if it gets here in less than thirty minutes."
"Twenty-nine minutes, 'Shroom Man."
"Awesome!" Greg clicked off the phone and tossed it on the bed. "Let's go. We've only got twenty-eight minutes to swim."
"What time did your dad say he would pick us up?" Becca asked while he dragged her down the hall.
"He said he wanted to be alone until eight or so." Greg nabbed Becca's Prince Purple Rain CD on the way out to the pool. "Cue up Let's Go Crazy for me."
"Whatever made you pick that one today?" she joked while heading for the pool house. When she reached the door Becca ordered, "Don't follow me in here, Hoj…I have post traumatic stress disorder."
"Leaving!" While his pal headed for the stereo, Greg rounded the pool and climbed on the diving board, proceeding to the edge and bouncing a few times. Seconds later, when his requested song blared out of the area speakers, he sang out "Dearly Belov-ed-lov-ed!"
Becca clapped like a giddy fan girl. "Showtime!" She tossed her cover-up and pranced to the water in her string bikini.
"We are gathered here today to get through this thing called life." He pointed at his pal and fervently continued the wacky lyrics. "Electric word life…it means forever and that's a mighty long time, but I'm here to tell you…there's something else." Reverently he pointed to the heavens. "The afterworld."
"Preach on, Brother Sanders!" As the music kicked up Becca danced around the pool.
"A world of never ending happiness," Greg augmented the lyrics, "Chemically-induced happiness."
"Oh my god, Hoj…you're so wasted." Becca sat on the edge of the pool to watch the concert. "It's about time, because you really needed to chill."
Doing his best Prince impression, Greg finished the intro, "So when you call up that shrink in Beverly Hills…you know the one, Doctor Everything'll Be Alright…instead of asking him how much of your time is left, ask him how much of your mind, Baby! 'Cuz things are much harder than in the afterworld..."
"What about this life!" she coaxed, knowing the lyrics well.
"In this life…you're on your own!" With that he did a perfect cannonball into the water.
"Bravo!" Becca clapped from the edge.
When Greg came up for air, he swam over to a raft and pulled himself on it. "How was I?"
"You really worked it out, dawg!"
"I bet Paula will offer to have my baby and Simon will call it karaoke." Floating across the pool he stared up at the horizon. "What color is the sky in your world, Becks?"
"Bright blue, Baby, bright blue."
"Mine too."
"I hope they don't call you in for random drug testing when you get back to Vegas, Hoj," she said with concern.
"I'm 'no test' for six months because I had to smoke weed on the job to subdue a psycho."
"How convenient." Feeling carefree, she swirled her feet in the water.
As the events of the week rolled around in his mind Greg said, "Besides, I woundn't get in trouble at work anyway…I'm doin' my boss, so he looks out for my ass."
"Tawny doesn't have a problem with you sleeping with Nick?"
Closing his eyes, Greg smiled, "Nah, she's too busy gettin' it on with Carrie."
Nick and Carrie's Kitchen
5:16 p.m.
In her friend's ear Tawny whispered loud enough for Nick to hear, "I'll buy you a pair of designer shoes if you plant a juicy one on my lips in front of your dad."
"Ha!" Carrie nearly dropped the plate of raw burgers she was holding. "Make it a pair of Brian Atwood denim and red tassel sandals and you've got a deal."
"How much are those?"
"Seven hundred."
Tawny laughed at the ridiculous amount. "Waaaaaay too steep for my blood."
Nick reached for his wallet. "I'll buy 'em for you if you kiss Tawny in front of your dad."
Just then Ken walked into the kitchen to say goodbye for the night.
"Daddy," Carrie made sure she had his attention first and then she sweetly pecked Tawny on the cheek.
"Dammit!" Nick exclaimed, realizing he hadn't stipulated it had to be on the lips. "I just lost a bet, Sir," he informed Ken who was puzzled by the outburst. "I have to buy your daughter a pair of ridiculously priced shoes because she outfoxed me…again."
"Nice job, Caroline." Ken hugged his daughter.
"Meat!" Ryan couldn't believe his eyes upon entering the kitchen. "Is that really beef? Or is it some sort of soy crap colored to look like beef."
"It's real dead cow," Carrie confirmed. "You can have two if you'd like."
"Can I live here?" the carnivorous teen pleaded. "You have a bunch of extra bedrooms. Please, I'm so tired of Mom's creative vegetarian cooking."
The Blakes
5:26 p.m.
"Wendy!" Paul hurried through the living room with a dozen perfect red roses and a shopping bag.
"In the kitchen!" she answered while pureeing tomatillos for a new potato and bean enchilada recipe.
"Stop what you're doing," Paul ordered with the roses hidden behind his back. "I realized today that I've been neglecting you romantically. I'm not talking about sex, because we've been doing much better with that lately, but the other stuff…flowers, dinner in a real restaurant with cloth napkins and no kids menu, dancing. I've been so bogged down with work and chores that I've grown lazy in the romance department."
"Uh." Drying her hands on a dishtowel, Wendy curiously waited for more details. "Okay."
Grinning, he placed the vase of roses on the table. "I love you, Honey. The boys are staying at Nick and Carrie's tonight and Dad said he'll watch the girls while I take you out for a romantic night on the town. Here." Paul handed over the shopping bag. "I hope it fits."
Figuring it was lingerie Wendy checked over her shoulder to make sure McKenna hadn't followed her daddy into the room. "Oh," she was stunned to see it was a fancy dress. "Wow!"
"Do you like it?" he anxiously asked, "Carrie surfed the internet and then showed me a few choices to pick from."
"Yes!" Throwing her arms around him. "I'm just worried I'm dreaming."
The Grissom Cabin
5:41 p.m.
Losing by one hundred points, Gil stared at his tile tray of I-I-I-O-E-E-T and willed himself to wake up from what was surely a nightmare.
"If we were playing by regulation time, you'd be in a severe penalty phase by now."
Glancing up from his tiles Gil pointedly asked, "Do you want to make love this weekend?"
"What?"
"Berating me for hours doesn't leave me in an amorous mood, Sara."
Laughing, she said to Flash, "Did you hear that? You better stay away from…" She stopped talking when she saw the dog wasn't on his blanket. "Did Flash go inside?"
"How could he, the door is shut." Gil stood up and whistled. "Flash!"
"Flash!" Sara called out.
"Stay calm." Walking off the patio, Gil said, "You check inside, I'll check around the house."
"Flash!" The worried parent hurried from room to room. "Come on out." After satisfactorily checking all of them she ran back outside. "Anything?" When her husband shook his head, Sara's heart sank. "Gil…what if he went towards the main road?"
Author's Notes:
I hope you enjoyed it and had some favorite parts! I tried to put something in there for everyone to love.
The scene at Nick and Carrie's dancing had song lyrics in between the people changes, so hopefully it wasn't too hard to follow when I had to remove them to post here.
Ana really does show a photo of Greg and Nick that looks VERY incriminating (thanks to the talented Kimber) - it's on the website version if you follow the links to chapter 35.
Thanks to:
KJT for her editing skills. She knew what 'dogsbody' was! She's that good…and it helps to be British because they use it all the time. (It really was the NSA word of the day on 9/15/2005 too)
Next Chapter: The day rolls into a long night for some. Posting: Tuesday 4/11
Thanks,
Maggs