Chapter 50
"Lie down and try to relax, and I'll help Tom. Then we can all visit for a bit after we eat if you feel like company," Krystal told her.
"Krys, you won't leave me alone tonight, will you?" Krista asked pitifully.
"No, sweetie, I'll stay as long as you want me here."
Relaxing, Krista lay down and curled up into a fetal position and was asleep before Krystal could leave the room.
In the kitchen Tom was cooking a couple of steaks and baked potatoes. He turned to Krystal, "Would you like to fix a salad? You could pretend the lettuce was my head this time."
"Tom, you don't understand, she still in shock. Once AJ's home she is more likely to come to grips with reality. Yes, I'd rather the police be called and that she would go to the hospital, but we don't always get what we want. I use to fantasize about killing the old bastard. But I couldn't shoot someone facing me. Now, in a Tomcat it's different, you don't have to look into the eyes of the people you are dropping bombs on. Will this nightmare never end?"
"If he's as big a drunk as you both told me, he is, then he'll slip up soon, Krys."
"He's a drunk and he's crazy. Crazy like a fox! He's out there and if he isn't caught soon enough he could come back and rape Kris again!" She was sobbing as Tom took her into his arms.
After drying her tears, Tom asked, "Feel better, my goddess?"
"Yes, my love, I'm also starving. Oh, Kris said that she would eat some soup if I brought it to her."
"Okay, Krys, can do! Are you done destroying the lettuce yet?" he grinned.
Her laughing reply was, "Yep, your head is a green mess of mush!"
A short time later, Tom took the bowl of soup from Krys and a cup of her special calming tea, and took it into Kris. She slowly pulled herself up into a sitting position, as he placed the bed tray over her legs. Kris stared at the food before her and wondered how she would get it down, but then looking at her sleeping babies she forced herself to pick up the spoon and start eating. "Did you two eat?"
"We haven't eaten yet, it is almost ready," he said, and left the room to check on the meal.
As Tom left the room, Krista prayed that the test on Thursday would be negative; she would hate to hand them over daddy's baby. She would have to face that unless she told them of her fears. Then there was the fact that daddy had threatened Krystal. As she was going over and over this in her head the phone rang, but she let it ring. Either Tom, Krys, or the answering machine could get the call; there was no one she wanted to talk to.
AJ, anxious to speak with Krista, dialed his home phone once again. It began to ring and he waited for his wife to answer. "Chegwidden residence."
"Tom, is that you?"
"Yeah, it 's me, you want to talk to Krista?"
"What's going on?"
"We just had dinner."
"Tom, we're been friends for a long time and I know you well enough to know something is wrong. So tell me what's happened."
"I just figured you called to talk to your wife not me," replied Tom in clipped tones.
"Well, then put her on the phone!"
Tom took the portable phone into the bedroom and handed it to Kris, "It's AJ."
Her hand trembling, she took the phone and tried to sound happy, "Hello, Albert."
"Krista, what's going on at home? Tom is acting strangely and earlier you cut us off. I know I checked with the overseas operator. What's happening?"
"I just dropped the phone and I'm missing you," she told him.
"'That still doesn't explain Tom's behavior. I want the truth Krista. We promised we'd never keep secrets from each other, so our love would grow stronger. Please tell me, Darlin'. I love you so much and I'll help to work out whatever's bothering you."
"They're worried about me because I had a nightmare this evening. So stop imaging things and hurry home. I love and miss you, so much."
"I'm just so worried about you with all this artificial insemination and how it's affecting you. If it's giving you such a hard time, then maybe we should tell Tom and Krystal that we're had enough, and it's time to throw in the towel."
To be continued…
