Scott pulled the Jeep over and turned on the interior light so he could read Daniel's incoherent doctor's writing a little bit easier.
"Do you know where you're going?"
"Yes, Lauren, you asked me that an hour ago, and an hour ago, I told you I knew where I was going, and now, an hour later, I still know where I'm going."
"I didn't believe you an hour ago, and I don't believe you now. What time is it?"
"Just past ten."
"Scott, I've got to get out of this car and stretch my legs. The baby certainly is."
"What? Are you all right?"
"Yes, but if your son or daughter was on the outside I'd be black and blue, he's kicking so much."
"Aww, poor thing. Does it hurt?"
"No, it feels strange. It hurts sometimes I guess."
"Can I feel?"
"Will you tell me where we're going?"
"No."
"Then, no."
"Tease."
Scott, in truth, had no idea where he was. According to Daniel's directions, and he used the term lightly, he needed to turn left eleven miles after Augusta. By his calculations, it would only take another hour or so. He'd reset the counter at the exit, so he could keep and eye out for the exit. He should see it any minute, yep, there it was.
The road was rutted and bumpy, but the Jeep handled it pretty well. Well, almost, until. BANG! He heard the noise just before the car skidded out of control and twisted in every direction. Finally, Scott got it under control. When it finally stopped, he set about the task of quieting Lauren who was screaming in the seat next to him.
"It's all right, just a flat tire."
"How did you get a flat like that on the interstate?"
"Easy, we're not on the interstate?"
"Well, why aren't we on the interstate. Take the blindfold off of me Guber?"
"Lauren?" he asked, removing the blindfold, "Do you have any idea where we are?"
"Not a clue. The middle of nowhere. Where are we supposed to be?"
"Your family's cabin."
"The cabin? Scott, this isn't the road to the cabin. I don't no where this road goes."
"Daniel's directions said turn left eleven miles north of Augusta."
"No, it's eleven miles south, and it's a right. Change the tire and I'll direct you."
A few minutes later Lauren heard Scott call from the back of the Jeep, "Honey, there's no tire back here."
"What?"
"Honey, there' no..."
"I heard you; I just can't believe that Daniel wouldn't have a spare tire in the Jeep."
"Well, he doesn't."
"Oh," Lauren groaned, as she unfastened her seatbelt. Scott by this time had leaned his head against the back of the Jeep. Lauren could sense his despair, so she went and encircled his waist pressing her cheek against his strong back.
He'd wanted this to be a perfect, private romantic honeymoon for Lauren, and now this was out of the question. Now, they were stranded on the side of a strange road, and she, the pregnant one was holding him.
"I wanted this to be perfect for you."
"It is, Scott, I'm with you, it can't be more perfect. Let's just lie down in the Jeep, we'll figure out what to do in the morning. Is there a blanket in the Jeep?"
"Yeah, you walk around a little and I'll set up the back of the Jeep."
Scott laid out the thick sleeping bag in the backseat, and then let Lauren lie down. She was exhausted, he knew it. She needed to rest, but he never would. He had two strikes against that, one was their unfortunate position, and the other was Robert Mitchell's intrusion in their wedding. He needed to question Lauren on it. He needed to rest a bid also, and if he removed Robert from his mind...
"Lauren, what was the deal with Robert Mitchell. What was he to you?"
"Robert was a long time ago. I was twenty years old."
"You never told me. Three years I know you and you've never told me."
"Well, Scott, two of those years we were Vice Principal and teacher, only this past year have we been, close."
"This is something we should have discussed before the wedding. We have no secrets Lauren."
"Robert wasn't exactly a secret Scott, he's a nonentity, and he doesn't matter."
"Why, Lauren. He's part of your past, why have you chosen to omit him."
"It's not important. It's over."
"Lauren, we are husband and wife now. There are no secrets between us."
"Yes there are. You're keeping one."
"You don't want to know that secret, but I want to know this one. This is obviously upsetting you, and if you don't tell me how can I protect you."
"Protect me? Scott, you don't need to protect me. I don't break that easily," she said tears all ready on her face.
"Oh, no. You've been crying all ready."
"I'm crying, yes. I'm crying because what's happening right now Scott can make me crack. It hurts that you won't talk to me. That you don't find me strong enough to deal with what hurts you. I'm your wife, we are partners. I see the pain; I want to, I need to help you. I see what he's done to you, your father, and I can't stand it. Please, my love, I'm here. We're in the middle of nowhere, we're in love. Love is strength; use it, lean on it. Lean on me and let me lean on you. I'm scared Scott, so scared."
Scott stopped Lauren's words with his lips, kissing her gently.
"Don't be frightened, darling. Please. I'm sorry. I just wish you felt safe enough, had enough faith in me to tell me about Robert."
"This is not about Robert, Scott; this is about you, and your inability to trust me, and my inability to deal with..."
"With? What, Lauren?"
"Losing you."
"Losing me. Sweetheart, what could be so horrible that I would leave you."
"This. When you met me, my name wasn't just Lauren Davis, it was Lauren Davis Mitchell. I dropped the Mitchell. Robert is my ex-husband."
Scott felt punched in the gut. He couldn't believe she'd been married before and never told him, that she kept that from him.
"Lauren," he sounded angry, even to himself. "How could you keep that from me? How!"
"I don't know, I..."
You, oh, God. And you talk about my secrets, her I thought this man did something horrible to you, while all the while, oh, God."
"Scott, Scott please," she pleaded. "Please, don't be angry. We had a horrible marriage. It lasted six months. I filed for a divorce after one, seeing what a drunk he was. I never meant to hurt you, oh, please Scott, don't hate me."
There were tears in his eyes. She'd never seen him like this.
"Did he ever..."
"No. He never hurt me. Not physically, not at all, I just didn't..."
"Love him, like you don't love me."
"That's not true. That's not true! I love you, never Robert, never Harry, you, always you, only you. It's only you, always been you, forever. Please Scott, love me. Be angry, hell, hit me, strike me, curse me, that would be better than this, I can't stand you hating me, I can't stand the silence. I couldn't bare it if you stopped loving me."
Lauren was reduced to a sobbing heap, now, at his feet. She'd long ago climbed out of the Jeep and fallen in to her knees. Something in her voice reached him and he turned to face her, tears streaming down his own cheeks. He slowly reached down to bring her to her feet.
"Lauren, I'm mad as he*l right now. I don't want to look at you right now. However, we're out in the middle of nowhere, you're cold and upset, and pregnant, and you don't need this. Go and lie down, I'll be along in a minute."
His tone was so stony, his touch stiff. He hated her, even he thought so. Lauren lay down, her pregnancy the only think that made her sleep. Scott lay beside her, he knew she slept, and he knew she was awake an hour later.
It was cold, and Scott, out of love, and protection he held Lauren against him, but something was colder than the Maine air, and that was the silence between husband and wife in a Jeep on an abandoned road.
It had been three weeks since the disaster that was Lauren and Scott's honeymoon, and still not a word was spoken between husband and wife. At first, Scott would ask Lauren how she felt, and she would say fine. After a few days of this though, she asked him if he cared how she felt because he loved her, or because he loved the baby. When he didn't answer, she believed she knew what his answer was.
This morning began like every other morning since they returned from the honeymoon. Lauren woke up with the alarm and walked out into the living room, hoping to see Scott on the sofa, where he slept, but not finding him. He had gone to work before dawn some mornings, and came home so late, all he did was make a sandwich and fall asleep.
Lauren regretted her decision not to tell Scott about Robert, but at the same time, she needed her husband. The mistake was just that, a mistake, a total mistake, and no matter how far she reached out for Scott, he was always just outside her grasp.
With the baby due in three months, Lauren had another appointment today to see her doctor. She wanted to discuss her options for the birth, since she was considering having the child at home under the care of a midwife. She knew that idea would drive Scott crazy, but he didn't really care about this, all he did was work.
As if the baby sensed its mother's distress, it kicked Lauren in the stomach. She placed her hands on her stomach to sooth it. "It's all right little one; Mommy will get Daddy to come back. I don't know how, but I will, I promise."
With that, Lauren walked to the phone to call out of work. She'd forgotten about the appointment and wanted to tell Louisa that she needed a substitute. Normally, she would call Scott directly, but she didn't want him to know why she was out, just that she was out. If he didn't care enough for her to be with her all of the time, she didn't want him there when she was having her examination.
"Hello, Winslow High School. This is Louisa, how may I help you?"
"Hi, Louisa, it's Lauren Guber, I'm just calling to tell you I'm going to need a sub for today."
"Oh, all right. Are you feeling okay?"
"So, so. The baby was kicking a lot last night, and feeling a little dizzy this morning," None of that was a lie.
"Okay, I'll take care of it. I hope you feel better."
"Who's out now Louisa?"
"Lauren, she'd said she had a rough night and she's feeling dizzy, so she's not coming into work."
"Oh, she didn't say anything. Of course she wasn't up when I left, I should have realized."
"Does it keep you up all night?"
"What?"
"The baby. She said it kicks all night long."
"I don't think she wants to disturb me, I'll be disturbed enough after the baby's born. So we need a sub for Lauren. I'll take care of it."
Scott didn't however take care of the sub; he instead lifted the receiver and dialed his number. The phone rang four times then the answering machine, with his voice on it. He hung up before the beep. And put on his suit jacket, leaving the office without a word.
He raced home to see if his wife was all right, if she was hurt. When he got there, Lauren's car was there but she was not. There was a note on the door, "Went to Medi Center, L.G."
Oh God, she was ill, if there was something wrong with her, he'd regret the past three weeks even more than he did all ready. Lauren was, and at that second he realized, Lauren was the most important thing in his life, Lauren, not the baby, that was just an added bonus.
He got to the Medi Center, and at a run went over to the desk, "My wife she's here, Guber, Lauren Guber."
The receptionist checked the computer, "Maternity, fourth floor."
When Scott reached the maternity ward, he saw Lauren sitting in Dr. Chadwick's waiting room reading her book. The relief that he felt shocked even him.
"Lauren!"
"Scott? What are you doing here?"
"Louisa, oh never mind, are you all right?"
"Fine, this is my check up, that's all, oh honey."
Scott held her close, massaging the lower area of her back, "I was afraid, so afraid. I love you, not just the baby; you don't know how wrong you were."
"I love you, I'm sorry about Robert."
"Sssh, it's all right. I shouldn't have behaved that way. Nothing is important to me that you, nothing."
Lauren rested her head on her husband's shoulder as he held her, and knew by the feel of his hands and the pounding of her heart that all was right again with their world.
