Chapter One
Laura stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, critically eyeing the circles under her eyes. Using her thumb, she unconsciously toyed with her wedding ring, twisting it back and forth. Her head was still filled with the fight she'd had with Luke, the resentment in her voice and the indifference in his ringing in her ears.
*** But it's not just Frank Smith, is it, Luke? And it's not past tense. You ARE involved with the kind of people that we left Port Charles to get away from!
I don't need this right now, Laura.
Fine. Just go.***
And he had. It wasn't the first time they'd had that argument, and she doubted it would be the last. She'd sat by herself for an hour, before she couldn't take it anymore. Not knowing where she was headed, Laura had gotten in her car and sped off.
So here she was. Memphis, Tennessee. It had seemed a good a place as any to stop. She had never been here before, but she liked the energy of the place.
She'd get back to Texas before Luke returned from his trip. She'd be there, ready to welcome him home with open arms. But for now, she was going to forget about her problems and that nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't quite name.
She took off the ring and placed it beside the other jewelry she'd already taken off. She swept up her hair and tied it with a clip. After stretching a bit, she walked to the bathtub and turned off the water. She slipped off the robe, and climbed inside.
Laura sighed as she sunk into the bathtub, the sweet scent from the bubbles tickling her nose, the warm water enveloping her sore, naked body. She began to relax, her slight frown replaced with a contented smile. She closed her eyes, sighing again.
Her mind wandered back to her encounter barely an hour before. "Malcolm," she said his name slowly, letting it roll off her tongue.
~*~
Mac was still thinking about Laura as he finished off the last of the fast food. She had been tired, from a long drive he suspected, and her hair had been out of place. But there was no hiding the fact that she was gorgeous. Mac felt a jolt in his groin just thinking about those lips.
He needed a cold shower. He reached out to grab the bag he had tossed on the bed earlier, and began to remove the items in it. His hand stopped as he felt a photograph beneath his fingers.
Mac stared at the worn picture. It was one of the few personal possessions he took with him everywhere he went. His chest tightened as the feelings overwhelmed him again. They always hit him the hardest around this time. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He had probably uttered those words a thousand times.
It was hard to imagine that just a year before he'd had a family; a mother, a father, and an older brother. And in a few seconds, he had been left with nothing. *And it had been his fault.* The what ifs had nearly driven him insane the first couple of months, the self-recrimination mingled with the memory of the sound of fear in his mother's voice as the plane descended down of its own volition.
That scream would haunt him for the rest of his life.
And then there was Robert. He hadn't seen his brother since that day. Robert had not only lost their parents in the crash, but the woman he loved, too. Mac couldn't really blame him for leaving without a word. He could hardly stand the sight of himself on the really bad days.
Still, it didn't hurt any less.
Mac leaned back until he was staring at the ceiling, letting the photo fall onto the bed beside him. His body adjusted to the bed, a bit of the tension in him easing out. It wasn't long before he fell asleep.
Laura stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, critically eyeing the circles under her eyes. Using her thumb, she unconsciously toyed with her wedding ring, twisting it back and forth. Her head was still filled with the fight she'd had with Luke, the resentment in her voice and the indifference in his ringing in her ears.
*** But it's not just Frank Smith, is it, Luke? And it's not past tense. You ARE involved with the kind of people that we left Port Charles to get away from!
I don't need this right now, Laura.
Fine. Just go.***
And he had. It wasn't the first time they'd had that argument, and she doubted it would be the last. She'd sat by herself for an hour, before she couldn't take it anymore. Not knowing where she was headed, Laura had gotten in her car and sped off.
So here she was. Memphis, Tennessee. It had seemed a good a place as any to stop. She had never been here before, but she liked the energy of the place.
She'd get back to Texas before Luke returned from his trip. She'd be there, ready to welcome him home with open arms. But for now, she was going to forget about her problems and that nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't quite name.
She took off the ring and placed it beside the other jewelry she'd already taken off. She swept up her hair and tied it with a clip. After stretching a bit, she walked to the bathtub and turned off the water. She slipped off the robe, and climbed inside.
Laura sighed as she sunk into the bathtub, the sweet scent from the bubbles tickling her nose, the warm water enveloping her sore, naked body. She began to relax, her slight frown replaced with a contented smile. She closed her eyes, sighing again.
Her mind wandered back to her encounter barely an hour before. "Malcolm," she said his name slowly, letting it roll off her tongue.
~*~
Mac was still thinking about Laura as he finished off the last of the fast food. She had been tired, from a long drive he suspected, and her hair had been out of place. But there was no hiding the fact that she was gorgeous. Mac felt a jolt in his groin just thinking about those lips.
He needed a cold shower. He reached out to grab the bag he had tossed on the bed earlier, and began to remove the items in it. His hand stopped as he felt a photograph beneath his fingers.
Mac stared at the worn picture. It was one of the few personal possessions he took with him everywhere he went. His chest tightened as the feelings overwhelmed him again. They always hit him the hardest around this time. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He had probably uttered those words a thousand times.
It was hard to imagine that just a year before he'd had a family; a mother, a father, and an older brother. And in a few seconds, he had been left with nothing. *And it had been his fault.* The what ifs had nearly driven him insane the first couple of months, the self-recrimination mingled with the memory of the sound of fear in his mother's voice as the plane descended down of its own volition.
That scream would haunt him for the rest of his life.
And then there was Robert. He hadn't seen his brother since that day. Robert had not only lost their parents in the crash, but the woman he loved, too. Mac couldn't really blame him for leaving without a word. He could hardly stand the sight of himself on the really bad days.
Still, it didn't hurt any less.
Mac leaned back until he was staring at the ceiling, letting the photo fall onto the bed beside him. His body adjusted to the bed, a bit of the tension in him easing out. It wasn't long before he fell asleep.