Four hours later, after multiple talks with her parents, Wilson, and her parents and Wilson, one doctor's appointment, and a trip to pick up Billy, Mary is pulling into the driveway with Wilson and Billy in her car. They get out of the automobile, and walk in the front door.
"Where am I staying?" Billy asks sounding annoyed.
"Well, um, I guess you'll be in Simon's room with your daddy. Do you want me to go bring you up there?"
Billy nods. Mary takes his hand, and walks upstairs with him. Once inside, Billy turns and asks her a question.
"Are you leaving us?"
"Well, yes."
"Is it your fault or daddy's fault?"
"It's no one fault."
"That means it's daddy's fault."
Mary giggles, "No it doesn't."
"Yes it does. Everything was going to be perfect again, the way it used to be before you left." Billy says getting very serious. "I hate him!" Billy pushes Mary out the door then slams it loudly.
Hearing Billy yelling, Wilson comes running up the stairs. "What happened?"
"I don't know exactly," Mary says, "but he's very upset with you."
"Well what did he say?"
"He said that me going away is your fault."
"And?"
"You don't want to know."
"Yes I do."
"Ok, he, uh, he said he hates you. But of course he didn't mean it."
Wilson knocks on the door. "Billy. Can I come in?"
"No!" he yells through the door. "I'm mad at you!"
Wilson sighs, and walks away from the door.
"Want me to try?" Mary asks him.
"No, no. Its all right."
"You sure?"
He nods.
"You OK though? You seem really upset."
"I'm not. I'm fine. I just don't understand why he's so upset about you leaving. He wasn't this upset when you left last January, and you practically lived at our apartment."
Mary takes Wilson's hand in hers. "Come on. Let's talk."
Wilson is confused. "About what?"
"Just come," she says pulling him down the stairs. Mary takes Wilson out to the back porch and sits down on the bench.
"Why'd you bring me out here?"
"Because I didn't want to talk in the middle of the hallway…or in the living room…"
"Is it that important?"
"Sort of."
"Is it bad? Is it about us?"
"Will you just let me talk?" She says with a smile on her face.
"OK." He says, smiling as well.
"Well, I know it's not really my place or anything, but I know why Billy's upset."
"Why?"
"Because he wants a mommy. That's what we talked about, sort of, when I left you in the office with my dad."
"Why did you talk about that?" Wilson says sounding both curious and upset.
"Wilson, Billy brought it up." Wilson gasps. "He asked me why he had another set of grandparents and where his mommy was."
"Wow." He responds staring straight ahead, not meeting Mary's gaze.
Mary puts her hand on Wilson's to bring him back to reality. "I don't want to intrude, but did you ever tell him about her? Anything?"
"Not really. Its not like I talk about it all the time Mary." he adds getting snippy.
Mary shrugs off his comment. "I know, I'm sorry, but he asked me to tell you to talk to him. He wants to know."
"Seriously?"
"Yes." She says sympathetically.
"But he' so little, how could I-"
"He's waited seven years for the story."
Wilson sighs. "You're right."
Mary leans her head on Wilson's shoulder. "Are you OK?"
"Yeah, just dazed."
"So let's change the subject. How's you arm?"
"A little sore."
"I can't believe they said you don't have to wear the sling anymore."
"Me too."
Seeing Wilson isn't into this topic, Mary tries changing it again. "So, what do you want to do today? We've got the whole rest of the day to kill."
"Well, no more naps or anything that involves a bed, if that's what you're thinking."
Mary smiles, "wouldn't want to go through that again."
"Again? For the third time. Remember when we got back together for the first time?"
"Oh, yeah. Oops."
"Yeah big oops."
"But we don't have to do that. We could just sit out here together."
"Or we could sit inside because its cold and I don't want you getting sick."
Mary rolls her eyes. "OK."
"But first," he says standing up, "I have to go do something." He kisses Mary's cheek. "I'll be back in 20 minutes, a half hour tops."
Wilson walks inside the house, leaving Mary dumbfounded outside. "All right…" Mary thinks for a second, and then rushes in the house. She goes up to the attic bedroom, startling Ruthie.
"Geez. Where's the fire?" Ruthie says.
"What?" Mary says.
"Never mind. Why did you run up here?"
"Do you want to go to the mall with me?"
"I'd love to go to the mall with you!" Ruthie says jumping at the chance.
"Great, because I kind of have to buy Wilson a Christmas present. Oh, and Billy one too."
"Talk about a last minute shopper." Ruthie mumbles, walking toward Mary. She takes a second and leaves a note for Wilson, telling him she will be back by 4:30. Then, the two get into Mary's convertible and drive to the mall. On the twenty-five minute drive to the mall, Ruthie starts a conversation with Mary.
"Can I ask you a question without you getting mad at me?"
"Depends what it is." Mary says playfully.
"What exactly were you doing with Wilson last night?"
"OK, for the fiftieth time, we laid there, we talked, we kissed, we fell asleep- not the crime of the century."
"Sorry."
"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you- you're not Dad." Mary pauses for a second. "Why, what did you think we were doing?"
"I wasn't sure, that's why I asked."
"You mean you didn't spy on us?"
"Well, I tried to. I ran to the foot of the stairs when I heard Dad slam the door, but when he started yelling I went back upstairs."
"Oh."
Ruthie turns uneasily in her seat.
"That wasn't all you wanted to ask me, was it?"
"You said you and Wilson kissed, right?"
Mary smiles, having an idea of where Ruthie is going with this. "Yes."
"What's it like to kiss him?"
Mary smile grows wider. "Its nice. I don't know, its not really something you can describe. I guess it- it makes me feel loved and happy."
"But doesn't it get boring after a while? Don't you get sick of it?"
Mary giggles. "Not really."
"I mean, you've kissed Wilson so much…"
"Yeah?"
"Can you become, like, immune to it?"
"Well," Mary starts, "don't tell Mom and dad I'm telling you this, because they wouldn't like it very much, but no. You get kind of a rush. And, I don't know, for me with Wilson, it still felt as good the first time I kissed him as it did when I kissed him today."
"Do you even remember the first time you kissed him?"
"Yeah. It was when I was in the hospital after I had my knee surgery."
"Oh."
"Yeah, Wilson was the second guy I ever kissed."
"Who was the first?"
"Do you remember Jeff, our old neighbor?"
"Sort of."
"Yeah, well you were only six when he moved away." Mary stops for second, seeing if Ruthie was going to make the first move or not. Noticing that Ruthie was waiting for her, Mary decides to begin. "So, have you been kissed yet? Jake?"
"Me? Kissed? Where would you get a crazy idea like that?"
"Ok, fine. I'll drop it."
"Well, maybe it wasn't that absurd."
Mary laughs. "So, tell me exactly what happened."
"OK, well you know Jake right?" Mary nods. "Well, when he left on Thursday, his jacket was on the floor."
"Oh." Mary says, sounding amused. "Then what?"
"Well, he reached for it, I reached for it…"
"And?" She asks Ruthie, growing excited.
"We almost kissed. He kind of leaned in and everything, but I got scared and just handed him his jacket."
Mary giggles once more.
"Its not funny!" Ruthie says trying to defend herself.
"You're right, it's not funny. Its adorable."
"Yeah, real adorable."
"OK, so what do you want my help with. Are you scared? Nervous? Afraid of Mom and Dad? I'm in expert in all of those areas."
"All three I guess."
"Well, first let me say that I'm honored you asked me, and, well, and not Lucy."
"What would Lucy be able to do? I mean she did pick a winner with Kevin."
"That's not nice." Mary says sternly.
"Sorry, but I thought you'd hate the guy."
"I do, but you were making fun of Lucy and that isn't right." Mary says. "Normally, I'd be all for it, but now's not the time."
Ruthie laughs. "Ok."
"So wait, I'm confused- do you want to be kissed?"
"I think so."
"Well, you should know so before you go kissing him or anyone else for that matter."
"You sound like Dad."
"Sorry. But if you don't want to be kissed, then there's no reason to be worrying about this. You shouldn't be kissed unless you want to be." Mary reiterates.
"Ok, fine, I want to be kissed. So, how am I going to get him to kiss me?"
"Actually, the best approach to get kissed is to not try anything. If he went to kiss you, he obviously wants to. He'll try it again, don't worry."
"Should I try to kiss him?"
"If you're nervous, I wouldn't try to kiss him. Let him lead this one."
"Ok," Ruthie says, satisfied by Mary's answer. "So," she says, turning in her seat to face Mary, "how do I do it?"
"Do what? Kiss him?"
"Yes kiss him."
"You turn your head and press your lips into his. Not too hard, just until you feel his. Then you wait a couple of seconds and pull back."
"But what if my nose hits his? What if we both turn the same way?"
"You won't."
"How do you know?"
"Hey, whose the expert here?" Ruthie laughs. "Now, trust me. Nothing is going to go wrong. Its very, well, natural."
"OK." She says relaxing.
"But," Mary starts.
Ruthie sighs. "Of course there's a but!"
Mary turns into the parking lot and parks the car. Ruthie goes to open her door, but Mary stops her. "But," she says again, "you have to promise me you won't do anything more than a G-rated kiss. Got it?" Ruthie doesn't answer. She just rolls her eyes. "Look, I know you want to act grown up and everything, I completely understand that, but you're twelve."
"Almost thirteen." Ruthie corrects her. "But what is there beyond kissing?"
"That will have to wait until you really are thirteen."
"Come on!" Ruthie says. "Please!"
"You know, you could always ask Mom and Dad."
"Fine, fine, fine."
The two sisters walk out of the car, and into the mall. They browse from one store to the next, but nothing catches Mary's eye for Wilson. Billy was an easy in-and-out trip to the toy store, but Mary wants to make sure she gets the perfect gift for Wilson. She has no idea what she's looking for, but with only an upscale woman's clothing store left to search, Mary was beginning to give up hope. Then, she thought of it. Not the best gift in the world, but certainly ingenious. She pictures the smile on Wilson's face as he opens it, and grabs Ruthie's hand.
"I know what to get him, come on."
A/N: OK, still getting no reviews and still sad but I guess that's OK. Next chapter is the last on this story, and then I have nothing. Nadda, zip, zilch. I think I have lost my muse- I have no ideas for any new stories at all. So…yeah. That makes me extra sad. OK, enough wallowing.
Please, please, please review!