Case 2: The InGen Conspiracy, Part 5
Disclaimer: Same as before. In addition, I don't own the lyrics to Lady in Red, Chris DeBurgh owns them. I promise in all this there's more elements of the plot. My apologies if this is a tad too mushy.
~ ~ ~ ~
14 May 2000: 'We're going as friends, get a grip on yourself Darren. You've only known this guy for a week, what is it about him?' Ivy thought.
The doorbell to her room rang, "Ivy, it's Hal, are you ready?"
'Oh get a grip and compose yourself Darren.' Ivy thought, remembering one of her old instructors when she was a beginning detective, 'It's only your partner. But damn when he looks at you with those eyes of his....'
Outside the door Hal was having similar thoughts, 'Oh for God's sake, she's your partner. You're going as friends. Why the hell then, am I feeling like a teenager at the winter formal and....'
Ivy opened the door and both of them were at a loss for words. From what Hal knew of her, Ivy rarely to never wore dresses, but when she did wear one she could make it look good. Her short auburn hair was neatly combed back, a pair of diamond earrings sparkling in the light. She wore a wine red dress, her skirt falling to a couple inches above her ankles, the top was high cut with spaghetti straps. She even wore heels for the occasion. It was a simple dress, not flashy or elaborate, but it was a beautiful kind of simple. She even had her usual scent, that light lilac smell she wore in light doses at work but tonight she wore just enough of it to be noticeable.
"You look great." Hal said, he was consciously aware he had to look like a gawking idiot.
To say Hal cleaned up nicely was an understatement. His close cropped hair was combed down, neatly and he wore a comfortably fitting black suit with a blue silk shirt and a darker blue tie with small yellow diamond patterns.
'He's wearing that cologne again. I love that smell.' Ivy thought and then said, "You didn't clean up too badly yourself, marine."
"Shall we." Hal said, taking her right arm in his left in an escort position.
"We're gonna be late if we stand here talking all night." Ivy replied. They walked off to a tastefully themed ballroom in the hotel across Cretaceous Court known as the Cabo Blanco room. It had a cheerful, almost Polynesian motif to it.
"Well," Ivy said, "I'm going to go talk to Hammond again, see if I can't coax any details out of him over the accident."
"Right, I see Muldoon over there at the bar, I'll go talk to him about his view on the accident." Hal replied, "Leave room on your dance card?"
"There's room for you." Ivy smiled warmly.
Hal smiled back, it was a sincere and honest smile but it had an undertone of sadness in it. She could see Hal was hurting about something, but refused to talk about it.
'That went well.' Hal thought, 'But was I seeing Ivy on my arm, or Diane, I don't know.'
'Hal, please, let me help you.' Ivy thought, 'Whatever it is.'
~ ~ ~ ~
"Barkeep, another scotch." Muldoon said.
"Put that one on my tab, and also add me one draft beer." Hal replied.
"Any reason you're being generous?" Muldoon said.
"None particular, mate." Hal replied, "I just have a question or two to ask. One I know you couldn't answer because a certain corporate pinhead had you by the balls."
"This has to be in confidence." Muldoon replied, taking another sip of his scotch.
"Have there ever been any velociraptor escapes? Recent ones?" Hal replied.
"That spotless safety record Ludlow talked about is absolute crap. We have had several raptor escapes. We had one in 1987, when we were under construction two workers died, two in 1991, one worker was seriously maimed, one in 1993 before opening day, one guard permanently disabled and two dead. The most recent was earlier this week. A raptor escaped during a feeding. It didn't get out of the containment area, but it still managed to kill two construction workers and injure a third, your Mr. Arguilla, before we recaptured it." Muldoon replied.
"Thank you." Hal replied.
"Don't go reporting that to Hammond. Too much is at stake for me and all of us." Muldoon said, "You were right, Ludlow has me by the balls."
"Really." Hal replied, "How?"
"Blackmail." Muldoon said, "I'm a wanted man. Let's say as a young man I participated in several incidents I regretted. One of which was a massacre. I lead a group of rebels through the brush and they wound up destroying an entire village. He's threatening to turn me over to authorities in the Congo, where this took place, if I ever reveal this information."
"Trust me, I'm not about to allow that to happen." Hal replied, "I'm not going to report ever having had this conversation to anyone, except my partner."
"You mean the woman dancing with Ludlow right now." Muldoon said, with a grin, "You want some advice. Go for her."
"I will." Hal replied, "I'm not the sort to just go and cut in."
"Well the song's almost over, go for it." Muldoon said, turning his stool around to go watch.
~ ~ ~ ~
"The accident was regrettable, two workers killed and one injured by an earth mover." Hammond said, "I've told you all I know."
"Trust me, you're not a suspect." Ivy said, "I just need to know who was in charge that night."
"My nephew Peter. He's a trustworthy young man, a sound thinker and one skilled businessman." Hammond replied.
Ivy glanced over at the bar to see Hal was still talking to Muldoon. Peter Ludlow approached them just then, smartly attired in another expensive three-piece suit, "May I have this dance, Ms. Darren."
'Might as well be polite, even though this guy sounds like he's got the ethics of a sewer rat and I'd rather dance with a corpse than him.' Ivy replied, "You may."
Ludlow led Ivy onto the dance floor and the pair danced. Ivy thought him lecherous by the way he held her, too strongly and too close for her comfort. She found herself waiting for the song to end, so he'd let go of her. She knew his type, fellow in his late thirties/early forties, thinking that the money and power he held could seduce all young women. Maybe some eager young female exec trying to get ahead in the company, the sort who sleeps her way to the top, might be attracted to him, but Ivy could only see the shallow, selfish, consuming greed that he reeked of. At last the song was over and they parted.
~ ~ ~ ~
As Ludlow and Ivy danced Ellie stopped Hal at the bar. "Please tell me you're not jealous." She said.
"Not really." Hal replied.
"He's definitely not her type. A girl can tell." Ellie said, "And for the record, you are jealous."
"Maybe just a little." Hal replied.
"Please tell me you plan to ask her to dance tonight." Ellie replied.
"I was on my way to do just that. Now if you'll excuse me." Hal replied.
Alan Grant walked by and said, jokingly, "Ellie, there you are, I thought you'd been seduced by that British accent of his."
"Not funny." Ellie said, with a smile, she loved teasing Alan whenever he made one of those kinds of cracks.
"May I have this dance, milady?" Grant asked, with a mock British accent.
"But of course." Ellie said, "Lose the corny accent Alan."
~ ~ ~ ~
"May I have this dance?" Hal asked Ivy.
Ivy turned around and her heart jumped and skipped a beat. "Yes."
Hal put his right arm around her waist and held her right hand with his left as the next song began to play. It was Chris DeBurgh's Lady in Red. The moment they started to dance across the floor, it felt like they were the only two people on the dance floor.
I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight.
I've never seen you shine so bright.
I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance.
They're looking for a little romance, given half a chance.
I have never seen that dress you're wearing.
Or the highlights in your head that catch your eyes I have been blind.
The lady in red is dancing with me cheek to cheek.
There's nobody here, it's just you and me, It's where I wanna be.
But I hardly know this beauty by my side.
I'll never forget, the way you look tonight.
Hal looked into Ivy's eyes. They shone in the dim lighting of the room and their rich shade of brown reminded him of another pair of eyes that had that same quality.
'I can't hurt her like this' Hal thought, 'It just isn't fair for me to be comparing her to Diane every time I see her. This is such a mess.'
Hal led her on another step backwards, rocking from side to side and then stepped left. He decided he wasn't going to say a damn thing about work right now. He was just going to enjoy the moment, "You are quite a good dancer."
"I guess martial arts and dancing are really similar." Ivy said, "You have to have balance, be light on your toes, and be completely flexible and ready for anything. You're not too bad yourself. Do you fancy yourself another James Bond?"
"Thank you and no, I do not." Hal replied, "Those kinds of blokes are the exact sort we DON'T want in the Regiment. That's enough about work, though, I'm through talking about it for tonight."
"Well what do you want to talk about?" Ivy asked.
"Where did you get that interest in paleontology." Hal asked as he gently swayed with her to the notes of the song.
'It's so easy to talk to her. She's an absolutely wonderful woman once you get past that hard as nails go-getter of a detective she is at work. But am I still seeing Diane's ghost in her? I'd best not get that close until I've sorted that out.' Hal thought.
"I guess when I was little. I used to badger mom and dad to take me to the museum a lot when I was five." Ivy said, "And as I grew up I started collecting fossils."
"Like Suhara." Hal said, referring to a picture of Zack, Ivy and Suhara he'd seen at her apartment a week ago.
"Not funny." Ivy said, "Where did you get that interest in medieval history?"
"I picked it up during night school. I'd always been interested in the history of Medieval Britain. I used to visit the site of an old castle, outside of the town which I lived in. I used to love whenever we'd visit any of London's medieval landmarks. One of my old mates, Digger, used to complain how my books on the subject crowded him out of the room we shared before he married." Hal replied.
As they danced his right hand stayed on Ivy's waist. She had a dancer's physique, long and slim yet muscular. He lightly sniffed that scent, that light trace of lilacs combined with the strawberry scented shampoo she used was a wonderful aroma he'd forever associate with her.
I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight.
I've never seen you shine so bright you were amazing.
I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side.
And when you turned to me and smiled, It took my breath away.
I have never had such a feeling.
Such a feeling of complete and utter love, as I do tonight.
Neither Hal nor Ivy realized how natural dancing together seemed for them. All one of them had to do was glance at the other and they knew what was anticipated. Hal was an absolutely wonderful guy, he was so strong yet vulnerable, a complex and mysterious man she wanted to figure out.
'Whatever it is that's hurting you, I hope one day you'll trust me enough to tell me.' Ivy thought.
Ivy lightly fingered a small scar behind Hal's left ear, "Where did you get that one?"
"I got that in Israel two years ago, when I got deployed there. A Lebanese rocket attack hit near the compound where we were staying. I got nicked by a fragment from it." Hal replied.
Ivy lightly caressed the wound with her fingers. The very touch of those fingers felt electric to Hal. Neither of them realized they were being judged at this particular dance and that the best couple after this song would receive a trophy and the price for their hotel room(s) reimbursed.
Ivy returned her hand to Hal's shoulder. She could feel his physical strength in it. He definitely still had a boxer's physique, compact yet muscular but not in a bulked up Schwarzenagger sort of way. It was his eyes that were his defining feature, though, small and black, radiating his emotions, whatever they were. They could be piercing when he was angry, as last week when they were taking on Spyde, or they could be warm and welcoming, as they were tonight.
The way you look tonight.
I never will forget, the way you look tonight.
The lady in red.
The lady in red.
The lady in red.
My lady in red (I love you.).
The song ended when John Hammond said, from the microphone, "I'm happy to announce the couple that won tonight's dance contest. That couple is Harold Olden and Ivy Darren. The prize is yours."
Amidst applause, for many couples watched them dance and noticed how natural and elegant it seemed for them, they walked up and received a trophy that had a small figure of a dancing couple atop it.
As they walked back to the hotel Hal remarked, "That was fun."
"You majored in literature by correspondence course and night school and you can't say more than that?" Ivy joked, "I guess that degree's a waste then."
"Bollocks." Hal replied, "I guess you've caught me at a loss for words."
As they reached Ivy's hotel room, she said, "I had a good time Hal."
"The pleasure was all mine." Hal replied. Ivy leaned towards him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Hal hugged her with warmth and affection and Ivy returned it. He was very tempted to return that kiss on her lips, but held back.
"Well I'd best get some rest, good night." Hal replied.
"Meet me tomorrow at breakfast, we'll compare notes then." Ivy said, not wanting to spoil the moment.
"I'll be on time." Hal replied.
"You'd better be." Ivy replied, smiling back. She walked into her hotel room, hung up her dress and threw on her blue night shirt and went to bed.
'I was sure Hal was about to kiss me senseless. What stopped him? I know if he had I definitely wouldn't be sleeping alone tonight.....' Ivy thought as she turned out the lamp and tucked herself in to get some sleep.
~ ~ ~ ~
'That went well.' Hal thought, 'I'm as shaky as a teenager after a good date at the Winter Formal. It was a nice evening, Ivy's just a friend and.....Since when have I had a friend that could rivet my attention like that? That's easy, Diane.'
Hal threw off his shirt, tie and jacket and after throwing his trousers off he put on a pair of sweat pants and left the wife beater he had on for the night where it was.
'I was tempted to kiss her senseless and if it wound up with us sharing that room for the night I'm sure I'd have a regret or two in the morning because I'd feel like I was using her.' Hal thought, 'Bloody hell, I'll sort this out in the morning.'
Hal took his dog tags off, placing them on the bedside table and pulled his blanket over himself and turned the lamp out as he fell asleep.
~ ~ ~ ~
TBC
AN - Hal's not gonna grieve that long. Considering he lost Diane not even a year ago, he's still in mourning because he loved her. The fact that Ivy looks just like her is an unexpected hardship in the healing process....
Disclaimer: Same as before. In addition, I don't own the lyrics to Lady in Red, Chris DeBurgh owns them. I promise in all this there's more elements of the plot. My apologies if this is a tad too mushy.
~ ~ ~ ~
14 May 2000: 'We're going as friends, get a grip on yourself Darren. You've only known this guy for a week, what is it about him?' Ivy thought.
The doorbell to her room rang, "Ivy, it's Hal, are you ready?"
'Oh get a grip and compose yourself Darren.' Ivy thought, remembering one of her old instructors when she was a beginning detective, 'It's only your partner. But damn when he looks at you with those eyes of his....'
Outside the door Hal was having similar thoughts, 'Oh for God's sake, she's your partner. You're going as friends. Why the hell then, am I feeling like a teenager at the winter formal and....'
Ivy opened the door and both of them were at a loss for words. From what Hal knew of her, Ivy rarely to never wore dresses, but when she did wear one she could make it look good. Her short auburn hair was neatly combed back, a pair of diamond earrings sparkling in the light. She wore a wine red dress, her skirt falling to a couple inches above her ankles, the top was high cut with spaghetti straps. She even wore heels for the occasion. It was a simple dress, not flashy or elaborate, but it was a beautiful kind of simple. She even had her usual scent, that light lilac smell she wore in light doses at work but tonight she wore just enough of it to be noticeable.
"You look great." Hal said, he was consciously aware he had to look like a gawking idiot.
To say Hal cleaned up nicely was an understatement. His close cropped hair was combed down, neatly and he wore a comfortably fitting black suit with a blue silk shirt and a darker blue tie with small yellow diamond patterns.
'He's wearing that cologne again. I love that smell.' Ivy thought and then said, "You didn't clean up too badly yourself, marine."
"Shall we." Hal said, taking her right arm in his left in an escort position.
"We're gonna be late if we stand here talking all night." Ivy replied. They walked off to a tastefully themed ballroom in the hotel across Cretaceous Court known as the Cabo Blanco room. It had a cheerful, almost Polynesian motif to it.
"Well," Ivy said, "I'm going to go talk to Hammond again, see if I can't coax any details out of him over the accident."
"Right, I see Muldoon over there at the bar, I'll go talk to him about his view on the accident." Hal replied, "Leave room on your dance card?"
"There's room for you." Ivy smiled warmly.
Hal smiled back, it was a sincere and honest smile but it had an undertone of sadness in it. She could see Hal was hurting about something, but refused to talk about it.
'That went well.' Hal thought, 'But was I seeing Ivy on my arm, or Diane, I don't know.'
'Hal, please, let me help you.' Ivy thought, 'Whatever it is.'
~ ~ ~ ~
"Barkeep, another scotch." Muldoon said.
"Put that one on my tab, and also add me one draft beer." Hal replied.
"Any reason you're being generous?" Muldoon said.
"None particular, mate." Hal replied, "I just have a question or two to ask. One I know you couldn't answer because a certain corporate pinhead had you by the balls."
"This has to be in confidence." Muldoon replied, taking another sip of his scotch.
"Have there ever been any velociraptor escapes? Recent ones?" Hal replied.
"That spotless safety record Ludlow talked about is absolute crap. We have had several raptor escapes. We had one in 1987, when we were under construction two workers died, two in 1991, one worker was seriously maimed, one in 1993 before opening day, one guard permanently disabled and two dead. The most recent was earlier this week. A raptor escaped during a feeding. It didn't get out of the containment area, but it still managed to kill two construction workers and injure a third, your Mr. Arguilla, before we recaptured it." Muldoon replied.
"Thank you." Hal replied.
"Don't go reporting that to Hammond. Too much is at stake for me and all of us." Muldoon said, "You were right, Ludlow has me by the balls."
"Really." Hal replied, "How?"
"Blackmail." Muldoon said, "I'm a wanted man. Let's say as a young man I participated in several incidents I regretted. One of which was a massacre. I lead a group of rebels through the brush and they wound up destroying an entire village. He's threatening to turn me over to authorities in the Congo, where this took place, if I ever reveal this information."
"Trust me, I'm not about to allow that to happen." Hal replied, "I'm not going to report ever having had this conversation to anyone, except my partner."
"You mean the woman dancing with Ludlow right now." Muldoon said, with a grin, "You want some advice. Go for her."
"I will." Hal replied, "I'm not the sort to just go and cut in."
"Well the song's almost over, go for it." Muldoon said, turning his stool around to go watch.
~ ~ ~ ~
"The accident was regrettable, two workers killed and one injured by an earth mover." Hammond said, "I've told you all I know."
"Trust me, you're not a suspect." Ivy said, "I just need to know who was in charge that night."
"My nephew Peter. He's a trustworthy young man, a sound thinker and one skilled businessman." Hammond replied.
Ivy glanced over at the bar to see Hal was still talking to Muldoon. Peter Ludlow approached them just then, smartly attired in another expensive three-piece suit, "May I have this dance, Ms. Darren."
'Might as well be polite, even though this guy sounds like he's got the ethics of a sewer rat and I'd rather dance with a corpse than him.' Ivy replied, "You may."
Ludlow led Ivy onto the dance floor and the pair danced. Ivy thought him lecherous by the way he held her, too strongly and too close for her comfort. She found herself waiting for the song to end, so he'd let go of her. She knew his type, fellow in his late thirties/early forties, thinking that the money and power he held could seduce all young women. Maybe some eager young female exec trying to get ahead in the company, the sort who sleeps her way to the top, might be attracted to him, but Ivy could only see the shallow, selfish, consuming greed that he reeked of. At last the song was over and they parted.
~ ~ ~ ~
As Ludlow and Ivy danced Ellie stopped Hal at the bar. "Please tell me you're not jealous." She said.
"Not really." Hal replied.
"He's definitely not her type. A girl can tell." Ellie said, "And for the record, you are jealous."
"Maybe just a little." Hal replied.
"Please tell me you plan to ask her to dance tonight." Ellie replied.
"I was on my way to do just that. Now if you'll excuse me." Hal replied.
Alan Grant walked by and said, jokingly, "Ellie, there you are, I thought you'd been seduced by that British accent of his."
"Not funny." Ellie said, with a smile, she loved teasing Alan whenever he made one of those kinds of cracks.
"May I have this dance, milady?" Grant asked, with a mock British accent.
"But of course." Ellie said, "Lose the corny accent Alan."
~ ~ ~ ~
"May I have this dance?" Hal asked Ivy.
Ivy turned around and her heart jumped and skipped a beat. "Yes."
Hal put his right arm around her waist and held her right hand with his left as the next song began to play. It was Chris DeBurgh's Lady in Red. The moment they started to dance across the floor, it felt like they were the only two people on the dance floor.
I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight.
I've never seen you shine so bright.
I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance.
They're looking for a little romance, given half a chance.
I have never seen that dress you're wearing.
Or the highlights in your head that catch your eyes I have been blind.
The lady in red is dancing with me cheek to cheek.
There's nobody here, it's just you and me, It's where I wanna be.
But I hardly know this beauty by my side.
I'll never forget, the way you look tonight.
Hal looked into Ivy's eyes. They shone in the dim lighting of the room and their rich shade of brown reminded him of another pair of eyes that had that same quality.
'I can't hurt her like this' Hal thought, 'It just isn't fair for me to be comparing her to Diane every time I see her. This is such a mess.'
Hal led her on another step backwards, rocking from side to side and then stepped left. He decided he wasn't going to say a damn thing about work right now. He was just going to enjoy the moment, "You are quite a good dancer."
"I guess martial arts and dancing are really similar." Ivy said, "You have to have balance, be light on your toes, and be completely flexible and ready for anything. You're not too bad yourself. Do you fancy yourself another James Bond?"
"Thank you and no, I do not." Hal replied, "Those kinds of blokes are the exact sort we DON'T want in the Regiment. That's enough about work, though, I'm through talking about it for tonight."
"Well what do you want to talk about?" Ivy asked.
"Where did you get that interest in paleontology." Hal asked as he gently swayed with her to the notes of the song.
'It's so easy to talk to her. She's an absolutely wonderful woman once you get past that hard as nails go-getter of a detective she is at work. But am I still seeing Diane's ghost in her? I'd best not get that close until I've sorted that out.' Hal thought.
"I guess when I was little. I used to badger mom and dad to take me to the museum a lot when I was five." Ivy said, "And as I grew up I started collecting fossils."
"Like Suhara." Hal said, referring to a picture of Zack, Ivy and Suhara he'd seen at her apartment a week ago.
"Not funny." Ivy said, "Where did you get that interest in medieval history?"
"I picked it up during night school. I'd always been interested in the history of Medieval Britain. I used to visit the site of an old castle, outside of the town which I lived in. I used to love whenever we'd visit any of London's medieval landmarks. One of my old mates, Digger, used to complain how my books on the subject crowded him out of the room we shared before he married." Hal replied.
As they danced his right hand stayed on Ivy's waist. She had a dancer's physique, long and slim yet muscular. He lightly sniffed that scent, that light trace of lilacs combined with the strawberry scented shampoo she used was a wonderful aroma he'd forever associate with her.
I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight.
I've never seen you shine so bright you were amazing.
I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side.
And when you turned to me and smiled, It took my breath away.
I have never had such a feeling.
Such a feeling of complete and utter love, as I do tonight.
Neither Hal nor Ivy realized how natural dancing together seemed for them. All one of them had to do was glance at the other and they knew what was anticipated. Hal was an absolutely wonderful guy, he was so strong yet vulnerable, a complex and mysterious man she wanted to figure out.
'Whatever it is that's hurting you, I hope one day you'll trust me enough to tell me.' Ivy thought.
Ivy lightly fingered a small scar behind Hal's left ear, "Where did you get that one?"
"I got that in Israel two years ago, when I got deployed there. A Lebanese rocket attack hit near the compound where we were staying. I got nicked by a fragment from it." Hal replied.
Ivy lightly caressed the wound with her fingers. The very touch of those fingers felt electric to Hal. Neither of them realized they were being judged at this particular dance and that the best couple after this song would receive a trophy and the price for their hotel room(s) reimbursed.
Ivy returned her hand to Hal's shoulder. She could feel his physical strength in it. He definitely still had a boxer's physique, compact yet muscular but not in a bulked up Schwarzenagger sort of way. It was his eyes that were his defining feature, though, small and black, radiating his emotions, whatever they were. They could be piercing when he was angry, as last week when they were taking on Spyde, or they could be warm and welcoming, as they were tonight.
The way you look tonight.
I never will forget, the way you look tonight.
The lady in red.
The lady in red.
The lady in red.
My lady in red (I love you.).
The song ended when John Hammond said, from the microphone, "I'm happy to announce the couple that won tonight's dance contest. That couple is Harold Olden and Ivy Darren. The prize is yours."
Amidst applause, for many couples watched them dance and noticed how natural and elegant it seemed for them, they walked up and received a trophy that had a small figure of a dancing couple atop it.
As they walked back to the hotel Hal remarked, "That was fun."
"You majored in literature by correspondence course and night school and you can't say more than that?" Ivy joked, "I guess that degree's a waste then."
"Bollocks." Hal replied, "I guess you've caught me at a loss for words."
As they reached Ivy's hotel room, she said, "I had a good time Hal."
"The pleasure was all mine." Hal replied. Ivy leaned towards him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Hal hugged her with warmth and affection and Ivy returned it. He was very tempted to return that kiss on her lips, but held back.
"Well I'd best get some rest, good night." Hal replied.
"Meet me tomorrow at breakfast, we'll compare notes then." Ivy said, not wanting to spoil the moment.
"I'll be on time." Hal replied.
"You'd better be." Ivy replied, smiling back. She walked into her hotel room, hung up her dress and threw on her blue night shirt and went to bed.
'I was sure Hal was about to kiss me senseless. What stopped him? I know if he had I definitely wouldn't be sleeping alone tonight.....' Ivy thought as she turned out the lamp and tucked herself in to get some sleep.
~ ~ ~ ~
'That went well.' Hal thought, 'I'm as shaky as a teenager after a good date at the Winter Formal. It was a nice evening, Ivy's just a friend and.....Since when have I had a friend that could rivet my attention like that? That's easy, Diane.'
Hal threw off his shirt, tie and jacket and after throwing his trousers off he put on a pair of sweat pants and left the wife beater he had on for the night where it was.
'I was tempted to kiss her senseless and if it wound up with us sharing that room for the night I'm sure I'd have a regret or two in the morning because I'd feel like I was using her.' Hal thought, 'Bloody hell, I'll sort this out in the morning.'
Hal took his dog tags off, placing them on the bedside table and pulled his blanket over himself and turned the lamp out as he fell asleep.
~ ~ ~ ~
TBC
AN - Hal's not gonna grieve that long. Considering he lost Diane not even a year ago, he's still in mourning because he loved her. The fact that Ivy looks just like her is an unexpected hardship in the healing process....