"It's complicated" she started to say. " We …have a child together, and……"

"Just go!"

The next week, she got into one of her deep blue funks, but it had nothing to do with David, as she had consoled herself with his roommate within forty eight hours.

"Emily?" Max called from the doorway of the bedroom. Years of marriage taught him something was amiss.

"Get your own damn breakfast!!" She covered her head with blankets.

"I'll take Jordan to school" he sighed, worriedly. "And pick her up"

"Is mommy sad again?" the little girl asked, in the car, as Max went to drop her off early.

"She's just…tired" he answered, wearing a light grey suit and blue tie.

Back at the Cavanaugh home, Emily with reluctance, moved to the couch, where she could watch TV.

Sometime later, the phone rang, it was Max.

"I just wanted to see how you were." His desk was filled with case files, and paperwork that had to be done.

"Don't you have murders to solve?" she answered sharply.

"Talk to me, babe, what's going on?" he tried to be patient.

"Well, Maggie broke up with Sean again….." she tried to avoid the subject.

"Not on the soaps, I mean with you." He found it hard not to raise his voice.

"Everything is so bleak"

"Why don't you go out for a walk?."

"It's too much trouble." Just the thought of changing from her pajamas, putting on her clothes, locking the door, etc made her tired.

When he got home, with Jordan, she was back in bed.

"Why don't you take a shower?" Max suggested. His face grew somber with concern. "It'll make you feel better."

"Too much trouble" she mumbled.

Jordan, now in the kitchen, was eating some of the Chinese takeout that Max had gotten on the way home.

"Aren't you hungry? I got you your favorite, lemon chicken" he often found himself handling her with kid gloves.

"I had some bread slices with milk."

The child sighed when she saw only her dad come to join her.

TBC