Feasibility Study
Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT
Chapter 101: Getting It Back – Part 11
August 27, 2005 (Day 108)
The Bellagio
7:14 a.m.
Lounging in bed enjoying a room service breakfast with Sara, Gil was looking forward to the remaining twenty-seven hours of their one month, wedding anniversary celebration. "Have you decided if you want to brave the spa?" His germphobic wife had been debating the idea since shortly after arriving at the hotel the previous night.
"I want a massage. Will you do it with me?" She pointed at a picture in the Salon Services Book. "They have a couples massage. We get to be side by side."
Studying the photo of a burly man kneading the flesh of a petite woman he asked, "Will a man be massaging you?"
"It says you get to pick." Smiling, she asked, "Why? Do you think it would be freaky watching a man vigorously rubbing my naked body?"
Gil didn't need to think about it. "Yes, I really think it would be highly unnerving for me."
"Okay…so, I'll request a woman and you request a man." A second later she laughed at the conflicted look on his face. "I get it…you want us both to request a woman." Grabbing the hotel phone she dialed up the spa.
"It's not that…"
"Really…I'm cool with your hang ups, Honey." She stifled her laughter when the spa receptionist answered.
"Sara, I…" He was interrupted by his ringing cell, which he promptly retrieved from the dresser. "Grissom."
"Sanders! The guy you're supposed to be picking up for Anger Management Class at seven-fifteen. You're five minutes late and you're never late. I'm very disappointed in you, young man. I bet there's a girl corrupting you."
"Damn! I forgot about class. I'm at the Bellagio with Sara." He rushed to the bathroom. "I have to shower."
"See…I knew you'd blame it on a girl. Look who's a party boy now? I hope you sprung for a suite." Greg laughed. "Since we're going to the Excalibur for class, I'll drive. Meet me in front of the Bellagio when you're ready."
Disappointed he'd spend six hours of his anniversary celebration away from Sara Gil groaned, "I should have told you I was sick."
Little America Hotel
7:19 a.m.
When he emerged from the bathroom with wet hair and a towel wrapped around his waist, Nick saw Carrie lying in bed with the covers pulled up to her neck. "What's going on? Why aren't you getting dressed?"
Carrie had showered while Nick was lifting in the hotel gym. When he returned, she had told him she'd be getting dressed for their day of horseback riding while he showered. "I'm sick."
"What's wrong?" Concerned, he took a seat on the edge of the bed.
"Tummy ache."
"You haven't eaten anything yet, maybe you just hungry. Or are you finally starting your period? Wait a minute." He eyed her suspiciously. "You're faking. You're scared and you're trying to get out of horseback riding."
"Busted," She whimpered.
Feeling badly, Nick said, "We've been having so much fun, I don't want our trip to end on a bad note. I really didn't know your fear was this extreme, Sweetheart." Tenderly he caressed her cheek. "I'll call Ren's dad and tell…"
"Nicky…" Carrie cracked a huge grin. "Check it out." She whipped back the covers to reveal that she was outfitted from neck to toe in western wear. "I'm ready to ride, Baby!"
"You…"
She grabbed Nick's black hat from where she had hidden it under a pillow. "Naughty Cowgirl Carrie had you going. She's such a scamp."
Tickling her mercilessly he whooped, "I'm going to make you ride for hours. You'll be so sore, you won't be walking too well tomorrow, Darlin'."
Struggling to breathe after laughing so hard Carrie commented, "Hey! If you're really relaxed and I'm too sore to walk, everyone will think you had me up here as your sex slave for five days."
"Don't worry…I'll set the record straight." He winked. "I'll make sure everyone knows you tied me up and had your way with me. Maybe I'll hand out copies of the picture you took of me roped."
"Speaking of pictures…" Her grin expanded. "We need to do something scandalous today and I need to take some photos so I can show Catherine."
Crime Lab
7:27 a.m.
Catherine was walking down the hall with her cell pressed to her ear and a scowl on her face. "Lindsay! It's not up for discussion. We accepted the invitation to the BBQ and you're going. And you'll be nice to everyone there, especially Sean. These people will be our neighbors soon and I expect you to act neighborly!"
"Fine!"
"Thank you!" Catherine snapped with the same amount of snark. "Be ready to go shopping for school clothes when I get home. And if you're still in a pissy mood…I'm enrolling you in Catholic school and you'll be wearing a plaid skirt and white knee high socks until you graduate." With that she clicked off the phone. "Kids!"
"They can drive you nuts," Doc Robbins commented as he passed by. "Enjoy it though…one day she'll be grown and you'll be grateful she called."
Greg's Z
Bellagio Entrance
7:30 a.m.
Sitting in his parked car with his cell pressed to his ear, Greg waited for his mom to answer. "Hey, Mom."
"Hi, Sweetheart," Mrs. Sanders cheerily boomed into the phone. "I'm so happy you called. How are feeling? Any more nightmares? How's your back?"
"My back is much better." Then he broke the bad news. "Unfortunately, the nightmares haven't stopped, but I'm dealing. Tawny's been great, she snaps me right out of them and calms me down. I had one around three this morning and was able to go back to sleep within a half hour so, that's progress at least. Be prepared…even though the guest suite is on the opposite side of the house, you might hear me if it's still happening when I'm there."
"Maybe getting away from Vegas and relaxing on vacation will be just the thing to stop them. That reminds me, did you get the overnight package I sent?"
"Yes. Thank you for doing that so quickly."
"Is it low enough? I guessed based on your speaking voice. And how's the range? I expanded it because you're significantly more talented than the guy who sang it in the movie. Or, at least you used to be, things can change after puberty."
"I think I've still got it." He laughed. "Well…I'll let you be the judge when I practice it with you."
"You know I'm looking forward to that." Her voice sang with delight.
"Now I have another favor."
"Gregory…I half expect one of these days you'll ask me to propose for you."
He chuckled, "This has nothing to do with the proposal. It's a completely different Tawny fantasy I want to fulfill." Greg saw Grissom darting out of the hotel and honked the horn. "I need you to find two things for Thursday night."
"So, I guess I should cancel plans for family dinner. Did you forget about that?"
"Sorry, Mom."
Sighing she said, "Get an early start and we'll have lunch. You'll father will have to change his tee time that morning but, I don't think he'll mind. "
Grissom plopped into the passenger seat and saw Greg was on the phone so he remained quiet.
After a quick nod, Greg threw the car in drive. "First, I need a really romantic restaurant overlooking the ocean…you know, candlelight, soft music, and I need a table with a great view. I want to be done and on the beach at sunset so, when you're picking the reservation time, keep that in mind."
"I can think of a few restaurants like that and since it will be a Thursday, with the right amount of money to the maitre d' in advance I'm sure you can get the best seat in the house. What's the second thing?"
Pulling out of the parking lot he said, "I need a room…and not just any room. It has to be beautifully decorated and right over the beach so we can hear the waves crashing against the rocks. And it needs to have a ton of windows with billowy curtains that can flap in the breeze. I'm talking spectacular."
"I know just the place!"
"Really!"
"Yes! I'll call Julia Roberts right now and see if she's leaving Malibu for the weekend."
Greg shook his head. "You're hilarious."
"And you need to tone down this date, Son. You're supposed to be saving your casino winnings for the baby. You dropped seven grand on a ring this week already."
"I know the ring was a lot of money but I want her to have the best…after all, it's my fault she's pregnant and stuck with me for the rest of her life. The least I can do is spoil her a little, right?"
"It's not entirely your fault. She could have told you no." Bev sighed laboriously. "But it's not like I ever do so…who am I to judge her? Ugh…and I already spoiled her rotten for what you did to her so, I guess I'm no better than you."
Greg glanced over at Grissom, who was listening intently and looking disturbed. "Mom, I promise, right after this date, I'll stop spending. But I already detailed what we'd be doing to Tawny. I know I got a little carried away but…I was uh…caught up in the moment. And before you see them on her, I'll confess…I spent three grand on a pair of diamond studs yesterday, because I wanted her to look the part at the club. So that's ten grand total."
Grissom barked, "You're supposed to be saving your money, Greg."
"Who's that?" Bev inquired.
"Grissom." Greg smiled. "Now that he's expecting a baby with Sara he likes to practice his parenting skills on me."
Bev snipped, "You mean when he's not leaving you alone and putting your life in danger?"
Flagstaff, Arizona
Denny's
7:55 a.m.
Nick reassured Carrie, "Mr. Clarke told me he has the perfect horse for you. She's a sweetheart named Flower and she couldn't be dangerous if she tried. She sounds a day away from dead, Darlin'."
"Awww…" Carrie imagined a broken down old horse huffing and puffing to carry her. "I don't want to ride her if she's tired and sick. I don't want her suffering because of me."
"Good Lord." Nick dropped his head in his palm.
The waitress breezed over. "Meat Lovers' Skillet?"
Carrie pointed. "That goes to the frustrated fiancé and carb hater." She salivated at the sight of her Fabulous French Toast Platter. "Look at all that sinful sugar and flour. Naughty Cowgirl Carrie is really being bad now, huh, Tex?"
Before Nick could reply his cell rang and he checked the display. "It's Jim Brass. Maybe he's calling to fire me. If he is, I'll just stay up here and build a house out of logs in the woods." Before pressing the talk button he taunted Carrie, "Wouldn't that be great, Sweetheart? No indoor plumbing. You'd have to do all your business outside. Hey, if he's not firing me, maybe I'll quit, drop out of society and become a mountain man."
The Excalibur
8:05 a.m.
Greg and Grissom were on their way to the restroom when Irving called out, "Hey! There you are. I was starting to think you guys were dropping out. Lots of people quit after the second session because the third week has all the heavy-duty role play."
"Oh, that's right." Grissom cringed at the thought of acting like a buffoon in front of the class when he prided himself on always being the ghost in the room. "We're hitting the men's room before class."
"Good plan. I had a ton of coffee this morning. What's with the fancy duds, Gil?" Irving stared as they walked. "And you do realize they're wrinkly, right?"
"He's a man-slut," Greg announced while strolling into the men's room "Came straight from the Bellagio after a night of debauchery. Some people."
"At least someone is having fun." Irving grumbled, "I spent my Friday night studying. I'm working on becoming a Physician's Assistant."
"Very cool," Greg remarked when he reached the urinal and unzipped. "My best friend from High School, Robbie, he's a PA in Jersey. He loves it. There's good money in that. And…"
"What the hell, Greg?" Irving scolded. "You can't even shut up when you're pissing?"
"We're all used to it at the lab," Grissom remarked while zipping up. "Once you learn to tune him out, it stops crawling back up."
Heading for the sink Greg laughed, "Tawny doesn't mind me chatting in the bathroom. We've had some of our most passionate discussions there."
After he was zipped Irving grunted, "Tawny can't squash you like a bug when you piss her off."
Grissom glared. "Again with the dead bug imagery? You did the same thing last week, Irving. I think I just got my motivation for my role-play anger scenario…bug hate."
Greg held up his bandaged finger. "Currently I'm dealing with some ferret rage."
The Bellagio
8:27 a.m.
As Sara walked down the hall with Tawny, whom she had invited to take Gil's spot at the spa, she cracked up. "A ferret went up Hodges's pants. That poor ferret."
"If I hadn't just gone to the bathroom, I would have wet my pants." Tawny cracked up recalling the image in her head. "I'm so excited about the spa, Sara! Thanks for thinking of me. Don't tell Greg but…I kind of miss all the lavish pampering I used to be able to give myself…or that other people paid for. Not that I'd ever want to go back to being a whore again."
"Ouch." Sara stared at her friend. "Don't you think you're being a little hard on yourself?"
Tawny smiled at her friend. "Dr. Myers says we need to be honest about the past."
"True, but..."
"The whole time I was doing it I was lying to myself. I thought as long as I didn't take cash, I was just dating. Now I realize it was glorified prostitution. You don't get to spend five hundred bucks in the Bellagio spa or pick out something pretty for yourself in the gift shop, courtesy of any guy on a first date. I was trading sex for stuff and privileges. Ugh…I was such an idiot. I really thought the Pretty Woman thing would happen." She rolled her eyes and her voice tensed. "I was so sure some guy would come along and be so smitten with me that even though he saw me as a whore to start, he'd fall in love with me." Sighing she admitted, "I guess I need to be honest about that too…that's exactly what happened with Greg."
"Well…if it happened then you really weren't an idiot for thinking it could." Sara cringed when she realized she just validated Greg used to think Tawny was a whore…and worse…she worked for donuts. "Um…"
"Okay, so it can happen. I just wouldn't recommend it as a plan to other girls. Especially since most guys aren't as nice as Greg."
Sara thought back to her conversation with Heather the previous night and wondered if it really would have helped Tawny to work for her. "You know how you said Lady Heather tried to recruit you? Do you ever think you would have been better off working there and going through her pseudo-rehabilitation program?"
"While I do think she has good intentions, no way would I work there." Tawny shuddered. "Call me crazy but, I think taking money in exchange for letting some freak tie me up and whip me is much worse than anything I've ever done. Sex is a normal urge, needing to control a woman and physically hurt her, isn't. After being molested by my mother's boyfriend, getting beaten by the asshole I ran away with, and then getting raped…the last thing I'd ever do is volunteer my body for physical abuse and feed those guys' sick minds."
"It's all about control."
"Exactly." Tawny's tone sharpened. "Think about it…a guy who pays for sex is buying something that is legal and normal that he isn't able to get for free. But a guy who pays to beat a woman is buying something illegal and abnormal thathe isn't able to get for free. Right there is the big difference to me."
Sara pondered the point and commented, "Here's the funny thing though…sex becomes illegal if the partner doesn't consent, and beating a woman becomes legal if the partner does consent."
"There's still a big difference because the sex changes from normal to abnormal, but the beating stays abnormal whether it's legal or not."
"Heather would say that abnormal is an opinion based on current societal norms. Gil told me she said that she equates the scars girls get working for her to the knee injuries football players receive…they're just a job hazard."
"Ugh…whatever. You can rationalize anything, Sara. That's what I was doing for years…rationalizing my own stupidity."
Sara tossed her arm around her friend's shoulders. "Thanks for the debate. Maybe you should go to law school after you finish college. I have a feeling you'd be a pit bull in the courtroom."
Tawny giggled, "I think I've been absorbing a lot from Carrie."
"Just a bit." Sara chuckled with her friend. "Maybe you'll work for her one day when she's the DA."
Nick's Xterra
8:42 a.m.
Nick was on the phone checking their voicemail while Carrie drove. "You got two work calls about cases."
"No work on vacation." She gulped, fighting the urge to listen to the message.
"I was just testing ya…no one called from work."
"Sneak." Now she was really glad she didn't ask him to put them on speaker and take notes.
He listened to the first and only message. "Hey…my mom flew out last night. She checked into the Bellagio to spoil herself at the spa today. HA! She said she picked it because it looked nice in Ocean's Eleven…you know that heist movie with Julia Roberts and George Clooney? I love that movie."
"And Brad Pitt as Rusty. I love how he's always snacking and finishing Danny's thoughts. And how he always knows what the Chinese guy is saying. HA! I love that movie too. We need to buy a copy."
He rolled his eyes at Carrie's Brad Pitt fascination. It didn't help that they'd be seeing Ren later and he looked a lot like him in that Legends of Fall movie Carrie owned. "He took up way too much screen time in the sequel. That' why it was so inferior to the original."
"Uh, no…it was Catherine Zeta-Jones being annoying as hell. Come on…she wore stilettos to work as a criminalist. HA! Even Catherine Willows doesn't do that."
"I do recall that making me bust a gut at the time…but her legs were so nice in the movie, I shook it off quick."
"And there wasn't nearly enough of the other hotties, Don Cheadle and Andy Garcia….wait! Your mom doesn't want to stay with us?" Carrie's tone reflected her profound disappointment. "It's me, isn't it? She thinks I'm too high maintenance. I thought you explained that I brought all those shoes with me because I didn't know where you were taking me on vacation. I tried so hard in Dallas, Nicky! I annoy her, don't I? I knew it. Is it because I work the DA side and not the PD side?"
"Breathe for me, Darlin'. And you said I'm the one who seeks approval?" He clicked off the phone after listening to the whole message. "My dad worked the DA side so trust me…my mom doesn't have a problem cohabitating with those who do. I did explain about the shoes. And Honey…you are a little high maintenance but, who isn't in some way?" He thought the last comment was particularly politically correct. "Now, going back pre-panic attack to your original question…my mom is checking out of the Bellagio on Sunday morning and staying with us the rest of the time."
"Oh." She loosened her grip on the steering wheel.
"My mom loves all that spa stuff and she was home alone doing nothing so, why not take advantage, right?"
Carrie smiled. "Right. I'd spend my free time in a spa if I could."
"Yeah…on vacations these days, while my dad is busy looking at something historical or killing things fishing or hunting, you'll find my mom covered in seaweed with cucumbers on her eyes somewhere. She's making up for lost time after working like a dog and rearing seven kids. In the message she also said she wanted to give us a little time to get settled after our trip…and suggested we go at it like jackrabbits all night so it's out of our system before she's trying to sleep in the next room."
"She did not say that."
He laughed. "She really did. See…she wouldn't give us that kind of shit on our voice mail if she wasn't cool with you." Reaching over he placed a hand on Carrie's knee. "Sweetheart, my mom loves you like a daughter already. She's thrilled you're joining the family and can't wait until we start adding some more branches to the tree. Trust me…I know what she's like when she's skeptical about a future in-law. She really didn't take a shine to my brother's wife until Melissa had her first baby."
"Why?" She wanted to make sure she didn't make the same mistakes.
"Melissa…she was a model, never went to college, didn't do any volunteer work, was totally snooty and materialistic…and she turned her nose at my mama's cooking."
"I'm so glad I chowed down hard when I was in Dallas."
"That you did." He laughed. "You made an excellent first impression…they all fell in love with you and they could tell we loved each other for the right reasons. It was pretty obvious from the get-go that my brother loved Melissa for how she looked while Melissa loved Andy's wallet and the prestige of our family name in Dallas. Honestly, I couldn't stand her either…because my mom and I have very similar taste in women."
"Smooth."
"And true." He lightly chuckled. "Anyway, as soon as she had that baby, Melissa became this wonderful, sweet person. Hell…maybe she was cranky because she was always starving herself and when she got pregnant she finally allowed herself to eat." Smiling, he patted her knee. "The point is…you're my mom's dream daughter-in-law…shoe fetish and all."
"Thanks, Nicky."
Leaning closer he lovingly kissed her cheek. "Now, according to the directions, you need to make a left up here…Whispering Pines Road."
"So, Jim just wants us to give it a walk through and call him?"
"It'll make him feel better because he trusts our opinions. Not that he doesn't trust Heather's but…let's face it, she's a bit more radical than most…certainly us." He chuckled. "Although, you did really like tying me up. I keep meaning to ask...when do I get to tie you up? Because I'm already thinking of things I'd like to…"
"Stop it!" She laughed with him then composed herself. "It's a good thing Greg mentioned we were up here to Jim." She pulled up to the guard gate. "Whoa…this part has to be a little scary for new patients. It's very prison-like."
"Jim said Whispering Pines is a voluntary treatment facility so, I assume it's for their protection. I'm sure dealers would love driving up here looking for easy targets."
Once her window was down she spoke to the guard. "Hi, Carrie Blake and Nick Stokes to see Mr. Spencer for a tour."
"Go right ahead." The guard replied after checking his clipboard. "Take any space marked visitor."
"Thanks." She drove up the winding road, glancing around at the ponderosa pines and the birds swooping over the placid lake. "It's gorgeous here."
The Excalibur Gift Shop
10:06 a.m.
As Grissom and Irving stood in front of him, Greg continued reading from the book he pulled off the shelf, Ravage Me. "You're more beautiful than the stars twinkling above us in the midnight sky. I must have you…every inch of you. So you will not be alarmed, my Virginal Princess, I will tell you exactly what I have planned. I will start by savoring your plump lips, then I will move on to taste the delicious peaks and valleys of your body and when I reach your treasure trove, my innocent darling, I will stake my claim first with my…"
"Stop!" Irving held up his hand. "I can figure out the rest."
Grissom shook his head. "Some things are really better left up to the imagination. Once it starts sounding like a how-to manual…he inserted part A into part B…it sucks the romance right out of it for me. It makes me think of the mechanics rather than the mood. Sex, while immensely enjoyable, is a biological function and not always…for lack of a better word…pretty."
Greg blurted, "Like accidentally farting during it." He was quick to clarify. "Hey, that was Tawny, not me."
Irving burst out laughing. "That's always a defining moment in the relationship…can we survive the first accidental fart? Do we pretend it didn't happen? Do we laugh it off?"
As he re-shelved the book Greg said, "I reciprocated to put Tawny at ease. Luckily we had bean burritos for dinner and it was easy to produce on demand." He smiled at the memory. "What about you, Gris? Who let it rip first? You or Sara?"
"Sara...and she pretended it didn't happen." Grissom started laughing. "Then she did it again about five minutes later with obvious noise and wicked hang time. She had to fess up because her gut was a wreck. I had made a vegetarian dish with lots of cabbage in it without knowing she had a sensitivity. It wasn't that long into the relationship and she didn't want to hurt my feelings so, she ate two helpings." Happiness danced on his face as he recalled running to the pharmacy for antacids. "We laughed all night. It was great."
"Yeah…" Irving sighed, "I really need a girlfriend."
"Hey…I may have someone to hook you up with now that I think about it." Greg turned to Grissom. "It will come as a big surprise..."
The Bellagio Spa
10:17 a.m.
Wrapped in seaweed with cucumber slices over their eyes, Sara and Tawny lay on their tables next to each other shooting the breeze.
"Aren't you glad I talked you into this treatment, Sara?" Tawny prodded. "And I assure you the vegetables are germ-free."
"Enough with the germ jokes already! I'm relaxing. This is even better than the massage because that was painful at times…but oh so good." Sara moaned with pleasure. "I'm glad they let us switch to guy masseurs. It felt good having all that muscle pounding out my knots."
Tawny would have laughed harder if her facial mask wasn't so tight. "Now what would Mr. Grissom say about his wife getting giddy over a macho man rubbing her down?"
"What he doesn't know…just kidding. But don't tell him." She sighed with delight. "Too bad Nick and Carrie went to Flagstaff. What they really should have done was check in here for a little de-stressing."
"Hopefully they've been pounding out each other's knots, three times a day, every day. That's what Greg thought Nick really needed to cure his anxiety…a sex-a-thon." Tawny giggled. "You see, Greg has this theory."
Sara shook her covered head. "Oh, I can't wait to hear this."
What they didn't know was…neither could the spa patron soaking in the mineral bath on the other side of the screen dividing the room.
"Greg thinks that Nick is losing his mind because he took on the stress of a steady relationship with a woman and misses his old sex life…not the multiple women, the sex itself. For a guy like Greg, a steady relationship meant an increase in action, but for a man-slut like Nick…it meant a decrease in action. Because Carrie is so sexually repressed, Nick's not getting the quality and diversity he was used to in the bedroom. Greg thinks over time it wound him up like a spring. Hence…the sex-a-thon cure. OH! And he also thinks that Nick is causing the problem because he sees Carrie, due to her abusive past, as some sort of permanent-virgin that must be handled lovingly and delicately every time. So, even when he actually does get to be with her, he's holding back."
"Except when he did her in my pool house," Sara snarked.
Tawny cracked up. "That was the tequila banging Carrie in the pool house, not Nick. She told me he felt real guilty about it the next day…the randy sex and ruining your couch cushion. Even though she told him it was great, he still felt bad. See…I really think Greg's right about the whole thing permanent-virgin thing."
"Did I tell you that Nick gave me a check for the new cushion?"
"You've got to love him for being such a responsible guy. I'm glad he's coaching Greg."
"Too bad he didn't coach him before Greg got you pregnant." Sara followed up. "Not that the babies aren't going to be a joy."
"Don't worry, I know what you meant." Tawny giggled. "If Nick's spring isn't unsprung after this trip…I'll insist that Greg coach Nick on a few things…like not letting your woman's abusive history get in the way of a healthy sex life."
Sara didn't want to laugh…but she did. "Well, we know Carrie was packing her new sex books and she set a position goal so, maybe there's hope for a sex-a-thon cure in Flagstaff after all."
"Oh my god!" Tawny squealed, "She didn't tell me about the goal. Wait…I forget, what were they at when they left?"
"Still holding at two because he fell asleep on her Sunday, and then all the work stress kicked up." Sara was starting to think she was high on seaweed fumes. Then she realized she was just enjoying some good old fashioned girl fun. She knew Dr. Myers would be proud. "She wanted to be at eight by Saturday night…so she could beat your 7 ½ with Greg."
"All I can say is, Slick Nick better drive the peg home at some point or Carrie's head will explode. Ever since I mentioned hearing he was good at it, she's been hell bent on him giving it to her. Which is so funny because I know she won't like it after being used to his slow, steady groove. Call it whatever you want, the bottom line is…you're getting your body slammed against a wall."
"And Nick will feel guilty because…"
"His mama raised him right."
Sara and Tawny simultaneously blurted, "Who said that?"
"I did."
Both women sat up slowly, like corpses rising from the dead.
"Over here."
As cucumber slices fell off their eyes they stared at each other.
Tawny nervously said, "But we're the only two in here."
"What makes you think that?" Jillian Stokes asked as she came around from behind the screen, cinching her fluffy white spa robe. "Hello, Sara…nice to see you again."
"Who is she?" Tawny whispered.
"Um…Nick's mom," Sara answered after gulping down her shame. "I have no idea how this is happening."
"Yes, that's right…I'm the mother of the man-slut. And you are?"
"Uh…Tawny Cooper." She extended her trembling seaweed covered hand. "My boyfriend, Greg Sanders, is a good friend of Nick's, and his employee. Well, that is until you tell him what I said and Nick fires him." She watched the woman closing in on her. "You should know though…I'm pregnant with twins and Greg needs his job to support his babies. And I'm a really good friend of Carrie's. And Greg and I both think the world of Nick…he's the most responsible and dependable person we know. He's going to be the best man at our wedding! And Greg's going to be an usher at Nick's wedding. So, you see…we're like family. And family discusses family all the time, right? And I wasn't saying anything bad…except um…the man-slut part."
"Don't worry, I'm well aware my son was a man-slut. Now, you tell me something else…"
"Um…" Tawny twittered, "What?"
"Who did your boob job, Honey?" She flashed a disarming smile. "Because I'm thinking of having my girls lifted. After weaning seven pups, they're dog tired. They started heading south after Nicky was born and I've decided the journey has gone on long enough."
Big Sky Ranch
10:29 a.m.
"The wait is over!" Nick excitedly announced as he opened Carrie's car door. "Time to giddy up, Darlin'."
Now that horses were in her line of sight, Carrie's stomach filled with butterflies. "Which one do you think is Flower?"
"Is Crazy California Carrie ready to unpack some more emotional luggage?" Ren approached smiling. "Hey, Nick."
"Hey, Ren."
"It's emotional baggage…not luggage. And yes, I'm ready to do some unpacking." Carrie smiled brightly. "Nice to see you again, Ren. I hear I embarrassed myself quite a bit at The Spur and that I owe you a big thank you for helping me out during my um…uh…"
"Bitch brawl with Vicki Lynn is what I think you're looking for, Sweetheart." Nick smoothed a hand over her back. "Don't worry, I told him that wasn't the real you that night."
"Yeah…it was real obvious you weren't a regular barfly." Ren adjusted his straw cowboy hat and chuckled, "Okay…let's head over to the corral and introduce you to your ride."
Nick and Ren exchanged knowing glances.
Carrie took in the atmosphere…the unruly whinnies, the aroma of horse poop and the sound of wild shoed feet clomping against the hardened dirt. "Which one is Flower?" She inquired in a jittery voice while moving her eyes from one raging stallion to the next."
"She's back here." Ren motioned to walk past the first stable.
Carrie gripped Nick's hand a little tighter.
"Here she is…" Ren turned the corner and started grinning.
When Carrie saw the pretty white pony wearing a straw hat with yellow daisies tucked in its pink satin ribbon she cracked up. "She's a kiddie ride horse!"
"Just like the one that threw you." Nick took her hand and led Carrie to her ride.
"Are you sure I'm not too heavy?"
Ren shook his head. "Not unless you're over one-sixty." He opened the gate to let them in.
Nick laughed. "She did eat a pretty big breakfast." He took Flower's reins.
"I'm one-fifteen." She jabbed Nick in the ribs.
Handing over a helmet Ren instructed, "You need to put this on. Insurance reasons…not because I think she'll toss ya. Nick, even though you're experienced, you have to wear one when you ride or my daddy will have my hide."
"Not a problem."
After snapping on the helmet Carrie placed her left boot in the stirrup. "Like this, right?"
"Yep…now grab the horn, pull up and swing your leg over." When she was in the saddle he grinned. "You're a natural."
"Is she going to run?" Carrie nervously asked while sticking her right foot in the stirrup and holding onto the horn for dear life.
"She's not going anywhere," Nick calmly assured her.
Watching the spectacle Ren inquired, "You really haven't been on a horse since you were thrown at ten? Why didn't your daddy make you get right back on? That's what causes this kind of fear…too much time elapsing. You fail at something you have to try again before you've had too much time to think about it."
"Long story," Carrie replied while starting to shake. "Let's leave it at…he was very overprotective. But I agree with your philosophy, Ren."
"Thanks. You know…I'd bet anything that the pony who threw you was spooked by something. Unlike people, you can trust a horse…they're predictable and they aren't malicious." Ren suggested, "Maybe ask your father if he remembers what happened. Maybe you're fear was never founded in the first place."
"I'll ask him tomorrow when I see him," Carrie promised.
Nick stood and slowly removed his hand from his petrified fiancée's back. "Are you ready for her to walk?"
"You mean we haven't moved?" She felt her breathing quicken.
"No, Sweetheart."
Ren held open the gate. "Take her the same way we walked up to the main corral. I'll be up there to meet you. I've got to prep for a group coming in."
"Thanks, Ren." Nick smiled as he nodded.
"Go slow." Carrie gulped for air.
"It's just like riding a bike, Honey. You keep your balance, steer and stop when you need to."
"Bikes don't have minds of their own," She answered in between deep breaths.
"You're doing great." He couldn't believe the terror in her eyes. "Talk to her. It works." Nick chuckled. "Didn't you see The Horse Whisperer? It was a mushy gushy chick flick, you had to."
"Nice, Flower. Don't kill me."
Nick looked at the pony with sympathetic eyes. "Don't take it personal. She has emotional luggage."
When the horse sighed Carrie panicked. "Why did she do that!"
Laughing, Nick informed her, "Because she's bored as hell and wants to pick up the pace."
The Excalibur
10:46 a.m.
When Greg saw that Grissom had nodded off in class he elbowed him. "Wake up, delinquent!"
"Huh?" Grissom's eyes darted around the room.
Greg scolded, "That's what you get for staying up to all hours on a school night, young man. How did you ever manage to get two PhDs?"
"I didn't have a social life back then," He groggily explained.
The Bellagio
10:50 a.m.
"I still can't believe you married Gil Grissom, Sara. I thought that man was an island with no navigable inlets," Jillian Stokes declared while sitting in a lounge chair waiting for the girls to be freed from their seaweed wraps. "And years ago I thought you'd be the one to capture my son's heart and put an end to his womanizing. You were the only girl he ever spoke of until Carrie."
Tawny quipped, "That's because he never bothered to catch the names of the other girls."
"I really like your quick wit, Tawny." Jillian laughed along with the ladies. "I can see how you would be able to keep up with Greg. The one time I met him, he exhausted me."
"It takes a special woman to love a genius geek clown and I have no doubt that Greg's my soul mate." Free from seaweed, Tawny slipped into the robe she was given. "No disrespect intended Mrs. Stokes but, Sara is so not Nick's type. Sure, she has intelligence and wit like Carrie, but she's way too strong and doesn't have the delicate femininity that your son needs in his woman in order to feel gentlemanly and masculine. Carrie's half pit-bull, half kitten, which is perfect for Nick." She cracked up. "Whereas Sara's a tiger most of the time…sometimes fierce and sometimes brooding quietly, which Gil loves because she reminds him of his mother."
Jillian nodded. "I definitely saw those two sides of Carrie when she was in Dallas. We'd be arguing case law like jackals and not ten minutes later she'd be batting her eyes at Nicky like a needy puppy and letting him dote on her…not that he minded."
"See!" Tawny expounded, "While Carrie gushes over Nick's 'I'll take care of you, little lady' mentality, it would have driven Sara insane within a month. Sara and Gil work because he gives her space while providing stability. Nick's the suffocation type, he always wants to be helping, protecting and pleasing. It works for Carrie though, because she's a daddy's girl who likes a man watching her every move and spoiling her."
Once again Jillian concurred, "That's definitely my boy and you're right…from what I saw, Carrie laps it up."
"Another thing that would make Sara and Nick incompatible…Nick needs to know how he's doing all the time…that's so not Sara. She'd be like…shut up already, I said everything's great!"
"As a boy, Nicky would drive me nuts asking if he did something right or good enough, or if I thought he could do it better somehow. It got so bad when he was oh…about nine or ten, I thought he was giving himself an ulcer." Jillian sighed, "He was the most sensitive of the lot by far. His daddy tried to counsel it out of him, and his brother unfortunately tried to pound it out of him on several occasions. I'm happy they were unsuccessful. I think his compassion and sensitivity make him good at what he does for a living."
Tawny continued her analysis. "Carrie needs Nick's sensitivity because she fears men who are too closed off, thinking they're hiding something. A guy like Gil would totally freak her out. But Sara….she likes the strong, silent type and needs an older man because she grew up without a father."
Sara waved. "You do know I'm here while you're discussing this, right."
"Yes, dear, join in any time." Jillian smiled. "Women don't need permission to speak in this country, that's one of its many perks."
Tilly's Clothing Sore
11:14 a.m.
Walking through the store, Lindsay stopped to peruse the sale rack of bikinis. "Since I'm being such a good sport about going to that lame BBQ and stupid swim party tomorrow, how about buying me a new suit?"
Catherine smiled at her willful daughter. "Don't you think by referring to it as lame and stupid, it renders the good sport part unbelievable?"
"Why do you think it's okay to force me to be friends with someone I don't like?" Lindsay protested. "How many people do you have to hang with against your will?"
"Lots." She chuckled. "Half the people at the lab rub me the wrong way…Hodges, Sofia, Nina, Trey…and that's just the night shift. So, if you can't get anything else out of it, think of hanging out with Sean as practice for when you have a job and have to deal with people who annoy you in the workplace. You know…just in case one day you have to support yourself and a spoiled daughter."
"Okay…okay. Sorry." She walked away from the rack. "I'll be tolerant."
"Get back here."
Lindsay returned and stared at her mother.
"Pick a suit."
"Thanks, Mom." She reached up and kissed her cheek.
"Something tame," Catherine warned before mumbling, "Not that I think Ryan or Sean will be giving your body the time of day with Tawny and her D's there."
"I heard that."
The Blakes
11:19 a.m.
Sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch with his family, Ryan Blake couldn't believe the glorious news he just heard. When he asked his mother if Tawny and Greg would be at their party and did they know there would be swimming she had responded, Yes…they're coming and I reminded them to bring their suits.
Never had the oft-grounded boy been more thrilled with words from his mother's mouth.
Ryan immediately decided to pray extra hard at church Sunday morning, not for his own salvation, but for Tawny to be wearing a bikini…the smaller the better. He also considered praying for it to fall off at some point during water volleyball but ultimately decided it was inappropriate to ask the Lord for full frontal nudity.
"Are Greg and Tawny friends of yours from school, Ryan?" Ken Blake asked as he set his empty ice water glass on the table. Having just arrived from the airport he was parched.
"No, Dad," Paul answered on behalf of Ryan. "Greg has worked with Nick for seven years and as of last month, Nick became his boss. Greg's girlfriend, Tawny, has become very close with Carrie. She's asked her to be in the wedding."
McKenna sweetly announced, "Tawny is very pretty. Playing with her is like playing with a Barbie that came to life."
Ken smiled, relieved his daughter was making some nice friends thanks to Nick.
Then Sean released one of his infamous blurts and unintentionally burst his grandfather's bubble. "Ryan likes Tawny because her boobs are enormous. She looks like one of the girls on the papers they hand out when you walk The Strip. Ryan has a collection of them in a shoebox under his bed."
Ryan was so focused on Tawny, he didn't catch that his brother revealed the whereabouts of his pseudo-porn collection. "Her boobs are huge because she used to be a stripper! But Greg forgot to wear a condom and accidentally got her pregnant last month so she had to quit. Soon they'll be having a shotgun wedding, whatever that means, you'll have to ask Mom…I heard her say all that to Dad last night."
Wendy forced a smile in her father-in-law's direction. "They're very nice people. Greg's father is a dentist in San Marino and his mom is a high school music teacher. Tawny's enrolled in college and she's a math whiz…she was doing problems even Sean couldn't get. More water, Dad? Another sandwich?"
McKenna chimed in. "Greg told me to brush three times a day."
"See, Dad…" Wendy relaxed. "…good people."
But McKenna wasn't done. "And heexplained what it means when mommy says Aunt Carrie likes to jump Uncle Nick's bones."
Ken turned and gaped at his son. "Your sister moves here and starts hanging out with a stripper who has unprotected sex. Your son has a collection of girly handouts under his bed. And your daughter is asking strangers to explain risqué information. Is this how you're handling things down here, Paul? I thought you said you had everything under control."
"Dad…" Paul felt his tension rise.
Wendy patted McKenna's head. "Sweetie, what did Greg tell you specifically about why Aunt Carrie likes to jump Uncle Nick's bones?"
After she was through giggling, the innocent girl explained, "He said Aunt Carrie is a piggy and whenever Uncle Nick has fried chicken or ribs, she jumps up and grabs the bones off his plate to eat the meat he left behind."
"That's right." Wendy chuckled. "I have a feeling that Greg's going to be an excellent parent."
The Excalibur
Café Expresso
11:38 a.m.
At the ten o'clock break, when the instructor announced she'd be releasing the class a half hour early, Greg had decided it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce Irving to his potentially perfect match. One quick phone call later, they were set to meet at eleven forty-five in the hotel's food court café.
While Irving was in the bathroom freshening up, Greg and Gil sipped their coffees and stared at the children in the McDonalds across the way. "Can you believe we're going to have one of those? Or two in your case?" Gil stated in a distant voice. "Seeing them so animated like that makes me terrified."
"Me too…only I get doubly terrified."
"Speaking of terrified…" Gil saw Irving's potential date heading for the table. "…poor Irving."
"Don't let your preconceptions spoil this." Greg laughed. "In other words…keep your trap shut." He waved with vigor. "Hey, Sofia! Pull up a chair."
"Hey." She glanced over at Gil as she took a seat. "How's the suspension?"
"It's rough, but it has a few perks."
"Like not seeing me?" She grinned. "Speaking of people who don't like me…any word from Nick?"
"I talked to him yesterday," Greg replied as he stood up. "He was having a blast in Flagstaff with Carrie. What can I get you, Sofia?"
"Iced Mocha, thanks."
Grissom cringed when he was left alone with the Ice Princess.
"Come here often?" Sofia jokingly asked. "You don't have to answer, I'm just warming up my dating skills. That was a joke too, no one really says that." After a minute of silence she asked, "Have you ever wondered why they don't build a bug-themed casino? You know…everything would be gigantic so the patrons would feel like bugs walking through tall blades of grass and clover and the cocktail waitresses could dress as different sexy bugs."
Grissom's ears perked. "That would be fun."
"Yeah…for a bug geek like you." She snickered. "Gotcha."
"Here you are, milady," Greg announced as he placed Sofia's requested beverage on the table and took a seat. "Your Knight with the shiny scalp will be arriving momentarily."
"I'm excited about his shiny scalp. I like bald men." Lifting her drink, she chuckled, "Why do you think Nick shaved his head the first time?"
Grissom laughed at the absurd idea. "Right. And I grew my beard because Ecklie liked facial hair."
"What is Ecklie doing these days?" Greg inquired. "Does anyone know?"
Sofia filled him in. "The divorce is finalized. His wife and kids moved back to Toledo to live with her parents. He followed and got an apartment nearby. He's working in some Podunk lab and going to therapy…it's a condition to keep visitation rights with the kids. Nice huh?"
Greg shook his head. "Now that's a FUBAR, Grissom."
When he stepped out of the men's room Irving saw the blonde beauty sitting with Greg and Gil. Suddenly he wished he had time to change out of his intimidating leather that he wore specifically for class.
"Irving!" Greg shouted, ready to play cupid. "Come meet your dream girl."
Big Sky Ranch
11:45 a.m.
"Easy, girl," Nick soothed the palomino mare as Carrie prepared to mount her. "Okay, you're good to go." He watched his fiancée slip into the saddle with ease. "That was real nice, Sweetheart. You feel okay up there?"
"I feel great." Sitting atop the large horse felt exhilarating. "What's this one's name?"
"Her name's Shy," Ren answered. "Because she was so skittish as a foal. She's come a long way." He winked at Carrie. "Kinda like you, huh?" He ended with a sunny smile.
"Yeah," Carrie released a pleasant sigh.
"Hey!" Nick snapped, "What was that wink and smile all about?"
"Don't worry…Nicky," Ren teased. "Your woman is way too high maintenance for me, and I was just screwing with ya tossing that wink and smile. I can't resist giving you crap, because it's so damn easy to rile you about your woman. You really need to work on that. It makes you an easy mark. Like that night at The Spur."
"He definitely does," Carrie confirmed while winking at Nick. "Look at me, Honey! I'm on a real horse! Can we buy one? Pretty please?"
Both Ren and Nick shook their heads.
"What!" Carrie blasted. "I'm serious."
"Darlin'…" Nick thought his tone said enough so he said no more.
"Don't you see…if we get one now, by the time we have kids, I'll be great at riding. And it makes more sense than a dog because we would have her in a stable with somebody there to walk her and feed her when we're working crazy hours." She paused to grin and bat her eyes. "Will you think about it at least?"
"Okay…" He laughed hard. "If you pee in the woods for me like a champ, I'll consider it."
Ren groaned, "Yeah…I'll forget I heard that."
"Please do," Carrie urged while blushing to light red.
"Speaking of crazy people…" Ren pointed to the mini-van pulling into the parking lot. "…my group has arrived.' He chuckled. "I'm just kidding, they're not really crazy, only the two of you are. These folks are just lost."
Nick read the logo on the side of the van. "Whispering Pines. The rehab center?"
Ren nodded. "Once they make it through detox, they come here for equine therapy several times a week. It really works for some. Others think it's a bunch of BS. They're usually the ones that don't stay clean."
Desert Springs Hospital
11:51 a.m.
When Jim entered his daughter's room he was relieved to see she hadn't bolted.
"You thought I'd bolt at the last minute, didn't you?" Ellie stated as she tossed her legs over the side of the bed. "I told you I was serious about cleaning up, Daddy."
"I know, Sweetheart." As his tension eased a smile rose on his face.
"Where's Heather?"
"She's waiting in the car out front."
Ellie grinned wildly. "I'm being escorted to rehab by my cop father and his dominatrix girlfriend…how screwed up is that?"
"In this town? It's below average." He chuckled while holding the door open for her. "We'll act dull. Tell everyone we're accountants."
Author's Notes:
IMPORTANT! Change in posting schedule due to a change in my vacation dates…
There will be one more regular chapter – 102: Getting It Back – Part 13, posting late Tuesday, July 12th. I will post the first epilogue chapter late Tuesday, July 19th. After the epilogue chapters this story will end. The next story will pick up shortly after this one leaves off (the epilogue will take place on a Sunday and the new story will be starting on that Thursday...the day GT leave for California). All the characters will be the same and no storylines will be dropped.
This chapter, as well as 102, contains a lot of set up for the epilogue and the future story…more conversation than action, and unfortunately no loose ferrets. LOL I'm so glad I picked a ferret for Celeste's pet after seeing how much everyone enjoyed the scene. Hodges and Celeste will be in 102 for those who were asking.
And for anyone wondering why Nick's mom has the same name as Grissom's mom…I named Grissom's mom Jillian way back at the beginning of the story. Then the show went and called Nick's mom that for Grave Danger (same spelling). So now it's a coincidence in my story. LOL
As always, thanks for reading and your comments!
Maggs