Chapter 19 - Two Weeks Later
Beth was walking to the car when the taxi pulled up to the curb in front of the house. She went down the front lane to meet her visitor. Much to her surprise, Kevin emerged from the back seat.
"What are you doing here? I was just coming to get you. And your flight isn't due in for almost three hours!"
"I took an earlier one. I missed you too much," Kevin explained as he paid the cab driver who had just pulled the bags from the trunk. Beth began moving bags with Kevin's help toward the front porch. They pulled them inside the house and made it to the couch before they fell into each other's arms. He had missed her so much it hurt. His arms had longed for her and hers for him. After a while of just being near one another, Beth finally spoke.
"You were so great. I was so amazed at how professional you were. I mean, I knew you were good, but I didn't know you were that good!"
Kevin feigned surprise at her compliment, at least he thought it was a compliment. He had been surprised at how at ease he had been on-air. Jack and Jerrod were right, he loved being in front of the camera. He had done well in his classes and internships, but this was an entirely different rush. The red light came on and it was him in front of the world. He liked it a lot.
"So tell me about it. Everything that you can think of," she prodded as she played with his hair.
"I never could have imagined anything like it," he said, not trying to hide his excitement. "It was the most unbelievable feeling. I had met the guys, I knew their stories, and they trusted me to tell them. I played ball with them a few times. They asked me why I was reporting the games instead of playing in them. That was pretty cool. Ok, it was very cool. They offered me a try-out for the National Team."
"Oh, wow! That is really exciting. So are you going to do it?"
"Uh, I haven't really decided. I haven't been playing really regularly, and work is going to get really busy. I want to be with you some, too, you know."
She smiled. "Let's go upstairs."
"I thought you would never ask, Mrs. Girardi."
"And I thought you would leave me for a little Chinese girl."
"Never."
They spent the rest of the evening in the bedroom. Kevin was experiencing jet lag, but there hadn't been a tremendous amount of sleep the night before, anyway. He was awake a little before Beth, like usual. His favorite part of the day was becoming the time he spent watching her sleep. Every morning he woke up beside her made him even more thankful and amazed that she had actually chosen to spend her life with him. He knew who Jake was. Everyone did. That guy had so much more to offer her, but she had come back to him.
The clock told him it was time to get up. He dreaded leaving her but held onto the hope that his day would go smoothly and quickly. Beth stirred at his side, and turned to look up at him.
"Good morning, baby. I love you."
"Kev, I'm so glad you're here. I hate this bed when you aren't in it."
"How are you feeling?" Kevin asked cautiously, not sure about broaching the subject. She sat up slowly, and he watched her expression change slightly.
"I'm okay."
"Beth, you have to give me more than that. Have you talked to anyone?"
"No, I just haven't had a chance to do it yet. I'm going to go to one of the group meetings this week. Selene said she would come with me. It'll be fine."
Her voice had wavered slightly as she had spoken. He hoped she wasn't trying to hide anything from him. She got out of bed, grabbing her robe from the armchair.
"You want coffee?" she asked, dying for a subject change. She walked out the door without waiting for an answer. Kevin moved to follow her, but she was already downstairs before he even made it to the steps. He took the lift to the first floor and finally caught up with her.
"Beth, talk to me. Please don't just walk away. I know I haven't been here for you. I'm sorry, Beth. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on." Kevin hadn't felt so helpless in a long time.
She still wouldn't answer him as she continued to prepare the coffee. The clock on the microwave informed him that he didn't have time to work this out with her this morning. He reached for her hand and grabbed it.
"I have to get ready now. I'm on the news desk today, so I'll be home by six. There's a basketball game at 7:30 if you want to come with me. I should be back here by 9:00 at least, so whatever you want to do," he explained as he turned to go back upstairs. He didn't know how to handle the situation. He had no choice but to leave her alone for now. The shower didn't help to clear his head, but he had to get to work anyway. He hoped they'd be able to talk later.
As Kevin headed out the door, Beth handed him a lunch she had packed. She kissed him on the cheek and promised him that she really was fine. He reluctantly agreed and left her waving at the front door. He knew he was going to have to make a point of making sure that she had been telling him the truth. The drive to work was a little under an hour, just enough time for him to plan out his day. Luckily they were going to start him back into things pretty easily. On the news desk he'd only have to read copy for most of the day as it was updated.
He pulled into the parking lot and found the space marked with his name. He went up the ramp into the building and found his cubicle. He logged onto his computer and checked his email. He replied to the important ones and left the rest for later. He finally headed toward the desk around 8:30 and was ready to go by 8:45. The night crew would be finishing soon and he and Victoria Hagman would be starting their broadcast. The station broke for commercial, and the personnel switch took place. A few minutes later they were back on-air and Kevin introduced himself and Victoria to begin the day. The segment would be recorded and replayed throughout the morning, and the two anchors would work on various stories and updates until their segment was redone for the afternoon. It could sometimes be a bit boring, but it definitely meant he would be leaving on time.
Beth spent her morning cleaning and unpacking in the house before Selene called her around noon. After their meeting in the garden, Selene had come by and seen Beth working in the yard. She stopped to talk for a minute, and Beth invited her in for tea. Selene's daughter Sydney was at a play date, so they were able to spend some time together getting to know one another. Beth had told Selene a little about herself and Kevin, how they had come to Connecticut, and about the baby. Selene had listened compassionately before suggesting that they both go to one of the meetings suggested by Dr. Selzic. Beth had agreed, and now she was getting ready to go. Selene rang the doorbell. Beth called for her to come on in as she finished. A few moments later, they were on their way.
Kevin wrapped his broadcast day at 4:15 and returned to his desk to finish up any remaining loose ends. He checked his email once again, noting a message from Beth sent around noon. She seemed upbeat and wished him a great day at work. He hoped she would want to come to the game with him tonight. Her encouragement continued to be extremely important to him. Work was going well, he fit in his surroundings socially, he had a beautiful home, and his family was only a phone call away. Still, it was Beth who ultimately made him feel like a man. He didn't have to use any defense mechanism when he was with her. He loved having her at his side, holding her hand, and looking deeply into her eyes. He wanted to see their baby in her arms one day, too. This thought made him nervous as well as sad. He shook it off as he packed up his things for the drive home. On his way out, he grabbed a copy of his schedule to find where he'd be working for the rest of the week. He happily noted that he would be doing the same job as he had just finished. No traveling would be required, and he could spend his evenings with Beth.
Beth sat quietly during the group meeting. She listened to the others who spoke, and while she could identify with their feelings, she didn't feel the need to say anything herself. Sometimes she sat in her kitchen and cried, but she hadn't put together a nursery or tried for years to get pregnant or any of the other things these women were explaining. She thought that compared with them, she was doing quite well. When the meeting was over, Selene asked her if she wanted to speak with anyone individually. She said no, noting the time and that Kevin would be home soon. She just wanted to see him.
He drove up the driveway and into the garage. His day had gone fairly well, and he was hoping that Beth's had as well. When he made his way into the house, he heard the stereo playing in the front room. Beth was sitting on the couch reading a book. She looked up and saw him in the doorway. Smiling, she motioned him over to her. He approached the couch and smiled at her.
"How was your day," she asked him, closing her book.
"It was fine, nothing special. How about yours?"
"Selene and I went to the group meeting," she began.
"Oh yeah, how did that go?" he asked.
"It was good. The people seemed really nice and helpful," she continued. "Selene invited us over for dinner on Thursday. You don't have a game or anything then do you? I tried to find the schedule, but I couldn't. Is that okay with you?"
"Uh, I'm not aware of anything going on that night. It would be nice to meet your new friend, though. Their house is accessible?"
"The back door has only one step, about eight inches. I told her you could handle it."
"Yeah, sounds fine. I'm gonna get ready to go. I need to shoot around a little before the game. Are you planning on going?"
"Yes, of course I'm coming. You want me to go with you now?"
"Whatever you want. The game isn't until 7:30, and it's barely six now. I want to leave here by 6:30."
"I think I can handle that," she decided as she stood from the couch. She kissed him on the forehead, then the nose, then the lips and walked out of the room.
He followed her up the stairs and into the bedroom. He eyed the bed as she took off her clothes to change. His basketball stuff was on the bed, too. If they left by seven, they would be there in plenty of time for the game. He cleared his throat and motioned for the bed. She glanced questioningly at the clock. He nodded and threw the clothes from the bed to the floor. She climbed onto the bed and he moved to join her. She unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it down over his arms. As she did so she carefully kissed his neck shoulders and arms. She leaned back on the pillows as he caressed her.
A few minutes later, they were both in the shower, trying to hurry to be ready in time to go. Beth grabbed some jeans and a t-shirt and ran back into the bathroom to dry her hair. By the time she got back, Kevin was dressed and ready to go. She grabbed her purse and followed him down the steps. She hit the light switch on the way out and slid into the passenger seat as Kevin stowed his chair in the back. The radio displayed the time as 6:45. They would be right on time.
Beth joined the crowd on the bleachers. Kevin had been playing in this league since July, more than two months ago. Beth had met a few of the wives and girlfriends, but it had been almost a month since she had been to a game while Kevin was in China. She chose a seat about halfway up the bleachers to the left of half-court. A tall blonde took a seat a little to her right. She turned and smiled at Beth, stretched out her hand and introduced herself.
"Hi, I'm Erica Styles. I've seen you here before, but we've never met."
"I'm Beth Girardi. That's my husband Kevin," she pointed to the court where Kevin and another player were shooting around.
"What a coincidence! That's my brother Joshua. He's been playing in the league for four years."
"Kev and I moved up here in July for his job. He's been away on business, so we haven't been around much lately, but he's looking forward to getting back into the swing of things."
As they were talking, the teams took the floor. Kevin hadn't been playing with these guys for very long and had missed the last month, so he wasn't on top of his game. His team worked together well, though. They easily defeated the opponent. Kevin racked up ten points. Beth waited outside the gym for him to retrieve his things. He finally emerged talking to Joshua Styles and another player. He introduced Joshua and Charlie Fisk to Beth. She shook their hands and engaged in a bit of small talk before she caught Kevin's eye and signaled for the door. He nodded and extracted himself from the crowd of players and spectators. He and Beth both waved their goodbyes.
Beth practically ran to the car. Kevin hurried after her and actually beat her despite her head start. She didn't mind losing, she just wanted to get home. Quickly. Kevin stopped at a drive-thru window to pick up some dinner since neither of them had eaten that evening. Taking a drink of his soda, he swallowed a little blue pill. Beth took a bite of her cheeseburger and smiled over at him. It would take them about five minutes to get home, then the shower, and then they should be ready to go. She had missed him so much and could barely wait to get back home. He had been longing for her in his.
When the pulled into the garage she asked him whether he preferred a bath or a shower. He said shower and she ran upstairs to get things ready while he finished his dinner. About ten minutes later, she heard the motorized whir of the lift and waited patiently for him to meet her in the entered the room slowly as though he were unsure if he should proceed or not. She stood in front of him and reached her hand out. He took it and allowed her to undress him. He transferred to the shower bench easily. She straddled him and began assaulting his neck and shoulders with passionate kisses. He held tightly to her and returned her embraces. After a brief stay in the shower, they moved quickly to the bed where they remained until the morning light woke them.