Laws of Motion – Book 1
Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT
Chapter 12
University Trauma Center – ICU
4:14 p.m.
"Eileen, Dear…" Jillian warmly greeted Nick's nurse. "My son Greg and his fiancée are here to visit Nicky." She didn't mind fibbing because Nick was adamant that they visit.
Glancing up at the couple standing next to her patient's mother, Eileen cocked her head. "Wow…you don't look much like your brother or your sisters. Are you sure you're not trying to scam your way in here?"
"No." Greg chuckled lightly. "Actually, I get that question a lot because I'm not blood related. I was their foster kid from the age of thirteen, when my missionary parents were seized and unjustly held in a Thai prison. Without the Stokes family I probably would have ended up on the streets. They're fantastic people…they even paid for me to attend Stanford. Do I still qualify as a relative? Because I really want to visit my brother."
Tawny and Jillian stood gaping at Greg.
"Aww." Placing her hand over her heart Eileen said, "Of course it does. But your sisters will have to leave, because three is the maximum number of visitors in an ICU room at any time." She pointed to waterless soap. "Just sanitize your hands for me before you go in."
"Thanks." Greg squeezed a glob of the alcohol-based cleanser into his palm.
Staring at her 'son' Jillian said, "I'll tell your sisters to skedaddle and let Nicky know you're here."
"Thailand…" Tawny wistfully sighed. "I went there looking for the ultimate nihilistic experience once."
Hearing the remark Eileen curiously asked, "What happened?"
As she scrubbed her hands Tawny replied, "I realized the utopia I found was really just a microcosm of society with all the same trappings and ills." She shrugged. "The reality is…people aren't perfect so they're unable to uphold the principles of an idyllic civilization over time."
"You two brainiacs must have met at Stanford."
"No," Tawny corrected. "I was raised Amish and Old Order Amish children only go to school until the eighth grade that's why I had to get my GED and am just starting college at twenty-two." When she saw the nurse's jaw drop she explained. "I know…I don't look Amish now. That's because during my rumspringa, which loosely translated means, 'running around', I decided to stay in modern society instead of returning to the farm and my family's Old Amish ways."
Having just returned from her son's room Jillian couldn't believe her ears. Placing one hand on each of their shoulders she directed the two silver-tongued lunatics into Nick's room. "Go easy on my boy and just be yourselves…although he's well rested at the moment, he's still gets quite weak from the blood loss and a tad fuzzy from the pain medication."
Crime Lab - Trace
4:19 p.m.
After hanging up with Jim, Grissom returned to Hodges. "Call me as soon as you know anything about either of the new cards."
"Of course." Hodges continued working without looking up. "Where will you be?"
On his way out the door Grissom answered the inquiry. "The home of Ben Rodgers…Mike's brother."
The mention of the word 'home' reminded Hodges to call Celeste. With their future uncertain, they had wisely decided to postpone the purchase of a home together and opt to rent a house for the approximately six month duration of their feasibility study. "Hi, Honey," he greeted, hoping to find her in a jovial mood.
"How's my favorite scientist? I hope you're wrapping things up because we're meeting the leasing agent in an hour."
"Yeah…" He glanced up at the clock and laboriously sighed. "That's why I'm calling. I received some top priority stuff and I can't leave probably for another two hours. Look…as long as there's enough room for your ferrets to be far away from me; there's adequate storage for our extensive collections of porcelain dolls and vintage board games; and it has a nice bedroom conducive to stimulating our love mojo…I can live there. So, if it's okay with you, I'll just trust you to pick something good. "
"Trust is important in a marriage."
Happy to hear optimism in her voice David sweetly offered, "How about when I get out of here I pick up some frozen corn dogs and cotton candy so later we can snuggle and watch The Six Million Dollar Man in the County Fair episode?"
"Ooh!" Celeste giggled with delight. "And after that we can watch Three Men and a Baby."
University Trauma Center – ICU
4:22 p.m.
Standing at Nick's bedside, Tawny had a vice grip on Greg's hand. Except for visiting fellow dancers after they had babies, she had never seen anyone in the hospital. Consequently, the sight of normally healthy and vibrant Nick now battered and frail with tons of equipment attached to him, had her weak in the knees. "Are you sure you're up for company?" she softly asked while choking back her tears. The guilt over telling Nick about his brother was resurfacing as she watched him wince while trying to scoot a little higher in bed.
"Let me help you, Bro." Breaking loose of Tawny's clutch, Greg grabbed the pillows that had slipped behind Nick's head. "I know all about being uncomfortable in the hospital. The trick is finding the right pillow arrangement and bed angle…the right drug dose helps too so, don't let them skimp on the meds. Oh and watch the nurses, because they'll come in while you're sleeping and switch the TV channel to a stupid soap opera. Then you'll have a smartass visitor accuse you of being a pansy who's secretly into Days of Our Lives…wait…that was you who teased me about that when you came to visit me in the Burn Unit." Upon seeing Nick smile Greg added, "Hmm…time for a little revenge…I wonder which one of these lines is your morphine drip?"
Watching Greg cheer up Nick and work to find a more comfortable position, Jillian was grateful that her son at least had a pseudo-brother looking after him. "Since you're in good hands, Nicky, I'm going to step outside. I think I'll go see if Carrie's still sleeping." Truthfully she wanted to see if there was an update on the Nigel issue, which they were determined to keep from him.
After a deep breath Nick called out, "Mama…" He caught her before she was through the door. "Barbara told me Carrie needs the rest so…make sure you don't wake her."
Greg laughed at his pal. "Even in the ICU you're a control freak. You must hate being trapped here."
"Hell…anything's better than dead," he soberly replied. "I was real spooked at first but Carrie calmed me down." Relaxed from the drugs he did a little oversharing. "I can't wait to get this damn tube full of stomach juice out of my nose though…and having my pee siphoned out of my johnson is humiliating…oh, but the worst was waking up tied to the bed naked and having a strange woman probe me…dude, that was 'abducted by aliens' creepy."
Greg chuckled. "Now that last one would have really appealed to me before I met Tawny because, I saw something similar in this movie called Alien Girls on Uranus..." When his fiancée punched him in the arm he shut up.
"Does it hurt a lot, Nick?" Tawny asked in a tiny voice.
"No, pain management's good…" He shifted his gaze to Tawny. "I just get real tired."
Greg checked the clock. "We talked to your doctor sister. She said it would take about twenty-four hours before the effects of the blood loss lessen."
Staring at the tube coming out of Nick's nose and over his black and blue puffed cheek Tawny clutched the bed rail. "I need to sit."
"Here." Greg grabbed a chair and helped her into it. "She's um…feeling real guilty about calling you about Drew."
Nodding, Nick slowly replied, "That's why I wanted to see you…to make sure you knew, even though this happened…I'm still glad you called." Carrie had told him Tawny was having a rough time and concerned over the health of the babies, he didn't want her stressed out.
"Really?" She cursed the tears spilling from her eyes because she promised herself she wouldn't cry and upset Nick. "Sorry for the waterworks. I asked your sister, since she's an OB, if it's normal to cry so easy during pregnancy…because…um…I really used to be much tougher."
"What did she say?" Nick prodded in a concerned tone.
Chuckling through her tears Tawny answered, "She said, from what you've told her about Greg, that it's understandable that the woman living with him and carrying his children would be stressed out."
The threesome shared a laugh then Tawny said, "I feel guilty going to California with you in here…since I'm her friend, I should be here for Carrie."
"No…we're fine…we've got my family here." Nick motioned for Greg to grab tissues. "You're slackin', Pal. Take care of your woman."
Greg snatched a few, gave them to Tawny then caressed her back. "Better?"
"Much." The company and the new bed angle and pillow combo lifting his spirits, Nick smiled. "Carrie told me about the half proposal…" He glanced at Greg and shook his head in frustration before turning back to Tawny. "I insist you go to California and get that damn ring on your finger. This guy has made you wait long enough…I don't want to be the reason you wait even longer. You're starting to show and you should have a ring so…"
"I'm starting to show!" Her hands raced to her abdomen. "No! I can't look pregnant until after California. Greg! Why didn't you tell me!"
Nick immediately corrected, "I know you look different because I knew you a month ago when you were a size zero with D-cups, but strangers won't think you're pregnant."
"What will strangers think?" she put her panic on hold.
Fuzzy from the medication, Nick had a hard time knowing what he was and wasn't doing or saying. "In California they'll just think you're an unbelievably gorgeous girl with outrageously bodacious breasts and a sinfully curvaceous bod, who Bev Sanders obviously bribed to be her son's date for the weekend, so he wouldn't show up alone for the umpteenth year in a row and fuel the rumor that he's gay." When he saw Tawny's horrified expression Nick realized he had indeed vocalized his thoughts.
Staring at his woozy pal, Greg deadpanned, "But do you think everyone there will believe she used to be Amish?"
"Amish?" Nick stared at Tawny's synthetic breasts. "Are you crazy?"
Ely State Prison
4:36 p.m.
Sitting across from the nutjob calling himself Digital Man, also known as Nigel Crane, Jim Brass now understood what the warden meant when he said that questioning this particular inmate would be frustrating.
"It's the digital age and I'm Digital Man that's who I am. Digital is everything…everything!" Rocking in his chair Nigel probed, "Are you digital Mr. Brass? Are you?"
"Yes." Jim nodded. "Just like I said I was two minutes ago when you asked me. Now answer my question…did you send flowers to someone today, Nigel? Did a little birdie tell you to send flowers to someone?"
"I hate birds!" Nigel's eyes narrowed. "They shit on your head when you're installing cable. Digital cable runs underground. Birds don't live underground." His smile returning he asked, "How many channels do you have Mr. Brass?"
"I don't know…maybe…"
"You don't know!" Incensed by the ignorance Nigel snapped, "How can you not know what you're paying for!"
Glancing over at the guard laughing at him Jim asked once more, "Flowers, Nigel…you send anyone flowers lately? Someone in the hospital?"
"Digital Man doesn't send flowers…he sends e-mail…'cause it's digital." Giddy with delight he inquired, "Are you high speed, Mr. Brass? If your modem's not cable…you're nobody. You're nobody and I'm Digital Man…that's who I am."
The guard shook his head. "He's blowing smoke…he doesn't have e-mail access. Well…maybe in his head he does."
"Nigel…" Jim held up a picture of Mike Rodgers. "Have you ever seen this guy? Ever sent him an e-mail?"
"Is he digital?" he asked in a wondrous tone. "He looks very Sports Package."
Jim re-tucked the photo in his pocket. "Okay, I'm through here." He stood and exhaled in frustration. "I'm high-speed enough to know you didn't send flowers to Nick in the hospital."
"My Nick…my Nick's in the hospital!" Nigel's happiness turned to panic. "What happened? Is he okay?" Rocking furiously he seethed. "No…no…no…"
As Jim watched Digital Man become disconnected he knew for sure Nigel had no prior knowledge of Nick's hospitalization. "Yeah…he's going to be okay."
"Did she hurt him!" Nigel blasted.
Jim's ears perked. "She who?"
"That bitch Carrie! I know all about her." Nigel spat, "She's ruining him. I heard she made him cancel his Sports Package!" Depressed at the thought he sighed, "He loved the Sports Package."
Jim returned to his seat. "How did you find out about Carrie, Nigel?"
"E-mail."
Jim looked to the guard.
The guard shrugged. "It could have been printed and given to him by a visitor…we'll have records."
"No paper for Digital Man. Paper's for losers." Nigel cracked a wide grin. "My e-mail gets delivered directly to my head…because I'm wired…I'm broadband…I'm Digital Man…that's who I am."
Rodgers Home
5:07 p.m.
"I'm Detective Vartann, LVPD." He flashed his ID to Ben Rodgers. "And this is Gil Gr…"
"I know who he is," Ben snipped. "He's the man responsible for my brother being unjustly imprisoned. He's the man who set up Mike to get him away from Sara." Pointing to the street Ben barked, "And he's not welcome on my property."
"Grissom…" Vartann mumbled, "How about you wait in the car while I…"
"How dare you show up on my doorstep after what you've put my family through!" Ben stepped outside and slammed the door, making the spectacle for the mesmerized neighbors a little more exciting. "You got what you wanted…Mike in prison and Sara in your bed. Now leave us the hell alone or I'm filing harassment charges against you and the County! I've always been a law abiding citizen just like my brother Mike and this is uncalled for but not surprising…no…yet again, it's a gross abuse of your power in this city."
"Grissom…" Vartann pointed to the Tahoe. This was how they figured it would play out.
Having observed enough, Gil finally relented. "I'll be in my truck."
"Mr. Rodgers…" Vartann feigned politeness. "I'm sorry if Dr. Grissom's presence upset you. I'm here because the folks at Ely said you visited your brother today." He left out the second part…and because we think there's a good chance that you, like your brother, are a lying, manipulative psycho.
"Yeah…I'm allowed, so what?"
"During your visit, did you happen to discuss Nick Stokes?"
"Damn straight we did." Ben stuffed his hands on his hips. "We talk about him and Grissom and Wendy Blake every time I visit because they're all guilty of conspiring against Mike."
"Did you know that Nick Stokes is in the hospital?"
"No…" Ben huffed, "And I don't give a shit if he is, unless you're going to tell me that he got hit on the head and finally realized Grissom brainwashed him into helping frame my brother. Mike was an excellent friend to Nick and the thanks he got was a stab in the back."
"Did you order flowers for Nick Stokes?"
Ben burst out laughing. "Yeah…right. Like I'm going to waste a dime of my hard earned money on Stokes instead of my brother's case. I'm done talking to you. If you have any other questions, submit them in writing to my family's attorney. We're always looking for stuff to use in the appeal." With that he opened the door, walked inside and slammed it.
Drew and Melissa's Home
5:31 p.m.
Walking through the ornate door leading into her fabulously decorated million dollar home Melissa Stokes was greeted by her two eldest children, Cassandra Anne, who would be five in a few weeks and three year old Matthew William. "Ooh, Mama missed you!" With her arms outstretched she pulled both in for a big snuggle. "I'm gonna squeeze you both silly!"
The housekeeper, Marta, waited off to the side to share the latest news.
"Where's Daddy?" Cassie bubbled. "I want to show him my new party dress."
"Sugar, it's only Tuesday, he's still travelin'." Melissa closed her eyes and clutched the kids a little tighter.
"I heard Miss Marta on the phone and she said you went to see him."
Melissa glanced up and saw the housekeeper mouth an apology. "Yeah…but he had to stay for some meetings."
Matt remained silent while snuggling his mother.
"I guess Daddy will see it as a surprise before the party on Saturday." Cassie twirled in a circle pretending she was wearing the chiffon party dress.
"Oh." Melissa suddenly remembered their plans to attend a friend's son's Bar Mitzvah that weekend and Drew's promise to Cassie that she'd be his dancing partner. Before leaving on this last trip he had been giving her lessons, letting her stand on his feet and every time he dipped her, Cassie's giggles filled the living room. "Marta…would you see to it that they wash up for supper. I need to um…"
"Sure." Marta scooted the children toward the stairs. "I'll be up in a minute to make sure you're scrubbing." Once they were upstairs, she delivered the news. "A couple of men came with an order to seize Drew's company car. I didn't know what to do. I gave them the keys. Cassie saw…I told her that her daddy had asked for a new car that's why the men were taking away the old one."
"Damn." Rubbing her palm over her throbbing forehead Melissa nodded. "Uh…I need a few minutes in the study."
"Take your time…I'll stall the kids."
"Thank you." The shock of her mother-in-law's phone call had left her functioning on autopilot and only now did she realize the ramifications of what she had done…taken her children's father out of their home…just like her mother had done to her when she was seven. The cycle was repeating and suddenly flashing in her mind were vivid memories of being shuffled between homes and crying for a missing parent every holiday. "What have we done?" She whispered as she locked the study's doors behind her. In her heart she knew there were two very guilty parties and three innocent victims caught up in this mess.
Stepping over to the crystal decanter of premium Scotch Drew always kept stocked at the bar, Melissa poured herself two fingers worth. Upon lifting the Waterford tumbler to her lips, her eyes locked on the photos adorning the cherry oak shelves lining the room. Their entire life was captured in snapshots, first as stunning Lissa Lexington, debutante turned supermodel, and dashing Andrew Stokes, rising businessman, former Aggie star quarterback, and member of a respected Dallas family…then as Mr. and Mrs. Stokes…and later as the model-perfect family complete with a golden retriever. In every one of the photos she and Drew were smiling bright and except for the last year, the smiles were genuine.
After downing the Scotch, Melissa took aim and hurled the glass at Drew's prized MVP trophy. When she missed, her first thought was…Drew would have gotten a good laugh out of that pathetic throw. "I hate you!" Dropping into a red leather chair, she let her tears flow. "And I hate me."
Butterfield Academy
5:56 p.m.
"I hate it here," Lindsay angrily whispered in Warrick's direction. "Look at the freaks walking the halls. Did you see what that geek girl was wearing! Just breathing the same air as her is going to ruin me for life."
"What's that, Linds?" Catherine loudly taunted. "You hope they have a chess club?"
"We do!" One of the sophomore Welcome Night guides wearing a yellow beret eagerly declared. "Hi!" The height-challenged pimply teen extended his hand and read the newbie's nametag. "Lindsay Willows, I'm Barney Stempo."
Ignoring the hand, Lindsay smiled, "Barney STUMPo?"
"Stempo…Barney Stempo." With his index finger he shoved his glasses back in position. "That's okay…lots of people make that mistake."
"Barney like the purple dinosaur kids watch on TV?" Lindsay heard her mother's eyes roll.
"Were you a Barney fan too!"
Catherine replied on behalf of her daughter. "On rainy days she likes to get out her old Barney video collection and sing along."
The tenured Butterfield Academy student shrieked, "Then I bet you'll want to join the glee club for sure!"
Lindsay retorted, "Kill me before this gets any worse."
"Mr. Brown! Ms. Willows!" Sean Blake enthusiastically greeted when he saw familiar faces. "Hi, Lindsay."
"Too late," Lindsay droned. "It's worse."
Barney saw the newest guest's nametag. "Sean Blake! We heard about you. You won Battle of the Books for your school last year and took home the blue ribbon at the County science fair."
Gushing with pride Sean nodded. "That's me."
Wendy showed up a minute later with a hand full of pamphlets. "Hi, guys. Wow! This place is fantastic, isn't it? I'm thrilled Sean gets to attend." Proudly, she tossed her arm around her boy and rejoiced that he earned a full scholarship.
"I'm thrilled Lindsay can attend too." Catherine mimicked the motherly behavior. "It's going to be worth every penny of that ten grand a year."
Warrick bristled while thinking…yeah, ten grand of your sperm donor's blood money.
"Hey!" Barney exuded excitement. "Do you want to meet our school mascot?"
"You have sports here?" Lindsay skeptically asked. "Do you outsource?"
"Of course we have sports!" he replied. "We don't have football but we love baseball because of the stats!"
Having read every piece of information in existence about his new school Sean announced, "And they have a track and field team. I'm joining."
Lindsay scoffed, "As what? The pole the athletes use to vault?"
"That's it." Taking Lindsay by the arm, Warrick guided her down the hall until he found an empty classroom. "Sit!" He pointed to a chair. "And don't say a word until I'm through."
"Whoa…"
"Hey!" He pointed his finger. "I said no talking."
Unable to trust herself, Lindsay covered her mouth with her palm.
"Here's the deal…" Stuffing his hands on his hips he verbalized what he had been thinking for a while. "You introduce me as your stepfather to your friends and you're constantly on your mother's case about not being married to me to make the title legit, well guess what, Lindsay? I'm not taking the title without doing the job and no daughter of mine is going to mouth off to her schoolmates just because they're not as cool as you think you are…and here's a newsflash…to be cool in my eyes doesn't mean being the kid with the wisest mouth and the trendiest clothes. Those were exactly the kids in school I avoided like the plague." Pointing toward the door he snapped, "After watching your behavior out there, you couldn't look less cool to me and I would be embarrassed if you referred to me as your stepdad because everyone would immediately think I'm a lousy parent."
"I'm really sorry," she squeaked. Then she remembered she wasn't supposed to be talking.
"As of right now, things are changing." Pulling up a chair he took a seat directly across from her and softened his voice. "I've already had this conversation with your mother. Since we started living together I've been trying to stay out of things that I truly thought weren't my business, but not anymore. As I see it…if I love your mother and you, then everything about you is my business. So, from here on out…if I'm not happy with something…I'm speaking my mind. And right now my mind is saying…you better get your butt back out there, slap a smile on your face, and be grateful that you are being given the opportunity of a fantastic education when kids in poor parts of this city are thrilled to attend school because it makes them eligible for free breakfast and lunch from the state." With that he stood and opened the door. "Welcome to Butterfield Academy, Lindsay."
In silence she stood, walked through the door and approached the first guide wearing a yellow beret she saw. "Excuse me…" Glancing over her shoulder she made sure Warrick was within earshot. "Hi, my name is Lindsay and I'm really psyched about starting here tomorrow. Could you tell me where I can sign up for sports?"
Crime Lab
7:52 p.m.
Sara, Grissom, Sofia, Pete and Brass had been sitting around the table in Conference Room B reviewing the day's findings for twenty minutes when Sara started laughing. "Prison has only made him better at these games because he's had plenty of quiet time to hone his craft."
"That doesn't mean he won't slip up," Gil reminded his impatient wife.
"No…you're missing the point," Sara corrected. "He's not sitting in prison worried about slipping up. He's playing these games trying to make us slip up." Staring at her husband Sara announced, "He's trying to take us all down. The card to Carrie…clearly he wants to tweak Nick into doing something that jeopardizes his future. If Nick does something crazy to protect Carrie, for example…going after Ben Rodgers and he goes to jail…Mike gets a double bang for his buck. Nick's life as he knows it is over and, you know Carrie isn't going to move on after that so, Nick has to sit in prison knowing he's destroyed her happiness too." She moved her gaze from person to person. "I think we all know Nick would have to serve his sentence in a padded room wearing a straightjacket if that happened. That kind of mental anguish is a wet dream for Mike."
Sofia sank in her chair. "And considering events of late…I honestly believe it could happen. The statements Ben Rodgers made to you, Gil make it sound like he's setting up the scenario. He spoke of harassment and Nick being brainwashed…and he spoke of it loudly in front of neighbors. All it would take is Nick busting down the door while wearing his gun and it's over. If Nick had seen Carrie's intense reaction to Nigel's card and he suspected Ben Rodgers coordinated it…" Shaking her head she sighed. "Yeah."
"What about me?" Gil asked, curious to see if his wife had come up with the same answer as him.
"He wants you to lose me…but not in death because that would just make you mourn me and feel sorrow. That's not fun for him." Sara raised a brow. "He'll only be happy if I choose to leave you just like I did in Tahoe. Then you'll be right where you were supposed to be a year ago…alone…and watching me live my life without you. As a bonus he's hoping I'll raise your child without you…so your child will grow up fatherless just like you."
Brass glanced up at the board. "Ben did emphasize you gaining Sara twice." He shrugged. "I agree that death wouldn't give him much of a rush. He only kills when he gets bored of the game or when someone is in his way of having fun and he has fun by screwing with people."
Gil felt the weight of everyone's stares as his personal life was analyzed.
Massaging his temples Brass said, "Sorry…I'm trying to think of something light and/or upbeat to say but Digital Man exhausted me and I'm at a loss."
"Okay…then," Gil pointed to the board. "Moving on to our next concern."
5 and Diner
8:10 p.m.
Wendy and Sean sat in the curved booth with Warrick, Catherine and Lindsay enjoying a banana split. "This was a great idea, Lindsay," Wendy remarked while setting down her spoon. "Thanks for asking us along.
While Catherine had been shocked that her daughter did such a thing, Warrick wasn't surprised at all. Apparently a little Tough Love was exactly what Lindsay needed. Thinking back, he realized she had been craving it all along. "So do you two have any classes together?" he asked.
"American History, Spanish, Physical Education and Art," Sean quickly answered, having memorized both of their schedules. "I'm two years ahead of my grade level in Math and Science so we'll never have those together."
"It's not polite to brag," Lindsay chided after swallowing the last bite of her brownie sundae.
"I wasn't bragging," Sean assured her. "I was stating a fact."
"I have plenty of facts about you I'd like to state but…" Feeling the heat of Warrick's glare Lindsay halted her tirade before it began. "We really should get going," she said instead. "Since it's a school night, I want to get a good night's sleep."
University Trauma Center – ICU
9:12 p.m.
When Nick emerged from his latest nap, before he had the strength to open his eyes, he heard Carrie and his sister Barbara talking nearby. Still too groggy to be an active participant, he kept his eyelids shut and opted to listen.
"You really have to work at marriage, Carrie," Barbara counseled. "The first couple of years Doug and I cruised right through then both of our careers took off and we barely saw each other. It's easy to drift if you don't put in the effort. I'll never forget the day he said, 'we have to have a serious talk about our future'…we stayed up all night discussing how we had gone from this devoted loving couple who made love five times a week to roommates passing each other in the hall with barely a kiss and what we needed to do to get back on track."
As a curious bride-to-be on Valium, Carrie listened intently with a glazed look in her eyes. "Is that what you think happened to your brother and Melissa? They got off track and never took the time to have that all night meeting?"
Sighing heavily Barbara slouched a little further in her chair. "In case you haven't noticed, let me point out something about my family…perfection is valued. Growing up it was strongly encouraged in academics, sports, behavior and most of all image, because my parents had reputations to protect. Daddy always said if his children weren't projecting good values then people would suspect he and Mama didn't have them and it would taint people's trust in them. No one took the concept of the perfect image more seriously than Andy. Hell, in high school he actually collapsed one day from starving himself trying to get leaner while working out four hours a day."
"You think he couldn't cope with Melissa not being perfect anymore?"
"I do," Barbara confessed. "The thing is, she couldn't cope with it either because she was as bad as Andy about body image, if not worse. After the first two kids she wore her size two jeans within weeks but after the third…she fell into a funk and actually gained weight. After being a model since the age of ten, the girl wasn't used to having anything but the perfect body. Then Andy started harping on her about it and she became so paranoid she wouldn't let him touch her…I mean not even a hug, for fear he'd feel fat." Barbara smiled at her sleeping brother. "I know you're aware of Nicky's overactive libido."
Carrie felt her cheeks flush.
"Andy's worse if you can believe it. Once Melissa froze him out of bed, he flipped. For the first time since he was fifteen he wasn't getting any regularly and there was no end to the freeze in sight. Tawny was just one in a long line I'm sure. I'm mad as hell at both of them frankly. They didn't try to fix things…they could have went to counseling…something…anything. Instead, they just decided to get pissed at each other and let the anger grow. It's fine to do that when you're just a couple but they have three kids…dammit I'm ticked all over again. That's why I'm blabbing all this…normally I'd keep my lips shut but I'm too upset and need to talk it through with someone."
"Do you think the same thing could happen with Nicky and me? I just gained five pounds on vacation and he mentioned that my jeans looked tight on my ass." Her paranoia growing she asked, "What if I can't bounce back after pregnancy? Is perfection so ingrained in his brain that he'll find me unattractive and think about…"
"Not a chance," Nick groggily answered as he opened his eyes. "And if you chill for a minute and think about it…I said now that your jeans were tighter they really showed off your beautiful ass."
"Oh yeah." Carrie's smile returned.
Barbara stood up chuckling. "And that's my cue to say goodnight." Walking over the bed she pecked her brother's cheek. "The doctor won't tell you this until discharge, but I'm gonna break the news to you early, Bro. You won't be allowed to strain your abdomen for six weeks…that includes sex of any sort…even the kind I found you having with yourself in the treehouse when you were twelve."
"Six weeks?" Carrie and Nick simultaneously lamented. Then Carrie added, "The treehouse, Nicky? Eww!"
Barbara defended him, "Well, Mama always said, 'no sex under my roof' and Nicky liked to follow the rules."
When Carrie finally stopped laughing, she shared the silly litigious thought that initiated her giggles. "He was getting off on a technicality!"
"No, it was a lingerie catalogue actually," Barbara quipped before hurrying through the door. "Night!"
After catching her breath Carrie teased, "Aww…were you trying to discover Victoria's secret, Nicky?" Laughing with him, she ran her fingers through his hair.
Suddenly Nick's pulse-ox alarm sounded and Blanche, the night nurse, came sailing in. "Too much laughter, Mr. Stokes." She immediately began checking the rest of the monitors.
"Too much embarrassment," Nick corrected. "Speaking of which…when can I pee standing up and get this damn tube out of my nose so my stomach gas can come out the natural way?"
The Mandalay Bay
10:45 p.m.
Lying on the bed Sara yelled in the direction of the guest room's bathroom, "Seriously…how much longer are you going to be in there? It's not like we're home and I have choices. We're sharing."
Miffed, he declared, "it's only been two minutes!"
"It's been ten!"
"I'm not wearing a watch," he explained from the other side of the door.
To which she laughingly retorted, "Can't you tell by how many pages you've read!"
"See…Rodgers has it all wrong if he thinks making us spend more time together in closer quarters will drive us apart. It's making me feel closer to you." With that he flushed. "I'm washing my hands!"
"Thank you!" Sara jumped off the bed and waited for the door to open. Thirty seconds later she was sorry it did. "Did you forget to turn on the fan?"
"It's not working."
"What!" Sara tossed up her hands. "Your father is paying thousands a day to stay here, how can anything be broken? Even the ice shouldn't be cracked in this place."
He logically explained, "The only way to know it was broken would be to have someone try to use it and no one was staying in this room and in need of the fan until now."
"Oh, great…I didn't pack my Bath and Bodyworks room freshener either."
"Here." Gil reached into the tall glass of ice water Sara had on her bedside table and plucked out the lemon wedge.
The feel of the ice cold lemon juice being squirted under nose and rubbed into her skin made her jump. "What the…"
"It's an old coroner's trick when you're caught smelling something nasty and don't have the usual supplies." He grinned with pride and handed Sara the Parenting magazine Lina had placed on the bedside table. "I'll start timing you when the door shuts."
Catherine's House
11:01 p.m.
When Catherine emerged from the bathroom wearing her newest piece of inspiring lingerie, she was happy to see Warrick already in bed with the covers teasingly blanketing him up to the hips. "We have the night off…and I know just how I want to spend it." With a devilish glint in her eye Catherine sauntered over to the bed.
"Me too, Baby." Warrick reached out and pulled her on top of him, kissing her deeply while rolling her off to the side.
"Mmm…" She closed her eyes and waited for his next smooth move. "I could go all night."
"I could too, Cath…but in a different way." Cupping her face Warrick lovingly but seriously said, "We need to have to have a serious talk about our future."
The Townhouse
11:12 p.m.
"I'm so nervous, I can't sleep," Tawny jittered as she fluffed her bed pillow for the tenth time.
"Take off your pajamas and turn over," Greg instructed as he tossed his magazine to the floor.
"I'm way too preoccupied for that, Greg"
"No," he sweetly chuckled. "I'm going to give you a massage…no strings attached, I promise."
"Oh." Flipping her bare body she giggled, "Sometimes it's still a little hard for me to believe a guy doesn't always want something in return."
"I do want something in return…I want you to relax, because I love you and I want don't want the babies feeding off your stress vibe." In the interest of sounding completely unselfish, he omitted the other two reasons…she was driving him insane and he was really tired.
"Awww." She closed her eyes waiting to be spoiled.
Grabbing the remote he announced, "I'll change the music to something New Age to get you Zen." Then, he reached over and opened his bedside drawer. After sorting through the various supplies Tawny had stocked in there, he selected a bottle of Macadamia Nut massage oil. "Pretend you're on the beach in…"
"California!" She tensed at the reminder.
"Fiji…a desolate beach…just the two of us." He poured the oil into his palm and smiled.
"Wait…what does Fiji look like?" she asked while he warmed the oil between his hands. "Because I can't imagine something if I don't know what it's like."
Trying not to laugh at how stressful this supposedly relaxing endeavor was so far he suggested, "How about Hawaii?"
"Oh, okay, that I've seen in movies." She closed her eyes again. "White sand, tall palm trees, volcanoes…"
"Which are dormant with absolutely no chance of eruption." Bringing his glistening palms to her shoulders he soothed, "And on this particular stretch of beach in Hawaii there are no poisonous creatures, no chance of tidal waves or storms of any kind, and there are no sharks or other dangerous life forms in the water should you choose to go swimming."
Laughing Tawny said, "Okay, I get it…I'm neurotic."
"No, you're detailed and creative."
"On my beach the only thing I can hear is the gentle sound of the waves lapping against the shore."
Chuckling he asked, "Is that your creative way of telling me to shut up?"
"Yes!"
"Okay." After kissing her cheek Greg whispered, "Sweet Dreams, Princess." Next he kissed her left hand. "The next night we share this bed together, I'll have made at least one of your dreams come true."
"Mmm." Tawny's thoughts quickly turned from Hawaii to the sight of Greg holding a diamond ring and sporting a smile just as brilliant.
"How's Hawaii?" he softly asked a few minutes later while caressing her back.
Sighing, she drifted into slumber. "Beautiful."
Author's Notes:
Thanks for reading! There is quite a variety of scenes in the chapter and I hope everyone found a little happiness.
Thanks for the reviews Misty J and Rojaji!
Next Chapter: It's the first day of school for the teens…Grissom and Sara look back on a painful memory then look forward to their upcoming Tahoe trip -plus Sara goes to the OB Doc…someone snaps and makes a surprising threat…The Brass Man comes through again…Cath pays a visit to Nick making an offer she hopes he won't refuse…Tawny gets some advice from Ron Grissom right before leaving for CA. Posting: Tuesday.
Thanks,
Maggs