"Let me get this all straight. You leave me because you think I've deserted you. You come to work, my one escape from the hell I live in and ask me to sign the divorce papers...Just so I can come over here and you tell me that you aren't seeing anyone else because they aren't me."

"Pretty much."

"So, what does that tell you about all of this?"

"I don't know. All I know is I'm miserable when I'm not with you and a little less miserable when you're here."

"Then why don't we just try and fix this? There has to be something we can do."

"Like what? Talk to someone? Yeah, that will do a lot of good. You'll still work the same job and I still be here raising teenagers by myself. Just waiting for the two hours you're not asleep just to fill you in on their lives and what we need to do just to make sure they grow up right. And then listen to them tell me that Dad's only around to punish them and that's it. And I have to go to sleep every night alone. Hoping that maybe tomorrow you'll get to our bed before three a.m."

I still can't stand to see her cry. I sit down beside her and listen.

"When was the last time you went to bed and didn't hate me?"

"Honestly. I don't know."

"Then what do I need to do to make this better for you."

"What I need is to be away from you. I still have some feeling for you. Whether it's love or not, I don't know."

"Well, I know that I'm still very much in love with you. That's why I made sure you had the house to live in. You and the kids needed to be here more that I did. I try to spend time with them. I could make more time with work. But, honestly, I hate making time to spend with our kids. Just reminds me of what I messed up."

"So, where do we go? What do we do with this knowledge?"

"For the first time in my life, I don't know. What do you want Kathy?"

"I want...I want you to still be a part of this house. You helped make it home for all of us. But I still need some time Elliot. Let's just agree to work on this."

"Those papers will still be there...say six months from now. And if at that point we decide that we can't do anything to fix this, then we'll go from there."

"I think that would be okay. I'm not really sure."

"Me either."

"Hey, did you eat dinner yet?"

"Let's see, it's...nine o'clock... what do you think?"

"That'd be a no. Say, you wanna go get something to eat. Kathleen and the twins will okay by themselves...I'm sure we could cut out for a couple of hours."

"Wait...did you just ask me out?"

"So what if I did?"

"So...I think I'll have to say...sounds like a good idea."

"Great. I'll go get my coat..."

"I'll let Kathleen know."

"Best of luck. Hope your head is still attached when you come down the stairs."

Being here, with this glimmer of hope, makes this seem like a plesant task. I know Kathleen is in her room, I can hear that awful racket she calls music to prove it. I knock, not sure if she can hear me.

"I told you to...Dad? Why are you here?"

"Your mother and I are going to get some dinner...Can you hold down the fort for a few hours?"

"Uh, yeah...Why are you two eating again...Oh yeah, so you can finally make her dreams come true and sign those papers. Even the guys on death row get a last meal."

"Actually, we're just going to talk. I don't think I'll be signing those any time soon."

"So, what? What does that even mean...Are you going to live with us again..."

"Little soon for that...But, we're going to work on it."

"Whatever."

"And don't think this boyfriend situation is over. We'll all talk about it. Sooner than you think."

"Have my parents talk to me about something together. How can I be mad about that?"

"Night baby."

"Night."

Almost nice. She's old enough now that she gets it. And she's probaby been my biggest informant. Kathleen is so much like her mother anyway it helps to hear it from her.

"Well, you survived that."

"Sorry. She had to interrogate. But I think I held out enough for her."

"Wonder where she learned that."

"No one to blame but myself. I think she gets it though."

"I hope so. I just hope we're going about this all the right way."

"We have to be. There's not a lot of room for error here."