Chapter 11

Greg went home that night alone and frustrated. He was having feelings that he never felt before. What did Sandie see in James? He's been married three times, he couldn't possibly be all that good…. At anything.

He poured himself a drink and sat down on the couch. It was late but he didn't care, he was too annoyed to sleep. He decided to drink his frustration away and he eventually passed out on the couch. Maybe by morning he'd forget about why he was so frustrated.

Morning came early and Greg felt the after effects of his drinking. He pulled himself up off the couch and headed for the shower. His head was killing him and he really couldn't remember why he had been drinking in the first place. He got dressed and headed for work.

He got to the hospital just as James got there. Seeing him all smiles made Greg remember why he was drinking. The bastard stole his woman! Greg didn't even consider the possibility that Sandie leaving was his own fault, he just felt better making James out to be the bad guy.

Greg thought that James was talking to him but he was so busy figuring out ways to get rid of him that he didn't hear a word he was saying. He continued to ignore him and headed up to his office. James was left behind a bit confused.

It must've been a slow day for patients because Greg and the team sat around trying to keep busy with whatever they could find. Lisa tried several times to get Greg to go down to clinic duty but he refused. After arguing with him for twenty minutes, he gave up and headed down to the clinic. Maybe he could sneak out early and since James was at work, Sandie would be home alone.

Greg became annoyed dealing with patients, so he decided to duck out when no one was watching. Lisa was busy and wouldn't notice that he was gone. He left his things so no one would suspect anything and he snuck out the door. He hopped on his motorcycle and headed over to James's place.

Sandie stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel. She walked out into the living and started to clean up. She smiled when she remembered what she and James did last night. He had been so good to her lately, spending more time with her and less time with her sister. That's the way she liked it, she always got what she wanted. The one thing she still secretly wanted was Greg. She loved James but she was in love with Greg. It still hurt her when she caught him with that other girl and she wondered if he loved her as much as he used to.

She had just finished straightening and was headed into the bedroom to get dressed when she heard a knock at the door. She went to answer it and was surprised to find Greg standing there.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

He didn't say a word because seeing her in nothing but a towel made him forget why he was there.

"What are you doing here?" Sandie asked him again.

"I thought maybe we could talk," Greg answered.

Sandie let him into the apartment and closed the door behind him. She was about to go back to the bedroom to dress when he blocked her way. She pushed his arm out of the way but he continued to block her.

"What are you doing?" Sandie asked.

Greg didn't say anything but instead he pinned her up against the wall and kissed her on the lips. She pulled away and slapped his face.

"How dare you!" She scolded him. Pushing him out of the way, she made her way to the bedroom. He followed her.

"We need to talk," he told her.

"About what?" She asked. Not caring if he was in the room or not, she took off her towel and began to dress. Seeing her standing there naked made Greg excited, he walked up behind her and put his arms around her. She tried to fight him off but he held her tight. Brushing her hair out of the way, he kissed her neck.

He then turned her around and kissed her, this time she kissed him back. Just the feel of her naked body against his was exciting him. He worked his hands down her body to her tight, firm ass. Kissing her lips, then her neck and down to her soft, subtle breasts. Greg was starting to get hard now. He continued to place kisses down her body until he reached her now moist soft spot. He stood up and Sandie helped him out of his clothes, she went straight for his hard member and worked her magic until he was ready to burst. He then laid her on the bed and entered her making her moan. They made love until they both came.

Greg kissed her lips again before standing to get dressed. Sandie did the same. They both had forgotten how good each other felt, how excited they both got from each other. Sandie had to keep a steady head though, after all, he did cheat on her. She turned to see Greg watching her and she smiled.

"I thought you wanted to talk," she said.

"I do," he said. "I've missed you and I'm sorry about what happened. It was a mistake. I want you to come back to me."

"How do I know I can trust you again?" Sandie asked him as she headed towards the kitchen for a drink.

"I understand how you feel," Greg told her, "and I understand it's going to take some time before you trust me again, but I do have to tell you, I can't stand seeing you with James, it makes me crazy."

"Now you know how I feel everytime I see you looking at other women."

"I know,' Greg said, "and I really am sorry about that night. She came onto me…"

"I don't want to hear about it," Sandie interrupted him. She poured herself a shot of vodka and downed it.

"Want some?" she offered him.

"I actually should get back to work," Greg told her. "Think about what I said, will you? I really want you back."

Sandie downed another shot as she watched him leave.

A few days later, Sandie decided to give Greg another chance. James tried to talk her out of it but Sandie was obsessed with him and she didn't want to give her sister a chance at him. She decided to go to the hospital to let him know. She headed up to his office and walked in. He was there alone and he smiled when he saw her.

"Hi," Greg said.

"Hi," Sandie echoed.

She told him that she would give him a second chance.

"I love you," said Sandie.

"I love you," Greg replied as he took her in his arms and kissed her gently on the lips. He knew it was still too early after just getting back together, but he wanted to take her out to dinner.

Sandie kissed him back but was soon interrupted by Lisa who walked in on them.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat and the two of them separated.

"I'll see you at seven then," Sandie told Greg.

She walked past her sister, purposely bumping into her as she left the office.

"How many times have I told you that this is a place of business and to keep your love life at home?" Lisa scolded Greg, "Besides, I thought you two broke up."

"She's giving me another chance. What do you want?" Greg asked her.

"You were supposed to be on clinic duty an hour ago, I suggest you get down there and get to work now."

Greg hesitatingly did his job but kept a close eye on the clock, he had to be somewhere at four. It seemed like the day would never end and he kept thinking about tonight. After what seemed like forever, Greg looked at the clock, three fifty-five. He walked over to the nurses' station and began to sign out for the night.

"What are you doing?"

A voice from behind him made him turn around. It was Lisa.

"I have somewhere to be at four," he told her.

"I don't care, it can wait. You still have patients to tend to."

Begrudgingly, Greg went back to work but snuck off for a few minutes to talk to James. He walked into his office uninvited as usual. James looked up from his paperwork when he entered.

"I need you to do me a favor," Greg said to him.

"What is it this time?" James sighed.

"I need to go and pick something up but the Wicked Witch has me on a leash and I can't leave."

Greg handed James a piece of paper.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Just go to the address that's on there and pick up what's written on it. Tell them it's for me."

Before James could say anything else, Greg had left the office. He hesitated for a moment before getting up from his desk and grabbing his jacket. He left the office and headed for the place listed on the paper.

It wasn't long before James was standing outside a jewelry store. He was confused but entered the store anyway and walked up to the counter.

"Can I help you?" the gentleman behind the counter asked him.

"Yes, I need to pick up this item for Gregory House," James told him as he handed him the slip of paper.

The man looked at the paper and disappeared into a back room but returned a moment later holding a black velvet box. He placed it on the counter and opened it for James to see.

"It's a beautiful ring," the man told him. "That will be one lucky lady that will be getting this and you must be a lucky guy to have her."

James looked at the ring, then looked at the man.

"Oh no, this isn't for me, I'm just picking it for a friend," he told him.

"Oh! Then your friend is very lucky. Would you like this gift wrapped?"

James returned to the hospital and walked up to Greg who was lounging by the nurses' station. He tossed the ring box on the counter in front of him.

"That is an engagement ring," James told him.

Greg picked up the box and stuck it in his pocket.

"I know that," he said.

"Are you insane?" James asked him, "What are you sure you know what you're doing? You two just got back together."

James was going on like a crazy person and Greg had to stop him. He wasn't a child, he knew exactly what he was doing. He was in love with Sandie and after everything they've been through, he was ready to settle down with her.

"I know what I'm doing," he told him as he grabbed his jacket and headed out for the night.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" James called out after him but Greg had already left the building.

Seven o'clock arrived and Greg was waiting for Sandie at the restaurant. A moment later she arrived looking beautiful as ever. She had on a black, lace cocktail dress and her hair was done up in a twist. He could smell her perfume before she even got to the table. Sandie walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek, he kissed her back but on the lips. They sat down and looked over the menu. Neither one of them said a word. Greg was thinking about what he was going to say to her. For the first time in a long time, he was nervous. He was afraid she was going to say no, that she wanted to continue to see James. Sandie was a wild stallion and very hard to tame. After what seemed like forever, the waiter walked up to the table and broke the silence.

"May I take your order?" he asked them.

Greg and Sandie placed their order and once again sat in silence. Finally Greg just made his move. Not saying anything, he placed the ring box in front of Sandie. She looked at the box, then at him. She didn't say a word as she opened the box. When she saw the ring, she gasped.

"Greg, I…" she was at a loss for words.

"Just say yes," he told her. He held his breath as he waited for her to answer.

"Yes," was her answer and Greg let out a sigh of relief. He got up, walked over to her and placed the ring on her finger, then he kissed her soft lips. He noticed that she had tears in her eyes and he hoped that they were happy ones.

After dinner, they returned to Greg's apartment. Once inside, Greg pushed Sandie up against the wall and kissed her hard. As she kissed him back, she undid his shirt and started a trail of kisses down his body, stopping to undo his pants. She was surprised when he stopped her. Standing up, he immediately carried her to the bedroom where he helped her out of her dress. She looked stunning in her black, lace lingerie and Greg became instantly hard. He stripped out of his clothes and Sandie removed her lingerie. He laid her down on the bed, kissed her lips and neck and worked his way down but stopped when he reached her feminine part. He didn't want tonight to be kinky, he wanted it to be special. He was very hard now and Sandie let out a slight moan when he entered her. They made passionate love until they were both satisfied then fell asleep in each other's arms.

Sandie awoke the next morning to find that Greg had already gone to work. She showered and dressed then straightened up before heading home to the apartment she shared with James. To her surprise, he was still home when she got there.

"I take it you spent the night with Greg," he said.

James was crazy about Sandie and wished she felt the same way about him. There was a time when he thought that they would be the ones to end up together, he even proposed to her, but after the loss of their baby, she ran back to Greg. No matter what Greg did to Sandie, she always seemed to end up with him. She was a fool but then again so was Greg or maybe he was the fool to think that a woman like Sandie would ever settle down with a guy like him.

Sandie ignored James and headed to her room to change. She didn't bother to close the door, she never does. James thinks she does it just to tease him. She stripped off her dress, revealing her sexy curves and he felt something begin to stir. He had to get out of there. He grabbed his jacket and briefcase and headed out the door.

Greg sat in his office thinking about last night. He was sure he did the right thing and the right thing meant keeping Sandie from straying anymore. She was officially his now and he wasn't going to let her escape. A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts, he looked up to see James standing in front of him.

"So," he started, "did you propose to Sandie or was that ring for someone else?"

Greg knew how James felt about Sandie and the two of them had gotten into some big arguments over her. He knew now that James would never forgive him for proposing to her but he also knew that Sandie was in love with him and not James.

"Yes I did," Greg answered.

"And?" James asked.

"She said yes."

"Fine, but if you hurt her…" his voice trailed off.

"Oh come on!" Greg argued, "You're just jealous that she said yes to me and not you! Did you really think that after all this time she would leave me for you? She always came back."

"You treat her like crap!" James yelled. "Why do you think she's always out with other guys? Do you really think that just because you gave her a ring you can tame her? She won't stop. She'll be out with someone else again soon!"

"As long as that someone else isn't you," Greg told him.

James wasn't quick enough with a comeback so he was glad when Foreman and the team entered the office. James just shook his head and left the office. He returned to his office to find Sandie waiting for him.

"Hey, did you need something?" he asked her.

Sandie looked beautiful as usual in her mini skirt and tank top. Her high heels made her legs look long and extremely sexy. James wanted them wrapped around him. As he looked at her, he could feel himself getting aroused, yet again. Damn! He wished he would stop having these feelings whenever she was around but he couldn't help himself. He felt so strongly about her, always have and always will. The one thing he would not do is attend the wedding. His thoughts were interrupted when Sandie walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Greg proposed to me!" She told him excitedly.

James rolled his eyes and immediately regretted it because the look of surprise on Sandie's face was like a kick in the groin to him.

"I'm sorry," he told her, "I'm happy for you. Wait, Sandie, I can't lie to you. I'm not happy. I hate the fact that he proposed and you said yes to him but when I asked…. He doesn't treat you right. I want to be the one you spend the rest of your life with."

"Why James, I didn't know you felt that way," Sandie admitted. She thought she might start to cry. She knew that he cared about her but didn't realize how much. Greg and James were best friends and they shouldn't be fighting like this, especially not over her. She didn't want to be the cause of their breakup and she began to wonder if marrying Greg was going to be worth it. She didn't say anything else, instead she turned and left the office, tears in her eyes. James called after her but it was too late.

Later that evening, Greg returned to his apartment to find Sandie waiting for him, suitcase in hand. He could tell that she had been crying, he mascara had run leaving little, black trails down her face.

"What happened?" he asked her. He opened the door and ushered her inside. They sat down on the couch and Sandie began to cry. Greg wrapped his arms around her and tried to comfort her.

After a few minutes, she was calm enough to talk. She wiped the tears from her eyes and told him that she was leaving.

"What? Why?" Greg asked her, "Did James do something to you?"

"I just need more time," she told him.

"More time for what? We've been together on and off for quite some time now. I thought this is what you wanted."

"It is. I mean, I don't know. Is this what you really want, Greg? To be tied down? I love you, I really do but…."

Sandie's voice trailed off. Greg was furious, he knew James had to have said something to her to make her change her mind.

"I'm not saying no, Greg. I just think we need some time to think about this before we really go through with it. In the meantime, I'm going back to New York."

"When will you be back?" Greg asked her.

"I think we should take at least a week and if we still feel the same way, I mean if you still want to marry me, then we'll do it."

"Okay, fine. I'll give you your space but if I find out that James put you up to this, I'll kick his ass."

Greg walked Sandie down to where her taxi was waiting and kissed her one last time before she left. He didn't show it, but he was upset. How could James do this to him? He knew how much he loved her even though they've had their ins and outs. He put her bag in the cab and watched as the taxi drove away. Was that a tear that fell down his cheek?