"How's Ashton?" Benny asked Bull as they stood looking at the group of screen displays. The lawyer had just finished up a cross examination in front of a mock jury and was checking the results.
"Upset," Bull answered without taking his eyes from the screens. "Were you going to say anything to me?"
"Yes, but by time you got back to the office Ashton was already here talking to you," the lawyer told him. "Chunk mentioned the two of you went to her show opening."
"We did," Bull said with a slight nod.
"He also said that you and Ash were getting along very well," Benny said with sly look.
"Ashton and I have always gotten along very well," Bull stated evenly. He was totally unfazed by Benny's comment or look.
"You did have the most amicable divorce on record," the lawyer conceded. "I still don't totally understand why you got divorced in the first place."
"That's what she wanted," Bull replied.
"I don't believe you just said that. You realize who you're talking to here?" Benny said shaking his head. They walked in silence to one of the large windows that looked out over the city.
"So, were you ever going to say anything to me?" Benny asked without looking at Bull.
"About what?" the psychologist inquired.
"You. Ash," Benny stated and looked at Bull directly in the eyes.
"There's nothing to tell," Bull said quickly and then just as quickly relented upon seeing the look of disbelief that filled Benny's face. Bull exhaled loudly and admitted, "I ran into Ashton a few months ago while I was getting a coffee. We've met for lunch – twice."
"Isn't it a bit of a conflict of interest for you to be counseling her?" Benny asked mischievously.
"They weren't therapy sessions," Bull retorted.
"So they were lunch dates?" the lawyer pressed.
"You do realize your cross examination ended earlier?" Bull said not willing to admit to anything.
"I withdraw the question," Benny told him with amusement. Although he was willing to let Bull's answer on lunch slide, the lawyer wasn't ready to totally let him off the hook. "Then you just happened to see Ash when she was at the gallery?"
"She asked me to stop by if I had time," Bull explained without hesitating. "I took Chunk along because I thought he would appreciate her work. That's all."
"Uh-huh," Benny replied skeptically. While he was sure that Ashton had invited Bull, Benny was just as certain that the psychologist's excuse for taking Chunk along was just that – an excuse.
"What?" Bull demanded after hearing the tone of Benny's reply.
"Nothing," the lawyer said and smiled, sure that there was more behind Bull's leaving work at a decent hour than showing art to TAC's stylist.
"You know Ashton," Bull said as if that explained everything and started walking off.
"I know both of you…for a long time," Benny retorted loudly. "It's okay to admit you made a mistake Bull."
#####
Early the next afternoon, Jason Bull walked down a hospital hallway and paused in front of a half open door. He knocked and peeked in; the psychologist was happy to see that aside from the man in the bed the room was empty.
"Are you accepting visitors?" Bull asked the man.
"Jason?" the man asked in surprise as he looked over towards the door.
"Maybe a better question would be whether you're accepting visits from former son-in-laws?" Bull said from the entrance of the room.
"Of course. You always were my favorite," Jack Catazarro told him and turned off the television.
"I was your only son-in-law," Bull countered as he walked into the room.
"Does that mean you can't be my favorite?" the older man inquired with a smile. "Seems bad news travels fast. I take it Izzie's brother told you I was here?"
"Benny? No," Bull told him and sat in the chair next to the bed. "Ashton stopped by my office."
"Ashton? I see," Jack replied evenly. "How've you been Jason? It's been a while." The calm tone of his voice belied his surprise that Ashton had went to see her ex-husband. While she had told him that the psychologist had come to the gallery where her work was on display, she hadn't mentioned they had spoken recently.
"I'm fine. How were the grapes this year?" Bull asked. Ashton was from the Finger Lakes region of New York and her father was a vintner at one of the region's wineries. Although he had scaled back his hours over the years, he refused to give up his career entirely and still kept an eye on things.
"It's going to be a good year," Jack answered. "If it was up to me, I'd be there now – forget the rest of the tests and consults. I highly doubt anything will change."
"How are you feeling?" Bull asked and handed Ashton's father a copy of Popular Woodworking magazine. His former father-in-law crafted wood furniture and other projects when he wasn't making wine and Bull had always brought Jack the magazine when he saw him.
"Did Ashton tell you what the doctor said?" Jack asked matter-of-factly. When Bull nodded in reply he then continued, "Let's leave it at I'm doing okay. I probably won't get to anything in this magazine though."
"Reading it has to be better than doing these all day," Bull pointed out and picked up a seek-a-word book that was sitting on the bedside table.
"You have a point. I don't think Ash knew what she picked up," Jack admitted and then abruptly changed the subject. "Is Ashton okay?"
"She's upset and understandably so," Bull told him.
"Jason, you know Ashton better than anyone," the older man reminded him. "You know she holds everything inside and only asks for help when she's about to implode. I don't want my daughter to make herself sick over this – over me."
"She's okay, Da-Jack," Bull told him unsure of what to call Ashton's father now.
"Would you tell me if she wasn't?" Jack asked curiously.
"Right now? No," Bull replied with certainty.
"At least you're honest," Jack told him with a half-smile.
"You have enough on your mind right now," Bull stated. "And I'm being honest telling you that Ashton is doing alright."
"Is that your professional or personal opinion?" her father inquired.
"Both," the psychologist answered.
"I know the two of you aren't together any longer and I'm overstepping by asking this but Jason, please keep an eye on her," Ashton's father requested.
Bull nodded, "I will. I don't want anything to happen to Ashton any more than you do."
#####
On his way home from TAC, Bull suddenly decided to pick up food and stop by Ashton's apartment. Even if Benny thought there was more to it, Bull told himself he had promised to keep an eye on Ashton. The psychologist didn't call or text first; if Ashton was at the hospital as he assumed, he still had to eat so nothing would be wasted. Bull was surprised when she had answered the buzz at the apartment entry and he soon found himself knocking on a familiar door. Ashton's apartment was the one they once shared.
"I thought you might like some company," Bull said when the door opened. Ashton nodded her head and stepped aside to allow him in. Any apprehension he may have felt about stopping by dissipated and was replaced with loving concern when he saw Ashton. Her dark, wavy hair was pulling out of its ponytail and dark circles were beginning to appear under her eyes from lack of sleep.
"What's in the bag?" she asked.
"Dinner. I'm going to guess that you haven't eaten and you can't live on caffeine," he replied as he looked over at her desk that had a large mug sitting on it.
"I've been working – or trying to – since Dad kicked me out," she explained. The fatigue was starting to show in her voice.
"Time for a break. You haven't changed things," Bull remarked as he unpacked the bag and gathered plates and forks out of the cupboards.
"The plates and forks are perfectly fine where they've always been," she stated and forced herself to eat a few bites of food after sitting down.
Bull didn't rush off after dinner; he wanted to make sure Ashton was alright – for his own peace of mind as well as her father's. Although Ashton seemed to move easily through the crowd at the gallery, it was something she had taught herself to do. She was generally an introvert and shared her thoughts and feelings only when she was ready to those she was closest to. As they sat on the overstuffed sofa, she and Bull alternated between bursts of intense conversation and a comfortable silence. Bull listened and offered as much comfort as he could. Despite trying not to analyze her, he once again found himself amazed by the way Ashton's mind worked.
"Dad told me you stopped by this afternoon; he appreciated the company," Ashton told him. "I had a video conference I couldn't miss."
"It was no trouble. I'll stop by again to save him from the seek-a-words," he said with a slight smirk.
"I will have you know, if you do them for speed, they can be loads of fun," she retorted.
"Only you would think of that. You know, no one is expecting you to do it all, Quince. Not your father; not me; and I would hazard a guess not Alex either," Bull replied.
"I know but what do you expect me to do, he's all I got," she told him as tears filled her eyes. Ashton was close with her dad. Her mother had died when Ashton was young and Jack Catazarro had raised twelve-year-old Ashton and two-year-old Alexander on his own.
Bull pulled her close and held her while she silently cried. "He's not all you have," he whispered. "Where's your brother? I expected him to be here."
"I told Alex to stay where he was and I'd take care of things here," Ashton replied. "The kids need him there more than I need him here. My father isn't going to stay in the city, you know that, so Alex will be on the front line soon enough."
"No matter what Ashton, you're going to be okay," Bull said, his arms still around her.
"I guess," she replied uncertainly before retreating back into silence.
Ashton then reached up, took his glasses off, and placed them on the coffee table. She looked into his eyes for a few seconds before leaning in and kissing him. After the initial shock wore off, he kissed her back in spite of himself. After their second lunch, they had parted with a chaste kiss but now her mouth opened to allow his tongue inside as his hand found its way under her t-shirt.
"We shouldn't do this," he mumbled half-heartedly in between fervent kisses. Despite years apart, the attraction and chemistry was still there, something they had each silently admitted to themselves at the coffee shop.
"We're both consenting adults," she replied and tugged at his shirt as he nuzzled her neck.
"That's not the point," he protested but continued kissing her.
"Then what is?" Ashton asked.
"It will confuse things," Bull stated as she unbuckled his belt.
"For you or me?" she countered and pushed him back when she heard his words. "Jason, we didn't get divorced because we didn't love each other any longer. We got divorced because you gave your clients more attention than you gave us."
"Ashton, that's not fair," he told her.
"It's the truth and you know it," Ashton cut in as she looked him straight in the eye.
"You're upset about your father," he said and stood up. Bull didn't contradict her previous statement; he knew she was right.
"Yes, but that has nothing do with me kissing you," Ashton told him. "It was about you and me and everything that was ever good about us…and somewhere deep inside you know that."
"Do I?" Bull asked with his clothing somewhat untucked and askew.
"Yes. It's underneath the twenty-five layers of analysis you're performing right now in the hopes of getting an edge in this conversation," she stated with confidence. "Stop analyzing Doc, and go with the feels once in a while. I know you have it in you."
"What makes you think so?" the psychologist challenged her to answer.
"Off the top of my head; a couple of lunches, seeing you at a certain gallery, and there was that Valentine's Day incident with you singing the Titanic theme – very loudly," Ashton told him with an impish grin.
"That singing is best left forgotten," he replied with a smile and walked towards door not bothering to fix his clothes.
"Highly doubtful. I'm pretty sure you're the stuff of legend for all my neighbors that were in earshot," she replied as she stood up and walked after him. Ashton then said wistfully, "I miss that guy."
"Ash…," Bull began.
"Sshh…," she said and put her finger to his lips. Her grey eyes looked at him tenderly. Ashton then gently ran her hand along his face as he stood at the door. "Thanks for dinner and the company, Jason."
After closing the door behind him, Ashton walked over to her desk and sat back down to try get some work done. She knew it would probably be a futile effort, now that she had added something else to think about besides her father.
