"Dad, Angela," her voice carried as if she was outside the door.
"Oh my God!" Angela jumped up, "It's Sam!"
"Shhhhh!" Tony whispered.
"What do we do?" Angela's voice in a panic. "She's going to come up here."
Flipping off the other side of the bed closest to the door, Tony sprang to his feet, "I'll be right down honey." he cracked the door quietly, trying to listen for any signs of Sam coming up the stairs.
Looking back and forth to each other in shear panic, Tony whispered, "Stay here, I'll go down and come up with something."
Quickly tiptoeing into his room, he grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and darted down the stairs hoping he could intercept Sam before she came up.
"Hi honey," his voice cracked, "What a surprise, what are you doing here?" he rambled flustered.
"Bonnie and I got back earlier than we thought from Vermont, so I thought I'd stop by and say hi. Are you okay dad, you look flush? Why are you out of breath?"
"No, no sweetheart I'm fine." trying to level off his voice and calm his breathing. "I, I was in the attic," he stuttered. "Man, it's hot up there!' Fanning himself to emphasize his current state.
"Really, it's pretty nice outside, not too hot today." Sam retorted.
"Well, uh, ya but you know," trying to think quick, "The attic is always hotter, it retains heat. Heat rises you know." He added to try and justify his reasoning.
"Oh, I always thought the attic had air-condition?" Sam quipped with a confused look on her face.
"Ya, well, the upstairs air has been acting up lately. Hot summer, it's been working overtime, I guess. So how was your weekend?" He tried to change the subject quickly, taking the attention off his current predicament.
"Oh, lots of fun. It was so great to get away and hang out with Bonnie again. I feel like I missed so much missing my last year of high school, but it was great to catch up and be teenagers, checking out guys, staying up late, eating junk food."
"Wonderful, wonderful," Tony shook his head half lost in what she was saying, completely missing the "checking out guys" comment he would normally have some remark about.
Taken back by Tony's indifference to her comment, having fully expected a lecture about boys, Sam chose to inquire about his weekend before he realized what she had said and questioned her further about her weekend away, "So, how was your weekend? Where's Angela? Did you two lovebirds enjoy some time alone?"
"What!" Tony nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Dad, I just asked how your weekend was. What's the matter with you?"
"Sorry Sam, sorry. My weekend, ya, my weekend was fun, fine I mean." He shook his head trying to make sense of what he was saying, his mind still upstairs with Angela, but his mouth trying to cover up how their weekend had really been. "Pretty quiet, very uneventful." He finished.
"Really, awwww I was kind of hoping you and Angela would be able to enjoy sometime together, romantic date, dinner, dancing, you know the things couples do. I know you two haven't had much alone time lately. Where is she?" Sam asked innocently.
"Angela, hummm, she's sick. Ya not feeling well all weekend. Really put a damper on things. She stayed in bed pretty much all weekend." He sighed; it was half true after all.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I should go up and see her." Turning towards the staircase.
"NO!" Tony jumped in front of her, blocking the staircase. "She's sleeping. You really don't want to catch whatever she has anyway honey. I'll tell her you stopped by."
"Dang dad, what, are you trying to get rid of me? Okay, okay, I won't go bother Angela."
"No honey, no, I'm sorry. Come sit, tell me more about your weekend."
As Tony started to lead Sam towards the couch, his heart began to race and his handshake as he suddenly heard a familiar squeal erupt from behind him,
"Saaaaammmm, hello sweetheart, what are you doing back so early?" Angela came bouncing down the stairs, fully dressed and smiling from ear to ear.
Panic plastered his face and he looked up at Angela then back at Sam, his story about to unravel before him. "Quick Tony, think." he thought.
Just as Sam was about to open her mouth and bring his house of cards crashing down upon them, Tony sprang into action, trying to salvage what he could of their cover.
"Angela," he practically hollered. "What are you doing out of bed," his teeth clenched and his voice stern. "You shouldn't be up, much less dressed as sick as you've been." Trying to convey his cover hoping she would catch on.
A puzzled look momentarily crossed her face as she tried desperately to read between Tony's line, "bed, dressed, sick, what the hell was he...ohhhh," Her mind scrambling to put it together.
"Sick, yes!" She repeated, "Oh Tony, your suggestion that I take a bath was just what I needed. I feel like a whole new person. Thank you for taking such good care of me." She leaned in and kissed his cheek.
"Hi honey," she crossed the living room towards Sam and took her into her arms for a tight hug as Tony stood there, his mouth open in disbelief of what had just transpired. Locking eyes with Angela, he shrugged his shoulders as she shook her head and rolled her eyes at him, almost laughing at the panicked looked he had when she descended the stairs.
"Hi Angela, I'm so glad you're feeling better. Dad on the other hand, I'm not too sure what his problem is." Sam rolled her eyes as she tried to dismiss her father's awkward behavior.
"Oh don't mind him sweetheart, he's had a lot of homework this weekend and had to take care of me, you know how he gets when one of us is sick, Mary Poppins himself with his spoon full of sugar every thirty minutes." She giggled. "I'd be surprised if he got anything productive done this weekend." She raised an eyebrow as she caught sight of Tony, still frozen where she'd found him minutes ago.
"Earth to dad," Sam snapped her fingers at him.
"Uhhh sorry," Tony finally came too.
"You okay dad?"
"Ya, ya, fine, guess I was just shocked Angela was feeling so much better. She looked pretty bad earlier." Finally catching up with the current program. "I'm glad the bath and nap helped sweetheart." Smiling at Angela, grateful she saved the day. "How about I get us some drinks, everyone want a drink? Ya drinks, that would be good, wouldn't it?" He began to ramble again.
"Yes Tony, that would be great, something to eat also? I'm starving, I guess I burnt up all my energy trying to get better." She quipped with a suggestive tone.
As Tony made is way to the kitchen, a much needed escape from the fumble he was making at his own game, Angela focused her attention on Sam, trying to engage her in conversation that didn't involve her father's odd behavior or their weekend events. Luckily, Sam was used to Tony's obsessive and overprotective behavior when she was sick so Angela hoped their cover worked and Sam would be oblivious to the truth.
Returning with a tray of mini sandwich's, fruit and drinks, Tony appeared to have regained his senses and joined in on the banter and girlish giggles as Sam regaled them with her weekend's events and joked about Bonnie's continued lack of a brain.
Bidding Sam a safe trip back to the dorm, Tony nearly collapsed as he closed the door behind him and his legs began to give out as the rush of adrenalin he had just spent the last two-hours on suddenly dropped.
Catching Angela giggle as she tried to cover her face to keep him from seeing her smile, he reprimanded, "It's not funny! That was way too close. And didn't I tell you to stay upstairs, what were you thinking prancing down here like that, oh my God, I thought I was going to die!"
Angela burst into laughter," Oh Tony, you should have seen the look on your face. Priceless!" She continued to roar with laughter.
"It's NOT funny!" He reiterated. "And you, you and your "Thanks Tony for the bath suggestion," he mocked, "I burnt up all my energy trying to get better," he continued, "How could you?" He chastised.
"Oh honey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you squirm but that was hilarious."
"No, it wasn't!"
"Poor baby, what can I do to make it better?" She wrapped her arms around him, pooching her lips towards him.
"Nothing! Nothing at all because next it'll be Jonathan, then Mona and I, I just can't go through that again." He whined. " Do you think she caught on, that she knows?"
Shaking her head, "No honey, nothing. She just chalked it up to you being you. Don't worry about it, it's fine." She tried to console him leaning in to catch his lips for a tender kiss.
"Oh Angela, when I heard her voice, I just, oh my God, I just... hell, I don't ever know what I thought. I tried to cover with being in the attic, she questioned why I was flushed and out of breath. Then she questioned me about our weekend and how romantic it was since we were finally alone and I panicked and told her you were sick all weekend and then there you suddenly appeared, looking beautiful and ravishing and not one bit sick." He shook his head, the shock still visible on his face. Angela, I don't know if I can do this. That was way to close. What if she would have come up and caught us, Oh my God Angela what if..."
"Shhhhh Tony, it'll be okay. Relax, yes that was a close call, but we got through it. It'll be okay," she tried to console him. "I'm sorry I messed with you, it was wrong, but you looked so cute in your panic, I just couldn't help it. Forgive me?" Her puppy-dog eyes blinking at him with innocence.
"Angela, if that had been your Mother, it would have been all over with!" He continued without regard to her pleading. His concern and uneasy clearly visible on his face.
"I know honey, but it wasn't, and we got through it. Come here," she opened her arms to wrap them around him in an attempt to comfort and easy his panic.
Wrapping his arms tightly around her as if she were his life's anchor, he sighed into her neck, "I'm sorry baby, I just don't want to mess this up and it scared me, but I know we'll get through this. We just have to be more careful next time."
"Next time?" She perked up with smile.
"Oh, course next time, you don't think I'm giving this up do you?" He grinned. "We just need to be more careful, think smarter and plan our story ahead of time." He chuckled.
"I like the sound of that," she purred as she met his lips for a passionate kiss.
Unwilling to put themselves in another close encounter with Jonathan's arrival home not clearly known, Tony and Angela decided to retreat to their own chores after agreeing to stick to the "Angela was sick this weekend" story so, there would be no cross communication as had occurred when they attempted to sneak around on their first date trying to keep the family at bay about their declaration of love.
Tony retreated to Angela's room, alone, to clean up any evidence of their weekend activities while she took to her office to catch up on some work, reviewing the latest storyboards for an upcoming Fall campaign.
A few hours passed when suddenly the door swung open and Jonathan made his entrance, camping gear in tow and covered from head to toe in poison ivy. Little pink dots of Calamine location covering nearly every inch of his body.
"Oh my God, my baby, Jonathan, what happened?" Angela cried as she came out of her office and entered the living room, laying eyes upon Jonathan standing in the middle of the room as Tony tried to collect his belongings and take them straight for disinfecting.
"I fell into a poison ivy bush," Jonathan replied, a sound of defeat in his voice.
"Poor baby, how did this happen, why didn't you call?" Angela's maternal concern evident in her tone.
"We tried, but there was no answer."
"No answer," Angela tried to quickly think where they could have been if they stuck to their "sick all weekend" story. "Why didn't you leave a message?"
"Well, Mr. Thompson tried to call for over an hour while we were at the first aid hutch, but since there was no way to call us back, he just decided get me some medicine and he took me back to our camp. We were so far out there, there was really no way to reach us. Where were you?"
"Where were we," she repeated, "We were right here, what time did you call?" She tried to cover.
"I don't know, sometime before lunch I guess."
"Ohhhhh, I was probably sleeping, I was sick most of the weekend," Angela tried to keep her voice steady and convincing.
"Where was Tony?" He questioned.
"Tony, ahhh, I don't know, where was Tony," Lying to Jonathan was not something she was comfortable doing, and suddenly began to stumble over her words, "The store, probably the store," she blurted out just as Tony walked back into the living from having taken Jonathan's camping gear to the basement for laundering.
"What about the store," Tony inquired?
"You, you were probably at the store yesterday morning while I was sleeping," she hinted in despair hoping he would now catch on to the missing parts of their cover story.
"The store, yesterday morning, yes, I was at the store, why?"
"Mr. Thompson tried to call to let us know about Jonathan and we missed the call, we missed several calls and they didn't leave a message." She huffed.
"Oh buddy, I'm sorry, I ran out to get, ummm, some juice and medicine for your mom. She was really sick yesterday." Tony made a sad face to emphasize his point. "I'm sorry I missed the call. She was in bed. I, I disconnected her phone so she wouldn't be disturbed. She stayed in bed all weekend." Now Tony's turn to make Angela blush and squirm.
"I'm sorry mom, you don't look sick?" A puzzled look on Jonathan's face.
"Oh honey, I'm fine, some TLC from Tony and a good hot bath this morning made me all better, but don't worry about me, what can we do to help you?"
"How about an oatmeal bath? Oatmeal baths work wonders for poison ivy. How about a bath? I'll run one for you in your mom's tub and you can soak it all up. How about it buddy?"
"Ya, I guess," Jonathan's skepticism evident in his voice, "I'm not really the bath sort, but if you think it'll help, I'll try anything." He replied as he started to scratch himself all over.
"Don't scratch honey, don't scratch," Angela harped.
While Tony and Jonathan went upstairs, Angela leaned her head forward between her legs and placed her hands on her head as she chastised herself, "You're a terrible mother Angela Bower, your son was needing you and what were you doing, ya too busy doing that huh to worry about your son. I knew there was something wrong, but nooooo, did I listen to my inner voice? Nooooo, I was too busy having sex. Yes, okay, incredible, wonderful, life changing sex, but what about Jonathan. Tony was right, what if he knew we were too busy having sex to worry about him and his poison ivy. I'm a terrible mother." She continued her inner rant with herself.
Settling Jonathan into his bath, Tony went back down to check on Angela. Finding her rocking on the couch, her head down and hands over her ears Tony approached her, "Angela, honey, are you okay?"
"Noooo", she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks, "No Tony, I'm not. My baby needed me and what was I doing? Sex!" she whispered, "having sex."
"Damn honey, I think it was more than just sex," Tony was a little taken back by her sudden attitude towards their weekend.
"I'm sorry, no, it wasn't just sex, it was beautiful and wonderful and everything perfect, but Tony, my baby needed us, and we were too busy wrapped in ourselves to know it."
Now his turn to comfort her in her remorse for lying to her son and not being available for him, "Shhhh sweetheart, come here," he sat next to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders bringing her head onto his shoulder, "It could have happened no matter what we were doing. At any point, even if we were home, we could have run out, gone to eat, went to a movie, done anything and still missed the call or calls. What difference would it have made? You're just feeling guilty for lying to him and I'm sorry I put us in this predicament. Lying to our family, like that's any better than them knowing about us," he shook his head from side to side questioning his own motives and reasoning for putting them in this place to begin with. "Maybe I was wrong, lying and sneaking around will only make things worse. I don't want to put you through this."
"No, Tony, you were right," she sniffled. "For now, I think it is best we keep it to ourselves. At this point, it would make matters worse and Jonathan is very impressionable right now and I saw how uncomfortable you were at the thought of Sam knowing so for now, let's just keep with the plan and hopefully find better ways to deal with it. Hopefully less lying." She sulked.
"Okay, if you're sure." He wrapped his arms tight around her as she tried to recompose herself.
"I'm sure," she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Tony, for loving us and always putting us first, no matter what the situation."
"Awww sweetheart, I love you and our family, and I'll always put you first, no matter what, I'll always want the very best for all of us."
He kissed her tenderly and held her tight until she felt herself again and ready to face the rest of the night.
"How about I go start dinner, you freshen up while Jonathan finishes his bath and maybe we can have that movie night we kind of missed out on last night?"
"How about that cake also," she grinned, "We kind of missed out on that also."
"You got it baby," he kissed her lips softly, "But I have to say that missing out on the movie and the cake was much more enjoyable last night."
"I totally agree," she purred, " I can't wait to lose you as my friend again...soon!" She whispered.
"Me either darling, me either," He once again captured her lips for a deep kiss prior to dismissing himself to the kitchen to begin dinner.