A/N: See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer. I also want to note that I got the idea for the wallet scene in this chapter from the episode Seems Like Old Times of the NBC television series The Facts of Life. This episode was written by Linda Marsh, Margie Peters, and Dick Clair.

Chapter Summary: George and Louise become grandparents; Melissa makes a shocking discovery.

Chapter 12: Giving Louise the Best

On the following Tuesday, one week after her surgery, Dr. Thomas discharged Louise from the hospital. George asked Dr. Thomas several days earlier about the two of them taking a flight back to Massachusetts, but he said that they would have to wait for at least a month before it would be safe for Louise to fly, and George knew there wasn't a snowflake's chance in hell that Louise would be willing to wait that long to be back with the girls. But when George came to pick Louise up at the hospital that day, she was stunned when she saw the huge luxury limousine he had waiting for them. George wanted Louise to travel home in style and in comfort, so he went to a limousine service and hired their best chauffeur and paid the chauffeur and the limousine company very handsomely to make the ten-hour drive from Cleveland to Haven Lake. The limo had its own telephone, a bar, and cabinets fully stacked with plenty of food and (non-alcoholic) drinks for the journey. (Due to Louise's heart condition and the medication she was taking, her doctors told her long ago that she couldn't drink any alcoholic beverages.) And in addition to all the food and drinks and other amenities, the limousine even had its own television set.

Louise and George curled up together and ate, drank, and enjoyed watching TV during the first few hours of the trip. Then after stopping at a rest stop so they all could use the restroom, George could see how tired Louise was getting, so he got out some pillows and blankets and helped her lie down and get comfortable, and she immediately fell asleep. George tried to continue watching TV during the rest of the trip, but his eyes never really saw what was on the screen because he just couldn't take them off of Louise. George knew his poor wife really had been to hell and back because of him, and seeing her go through heart surgery on top of everything else she'd endured scared the living daylights out of him.

As George now lovingly watched Louise sleep, he got to thinking of all the times in the past when he'd selfishly robbed her of the sleep she'd badly needed. There had been countless times in the first few years of their marriage when Louise had collapsed into bed at night, thoroughly exhausted, and he selfishly woke her out of a sound sleep that she'd really needed, demanding sex from her. Not only had she worked hard at her housekeeping job all day; all the cooking and cleaning in their apartment, as well as all the hard work involved in caring for their young son Lionel, fell completely on Louise's shoulders. George, considering all of that "women's work," never lifted a finger to help Louise in those years, even though she was basically doing the work of three jobs at once. George had honestly believed back then that by going out of their apartment eight hours a day to do just one job, just one-third of the work his wife was doing, he was being such a great husband and father and should be lauded by his family – particularly by Louise – as this great hero. He'd often gotten angry at her for not fawning over him like he'd thought she should have, regardless of the fact that he almost never showed her one ounce of true gratitude for all of her hard work. Now, with the help of the Holy Spirit working within his mind and heart all these years later, George finally began to get it through his thick skull just how sexist, childish, selfish, inconsiderate, and downright stupid he had been, and he certainly didn't blame Louise anymore for refusing to fawn over him back then. Now, he was amazed that she'd put up with him for as long as she had without divorcing him. And as he watched her sleep during the rest of the trip home, he swore to himself that every single day for the rest of their lives, he would make up for the terrible way he once behaved. He swore to himself that from now on, he was going to do everything in his power to make Louise's life easier and not harder. Louise had been the true hero all along, not George, and he knew it. And now, he was going to make sure this priceless heroine finally started getting everything she deserved. She was always going to get every second of rest she needed from now on, and she was always going to have the best of everything.

Louise was still sound asleep in the limousine when they finally got back to Haven Lake later on that night, and when they pulled up at Mark's house, George just let her sleep while he went inside to get Melissa, Angie, and the cats. He talked with Mark and Estelle for a while, and then after the girls went outside to the limo, George and Mark got into a deep discussion with each other.

"You know, Mark, Louise told me all about how you convinced her to tell me about the surgery. I just wanna say thank you. I really appreciate you doin' that."

Mark shook his head and told him, "Don't mention it."

"You know, uh…I realize that I haven't always been very kind to you. I wanna apologize for that. It's just that…it was really hard knowin' that there's a man who knows my own wife better than I do. I just couldn't help but be jealous."

"You don't have to apologize for anything. I would've felt the same way. But you don't have to be jealous of my relationship with Louise. Yes, we're close. Yes, we're each other's best friend. Yes, we do love each other very much and we always will. But there will never be anything between Louise and me other than friendship. Louise may love me as her best friend, but you are the man she's fallen in love with. You are the man she's chosen. You are the man she's married to. I'm not competition, George, and I never will be. I know that you are Louise's husband, and I will always respect that."

"I appreciate you sayin' that. Even though I've always been so jealous of you, there ain't a moment that I don't appreciate you for protectin' Louise and keepin' her alive in that hellhole the way you did. There ain't a moment where I ain't grateful to God for you takin' such good care of Louise and the girls all these years. I owe you my life many times over for everything you did for Louise and Melissa and Angie, and I know it."

"You don't owe me anything. I just did what was right. That's all."

"You did do what was right, but most other people probably wouldn't have done everything that you did for Louise and the girls. And I want you to know that I'll never forget it. Ever. You'll always be our friend, but you're more than that. As far as I'm concerned, you're family. And if you ever need anything, anything at all, I want you to come to me."

"Thank you for saying that, George," Mark told him as they shook hands. "That means a lot. It really does."

"You know, when my father was alive, he wasn't exactly the best husband in the world. I hate to speak ill of the dead, especially my own father, but it's the truth. He almost never showed Mama any affection when he was alive, and his needs always came before hers, if her needs even got addressed at all. I guess that's why I grew up thinkin' that women were second-class citizens. I actually used to believe that women were so far beneath men that it was humiliating to show them affection. It took me losin' Louise for six years and her bein' tortured by a serial killer to get it through my thick skull that showin' Louise the affection she deserves, givin' her the romance she craves, spendin' quality time with her, was never the burden or the chore I always thought it was. It was a privilege I didn't deserve. I don't think I ever really understood what it meant to be a husband until I saw the way you acted with Louise. Here's just one example. You remember when I was ready to break your neck because I'd seen you kissin' Louise?"

"Oh, yeah," Mark answered with a chuckle.

"I wanted to break your neck because I was jealous, but there was another reason, too."

"What reason was that?"

"I could see that you were a way better kisser than I was and it made me mad," George admitted, and again, Mark laughed. "Back before all of this happened, I used to hate kissing Louise, especially in front of other people. Whenever I'd kiss her, it would last maybe half a second. I was such a fool back then that I honestly believed that givin' Louise affection was humiliating. I'm so embarrassed by that attitude now. I'm so ashamed of myself that I actually used to think like that. I wasn't nothin' but a stupid, spoiled, ungrateful two-year-old. For so many years, I blindly believed that I was a good husband. The truth was, I was a pathetic husband. For so long, I didn't know what bein' a husband was all about. I didn't even know how to kiss my own wife. And I never would have known what bein' a husband really means had it not been for you. Havin' Louise back in my life again…it's a miracle. A second chance. And I ain't gonna waste it bein' that worthless fool I used to be. I'm gonna get it right this time."

"I know you will, George. I know a changed man when I see one," said Mark, and George nodded. Then after talking for a few more moments, George and Mark put the cats into their carriers and took them out to the limousine. Everyone said goodbye then, and George, Louise, the girls, and the cats all headed for home.

The next day, George and Louise got a call from Lionel and Jenny. They'd gone with Evelyn for her first ultrasound, and the ultrasound showed something that no one had expected. As it turned out, Evelyn was actually pregnant with twins, and the future grandparents couldn't have been more thrilled.

As the following days and weeks passed, George remained very protective of Louise as she recovered from her surgery, and he took excellent care of her. Louise made a full recovery, and several weeks after the operation, she truly began feeling like herself again. When Louise, George, and the girls went to Mark's house to celebrate Thanksgiving that year, Louise was feeling well enough to help Estelle out with a lot of the cooking. Despite George's objections, Louise spent much of that morning and afternoon cooking Thanksgiving dinner with Estelle. George's mother also came to Haven Lake to spend Thanksgiving with her son and daughter-in-law, and she helped Estelle and Louise with some of the cooking that day as well.

At around two o'clock that afternoon, though, George and Louise received an unexpected call from Lionel and Jenny. (Lionel and Jenny had already known that they were spending Thanksgiving at Mark's house that year, which was why they knew to call Mark's house and not Louise's apartment.) Evelyn had gone into labor that day, two weeks before her due date, and Lionel and Jenny were at the hospital now, anxiously waiting for the babies to arrive. George, Louise, and everyone else at Mark's house that day spent the next seven hours waiting on pins and needles for Lionel and Jenny to call again, and finally, at three minutes past nine that evening, Lionel called with good news. The delivery had gone smoothly, and on the night of the twenty-fourth of November in 1983, Lionel and Jenny became the proud parents of healthy, beautiful twin boys they named Aaron and Adam. They were identical twins and they both had a darker skin tone like that of Louise and Lionel and Jenny. Evelyn signed all the necessary papers relinquishing all custody rights of the babies the next morning, and when she was discharged from the hospital one day later, she went home with her parents. They had made up with her weeks earlier and had agreed to look after her as she recovered from giving birth. And Lionel and Jenny were able to bring Baby Aaron and Baby Adam home from the hospital that day as well. To say that Lionel, Jenny, George, Louise, Olivia, and the Willises were thrilled was the understatement of the century, and they couldn't wait to begin their new adventure of life as parents and grandparents.

Lionel and Jenny had a very full house that Christmas. Not only did they have two new babies in the household. George, Louise, the girls, Olivia, and the Willises all traveled to Dallas to spend the Christmas holidays with Lionel and Jenny and the twins. Olivia stayed at Lionel's and Jenny's house and slept in the one vacant bedroom they still had, while everyone else stayed at a nearby hotel. They all fell in love with Baby Aaron and Baby Adam in about two nanoseconds, and George and Louise were over the moon, as was everyone else.

Louise, George, and the girls all returned to Haven Lake on the second of January, and eight days later on the tenth of January, a Tuesday, they all celebrated Melissa's twelfth birthday with a big party. But on the next day, Melissa was not celebrating when she unexpectedly discovered something she never could have imagined.

It was now four o'clock in the afternoon and Melissa had finished her studies with Mrs. Hendrix an hour ago. Angie had gotten home from school about half an hour after Mrs. Hendrix left, and while she and Melissa and George were hanging out together in Louise's apartment, Louise was still at work in the bakery downstairs. Florence had finished all her household chores for the day, and George was planning on taking Louise and the girls out to eat for supper later on that evening, so he gave her permission to leave early.

"Hey George, I want to go get a snack out of one of the vending machines downstairs. Can you break a twenty?" Melissa asked.

"Oh yeah, sure thing," George told her. "I left my wallet on the coffee table. Just help yourself."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Just don't get too many snacks out of the vending machine. You don't wanna be too full to eat when I take y'all out to that new Italian restaurant tonight."

"I won't," Melissa said with a smile.

"I'll be right back," George told the girls, and then he went into the bathroom.

In the next moment, Melissa opened up his wallet, but just as she was about to take out the money she needed, she saw something all of the sudden that really shocked her.

"What's the matter, Melissa?" asked Angie a couple of minutes later as George came out of the bathroom. "You look like you just saw a ghost."

Melissa then quickly took out all the money she needed from George's wallet and replaced it with her twenty dollar bill as George came walking into the living room.

"Hey Melissa, did you find everything you need?" he asked.

"I found everything I needed alright. And a lot more."

"What do you mean?" George asked, and then Melissa grabbed his arm and practically dragged him into hers and Angie's bedroom and closed the door behind them.

"There's a picture of you and Louise in your wallet. With Louise in a wedding dress," she told him as she handed him his wallet.

"Oh, no," George sighed as he closed his eyes for a long moment.

"Why didn't you ever tell us the truth about who you really are? Why didn't you tell us that you're Louise's husband? Why have you been lying to us all this time?" she asked angrily.

"Melissa…sweetheart…do you remember how scared Louise used to be of dating and romantic relationships?"

"I remember."

"If I'd sprung the whole truth on her all at once, she probably would've filed for a divorce a long time ago. You know that. So I wanted to give her a chance to get to know me, and I also needed to get to know Louise again. I wanted to wait until I'd earned her trust before I told her the truth, so that hopefully, she would change her mind about marriage and want to stay married to me. I love Louise, and I love you and Angie too. So much. And I wanna bring Louise and you and Angie out to live with me in New York someday. I wanna take care of Louise. I wanna do everything I possibly can to make her life easier. And if I tell Louise everything too soon, she might try to push me away. She might even divorce me. And I can't let that happen. I can't let her be all out on her own, especially with her heart condition. You understand?"

After a pause, Melissa nodded and said, "I understand. You're right. Louise shouldn't be all on her own. I know that ever since you guys got together, you've made her life a lot easier. And a lot happier."

"That's what I wanna do every single day for the rest of my life. Back before all this happened, I always made Louise's life harder for her, not easier. I'm ashamed to have to admit this, but I used to be a horrible person. A horrible husband. I used to be so selfish all the time. I was all I ever thought about. Louise was such an angel to put up with me the way she did. It was my fault that Louise ended up in that hellhole."

"How was it your fault?"

"On the day she got kidnapped, I started a fight with her. A terrible fight. I was so selfish and mean-spirited that day. I said such cruel things to her that I didn't really mean. I hurt her so badly that she walked out of our apartment building just so that she could get away from me. It was then that that monster kidnapped her off the street. If it hadn't been for me, Louise would never have been out on the street that day; she would've been at home where she was safe. If it hadn't been for me, Louise would still be perfectly healthy today, and she'd still be able to walk. I let her down so badly. Now, I just wanna spend the rest of my life makin' it all up to her as best I can. I wanna help her as much as I can, every single day for as long as I live. Nothin' is more important to me than that."

Again, Melissa nodded, and then she told George, "I let Louise down, too."

"What are you talkin' about, sweetheart? You ain't never let Louise down. You're a wonderful kid. You work hard with your studies. You're a straight-A student. You do all your chores without a word of complaint. You're always so good to your little sister and you always set a good example for her. In all the time that I've known you, I have never once seen you raise your voice to Louise or argue with her or disrespect her. You're every parent's dream. Nobody could hope for a better kid than you."

Tears came to Melissa's eyes in that moment, and then she shook her head and said, "You don't understand, George. There were so many times when that beast told Louise to choose who was going to take his next beating – her or me – and she always chose herself, and I always let her. I let Louise choose to take so many beatings for me because I was scared. Because I was a coward. I should've had the guts to walk up to him and tell him to beat me instead and leave Louise alone. It may be your fault that Louise got hurt so badly in the hellhole, but I'm responsible too. It's just as much my fault as it is yours that Louise's health has suffered so much."

"No, baby, no. You're wrong, sweetheart. You're so wrong. You were five years-old, Melissa. Five. You were just a baby. There was nothin' you could've done. The adults are supposed to protect the babies in this world because they're bigger and stronger and have more experience. Louise was right to protect you. I would just give anything, anything, to have been there with y'all so that I could have protected you both," George told Melissa as she wiped the tears from her eyes with her hand. "Melissa, sweetheart…Louise has told me in the past how uncomfortable it makes you feel to hug a man, and after everything you've been through, it's perfectly understandable that you'd feel that way. But could I please hug you now?" he asked in the gentlest voice, and Melissa nodded. In the next moment, George gave her the warmest hug and tenderly kissed the top of her head, and then he told her, "You're such a wonderful kid, Melissa. You're an extraordinary young lady. Don't you ever forget that, okay?"

"Okay," Melissa said quietly, and then the embrace ended.

"You and Louise are the most remarkable people I've ever known, and it's such a privilege for me to get to have y'all in my life. You both deserve the best, and I'm always gonna make sure that that's what you get. The best. Okay?"

Melissa nodded, and then she asked, "When are you going to tell Louise the truth?"

"I'm not sure. I think I'm just gonna have to go with my gut and tell her when I feel like she trusts me enough."

"I understand. I know how much you love Louise and I know how much you want to take care of her."

"You're right. Except for the good Lord, Himself, nothing is more important to me than takin' care of Louise and you girls. Nothing."

"I know. And you don't have to worry. I'll keep your secret. I won't say anything to anyone."

"Thank you, sweetheart. I appreciate that. I really do."

Melissa nodded, and then George planted another kiss on the top of her head. And then George held the door open for Melissa with a kind smile and followed her back out into the living room.

When George, Louise, and the girls got back to Louise's apartment later on that night, they were all stuffed, and the girls were very sleepy so Louise immediately sent them off to bed. After Melissa and Angie changed into their pajamas for the night and got into their beds, Louise kissed them goodnight and turned on their nightlight for them. She then wheeled herself out of their bedroom and closed their door, and a few moments later, she wheeled herself out to the living room and parked her wheelchair beside the couch where George was sitting. George then leaned over towards her and gave her a big kiss, and she smiled.

"Did you have a good time tonight?" George asked Louise in a soft, loving voice.

"I had a wonderful time. And so did the girls."

"I'm so glad. You all deserve it."

"Oh George, you always spoil us so much."

"Well I ain't just doin' it for you. I'm doin' it for me too. Spoilin' you and Melissa and Angie is one of my most favorite hobbies."

"You're always so sweet," Louise told George with a big smile, and then he leaned over once again and gave her a long, fervent kiss.

"I'm dreadin' Friday," George admitted. He had to fly back to New York on Friday because he had an important meeting with a potential client.

"So am I," Louise said softly. "But it's been quite a while now since you've gone to Manhattan. You need to see to your business."

"To our business," George lovingly corrected her. In the past, George had always referred to their business and their money as "my business" and "my money," like the narcissistic toddler that he was. In those days, to George, everything was always "mine." Mine, mine, mine. But George knew darned good and well the whole time that he never would've had the business and he never would've made all the money he did had it not been for Louise. The Holy Spirit had really been working on George's heart over the past twenty months, and thankfully, he now knew better than to continue with that childish, ridiculous attitude. George was no longer the pathetic spoiled two-year-old he used to be, who saw everything as "mine, mine, mine." Now, everything wasn't just his; it was theirs, and he was finally willing to admit that and give Louise the credit she deserved. "Everything of mine is yours, sweetheart. You know that," he told her kindly, and she smiled.

"I know."

"So what all are you and the girls gonna be doin' over the next couple of weeks while I'm away in New York?"

"Oh, I don't imagine we'll be doing anything out of the ordinary. Melissa and Angie will have their schoolwork, same as always, and I have no doubt that they'll also spend plenty of time playing with Cindy and Kimmy. And of course, I'll have my work with the bakery."

"Right."

"This weekend will be a little busier than usual, though. Leah's going out of town this weekend to visit her cousin who lives in Rhode Island, and she's asked me to host our support group for her. We'll be meeting here on Sunday afternoon at three o'clock."

"You sure you feel up to it?"

"Of course."

"I know that whenever you host a meeting for your support group, you always like to have plenty of refreshments on hand for everybody. I can make arrangements with a caterer to take care of it for you before I leave on Friday so you don't have to cook."

"That's very sweet of you, love, but I can take care of everything myself."

"I don't want you to overdo it, Louise. I mean, you just had open-heart surgery four months ago. And then there was that big trip to Texas for the holidays to see Lionel and Jenny and the twins. After all that, you should be takin' it easy now. I don't want you to push yourself too hard."

Louise chuckled a bit and said, "George, I wouldn't call doing a little bit of cooking for my support group pushing myself too hard. Stop worrying so much. Yes, I did have open-heart surgery four months ago, but you were there with me at my last checkup with Dr. Green, and he told us that I've made a complete recovery and that I'm doing well now."

"Yes, you are well now. And I'm gonna do all I can to keep you that way," said George, and then once again, he gave her a long, loving kiss.

"You have nothing to worry about. I'm feeling stronger now than I've felt in a long time."

"I'm so glad to hear you say that."

"It's the truth. The Lord has been very good to me, and so have you," Louise told him, and he took her hand in his then and gave it an affectionate squeeze while he smiled at her.

"I'm feeling so good, in fact, that I told the girls I'd take them out shopping for new clothes on Saturday. I haven't felt like doing that for so long now. And with Melissa and Angie both having hit a growth spurt like they have, they've outgrown many of their outfits, so they're overdue for a new wardrobe. I'm going to take them to get some new shoes, too."

"That's a great idea, sweetheart. How much do you need?" George asked as he took his wallet out.

"George, put that away. You've spoiled us all far too much as it is. And besides, I have plenty of money. I can take care of this myself."

"You'll just take the girls to the Haven Mall to get them new clothes and shoes."

"What's wrong with that? They love going to the Haven Mall. And so do I. After we get their new clothes and their new shoes, we can have lunch in the food court and see a movie at the theater there, just like we usually do whenever we go shopping there. Melissa and Angie always love it. They always have a blast."

"The clothes and shoes at Haven Mall are good, but they ain't the best. One time when I was talkin' to Mark and Estelle about somethin', Estelle happened to mention it that they always have the best designer clothes and shoes at Harrison's. And I want you and the girls to have the best. Y'all deserve it."

"I appreciate that very much, George. I really do. But I wouldn't feel right about it after all you've already done for us."

"Louise, you ain't twistin' my arm. I want to do this. I want you and our girls to have the best. The very best. The deserve the very best, and so do you. And you know it," George said as he put an insane amount of cash into Louise's hand. "And I want you to get new clothes and shoes for yourself, too. The girls ain't the only ones who deserve a new wardrobe."

Deeply touched, Louise whispered, "Oh George, I don't know what to say."

"You ain't gotta say anything. Just let me love you and the girls. Just let me take care of you and give you all the good things that you deserve."

"Oh George, you really are a wonderful man," Louise whispered, and then she gave him a very long, warm, passionate kiss. She appreciated George so much. And thanks to the good Lord, George was now finally appreciating Louise the way he should have all along. George knew that throughout way too much of their marriage, he had only given Louise the worst of himself, not the best. But from now on, George was going to change that. From now on, George was only going to give Louise the best. The very best.