Chapter 7

It was now three weeks since the accident. Both girls were making strides towards recovery. Riley faster than Bailey, but that was to be expected. Riley was off her ventilator and breathing and talking more than ever. She had undergone two more less invasive procedures and was doing great. At first she was upset about her new haircut but now she loved her hair was always playing in it. The doctors were hopeful that within the next week or so she would be released, only having to return for physical therapy.

Bailey's condition was more serious and she would be remaining in the hospital for quite some time. the good news came when she awoke from her coma. She suffered some memory loss but it was slowly returning. because of her broken neck she remained bedridden and was only allowed to move with strict supervision from her doctors. The hospital set the girls up together in the same room so they wouldn't be separated and hoped it would help in the healing process. although they couldn't physically play together the girls enjoyed each other's company. Sam and Mercedes' family all came together to help out with the girls and their parent's demanding work schedule. they could all feel the tension in the air between the two of them but no one wanted to mention it.

After the news that Riley would be going home in a few days came, Mercedes and Sam decided they would leave the hospital for the night a little early, so right after the girls fell asleep they bid their goodbyes to the staff and headed home. Sam was staying at a hotel about two blocks from the hospital and Mercedes stayed at the house about 30 minutes away without traffic. In the elevator Sam asked Mercedes if he could come by to get some clothes and files he needed for work. Being that she was in a good mood after the news about Riley she agreed.

Sam hadn't driven to the hospital so he bummed a ride with Mercedes. The ride was pretty silent with the exception of Adele's 21 album flowing through the car's speakers. Mercedes stopped at the Chinese restaurant near the house and ordered dinner. Sam refused when she asked if he wanted anything. They arrived at the house and the first thing Sam noticed was how much of a wreck it was. On the sofa there was a throw blanket and pillow. On the coffee table there were empty glasses and Chinese takeout boxes and menus. Dirty napkins adorned the rest of the table and parts of the floor. they traveled into the kitchen to put down the food and there were dishes piled in the sink. Sam didn't say anything about the mess instead he announced that he was going upstairs to get the things he came for. He knew Mercedes would never admit to being overwhelmed by all that was happening with their marriage and the girls but her stress level became more and more evident as he ventured through the house. at the platform of the stairs there were 9 several pairs of shoes and sneakers alike. something that Mercedes never allowed. she would always complain that she was going to break her neck one day coming down the stairs to a pit of shoes at the bottom. There were a few items of clothes strewn about n the hallway. nothing to drastic but when he entered the bedroom he was blown away. the bed was unmade, there was clothes everywhere. broken glass from photo albums was on the carpet. their wedding photo that hung above the bed was tossed to the side and the frame must have been a part of the glass on the floor. Sam stood in total shock for a moment before he decided to look into his closet. he was afraid what she may have done to his clothes during her destruction phase. When he entered the closet everything was in place. it was like night and day from the rest of the house. Sam sat on the floor in his closet for a moment to take everything in. He must have been in there for too long because in walked Mercedes with a wine glass in her hand. they stared at each other for a moment. he couldn't believe how she had been able to conceal all of her pain in her appearance. she asked him if he was okay. he nodded yes and stood to begin collecting his clothes. He grabbed two suits, 4 shirts, 3 pairs of jeans, a handful of t-shirts a few pairs of work shoes, a pair of sneakers and some underwear. all the while Mercedes was back downstairs on the couch listening to music and eating her food.

"Cedes, are you ok? i know we haven't spoken since everything happened. I just want to make sure that you are ok." Mercedes didnt respond immediately. instead she looked down at her hand and began twirling her wedding ring. When she finally looked up at Sam he could see all the pain and anger in her eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off.

"i'm fine Sam, Just worried about the girls". Mercedes rose from the couch and headed into the kitchen to pour another glass of wine, this time she returned carrying the bottle. "When are we going to talk about us?" Sam asked

"There is nothing to talk about. what happened happened and right now i can only concentrate on the girls and that's all i have space for." she threw back her wine like it was a shot of Patron. "How have you been? she asked him. "Mercedes i really think we need to talk about what happened. Especially now that Riley will be coming home soon. I mean, she is going to notice that daddy isn't home and what are we going to tell her then? I know this is my fault and we have a lot of other things going on but we can't ignore this for much longer. Mercedes rose from her seat again and walked towards the front door.

"I think you should go. it's getting late." Mercedes stood in the foyer with her hand on the doorknob holding the door open. "We need to talk about this Mercedes. We can't keep skating around it like nothing happened. I cheated on you and got caught. You can't sit here and tell me that you have nothing to say or any feelings about this. You can't make me believe that you don't have one single question as to why this all happened." Sam walked up to Mercedes and continued talking. "I don't want to have this discussion as much as you don't but we have to!" Sam slammed the door shut. They stood staring at each other, each waiting for the other to say something. Mercedes began speaking with her eyes lowered. "I can't.. why..wha…" Mercedes stopped trying to figure out the what she was trying to say and just fell into a fit of laughter. Sam just stared at Mercedes in disbelief while she continued to laugh as if she's just been to the best comedy show of her life. The laugh got ridiculously loud and obnoxious and before they even knew it, the laugh turned into crying and then screaming. Sam didn't know whether or not to try and comfort her or let her have her moment, so he opted for the latter.

" You Cannot be serious. You are in a relationship with another woman. I could almost understand if you cheated on me and that was it, but no! You are in a full on committed relationship. Do you have secret children too? Another house? Has she been in my house? Why sam? Mervedes rattled off rhetorical question after question. Sam stood patiently waiting for her to finish. He knew he deserved every bit of anger she threw his way. He knew that he caused all the hurt she was feeling and he didn't even know why he did it. he knew that he loved his wife and children more than anyone or anything else on earth and he would die without them. He knew that Mercedes would never do such a thing to him and this action alone could possibly cause him to lose everything, but he didn't think of any of that before he began his affair, He continued to just stare at her when she stopped talking. He saw the hatred in her eyes and he was sure that at that point, nothing he could say or do would change what he had lost his wife. "Sam, I can't d this right now. I need you to leave. I will call you later". This time she didn't wait for him to leave. She walked back to the living room and retrieved her wine glass and turned the music up louder.