Chapter 6:
The drive from Tom's office over to his dad's house seemed like it had taken an eternity. Tom couldn't get what he heard in court about Margo and the baby out of his head.
"Detective Hughes then told me that because of my lies and how my lies destroyed her marriage and her family, that you don't know that she's pregnant and she doesn't know if she would ever be able to tell you."
"What did you just say?" Tom asks, not sure about what he had just heard.
"What are you referring to?" Jill asks.
"Did I just hear you say that Detective Hughes is pregnant?" Tom asks as he walks over to the witness stand.
"Yes, I just said that she told me that she's pregnant with your child." Jill states loud enough for Tom to hear her correctly."
Tom was still shocked about what he had heard in court. "Why didn't she tell me?" He thought to himself as he pulled into the driveway of his dad's house.
Bob walks out the front door when he sees Tom pull up in the driveway.
"Son, are you okay?" Bob asks, as he walks over to Tom.
"No, Dad. I am not. I just got the shock of my life today in court. Can I talk to you about this in private?" Tom asks as he gets out the car.
"Yes, definitely. Why don't you come inside and see Casey and Daniel, get something to drink and we can go talk in the den before dinner." Bob says.
Tom gets out his car and walks in the house, silent. He is having a hard time dealing with what he was told in court today about Margo. His thoughts are interrupted when Daniel comes running up to him.
"Hey Dad! When are we going to move back to the house? I don't like the Lakeview and I miss Margo. Gavin and Max keep asking me when they can come over to your house with me and I keep telling them that I stay with you at the Lakeview." Daniel says.
"I don't know, son. I know you miss Margo. I miss her too. Right now, there are some things I need to figure out with Margo and those are going to take some time." Tom says as he walks over to the couch with Daniel. "I'm hoping soon, but I don't know. I am sure if you talk to Grandpa and Grandma Kim, I am sure that they would allow you guys to come over here if you don't like the Lakeview."
"Daniel, I think Casey's outside right now with Lucky and Spike in the backyard. Why don't you go outside and join him so your dad and I can talk about some grown-up stuff?" Bob says.
"Okay, Grandpa. Is dinner almost done?" Daniel asks as he gets up off the couch.
"Kim will call you guys in when it's ready." Bob says. "Tom, do you want anything, a glass of wine?"
"I shouldn't with the boys; an ice water will be fine." Tom says.
Bob puts some ice in a glass and hands Tom an open bottle of water.
"You said to me on the phone that you needed to talk to me and it's about Margo." Bob says as he sits down in the leather chair near the couch.
"Yeah, Dad, I did and I don't know how I am going to ever forgive myself for this one." Tom says as he pours some of the water into the glass. "I don't know if Margo is ever going to forgive me either."
"What happened? You said it wasn't good when I called earlier." Bob says with a look of concern on his face.
"I found out today in court that Margo told me the truth about what happened between her and Doc Reese in the locker room at the country club. I called Jill Anders to the stand and she testified that Doc had tried forcing himself on Margo about a week before he raped Cami Gaborik. Not only that, Dad, she handed me the surveillance tape from that afternoon. Jill told me that what she had originally told me—about Doc and Margo getting passionate in the locker room—was all a lie and she made it up at Doc's urging.
How could I have been so stupid?" Tom asks, leaning his head back on the couch.
"Did you ever give Margo the benefit of the doubt—that she was telling you the truth at the time?" Bob asks.
"No, Dad, I didn't. That whole night—me lashing out at Margo the way I did and leaving the house in a fit of rage—I realize now I was acting so impulsively. I should have questioned it when I thought I saw a bruise on Margo's arm, looking like she had been grabbed—the ones similar on her arms the night she was raped at the liquor store. I never even gave her the chance to even try to explain it. I just had to get out of there, away from her, away from what I kept constantly hearing in my head—Jill telling me that she walked in on them making out. Now, thinking back, I wish I would have." Tom says as he gets up from the couch and walks over to the window overlooking the backyard, where Casey and Daniel are playing with Lucky and Spike. "Margo was telling the truth the entire time about what happened and the one person who is supposed to believe her, me, didn't."
"Tom, there are things we do that we wish we could go back and do things differently. Believe me; I learned that lesson the hard way several times in my life. I look back and there are things that I wish I could go back and change with you—not paying so much attention to my career that it almost pushed you totally away. There are things I would have done different with Kim, but we can't go back and change that. Does Margo even know what happened? How about Casey, does he know?" Bob asks.
"No, neither of them knows. Casey told me the morning when he broke the bone in his hand and his finger that he tried calling Margo, but he got a recording saying that her cell phone had been shut off temporarily. When you came to my office the morning of opening arguments in Doc's trial, I tried calling her at the station and all I got was her voice mail saying that she was going to be away and not to leave a message. At the house, all I get is the answering machine. How am I even going to tell her this—if she even talks to me? Casey doesn't even know yet, either. I plan on talking to him tonight after we go back to the Lakeview. Dad, I don't even know how I am going to tell him or how he's going to take it." Tom says running his hands through his hair.
"Son, if it makes it easier for you, I can be there when you tell him. That's if you want me to." Bob suggests. "It's not going to be easy on either one of you."
"Ah Dad, I don't know what to do at this point. I know I need to talk to Margo. The only thing I am scared of at this point is for her and the baby. By the way, I found out she's also pregnant and she couldn't tell me. I don't need to get her all stressed out—that's the last thing that she needs to deal with. Now I know that could be part of the reason why she looked pale when I saw her with Hal." Tom says.
'When did you find out that she's pregnant?" Bob asks.
"Today, when Jill told me that what she told me about what she saw between Doc and Margo was a lie. She stated that Margo was the investigating detective on the Oakdale Country Club thefts and while Margo was waiting for a uniformed officer to take Jill back down to the holding cell that Margo told her that she was pregnant and she couldn't even let me know about it. I don't know how far along she is or when she found out. Dad, I don't even know if she's even in Oakdale right now." Tom says as he walks back over to the couch.
"I know this is rough on you son, finding all this out—and this is a lot to deal with right now. I do need to let you know that Margo, herself, told me she's pregnant. She came looking for me because she needed to talk to me about what her doctor said and she was quite upset about it. This was about two months ago. She had known about the baby for at least a month. Margo had told me what happened, that you and Casey moved out before she had the chance to tell you about the baby." Bob says as he walks over to the leather chair next to the couch.
"So, Margo told you?" Tom asks.
"Yes, she did. Kim knows, too, and she had asked both of us not to say anything to you, she wanted to be the one to tell you, she was working on the courage to tell you. Like I told you, she came to me because she wanted to talk to me about what her doctor had said that had upset her, pretty badly." Bob states.
"What did her doctor say that upset her?" Tom asks.
"Margo told me that Dr. Bartlett wanted her to consider terminating the pregnancy." Bob states.
"Dr. Bartlett wanted her to terminate the pregnancy? Why on earth would he say something like that? Dad, we wanted a second child together for so long after Casey was born. I remember sitting there in Dr. Samuels's office after Margo was raped and we found out about Nevins being HIV positive. Margo told her that we wanted to try to have another baby and Dr. Samuels told us that we should wait six months—for the HIV tests. I still remember to this day how emotionally shattered she was after she suffered her last miscarriage—the night I was with Emily. She was pretty much resigned to the fact that we weren't going to have another child together. It took her a while to accept the fact that Daniel was my child with Emily. It must be hard on her with that she couldn't tell me, but for someone to tell her that she could consider terminating the pregnancy…Dad, I don't see how someone could be so cold in saying something like that." Tom says, "Do you think that this could be part of the reason why she's been avoiding me?"
"I don't know, son, I honestly don't know. Margo asked me if she could talk to me about this and about seeking a second opinion. She told me that she couldn't live with herself if she ended it. The last miscarriage obviously still bothers her to this date. We went in my office and talked about it. Margo was aware of how this pregnancy could affect her HCV and with her liver transplant, that the anti-rejection medication she's on could affect the baby's development. I suggested that she make an appointment with Dr. Samuels to discuss this and if it would make things easier on her, to have a friendly face there, I offered to go to the appointment with her. Margo made the appointment and I went with her. Dr. Samuels said that terminating the pregnancy was an option, but that was going to the extreme. She also explained to Margo that she could go through with the pregnancy, but it was going to be classified as a high-risk pregnancy and she and the baby were going to be closely monitored. There is a risk that Margo could pass the HCV to the baby. Another factor is her age. She arranged for Margo to meet with a different transplant doctor to determine what changes in her medications were going to be needed." Bob tells his son. "Now that you know about the pregnancy, you needed to be aware of the situation. It's important that when you do talk with Margo, that you both don't try to get her all stressed out over the situation between you too."
"Dad, I don't know what to do. I know I have to tell Casey about this. This isn't going to be easy on him either—finding out that his mom was telling me the truth about what happened and now that she's pregnant. Dad, she's probably somewhere—alone when she shouldn't be. It's entirely my fault. It's my fault, she's out there. I don't even know about how to go about this and try to make it alright with her." Tom says as he puts his head in his hands, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Tom, you and Margo both have a lot of pain and a lot of emotion to work through. When you do talk to her, it's not going to all be resolved in a matter of minutes or overnight. It's going to take some time and a lot of talking to resolve this. You said that she admitted kissing Doc, right, and how you felt about finding out about that. She's hurting too, with you not believing what she told you about Doc forcing himself onto her. That alone right there has to be bringing up a lot of pain and memories of her rape that she's had to deal with all over again. I honestly believe you two will find some way to get through this. You and Margo worked your way back to each other after the whole ordeal with Emily and Alec. Son, it's going to take some time. You have to believe that." Bob says as he tries to reassure his son by putting his hand on Tom's shoulder.
"What if she doesn't want to talk to me about this, Dad? What am I supposed to do, then?" Tom asks, with tears in his eyes.
"Let's just take this one step at a time right now. Let's get some dinner. Then, you need to talk with Casey about this. If it makes it any easier for you, I can be there when you talk to him. It's not going to be easy on him, either, finding all this out." Bob says.
"Hi guys, I don't mean to interrupt. Dinner's ready. Tom, do you want me to call in the boys?" Kim says as she walks over to where her husband and stepson are sitting.
"No, Kim. I can do that. Thanks." Tom says as he gets up from the couch and walks over to the French doors, leading outside.
"Is Tom okay?" Kim asks, watching Tom walk away.
"No, dear, he's not. He just found out today in court that Margo not only told him the truth about what happened between her and Doc, he also found out about the baby and that Margo couldn't bring herself to tell him." Bob says.
During dinner, Tom is quiet—just listening to the conversation between Bob, Kim, and his boys. Casey asks Bob a couple of questions in regard to his upcoming hand specialist appointment. Kim looks over to Tom, seeing him sitting there-looking like he's lost in his thoughts.
"Tom, do you want to talk about it?" Kim asks quietly after she gets up and walks over to him.
"I don't want to talk about it around the boys right now." Tom replies, looking up at his stepmother.
"If you want to talk, your dad and I are here." Kim states as she puts her hand on his shoulder.
"Thanks, Kim." Tom replies as he puts his hand on top of hers, "I have to talk to Casey about this. Dad offered to be there when I do talk to him."
"Grandma Kim, where would you like me to put my dirty dishes?" Daniel asks as he gets up from the table.
"If you can manage to rinse the plate off and put it right next to the sink that would be great." Kim says, looking over at Daniel as he walks over to the sink with his plate and silverware.
"Casey, do you want to go back out and play with Lucky and Spike?" Daniel asks.
"Hey, bud, I need to talk to Casey about something." Tom interjects, looking up at his sons.
"Dad, what's going on?" Casey asks, looking at his dad and grandfather.
"Casey, there is something about your mom that I need to talk to you about. Daniel, Case will be out in a few minutes. Why don't you go on ahead outside and play with Lucky and Spike?" Tom says.
"Come on, Daniel. Why don't we grab their leashes and take them for a walk while your grandpa and dad talk to Casey?" Kim asks.
"Yeah, I like that idea, Kim." Daniel says walking over to grab his soccer pullover from the hook next to the door.
Kim and Daniel head outside with the leashes to take Lucky and Spike for a walk, so they can give Tom, Bob, and Casey some space.
"Dear, we'll be back in a little while." Kim says as she's about to shut the back door behind her as Bob waves.
"Dad, Grandpa, what is this about and what does mom have to do with it?" Casey asks.
"Bud, this isn't going to be easy." Tom says as he runs his hands through his hair. "Casey, remember how I told you that your mom told me that Doc tried forcing himself on her after she kissed him and that I told you that there was something more to what she was telling me and that I didn't believe her."
"Yeah, Dad, I do. You were pretty angry about it. You told me that was the reason why you were moving out and I told you that I was going to go with you." Casey tells his dad, giving him a questioning look. "What's going on here? Does it have anything to do with you seeing Mom last week?"
"Casey, it does. There's more to this. Remember when you told me about running into Jill and she said something to you about the truth about your mom?" Tom asks.
"I do. I blew her off like what would she know about what happened." Casey tells Bob and Casey.
"Well, Casey, Jill knew more than what she told me about seeing your mom and Doc." Tom says.
"What do you mean by that?" Casey asks.
"I had to call Jill to the stand today to testify against Doc in his rape trial. She was the one that had the victim's belongings that Doc had given her. Jill testified that Doc tried forcing himself on another woman a week before the attack in which he's being charged. Jill testified that she had walked in on Doc trying to force himself on another woman and she was telling him no. Jill walked in and that's when he stopped. The woman that Doc tried forcing himself on was your mom. Your mom was telling the truth all along and I didn't believe her, Casey. I walked out on your mom and she was telling the truth. I am sorry." Tom says as he hangs his head down, ashamed of what he just told his son.
"What?" Casey angrily asks, "You mean mom was telling the truth all along and you believed a waitress over mom! Dad, why?"
"Case, I was reeling over what I thought was the truth—that Jill told me she walked in on your mom and Doc making out. I thought your mom was lying to me about this. I acted impulsively on this. I didn't give your mom the benefit of the doubt or ask her about what happened. I…" Tom says, trying to maintain his composure, "I just snapped at her. I kept hearing what Jill told me over and over in my mind and I just walked out. I just walked out."
"How are you sure that Jill's telling the truth now?" Casey asks, with tears welling in his eyes.
"Jill handed me a surveillance tape when she was on the stand. She took it from the Oakdale Country Club that night. The whole incident is on the tape. Tyler Ramsey watched it and left me a voice mail letting me know that Jill was telling the truth about Doc trying to force himself on your mom. Casey, there's more to this…" Tom says, trying to put his hand on Casey's shoulder to reassure him.
"What do you mean there's more? What else is there that Jill lied about?" Casey asks, walking away from his dad as he shakes his head.
"Casey," Tom says walking towards his son, "Your mom is pregnant."
"What? When did you plan on telling me that?" Casey asks.
"Casey, listen, your dad just found that out today himself. This isn't easy for him either right now. Your dad wasn't intentionally holding this back from you." Bob interjects, trying to calm Casey down.
"Is this baby Doc's?" Casey asks, looking at his dad.
"No, Casey. Doc isn't the baby's father. Your dad is the baby's father." Bob tells his grandson. "Your mom found out she was pregnant shortly before the incident with Doc. She just didn't get the chance to tell you or your dad. She wanted to be the one to tell you and your dad."
"What about Mom's illness and her liver transplant? Is Mom going to get sick again because of this, because of the baby?" Casey asks.
"Right now, your mom and the baby are being monitored because of her illness and her meds. Her meds had to be adjusted for the time being so that the effect is minimal on the baby." Bob explains.
"Dad, I told her I didn't want anything to do with her because of this whole thing with Doc. Do you think she's ever going to forgive us-or speak to us ever again?" Casey asks.
"Bud, I don't know. Right now, I don't even know if she's in town or where she is. Hal said she's going to be away from the office for a while. She didn't say for how long." Tom says, "I don't know."
"She's by herself because of us. I told her that I didn't want anything to do with her and now it's because of nothing—because someone had to lie about mom. Why would someone want to do something like that? Why did you believe her dad?" Casey asks.
"Casey, I don't know why I believed Jill. Maybe it was just the thought of your mom and Doc together, I don't know. Jill said that Doc convinced her to lie to me about what she saw. Doc figured that if he could get her to lie to me about your mom, that he would have a better chance of seeing your mom. I should have at least tried to talk to her about this. Gosh, I didn't even give her that. I feel so bad right now about what I did to your mom and right now you're probably angry with me about this whole thing." Tom says looking down.
"Casey, it's going to take some time for you, your mom, and dad to work this out. It's not going to happen overnight. There is a lot of pain and emotion that needs to be talked about. I know you're affected by this, too. It's difficult to watch your parents' marriage go through something as difficult and painful as this. Your parents got through something like this once before, I have faith that they'll do it again. The most important thing is that both of you need to remember is that when you do finally get the chance to talk to Margo about this is that you can't get her stressed out. With her illness and now the pregnancy, it's important that she avoids stress as much as possible. I know it's not going to be easy for anybody here in this situation. You have to believe that this will some how work itself out and you will be stronger as a family because of it." Bob says.
"Dad, I don't know what to think right now. What's going to happen if mom doesn't forgive us—or worse yet, even want to talk to us ever again? I remember the look on her face when I told her that I didn't want anything to do with her. I saw that look before I turned around and walked away. What if she doesn't want anything to do with us because of this?" Casey asks, with his voice cracking.
"Case, I don't know. I don't think your mom would go that far and not have anything to do with you. Me—maybe. I just don't know." Tom says.
"Do you think that her being pregnant might be making her sick now?" Casey asks, and then turns away from his dad and Bob.
"Casey, that's something I don't know. All I know is that when I saw her with Hal leaving the station, she looked pale. I asked Hal and he wouldn't get into it. He told me what she told him—that it wouldn't matter to me if she was sick. Hey, I know this is scary right now—not knowing where your mom is or even if she's okay. I am scared, too…"
"We walked out on her, Dad. What if something happens to her?" Casey interrupts.
"All we can do right now is hope that something doesn't happen to her or the baby." Tom says.
"I need to go see if Mom will talk to me." Casey says, as he starts to walk toward the front door.
"Case, wait. I don't even know if your mom is home, or even in town right now." Tom says as his cell phone rings. Grabbing his cell phone from his pocket, he sees that it's Hal calling.
"Tom Hughes" Tom says, answering his phone.
"Tom, it's Hal. I was wondering if you can come by the station so we can discuss if there are going to be more charges filed against Doc Reese for assault against Margo." Hal says.
"I can be there in twenty minutes." Tom says, and then hangs up the phone.
"Dad, Case, I've got to go to the station for a bit." Tom says, looking over to Casey as he's sitting on the couch with his head in his hands and tears welling up in his eyes. "Hey, are you going to be okay?"
"I don't know, Dad." Casey says quietly.
"Tom, why don't you let Casey stay over here for awhile? Kim and Daniel should be back from taking Lucky and Spike for a walk. If he wants, I'll talk to him some more about this situation with Margo. He might need it." Bob says.
"Thanks Dad. He looks like he's taking it pretty hard right now." Tom says, looking at Casey over on the couch.
"It's tough for him to find all this out at once. He'll be okay. I think he needs time to let this all sink in and then you can go from there and figure out what to do about talking to Margo about all of this." Bob tells his son.
"I'll call you when I'm done at the station." Tom says as he walks out the front door.
"Grandpa, can I go lay down upstairs in the guest bedroom and be alone for a while? I have a headache and I don't think I can talk anymore right now." Casey says.
"Yes, sure. You know where it is. I think you need some time to let all this sink in. I know this is a huge shock to you, hearing all this at once. Just remember, things will work out between your mom and dad. They did in the past and hopefully, they will this time to. You have to have faith in that. I'm sure your mom loves you very much, she's also dealing with a lot of hurt and pain too." Bob says as he places his hand on Casey's shoulder, trying to reassure him.
"Thanks, grandpa. I'll try to keep that in mind." Casey says and then heads up the stairs to go lay down in the guest bedroom.