Missing Moment TCOT Maligned Mobster
Della Street Mason looked across the sitting room at her husband. She could tell he was in pain. Getting up and heading for the bathroom she filled a glass with water and shook out a pill from the brown bottle on the counter. She walked over to him and held the glass and pill out to him.
Looking up from the paper he had been reading he frowned and asked, "what's this?"
"Your pain medicine, I'm sure you haven't taken any for a while," she answered calmly.
Perry Mason made a face and reluctantly took the pill knowing she wouldn't give up. He thrust the glass toward her and said abruptly, "there, satisfied?"
His wife turned away and started toward the bathroom when he heard her sob. Getting up as quickly as he could he followed along behind her. Coming around the corner he saw her trying to rapidly wipe her eyes. Perry wrapped his good right arm around her and soothed her by saying, "Baby it's alright."
She turned and pressed her face into his broad chest being careful not to lean on the left shoulder where he had been shot. As he rubbed her back she began to cry again. Her voice was choked with emotion when she told him, "Perry I was so scared when Ken called saying you had been shot. I felt like I couldn't breathe."
"I know," he whispered in her ear. "I was scared too."
"Then you insisted in going on with the trial, and I knew how much you must be hurting. More than anything I wanted to tell you to ask for a postponement, yet I knew you wouldn't do the sensible thing."
He kissed her hair and replied, "I don't know why you put up me."
Pulling away from him slightly she looked into those incredible blue eyes and answered, "sometimes I don't either."
He raised his eyebrows and looked startled. After a moment he suggested, "let's go out to dinner at the Rose Room of the Carlton. I'll even make the reservations."
"Just the two of us?" she inquired.
The Mason smile with those dimples did her in again, even after all these years. "Yes, just the two of us," he promised.
Della finally smiled as she said, "wonderful we need some time to relax. No talk of the trial, just you and me."
Leading her back to the sitting room he echoed, "just you and me. Let's get to the office close it up for the day and then go to dinner."
At the office Ken Malansky was anxious to get away. Perry told him to take a subpoena to a potential witness and that really upset the young man. He protested that he had a dinner date with a female he had met during the trial. Perry told him they would take her to dinner with them. He even got Della to agree.
When Ken left unhappy Della called the young lady to tell her of the change in plans. The young woman however declined their invitation saying she would wait until Ken was free. When she told Perry, he seemed slightly disappointed.
A little over an hour later they were being seated in the Rose Room. After they ordered wine he turned to his wife and observed, "you are quiet."
"you think so?" she queried.
He put his hand over hers and said, "Darling, I am feeling better."
She sighed, "I'm glad."
Perry picked up menu and said, "well I'm hungry how about you?"
Looking at him over her menu Della said unenthusiastically, "I guess. Don't pay attention to me. This case has really been stressful. "Maybe we will both feel better after a good meal."
Now Perry was worried. This wasn't his Della. She was always optimistic and when he was down, she brought him back up. His wife was his biggest cheerleader and always had been. Most of all she was an enthusiastic eater often letting him know she was starving. Something was wrong. Once they were back home, he would need to figure out what was wrong, tomorrow would be a rough day in court.
They had a delicious meal ending up with excellent crepes suzettes. Since his accident they had been using a limousine. Even with a driver in the front seat Della usually cuddled up to him in the back of a car, any car, but she had not even sitting that close on the way over or back.
Della was very quiet once they returned home and she yawned and told him she could barely keep her eyes open.
As she turned to unzip her dress, he moved behind her and kissed her shoulder. Then he asked, "are you going to tell me what's wrong?"
"What makes you think something is wrong?" She asked sharply.
"My darling wife I am not completely oblivious. When we are out, I am used to you cuddling next to me in any car, we laugh, we dance slowly, we touch a lot, and none of that happened tonight."
Della rubbed her eyes and replied, "I'm really tired. I didn't get much sleep last night."
He watched as she took, off her make-up, put away her jewellery, brushed her hair and teeth, and slipped into a pale pink negligee. Finally, she came over to help him out of his shirt and he took her arm. "You know our rule never go to bed angry."
Not looking at him she remarked, "I'm not angry, I'm hurt."
Instantly he was alarmed, "what did I do to hurt you?"
She finished unbuttoning his shirt and began taking it off as gently as possible to not hurt his injured shoulder. Next came his belt and she unzipped his pants and helped to remove them. His shoes were off, and she helped him into his panamas.
He finally stopped her saying, "alright you've had enough time to think of an answer."
His wife knew she would have to confess. After all her husband was probably the best cross examiner in the world. She moved to a chair next to the bed. She began hesitantly. "I thought we had planned to be alone tonight."
Perry looked puzzled, "we were alone."
"No," she said shaking her head, "that isn't what is bothering me.I told you how I felt when Ken called but I didn't tell you I was so frightened he would tell me you were dead. He picked me up but still wasn't sure how you were. Perry, if I lost you my life would be over."
He took her in his arm and kissed her cheek, "Baby I am going to be fine."
"I know," her voice was choked with emotion. "You still don't get it. We are so busy we have had little time together lately. Then the shooting made me realize how fragile life can be. I just wanted to be alone with you. Yet when Ken got upset about his date being postponed you volunteered she could go with us."
The lawyer seemed rather perplexed. "You don't like her?"
Della was impatient as she remarked, "I don't even know her, but the point is you never gave a thought to how I might feel. I am to blame too I usually give in to what you want."
"In other words, you never get your own way?" he wanted to know.
She gave him a look that said, 'think back, who usually makes most of the decisions?'
Perry walked her over to their bed and sat down and pulled her onto his lap. "I am so sorry Della, but I wish you had spoken up."
"We couldn't have such a conversation in front of Ken. What hurt me was that you didn't realize how important our time together is for me, for us."
He looked as serious as possible as he said, "I know I am just a beast,"
Della tried not to smile as she retorted, "Perry Mason, you make me so mad sometimes I could just smack you."
A few moments later as he pulled her close for another kiss he sighed, "if that is a smack, I'll give you all night to stop.
"You are so good at changing the subject." she said,
Perry leaned down and nibbled her neck. Then he moved his hand to her thigh and began to rub. Grinning at her, blue eyes twinkling he began, "but Baby you feel so…."
"Not one word, Mr. Mason, not one word." Della told him.
Perry started to laugh, "so you are throwing my own words back at me young lady?"
Della was trying not to smile as she retorted, "it would seem so."
Pulling her close to him as he asked, "what would I do without you to remind me the Perry Mason in the courtroom is not the Perry Mason in the bedroom."
Then she did laugh, "Oh my love, if you rose to the level you do in the bedroom you would be an even more sought after, attorney."
He couldn't help but tease her, "well, it might not be a bad thing to check out,"
She started to get up off his lap saying, "if you are that interested be my guest."
Tugging on her arm he pulled her back down. He said, "there is only one woman for me and as I said to you long ago there is only one Della Street. Sometimes she is more than I can handle, but I am never going to stop trying."
Della leaned down and kiss him passionately. Breathlessly she admitted, "It is so difficult to stay angry with you counsellor, but please don't scare me to death again."
Perry smoothed her curls and promised, "I will do my best darling, I want us to be together a long time also."
She asked him, "how long is a long time?"
He grinned at her and those dimples did her in every time. When he said, "how long is forever?" it took her back to another time when he was there for her with no questions and no thanks.
He was all hers and what more could she ask now and forever.