Chapter 5
James and Sandie made their way to the courthouse. Neither one of them told anyone about getting married, they didn't want Greg or Lisa to rain on their parade. Thirty minutes later, Sandie and James were pronounced husband and wife. The two of them left the courthouse and made their way to a hotel on the beach near Atlantic City.
They made their way up to their suite. James carried Sandie into the room and laid her on the bed, he sat down next to her, leaned over and kissed his new bride. She looked so beautiful wearing a short, white, sequin dress that hugged her curves and showed off her cleavage. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders, her skin tanned from the sun or was it a tanning booth, he wasn't sure but he didn't care because he would melt every time he touched her.
The two of them spent the week there, most of the time in their room, and occasionally down at the casino. Neither one of them answered any calls, they just turned their phones off and went back to making love to each other. James knew that eventually they were going to have to leave soon and he was going to have to face Greg and Lisa at some point.
Sunday came way too soon and the two newlyweds left the hotel and made their way back to his condo. Walking in the door, James placed their bags on the floor and closed the door behind them. He flipped on the light only to come face to face with Gregory House sitting in the kitchen.
"Dammit, Greg!" James exclaimed, "You nearly gave me a heart attack! What the hell are you doing here?"
"I still have a key," Greg explained. He eyed Sandie, standing there in her tight jeans and curve hugging tee shirt. Fuck, he thought, what I wouldn't give to be between her legs right now. "Where were you?" He added.
"I was on vacation, as if it's any of your business," James told him. "Now get out of my house!"
Greg stood and walked towards them. He stopped near Sandie and whispered in her ear, "It won't be long before you're mine." Then he left.
"What was that all about?" James asked.
"Nothing," Sandie replied. She turned, grabbed their bags and headed towards the bedroom. James followed.
"What's wrong?" He asked her, "What did he say to you?"
"It's nothing. Just forget about it, I'm not going to let him come between us."
James walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him, then placing her hand on his cheek, she kissed him. He kissed her back and before long they were making love. Afterwards, they lay in bed together just enjoying each other's company. James trailed his fingers along the curves of his wife's body, he could tell she was far away, undoubtedly thinking about what Greg had said to her. It pissed him off that he could still have so much control over her.
He rolled over and got out of bed. He threw on his clothes and looked over at Sandie who was watching him.
"Where are you going?" She asked him.
"I'm gonna go grab some dinner," he told her. "Anything special that you want?"
Sandie shook her head no. James walked over to her and kissed her forehead.
"I'll be right back," he told her.
Greg paced the floor in his apartment, he was angry. He took a sip of whiskey and hurled the glass at the wall. James may have won this time but it wouldn't be long before Sandie was back in his life. The two guys were best friends, so Greg knew he should be happy for James but he was jealous. If it weren't for him fucking things up before, he would be the one married to Sandie and not his friend. The only thing he could do now is wait.
A week had passed and Sandie had settled into a routine in her new home. James was back at work and even though he had run into Lisa and Greg, he still did not tell them that he had married Sandie, although he suspected that Greg already knew.
Sandie sat at home flipping through a magazine when her cell phone rang. She grabbed it off the table and looked at the caller ID, Zack.
"Hello?" Sandie asked.
"Sandie, it's Zack. How are you?"
"I'm fine, how are you?" Sandie asked.
"I miss you," Zack told her, "Is there any chance we can work things out?"
"I'm sorry, Zack," Sandie started, "but I just got married."
The line was silent.
"Oh," came Zack's reply.
"I'm sorry," was all Sandie could say. She hung up before he could say anything else and immediately her phone rang again. She picked it up without looking at the ID, assuming it was Zack again she said,
"Zack, it's over, you'll just have to live with that."
"Sandie? It's Elliot."
"Oh my god, El! I'm so sorry, I thought you were someone else," she let out an embarrassed giggle.
"You thought I was Zack? You guys are officially over?"
"Yea, I'm back in New Jersey, just married James."
"Oh! Congratulations!" Elliot told her. He was happy for her, perhaps she could get her life together after all and James seemed like a nice guy, although Elliot couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. He knew he wasn't going to have a chance with her now.
"Thank you," Sandie said.
"Are you happy?" Elliot asked her.
"I am," Sandie replied. "Thank you Elliot for everything you've done for me."
"You're welcome, Sandie. Just remember, if you ever need anything, just call."
They hung up and Sandie went to the kitchen to pour herself a drink. Although she was off the drugs for the time being, she couldn't give up drinking. She kept having a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach that something bad was going to happen. That was just the way her life was, nothing good ever came to her.
She downed her drink and poured herself another, then another and before she knew it, she had finished off a whole bottle of wine. Dammit! She thought. With that being the only bottle in the fridge, she decided to head out to pick up some more. She grabbed her purse and keys and headed out the door only to come face to face with Greg.
"What are you doing here?" She demanded.
Greg pushed her back into the condo and closed the door behind him. He could smell the alcohol on her breath and knew that she had been drinking.
"You're drunk," he told her.
"And you're trespassing," she replied.
Greg pushed her up against the wall, his face close to hers. He smelled like aftershave and whiskey. She tried to push him away but he pinned her to the wall, his lips brushing hers. She caught her breath and forced herself not to give in to him. Greg's hand ran down the side of her body and she shuddered. He reached around and grabbed her ass as he brushed his lips against her neck. His other hand reached up under her shirt and grabbed her breast, his mouth making his way down her chest. Sandie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then she forcefully pushed him away.
"Get out!" She shouted.
"You know you want me," Greg told her.
"I am married," Sandie told him.
"Doesn't matter," Greg replied, "I will have you, eventually."
That's when she stepped forward and slapped him hard across his face, which pissed Greg off. He grabbed her and tossed her up against the wall, she slammed hard into the wall, her head hitting it and she slid to the floor, tears swelling in her eyes.
"Bitch!" He yelled.
"Get out!" Sandie cried again.
Greg looked at her and immediately felt bad for what he just did to her. He reached his hand out to help her up but she brushed it away.
"Get out," she hissed.
Taking one last look at her, he left the condo. Sandie stood and reached to the back of her head, her head hurt and she had blood on her fingers. Shit! She thought. She was going to have to go to the hospital to have that checked out.
Reluctantly, she made her way to Princeton-Plainsboro and up to James's office. She knocked on his door and heard him say "Come in." She opened the door and walked in. James looked up and smiled when he saw her but he quickly frowned when he saw that she had been crying. He stood and walked over to her.
"What's wrong?" He asked her.
Sandie was so worked up with what happened that the only thing she said was, "my head."
James took a look at where she pointed and saw that she had a slight gash. It had stopped bleeding but didn't look like it needed stitches. He steered her to the couch and told her to stay there while he went to get some medical supplies. He returned a moment later and sat down on the couch beside her. She turned so he could clean up the gash, she flinched when he pressed the wipe to her head.
"Sorry," he told her.
He finished up and she turned to face him. He reached his hand up to wipe away her tears, then he kissed her forehead.
"What happened?" He asked her again.
"I tripped," she lied.
James knew she was lying but he didn't want to press her into telling him the truth. She'd tell him when she was ready. Sandie wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and stood. James stood and took her in his arms, she let him hold her and everything melted away. A knock at the door interrupted them.
"Yea?" James announced.
The door opened and Lisa walked in. Seeing Sandie, she asked,
"What are you doing here? I thought you left town?"
She looked at James and he decided she might as well know, since they were practically family now.
"We're married," James told her.
Lisa's mouth dropped to the floor.
"What? When?"
"Two weeks ago, when I took my vacation," James told her.
"Wow, well congratulations," Lisa told them.
Sandie wasn't sure if she was really sincere but replied with "Thank you," anyway.
"Was there something you needed?" James asked her.
"Uh, yeah, I need your opinion on something," Lisa told him.
James told Sandie he'd see her at home and kissed her cheek. She replied with "I love you," and headed out the door, hoping she would not run into Greg on the way out.
Greg watched her from across the street, he followed her from her place. He watched as she made her way into the hospital and he carefully followed behind. He saw her go into her new husband's office, undoubtedly going to tell him what happened. He made his way to his own office and out onto the balcony that adjoined both offices. The shades were drawn so he couldn't see what was going on inside, so he went back into the hospital and out into the hall. He stayed hidden so she couldn't see him when she left. He watched as she went into the elevator and just as the doors were about to close, he made his move.
Sandie gasped when she saw Greg grab the elevator doors before they closed. He squeezed inside and the doors closed behind him. She expected him to push the button to the lobby but instead, he hit the stop button, rendering the elevator useless.
"I'll scream," Sandie told Greg.
"Go ahead," he scoffed, "no one will hear you."
"You need to let me go and stop obsessing," Sandie told him.
"If you are part of James's life, then you are part of my life as well," Greg told her.
"You're crazy."
"Am I?" Greg laughed.
He pushed her up against the wall and brushed his lips against hers. Automatically, her body got hot and her face became flushed. He reached up and grabbed her hair, jerking her head backwards, exposing her neck to him. She half expected him to bite her like a vampire, but instead he kissed her lips. She tried not to, but she kissed him back, then immediately broke it off.
"Stop!" She yelled and pushed him away.
Greg stumbled backwards and Sandie hit the restart button. The elevator jerked and continued towards the lobby. When it came to a stop and the doors opened, Sandie ran out. She darted through the lobby and out into the crowd.
That night when James returned home, he found his wife sitting on the couch in the dark. He flipped on the light and she jumped.
"Sorry," he said as he sat down next to her. "What's wrong?"
He could tell that she had been crying and dinner wasn't prepared like it was the night before. He placed his hand on her leg and she jerked away from him, he then knew that something was really wrong.
"Babe," James started, "did something happen?"
Sandie didn't answer, she just curled up into a ball in the corner of the couch.
"Okay," James sighed, "I'll let you be, for now. I'm here when you want to talk."
He walked to the kitchen and dialed Lisa's number. She answered on the second ring.
"Hello?"
"Lisa, it's James, I've got a problem. Something happened to Sandie and she won't talk to me, I was wondering if you'd be able to talk to her."
Lisa agreed and told him she'd be over shortly.
A knock on the door and James went to answer it, Lisa stood on the other side.
"Where is she?" Lisa asked.
James pointed to the couch. Lisa walked over to where her sister sat curled up in a ball, tears streaming down her face.
"Sandie," Lisa started, "what happened? Talk to me, let us help you."
Sandie wiped the tears from her face and looked over at her sister.
"Why do you care?" She asked.
"Sandie, I've always cared, I wish you could understand that. How about starting small and tell me why you were at the hospital earlier."
"I went to see James," Sandie said, half lying.
"Sandie, darling," James said, coming up beside her. "You had a bad gash on the back of your head. You couldn't have gotten that from tripping."
"Why don't you two just leave me alone!" Sandie yelled, jumping up from the couch. She pushed past them, grabbed her purse and ran out the door.
"Dammit," James muttered.
"You said she had a gash," Lisa said, "Is that why she was there earlier?"
"Yeah," James raised a hand to his forehead, rubbing his temples. "She said she tripped. Something happened, she just won't tell me what. I'm worried."
"Don't worry," Lisa told him, standing and placing a hand on his shoulder. "We'll figure it out."
Sandie found herself at a bar, she sat in the dark, glass in one hand, cell phone in the other. She flipped through the contacts in her phone, stopping at Elliot's number then at Zack's. She finished her drink and ordered another and before she knew it, she had several glasses in front of her. Alcohol wasn't helping her any, she wanted more. She threw some cash on the counter and stumbled out the door.
She walked along the dimly lit street until she found what she was looking for. A group of teens standing on the street corner, selling drugs. Sandie walked up to them, unafraid of what they could do to her, she held out a wad of cash in exchange for some coke. She took the drugs and headed back down the street, unsure of where she was going next.
James called Sandie's phone, it rang then went to voicemail. Lisa tried as well with no luck. James was getting worried.
"Where could she have gone?" He paced the floor.
"Don't worry, we'll find her," Lisa reassured him. "Even if we have to call the cops."
"That's it!" James exclaimed. He quickly dialed Elliot's number.
"Detective Stabler," Elliot said, answering his phone.
"Elliot, it's James Wilson, I need a favor."
"Sure, what's up?"
"It's Sandie, something happened to her today and now she's run off. She won't answer my calls."
Elliot could tell that he was worried.
"Don't worry, I'll find her," he reassured James.
They hung up and Elliot dialed Sandie's number, it rang several times then went to voicemail.
"Sandie, It's El, please call me back."
Sandie sat on a bench in a nearby park, getting high. It's been a while since she used, but she needed it to forget about what happened that day and alcohol wasn't cutting it. It was getting late and the park was empty except for a few late night joggers. She looked at her phone and saw the missed calls, all from people who care about her. She was really beginning to think that marrying James and moving back to New Jersey was a mistake. She told herself that she wasn't going to let Greg get to her but somehow he was getting inside her head. He's never been this obsessed before, she thought. Then, without thinking, she dialed his number.
Greg laid on his couch, passed out from drinking. He was angry and hurt, even though he didn't want to admit to the latter. He was so in love with Sandie that it was literally killing him and it hurt him to know that he could hurt her. He wanted to apologize to her but everytime he went to dial her number, he would just hang up.
As he lay there feeling sorry for himself, his cell rang. Who could that be at this time of night? He thought. Fumbling around in the dark to find where the ringing was coming from, he found his phone and squinted at the caller ID: Sandie!
"Well isn't this an unexpected surprise," he said answering the phone.
"Greg," Sandie started, "listen, we can't keep doing this. I mean, you have to let me go, at least for now."
"What do you mean, for now?" Greg asked, "does this mean we have a chance?"
"I don't know. I just know that I want to make my marriage to James work and I can't be worried about what you're going to do."
As Sandie and Greg talked, Elliot had traced her call, pinging her cell phone to a nearby park. He then called James to relay the news and James headed out the door to find his wife.
"Let me see you," Greg said to Sandie, "James won't ever have to know. We belong together, you know we do."
"I can't," Sandie replied. "I love James."
As Greg continued to pressure Sandie into an affair, James pulled into the lot adjacent to the park. He got out of the car and walked the dimly lit trail, trying to find where his wife was. He spotted her sitting on a bench talking on her phone. She looked up and saw someone walking towards her. Not realizing it was her husband, she told Greg she had to go, jumped up and got ready to run, James calling after her.
"Sandie!" He called, "It's me!"
"James?" Sandie whispered.
James walked up to her and wrapped her in his arms.
"Babe," he started, "I was so worried about you!"
"How did you find me?" Sandie asked, pushing him away.
"Detective Stabler," James told her. He could smell the alcohol on her breath. "Have you been drinking?" He asked, "Never mind, It doesn't matter. Let's get you home."
He took her by the hand and they walked back to the car.
The next morning, Sandie awoke with a headache. She got out of bed and headed for the shower, looking in the mirror, she noticed her eyes were red, she couldn't tell if it was from crying or from the drugs.
Sandie stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her. She walked into the kitchen, the condo was empty, a note on the kitchen island from James said, "I love you, see you tonight."
She poured herself a cup of coffee and headed to the bedroom to get dressed. She took a sip of coffee and sat the mug down on the dresser, knocking her purse to the floor. She bent down to pick it up and noticed the little baggie. With everything that happened yesterday, she was tempted to just finish off that bag, she was becoming addicted again, even after just one taste last night.
Sandie picked everything up off the floor and got dressed, then she walked into the kitchen to get high. She needed to forget what happened, she needed to forget Greg. She started to pour herself another cup of coffee when her cell phone rang. She answered it without checking the caller ID.
"Hello?"
"Sandie, it's Elliot. I just wanted to check in to see how you were doing."
"I'm fine," Sandie lied.
"Are you sure?" He asked. "James said something happened to you."
"It's nothing," Sandie told him.
"Sandie," Elliot started, "you know you can talk to me."
Sandie was getting annoyed, she just wanted to be left alone.
"I'm fine!" She snapped and hung up the phone. She placed her head in her hands and sighed. She needed to get out, to get away. She packed a bag, grabbed her purse and keys and left the condo.
That night when James returned home, he found the place dark and empty. He called out, hoping that maybe his wife had fallen asleep but she was nowhere to be found. Checking the bedroom, he noticed that some of her things were gone, he called her cell phone and once again got no answer.
"Dammit!" He said out loud. He grabbed his keys and headed out the door.
Lisa heard the pounding on her door, she answered it to find James standing there, a worried look on his face.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Sandie's gone, again," he stated.
"What? Why?" Lisa asked.
"I don't know, but I'm sure it has something to do with what happened yesterday," James said, worriedly.
"Do you think maybe she went to Greg's?" Lisa asked.
James shook his head. Why would she go there? He thought, but he decided to go check anyway. He left Lisa's and headed over to Greg's place. He pounded on the door and a half drunk Greg answered the door.
"What do you want?" Greg asked him.
"Is Sandie here?" James asked.
"Why would she be here?"
"Because she left and I don't know where else she would go."
"Did you think maybe she regrets marrying you and went back to New York to be with that cop?" Suggested Greg.
James didn't want to believe that was true. He turned and headed out the door just as Greg called after him,
"Check the train station!"
Sandie sat at the train station, tears in her eyes. I knew this would never work out, she thought to herself. Greg will never leave me alone as long as I'm with James. She was about to call her husband when she looked up to see him standing there.
"James," Sandie said, "how did you know I was here?"
"Greg suggested you might be here," he told her. "What's going on? Why are you leaving?"
She didn't want to tell him but figured he might as well know.
"It's Greg," Sandie started, "I can't be here with him."
"Why? What happened?"
"He attacked me!" Sandie blurted.
"What?!" James was shocked, he didn't think his best friend could do something like that. "Is that how you got the cut on your head?"
Sandie nodded, "He was at our place the other day, telling me he wanted me back, when I told him to leave, he threw me up against the wall. Then he came after me in the elevator."
James was furious. He knew that something happened, he just didn't think it was that bad.
"I'll kill him!" James said out loud, perhaps a little too loud because a few people had turned to look at him.
"It's fine," Sandie told him.
"No, it's not fine," James replied. "I'm tired of him coming between us."
"Then move to New York with me," suggested Sandie.
"I can't just leave my practice," James told her.
"You can always commute," Sandie said.
"That would be a long commute," James sighed.
"Then you can find another job there," Sandie begged.
"Honey, please don't go. Stay with me and I'll talk to Greg."
"I don't know," Sandie whispered.
"Please," James begged her, "I don't want to lose you again. I know he's got you hooked back on drugs. Let me help you."
Sandie knew he was right, she had got to stop letting Greg come between them. She promised herself that when her and James said their vows. She told him "okay" and the two of them left the train station.