Part 22
Lying there beside him, curled up in postcoital bliss; this was her favourite part, the afterglow. Lazily, she traces the contours of his chest, revelling in their sinew... "Hhhhmmm… I wish you didn't have to go to New York tomorrow…" She sighs, snuggling in closer.
Tenderly, he tucks a loose strand of hair behind her hair…"Me too, but as usual the timing is off, I'd rather be here for you... but work calls I guess, although to be fair I almost don't see the point. Soon enough none of this will matter…"
Not ready for her happy moment to end, she deflects the conversation to thoughts of the future and not the present… "Fitz, what will you do when we get to Vermont?"
"You mean work wise?"
"Yeah… what have you got in mind?"
"I don't know… teach maybe, but for the first year or so I just want to work on the house… getting it ready for the kids; first Jerry and Karen's rooms, so they have somewhere to sleep when they stay over, and then the nursery for our first born, whilst we work on our next…"
"How many?"
"How many children...?" He asks… "I think three, maybe four… or however many you are willing to give me?"
She sighs dreamily. "Four, I like the sound of that…" she rest her chin on his chest and he smiles at her warmly, before leaning down and capturing her lips in an awe inspiring kiss. When they finally pull apart for air, he places her on her back and scoots down resting his head on her flushed bosom… He lays still, and lets the steady beat of her heart hypnotise him into a state of peace and contentment…
Idle fingers start to play with and run through his tussled hair, causing the manly scent of his shampoo to waft around her, igniting her senses… Why did he always smell so good? She breathes him in deeply... "God, I can't wait till the day that we can do this uninterrupted, when we don't have to get up, get dressed and rush off to different houses…"
"I know…" he exhales, as begrudgingly he allows his mind to drift back to their present circumstances. Poignant and deliberate in his movement, he covers her exposed belly with his hand and begins to circle it softly… Something about this simple action causes her eyes to brim with tears…
"Tomorrow's your appointment?"
It's not so much a question, but a statement. So she says nothing, as he continues to stoke her; evoking a whole host of emotions from both of them…
"I wish I was could be here for you… I mean, what if the test comes out positive? You're going to need me, and I'll be stuck in New York."
"I'll be alright… I've got Abby; we'll manage until you come back… Plus, there's every chance that I'm not pregnant, so don't worry…"
"It just seems so wrong, you know? Both of us lying here and hoping that there's no baby, when deep down we both know that if we were only someplace else, we would have the freedom and the right to feel the complete opposite…"
"Please stop, you mustn't think like that, okay?"
"I know I shouldn't, but it's hard not too…" A sudden wetness pooling by her breast, lets her knows that he is crying. She's never seen him so vulnerable before, and it breaks her heart, causing her to choke up too. "Oh Fitz…" She hugs him tight. "Our time will come, it will…" She soothes... "And when it does, all this will be a distant memory… Because we'll be too busy being happy, and looking forward to our future; our wedding, babies, and so much more… You'll see."
Xxxxxx
"Mellie, it's 1am…" Jerry answers her groggily, woken up by the persistent ringing of his house phone.
"I'm quite aware of the time Jerry… Why have you been avoiding me?"
Wiping the sleep from his eyes… "I promise you Mellie, I have not been avoiding you…"
"Well, what's going on then… tell me!? Have you found out who she is yet?"
"It's being handled Mellie, that's all you need to know." He attempts to pacify her, but she's having none of it. Not tonight.
"Obviously not well enough…seeing as my husband has yet to come home..." She slurs, giving away the fact that she is inebriated.
"Listen to me Mellie, you need to pull yourself together. Now do us both a favour and go back to bed and sleep off whatever it is you've been drinking!"
"I will not! I will not sleep until my husband comes home!"
"Mellie…" He warns… "You need to calm down…"
Growing increasingly hysterical... "He's out there Jerry, fucking her… destroying everything I've worked for, and you expect me to calm down! Tell me who she is god dammit!"
"Like I said, I have it under control, the only thing you need to concern yourself with, is how to keep your husband satisfied, once I rid him of his feminine distraction… But I can tell you this for nothing, you won't stand a chance in hell in accomplishing that, if you don't get a grip soon; or have you forgotten who you are; the cunning and resourceful woman I saw fit to marry my son... "
She gushes, "Whyyyyy… why Jerry... why is he doing this to me?"
"Who knows why men do what they do…? Maybe he was bored, maybe you weren't giving it to him like you used to, or maybe he's just his father's son. Knowing why is not what's important here Mellie... But reminding him of what he'll loose if he decides to leave, now that's where the true game changer lies."
"You mean the kids?"
"Exactly my dear! If Fitz wants to walk away from his wife and his career, you just let him know that he will also be walking away from his kids."
