Laws of Motion – Book 3
Written by: Ms. Maggs/Edited by: KJT
Chapter 21
Monday – October 3, 2005
Dr. Myers Office
7:20 pm
"Greg!" Dr. Myers followed him as he darted into the waiting area. "You need to finish the session first."
"Shoot!" Greg stopped in the middle of the quiet room when he saw Becca lounging in a chair reading a copy of Parents Magazine. "I forgot that I didn't drive here myself because of the Valium."
The doctor stepped into the room scowling. "You're not in any condition to talk to Tawny at the moment, so please go back inside my office and compose yourself."
"Hey!" Becca jumped out of her chair. "I've always wanted to meet you, Dr. M. I'm Becca." Holding out her hand for a shake, she laughed, "I'm sure you've heard a lot about me."
"Oh." With the zeal of a zoologist who just happened upon a rare species to observe, Sylvia rushed forward, captured the woman's hand, and began her study. "I wish it were under better circumstances, but yes, I'm thrilled to finally meet you." She doesn't look evil like I imagined.
Before Becca could reply, Greg startled her with both the volume and content of his words.
"Were you and your husband looking for a spouse swap this weekend!"
"Uh..."
"Were you!" Greg closed the gap between them. "Is that the reason why you said Tawny and I could use the guesthouse any time we were in San Marino? So you two could party with us on a regular basis!"
Becca opened her Prada bag and rummaged for the pill bottle she kept inside. "Let's get you a Xanax, Hoj."
Dr. Myers cleared her throat. "Prescription medication is non-transferable between patients. I'm sure that just slipped your mind, right? You weren't really planning on committing a crime? Not to mention that taking Xanax after Valium would be dangerous."
Becca took the hint. "Just kidding!" She shook the bottle. "It's empty anyway. I was supposed to refill it at lunchtime, but as you know, things got a little hectic today."
"Answer the question!" Greg demanded as he grabbed Becca's elbow.
"No!" Becca laughed, "Just because I got off playing around with your wife while you were there, doesn't mean I wanted to be with you!"
The clerk behind the counter of the closed office smiled ever so slightly. Rarely did she get to hear the juicy stuff first hand and the treat was a good as the M&Ms she was sneaking from her co-worker's secret stash.
"I was playing around to entertain Tony, not you! Just like Tawny was doing it to turn you on."
"So you weren't hoping we'd swap?"
"God no!" Becca's laughter grew harder still. "Seriously, I love Tony."
"I'm talking about sex without love. Hardcore swapping."
"Oh my God! Seriously, I don't want sex with you, with or without love. You'd believe me if you could have heard me at BPAC this morning when Drew accused me of planting the camera to break you and Tawny up so I could have you for myself." Placing her hands over her chest, she sweetly said, "Why would I want bland frozen waffles on a paper plate for dinner when I'm already enjoying delicious Coq Au Vin on china?"
Dr. Myers winced at the self-esteem crushing commentary.
"You said that about me in front of SuperStud!" Greg gripped his head. "I thought you were my friend! With friends like you…"
"Sorry!" She chomped her lip. "I…"
"Okay, fine, you weren't thinking about swapping, but I think Tony was!"
"What! After watching his wife get nailed by another man, the last thing he'd want is for me to cheat."
"It's not cheating if you're both playing the game."
The doctor checked her watch and decided to let the venting continue for another five minutes as long as it stayed healthy.
"How are you an expert on swinging, Hoj?" Chuckling she reminded him, "You didn't even have a swing-worthy woman until now."
"I've worked cases!" he fired back. "I don't think it was a good idea for Tawny to get her kink on in front of your husband, whose sexual history I know nothing about! How do I know that he wasn't plotting a little mutual swap proposition? Hmm? How much do you know about him and his Ex, huh? Have you seen his ex-wife? She looks like a porn star! And now that I think back to some conversations I've heard about them as a couple, I think they were swingers!"
"Tony isn't…you know what, you can ask him yourself." She pointed to the glass door leading into the corridor. "He's here."
"He is?" both Greg and Dr Myers blurted.
"He called to say he was leaving the station and I asked him to bring me a Latte." Wearing a silly grin, Becca waved, "Hi, Honey! We were just talking about you."
"Uh…" Tony immediately felt like the odd man out. "What were you saying?"
"Let's not do this here." The intrigued doctor scurried into her office, motioning for them to follow. "Come along, all of you!"
"What?" Tony balked. "Why do I have to go in there?"
"Aww." Becca took her husband's hand. "You've never been in a therapist's office have you?"
"Yeah, once, after I killed a perp who tried to blow my head off. And I only went because it was required by the department."
"You killed a guy!" Becca exclaimed as she yanked her reluctant man through the door. "You never told me."
"Uh huh." Greg dropped into his favorite chair. "Guess you don't know everything about your husband, do ya, Becks!"
"Do I have to sit?" Tony droned, hating everything about the idea of going to therapy.
"No." Sylvia took pity on the innocent bystander. "You're free to move about or sit whenever you'd like. I have candy and a stocked refrigerator of beverages too, should you like water once you're done with the delicious-smelling Starbucks I wish was mine."
"It's just a 'coffee of the day', nothing fancy, but you can have it," Tony offered. "I got it from the place right downstairs and it's still too hot to drink, so I haven't touched it."
"Really?"
"I insist."
"Well, if you insist." Yes!
"Enjoy." Tony placed the cup on the doctor's desk and cased the room. "This is a hell of a lot nicer than the County's PEAP offices."
"Come sit next to me, Honey!" Becca patted the love seat. "I've been in therapy my whole life, I'll walk you through it."
"Yeah, okay, but…" Tony took a seat next to his wife and held her hand. "Let's just keep it straight that I'm not the one in therapy."
Becca winked at the doctor who was breathing in her coffee's aroma. "He's one of those tough guys who think having a therapist is totally emasculating."
"Yeah, what she said," Tony laughed. "Therapy is for wimpy boys whose mommy's didn't hug them enough. My mommy gave me lots of hugs and…" Then he remembered it was Greg's session, not his wife's. "Or for good guys who hit rough patches." He cleared his throat. "I'll take a piece of that candy you were offering, Doc, thanks."
Sylvia retrieved her basket full of sweets. "Here you go, Tough Guy."
Greg and Becca waited for the selection so they could analyze it.
"Baby Ruth!" Becca squealed. "I knew it!"
"Ugh, typical jock." Greg sunk deeper into his overstuffed chair.
Becca burst into a fit of giggles when she saw the candies of her choice. "Check it out!" She held up one Almond Joy and one Mounds. "Cause sometimes I feel like a nut! Sometimes I don't!"
Greg rolled his eyes. "Like she hasn't heard that a million times." Feeling bitter, he reached into the basket and pulled out a package of Runts. "There, just what you expected, right, Jocko?"
"Okay." Vartann wiped the chocolate on his hands on a tissue he had pulled from one of many boxes scattered around the room. "What the hell did I do? As I recall, I saved you from a huge mistake this morning, Hoj. How did I end up on your shit list?" Then he noticed Becca stuffing her candy bar in her mouth like an animal. "You want to slow down there, Honey, I'm afraid you're going to choke."
"Sorry!" She smacked her lips.
"You told me Scott fed you dinner."
"He did, I'm just hungry, because I'm eating for two now that you impregnated me this morning."
"I thought you were infertile, Vartann?" Greg said as he opened his Runts.
"Thanks, Sanders, I was hoping another stranger would become privy to that humiliating detail today." Tony tossed his wrapper in the trash. "Two points! Just to perpetuate the jock persona you seem hell bent on me having."
"He is infertile," Becca casually remarked while licking the dark chocolate from her well-manicured fingers. "But this morning we were role playing that he wasn't and had been tricking me to knock me up. Half way through our love making, he confessed he really was fertile and asked me if I wanted to stop or keep going. I was like 'God no! Keep going!' He's like 'Are you sure! There's no turning back after!' That's when I gripped the kitchen table and yelled, 'Yes! I want your, Baby! Yes! Yes!'" Squeezing her husband's arm she dreamily said, "We both thought it was totally hot, right, Honey?"
"Whoa." Greg immediately looked for an interpretation, "What's up with that fantasy, Dr. M?"
"May I?" Sylvia sweetly asked her mortified non-patient.
"Why the hell not? It's not like I need to be embarrassed in front of Hoj, I've seen plenty of his dirty laundry today." Tony shifted uncomfortably in his comfy seat, "And," His voice dropped to a whisper, "…I'm…uh…kinda curious about it myself."
Sylvia was quite happy to deliver some good news, "Besides the obvious…you wishing your infertility issue wasn't a reality, I see several things. The fact that you said you had been lying to get your wife pregnant tells to me that you have been thinking about babies but feared your wife wouldn't agree. The 'lying' represents a need to keep her in the dark about your feelings."
"Well, yeah…because it's going really well and I don't want to pressure her. It's not a deal breaker." Tony squeezed his wife's hand. "Staying married to Becca is more important to me than having kids. She's had a shitty life and I want to be the guy who finally gives her the love and security she craves. If nurturing her is the only nurturing I get to do in this lifetime, I'll be okay."
"Awww!" Becca gazed over at her dearest friend "See! Now do you know why I love him, Hoj!
"Yes," Greg forced the best smile he could muster. "I'm really happy for you."
Dr. Myers gave her patient an approving nod. "Nice."
"Is that it?" Tony warily asked. "Or is there more to the fantasy?"
"Yes, there's more." Sylvia forged on after a sip of coffee, "It's important that you confessed the truth before climax and gave her the option to say no. That demonstrates you believe decision making in your marriage should be a partnership. Had you just told her you were lying and finished without asking, or while she was saying 'no' that would have been a whole different story."
Tony nodded emphatically "Partnership in decision making is everything to me in a marriage, because I know what it feels like to have your spouse make a big decision and leave you out in the cold. I'll never do that to Becca." He brought her hand to his mouth for a kiss. "Ever."
"This is the best therapy session I've ever had!" squealed the ecstatic wife as her husband nuzzled her. "You really are a genius, Dr. M."
"Hardly, Becca, I've just seen plenty." Setting down her gratis coffee, the doctor flashed her biggest smile yet. "Here's some more good news, Tony. I think you were able to confess your true desires because you've progressed to a deeper level of intimacy with your wife. You trusted her with your secret desire while you weren't sure it was something she wanted to hear. That's huge. You trusted that she could handle it and discuss it maturely with you."
"You trust me!" Becca threw her arms around her husband's neck. "That's so cool, because I trust you emphatically too!"
"Awesome." Tony pulled Becca onto his lap. "Don't tell my Dad and brothers but, this therapy shit feels great. Thanks, Doc!"
"You're welcome, Tony." Doctor Myers raised her Starbucks cup. "But should you want to come back, please know that I usually charge much more than a cup of even Starbucks coffee."
"Okay," he laughed, almost ready to say 'sign me up!' "Technically though, aren't we on my buddy's dime?"
Greg nodded, "But I don't mind paying the bill if it's helping my friends."
"Now you're just sucking up to me, Gregory," Dr. Myers winked at her patient before returning to the happy couple. "Here's another crumb for you to chew on, Mr. and Mrs. Vartann. The fact that you both found the fantasy hot is extremely encouraging, because it signals you're both on the same page regarding the subject matter. Becca, if you had walked away feeling conflicted or used, I would have said that you resented Tony for foisting the baby issue on you while you were in a very vulnerable position, but you both were glowing afterwards and that makes me believe you would like to have a baby together one day if it were possible. Is it IVF you were told might work?"
"Yeah." Tony held Becca tight as he explained, "I saw a specialist and he thinks there's a really good chance, but as bad as I want it, I don't want to rush into anything with Becca. She's just getting on her feet again, and her meds are still stabilizing. Her health is the focus right now."
The doctor slyly checked to see if Greg was listening and when she saw him focusing intently on the couple she smiled. Yes, Greg, that's called putting your wife's needs before your ego's demands.
While stroking his wife's back with his palm, Tony said, "We'll need to talk to someone about how we'd go about her needing her meds and pregnancy."
"You've so thought about this!" Becca gushed. "I can't believe how excited I'm getting!"
"Don't get carried away, Sweetheart. Like I said, we need to wait."
"But he's forty," Becca informed the doctor. "So we can't wait too long, right?"
"I'm healthy as an ox," he reminded his eager wife.
"When the time comes," Dr. Myers reached into her desk for a card. "Here's a card for an OB. Dr. Libson is wonderful when it comes to working with my patients. Ideally you don't want to medicate if it's not dire and I've had great success with patients who were able to replace their meds with intensified behavioral therapy and unwavering support from their husbands."
"But I'm not one of your patients," Becca remarked as she took the card.
"And I swore I wasn't taking any news ones, but then your husband gave me this damn Starbucks coffee and melted my heart with his caring tone." Chuckling she added, "Then I started thinking it might be nice to have a couple who loved each other so adeptly and sweetly hanging around here as role models. So, I'll make an exception." I'll have an open spot after Lissa and I part ways very shortly.
"I really appreciate you taking such an interest, thank you. She's gonna need a nutritionist too, if you know one of those."
"Irving has one he recommends," Greg announced as he chomped his last Runts.
"Yeah, I forgot about him, cool." Tony held up one of his wife's bony arms. "Because look at her, she's a twig. She eats like a friggin' rabbit. Until she met me, her idea of a balanced meal was wine, cheese, a stalk of celery and a few crackers."
Becca laughed, "I told him it's fruit, veggies, carbs, protein and fat…all the major food groups." She leaned back against his chest. "Now he makes me wake up to eat a healthy breakfast with him every morning. He's teaching me to cook too. I chop onions better than Emeril. Bam!"
Out of the corner of her eye Sylvia watched Greg sink deeper into his chair and guilt. You're thinking of how you ran out of the house this morning to share the details of your frat boy weekend, aren't you? How you left without giving your pregnant wife, who had no cash or debit card, money for breakfast. Good.
"Tony's even suggested I exercise!" Becca feigned collapsing. "I've never exercised, but if it would make me healthier to carry his baby, then…" she placed her palm on Tony's cheek, "I will."
"But you can't just be having a baby for me, Honey," the loving husband reminded his fragile wife. "It has to be a mutual desire."
Her voice overflowing with warmth, Becca replied, "I know having a baby with you would give me the happy family I never had. I can picture Christmas mornings and trips to the beach to build sandcastles, all the things I used to dream about."
For the first time since college, Greg saw the 'The Glass Half-Full Becca' he once knew, the Becca who couldn't stop talking about decorating a nursery and throwing birthday parties for her unborn child in the days prior to her boyfriend intimidating her into having an abortion. Sitting there on the worst day of his life, Greg saw the Becca he had fallen in love with long ago, he saw a girl he knew was so much better off without him. "You're going to make a great mom one day," he said from the bottom of his aching heart. "After watching you fall for losers over the years, myself included for a brief period last month, I can confidently say…you're finally with the right guy."
"I know," she cried. "And it feels incredible."
As Becca and Vartann shared a tender kiss, Greg looked into Doctor Myers eyes and confessed, "I get it now. I really do suck as a husband. Being a good husband is all about doing what's best for your wife and family and putting your ego dead last. I'm a thirty year old trapped in a twenty-one year's mind and I need to grow up. I know I've said that before, but I wasn't applying myself and I kept backsliding. Now I actually want to grow up and I'll do whatever it takes to stay the course." Pointing at the Vartanns he said, "I want Tawny to be as relaxed in my arms while we talk about the future as Becca is in Tony's. She's been terrified that I won't step up to the plate and she's been justified. Drew's not the better man because he's bigger or stronger, he's better because he's not a burden to Tawny, he's a relief."
"Pinch me!" Doctor Myers exclaimed. "What's in this coffee, Tony? I think I'm hallucinating." Winking at Greg she said, "That was wonderful, and I know you have it in you, you've always had it in you, Peter Pan, you just haven't wanted it badly enough to do it."
"Thanks." Greg sucked in a gulp of oxygen. "But is there still a chance? I know you saw her today. You know if there is, don't you?"
"You know I can't say anything about her session." Sylvia grabbed a pen and quickly jotted the word 'yes'. Holding it up she said, "But be prepared, my advice isn't going to be to rush into another Fairy Tale ending. If Tawny's agreeable, then I would like the three of us to sit down and develop a plan to extricate you from NeverNeverLand and her from Wonderland, and work together to get you both to a point where you can live happily ever after in the reality that is Vegas."
"I'd really like that," Greg answered, breathing easy for the first time since the crisis that morning.
"I'm going to suggest you continue to live apart for a while. I think you'll benefit greatly from living with your father and learning how to take care of a house on your own."
"Whatever you say, Doc, I trust you completely."
"Good, then you'll trust me on this too." Pointing at the smooching couple, the doctor said, "Tony's here and I have him wrapped around my little finger, so how about we put the cards on the table about this weekend? We'll clear the air and agree to refrain from those sorts of activities again. Think you can handle doing that calmly?"
"Yeah, let's go for it."
The doctor cleared her throat to break up the romance. "We have another matter to discuss, Tony. Becca and Greg were in a heated discussion when you arrived. I know all the details of your sexual foursome this weekend."
"Oh, that," Becca laughed as she slid off her husband's lap and returned to her seat. "It's totally silly. Greg has this crazy idea you're a wife swapping addict and you're hell bent on us swapping with them in the future. He thinks that's why I said they can stay in the guest house whenever they're in San Marino. So, you just have to reassure him that you and 'The One We Do Not Speak Of' weren't wild swingers, and that we're not, and that you never want to have sex with Tawny while I do Greg."
"Uh…" Tony harshly cleared his throat. "No, I never want to have sex with Tawny while you do Greg."
"See!" Becca enthused in her friend's direction.
"And Becks and I aren't wild swingers, nor do I ever want us to be."
"Told ya, Hoj!" Becca pecked her husband's cheek.
"But…"
Sylvia gripped her coffee. And it was going so well.
"No!" Becca flew from the love seat. "What the hell! You really did!"
Greg reached over for a Snickers bar. "Finally some dysfunction from Mr. Perfect!" When he received three glares, he clarified, "Not that I'm happy about it, it just makes me think there's hope for me because look at what a responsible and good husband he is now."
"This is really not something I like to talk about," Tony confessed.
Becca gave him a gentle shove, "That's what therapy is all about. Talking about uncomfortable shit and feeling better for having the baggage unloaded."
"In all fairness, Becca," Dr. Myers reminded her, "he didn't expect to have a group session on the subject and if it's too awkward, we need to give him time and space. Greg has the answers he needs to feel comfortable going forward."
"That's how you feel, Doc!" Becca argued, "But I want to know right now."
"It's okay," Tony regrouped. "I can handle it."
"I can leave," Greg offered. "Even if I'm paying the bill."
"No, it's okay, you should hear it because I could see how excited you were when you thought the girls were taking things further today."
"Ooh." Greg swung his legs over the arm of the chair and settled into his favorite therapy position. "Sounds like we're about to hear a cautionary tale, Dr. M."
"I believe so, yes." Sylvia grabbed a bag of Whoppers from her candy basket.
Becca clasped her husband's hand. "I've got you."
"Okay…I'm just gonna cut to the chase."
The audience of three waited with baited breath.
"The One We Do Not Speak Of came home from work one night and while I was sitting in my favorite chair watching The Sun Devils play the Huskies, she informed me that our love life was lacking because I was too…"
"Small!" Greg guessed.
"She'd have to a real greedy bitch to think that," Becca replied.
"Thank you, Honey," Tony smiled briefly. "No, she said I was too sweet in the sack."
"You?" Greg blurted. "Now that surprises me, Tough Guy."
"Yeah, well, it surprised me too….and her timing couldn't have been worse because it was a tie ball game in the fourth with the Devils in field goal position."
"I think you're perfect in the sack," Becca cooed as she snuggled close. "Passionate and dirty when I want you to be, but always thinking of me and totally sweet in the afterglow."
"Thank you, and not to sound full of myself, but…that had been the general consensus my whole life," he chuckled, surprised that he wasn't having a nervous breakdown discussing the drama that usually threw him over the edge. "Anyway, she's presenting this like it's a deal breaker and I say 'okay, tell me what you want me to do differently'. Keep in mind that I just spent the day working the rape/murder case of this sweet-faced twenty year old girl. She says, 'How about you go out back for a minute and then come in and take me by force'."
"Whoa." Greg mindlessly reached into the candy basket and pulled out a bag of Shock Tarts.
"What did you say!" Becca asked as she sat on her knees facing her flustered husband.
"I said 'are you out of your fucking mind? No, I'm not going to rape my wife.' She says 'fine' and goes into the bedroom and slams the door like I've insulted her by refusing to assault her."
"That's really messed up," Greg commented. "What happened next?"
"Later she says 'I don't know what I was thinking, can we not talk about it?' I'm more than happy to say 'yes' to that. Saturday night rolls around and we go to this party. I won't name names because you'd recognize them, Greg, but we get there and much to my surprise after a couple of hours, it's a sex party. The One We Do Not Speak Of leans over and whispers, 'I brought you here because I think it will save our marriage if I get what I need elsewhere every once in a while. It's not cheating if we're doing it together.'"
Since he was too full to eat anymore candy, Greg chomped on his thumbnail.
"I've had some tequila, I just heard my wife tell me she wants another man to play-rape her because I won't. Okay sure, whatever. I say 'Actually, I've thought about screwing Striker's wife plenty of times and it looks like tonight's open season on her, so okay, let's give it a try'. I was kidding, she took me up on it." He coughed into his palm. "I couldn't just stand there like a loser in front of a bunch of people I know while my wife was in the other room getting what I couldn't give her, right? So…I did it too. By the third time, I started looking forward to it, but afterwards, I felt like shit every time. It went on for a few months and then I finally came home and said 'Have you had enough yet? Because I really want to get back to being normal and work on the family we said we wanted'. She says 'Thank God you feel that way, because I was only doing it because I thought you were enjoying it'. It was great…perfect…I really thought the whole experience had saved our marriage. We're trying for a baby, everything's fantastic, then, a year later I catch her doing it in my bed and realize she never stopped, she just cut me out of the game." After a gulp of water from a cup he found on the table, Tony concluded, "Anyway, this weekend when the wives started fooling around I decided to see what would happen, not just with me, but Becca too. We both passed with flying colors. Meaning, if I didn't have the urge to do it with a gorgeous woman like Tawny, then I don't have the urge, and if Becca didn't want to do it with the guy she was lusting after previously, then it's never gonna happen." Finally making eye contact with Becca he said, "That felt awesome."
Dr. Myers smiled at the reluctant therapy patient and said, "I bet it feels even better now that you told her everything, huh?"
"Definitely." Tony kissed his grinning wife's cheek.
"And no more whipped cream parties in San Marino, right?" the doctor sternly asked.
"Definitely not," Becca replied without hesitation.
When the timer went off, the doctor said, "Nice work, everyone."
"Dr. M…" Greg didn't feel a need to hide the emotion in his voice. "Would it be okay if I stopped by Tawny's on the way home?"
"To discuss her actions with Drew today?"
Shaking his head, Greg replied, "I don't care about Drew."
Drew and Not Lissa's for Much Longer
8:00 pm
"Wow." Nick pressed 'stop' on the TV remote and fell silent. Standing there in front of the big screen with his brother, he couldn't believe the words that fell out of Lissa's mouth while they watched her confession footage.
"So, there you have it, Bro…she's been torturin' my penis for years. Denyin' me wake-up sex and doling out sub-par BJs. All because she didn't want to divorce me and adhere to the pre-nup she agreed to sign. All this time I've been diggin' deep to make the reconciliation work, she's still hated me. Dr. Myers is gonna flip out when she finds out she's been duped too. And the worst part is she was dupin' our kids, that's cruel…sick. Cassie doesn't suspect a thing, that's how great her mother is at lyin'."
When Nick finally got over the shock he said, "You know Momma and I hated Lissa from the get-go, but once the kids came along she seemed to soften up and then we really started likin' her. Ooh, Momma's gonna be piiiiiiiissed when she sees this tape. You are gonna show it to her, right?"
"Hell, yeah! Momma will hate this too…Lissa told Marta she only hired her because I'd be repulsed by her gargantuan hips and wouldn't want to bed her. She was afraid if she hired a young, hot nanny, the girl would steal me away or make her look less attractive."
"Why the hell did Marta take the job? Is she a sadist?" "
"She took it for the money because she needed the cash to help her family pay medical bills. You know, we pay her real well and she has no livin' expenses, so she could send almost all of it back home to her parents on their farm in Iowa. After the bills were paid, she said she stayed on because she loves the kids. That all made me feel like shit for the jokes I made about her ass."
"In front of her!" Nick snapped.
"Jesus, Nicky! No, of course not in front of her, to Lissa, or when I had guys over back in Chicago and they'd say somethin'." Changing the subject he said, "Am I still fired or can we work things out enough for me to stay on, because I'm on a roll there and…"
"Yeah, yeah…you're un-fired." Nick grumbled as he crashed back against the couch cushions. "Technically I didn't have the right to fire the President without askin' Sara or Ron. It has to be the majority opinion.
"Thanks anyway, Bro."
"Thank me by puttin' a clean shirt on, Muscle Head." He had taken the old one off because Matt threw up on him after eating too much ice cream. "The doctor still won't let me work my abs and lookin' at yours is makin' me queasy."
"Hey, that reminds me…I want see your tat."
"Oh." Nick tugged off his t-shirt. "Don't even think about askin' to see Carrie's when she comes here."
Through the crack of the partially open door, Marta had watched the whole scene. Stunned by Lissa's disparaging comments about Drew, she remained frozen in the hallway with her hand clamped over her mouth. Suddenly, her stomach was flipping and beads of sweat formed on her head. Unbelievable! She makes me sick! The man is the perfect provider and a loving father to her children, what more could she have wanted on top of that? Look at this place he bought her! What an ungrateful bitch! She has three healthy, happy children who have to suffer now because she's impossible to please. God, I hate her ten times more today than I did yesterday! Besides all the finer things in life he gave her, look at that body! She had that body in bed with her every night and she didn't want sex! She has to be mental! I'd be having sex with him once an hour if I could…or if he could, I bet he could. Just look at that chest full of ripples, that killer smile…those abs! If he were mine, I wouldn't torture his body, I'd worship it, every inch of it, some inches more than others. Not that I'd know how to worship it since I've never made it past second base, but I'm a fast learner and I bet he'd be such a grrrreat teacher…not that he'd want me and my gargantuan hips, but then again…Beauty loved the Beast when she found out how sweet he was on the inside, maybe Drew could learn to love a girl with a huge ass once he sees how much she loves his kids. I…
"Hi there," Carrie sweetly greeted the nanny…who immediately shrieked and jumped like she had seen a ghost. "Oh my gosh! I'm sorry!"
"What's wrong!" Nick yelled as he opened the door.
"Bug!" Marta lied in between two enormous gulps of air. Suddenly the room was spinning.
"Slow down," Drew put his hands on Marta's shoulders and smiled. "You'll hyperventilate if you keep breathing like that."
He's touching me…with his shirt off…the abs are only a foot away.
"Honey, you look like you're gonna faint," Drew sweetly said. Since he'd already been to the ER once today, he pulled Marta close and said, "Let's get you over to the couch."
He called me Honey! "I'm…okay." Oh God, THE ABS are touching me! "Really I…" Her knees buckled. I'm swooning! He made me swoon!
"I'll grab some ginger ale!" Nick hurried for the kitchen.
"Here." Drew gently eased Marta onto the couch. "I can't have you gettin' hurt," he smiled, "I need you."
He's looking down at me shirtless while I'm on my back on the couch and saying he needs me! I'm so dizzy! This is it…this is love hitting me like a ton of bricks! Because now that he's not married, I really can love him! I love you, Drew!
After taking a seat on the edge of the couch, Drew noted the nanny's flushed cheeks, "Honey, it looks like you're burnin' up."
Yes! With love for you! And a healthy dose of lust! I wish the room would stop spinning so I could see if he was smiling.
Pressing the back of his hand to Marta's cheek, Drew softly said, "You have a fever. I'm startin' to think that it wasn't the ice cream that made Matt ill, I think there's a flu bug goin' around the house."
He's caressing my cheek with his big hand. I can feel it but I can't see him because everything's a blur. Big hands mean big…
"Carrie!" Drew called out. "Can you grab somethin' we can use as a bucket here, thanks!" Then he turned his attention back to Marta. "You're about to lose it, Honey."
"Right here…on the couch…in front of your brother?"
"Sorry, we don't have time to get you to the bathroom," Drew explained as he rolled her on her side. "Okay, here's what we're gonna do."
"Good…good…tell me," she mumbled incoherently while gripping his naked arm. "Because I don't know how."
"You've never done this before?" He caught the plastic bucket Carrie tossed him before she rushed out of the room to avoid hearing or smelling what was to come.
"Never."
"Wow. Not even college on Saturday night?" He had thrown up plenty of times at A&M after boozing.
"I wanted to!" she panted. "Just never had…the right opportunity."
"Well, you're about to hit the jackpot, Honey," he chuckled at the comment made as the result of a high fever. "It's only a minute away tops."
"I hope it lasts an hour."
"Really?" Drew laughed, "Why's that?"
"Because I love…"
"There you go." He held back her hair while she hurled. "Let it rip." And when she was finally done three purges later, Drew eased Marta back against the cushions, brushed her hair off her sweaty face and flashed a million watt smile before asking, "So…was it good for you, First Timer?"
"Yessssssssss," she swooned. But when the room came into focus, and the smell of vomit filled her nose, Marta realized she had just puked her guts out in front of her dream man. "Oh!" She clamped her hand down over her rancid mouth and mumbled, "I'm so sorry!"
"It's not like you coulda helped it," he winked. "You musta caught the same thing as Matt."
Her trembling hands went to her throbbing head.
"Don't worry, I held your hair back, so it's still clean."
He held my hair while I hurled! I've seen that in movies! "Thank you."
When he saw her struggling to sit, Drew cautioned, "I wouldn't do that just yet."
"No, I feel much better. I need to go check on Matt and…"
"Oh!"
Nick arrived with the ginger ale just in time to watch Marta projectile vomit.
I puked on the abs! I PUKED ON THE ABS! Dear God, please make whatever illness I have instantly fatal. No! The kids need me, I can't die. Just erase his memory of this last ten minutes instead!
"It's okay, really, it's not a problem," Drew assured the woman who was panting in front of him like an Olympic sprinter at the end of the race. Standing up he joked, "My bitch of a wife's been shittin' on me for years and I'm okay, so I think I'll survive gettin' puked on by a girl I like."
He likes me! Did he just say he likes me!
Nick caught Marta before she fainted right off the couch. "Got her! You go clean up, and I'll take care of things here."
Walking out of the room, Drew laughed, "Odd as this sounds, I just had a really good time."
The Grissoms
8:17 pm
"Is it good?" Sara asked with trepidation as her husband lowered his fork. "I have a hunch, but…well?"
After swallowing the lump of what he had been told was couscous, Gil smiled affectionately at his thoughtful wife. "No, it's potentially the nastiest couscous ever made." Raising his wine glass, he said, "But I love that I can be honest with my wife…right before I die from food poisoning."
"The marital conflict was that traumatic, huh?" Although she had been in the field all day, Gil had been calling her with updates throughout.
"I was sitting there listening to Drew and Lissa when a feeling of deja vu came over me. That's when I realized I was watching the end of my parents marriage play out again. Drew's voice was filled with the same disgust and hatred as my father's. The look in his eyes said 'if I have to be married to this woman for another minute I'll die'. That's exactly how my father looked at my mother in the end."
"Yeah, well, my father did die from living with my mother one minute too long, so I get what you're saying." Sara pushed away her plate of disgusting homemade food. "I'm thinking P.F. Chang's what about you?"
"Consider us there." He stood and waited for Sara to join him. "I'll clean up the toxic waste later."
"Smart ass." Sara pushed her way ahead of him. "You're lucky you already got lucky."
Gil winked, "All part of my master plan."
Drew and Lissa's
8:21 pm
"That's your plan!" Nick laughed as he yelled. "To move out on me! I didn't do anything wrong!"
"It's not to punish you," Carrie calmly explained as she opened a package of crackers she was getting for Marta. "It's to help our friends get back on their feet and to coach them."
"Why can't you do that without livin' there?"
"Because she's so vulnerable right now, Nicky." Then, lowering her voice to a whisper, she explained her real concern. "And if I don't move in with her, I'm afraid your brother is going to make a move for her, and if she's scared and lonely, she may make a stupid decision that keeps those babies from having their mom and dad married and raising them under the same roof."
"That's ridiculous. She needs to be able to make a conscious decision if she wants my brother or Greg, not have you makin' it for her by running interference."
"Think about it, Nicky. Until she met Greg, all she did since running away was bounce from one bad relationship to the next. It's very typical for girls in her situation. I see it all the time in cases with her history. Those girls are always looking for a guy to rescue them because they honestly don't believe they can make it on their own. Some will even move in with a guy who knocks them around, believing they're better off than being alone. It does sound ridiculous if you're not that kind of person, but it's true. Pimps prey on girls who feel that way all the time, you know that. It's just hard to believe because sometimes Tawny seems to really have her act together, but if you had spent the hour I just spent with her, you'd know she's ripe for the picking by any man who would knock on her door and guarantee her a 'Happily Ever After'. It has nothing to do with her loving Greg or not, she's scared and she won't be able to stop herself."
"Hey," Drew commented as he walked into the kitchen. "How's Marta doin'?"
Nick decided to toss out a question instead of answering the one he was asked. "Are you or are you not going to make a move on Tawny now that you and Lissa are callin' it quits and gettin' divorced? Come on, spill it, are you gonna ask Tawny to move in here and be your new wife the second Lissa packs her bags or…"
"Nicky!" Drew grabbed his daughter's hand. "I can't believe you!"
Shit! Nick hadn't seen his niece behind Drew. "I…uh…Carr, help me out here."
Cassie clutched her father's hand and nervously asked, "I know you and Mommy hate each other again."
"Hate? When have you ever heard anything about hate, Sugar?" He knelt down in front of her.
"I went downstairs to get my Fairytopia Barbie 'cause I didn't want Matt to pull her head off and…and when I was on the stairs, I heard Mommy yelling 'I hate you' right before something broke. Then I saw you go into the guest room like before we moved here." As her eyes watered up, she added, "In the morning you told me Mommy wasn't comin' to church to hear me sing and…that's how I knew."
"Knew what, Sugar?" Drew softly asked as he wiped his daughter's tears.
"She hates me too."
"No, no." His heart aching, Drew pulled his little girl close. "Nobody hates you, Cassie. Mommy wasn't mad at you, she was mad at me." Over his daughter's shoulder he shot daggers at Nick.
"I'm really sorry," the younger brother used his watery eyes to plead for forgiveness. "I didn't see her there. I know you had a really good plan for how…I'm so sorry."
"Mommy is mad at me," the little girl bawled.
"No, you have it all wrong. She didn't come to church because she was mad at Daddy and left the house early so she wouldn't have to see me. Do you understand? It had nothing to do with you." When she shook her head no, Drew prodded, "Why do you think she's mad at you?"
"Because I sneaked cookies before supper."
"Sugar, Mommy just didn't want you to spoil your appetite is all, she's not mad at you."
"No, she…she…hates me too."
"Slow down." Drew lifted his daughter and gently sat her on the counter top so he could grab a towel for her soaked face.
Carrie instinctively smoothed her palm over the little girl's back and spoke in the tone she used with child victims, "Sweetie, are you afraid your Mommy will be mad at you for telling?"
"Y…yes."
"We promise we won't tell her, right? Nick? Drew?"
"I promise," they answered, fearing the worst.
Trembling hard in Carrie's arms, the little girl confessed, "Mommy smacked the cookies out of my hand and yelled real loud…like she yells at you, Daddy. She…she…said if I keep sneakin' cookies I'll be a cow like Nanny Marta and…and she said I won't be in the family picture on the Christmas card anymore, and… no more shoppin' because she won't step foot in the cow clothes store."
"Is that why you gave your ice cream to your brother at dinner?" Drew asked while his blood pressure soared. When his daughter nodded, he felt the last ounce of regret over his failed marriage dissolve in his gut. "Sugar, you listen to Daddy, you are never gonna be left out of family pictures, ever, do you hear me? I don't care if you turn into a green monkey, I will hold you on my knee and smile proud that you're my little daughter. Do you believe me?"
"Uh…huh," Cassie answered between gasps.
"I love you, Cassie Girl." Pulling her out of Carrie's arms, he hugged her tight.
"I love you too, Daddy."
After kissing his daughter's forehead, he said, "I'm gonna ask Aunt Carrie to take you upstairs and get you cleaned up, okay?"
"Come here, Sweetie." Carrie lifted her off the counter and into her arms. "Let's go pick out some jammies for our sleepover party at my house tonight." Nick's mother was flying in and due to arrive at ten. The plan was to keep the kids away from home for a few days while all the sad details of the separation and eventual divorce were sorted out.
Once they were alone, Drew snarled, "I want to kill Lissa for fillin' Cassie's head with that garbage! That's exactly what her mother did to her! How the hell can she turn around and do it to our little girl when she knows how messed up that shit made her! And you!" He fought the urge to grab his brother's neck. "You keep your mouth shut until you know my kids aren't in the room, do you hear me!"
"Understood," Nick gulped in the shadow of his brother's looming six foot four frame.
"Good! Now tell me where they would have taken Lissa."
LVPD
8:37 pm
"Right this way, Mrs. Stokes." Officer Carlson led her into a small conference room. "This is the attorney who asked to speak with you before you speak with a PD."
Wearing his finest suit and brightest smile, Don Schultz approached the haggard woman. "I would love to represent you and I assure you that money will not be an issue." He handed over his business card.
"Why do you care about me, Mr. Schultz?"
"Take a seat." Don mentioned for the officer to give them privacy. "Okay, now we're ready."
Tawny's Apartment
8:45 pm
Maybe I'm not ready for this. Walking up the pavement to Tawny's front door, Greg's stomach churned and swirled. No, I'm not ready for this.
"You can do it, Son!" Scott urged from the car when he saw Greg stop twenty feet from the door. Exhaustion and the remnants of Valium had made Greg ask him for a ride. "When you're done, go to the Starbucks around the corner and call me to pick you up."
Before Greg could answer, the tail lights of his father's car were a blur. "Okay, Dad." He clutched the white paper bag tighter and forced his feet to move forward, until he was finally standing on the small patio. "Here we go…"
Author's Notes:
A little more backstory for some characters. I was cracking up when I read how many people liked the idea of Marta with Drew, because I already knew MARTA loved the idea! LOL she puked on the abs! Doh!
Yep, no problems with honesty in the Grissom household!
Do you think Greg really gets it this time? I hope you enjoyed that session! Dr. M fades away again for a little while now.
Does anyone else besides KJT hate Lissa a whole lot more after this chappie? LOL
Thanks to:
KJT!
Mrose, ttfn1972 and Lisa B for the Fic Recs on Y!
Next Chapter: The Grissoms have unexpected company at dinner. Greg and Tawny have a heart to heart. Sean has a moment. And more… Posting: Friday 9/22
Thanks for reading!
Maggs