Laws of Motion – Book 3
Written by: Ms. Maggs/Edited by: KJT
Chapter 30
Wednesday - October 5, 2005
Summerlin Hospital
8:30 pm
Sitting up in his ER bed, Tony laughed with two of his co-worker buddies that had rushed from the field to the hospital when they heard he was one of the officers down.
"You're milking this because you want to spend a little time at home with your new wife," Detective Benson joked. "When are we going to meet the new Mrs. Vartann anyway? Are you hiding her?"
Detective Holloway parlayed the joke, "You know Tony likes to buy his wives nice tits. Maybe she's out getting her rack done for the LVPD formal."
"Okay, ball busters," Vartann announced, fearing Becca would show up before they left, "I need my beauty sleep and you're still on duty, so…"
"TONY!"
"Too late," Vartann said under his breath.
"Toeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
"What the hell?" Benson parted the cubicle's curtains. "Is your mother here, Tone?"
"No, that would be my wife."
Benson watched as a raven haired woman raced down the hallway flailing her arms while CSI Greg Sanders chased her waving a paper bag and yelling 'you're going to hyperventilate again, Becks!' "Did you meet her while questioning someone at a mental hospital?"
"Go easy on her, guys; she's not real comfortable with the danger element of our job."
When Becca reached the open curtain and saw her husband's lacerated face and arms, she screamed, "You are so turning in your badge after this!"
"Honey, look at him. He's okay," Holloway declared. "Just some cuts, and a sprained shoulder. I've been hurt worse trimming a tree on my front lawn. He's four years from retirement, nobody bails four years from retirement."
Becca turned to the stranger and snapped, "Are you his wife? No! If he wants sex again, he'll turn in his badge!"
Benson snickered, "See…my wife can't hold that over my head, because she only puts out on my birthday and anniversary anyway. No big loss there, but as a newlywed, Tone…and with a cutie like her…you have some serious decision making ahead, my friend."
"Becks!" Greg rushed over panting. "What happened to our agreement that you wouldn't go hysterical?"
"This isn't hysterical for me!" she shrieked.
"True, I should have been more specific." Greg held up the paper bag. "Take five very slow breaths for me."
"I'm not hyperventilating again."
"I know, but it will give Tony a chance to get a word in." He covered her mouth with the bag's opening. "Are you okay, pal?"
"Yeah, just some cuts and a sprained shoulder."
"Since when is the little lab rat your buddy?" Benson queried, always sensing Vartann hated the wimp.
"Sanders is my wife's childhood friend."
"Explains a lot." Holloway joked, "Did they grow up in Wacky Town?"
"California."
"Same thing."
"Can it, Holloway," Vartann scolded.
"Sorry, where are my manners. Nice meeting you, Mrs. Vartann and goodbye," Holloway waved as he and Benson stepped outside the curtain. "If you get to keep your badge, we'll see ya after your R&R."
Becca swatted the paper bag away. "This isn't funny! You could have died tonight!"
"Honey…you could have died crossing the street tonight too." Vartann glanced over at Greg. "I'll take it from here, thanks."
"I'll go wait with Carrie to see Nick."
"Becks…" Tony held out his bandage-covered hand. "Come here."
By the time she reached the bed, Zoloft-resistant tears were welling in her eyes. "I could have lost you tonight."
"But you didn't." Sliding over, he patted the bed. "Right here." When she sat on the edge, he pulled her into his chest. "I know you're scared."
"Terrified," she squeaked. "Greg showed up and said we had to go with him and he said there was an explosion…I thought for sure you were dead. I know you said you have to work because your ego couldn't handle me paying for everything, but work somewhere else. I could have lost my husband and my best friend all in one night…I couldn't handle that, Tony, I couldn't. I'd die."
"You sound just like Gina with Reg."
"No, there's a huge difference." She slipped out of his arms and off the bed. "Your brother has to work to the pay the bills, you don't. This is all about your ego and the need to play cops and robbers to feel like a tough guy! If you want to have a baby with me, then you'll quit your job! I'm not going to be a widow and a single mom because you were too proud to have a joint bank account filled with my money! As of right now, my pelvic area is off limits! Do you hear me?! Your badge means no vagina access! I hope you and your right hand will be very happy together!"
"Becks…come back."
"Leaving!"
Drew's House
8:45 pm
"Thanks for lettin' me stay," Drew murmured. Snuggled under the covers gazing into each other's eyes, the new lovers basked in the afterglow of their second amorous experience together. "So…" he mindlessly played with tendrils of Marta's soft golden hair. "It's official, last night wasn't a fluke."
"And we're not drunk tonight."
"That's how you really know."
"My first booty call," she giggled.
"Excuse me?!" He backed off, feigning offense. "This was no booty call. Yeah, I showed up at your door unannounced, and sexual favors were exchanged, but booty calls are no strings attached, and I want strings. Apologize for hurtin' my feelings."
"Sorry!" Marta giggled harder and joked, "I guess I got caught up thinking I was being an even badder bad girl than last night."
"You weren't bad at all." Winking he said, "You were great for a newbie."
"Really?" She blushed, thinking of several awkward moments.
"Don't worry, when I went to the bathroom I checked. There's only two bite marks, maybe three. I'll grease myself up with Neosporin and unless you have Strep throat or canker sores, my privates probably won't get infected." When he saw the blood draining from Marta's face he crashed onto his back cracking up, "I'm yankin' your chain, Sweetheart." He tossed the covers. "See for yourself. He liked it so much, he already wants more. Seriously, you should be very flattered, because my recovery hasn't been this good in years."
"I believed you!" she roared before smacking him in the head with a pillow. "As if I wasn't insecure enough about all this stuff!" After covering her body with a sheet, she grabbed a second pillow and whacked him harder. "I don't believe you!"
"Darlin', if you don't believe me," he laughed harder still, "Inspect every inch of me to put your mind at ease." Watching her become more flustered by the minute, he took her hand and kissed it. "Sorry if I freaked you out, but laughin' together is part of the fun. You have to keep your sense of humor between the sheets. It's how you cope with the awkward stuff, like accidentally fartin' during sex or sneezin' in between a girl's thighs."
"You've sneezed while…"
"My first sneeze was freshman year at A&M. I was drunk off my ass and therefore seriously lackin' in social graces. I sat back and said to the girl, 'Sorry, my tuna allergy's actin' up'. She got pissed and threw my clothes out the fourth floor window and it was January."
Marta rolled onto her back laughing, "That's awful!"
"Hell yeah, it was forty degrees." When she laughed harder he said, "Thankfully you didn't know me then, I've vastly improved with age."
"I…"
"Oh!" He pointed to the middle of the bed.
"Wh…oh no."
"Look what must have fallen out of the lady's pillowcase when she was smackin' me upside the head." As Marta blushed, he snatched the condom. "Very smooth. I know Jack and Rose didn't have a pillow in the back seat of that car on the Titanic, so what movie did you pick up that trick from?"
Covering her blushing face with her hands, she replied, "I believe it was called Cancun Nights."
"So this really was a booty call," he teased.
"I'm so embarrassed."
"Stop." Grinning, he moved her hands. "I'm havin' a great time, you should be too."
"I promise to loosen up." When he brushed up against her, a nervous squeak slipped from her lips, "Except for right now, because suddenly I'm twice as tense."
"Don't be," he murmured. "Just because I found your secret stash doesn't mean that somethin' has to happen." Grinning, he slipped the condom under her pillow. "Out of sight, out of mind."
"One minute we're laughing and now…" She looked to him for an answer. "I don't know what we're doing. What are we doing?"
Propping up on his elbow he casually replied, "We're talking."
"Talking." She took a deep breath. "Talking's good. Talk to me, Drew."
"When two people are in bed, the mood can change a bunch of times. One minute you're screamin' each other's names and gruntin', then, a minute later, you're sharin' an innocent Eskimo kiss." Tapping her nose with his, he whispered, "Sex can be dirty one day and romantic the next." Pulling her close, he tenderly kissed her lips. "It can be a quick romp on your lunch hour, or a passionate all-nighter." Taking her off guard, he rolled their bodies and claimed her mouth with a fiery kiss. "It can be silly and fun too." He tickled her with butterfly kisses to her neck and fingertip swirls to her thigh hoping she'd relax. When her body only stiffened, he pecked her lips. "It's all good, Sweetheart and there's no rush, because I'm not goin' anywhere."
"That's what Jack told Rose right before the iceberg hit." Gazing into his loving eyes she said, "What if a meteor is headed to Vegas right now? It could be. Seriously, we don't know."
"I'm falling so hard for you, it's ridiculous." Rolling onto his back, Drew said, "Whatever happens next is completely up to you, Sweetheart."
"You're going to make me decide?!"
"Honey, if I were to decide for you, my kids would have to visit me in jail." Chuckling sweetly, Drew reached for his jeans.
"You're leaving?!" she panicked.
"No, I'm gettin' a coin, because it's the best test. If you're disappointed by the outcome, you know you really had the answer all along." Holding up a quarter he winked, "Heads I put on the condom, tails we get some sleep."
"Drew!" She cracked up. "We can't decide if I lose my virginity by flip of a coin!"
"Okay." Before he could retract his hand, Marta took the coin and flipped it.
"Tails", she said with disappointment drenching her voice.
"Good night, Sweetheart." After a chaste kiss to her cheek, Drew crashed against the pillows and pulled the covers tight. "Can you grab the light? Thanks."
Clicking off the bedside lamp, she sighed, "Good night."
Sixty seconds later, Drew snickered, "You're thinkin' of goin' for two out of three, aren't you?"
"Yes!" With the flicker of the two candles they had lit earlier lighting the room, she nervously eyed him and said, "Just kiss me."
Lifting the bedding, Drew slid until his body was pressed to hers. "How do you want me to kiss you?" he softly asked with his lips grazing her neck. "Real slow like this…"
"Oh yeah…that's good." Gliding her trembling hand around his back, she struggled not to think about the moment ahead. "Sorry, I'm trying really hard to relax."
"There's the problem right there," he murmured in her ear before moving to check her eyes. "Relaxin' you is my job, Darlin'. Stop over thinkin' it and trust me, okay?"
"Okay." She left her lips parted, hoping for a reassuring kiss.
After caressing her mouth with his, Drew whispered, "I was serious when I said I wanted strings."
"That's good to know," Marta replied in relief. "Me too."
Like an undecided virgin himself, he raced ahead and slammed on the brakes several times before following his own advice to stop over thinking the moment. "Comfortable?"
"Yes." The sudden sound of a wrapper tearing immediately undid Drew's superb relaxation efforts.
In a heartbeat, he felt every muscle in her body tense. "Honey?"
Marta forced a smile. "This is it." What an unbelievably stupid thing to say!
"No, you can still change your mind." While taking care of business he prayed that she wouldn't. "Do you want to change your mind?"
Fearing she might, Marta tugged him close and confirmed her intentions with urgent kisses.
At forty years old, Drew never imagined he'd be deflowering a girl again and the knowledge drove him wild enough to worry that if he didn't act soon, he'd finish before starting.
"Uh…" Feeling the pace and her soon-to-be lover's breathing pick up, Marta anxiously pleaded, "Tell me when you're…"
"Not for a while," he panted, but as soon as her body relaxed again, he made a move that left her gasping for air. "Trust me, it would have been worse if I told you. You would have tensed." As she clutched him, catching her breath, he tenderly whispered, "Are you okay, Honey?"
Thrilled and stunned that it was really happening, she frantically nodded in lieu of words.
After a lingering kiss he sweetly said, "Now you know why Rose's palm smacked the window." He brushed her hair out of her eyes to see them gleam in the candlelight. "I promise it'll start feelin' a lot better real quick."
A jittery smile blossoming, she whispered, "Don't move just yet."
"Don't worry." In between Eskimo kisses he assured her with a loving smile and words full of double meaning, "Like you, I'm a little overwhelmed and need a moment."
Summerlin Hospital
9:03 pm
"How much longer until I can see my fiancé?" Carrie impatiently asked the nurse again.
"The same time as when you asked me two minutes ago," the nurse snipped. "I…don't….know."
"Your compassion is overwhelming, Nurse…" she checked the woman's name badge, "Samson. I'll be sure to mention it in my feedback letter to the Board of Directors. My fiancé got hurt trying to solve a murder and keep your city a little safer, so a little respect would be nice." Grabbing a brochure she jotted the woman's name down and returned to Greg. "That nurse is such a snot! What are they doing to him that I can't see?"
"Snot," Greg chuckled, "It's so cute how you don't swear."
The Grissoms
9:05 pm
"Damn!" Sara's laughter filled the candlelit bedroom. "I'm going to cave before you."
"This tortuous game was your idea." Shaking the whipped cream can, Gil searched Sara's body for the ideal spot to make her call the game off and demand he make love to her. "You showered before dinner, right?"
"Yes," she answered, wondering where exactly he was going to spray the next dollop.
"Here's to exploring uncharted territory." Lining up the can with Sara's big toe, Gil squirted and smiled.
"You are not…oh!" Cracking up, Sara said, "I'll never be able to kiss you again now that my toe has been in your mouth! My icky big toe that spends most of its life sweating in my work shoes and…hmm…that feels good now that I…really, really good. I can't believe how good that feels actually. Do the next toe and…oh, that feels even better. It's official, I'm a freak who likes her toes sucked."
Gil backed off and shook the whipped cream can again. "And I'm officially a freak who likes to suck toes." He aimed for the big toe on her left foot. "I'm going to see if I have a preference for right or left."
"I don't," she purred, "both sides feel equally erotic. Maybe it's a pregnancy thing. Or maybe it's because I had forgotten about the Greg and Nick toe sucking fantasy joke."
Gil sat up. "That killed the mood."
"Come here." Sara grabbed his shoulder and urged him to cover her body. "Do anything you want, just don't kiss me, Toe Mouth."
"Fair enough." The sex-starved husband wiggled his brows. "Roll over, Honey."
"I knew you'd say that," she chuckled while flopping onto her belly.
"Mmmm." He nibbled her neck while teasing her with his eager body. "I've missed you."
Drew's House
9:41 pm
"Miss me?" Marta asked when Drew appeared in the bathroom's doorway.
"I took the stairs three at a time just to get here faster. How's the bath, Sweetheart?"
"Great! You make a mean bubble bath." Enjoying the sight of her lover wearing just jeans with the button popped open, Marta blissfully shared, "When we moved here, I couldn't believe my suite had a giant Jacuzzi tub. Whoever lived here before us really spoiled the help…or ran them so ragged that they needed a whirlpool bath every night. You should have been there when I first walked in. I was excited when I saw how much bigger my room was, but when I saw the closet and bathroom I literally jumped for joy."
"It belonged to some casino guy. He had it built for his wife and they only lived here a year before she wanted something bigger and different."
"Unbelievable," she rolled her eyes. "It's hard to imagine someone being so ungrateful."
"Did makin' love erase your memory, Darlin'? Because Lissa's the poster child for the Ungrateful Association of America." Taking a seat on the edge of the tub he cracked a smile. "Sorry, let's not spoil our perfect night thinkin' about her or the past, let's think about the future." From behind his back he produced a pint of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream.
"Aww! Last night I told you Cherry Garcia was my favorite."
"That's why I stopped to buy some on the way home earlier." After a tender kiss, he said, "Care to share your bubbles and ice cream?"
"I was hoping you'd ask." Laughing at herself, she admitted, "I've seen couples taking baths together in movies and it's always looked really fun."
"Scoot on up for a sec, Sweetheart." Quickly shedding the jeans he climbed in behind her and eased her back against his chest. "I checked on the kids, all of 'em are sleepin' like logs. I remembered to lock the door too. Water's perfect."
"Perfect," Marta echoed for an entirely different reason. "Don't worry, unless there's a thunderstorm or a bad dream, they don't usually come running in here." Smiling from his caress she said, "If there's a real boomer though, they're all in bed with me. It's really cute, very Sound of Music, which is one of my favorite movies. I even sing them Raindrops on Roses."
"Now that movie I've seen." Dangling a spoon of ice cream in front of Marta's mouth, Drew explained, "A youngster like you probably doesn't know this, but there was a time when VCRs didn't exist. If you wanted to see a TV show, you had to be home. There were some things that came on only once a year and the Stokes kids never missed 'em…Peanuts holiday cartoons, Christmas cartoons like Rudolph and Frosty, The Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka, and The Sound of Music. We'd make huge bowls of popcorn and gather in the family room. It was so much fun. Our parents didn't have a lot of time for fun other than on vacation, so it was special. With the exception of a death penalty stay of execution for one her clients during The Grinch, my Mama never missed those nights. My dad only did the Christmas ones and The Sound of Music." His voice growing cool, he shared, "I think he identified with stoic Captain Von Trapp and appreciated his harsh parenting from a distance. After I saw it the first time, I kept waitin' on him to buy a whistle, but he just stuck with shoutin' our names like a drill sergeant when he required our presence. Andrew! To the study ASAP! I hated that."
Relishing the intimacy of the bath and Drew's thoughts, Marta reached for the spoon. "You…"
"Marta!"
The lovers stared at each other wide eyed.
"Is that your mother?" Marta whispered.
"Marta, Honey…I need to find Drew, have you heard from him? I've been callin' the house, office and his cell. Do you know where he is?"
"She's trying to bust us," Drew deduced. "Lie."
Pressed against Drew's naked body, the nanny yelled back, "No, ma'am, I don't know where he is. If I do is there a message I can give him?"
"Yes, please. His brother was working a case tonight when the house he was in exploded. I was told he's been taken to Summerlin. Have him meet me there!"
Flying out of the tub, Drew grabbed a towel for his waist. "I'm here, Mama!"
Marta quickly followed, grabbing her robe and tossing it over her sudsy body.
Throwing open the door, Drew breathlessly asked, "How bad is he?!"
Her suspicions confirmed, the irritated mother groaned, "He's suffering from smoke inhalation and may have a concussion, but he's expected to make a full recovery. Much like you apparently. The ink on your divorce papers isn't even dry and you're sleepin' with the nanny, a woman you denied you were sleepin' with yesterday. Or have my deduction skills gone south and her bedding is tangled and a condom wrapper is on the floor for another reason?"
Bubbles sliding down his chest the busted son replied, "It's not what you think."
"Really?" Jillian's hands landed on her hips. "I think you're sleepin' with the one person in this world your children can count on for stability. I think you aren't capable of goin' twenty-four hours without sex and since you promised in our contract that you wouldn't bring women into the house and you wouldn't spend nights sleepin' elsewhere, you decided to sleep with Marta and shove it in my face that you didn't violate the terms of our contract. You make me sick," she snarled. "You're usin' that poor, sweet girl for sex and jeopardizing your children's happiness again!"
"What contract?" Marta nervously asked. "Drew…is she right about why?"
"I'll meet you downstairs," Drew snapped in his mother's face before quietly shutting the door. "Honey…she's wrong, dead wrong." He took her shaking hands. "I'm lovin' every minute with you. Just now…sittin' in the tub talkin' about my family like that, I wouldn't do that with a one night stand. Tonight when I got home, I knew I shouldn't come to your room, but I went to my bedroom and thought about the night before…all the laughin' and talkin' and what it led to…I missed you. Yeah, my body missed you, but my heart did too." Watching her cry he explained, "Yes, I agreed to make a contract, but not until this morning, after our perfect night together last night. The only reason I agreed to those terms is because in my heart I already knew that I had found the right girl right here…you." Wiping her tears with his thumbs he smiled, "Yeah, it's a gamble and we're way too movin' fast, but I'm a risk taker. I lost three quarters of a million dollars today buyin' stock nobody wanted, but tomorrow…you'll see, I'll make a killin'!" Brushing his lips over hers he assured, "I have a hunch about us, don't you? I feel like we're a sure thing."
Catching her breath the farm girl said, "I'm the stock nobody has wanted."
"And this morning I put my most important assets on the line because I was that sure about a future merger between us. Do you believe me now?"
When the door opened and they saw Cassie standing in the doorway rubbing her eyes, Drew rushed over, "Hey, Sweetheart, did you have a bad dream?"
"I heard yellin'," she groggily replied. "Did Mommy come back?"
"It was me yelling, Honey," Marta jumped to explain. "I saw a real icky bug. Your daddy heard me yell and he came running from his bath tub to see what was wrong. He was very brave and squished it for me."
"Daddy, will you read to me?"
Taking the little girl in her arms, Marta said, "Sweetie, we just found out that your Uncle Nicky hurt his arm working tonight, and your daddy has to take him for an x-ray. He's going to be fine, but daddy has to leave now."
"Can I make him a card?" Cassie asked as she clung to Marta.
"You bet." The nanny kissed the little girl's forehead. "I'll grab some supplies and meet you in your room, okay? We'll take it to him in the morning on the way to school."
"Nanny Marta…" Drew broke into a relaxed smile. "You know what I want to do tomorrow night? I want to make big bowls of popcorn and watch The Sound of Music with my family. Will you see to those arrangements and save a place next to you on the couch for me?"
"Sure thing," she replied with a double meaning.
"Fantastic." He winked. "I'll call you from the hospital."
The Grissoms
9:57 pm
"The hospital?" Gil covered the phone. "The house they were processing exploded, they're all going to be fine."
Sara slipped out of bed to hurry for the shower. "Time to go to work. No one sends our friends to the hospital and gets away with it. "
Summerlin Hospital
10:18 pm
"You're lucky, Mr. Stokes," the doctor announced when he walked into Nick's private ER room, "any more quality time in that smoke and you would be looking at far more serious complications. Carbon monoxide is elevated, but not dangerous. The chest x-ray didn't show anything to worry about. Your CT scan is negative, so that bump on your head didn't cause any damage."
"The smoke would have been the least of his worries, Doc," Greg corrected, "the next explosion would have blown him to bits." When he saw Carrie stiffen, he apologized, "Sorry, I don't mean to freak you out."
Since her fiancé was masked getting an Albuterol treatment, Carrie asked on his behalf, "How long does he have to stay?"
"We'll keep him overnight for observation to see if anything more serious develops. Sometimes the trachea can appear fine initially, but then swell hours later and obstruct the airway. If that happens and he's home, it's life threatening, if he's here we can insert a breathing tube through his nose for airflow. I doubt it would come to that, but better safe than sorry. I'm arranging for a bronchoscope to be inserted down the trachea for a look around, but it will be about an hour before we get to it."
"He seems a little out of it, Doctor," Carrie stated wondering why her man was acting odd.
"He's been given medication to calm him down because he was extremely agitated upon arrival. His pulse rate was elevated, his whole body was trembling, and he was defensive when the staff were trying to clean him up. That's why you weren't allowed back here right away, and why he's still covered in soot. Has he ever been in an explosion or fire before? Because I felt he was experiencing post-traumatic shock disorder."
"No, not that I'm aware of," Carrie answered with concern.
"Any phobias relating to ambulances? Hospitals? Medical personnel perhaps?"
"Unfortunately he's been in the hospital twice recently for a gun shot to the shoulder and he was minutes away from dying from a busted spleen. We're having a bad year. He also had some childhood abuse trauma that I suppose could have been triggered. Was it that bad?"
"I'm surprised you didn't hear him in the lobby. Most likely it was a bad memory combined with severe disorientation from the chemicals he breathed in." The doctor nodded. "In any case, the medication did the trick and it will also help with the throat pain. Should you notice any sudden loopiness, that's why. I'll be back in a bit for the procedure."
"Thank you, Doctor." Carrie gave her man's sooty hand a squeeze and removed his mask. "What made you so scared, Nicky?"
"Goblins under the bed. Can you check?"
Greg bent down and reported, "We're clear of goblins, Bro."
"Thanks." Nick hacked a few times. "Water."
Carrie promptly handed over a Styrofoam cup.
After a few gulps, Nick rasped. "I love you."
"I love you too, Sweetheart." Carrie smoothed her hand over his dirty hair.
Next the patient beamed a smile at his friend. "I love you too, Greggo. If I really were gay, I'd want you to be my boyfriend."
"Loopy is right, this is fun!" Greg snickered, "Would you let me be on top, Baby?"
"Greg!" Carrie shoved him away from the bed laughing. "That's not funny."
"Yeah, I'm over that hang up," Nick replied before starting to wheeze again.
"What hang up?"
"It's…it's none of your business really, Greg." Carrie slapped the oxygen mask back on her drugged man. "Keep that right there, Cowboy. That way you won't say anything crazy."
"We're here!" Jillian announced upon hurrying into the room. "We would have been here sooner, Nicky, but your brother was too busy de-virginizing the nanny to answer the phone."
Greg and Carrie exchanged shocked looks while Drew huffed, "Forgive my mother's impropriety, she's pissed at me and determined to make my life a livin' hell tonight. So far she's doin' an admirable job."
After tugging off his oxygen mask, Nick rasped, "Nanny Marta was cherry?"
Carrie forced the oxygen mask back on her man's grinning mouth. "Sorry, he was given something that's making him loopy."
"Stop it, Mama!" Drew snapped, ready to strangle the woman. "That poor girl didn't do anything to deserve you tellin' people she lost her virginity tonight! I told you that in confidence, so you could understand why I didn't want you givin' her a hard time, not so you could publicly announce it! Greg isn't even family!"
"He's right, I should go," Greg announced without moving an inch.
"Stay right where you are!" Jillian rounded the bed to stand next to him. "If anyone should hear about my son's foilbles, it's you, Greg. Two days ago Andrew was shoving his tongue down your pregnant wife's throat, yesterday he filed for divorce, and today he took the twenty-four year old nanny's virginity. Am I really that off base, or is the man an unbalanced pig?!"
Turning to Drew, Greg answered, "I agree with your mommy…you're an unbalanced pig, but I freely admit I may be biased. You need therapy, man."
"I'm already in therapy." Drew pointed to his mother. "And you're a big part of the reason I'm there."
"What?" Jillian laughed in her eldest son's angry face. "Oh, right, blame the mother is every shrink's standard line."
Since his mother had taken off her gloves on the ride over, Drew decided to toss his. "When I was born, you had three sweet little girls and a new job as prosecutor to contend with. It was made clear to the nanny that I was Daddy's boy and that you had your hands full. Only daddy didn't have time for me either, remember?"
Jillian laughed at the insanity. "Are you sayin' because you were raised by the nanny, you felt compelled to sleep with one?!"
"No, I'm sayin' you never sat next to me on TV nights!"
Greg and Carrie exchanged puzzled looks while Nick popped off his mask to sing Frosty the Snowman until a coughing fit thankfully stopped him.
"What are you talkin' about, Andrew?!"
"The girls always got to sit next to you and later on it was always precious little Nicky who almost died when he was born who got your lap. I never had a turn, ever!"
An experienced therapy patient herself, Carrie easily recognized that Drew must be working on the roots of his personal problems with Dr. Myers and was raw from the process. "Jillian…I don't think this is a good time to…"
"Are you serious, Andrew?" Jillian couldn't believe her ears. "Is that what you pay a therapist to tell you? That it's okay to sleep around because your mommy didn't watch Frosty the Snowman with you on her lap?"
"Marta's the perfect woman for me," Drew answered, changing the subject. "She's warm and sweet and funny as hell. Most importantly, she loves my kids like they were her own. For all intents and purposes they have been hers. Yes, it's officially been two days, but I'm movin' on and I've found the perfect woman to move on with, so case closed, Counselor!"
Nick struggled to clarify, "Marta? The cute girl with the big ass? That seems not right for you."
"Personally I love the idea," Greg excitedly announced. "The more he sleeps with the nanny, the less I have to worry that he'll come sniffing around for my wife…not that she wants you anymore…which she doesn't in case you were still wondering. We're working things out and will be just fine."
"I'm happy to hear that Greg," Drew said with sincerity. "Really, I am." Shooting daggers at his mother, he said, "If you were to ask Tawny what I did most with her she'd tell you it was snuggle. I'm not sayin' we weren't havin' plenty of sex, we did, but that wasn't the main draw. Since I was twelve I've been snugglin' up to girls, but I held out for sex until I was seventeen. What does that tell you? Whether you want to believe it or not, Mama, I grew up starved for affection. Between Daddy bein' focused on makin' me a strong young man and you tunin' me out physically and emotionally…I needed somewhere to go. They say boys grow up and marry their mothers sometimes and that's exactly what I did. I know you think Lissa is nothin' like you, but she is, 'cause she ended up doin' the same thing to me as you…shuttin' me out."
Jillian shook her head. "You really believe I'm to blame for all your bad decisions. I'm the reason you're carryin' on with the nanny twenty four hours after filing for divorce."
Nick yanked off his oxygen mask, "He moves on quick. Remember Skippy…we were all cryin' and he wanted to run out and buy a new dog."
"It's funny you should mention that, Nicky." Drew stared down his mother again. "I brought that up in my session today when she challenged that things with Marta were movin' too fast. I told the doc how y'all thought I was a cold-hearted bastard for wantin' to replace the family dog ten seconds after his last breath. We got to talkin' about it and Dr. Myers has this way of pulling stuff out of your head that you didn't even know was there. In the middle of talkin', it came out…I wasn't bein' cold at all. Skippy was the family's dog, but he slept in my bed, remember? I wanted him replaced because his licks and cuddles were the only thing close to affection I ever got under that roof. Once he was gone, I knew y'all had each other to snuggle, but I was alone. Think back to when we found him dead…you were all standin' there huggin' and cryin with each other and there I was on the other side of the lawn with Skippy's body…alone and afraid to cry for fear of it gettin' back to Dad. All these years you've been blamin' me for bein' cold when in reality, all of you were freezin' me out."
While Carrie's eyes welled, Greg remarked, "I never thought I'd say this, but…that's so incredibly pathetic, if it's true, I really do feel sorry for you, Drew."
Pulling down his mask, Nick asked Carrie with trepidation, "Did my brother just confess to havin' sex with Skippy?"
"No, Honey." Caressing his cheek, Carrie smiled, "Just that he used to like to cuddle him."
"Yeah, I remember that," Nick murmured as he drifted. "They'd be under the blankets together in the morning."
"Stop pickin' on me, Mama." Drew's tone grew cold. "I'm not a perfect parent, but neither are you. I thought of that today when I was about to sign the custody contract. You left Nicky with a stranger that ended up molesting him. You left him because it would have looked bad for Daddy to attend the Senator's daughter's wedding without you. Because you didn't want people to talk about Judge Stokes showin' up for an event alone, my brother went through hell! I'd never leave my kids with a total stranger to attend a party! And what about Katie?! So afraid of you that she hid her sexuality for decades! My kids are never gonna fear me!"
"Come on," Carrie grabbed his arm, "let's back off and get some air."
With his lips pursed, Drew offered an ultimatum, "I'll back off if she admits that I'm right about me not gettin' any affection as a kid."
A single tear slipping down her cheek, Jillian said in a shaky voice, "You're right. Now that I think about it…you're absolutely right. About TV nights…about Skippy. Nicky's right, that dog always was cuddled up with you in the mornin' You're right." When she saw her son's eyes were glassy, she rounded the bed and put her arms around him. It felt incredibly awkward, which made her heart ache and her tears pour. "I'm so sorry, Honey."
Drew slipped his arms around his mother's trembling body. "Tomorrow night we're watchin' The Sound of Music…Marta and the kids and me. Come over. You too Carrie, bring the sicky."
"I'm gonna pass." Greg started walking around the bed. "Now that I've seen you get all super needy and cry, I'm going to hold my head up high and go home to my wife, vowing to never feel inferior to you again, Drew. Oh!" When he found himself on the floor he said, "What happened?"
Glancing down, Jillian said, "My guess is you tripped over your untied clown shoe, Honey."
"Speaking of shoes." Greg's face was directly in front of Drew's feet. "What size are those?"
"Thirteen."
"So much for never feeling inferior."
"I hope I'm not interrupting," Mike Rodgers said when he opened the door. "I just wanted to make sure Nick was doing okay and give him an opportunity to thank me since he was so out of it in the ambulance."
"Thank you?!" Jillian barked. "Why on Earth would he thank you?"
"Goblin," Nick rasped, suddenly remembering the terror Mike had caused him in the ambulance. In a daze from the explosion it had seemed like a nightmare, but seeing the man's maniacal smile he knew it had really happened. "Goblin."
"Sorry, ma'am." Mike took a step into the room. "I figured he told you. I saved your son's life tonight when I ran into the burning building and pulled him out seconds before it blew sky high."
"It's true," Greg confirmed. "I saw it all. He didn't hesitate, he raced in there when I said I couldn't find Nick on the lawn. They weren't out ten seconds when the whole house blew."
Carrie was the first to say what everyone was thinking, "Sounds very convenient. How do we know you didn't blow it up in the first place? When you didn't kill him, you knew how much time you had and ran in there to save him and look like a hero."
"Goblin!" Nick struggled to yell and when he did, his whole throat tightened. Frantically he moved his lips, but no words escaped.
"Was it something I said, buddy?" Mike cackled.
Drew rushed to his brother's side and secured his oxygen mask. "Stay calm, Nicky. You gotta stop gasping. Shallow breaths." He placed Nick's palm on his chest. "Breathe with me, just like me…you got it. He'll be fine! It was just a spasm from gettin' agitated." Placing a palm on Nick's cheek, he smiled. "All better?"
Nick shook his head and pointed to the door, where Mike had been standing.
"Rodgers?" Drew lifted his brother's mask ever so slightly. "Whisper it to me nice and calm." He lowered his head until Nick's lips touched his ear lobe.
"What is it, Drew?" Carrie yelled when she saw his face get angrier by the second.
"Son of a bitch!" As if he were running a football for a winning touchdown, Drew flew from the bed into the hallway "Rodgers!"
"Don't!" Greg raced after his mortal enemy. "Don't touch him!" Just before Drew grabbed Mike to pound him, Greg thrust all his forward momentum into a leap that tackled the former quarterback to the ground.
"What the hell, Sanders!"
"Uniform!" Greg panted as he lay on top of Drew clinging to him so he couldn't throw him. "Uniform! Assaulting an officer!" He gasped for air. "Whatever he did…it's not worth you going to jail and leavin' your kids without a dad. This is exactly what he wants…for us to screw ourselves while he skates away clean."
"Maybe you really are a genius, Hoj." Mike laughed, "And you're a tough guy, too. You just sacked an Aggie quarterback. I guess that makes up for you being scared shitless earlier and leaving your best friend to die. It's okay, I was happy to save him for you, because I know you have a fire phobia from getting blown up in the lab. I was just doing what any loving father would do, right? We were just keeping it in the family." He laughed again. "Did you forget I'm your father-in-law?" Waving he said, "Kiss my step-daughter good night for me, Son."
"I really had forgotten that," Greg droned. "Blocked it is more accurate."
"Thanks, Greg," Drew gulped thinking of what almost happened. "You saved my life and my kids' lives just now. I owe you one."
Standing up, Greg extended his hand. "You owe me way more than one, jerk."
Accepting the hand up, Drew nodded, "You're right, I do, and I know just how to repay you. Have you ever heard of ComWright?"
"No."
"It's a company whose stocks are in the toilet. Tonight I'm gonna sign over a bunch of its shares to you for saving my life."
"Am I supposed to be grateful for that?"
Drew winked. "Not today."
The Vartanns
10:45 pm
"I didn't think you were coming home tonight," Becca said as she sat on the couch stroking Lady Godiva.
"I hitched a ride in a patrol car. They're gonna bring my car here later." Tony took a seat in the armchair directly across from his wife. "You keep it for three weeks." From his pocket he pulled his badge and tossed it on the table. "Between medical and vacation, I can be out for three. If after three weeks I'm miserable, you promise to buck up and give it another chance. Maybe you'll realize that I need the job and it has nothing to do with a paycheck. Maybe I'll take that promotion I told you about and get off the street. Maybe you'll realize that I'm not the husband you need. I don't know, but I'm not spending every night fighting about this, Becks. We're not going to be Reggie and Gina."
Staring at the badge on the coffee table, Becca remained silent.
"I'm taking a shower." Tony stood to walk out of the room.
Reaching out with a trembling hand, she took the badge. "After how I behaved at the hospital…and leaving you there when you're injured…every other guy I've ever known would be packing his bags right now."
"Thank you for recognizing that."
"I'm sorry I embarrassed and stranded you."
"Look…I know you're scared." Relaxing his stance, Tony took a seat on the couch.
"Carrie was so calm," Becca cried into her husband's chest. "I was a blubbering wuss and she was so tough."
"She's used to it, Nick's almost died three times this year alone. Seriously, that guy has almost died every year since I've known him. I'm talking some real freaky shit…a cable repair man coming at him from the attic, a psycho chick…nevermind, my point is…"
"Here." She extended the badge. "Just knowing you were going to try for me, makes me want to try for you."
Closing his fingers around the badge, he beamed with pride, "Thank you."
LVPD
11:02 pm
"You're welcome," Stephen Connelly calmly replied as he sat in a metal chair in the interrogation room. "Not that I had a choice about coming here."
"But you've been read your rights and know you do have a choice to shut up or talk." With two uniformed officers in the room, Gil at the end of the table, and Sara behind the glass, Jim began questioning the man who had given himself up after a thirty minute hostage crisis. "Care to tell us why you killed Kyle Demcak?"
"Who?"
"Why was your wife banging a teenager when she had a big jock like you around?" Jim saw the man twitch, so he needled him, "The cruel irony of steroids, right? They pump up every muscle but deflate the most important one. You couldn't give her what she wanted so she asked Kyle the high school baseball player to pinch hit for you. How'd you find out? Did you follow her one day and see her getting it on with a kid a third of your size…well a third of your size everywhere but one spot."
"She told me it didn't matter!" Stephen raged. "She told me she didn't want sex anyway, so it wasn't a big deal! She told me…" Overcome by guilt and overwhelmed by what had transpired since his first mistake, the two hundred and eighty pound ex-Army sergeant, broke down like a baby.
Jim shook his head, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."
"Did you have a hunch and follow her to Kyle's house on Tuesday?" Gil asked, taking over the questioning. "We found your bloody footprint in Kyle's bedroom. Why did you wait until they were done? Why not kill both of them with Kyle's baseball bat right there?"
"When a wife dies, the husband is always the prime suspect."
"True." Jim nodded. "FYI, when the cheating wife's house blows up and the husband lives, he's the first suspect too."
"I typed a suicide note on our computer," the killer replied in a vacant voice. "Belinda confessing to the affair with Kyle and his murder. I printed out three copies and mailed them. One to Kyle's parents, one to her boss, one to me."
"Nice touch," Jim smiled approvingly. "You can't trust the post office to save your ass from a murder wrap, but what are the odds of three letters getting lost in the mail, right?"
"Exactly."
"And the explosion?" Gil prodded. "We checked your records, you worked with explosives when you were in the Army."
"Yeah." Stephen sunk deeper into the abyss. "I triggered it to her lingerie drawer with a sixty second delay. Today when she went to get ready for her date…boom."
Behind the glass Sara turned to Warrick, "Mike wasn't responsible for the explosion."
"No." Warrick shuddered at the thought. "He's a bonafide hero."
October 6, 2005
Summerlin Hospital
1:01 am
"It's like the Green Goblin saving Spiderman's life," Nick whispered to his brother who was spending the night with him while Carrie got some much needed rest. "It's so messed up."
"Messed up is my specialty lately," Drew replied. "Maybe that's why it doesn't seem as shocking to me."
"Are you really fallin' for the Nanny, or is it a convenience thing like Mama said?"
"You fell in love with Carrie the first day you met her, why is it so hard to believe that I'm fallin' for Marta when I've lived with her for years?"
"Because you like super models and sexy strippers, not big-hipped farm chicks who are sweet as pie and clueless in bed."
After pondering the comment, Drew whimsically replied, "When the villain becomes a hero overnight, why can't the star quarterback fall for the plus-sized girl next door?"
"You're right, Bro." Closing his eyes, Nick said, "In this crazy world…anything can happen."
Author's Notes:
Next Chapter Posting: Monday, 11/6 – we're jumping ahead a month!! As Jim Brass would say…Shocking! Oh, and if you're like KJT and wanted to see the Stokes family watch The Sound of Music…I've worked it into a flashback! LOL
Thanks for reading and for waiting!!
Maggs