Laws of Motion – Book 3
Written by: Ms. Maggs/Edited by: KJT
Chapter 35
Saturday, November 12, 2005
The Rodgers Home
6:30 am
"Mike?" Marlene rasped as she forced her eyes open. Lying in bed, she couldn't move. "Oh…God…I feel like crap this morning. That champagne…damn…that stuff really messed me up I thought the expensive stuff wasn't supposed to do that."
"If you drink a ton it will, and you did." Mike took a seat on the edge of the bed while placing a glass of water on the nightstand. "I got you Imodium for your problem."
"Huh." She clutched her head. "I don't remember…"
"You don't remember waking up at four thirty with a massive stomach cramp and me helping you to the bathroom to vomit?"
"I did?" In a daze, Marlene tried to recall the memory. "I don't..."
Mike laughed, "It's a good thing you're too hungover to remember, trust me. I just spent an hour cleaning the bathroom, Sweetheart."
Placing a hand on her stomach she groaned, "Is that why I smell bleach?"
"Yep. Then I rushed out at five o'clock in the morning to get you medicine, but you were asleep when I got home. I got to run into Gil in the driveway though, that's always fun. Hopefully no one was murdered in the city last night, or he'll probably try to pin it on me saying he saw me coming home at dawn." He tore open the Imodium box. "A ton of champagne will give you wicked cramps and diarrhea. Swallow a couple of these and at least you won't have to worry about it coming out the other end."
"Aww." Taking the anti-diarrhea medicine from her husband, Marlene sighed, "You're such a sweetie."
The Stratosphere
8:04 am
"This is so sweet!" Tawny excitedly gazed at the hanging picture frame she had just unwrapped. There were four squares in a row and the first one had the babies' first ultrasound photo in it.
"The twenty week ultrasound will go in next," Greg explained as he cuddled up next to her on the bed. "Then the thirty week one. The last square is for the girls' birth photo."
"I love it!" Tawny threw her arms around his neck. "You're so stealthy. I didn't see a gift hidden in the room."
"Actually, I'm not stealthy, just forgetful. I left it back at the apartment by accident. I woke up a little before five and couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to drive home and get it to surprise you as planned."
"Thank you." She felt her stomach fill with butterflies once more.
Teasing Tawny's lips with near-kisses, Greg murmured, "Last night was…"
Magical was the only word Tawny could think of to describe the moment. There, in a hotel room swaying to soft music in her loving husband's arms, it was hard to believe their marriage had been in crisis six weeks ago. "Greg…"
"Mmm." His eyes stayed shut. The moment was perfect.
"A fabulous dinner…a nice hotel room…music…candles…rose petals on the bed. You thought of everything," she swooned. "This is a great date."
"Thank you." He opened his eyes to be greeted by his wife's radiant smile.
"You've definitely proved you're really good at dating. I've loved all of them. The little ones…like when you take me to the vending machines at the lab. The lunch dates…the quick dinner breaks…the movies…Cirque. I loved when you took me to Jas's birthday party at Pete's house." Her voice quivered, "You're a great boyfriend, but…"
"But what?" Greg's heart skipped a beat.
"I don't want to be your girlfriend anymore," she stated with emotion crackling in her voice. "Last night I was exhausted after working all day and I had to start a paper for my Psychology class. When I was done, I turned on the TV and it was tuned to The Learning Channel. A Baby Story was on and the scene was a husband massaging his pregnant wife's shoulders at childbirth class." Tears pooled in her eyes. "I started crying…and I didn't stop for an hour."
"What? Tawny..."
"I have these terrible stretching pains every night, my belly itches like crazy, my feet are throbbing by the end of a long day at work and my back is sore. I need that massage I saw on TV," she sniffled. "I need someone to snuggle in bed. I'm tired of relying on a battery-operated device to thrill me!" As Greg wiped her tears with his thumbs, she squeaked, "I can't be together tonight and then go back to being your girlfriend tomorrow. I want to be your wife, Greg…so much and forever."
"They delivered our wedding photos too." Greg pulled them out of a plastic bag. "I think I like them better than the ones we had at our first wedding."
"Me too, we look much less tense."
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because my mother wasn't there last night."
"They have an opening at eleven-thirty!" Greg excitedly informed Tawny while his hand covered the receiver. "Are you sure you wanna retake the plunge or would that be re-plunge?"
"Yes to both!" Rushing to the bathroom she said, "Just let me fix my hair and we can go!"
"Book it!" Greg told the Chapel in the Clouds coordinator. "Sanders and Sanders…the vow renewal special. Deluxe flowers and photo package, thanks."
"Ready for breakfast, wife?" Greg lifted both silver room service covers. "Buttermilk pancakes with pecans, whipped butter and syrup, or Country Breakfast with scrambled eggs, ham and biscuits?"
"Yes!" Laughing, Tawny grabbed a fork. "Why didn't you order anything for yourself?"
Disneyland Hotel – Goofy's Kitchen Buffet…Where Becca was Braving the Family Vartann without Tony's Protection or Anti-Anxiety Medication
8:25 am
Becca, the last to arrive and order, anxiously told the waitress, ""I'll have a Hibiscus…stat."
"Be right back."
"A Hibiscus?" Janey scrunched her face. "What the heck is that? Some kind of country club drink?"
Marge Vartann, all-knowing mother, grandmother, and master chef answered, "It's cranberry juice and Champagne, as opposed to a Mimosa which uses orange juice."
Cradling her infant, Gina eyed her possibly pregnant sister-in-law with contempt. "You could be pregnant, you can't drink when you're pregnant, and you take Zoloft. You shouldn't mix alcohol and Zoloft."
Fanning her napkin over her lap, Becca sweetly suggested, "Shouldn't we wait for grandpa to return from taking his picture with Pluto and the grandkids before you start attacking my life choices? I'd hate for him to miss anything juicy."
"Gina," Janey groused, "she took a pregnancy test yesterday and it was negative, even if she is pregnant, she's barely pregnant and any doctor will tell you that a glass of wine before you even knew you were pregnant, doesn't harm the baby."
"You know it all, don't you, Janey?" Gina snipped.
"Hello? I work part-time as a nurse for an OB/GYN and I've had three kids and one on the way, so yeah, I know a little on the subject."
"What about the Zoloft?!" Gina heatedly whispered.
"Yes, I think you should start taking some, Sweetie," Becca answered. "I mean that sincerely. My doctor said that severe anxiety is detrimental to babies in the womb and out of the womb and you're a basket case. I thought you were edgy when I met you before, but now…you're ten times more intense. As far as the alcohol goes, my therapist allows me to have one glass of wine or champagne once a week as a reward for good behavior. Today's my day of choice and I think I chose wisely. As soon as the stick shows I'm pregnant, I'll give it up, until then…please back off."
"Okay..okay." Gina took a cleansing breath. "I'm sorry. I just really want Tony to end up with a healthy baby after all he's been through."
"Look, Gina!" Marge grabbed her camera as Snow White was on approach. "Sierra can take her first picture with a princess."
"And where's her father?" The annoyed wife rolled her eyes. "ATVing with his brothers. I can't believe Reggie is going to miss Sierra's first princess photo." Gina's eyes welled. "Janey, how could you let Matt set up this ridiculous belated bachelor party? I don't want Reggie to miss this moment."
"I don't tell my husband what he can't do, because I don't want him bossing me around. That's how it works in our marriage, and come on, the three of them haven't been together since Christmas, Gina. Are you telling me they can't be gone from midnight 'til noon one day on a four day vacation? Be reasonable."
"What about you, Becca?" Gina huffed, "Were you really okay with them doing this bachelor party or did Tony talk you into it? The germs in those places…ugh, I'll be afraid to let him hold Sierra! Did you know they were planning on leering at sleazy half-naked women?"
Becca nodded, "I gave Matt four hundred bucks to buy Tony lap dances so he wouldn't have to strain his neck while leering from afar."
"You gave him money for lap dances?! You really are crazy."
"No, I have complete faith in my husband," Becca replied. "I can trust him to have some raunchy guy fun, but not cheat on me."
Ignoring her daughter-in-laws, Marge smiled at her innocent granddaughter from behind her camera. "Sierra…Snow White is taking a picture with you. Look over here, Sweetie."
"Marge…" Janey directed her mother-in-law, "Make sure you cut sniveling Gina out of the picture, so the kid doesn't remember her first princess photo as the time her mom had a nervous breakdown over something as retarded as her father missing her first princess photo because he wanted to spend a measly twelve hours with his brothers after not hanging out with them all year."
"Shut up, Janey! Just because you're okay with your husband never being around at night and during important stuff, doesn't mean I have to be! That's where Reggie gets it from, you know. Matt working all hours…he thinks it's acceptable because his big brother does and his father did too!"
The Disney Cast Member flashed her best princess smile while counting the seconds until she could be on her way.
"My husband works night shift," Janey laughed, "so it's kind of hard for me to demand he be home at night and he only missed Mary's birth because he was trapped in the middle of a hostage situation. Jesus Christ…I really wish you had done us all a favor and married a real estate agent." She turned to Becca. "All of San Diego could be burning down and she'd demand Reg leave work to keep his promise to be home for dinner. She really did that. She called his cell fifty times asking him to come home when he was in the middle of a four alarm blaze."
"I called fivetimes, not fifty!"
"The first time he told you 'Honey, I'm busy trying to save a city block and will be home as soon as I can', really should have been enough, don't you think?! Matt told me that you locked Reg out of the house that night when he finally got home."
Marge hadn't heard that one. "Really? You locked my son out of his own home for being late after a four alarm fire?" Although she desperately didn't want to interfere with her grown children's lives, the annoyed mother was inching closer to giving her unreasonable control-freak daughter-in-law a verbal thrashing.
"He went out for beer after the fire, that's why I locked him out!" Gina blasted back. "Drinking beer with the guys doesn't save a city block!"
'"Actually, that depends," Becca pointed out. "If the block is comprised of bars, then patronage does indeed boost the city's economy and saves it from financial ruin."
In that moment Marge decided Becca would be getting an extra nice Christmas gift while Gina received a fat lump of coal.
"Good one, Becks!" Janey patted her new sister-in-law on the back. "As for you, Gina…that's what these guys do after a big deal that goes their way. They shower in the locker room and then go out to celebrate their victory." She snickered, "Later they come home feeling invincible and jump their wives. I got pregnant with number four here the night Matt's seven-month undercover stint led to the biggest bust in Phoenix history." While Gina blubbered, Janey asked her new sister-in-law, "Has Tony rushed into the house after a big day and ripped your clothes off?"
"At the risk of offending my mother-in-law…."
"Not all, Dear." Marge winked, "I always loved those victory romps when Dennis was on the force."
After a chuckle, Becca proudly told the story, "About two weeks ago, Tony comes home and tells me that he was in some nasty part of town waiting for the coroner and the CSIs to show when this gang rivalry thing kicked up in the crowd behind the tape. There were gun shots and everybody scattered, but this little boy was stunned and standing in front of a dumpster in the line of fire. Tony didn't hesitate, he rushed for the kid, grabbing him and rolling them both behind a car. After the all clear he saw the dumpster had been riddled with bullets. He saved the boy's life! None of the cops on the scene were hurt, so they all felt really lucky and Tony called to say he was going out with the crew before coming home. You're right, Janey when the big hero came through the front door he was still buzzing from the events of the day…and the beer. After a blazing hot kiss, he took me up against the wall. Three words for you…hottest…sex…ever. It would have been an even nicer story if hero sex got me pregnant."
"There's still a chance," Marge pointed out. "You said it was about two weeks ago, so if you were ovulating during hero sex, you would just be missing your period now."
"Ooh!" Becca's mouth raced into a grin. "You're right."
"Tony could have been killed that day," Gina vacantly pointed out. "How could you think about sex when he came home, knowing he could have died?"
"Because I could have just as easily died that day too," Becca answered, proud that she had worked with Dr. Myers to get beyond her fear of Tony's job. "Why waste my time worrying about something that didn't happen when I could make passionate love with a true blue hero!Wives of real estate agents don't get the same opportunity."
"And you can't make hero sex with your husband when you lock his ass out of the house for drinkin' beer with his crew because he's thankful none of them died." Janey stared at crying Gina. "Becks gets it! You're the freak." She broke into a Sesame Street tune, "Ooh, one of these sisters is not like the other, one of these sisters…doesn't belong…"
"I always felt bad that I didn't have a sister," Becca told her mother-in-law as Gina and Janey continued to squabble. "I'm so over that."
"Here are your drinks." The waitress set down the Hibiscus first, sensing it was the most critical.
"You just earned yourself a huge tip, Tanya." Becca picked up the drink, took a sip and smacked her lips. "Between this cocktail and centering on my happy place, I'm gonna make it through breakfast."
"I don't believe I'm sayin' this but, I really like you, Becks," Janey declared.
"Of course you like her," Gina stated as tears popped from her eyes. "She's paying for this extravagant trip and she bought your kids giant stuffed animals. You're probably hoping for that dream cruise you always go on about."
"No," Janey replied, "I like her because she's not a whiny, self-centered brat like you or the former Mrs. Tony Vartann, that's why! Her being rich is a nice bonus." Reaching into her purse, she said, "I have a pamphlet on that cruise though, if you want to check it out for next year's family reunion."
"Sure!" Imagining being trapped on a boat with the family, Becca gulped her Hibiscus.
Trying to ease the tension between the girls, Marge chuckled, "Hey, did you know when I was pregnant with Matthew and Anthony, drinking and smoking were socially acceptable? I didn't smoke, but I must admit I imbibed nightly, and my boys didn't grow up to be losers or alcoholics."
Matt's Chevy Truck
8:38 am
Forcing his crispy tongue away from the roof of his cotton mouth, Tony groaned, "What the…damn." He pulled himself up in the back seat and stared through the truck's window. "Where are we?" Staring at the desolate area, he concluded that he didn't recognize it.
"My truck," Matt rasped from the front seat without opening his eyes.
"That part I figured out. I gotta pee like a friggin' racehorse. I see a tree, I'll be back." Tony lifted a trembling hand for the handle. "I've got the shakes. I'm out of practice now that I'm not a practicing alcoholic."
"I'd say I'd buy you more tequila to bite the hair of that dog that bit ya, but you and Reg drank every drop in a three hundred mile radius from here last night.
"That's what it feels like." Tony popped open the door. "The sun is burning my retinas."
"What's the last thing you remember?"
"Uh…" Tony slid off the seat and out the door, suddenly deciding that the tree was too far, so he stopped walking after six steps. "Hesperia…that sleazy strip club…a mediocre lap dance?" While opening his fly he glanced down. "What the…" He stared at the spots. "Are these blood drops on my shirt?"
"You don't remember the big confrontation?" Matt popped up in the front seat.
"Confrontation? Hey, where's Reg? Why isn't he in the truck?"
"You're lucky your big brother had your back." Matt held up his 9mm. "And that he was packing heat."
Peeing on a patch of freshly tilled dirt, Tony asked in confusion, "Who did I have a confrontation with?"
LVPD
8:41 am
"Where's Amy Vartann?" Keith Mason, the Dispatch Supervisor asked when he saw an empty chair where she should have been.
"She's a no-show again," Dave, Amy's co-worker, grumbled. "Second time in three weeks. I called her house and her cell, but she didn't answer. I left messages. Seriously, Keith…half the time she's showing up with alcohol on her breath. Are you gonna do something?"
Keith checked his watch, "She has until nine to call or show, then she's written up, and she better have a really good excuse for not being here."
Drew's House
8:43 am
Since Marta wasn't in the kitchen fixing breakfast like she usually was by eight thirty on the weekends, Cassie and McKenna had returned upstairs to check the nanny's room. At the door, Cassie explained to her guest, "We knock, and then try to open it. If it's open that means we can go right in, if it's locked, we have to say who we are and wait for her to open it." With that the little girl knocked twice and then twisted the knob. "Nanny Marta!" The girl hurried in with McKenna on her heels. "Matt and Claire are still sleepin', but we're really, really hungry."
When there was no answer, McKenna said, "Maybe she went to the store to buy breakfast stuff." She pointed to the floor. "Those are the jammies she had on when she tucked us in, so she already got dressed today."
"Look…all the buttons are broken off." Cassie squatted down to look closer. "The jammies are ripped."
McKenna's overactive imagination took off "What if a monster ripped her out of her jammies and ate her?!" Lowering her voice to a whisper, she panicked, "What if the monster is still here?" Her eyes darted around the room looking for the perfect monster hiding spot. "What if it's under the bed?"
"Daddy!" With Marta's pajama top in her hand as evidence, Cassie raced out of her room with best friend at her side and when she reached her father's bedroom door, she flung it open. "Daddy! Daddy! Nanny Marta got eaten up by a monster!" But when her father's bed was empty too, her terror only grew. "Look!" The terrified little girl ran over to look at her father's shirt on the floor. "Ripped buttons!"
"The monster ate your daddy too! It must be a grownup eating monster, because it didn't eat us or your brother or sister."
"I already didn't have a mommy," Cassie's tears activated. "I'm an orphan."
"What if the monster went from house to house eating grown ups!" McKenna's whole body trembled. "I don't live that far away! I bet I'm an orphan too."
After the two girls, who had been too scared to move, had been crying for several minutes, they saw Nick appear in the doorway.
"Uncle Nicky!" they both screamed, happy to see at least one grown who loved them had survived.
"What's goin' on?" When he felt them trembling, his concern grew. "Aunt Carrie and I are here for breakfast like your Daddy said, but no one was downstairs. I had to use my key to get in. Why are you girls cryin'?" he asked just as Carrie appeared in the doorway.
"Look." With a shaky hand, Cassie handed over her father's shirt and Marta'a pajama top. "An evil grownup eating monster ripped Daddy and Nanny Marta out of their clothes last night and ate 'em up. I'm an orphan," she bawled.
Hearing muffled music in the master bath, and having many button-down shirts ripped off him in the past, Nick immediately knew the score. "Carr, how about you take…" Before he could finish his sentence, the heavy oak door to the master bathroom opened and a whoosh of steam and rowdy country music shot into the bedroom.
"Oh!" Marta gripped her towel tightly.
"My brother invited us over for breakfast before the Aggie game," Nick informed the stunned naked woman.
Drew must have forgotten to lock the door when he went to check on the kids this morning.
"Now, Honey, why'd you go and waste a towel when you know I'm just gonna rip it…off you." It wasn't until after he snatched his lover's towel, tossed it back into the bathroom, and stepped into the room that Drew noticed he and Marta weren't alone.
Carrie's eyes fixated on her future brother-in-law's naked body. Nicky got gypped! His P is huge! And his B's are too!
Watching his fiancée's jaw drop, Nick cringed. She was too sheltered to know they came in that size. Great.
"They're alive!" Cassie cheered, thrilled to no longer be an orphan.
Meanwhile, McKenna, always a keen observer of detail, cocked her head remarking, "My brother's pee-pee must be broken 'cause it hangs floppy, not straight out like that."
Snapping out of her momentary daze, Carrie grabbed both girls and turned them into her body.
"Oh my God!" Marta raced to open the bathroom door so she could run inside and die of embarrassment…but it was stuck.
"It sticks from the moisture, remember?!" Drew had a carpenter coming on Monday to fix it. "Over here!" He grabbed her hand and raced over to the bed, lifting the sheet and throwing her under the covers before jumping in.
"Whoa." Nick took a few steps toward the bed and spoke in a storybook tone, "Did the aliens take you to their spaceship last night too?"
Since the lovers were covered up, Carrie released the girls. "Aliens, Nicky?"
"Yeah." Turning to his nieces, he explained, "The police department got a bunch of calls sayin' an alien spaceship was over Vegas and the aliens were taking people out of their bedrooms. Takin' 'em so fast, their jammies ripped off. Then in the morning, the aliens safely returned all the people by beaming them directly into showers. You know…so the alien slime would automatically be washed off."
The two girls released blood curdling screams and jumped into each other's arms. "I don't want to be taken from my bedroom by aliens tonight! I'll never sleep again!"
"Nice goin', Nicky!" Drew scolded his brother from the bed. "They're terrified."
"Hello?! I'm just tryin' to help you out here!"
"Allow me." Carrie crouched down to be at eye level with the frightened girls, "Uncle Nicky was just being silly. You know how he loves comic books, ghost stories and aliens, right? Boys like to tell scary stories, but there's no such thing as grownup eating monsters, or Spiderman or aliens. It's all pretend." Holding the girls, she sweetly said, "I'll tell you really happened."
Sheri's Ranch – Pahrump, NV
8:51 am
"So…what happened?" Tony plopped down on the Safari Bungalow's leopard print couch right next to his little brother. "I can't believe I missed my own brothel bachelor party. Did you watch my share?" He laughed even though it made his head hurt. "Answer me, Bro…did you get your fill of quality T&A for your ultimate whack off fantasy?"
"Yep." Reggie nodded at his brother, "It would have been better if your drunk ass was here with me. We got here at four. Matt, you said you'd be back in twenty. Where the hell were you guys until almost nine this morning?"
Matt jumped to explain, "Security wouldn't let Tony sleep it off in the truck and they wouldn't let me drag him in here to sleep, so I had to drive off property and park. I guess I was more tired than I thought, because I passed out too. We just woke up."
"Yeah, and I need a shower." Tony jumped off the couch. "I assume the shower in this sex den is sinfully good. How much did I pay for this place and the lap dance package and self-gratification party anyway?"
"Uh…Four grand," Matt tossed him a shiny red apple. "Eat up and use lots of hot water to make up for the price. Maybe nab some rolls of TP too."
"Thanks." Tony caught the apple, took a bite and headed for the bathroom.
"Reg…" Matt had sensed something was wrong. "You don't look too good. How much more did you drink?"
"You said you were coming back! I really needed your help."
The unflappable cop, ruffled, "What did you do?"
Reggie gripped his head. "You didn't come back, there were three girls for half hour and then…this one…she was perfect. She stayed to talk. She was so easy to talk to. I told her what was going on at home and she said that guys come here all the time because their wives shut them out. She said that's how they stay in their marriage. They spend twenty fours here and it holds them for a few months. She said it's better for Sierra if I can hold out and not get divorced. She said her dad left when she was two and look how she ended up."
"Who is she?"
"Nessa." Reggie glanced up just as tears spilled from his eyes. "She was so sweet, she even smelled like sugar cookies. She was like…like my ideal college girlfriend…cute and perky, so easy to make happy…and totally into me. She even said she loves firemen because they saved her grandmother's house from a burning down when she was nine."
The vice cop pointed out the obvious, "Of course she told you what you wanted to hear, Reg. You were paying thousands of dollars. She problem doesn't even have a grandmother. You were hustled!"
The harshness of his brother's glare reduced him to a whimpering child, "I know… but she said really nice things...and it's been ten months…it felt so good when she touched me. I don't…it's all a blur, I don't even know what I agreed to pay."
"Well, Tony's gonna know when he settles the bill."
"Oh my God." Gripped by fear, Reggie said, "Tony's gonna get the bill and he's gonna kill me for cheating on Gina. I can't believe this! I've never cheated on anyone, I've never even cheated on a test!" He imagined how it would play out, "He's gonna look at me and think you have a faithful wife and a healthy brand new baby and he's gonna kill me for taking it for granted when that's all he's ever wanted. He's gonna channel all that rage he has about Amy cheating and funnel it into his hands, so he can snap my neck in record time." Tears and snot cascading down his face, he whimpered, "But the more I think about it…I really don't think I'll mind. No, I want him to kill me, because the thought of going back to Disneyland and seeing my wife hold my baby after I spent hours giving it to a whore…yeah…I hope he does kill me. No! Wait! He'll get in trouble if he kills me. He's finally happy again. Matt…you have your Gloch with you. You can't bring firearms in here, so what'd you do? Leave it in the truck?" He jumped up. "I'll just go out and do it myself in the desert, then Tony won't go to jail and..."
"Sit your drunk ass down!" Matt shoved his brother onto the couch. "Do you think Sierra having a father who off'd himself because he banged a prostitute and couldn't live with the guilt is really gonna help her future?"
Falling over on the couch, Reggie sobbed, "I had all that tequila…you knew how desperate I was. Why did you leave me here with an open tab? Why weren't you here?"
The Blakes
9:00 am
"Why are you here so early this morning, Honey?" Wendy asked Ryan, not used to seeing him show up for breakfast because he preferred meaty ones at Nick and Carrie's.
Taking a seat at the table with Sean, Lindsay and Celine, he explained, "I came home last night and bunked in Sean's room, because Aunt Carrie and Nick had plans this morning."
Paul knew his wife was thinking the worst. "I put a bunch of sleigh bells on the door, so if he tried to sneak out the whole house would have heard." Good thing you don't know they were unsupervised for hours last night.
"Good thinking, Paul." Wendy placed a platter of wheat pancakes on the table to go along with the soy sausage and fruit already there. "Dig in kids." After seeing Celine take a bite of sausage she asked, "How is it, Honey?"
Celine cracked a joke for those in the know, "A little salty." She pushed the rest of the link in her mouth and moaned with satisfaction. "But reeeeally good. You make excellent S, Mrs. Blake"
"S?"
"S for sausage. All the kids are talking in letters these days, it's totally cool. You should try it."
"OK."
"Good start!"
"Are you alright, Lindsay?" Wendy rushed to get a towel. The poor girl had spit juice everywhere while choking. "Did some go down the wrong pipe? I hate when that happens."
"Jeez!" Ryan jokingly scolded his partner in voyeuristic crime, "Next time just tough it out and swallow. Breakfast is ruined."
"There's still sausage and fruit," Sean pointed out, not wanting Lindsay to feel bad.
"But I reeeeally wanted pancakes," Ryan was starting to laugh. "I'm so disappointed, it feels like I had a big piece of gooey chocolate cake right in front of me and then someone snatched it away and gave me a Hershey kiss instead."
"Aww." Celine opened her arms. "Would a big H make you feel better?"
Finally Sean figured out what was really going on, and was desperate to crack a joke and fit in with the group. "How about we have some yogurt and bananas instead?!"
Wendy hurried for the fridge, "As a matter of fact, I just bought some organic peach yogurt yesterday."
While he was secretly thrilled that Sean managed to catch on and join in the typical teenage fun, Paul shook his head and scolded the four laughing hyenas, who obviously had heard more than they admitted the previous night, "You four are in big T."
The Bay Side Breakfast Buffet – Mandalay Bay
9:13 am
"Get your T-Rex off the table while we're eatin', Matthew, or you won't get to watch the Aggie game with us when we get home." Drew confiscated the toy as he stood to go to the buffet. He and Nick had stayed behind with Claire while the ladies took the girls and Matt.
As he stood to join his brother, Nick snatched a piece of bacon from Carrie's plate and chomped it. "Mmm…not too bad, just a little salty." When she shot daggers, he took off belly laughing.
"What was that about?" Drew asked his brother when they were out of earshot.
Leaning in, Nick apologetically whispered, "Sorry, I don't get the first full-service BJ from my future wife and tell. That said…I'll be praisin' Jesus extra loud in church tomorrow, because I'm a very thankful man."
"No wonder you suggested we come out to champagne brunch." Drew grabbed a plate. "Congratulations. That only took…what is it now? Eight months?"
"Yeah, after all that time, it came as a big relief." Nick joked, "That poor girl had no idea that was gonna be a deal breaker. It's all systems go now, Bro. I can marry her."
"Marta's already marriage material," the older brother snickered while scooping egg casserole onto his warm buffet plate.
"Seriously?" Nick hurriedly whispered, "You got the virgin farmgirl S'ing in six short weeks?"
"S'ing?"
"We're in public," Nick explained.
"Oh! Gotcha. Yeah, Marta S'd her first time."
"What?" Nick was miffed.
"She asked me for guidance."
"So did Carrie, but…"
"It's like teachin' a kid to ride a bike." Drew piled sausage on his plate grinning. "Sure you can use trainin' wheels to get 'em half way there, but if you teach them the proper way the first time, they'll never know they had a less adventurous option."
"Wow…that's really deep, Bro."
"All kiddin' aside…she really will be the perfect wife."
"Promise me you're not going to rush this." Feeling obligated to put the brakes on, Nick lectured, "Learn from your mistakes. You have a history when you get nuts over a woman…remember when you followed Carly to Boston begging her to come home? You ended up lookin' pathetic. Then you dropped out of med school to chase Lissa around the world, and now you're chasin' Marta within your own home. But there's a difference this time, you have kids involved. You won't only hurt yourself if you make a mistake."
"Would you stop lecturin' me, Nicky? I swear I'm not pushin' or rushin things'." As he placed pineapple slices on his plate, Drew couldn't contain his grin. "When the time comes, here's how I'm gonna propose..."
The Sanders Home
11:04 am
"Married?" Scott stared at the chapel certificate Greg had handed over.
"Yep! We got hitched!" Swinging Greg's hand, Tawny spoke in her best hillbilly accent, "Aren't ya happy for us, Daddy?!" She patted her burgeoning belly. "My man made an honest woman outta me. Now folks will stop their talkin' and I can walk into church on Sunday with my head held high."
When he looked up from the certificate Scott burst into laughter. The newlyweds were grinning wide to show off their plastic hillbilly teeth. "Nice touch. Now I get why you put your hair in pig tails, Tawny."
"Hey!" Greg fluffed his locks. "You didn't say nothin' about my mussed up hillbilly hair, Daddy!"
"Looks like the usual mess to me." Sighing, Scott walked over to the kitchen counter. "Sorry, I hate to do this to you on a happy day, but you had a Fed Ex delivery this morning…from your mother."
After popping out his plastic teeth, Greg took the envelope and tore it open.
"What is it?" Tawny anxiously asked. "She's not suing you or…"
"No." He held up two plane tickets. "The doctor said she's ready for a family session. She sent two tickets so I could bring you and she will book a room anywhere I want, any time that's good for me."
Scott placed a hand on his son's shoulder, "Her doctor said she's ready, but are you ready?"
"I think so." Greg stared at the plane tickets. "We could leave on a Thursday after work when I have a three day weekend, so I wouldn't have to take time off."
"I don't want you to have to go alone, but I'm not up to that long flight. I get uncomfortable sitting at my desk without taking a stretch." Smoothing her hand over her belly, Tawny shook her head. "Sorry, I'd be too scared and I can't miss any work this soon after starting."
"You can't go alone, so I'll make the trip with you." Then Scott suggested, "What if we took Daniel too? He's fascinated with those shots of the volcano you took on your honeymoon. That poor kid's never been anywhere but rural Utah and Vegas, it'll be cute taking him to paradise and watching his reaction…he'll be as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. You could do the session and then we'll have a couple of days of fun to cheer you up. Maybe you could swap shifts with someone and get the Monday off, so we'd have two full days without travel. If it's okay with you, Tawny."
"I'll invite the girls over for a lingerie party while you're gone. One of my old dancer friends hosts those now that she's retired her stilettos. You shop, watch product demos and have snacks. It'll be hilarious with the Sara and Carrie crowd!"
"I'd rather go to that," Greg groaned as he stared at the recovery center's brochure. "Okay, Dad….we'll go."
Disneyland Hotel
12:34 pm
"I'm back," Tony announced as he entered the suite. After the shocking revelation at Sheri's Ranch, the return trip had been a miserable combination of three-way shouting and tortuous silence. It had been Gina's shoulder he cried on after Amy betrayed him and at first it seemed impossible not to hate his brother for cheating on her. Then Matt explained how he had given Reggie enough rope to hang himself on purpose in some screwed up attempt to prevent him from calling it quits with Gina and sentencing Sierra to grow up in a broken home. By the time they arrived in Anaheim, Tony was exhausted from analyzing the situation and didn't know who he was angrier at…Reggie for cheating, Matt for setting him up to fall, or Gina for turning into the kind of shrew who locks a man out of his own home because he stopped for a celebratory beer.
From the bathroom Becca yelled, "I've got a cup full of pee pee waiting for you!"
Just hearing her voice cheered him up "Dip the stick, Honey."
"Dipping! And if it's negative, don't worry, I called Marcella to go to the house and clean up the terrible mess we left in the bedroom. That way we can dive right into bed and start trying as soon as we get home…unless of course you want to stick with the plan and wait six months. That's a rhetorical question by the way."
"You have no idea how much I missed you," he declared upon seeing her. "You look beautiful."
"And you look like you were in a bar fight!"
"The fight was outside the bar actually, and truthfully it wasn't much of a fight. We were coming out of this strip joint in Hesperia when I saw this pig trying to convince one of the dancers to bend over the hood of a car so he could rape her in the parking lot. She was screaming and trying to break free, so I went over and yanked her away from the bastard. I had a ton of tequila in me, so my reflexes were slow and he got a punch in, busting my lip. When I hit the ground he pulled a blade, but luckily Matt has his Gloch and the second the bastard saw it he took off."
"Oh my God!" Becca rushed over. Touching Tony's scabbed bottom lip, she shook her head. "You could have been killed. I hope the girl said thank you for risking your life!"
"Turns out she was a hooker and the guy was just tryin' to take it for free. She offered to do me for free in the back of her 1994 Hyundai to show her gratitude. I passed." Pulling Becca into his chest, Tony closed his eyes. "I love you."
"Why are you wearing a golf shirt from Sheri's Ranch?"
"We ended up there because the strippers in Hesperia were too skanky for your taste. My shirt had blood on it, so I tossed it for this one that came with the Safari Bungalow bachelor party package. Honey, after last night, I can safely say that I never need to see another set of silicone breasts as long as I live."
"Okay." Becca cracked a smile. "I'll cancel the surgery."
"What?"
"Kidding!" Taking his hand she led him to the bathroom. "The only surgery I'm willing to have for you is a c-section." She stopped outside the bathroom door. "Hey, remember when you came home after saving that little boy's life a couple of weeks ago?"
"Seriously, there had to be twenty bullet holes in the dumpster," Tony excitedly shared. He hadn't made it five feet into the house because he kept stopping to give more details. "That kid woulda been Swiss cheese if he had been standing there."
Becca cupped his face, enjoying the glint in his eyes and the scent of ale on his warm breath. "You're a true blue hero, Honey. Kiss me!"
Buzzing from booze and the rush saving someone's life brings, Tony pressed his wife's body to the wall and consumed her mouth with a kiss that showed how grateful he was to be alive. "Becks…"
"Right here is fine," she purred upon seeing his ravenous eyes. "When you called from the bar to say you were on your way, I shed my panties for a hero's welcome."
"Thank you," he rasped as his hands tugged the tweed pencil skirt of her suit above her waist. "Are you attached to this jacket?"
"Go for it."
While designer buttons rolled across the floor and Becca frantically worked open his pants, Tony counted his blessings, "I'm grateful I saved a life, I'm grateful I didn't take a slug to the chest, and I'm oh…so…grateful you wore a black lace push up bra to work today." He dove in to kiss the creamy expanse of her chest and lingered there until his trousers and boxer briefs hit the floor. "We've never done this."
"I'm sure the first time will be a charm."
After the initial thrust, he froze.
"Not good?"
"Too good."
Becca grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Do you think this is how Superman and Lois Lane got it on every time he saved a kid from a speeding bullet?"
"She always seemed a little too bitchy to me to have a fulfilling sex life."
"Mmm…sexy, brave, and humorous…my superhero has it all." Gripping his shoulders, she murmured against his parted lips, "I'm a lucky girl."
"And I'm a lucky guy," he echoed, while resuming at a slower pace.
"Of course you are, you dodged a bullet."
"No, because I married you."
"Becks…I love the trip down memory lane, but I think you're stalling because you're too nervous to look at the stick."
"Busted."
"We'll do it together this time." After kissing her hand, Tony strolled his wife into the bathroom and over to the stick lying in wait. "Ready?"
"Yep."
Their gazes lowered in perfect harmony.
"Becks…"
"Yeah…"
"You're not about to confess to having a torrid affair with the pool guy, are you?"
"Have you seen the pool guy?"
Their gazes lifted from the stick and locked on each other.
"Honey…"
"I assure you that Gomez, the forty-eight year old, bald pool guy, is not the father of my baby." Her voice crackled with excitement, "Don't you get it?! Save a child, get a child! That's karma!! Hero sex worked!"
He grabbed the stick to confirm what his brain couldn't comprehend. "It did, right? The directions said plus sign means pregnant, didn't they?" He stared at the blatantly clear plus sign in confusion while Becca scrambled to pull the instruction paper from the trash.
"Plus sign pregnant, minus sign not pregnant."
"It's definitely a plus, right? Or do you think…"
"Math was my worst subject, but even I recognize a plus sign when I see it!" She took the stick and held it up next to the sample on the paper. "It's definitely a plus sign."
"Which means…"
"I'm very definitely very pregnant and not with Gomez the pool guy's baby."
Throwing his arms around his very pregnant wife it finally sunk in, "Yes!"
"Tony Vartann, you just found out you're gonna be a daddy! What are you going to do to celebrate?!"
Taking the cue, he clung to her cheering, "I'm goin' to Disneyland!"
Tears surged from her eyes when she saw her tough guy husband crying. "Tony…I promise I'm going to get the mom thing right. I know I've screwed so many things in my whole life, but not this, I'm going to do this perfect for you and our baby. I'm going to think back on everything my mom did wrong and do the opposite. I think I can be a good mom, I'll…"
"Shh…don't worry, I know you can, Honey." He reassured her with his tone and eyes. "You're gonna be a fantastic."
"Thank you."
"I love you, Honey." Never did the words ring truer.
"We made a baby…up against a wall in our living room."
"You were wearing a black lace push up bra."
"And you almost lost it on the first thrust."
Their noses bumping, Tony clarified, "Yeah, but I ended up making your toes curl twice."
"I'd expect nothing less from a superhero." Laughing and crying with him, Becca suggested, "We really need to jot down this super sweet conception story for the baby book."
"Definitely."
They wiped each others tears of joy until they fell into a kiss of sheer bliss.
"Come on…" Tony glided his palm over Becca's belly. "Let's celebrate as a family."
Drew's House
12:48 pm
Holding the phone with a shaky hand, Marta asked her mother, "Instead of me flying home this year, would you and Daddy like to come to Vegas for Thanksgiving? I'll send you the airline tickets and…"
"You want us to stay in a hotel and eat holiday dinner in an impersonal restaurant instead of at your Aunt Hilda's house with the extended family?" Betsy Muller couldn't disguise the horror in her voice. "Honey, that wouldn't seem like Thanksgiving at all, and I don't want you to spend your hard earned money on two plane tickets to Vegas when the Stokes' have to pay your ticket home as part of your contract."
"Well…uh…there have been some changes around here, Mom." While she prepared half-time snacks, Marta delicately broke the news. "Sadly, Mr. and Mrs. Stokes divorced after Mr. Stokes learned some very disheartening things about Mrs. Stokes. It wouldn't be proper to get into the details, but let's just say it was all very shocking." She had never mentioned any of the previous scandal, or that there were problems, so she knew it would come as a surprise. "The ex-Mrs. Stokes decided to move to Paris six weeks ago. Now that I'm the only mother-figure the kids have, Mr. Stokes feels it's important that I be with them for Thanksgiving. He'll pay for the plane tickets and there's a beautiful guesthouse for you to stay in here that I'll make real cozy for you."
"Those poor children," Betsy lamented. "I know you do the bulk of the mothering, but still…to be abandoned like that by their birth mother. Did Mr. Stokes give you a raise to cover your increased responsibilities?"
Trying not to laugh Marta sweetly replied, "Don't worry, Mom, he's taking excellent care of me."
"Okay, I'll ask your Daddy if we can swing paying the Reynolds boys to work the farm."
"I'll send you money for the farm upkeep along with the plane tickets. Mr. Stokes doesn't want you to be put out financially just because his kids need me and I always spend Thanksgiving with you. He's even buyin' first class tickets and will pay for a limo to take you from the farm to the airport."
"A limo?" Betsy chuckled hard. "Good Lord, everyone will think I'm going on that Wife Swap show. You know how they pick the wife up in a limo and…"
"Yes." Marta covered her mouth thinking about the wife swap really occurring…Lissa for her one day in the future.
"Well, with all expenses paid I don't see there being a problem. I'll ask your Daddy over supper."
"Great! I have to go now, Mr. Stokes has guests for a football party and I need to make sure the kids are okay. Call me later, after you talk to Daddy!"
"Will do." Betsy blew a kiss. "Bye, Honey."
"Bye, Mom." After clicking the phone off, Marta clutched it to her chest. Another step closer to happily ever after.
"Marta!" The housekeeper snapped her fingers in front of the daydreaming nanny's face. "Let me guess…" she rolled her eyes, "you're fantasizing about Prince Stokes handing you the keys to the castle."
The Grissoms
3:12 pm
"A man's home is his castle, Flash." Gil settled into his favorite reading chair intent on enjoying the rest of his weekend off. "We'll do a little reading and then we'll head into the kitchen to cook a nice meal for the woman who has cut me off from sexual pleasures for the next five to seven months."
The hound settled in at his master's feet.
Gil opened his magazine and sighed, "Don't worry about me though. I'm used to deprivation. I used to thrive on it actually. There was a time when…" Upon hearing Sara's keys in the door, he fell silent.
The Vartanns
5:02 pm
After slipping her key into the front door lock, Marcella, the maid, hurried over to the alarm panel out of instinct, but unlike every other time she arrived to clean the Vartanns' home, two things were different…the house was blazing hot and the alarm wasn't beeping.
Good thing Mrs. Vartann called me to clean up her mess or their house would have been unalarmed until Monday. Wiping her brow, she quickly figured out that the home owners must have meant to turn off the air conditioning, but instead flipped on the heat. Unable to work in such conditions, she marched to the temperature control panel and turned on the air as cold as it could go to counter the one hundred plus temperature.
One particular cleaning instruction left by Mrs. Vartann had Marcella smiling as she strolled through the home. The lady of the house desired fresh linens and an immaculate bedroom, stating she and her husband would most likely want to try and make a baby as soon as they returned. Marcella loved babies and thought the Vartanns would give a child a very loving home.
So, with the most important instruction in mind, the maid hightailed it to the bedroom. Since Mrs. Vartann had told her she left the place in a shambles, Marcella expected the worst upon opening the door, but nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.
After a blood curdling scream, she dropped her supplies and fled the house, not stopping until she was across the street in the neighbor's driveway.
"Ma'am?" Parker Luzzer, a Real Estate broker and one of three home owners on the desolate desert cul-de-sac, stopped hand washing his new Mercedes convertible. "What's wrong?!" Watching the lady make the sign of the cross and frantically speak Spanish, the straight c-minus party boy wished he had paid attention in his High School foreign language class. "Uh…do you speak English? Ingles por favor."
Marcella pointed to the house. "Muerte!" It made sense now that the house had been so hot. She really had walked into hell. "Solamente el Diablo!"
That word Parker remembered. "Devil? What about the devil?" He fumbled for his cell phone in case he needed to call 911, but his hands were slick with car soap and it went careening down the driveway.
"Sangre!" Marcella screamed while gripping her hair. "Insectos! Olor de la muerte!" The bloody mess and the bugs crawling out of the woman's ripped flesh were stuck in Marcella's mind's eye, but it was the stench of death in her nose that suddenly had her doubled over vomiting.
"Hey! Watch the car!" The last thing he wanted was immigrant vomit on his freshly waxed wheels. "Look, did someone try to hurt you?" Watching her point to the house across the street and scream it all came together. "Ah…I got it. The devil is the home owner. Did the lady of the house forget to tip you? Or did she bitch you out about the baseboards or some stupid shit like that? Look, I'm rarely home, I only met the couple who lives there once. The wife did seem a little snooty, but whatever she said to you, don't you think you're taking it a little over the top? You must watch those over dramatic Spanish soap operas," he laughed.
Try as she might, English words wouldn't come out of her mouth, so Marcella did the next best thing. Running to the soft green lawn, she intended to act out the scene. Unfortunately, she didn't see a rock hidden in the overgrown grass, and bashed her head on it when she hit the ground feigning death.
"Oh shit! Parker raced to grab the nut job. "Oh no, you're not setting me up to be sued you crazy bitch! You immigrants are always looking for an easy way out."
Grabbing the woman, he carried her into the street, carefully placing her bleeding head on the curb. "That's better."
"Good thing I watch forensic dramas." Next, Parker grabbed the bloody rock with a towel. "I bleach the blood stain and the rock, burn the towel and my shirt, and then I change, grab a beer and call 911 saying I found you lying there when I came out to finish my car. Ha! You're not gonna get one peso out of me, Chica! Instead you'll get an express bus back to Mexico!"
Author's Notes:
I hope you enjoyed this one and are at least mildly intrigued!
Case file time!! Becca's point is proven…Parker Luzzer, Real Estate Agent, is NO hero! (LOL that ties to the girls having breakfast). The Master will have to pull himself out of his comfy chair when there's no one else to respond to a woman discovered bleeding in the street…but what else will he find? And why will even The Master be perplexed?
Lots of humor and sweetness in the chappie before Reggie's legal prostitution/cheating conundrum followed by poor Marcella's hysterics over sangre, insectos and olor de muerte! (blood, bugs, stench of death). I hope that joy holds you over. No, there will be some sandwiched in the casefile angst :D
It's not the pool man's baby! Flying without a net for 2 months it could have happened and did. LOL sorry for teasing you with the negative test, but it's true it can be negative one day and then the next BINGO! I'm sure there's a few of you out there like me who spent a fortune the first time testing every day :D
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts on the chapter!
Maggs