FAMILY
CHAPTER 8
We will go back to Bobby and Annie for this chapter. It takes place during and after the episode F.P.S.
Thanks to my beta Spook.
The ER was busy and short-staffed as the flu worked its way through the employees. Several nurses had called in sick so Annie had stayed late, helping until the flood of patients slowed. It was close to midnight when she finally pulled into the driveway. She was tired and feeling a suspicious achiness that she feared was the precursor to the flu.
She didn't have time for the flu. She had to get up and be back at work at 7:00 AM. She also had Thanksgiving to prepare for. It was just over a week away and she had a lot to do. Bobby's mother and brother would be there, as well as her grandfather. The plan was for everyone to arrive on Wednesday and stay until Saturday. She had taken the entire next week off of work so that she could concentrate on getting the house ready and to have plenty of time for cooking. Bobby had thought that having everyone stay for so long was a mistake, but Annie had insisted. Now she was beginning to think he had been right, but it was too late.
She called Bobby when she realized she would be working late. He had sounded distracted and was a bit short with her. The house was quiet and dark when she pulled into the driveway; the children had been in bed for hours. Bobby had left a light on downstairs for her. Before heading upstairs, she checked to see if he was in his office in the basement. The light was on and as she went down the stairs she saw him sitting on the couch reading. He looked up and smiled as she crossed the room and sat down next to him. He put an arm around her as he kissed her and pulled her close. She kicked her shoes off and lay down with her head in his lap.
"Long day," he said as he gently pulled her hair loose from its French braid.
"Mm hmmm," she murmured, relaxing against him and relishing the feel of his long fingers against her scalp. "Long, icky day. How was yours?"
"Fine."
"Didn't sound fine when I called earlier."
"The kids were just wound up and arguing. I was a little frustrated, that's all."
"But work was fine," she persisted.
"Yes, it was fine," he repeated irritably.
"So if I were to call your partner, she would corroborate your story, Detective?"
He sighed and continued to run his fingers through her hair. He knew it was an empty threat. Annie would never call Alex to ask for information about him at work and she certainly would never call Lynn Bishop. But he could see that, tired as she was, she was not going to give up until he told her what was bothering him.
"I miss Eames," he said finally.
"I thought you and Bishop were getting along better."
"We are. It's just that….Eames knows me. She would have caught it."
"Caught what?" Annie asked.
"A perp set me up. He researched my history with Nicole Wallace and Croyden, with Wally Stevens and my interest in patterns. He sent me after the wrong man by throwing a deadbeat dad and an obscure pattern in my path. And I fell for it. Eames would have seen it and realized what was happening. But Bishop just….she just followed my lead. The wrong lead."
Annie lightly traced patterns on his thigh. "Do you know who did it?"
"Yes, and we have a plan to set him up now."
"Then it'll be OK, right?"
"It shouldn't have happened, Annie," he said irritably. "We could have had him already if I hadn't been distracted."
"So who are you mad at? Eames for getting pregnant and not being there, Bishop for not knowing you well enough, or yourself for falling for a trick?"
"All of the above, I suppose," he sighed.
"Well," she said. "Now you know…"
"And knowing is half the battle," they said together, quoting a line from the "GI Joe" cartoons that Annie frequently repeated to the children.
Bobby chuckled and leaned down to kiss her temple. Annie smiled and closed her eyes. Bobby went back to his book as his fingers continued their rhythmic and hypnotic path across her scalp. She hadn't intended to go to sleep, but when she opened her eyes it was morning and Bobby was kneeling in front of the couch gently calling her name. She was lying with her head on a pillow, still dressed from the day before and covered with a blanket. Rather than trying to wake her up to go upstairs, Bobby had tried to make her comfortable on the couch.
Annie's head hurt and the achy feeling from the day before was still there. She decided it must be too little sleep and smiled up at Bobby. She dragged herself up and went upstairs to shower and dress for work. She felt progressively worse as the day wore on. The one bright moment was getting a text message saying Alex had given birth. She called and talked to her for a few minutes. Bobby had already called Alex and had told her that he and Annie would come by the hospital the next day to see her and her nephew.
But by morning Annie knew that her aches were not just from lack of sleep. Her head and body hurt so much that she felt she couldn't move. Yet move she did, as her stomach rebelled against any and all food or liquids and sent her stumbling for the toilet. She insisted that Bobby go to see Alex and the baby without her and give them her love. For the next three days she barely moved from her bed. Bobby kept the children away, hoping they would not become sick too. When he was home, he was solicitous; insisting she at least drink the water and vegetable broth that he brought her, bringing her medications for pain and fever, and at times simply lying next to her with his arms wrapped around her as she slept.
On the fourth day the nausea began to abate and she forced herself to get up while Bobby was at work and the children were at school. For the next few days she cleaned the house to prepare for Thanksgiving, despite lingering aches and pains and a still sensitive stomach. Bobby pleaded to cancel their plans because of her illness, but she refused.
The day before Thanksgiving, Bobby picked up Frank and they went together to get Frances from Carmel Ridge. Grandpa would be coming by train and Bobby expected to be home in time to pick him up as well. Annie spent the day baking and preparing everything that could be prepared ahead of time.
Once Bobby had made his rounds and delivered all their guests, they ordered pizza and settled the children at the table while the adults took their food into the living room to eat and visit. Annie took only a few bites of pizza, which Bobby noticed. They exchanged a moment of silent communication as Bobby's eyes registered concern, to which she returned a smile of reassurance.
The children were overjoyed to have Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Frank there all at the same time. There was a lot of laughter and chatter, as the kids vied to tell stories that would make the adults laugh. Bobby pulled out some board games, which sent the three children into paroxysms of joy. Two hours later, all of the adults were more than ready for the children to go to bed. Frances would be sleeping in the extra twin bed in Alley's room. Phillip and Andrew both squeezed into Andrew's twin bed so that Grandpa could sleep in Phillip's. And Frank would be sleeping on a cot in Bobby's basement office.
As they tucked the children in and heard their prayers, Annie reflected on how the evening had gone so far. She was happy that everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Even Frank had been friendly with her. She didn't know if it was because he had forgiven her for turning his drugs over to the police a year earlier or if he was just on his good behavior because his mother was there, but she was grateful.
Annie made coffee for the others and they sat talking. Bobby could see that Annie was tired and pale and insisted that she go to bed. She resisted at first, but finally admitted that she was still feeling tired and achy from the flu and told everyone goodnight. She was asleep much later when Bobby climbed into bed, but she woke up as he wrapped his arms around her. She sighed and snuggled closer to him as he began kissing her. But when his hands slipped under her shirt and began to move across her skin, she stiffened and pulled away.
"What are you doing?" she asked suspiciously.
"If you have to ask, I must be doing it wrong," he grinned.
Annie put her hand on his chest and pushed him away. "You can just get that thought right out of your head, Detective. It's not happening tonight."
Bobby's smile deepened and he chuckled softly as he traced his thumb across her bottom lip. Shivers ran down her spine when he leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Are you sure, Babe?"
She hesitated and then pushed him away again. "Stop tempting me," she said as she began to giggle. "We are NOT having sex with your mother and my grandfather across the hall!"
"Well, if you keep laughing like that, they are going to think we're doing it anyway," he laughed.
Annie tried to gain control and finally scooted closer and buried her face against his chest, trying to muffle her laughter. Bobby smiled against her hair and held her tightly. Gradually her laughter subsided and she relaxed against him as she drifted off to sleep.
She was up early to get the turkey ready for the oven. Frances helped her with preparing breakfast. As the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade began, they worked together to get the dinner completed and set the dining room table with Annie's good china. They had decided to "dress" for dinner, so after the parade they all went to change. After changing into a dress, Annie stood at her dresser running her hand over the jewelry box that contained the string of pearls that Frances had given her on her wedding day. The pearls would look good with her dress, but she hesitated. Bobby came up behind her and put his arms around her waist.
"Go ahead and wear them. It'll make Mom happy."
"And drive Frank crazy. You know how he feels about me having them."
He reached around her and pulled the pearls out of the box. She watched him in the mirror as he put them around her neck. His eyes held hers as he waited for her to pull her hair up so he could fasten the necklace. He kissed her neck and smoothed her hair back in place, and then hugged her again before they went downstairs.
She had to admit that everything looked beautiful. The dining room table was set with her china and linen napkins. Even the turkey cooperated, coming out perfectly browned. Bobby carved the turkey, Grandpa prayed a heart-felt prayer of thanksgiving for family, and they all sat down to eat. Annie saw Frank glance at the pearls and smirk at her briefly, but he said nothing. The chatter of conversation and the clink of silverware against china filled the room. Annie and Bobby smiled at one another across the table.
Plates were almost empty and there was a discussion of whether everyone was ready for dessert or wanted to wait a while. Bobby noticed once again that Annie had eaten very little of her food, but did not comment. The consensus seemed to be that it would be better to let everyone's stomachs "settle" before bring out the pies, when Bobby's cell phone began ringing. Annie knew as soon as she saw the look on his face as he looked at the caller ID that he was being called to work. He glanced at her as he put the phone to his ear and walked out of the dining room.
"Yes Captain?" She got up and followed him to the living room, listening to him talk to Captain Deakins. Her heart sank when he said, "Yes sir, I understand. I'll be right there."
"You've got to be kidding," she said as he ended the call.
"I'm sorry, Babe. It's something big. The mayor wants everyone from Major Case on it."
He took her hand as they went back to the dining room to tell the others.
"But, Daddy, we were gonna watch the football game," protested Andrew.
"I'm sorry, Buddy," Bobby said, ruffling Andrew's hair. But you've got Uncle Frank and Grandpa here to watch with you. I'll try to get back as soon as I can, but I can't promise anything."
Frances frowned. "This is very rude, Bobby. You said you weren't working today and you've got family visiting. Just tell them you can't go in."
"I'm sorry, Mom, I can't do that. This is coming from the mayor and none of us has a choice." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
Annie walked him to the door. "Hurry home. Don't leave me here alone with the Brady bunch for too long." He chuckled as he kissed her.
Everyone helped to clear the dishes, but Annie shooed all but Frances out so she could wash the dishes. She wasn't going to trust her good china to slippery or careless hands. Frank, Grandpa, and the children settled in front of the TV to watch football. Annie washed and Frances dried. Their conversation was pleasant at first. Annie kept Frances laughing with gossip from the hospital and made up stories about people she saw while out shopping.
Frances' mood began to darken as she and Annie joined the others to watch the game. She made several comments about Bobby not being there for a family Thanksgiving. Annie tried to head her off by serving dessert, but Frances just picked at her pumpkin pie and continued to mutter. Frank said nothing, but his amused expression was irritating Annie. She also noticed that all three children were quietly watching their grandmother with widened eyes.
As they gathered the dessert dishes and moved into the kitchen to wash them, Frances began complaining directly to Annie rather than making vague, general comments. She tried to keep Frances in the kitchen for as long as possible, but when she heard the end of the football game on TV she worried that without that distraction the children would focus on their grandmother's grumbling. Annie's head was beginning to ache and her stomach was still queasy from her bout of the flu, making it hard for her to concentrate on ways to distract Frances.
"He promised me! He said that he had the day off and that he wouldn't be on call."
"Mom, he wasn't on call. He couldn't have foreseen this. Everyone in the squad got called in, whether they were on call or not," Annie said wearily.
"He should have told them no! He has family here."
"He's not the only one who had to leave a family gathering. It couldn't be helped."
Out of the corner of her eye, Annie saw the children standing in the doorway, watching their mother and grandmother. She wanted to kiss her grandfather when he came up behind them and started herding them towards the basement.
"Why don't you kids show your old Grandpa these new computer games you've been telling me about." The children hesitated, and then went with Grandpa to the basement.
Frances moved into the living room and Annie followed her. She could see her anger escalating but felt helpless to stop it. She and Frances had always been close and in the past Annie had usually been able to talk her out of bad moods. But tonight was different. The more Annie tried to talk to her, to reason with her, to calm her down, the angrier Frances became. Annie was having difficulty maintaining her usual patience with her mother-in-law. Her headache was getting worse, and her annoyance was rising along with her pain. Having Frances make disparaging comments about Bobby in front of the children made her angry and she knew her voice was showing it. Adding to her irritation was her brother-in-law sitting on the couch watching the two women with a smug expression. He didn't say a word, but he kept a small smile on his face, infuriating Annie.
Frances continued her rant. "If this had been important to him, he would have told his boss he couldn't leave. He would have put his family first."
"Mom," Annie tried to keep her voice calm. "Bobby has always put his family first. But sometimes the job is more urgent, and this is one of those times. He'll get back as soon as he can."
"After he's ruined Thanksgiving! It's bad enough that he doesn't think about his mother or his brother, but he took off without a thought about ruining the day for his children."
This was too much for Annie and when she spoke her voice was sharp. "Stop it! I've put up with your criticisms of Bobby for long enough. I'm not going to stand here and listen to you denigrate his parenting. The kids understand about his work, and mine. They know that there are times one of us can't be here for a holiday."
"They shouldn't have to understand that. They are children and they need to know that they are more important to their father than his job!"
Annie's voice was low and shaking now. "I'm going to tell you again to stop this. You are the one upsetting the children, not Bobby."
"This was supposed to be a special Thanksgiving because Frank just got out of rehab. But it's not special as far as Bobby is concerned. Oh no! His brother comes home after being locked up for a year and what does he do? He jumps at the chance to leave his family cooling their heels while runs off to be the big, important policeman!"
"Bobby was looking forward to this as much as anyone. He didn't want to leave."
"Yes he did! That's what Bobby does. He left to join the army as soon as he graduated from high school. He couldn't wait to get away from me, from his father, from his brother."
"That's history, Mom. He's been back in New York for years. He was here to take care of things when his father died. He has tried to take care of you."
"And what about his brother? You see how he took care of him. He let him get locked up for a year. A year!"
Annie glanced at Frank and saw that his smile had widened. "That wasn't Bobby's fault. He couldn't do anything about Frank being in possession of drugs."
"This was his own brother! He could have done something if he wanted to. He just didn't want to. Bobby has always been jealous of Frank and it made him feel superior to lock his brother away for a year!"
Annie tried and failed to control her temper. She felt detached from the scene, watching it play out in front of her. She knew her next words were a mistake but she couldn't seem to stop them. Her voice rose as she yelled over the top of Frances' tirade.
"Jealous?! Bobby is jealous of Frank?! Are you kidding me? What is he jealous of? Of Frank's gambling addiction? Of his drug addiction? Bobby doesn't need to do anything to make himself feel superior to Frank; he is superior! He has a responsible job; he has a family that he takes care of. What does your precious Frank have? He can't even take care of himself most of the time!"
Frances narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice. "How dare you! You don't know anything about Frank. He has intelligence and sensitivity. It's not unusual for brilliant, sensitive people to have problems with addiction. Bobby knows that. He could have helped his brother, but instead he was happy to see him locked up."
Again, Annie knew she was making a mistake that she would not be able to take back but the words seemed to tumble out of their own volition.
"Bobby wasn't responsible for Frank being locked up. I was."
"What are you talking about?" Frances demanded.
Annie's voice was softer now. "I found the drugs on Frank. I gave them to the police. The detectives were willing to get rid of them because of Bobby, but I was the one who insisted they charge Frank with possession. Bobby was willing to let the detectives 'lose' the drugs, but I pushed him to let them charge him."
Frances was silent now. Annie took a deep breath and continued. "Bobby put up Frank's bail and hired a lawyer—against my wishes. He talked to the Assistant District Attorney who works with Major Case and he arranged the plea deal that allowed Frank to be charged with a misdemeanor instead of a felony. Bobby is the reason that Frank went to rehab for a year rather than prison for five years."
She stopped and waited. Frances looked at her in silence for a moment. Then she stood up and said very quietly, "I am going to bed. When Bobby gets home, you tell him that I want to go back to Carmel Ridge first thing in the morning. And I don't ever want to speak to you again."
"Mom," Annie began, but Frances raised her hand in a regal manner to stop her.
"I mean it, Annie. You have turned against this family and I will never speak to you again."
She turned and made her way upstairs. Annie blinked back tears. She felt as though her head were going to explode with the pain. Now her heart felt like it was breaking as well. In twelve years of marriage, her mother-in-law had never spoken harshly to her. What had begun for Annie as an attempt to earn Frances' approval because she knew what it meant to Bobby had become a genuine friendship. Having someone to call "Mom" for the first time since she was eleven had made Annie truly happy. In spite of her mental illness and her need to be cared for, Annie had come to think of her as her second mother. Frank had been silent through all of this. Now he stood and faced Annie.
"I always knew you were behind that whole arrest thing, Bobby just never told me how much. Looks like Mom finally sees you for what you really are, too." He smiled at her. "Bad move, Annie. Now you'll never get Mom's engagement ring to go with those pearls."
Annie stared back at him for a moment. Then with shaking hands she reached up and unclasped the string of pearls around her neck. She took then and silently handed them to Frank. He looked at her in surprise, then held out his hand uncertainly. Annie dropped the pearls into his outstretched hand. Without a word, she walked over and headed down to the basement with Grandpa and the children.
Grandpa was sitting in Bobby's chair at the computer, with the children around him showing him a computer game. He looked up at her questioningly, but she shook her head slightly as she settled on the couch. She took some medicine for her headache and lay down while she watched Grandpa and the children playing games. They all decided they wanted leftovers for supper, so Annie went to warm them up. Frank had stayed in the living room while she was in the basement, but now he went downstairs. Grandpa took a plate of food to Frank in the basement. He took a plate upstairs to Frances. She politely but firmly refused and said she was going to bed early so that she could get an early start back to Carmel Ridge in the morning.
After she sent the children upstairs to get ready for bed, Annie told Grandpa what had happened. The tears that had been threatening since Frances told her she never wanted to speak to her again finally broke through. Grandpa sat next to her on the couch with his arm around her until the tears subsided. He reached for a tissue and wiped her cheeks gently, assuring her that everything would work out. Annie took the children to her room to read their bedtime story and hear their prayers, and then sent them to bed. She and Grandpa watched a movie and then he kissed her cheek and told her good night.
Annie went to bed but couldn't sleep, so she turned on the light and sat up in bed reading until Bobby came home. It was just past 1:00 AM when she heard the front door open. When he came into the bedroom, he looked very tired. Annie wanted to wait to tell him what had happened, but she knew he would want to know right away. Bobby was surprised to find her still awake. He went to sit on the side of the bed and kissed her.
"Bobby, I need to tell you something," she began, as he got up and pulled off his jacket and tie. "Your mother," she hesitated and he waited for her to go on. "Your mother wants to go back to Carmel Ridge first thing in the morning."
He sighed wearily. "She's mad at me for leaving, isn't she? Babe, I'm so sorry that I ruined your Thanksgiving."
Bobby's ready assumption that he was the cause of his mother's anger only made Annie feel worse. She got out of bed and paced around the room as she haltingly told him what had happened between her and Frances. He listened in silence until she stopped talking and turned to look at him.
"What were you thinking?" His voice was low and tight with anger. "You knew that I didn't want her to know about your involvement in Frank's arrest. What did you think was going to happen when you told her, Annie?"
"I…I just didn't think. I was so…..I was just tired of hearing her say those things about you. I…..I lost my temper and it all just spilled out."
He didn't say anything as he stood and looked at her. She could see the anger in his eyes and in his rigid stance. Annie stepped towards him to apologize when the bedroom door opened and a sleepy and confused-looking Ally came in.
"Daddy, Grandma wants you. She says there are bugs in my room and she wants you to get them out."
Bobby swore under his breath as he strode out of the room. Annie tucked Alley into their bed and then followed him. She stood in the doorway, watching Bobby speak softly and gently to his mother. He searched for the "bugs" and disposed of them and she calmed a bit.
Glancing at Annie in the doorway he said brusquely, "Go wake Frank up, please. I'm taking her back to Carmel Ridge right now and I need someone to sit in the back seat with her."
Annie went down to the basement and woke Frank. She told him what was happening and that Bobby wanted his help in getting their mother back to Carmel Ridge. She had expected an argument from him, but he just nodded and reached for his clothes. Thirty minutes later Bobby and Frank were escorting Frances out of the house. She was calm, but still muttering about bugs. Grandpa had woken up and helped to pack Frances' bag. The twins slept through the commotion.
Being the last one to go out, Frank turned to wink at Annie and say, "Nice work……Nurse."
She went back to bed and found Alley sound asleep. Deciding she was too heavy to carry back to her bed and not wanting to wake her up again, Annie let her sleep and crawled into the bed next to her. Bobby didn't return until almost 5:00 AM. He had dropped Frank off at his apartment on the way home. He showered, shaved, changed clothes, and went back to the office. He didn't want to talk about what had happened and simply told her that the staff had gotten Frances settled back in her room and she had gone to sleep.
Grandpa decided to leave early and go back home, saying Annie and Bobby needed time to talk without guests around. But the opportunity didn't come for them to talk as Bobby was busy with the case he had been called in for. He left early in the morning and didn't return until late every night. Annie went back to work, finally free of the flu that had plagued her, and the children went back to school. If they were disturbed by the drama of Thanksgiving they didn't show it, throwing themselves back into school, friends, and extracurricular activities.
The following Saturday night Annie worked late, coming home after the children had gone to bed. She walked into the bedroom and found Bobby standing in front of her dresser, holding the jewelry box that the string of pearls had been kept in.
"Mom called me today and asked me to bring this to her when I go to visit tomorrow."
She said nothing for moment, staring at the box in Bobby's hand. She hadn't told Bobby about giving the necklace to Frank. It hadn't been deliberate; before she had a chance to tell him Thanksgiving night, his mother had needed attention. Then he had been gone such long hours; between his job, her job, and the children there just hadn't been an opportunity to tell him. Although, truthfully, she had been reluctant to tell him knowing he would probably be angry.
Finally she asked softly, "Why?"
"She wants to put the necklace in it."
"Your mother has the necklace," she asked, surprised.
"Yes she does. It seems Frank went to visit her today and gave it to her. He said that you gave it to him on Thanksgiving. He said you didn't want it anymore because you were angry with Mom."
Annie stared at him. "B….but that's not what happened! I never said that."
"Why did you give Frank the necklace, Annie?" Bobby asked quietly.
She could feel tears forming as she searched for the words. "I…I don't know. It all happened so fast. Mom…." Her voice caught on the name she had used for so many years. "Your…..mother was so angry at me and said she never wanted to see me again and my head was throbbing and I just wanted to take back everything I said and then Frank was…..he was just w…..watching everything and smiling like it was a huge joke……and then he made a crack about the necklace…..and I…..I just….I took it off and gave it to him."
Bobby sighed and sat down on the bed. "And you didn't tell me about it. I would have gone and gotten it back from Frank right away if I had known about it. Do you have any idea how lucky we are that he wanted to make you look bad to Mom more than he wanted money? He could have sold it or pawned it and we would have never seen it again. You know how much that necklace means to her, Annie."
She knelt on the floor in front of him, tears running down her face. "I do know, and I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. I need to talk to her; to tell her….."
"She doesn't want to talk to you," Bobby interrupted. "And what are you going to tell her? That Frank lied about the necklace? That you gave it to him because she hurt your feelings and Frank was being a jerk? Do you think she's going to listen to anything you have to say about Frank now?"
She couldn't think of anything to say, any way to explain away the things she had said and done. Bobby rubbed his forehead wearily.
"I told you that I didn't want you to tell her about Frank. You knew, Annie, you knew." When she opened her mouth to protest, he put a finger against her lips and continued. "My mother is mentally ill. She is also manipulative, unreasonable, and difficult. And I've been dealing with her my whole life. I don't have the luxury of losing my temper and saying whatever is on my mind just because it might feel satisfying for the moment. I have to constantly think about the effect my words might have on her in the moment and in the future." He sighed sadly. "I thought you got that, too."
"Bobby…" she whispered, but couldn't continue because of her tears.
He held her face between his hands, wiping her tears with his thumbs. Annie thought her heart would break at the look in his eyes. There was no more anger, just disappointment and sadness.
"This is bad, Babe," he said softly. "For twelve years you've been the daughter she never had, and without the baggage that mothers and daughters have. For her it went deeper than the manicures and the gossip and the shopping. She really loves you. And now she thinks that you turned on the son she has always needed to protect and that you threw away a gift that not only connected her to you but to her own mother."
She wanted to tell him that it went deeper for her, too. But no words would come. Bobby continued looking at her for several moments and then pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his back and buried her face in his solid, comforting chest. He rested his cheek against her hair.
"It'll be alright," he said finally. "It will blow over eventually. Just give it time, Babe."
He pulled her onto the bed and stretched out next to her. He kissed her gently at first, then more deeply as his hands began to roam across her body. He made love to her, neither of them speaking. They touched one another's bodies with a familiarity born of twelve years of lovemaking. They responded to one another with the same familiarity. But as they lay in the dark later, entwined in each other's arms, Annie had the unsettling thought that this time had been different somehow. Bobby had seemed detached somehow, as though part of him was watching her, analyzing her. She tried to push the thought away and just concentrate on the sound and feel of Bobby's heart against her cheek.
End chapter 8
15