Over the next couple days Frank started feeling better and they would take walks or go fishing during the day and snuggle up together on the couch at night. The last few nights Denise had been more animated than she had been since Frank had been home but as their time in Virginia drew to a close she started to withdraw. From the safety of Frank's arms she decided it was now or never. She had to tell him the truth. "Frank, I need to tell you something."
"Can't it wait until after the Sports report?"
"No Frank, it can't," she said, the tone in her voice told him this was serious.
"Okay," he said and turned off the TV. "What is it? Oh God, you're pregnant."
"No Frank, I'm not pregnant," she said barely able to hold back tears. "Frank, reason I have been so distant and withdrawn…I know what everyone is saying…because of Getti, because I was with him like I should only be with you but I wasn't…at least I wasn't with him. The reason Frank that I won't be touched or… is...because I was raped."
He sat and stared at her, that's all he could think to do.
"Say something Frank," she said getting teary eyed. He didn't believe her. That was her fear. "Please."
"I don't know what to say," he said. "I don't...I'd be less shocked if you told me you wanted a divorce."
"No, no never! Are you angry with me?
"No, no," he said. "God no. Honey...Oh God..." He reached for her but let her choose to come close or to keep her distance.
To his relief she went right to him and held on to him tight but he wasn't thrilled when she started to cry.
"When?" he asked holding her close. "Did you tell anyone?"
"No," she said in a small voice that Frank almost couldn't hear. "I was too scared."
"Do you know who it was?"
She shook her head and held tighter.
"Where did it happen?" his voice was so soft she had no idea the amount of anger inside of him.
"In the ally outside the hospital, I was leaving work and he grabbed me," she recalled. "I tried to stop him I really tried, I'm sorry."
Now he was furious, he pushed her back, "Do not ever apologize for that to me or to anyone else. This was not your fault!" He touched her cheek. "It was not your fault."
His tone of voice had frightened her and she started to shake.
He realized this and pulled her back, "I'm sorry I yelled I'm...angry Denise, I'm angry at this person that hurt you and touched you like that...only I...Only I should ever have touched you like that."
"I tried to stop him, it hurt so much I got sick, it actually made me sick," she confessed now that he was aware of the truth. "But I didn't tell you because I thought I deserved it for what I did to you"
The pain at her words was unbearable and he actually cried out physically from that pain.
"What?"she asked
"I don't care if you did sleep with him, Dee, you did not deserve what happened to you, no one does," Frank said. "No one does, baby, no one." He held her close and soon she felt his tears on her hair.
She looked up to see him crying and she held on to him tight "Its oaky Frank, it happened and it's over."
"No it's not over Dee," he said. "It's not over by a long shot. Did he use anything, do you remember?"
"Yeah, he did."
"Okay, still, I want you to get examined," he told her. "To be safe, to keep us both safe."
"I already did, off post, I'm okay," she assured him. "I'm okay."
"But you're not," he said. "You can't stand my touch and for us that is a death sentence."
"It will get better now that you know." She hoped she was right.
"I don't think so," he sighed.
She sighed, she didnt want to think about anything right now, she just wanted Frank to hold her so she just came right out and asked him "Hold me?"
"If I hold you now I'm afraid I'll hurt you honey," he said. "You've had however long to deal with...When he violated your body, he violated mine too and I'm not dealing with that well."
"You won't""she said in a shaky voice. "Please."
"If I hold to hard tell me, don't run from me, please," he said and took her into his embrace.
She snuggled up to him and buried her face in his chest.
Holding her in his arms, so slight, so trusting, he had the urge to hold her closer, then to kiss her lips, then to touch her breast..."I want to make love to you," he whispered. "I want to make you forget the pain."
"I want that too," she whispered. "I want to forget the pain."
"Will you let me love you?" he asked. "Will you?"
She smiled a little and nodded her head.
He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom and slowly touched her, piece by piece he took off her clothing, the encouraged her to do the same, he did so with the same tenderness that he did on their wedding night.
To his relief, she didn't get scared or try to pull back, she let him make love to her for the first time in months.
Then as he lay holding her, she moved over him and made love to him, they spent the night like that one then the other shifting focus.
Just before the sun came up they settled into each other's arms and fell into a peaceful slumber.
A few days later Frank and Denise packed up and headed home, things were a lot better between the couple and both were glad all seemed to be back as it had always been if not better. They had reconnected on their trip. When they pulled into the drive, Jeremy was waiting for them.
Denise beamed and hugged her son. "Hey honey."
"Hi Mom," he said seemingly cold to her when normally he was very warm.
"Hey," she said picking up on his tone she stood back by Frank's side.
"Mom...I don't want to hit you with this when you first got home but...It's bugging me."
"What honey?"
"Did you cheat on Dad with that doctor?" asked point blank.
"No," she replied, it surprised Frank at how blunt Jeremy was being.
"I don't believe you Mom," he accused. "Everyone is saying so; Emmalin asked me about it, General Holden says you did!"
"I didn't!" she said getting upset "I swear to you I did not!"
"Denise, got to our room, honey," Frank said. "Go on, I will handle this."
He pinned his son with a death glare.
She nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes and went to their room.
"How dare you!" Frank snapped. "How dare you speak to her like that, ask her that and call her a liar. If you weren't my son I'd break your neck with my bare hands!"
"She is a liar dad, she screwed around with that doctor and now she is lying to my face and yours," Jeremy insisted.
"She didn't have an affair," Frank said. "We spent two weeks together, we shared a lot of things, she did kiss him and it stopped there. I know that because I held her while she cried about it."
"Fine believe what you want but I don't believe her for one second," he spat. T
They both looked up when they heard tiny sobs coming from the doorway, Denise had come back out and heard her son's words, they cut deep.
Frank took Jeremy by the arm and dragged him outside, "Thank you very much. It took me the better part of two weeks to get her to calm down and trust me again; do you care about the trust or being a brat?"
"I don't trust her as far as I can throw her! I'm not staying here, I can't."
"So you don't give a damn that some animal raped your mother, you don't care about that?"
"Rape?" Jeremy felt awful, if that was the truth…no wonder his father was so protective and angry.
"Yeah rape, she kissed the doctor, but some animal put his hands on her and his...inside her and forced her to have sex, and I know she's telling me the truth because I fought like Hell not to leave her in Virginia and find that son of a bitch. She had a blood test; she did show me the results on her own..."
"Oh God," Jeremy gasped. "Dad, I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"No one did and no one will but you get your ass in that house and apologize to her, I have business at the Holden house, get my check book, you might be bailing me out."
"What do I say to her? She is hysterical, I can hear her from here."
"Try I'm sorry Mom, I love you, and when we find out who hurt you Dad and I will kill him, how about that?" he suggested. "Go and try I'll wait 5 minutes to see if you need my help."
Jeremy nodded an went into the house, Denise was sitting on the couch with her head in her hands sobbing.
"Mom, I'm sorry Mom," he said sitting next to her. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I love you."
"I didn't cheat on your father Jeremy, I swear I didn't."
"I know, I was wrong and I'm sorry, I just...I'd do the same if I thought he'd hurt you like that and I will do it to that person that hurt you and anyone who says bad things."
Denise nodded and hugged her son "I love you, Jeremy."
"I love you too Mom, now where's dad's checkbook?"
Frank pulled up to the Holden house and knocked.
Emmalin answered the door with a smile. "Hello, Major Sherwood."
"Hi, Emmalin, is you dad here?" Frank asked trying not to show his anger to a child.
"Yeah, he's in his study. Come on in."
He smiled and she took him to see Michael.
"Dad, you have a visitor," she announced before leaving the men to their business.
"Thank you honey," he said. "Frank how are you?"
"I'm good sir," Frank replied stiffly.
"Good, what can I do for you?" Michael knew Frank too well.
"There's just a little matter I need to clear up," Frank said. "Apparently Emmalin overheard you and Claudia Joy talking about Dense and the doctor and told Jeremy my wife had an affair. Did you say that or was that a teenage embellishment?" Frank asked.
"No,we never said she had an affair."
"Well what did you say?" he asked. "I'd like to know before Denise hears it and makes herself upset. We have repaired the rift in our marriage."
"We said she was close to the doctor, a little too close for anyone's comfort."
"Well, while that was true, that's been dealt with and I'd appreciate it if our friends didn't perpetuate rumors or conversations about those things. We have enough trouble with our enemies."
Michael nodded in agreement. "Okay. And I am sorry Frank, we didn't mean to start trouble and I will speak to Emmalin."
Frank nodded, "Denise didn't have a choice in some of this, and I'm handling that. I need to get back."
Michael nodded his dismissal and Frank headed straight back to his wife.