Meg drug her feet through the house. "I'm amazed they didn't get in here." she muttered.
"Dean didn't let them in." Meg clutched her chest as she spun around to face Renee. "Once the rat-bastard left the station, Seth and Roman started yammering about how they were supposed to help with this big surprise that Dean had up his sleeve for you. Jay chimed in with the renovations you'd been making and that they'd been over here helping you and then the rest of the guys were all over this. Dean was bombarded and took charge. He told them all that no one was to touch the inside of your house but he was concerned that you were going to try the outside on your own. He said asked if anyone had any ideas for stripping the exterior of a clapboard house and the guys were on it like flies on shit. They ran for their trucks and raced over here like a reverse call." Meg dropped onto a dining room chair. I think this is the same one Dean sat in when he was here so Wednesday night. How long ago was that? She propped her head in one hand. Renee pulled out a chair and sat beside her. "You look exhausted."
Meg looked at the woman she used to be friends with. "The last two days have been so awful. And this whole week has been… unexpected." She sat back in the chair and chose her next words carefully. "I wish… I miss… I guess it would have been nice to have a friend to talk through some of this with. I miss having that."
Renee reached over and took her hand. "I understand why you felt like you were alone. I really do. From here on out you need to know that you aren't and won't be. You've got friends and lots of them. Dean has his friends, this is true. You have friends too. All you have to do is reach out."
Squeezing Renee's hand, Meg whispered, "How bad was it?"
Renee shrugged. "It could have been worse. Chris knows that you and Dean have the support. He knows that his lies are known now. The chief is pissed that he used the department as a reason to cheat on you. Personal lives are one thing, to use the department the way he did is another." Shifting in her chair, Meg closed her eyes. "What else is bugging you?"
A heavy sigh escaped Meg. "I screwed up the last time I saw Dean. Like big time. We had a disagreement and I actually left my own house to sit at the waterfront for a while. The guys were here for dinner and ended up looking for me."
Renee rubbed the back of Meg's hand. "I heard about that. It was Tuesday night. I didn't hear about it then, but later. Yeah, Dean was torn up over that but you guys made up. He checked in on you and decided to build some big thing in the back yard because Seth told him that I'd freak if he did that without checking with me first. Dean said you knew about 'the project'." Meg shrugged. She didn't know what Dean had done in the back yard. At this point, it really didn't matter. "You made a mistake. This early in your relationship, you both are going to make them. Are you going to run away from each other or are you going to fight to make this work? You have to decide if you want to fight for Dean. He has to decide if he wants to fight for you. You can't fight each other. It sure seems like he is ready and willing to fight for you and he doesn't care who knows it."
Tears welled in Meg's eyes. "I had told him earlier in the week that I wanted us to be, um, 'more solid' before we went public. Now I feel so stupid. How much more solid can that man be?" Renee snorted in agreement. "I can't make him pay for Chris's mistakes. I have to be confident and stand beside him because I am proud to be with Dean. Really and truly I am."
"Men like to hear the words every once in a while, but you have to show them. You need to show up, Meg. Be there with him."
