Some of you were wondering if I'd lost my mind with the last chapter. There's a method to my madness, I promise. :)
Enjoy this chapter, my sweets!
"That's exactly what she is. We're trying to save Chris's life and she's bitching about you. You're not there to put the moves on him and sure as hell don't want him back." He pulled away from the house and let the siren scream. "I wanted one thing from her, to know when this shit started. Not a difficult question. Answer it or shut up." He made the turn onto the main street and stood on the accelerator. "Why are you fighting harder for his life that the woman who's with him anyway? That's screwed up, Meg. Eh, not surprised though. You got a big heart. Explains why you'd leave town and not stand up for yourself. We'd have been here for you if we'd known."
Meg looked down at the man on the gurney. You caused me so much pain. I thought I lost so much because of you. But, in reality, I really found out how strong I really am. I learned not to cower. I learned how to hold my head up high and be independent. I found out that I am lovable and capable of being loved. Thanks to you tossing me away like last week's slimy crab bait, Dean and I found each other. I wish I had the lack of couth to lean over and whisper in your ear all the ways he's made me scream his name, ways that you never did. I wish I was nasty enough to tell you how he's so much move of a man than you, how he made me feel so much more so much faster. Oh, Chris! I'd love to tell you how I've compared the two of you and he comes out ahead in every way! He listens and he hears. He remembers things about me that seem so inconsequential…but they mean so much. He won't let me face you alone, which seems overbearing but it's sweet and protective. He forces me to face what I need to in order to be a better me. Where you kept me pinned in the house, hiding me away from life, Dean brings me into the light and helps me live life! I feel so vibrant and free! How was it that we were married and I felt alone but with Dean by my side all the time I feel more independent and free than I've ever been? I wish I could ask you. I wish I had the guts to spit that in your face just to see your reaction. I guess I am bigger than that. Well, that and knowing that you'll see us around town and won't be able to miss how happy we are. Meg looked up as the ambulance slowed and turned. "We are approaching the hospital. They are going to start the medication ASAP. I hope it helps, Chris. I really do." As they backed up, Meg opened the doors. "Best guess, two to two and a half hours into a stroke. Girlfriend wasn't very helpful. Became combative on the way out of the house. No additional injuries during restraint or transport. Vitals…" She continued rattling off the necessary information for the nurses to note for Chris's treatment. Once he was transferred to a hospital gurney, Meg retrieved the fire department's supplies and returned to the ambulance bay.
"You okay?" Meg looked up at the chief. "You were staring at him rather intently during the ride." Stowing everything silently, she shrugged her shoulders. "Meg…" She climbed into the passenger seat and closed the door. He got into the driver's seat and looked over at her. "Okay?"
Meg met his look and admitted, "I told you it wouldn't be pleasant. I kept my composure and treated him. I said my closure in my head. He didn't hear it. But I'm okay."
The big man continued to look at her. "I know he used this department in his excuse to cheat on you. You've worked your way through that to return. I promise you Meg, we didn't know. If we had, we wouldn't have covered for him. You know that. We think too much of you to hurt you like that."
Nodding, Meg looked at her hands. The chief slowly pulled away from the ER and Meg began to talk quietly. "I guess you know that I met up with Dean, Seth and Jay while I was out fishing by myself." He grunted in agreement. "I knew the basics of what to do because Chris had taken me out before. Really one of the few things we did, occasionally going out on the boat together when the guys were busy and running calls together. Other than that, a wife's place is keeping the house hospitable. I didn't realize what was happening at first, that he was trapping me in the house. It happened slowly." She swallowed hard. "He went from the sweet friendly guy that I married to the ass that people were talking about. Guys commented on it. We'd get back from a call and they'd ask me how come he'd changed so much. Then I'd have to go home and deal with him." Meg twiddled her thumbs. "Somewhere along the way he got a girlfriend. One day she showed up with a pregnancy test and a sex tape. He said, 'What do you want me to do? There's a baby. Get over it.' At that point, I didn't know where to turn or who to trust. He'd told me so many lies and I felt so alone." The chief made a noise that let her know she wasn't but she continued talking. "When I told the guys out on the boat that day, they said that in the divorce I got them. They'd been his friends first but he'd lost them and they were mine now." Meg looked out the side window and blinked rapidly at the memory, surprised by the sudden onslaught of tears. "I haven't had a peaceful conversation with Chris. Whenever he's around he yells. Looking at him today, I wanted to tell him that I had friends. I wanted to tell him that I had a great job that I love and that I've come back to the fire department. I wanted to tell him that Dean and I are a couple and that he makes me feel more alive than I have in years. I wanted to ask Chris how it is possible that in the years we were married I never felt more free, more independent and strong than I do when I am with Dean. Then I realized I didn't need to say anything to him because anyone who sees us in town will know. And they will see us because Dean brings me out and wants to be seen with me. I don't need to rub it in Chris's face."
They were just reaching the town limits because the chief was driving so slowly. Wanting to say something important, he pulled to the side of the road. "What happened behind closed doors in the past cannot be changed. I wish, girl, you don't know how badly I wish I'd known what you'd been going through. You would've never left town. Chris would've been run out before he'd knocked up his first bimbo." The way the large meaty hands were clenching the steering wheel left no doubt as to the chief's sincerity. "You've made your peace with the past. You're stronger than any of us could possibly imagine. I know I couldn't have done what you did today." He reached across the expansive divide between the seats and took her hand. "You asked why you feel so free when you are with Dean. Your heart is light because he is right for you. The two of you fit well together. That's all anyone can ask for in this life; to find someone whose quirks match their own."
Meg couldn't stop the tears that pooled in her eyes from spilling down her cheeks. "I promised Dean I would take a hunter safety course so we could go hunting together."
The chief squeezed her hand as he playfully rolled his eyes. "Good lord, woman! You said that to Dean? And he hasn't rushed you to the courthouse yet?" He put the ambulance back on the road and had them back at the fire house within minutes. "Might want to get yourself together really quick. Dean's ready to climb in here already."
Meg looked up to see Dean crossing the road in front of the ambulance and approaching her side. "Thanks for the talk, Chief. I'll keep him calm." Unfastening her seatbelt, Meg slipped from the still-moving piece of equipment and into her boyfriend's arms. Dean caught her easily, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Keeping their faces buried in each other's necks, they just held onto each other in the middle of the street wordlessly.
Once the ambulance was parked, the chief joined the small group watching the couple. "Chris?"
"We'll hear at some point. All I know is our girl got some closure." He stood with his feet shoulder width apart and arms folded across his barrel chest. "It was good for her."
"Dean was a wreck." Seth jerked his chin in his friend's direction.
"Imagine so. He wasn't beside her to protect her. They'll be fine now."
"Protect… What…" The chief had turned and walked into the firehouse. The friends turned and looked at the couple who were now whispering to each other.
