AN: Thank you everyone once again for your support.

"mchicken" - this one's for you :-) Thank you for all your inspiring artwork and of course for reading this story and reviewing.

Tanith


Chapter 13

A king's ransom in dimes I'd given each night

Just to see through this payphone

Still I run out of time

Or it's hard to get through

Till the bird on the wire flies me back to you

I'll just close my eyes and whisper,

Baby blind love is true

Bed of Roses - by Bon Jovi


Steve realized just how thirsty he was when he guzzled down his juice in a matter of seconds. "How was coffee?" he asked suspiciously. He had a good feeling that Mike and Whitney had a little heart-to-heart with their coffee.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Mike quipped before his tone grew serious. "Let's just say I gave him a little fatherly advice."

"Hmph. How did he take it?"

"About as well as Rudy does when I cancelled my vacation five years in a row."

"That bad?"

"Okay, maybe I was over exaggerating," Mike replied a little sheepishly then added, "A little."

"Honestly though, how do you feel about the wedding?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I think what bothers me the most is their premarital arrangement."

"Oh? Do tell," Steve pressed.

Mike sighed. "When I got home today, Jeannie was packing her suitcase."


Out in the corridor, Jeannie made her way back to Steve's room. She slowed her pace and kept close to the wall on one side to allow an orderly with his trolley to pass. Steve's room was only a few steps away and she could hear Mike and Steve conversing. What made her hesitate to move forward was the subject matter that the two men were discussing so freely.

"Apparently Whitney wants them to live together before they tie the knot."

Jeannie missed the rest Mike's sentence when an elderly woman tapped her on the shoulder and asked her if she could kindly direct her to reception.


Steve tried his best to keep a neutral face despite feeling rather crestfallen by the news. "Ah. Have you spoken with Jeannie about it?"

"Yes, but you know my daughter. When she has her mind set on something, very little can stand in her way. And that's what scares me because my gut tells me Whitney is manipulating her into thinking this move is her decision too," Mike confided.

"So, exactly what did you say to Whitney that was so bad?" Apart from satisfying his curiosity, Steve needed something to divert him from this shocking and depressing update on the Jeannie-Whitney-living-under-one-roof nightmare.


The elderly woman who commandeered Jeannie's attention chuckled in embarrassment when her memory returned to her. "Oh bless you, my dear. I remember now! Silly me. All these corridors look the same to me. It's no wonder I got lost."

"That's quite alright, really," said Jeannie. She watched and made sure the old lady followed her directions then she inched herself closer to the doorway, keeping her back pressed to the wall.

"You actually said that to the guy? Well, between you and me, I can't say I'm a great fan of Holden. Personally, I don't get what Jeannie sees in him. What're you gonna do? Maybe it's not too late to snap her out of it. I mean they didn't seem too happy being in each other's company when they were here earlier. If you ask me, there's trouble in paradise."

"Maybe," Mike contemplated.

Of course, neither men noticed Jeannie standing near the doorway listening in to their conversation.


Hurt and annoyed that both Mike and Steve would discuss her love life in such a way behind her back, Jeannie decided she'd heard enough and turned away. While Whitney wasn't perfect, she admitted that, at least he'd been honest with her where it counted. She wished she heard what it was that Mike had said to her fiancé. It was no wonder he was so upset, she thought. He probably had every right to be from the way Steve reacted. Steve. Who was he to give an opinion on her love life? She could understand Mike's feelings about her moving in with Whitney even if she was still nevertheless unhappy with the way he handled it, but Steve? If he was so disagreeable with her engagement, why didn't he man up and do something about it?

Jeannie stopped her internal monologue when she realized the direction her thoughts were moving towards. Hot tears prickled the corners of her eyes. No, Steve had his chance to tell her how he felt. Obviously, after taking into consideration his reputation with the opposite sex, she just wasn't good enough for him. All that time that lapsed between them while she was in college was probably spent with women he couldn't even remember the names of.

Thinking back on the day Whitney drifted back into her life, she remembered why it was she started dating him. He was very forthcoming with his feelings but not in a way that made her feel uncomfortable. He confessed to her about his crush on her back in high school when they were friends. In fact, she also had a crush on him when they went to the prom together but neither of them were brave enough to make a move. Each too afraid to risk their friendship. Then when they went to college they drifted further and further apart and eventually lost contact. It wasn't until they ran into each other at a coffee shop one day that the two friends reunited in ways they hadn't expected. Jeannie was facing a stressful week of upcoming exams, a falling out with her room-mate and Mike being hospitalized. Whitney was there to not only cheer her up but he spent every evening after work and after her visits to the hospital to help her study. It was because of Whitney she passed all her exams and because of Whitney she found that special something that was missing from her life.

Where was Steve when she needed him? There were always excuses. Or lack there-of to explain his absences. Sure he was around when Mike was hurt but she always felt this gap between them. It was like a chasm, growing wider and darker.

Suddenly feeling chilled, Jeannie wrapped her arms around herself and made her way down to reception to phone for a cab to take her home. After everything that happened and all that she heard, she needed some time to herself.