(It Was Almost) The First Time in Forever
By Ginny
Ch 9
My internal alarm goes off at 7:30 and I nudge Charlie, who is of course still sound asleep.
"What?" he asks as he pulls the covers back up so the only thing visible is a lock of silver hair.
"I want you to go have your bloodwork done," I explain as I pull the covers off his head.
"Now?" he whines.
"Now. You need to get there early before it gets crowded. Plus it's not like you can eat before you go."
I'm rewarded with a grunt as he pushes back the covers and rubs his eyes a bit.
"I'll let you drive yourself," I bargain, figuring that might get him moving.
"Fine," he agrees.
With another grunt he pushes himself off the bed, grabs some clothes and heads for the bathroom. He comes out a few minutes later in cargo shorts and a polo shirt. He shoves his feet into his shoes and heads downstairs.
I head down a minute later, after grabbing a load of laundry.
"Nancy, where are my car keys?" he asks as I hit the bottom
step and head for the kitchen. It's probably been two weeks since he's driven and it doesn't surprise me he has no idea where his keys are.
"Try the table in the foyer."
"Found them," he announces as he comes back in the kitchen.
I hand him the prescription, kiss his cheek and send him on his way. As soon as he closes the front door, Mac comes down the stairs carrying a small paper bag.
"God, I thought he'd never leave. I really have to pee," she says as she heads for the powder room.
She comes out a minute later holding the test stick and her cellphone with the timer open.
"Three minutes," she announces.
"Coffee?"
"Probably not the best idea right now, maybe later," she answers as she paces around.
The phone beeps and I put down my mug. She looks at the screen and there is an unmistakable plus sign. She drops the stick on the floor and as the tears start she puts her head in her hands. My tears start to fall approximately 30 seconds after hers. We hug each other and jump around like teenagers.
"Oh my God, a baby. I am too old for this," she says as she wipes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Will, I have to tell Will. I can't tell him over the phone. Wait, I want to make sure. Doctor's appointment first. Should I wait to tell him?"
"That's up to you."
"I think I want to be sure," she says firmly. "Yes, I do. Let me call my doctor and see if I can get an appointment.
While she goes to the den make the call in private, I take out the cake Katie and Ned baked yesterday so I can frost it.
"I have an appointment for Thursday morning," she announces as she comes back into the kitchen.
"Okay. My lips are sealed," I promise. I finish frosting the cake as Mac paces around a little.
"I think I want to tell Charlie," she says as she abruptly stops her pacing to look out the sliding glass door.
"You sure?"
"Not completely, but I also don't think you and I can keep it to ourselves for almost a week. I think it would cheer him up too."
"I'm sure he will be over the moon. He's always thought Will would make a great father."
We quickly eat some cereal and start to get things ready for the BBQ. As we finish rearranging the furniture on the deck and out by the pool I hear Charlie pull into the driveway. He finds us out back. Given the fact that he's got Band-aids on both arms, things didn't go so smoothly at the lab.
"Should I even ask?" I smirk as I point to his arms.
"Apparently, I did not have good veins today, whatever that means," he replies with a shrug of his shoulders. "They said I'm probably just a little dehydrated."
"Yeah, that's not an excuse to drink bourbon," I smirk. "What's in there?" I ask, pointing to the white paper bag in his hand.
"Donuts, Mac's favorites," he announces as he hands he bag to Mac. She accepts them with a smile and plants a kiss on his cheek.
Don and Sloan are set to arrive about noon, the rest of the guests about 2:00. That gives us a little over two hours to double team Charlie into a conversation about retirement.
I put on another pot of coffee and convince Charlie to eat something a little healthier than a jelly donut for breakfast. Mac, on the other hand is apparently now feeling fine and all but inhales a donut, not bothering to wait for the coffee. Charlie takes two mugs out to the deck where Mac is contemplating a second donut. I leave them alone for a few minutes while I make Charlie some oatmeal, hoping to give her time to tell Charlie her news.
I look out the window over the sink a minute later as Charlie jumps to his feet, grabs Mac and spins her around.
Charlie looks happier than he has been in…about 7 weeks.
When the oatmeal is done I take it out and the three of us settle down at the table. Charlie starts eating and Mac and I make small talk for a few minutes, very obvious small talk. And my husband is pretty smart.
"Okay, whatever the two of you have to say, let's hear it. We have things to do," he says with a smirk. I'm pretty sure he knows what we're about to talk about.
"Okay," Mac starts carefully. I'm sure she's trying to decide how to ease into the conversation. "Charlie, you need to retire," she says bluntly.
"So much for easing into things, Mac," I groan.
"It's okay," Charlie assures her. "Deep down I know that's what I need to do. But knowing it and being able to do it are two very different things. News is my life and it has been for a very, very long time." He takes a deep breath and scrubs his hand down his face. "But these last few weeks have been hell on all of us."
"It's been worse for you," Mac states simply. "You have been caught in the middle since the day Pruitt first walked into the bullpen. And I'll admit, we haven't exactly made it easy for you. I can't speak for the rest of your team but I apologize from the bottom of my heart," she says quietly, her voice cracking at the end. She wipes away a tear as Charlie reaches for her hand.
"You're all just doing your job. And I'm trying to do mine. But in the last week or so I've realized I'm just running myself into the ground. And I'm dragging people down with me," he says as he reaches for my hand.
Great, now Mac and I are both crying.
"Given the rather ominous prediction of Dr. Matthews, I think maybe it is time to really think about it. I want to spend more time with my family…and friends," he adds as he winks at Mac. "Not to mention my soon-to-be honorary grandchild." Mac smiles as wipes away some more tears.
Her phone rings and she steps back into the house to take the call.
"We need to have a serious conversation, you and me," he says as he squeezes my hand. I just nod as I wipe away another tear. He lifts my hand and presses a kiss across my knuckles.
I stand up and press a kiss to the top of his head.
"I love you," I whisper.
"Love you too," he replies as he pulls me into his lap, holding me tight for a minute. I can tell he's on the verge of getting emotional too. He tucks his head under my chin and takes a few deep, measured breaths as I rub his back. "I mean it, you and me, a serious conversation tomorrow," he promises. I can only nod.
When Mac comes back outside Charlie untangles himself from my embrace. I stand to let him up. He grab the mugs and heads towards the door.
"I'm going to take a quick shower. Where are the pills from yesterday?" he asks over his shoulder as he steps over the threshold.
"I put everything in the medicine cabinet in our bathroom. I took out the bottles you don't need anymore."
"Okay," he answers.
Mac comes out a minute later.
"He promised a real conversation tomorrow," I tell Mac with a sigh.
"That's good right?" she asks.
"It is, but it is also terrifying."
"It is," she agrees as she gives me a quick hug.
I hear the front door open a few minutes after noon. Little footsteps soon follow as well as a voice yelling "Poppy!"
"Poppy's out back, Ned," I call from the kitchen where I'm busy slicing tomatoes and onions for the burgers.
"Hi Nana," Ned c as hells scoots through the kitchen on his way out the back door. "Hey, not so fast mister," I tease. Ned stops at the door, turns around and comes over to hug me. "That's better. Say hi to Mac."
"Hey Mac," he says as he gives her the quickest of hugs before bolting for the back door and his beloved Poppy. "Odd that he didn't ask where Will is," she muttered, more to herself than me.
"Uh, Katie had a little talk with him yesterday. He knows Will is "away" but we've been pretty careful not to let him hear the word "jail". I don't think we'd be able to explain being jailed for journalistic integrity to a 6 year old."
"Good call, thanks," Mac replies with a smile.
Katie comes in the front door a minute later carrying a tray of Rice Krispie treats and Ned's backpack. "I think that boy was out of the car before I had it in park," she mutters as she hands Mac the tray. "He wanted to come over when he got up this morning….at 6:30! How's Will?" she asks as she sets the backpack on one of the kitchen chairs.
"Hanging in there, thanks for asking," Mac replies as she turns to grab something out of the fridge. "And thanks for talking to Ned," she adds.
"You're welcome," Katie assures her with a smile.
Beau arrives a little while later, accompanied by three friends from his band. We put them to work lugging the soda, beer and water bottles out to the deck to put them in the coolers Charlie dragged out earlier. All the boys are really nice kids, Beau's been friends with them since they were all Ned's age. By 1:30 the four of them are in the pool. Surprisingly Ned is not in the pool yet. Probably has to do with the fact he seems to be attached at the hip to Charlie, who is definitely not in the mood to go swimming.
Sloan and Don arrive a few minutes after 2:00 carrying wine and cookies. Don goes out to the deck, grabs a beer and heads out by the pool to say "hi" to Charlie who is watching Ned as he just got in the pool.
The "girls" and I get the appetizers out and pour ourselves some drinks, wine for all of us but Mac. Hopefully nobody will get suspicious over her lack of wine. We engage in lots of girl talk, mostly centering around Don and Sloan's relationship.
At 3:30 I'm about to find Charlie and have him start the grill. Takes me a minute to find him. He's in the driveway with Beau's friends and Don. Thankfully he seems to be observing the basketball game this time. I don't need a repeat of what happened earlier in the week, especially not with a yard full of people. He excuses himself and heads out to the deck to turn on the grill.
Sloan offers to help him man the grill while Ned and Katie help me carry the rest of the food out to the serving table. We all gather on the deck half an hour later ready to eat. After a quick blessing by Charlie the teens motion for the adults to grab some food first. We accept the offer graciously.
Exactly half an hour after he finishes eating, Ned manages to convince both Don and Charlie to go in the pool with him. I turn on the hot tub immediately, the guys are going to need it. The pool is fairy warm but it's still the middle of June and the air temperature is already starting to drop as the sun sets lower in the sky.
Eventually Beau and his friends end up back in the pool too, playing a game which seems to involve seeing how far they can throw Ned, who is in his glory. Don and Charlie take the opportunity to escape the pool and head for the hot tub to warm up. I take some towels down them as Mac and Katie clean up the deck a little. I sit on the edge of the hot tub next to Charlie. The warm water is just lovely. Don and I chat for a while, carefully avoiding the topic of ACN in general. Charlie is quiet, a little too quiet if you ask me. Eventually Sloan calls Don and he climbs out, gratefully taking the towel I brought him.
I scoot over a little and maneuver myself so Charlie is sitting between my knees. "You okay, sweetie?" I ask as I put my hands on his shoulders and lean over to whisper in his ear.
"Yeah, just worn out. I'm okay," he says quietly. I kiss his cheek as Ned comes running over in tears.
"What happened?" Charlie asks as Ned climbs in the hot tub and sits in his lap. He's got his hand over his mouth and I can see blood.
"Beau's head hit my lip," he cries.
By now Beau has gotten out of the pool to check on him. He apologizes to his little brother and goes to get an ice pack out of the freezer.
"Let me see," Charlie says as he moves Ned's hand out of the way a little. There's a fair amount of blood but I realize it looks worse than it is because Ned is dripping wet from the pool. "Well, you're going to have a fat lip, buddy," he announces. I wipe his face with a towel and take a closer look. There's small cut where his little tooth cut into his lip. His teeth are still intact although I'm sure he'd be fine with them becoming a little loose. His friends have all lost numerous teeth and he has yet to lose any.
"Everything okay?" Katie calls from the deck.
"He's okay. Beau's getting ice," I call back. I push Ned's hair back and kiss his forehead. Beau brings the ice pack and Ned settles down next to Charlie for a few minutes. I slip back up to the deck to check on the clean-up progress.
By the time the sun has set all the boys are out by the fire pit making s'mores. Ned's recovered from his little accident but he will have a nice fat lip in the morning. Somehow melted chocolate and marshmallow make everything a little bit better.
The girls and I are still on the deck with some tea and cake. Don and Charlie have disappeared, along with a plate of assorted desserts. I imagine they are in the den drinking.
"How's Charlie doing, really?" Sloan asks as she stabs a forkful of cake.
"Honestly, things have been more difficult than I could have ever imagined. Worried about his health. He had a physical on Thursday and things did not go well. Will be having some tests in the next few weeks."
"I feel responsible for some of his problems," Sloan says with a sigh.
"I know you do, all of you do, but it's not your fault. You're all trying to do your best in a horrible situation. You're all caught in the middle, Charlie included."
Mac and Sloan nod in agreement.
Ned wanders up to the deck. He's pretty much covered in chocolate and marshmallow. He's also shivering. Katie takes him inside to get him cleaned up and into something warmer. I head in to check on my missing husband.
As predicated he is in the den with Don. They are watching a baseball game on the television. Well, in Charlie's case, watching is an exaggeration, he is half asleep. Don is stretched out on the couch and Charlie is in the recliner, empty glass beside him. Don smiles as I poke my head in the room. He glances at his watch and gets up. I imagine he, Sloan and Mac need to start heading back to the city.
Sloan and Mac are outside on the lounge chairs, about as awake as Charlie. Don crawls up Sloan's chair to snuggle with her despite her weak protests. I pack up some goodies for all of them to take home. Beau and his friends say their goodbyes and head home.
Charlie wakes up long enough to say goodbye to Mac, Sloan and Don. He shuffles back into the den with Ned following.
Katie and I make one last sweep of the deck, bringing in the few stray cups and dishes.
"More tea?" Katie asks as she closes and starts the dishwasher.
"Sure."
Katie and I settle at the island with our tea and the few remaining cookies.
"So how's Dad, really?" she asks.
"I don't know. Physically he's been okay the last few days. Eating and sleeping better. I know the doctor's appointment really freaked him out. And while I don't like to see him freaked out, I'm almost glad. Maybe now something will change. Mac and I talked to him this morning."
"Double teamed him?" Katie teases.
"Exactly. Not a big conversation but your Dad did promise that we would be have a serious talk tomorrow."
"Oh, that reminds me, the boys and I won't be at church tomorrow. They are going with Michael in the morning and I have to get some things done for my meeting on Monday."
"Dad's going to miss his little office buddy tomorrow afternoon."
"They can spend some time together on Monday before Dad leaves for work. I'll drop him off about 7:30. What do you hope to accomplish with the conversation?"
"In my dream world he will agree to retire in the next 6 months. End of the year sounds good to me. End of the week sounds even better but I don't think that will happen. I'm sure he will want to ease out of everything. And I understand that. Once he makes the decision and announces it I think things will be easier on him."
"Makes sense. I just hope it works out that way you want it to," she says with a sigh. "If you need back up, just let me know."
We finish our tea and the rest of the cookies, chatting about the boys and their summer plans.
At 10:00 we go to check on the "boys". The light and television are both on and they are sound asleep curled up in the recliner. Adorable doesn't seem to even begin to describe how they look. Both with wild hair because neither combed their hair after getting out of the pool. Charlie got a little color from being in the sun today. Ned has a new crop of freckles sprinkled across his cheeks and nose. I grab my cell phone and snap a quick picture. Katie picks Ned up while I grab his backpack and her purse. We get him out to the car and strapped into his seat without him waking up. I wave as she pulls away. Before I head back in I grab the few cups and plates that ended up on the front porch.
With everything cleaned up and put away I head back to the den to wake Charlie and get him up to bed.
"Sweetie," I whisper as I smooth down his hair a little. His eyes pop open and he looks around, I would assume for Ned. "They left a little while ago. Ned never even woke up when Katie carried him out."
"What time is it?" he asks as he rubs his eyes to try and orient himself a little.
"10:30. Are you ready to go to bed?"
"I don't know," he mutters as he propels himself forward a little to put down the foot rest of the recliner. He stands up and takes a minute to make sure he's steady on his feet. With a sigh he pads into the kitchen, carrying his now empty glass with him.
I fold the throw he and Ned had used before following him to the kitchen. He's standing at the fridge with the door open. I can't help but laugh.
"Looking for something?" I ask as I cross the room and stand next to him, rubbing his back a little.
"Ginger ale."
"I think there's some left in the cooler outside. Want me to get it?" I offer.
"I'll get it. I need some air," he says as he heads for the deck. I don't follow him, figuring he'll be right back in. When he doesn't come right back in I look out the window to see what he's doing. I don't see him right away so I peek my head out the sliding glass door. He's sitting on the end of one of the lounge chairs.
"You want some company?"
"Always," he answers over his shoulder as he holds his hand out to me.
"Let me get a sweatshirt, you want one?"
"Please."
I grab sweatshirts for both of us and the throw from the den. I settle down on the same chair as him. He slips the News Night sweatshirt on over his head and scoots back to lean against me. He takes a drink and sets the can down on the little table next to the chair. I pull him close and wrap my arms around him. He relaxes instantly in my embrace turning on his side a little, tucking his head under my chin. I kiss the top of his head and rub his back.
"It was a nice day," he whispers. "I can't believe it, a baby. They are going to be great parents. I just hope he gets home soon."
"Me too. You going to go see him on Monday?"
"Yeah, I can't believe I missed visiting last week."
"Well Charlie, if you remember, you were busy puking," I tease.
"Yeah, no need to remind me."
"So how's your stomach been?" I ask. I'm thinking not great at the moment, given his choice of beverage.
"Not so great at the moment but I don't think that has to do with anxiety. Probably has something to do with a burger, piece of chicken, cookies and God only knows what the hell I ate today. And bourbon," he adds, knowing I will add it if he doesn't.
"Did you take something?"
"Yeah, before Ned and I went into the den."
Charlie shivers a little and I pull the throw up over him.
"Better?"
"Much," he whispers.
Ten minutes later his breathing evens out and I know he's fallen asleep. I know I should wake him soon and drag him upstairs but I am way too comfortable at the moment. It's not like we need to be up at the crack of dawn, church starts at 11:00.
An indeterminate amount of time later Charlie startles awake. We are both completely disoriented for a good 20 seconds.
"What time is it?" he asks.
"No idea," I mutter. Neither of us has a watch or cell phone with us. "I think it's safe to say, time to actually got to bed," I tease as I untangle the blanket so we can get up. Charlie swings his feet off the chair and sits up quickly. "Not so fast," I say as I put my hand on his shoulder to keep him where he is for a minute.
"Good idea," he mutters. He takes a few breaths and I slide off the chair so I can help him up a minute later. He holds his hand out and lets me pull him to his feet. I can tell he's pretty stiff. We are both too old to be sleeping together on a lounge chair. We head inside to look at the clock.
"3:30? Wow," Charlie mutters as he looks at the clock on the microwave.
"Guess we were pretty tired. Come on, let's go up." I take him by the arm and lead him upstairs before he has a chance to get a second wind.