Looks like I'm staying for dinner. I set my hat on the table just inside the door and hang my coat on one of the empty hooks next to it. I've never moved beyond the front stoop of Vic's house before so not I'm totally sure how it's laid out. I follow the sounds I hear and find Cady in the kitchen pulling some items out of a brown paper bag.

"I stopped to get some bottled water and juice, as well as a few other things. I wasn't sure what Vic would have in the fridge."

I figure I should probably tread lightly, "Good thinking. Where's she gotten to anyway?"

"After giving me a brief oration on how she's only agreed to let me stay to appease you and to keep my thoughts and opinions to myself she headed up the stairs. I assume her bedroom's up there. I'm sure she'll be back down shortly."

I sit on a stool by the counter and extend an olive branch, "Cady, thanks for helping out with everything."

She keeps on her mission investigating Vic's cupboards, "Sure. When we couldn't track you down after she collapsed I knew one thing for certain, that you wouldn't want her to be left alone. After Ruby told me Shaun was out of town I didn't hesitate to offer to take a shift at the hospital with her. If Vic's important to you, then she's important to me too."

"Thanks, Cady. That means a lot." More than you know.

She stops what she's doing and puts one hand on a hip, "Where were you anyway?"

I press my lips together before answering, "It's not important, but know that I am sorry. You and Ruby had enough extra on your plate without having to take up my slack too. It wasn't fair of me. You should have been able to enjoy your victory with Henry before getting pulled into more drama."

"Well, you're back now, so Ruby and I can start brainstorming ways you can make it up to us." She lowers her voice, "Has Vic said anything to you about Shaun yet? Or the divorce?"

"Ruby told you about that?"

"Yeah, It's been a long time since since I've seen her as angry as she was when Henry told her Shaun wasn't coming home to be with Vic in the hospital."

"Vic hasn't said anything about it to me. She'll bring it up when she's ready. In the meantime, we'll just help out as much as she'll let us."

"Well, I have no doubt she's going to push me out the door as soon as she thinks she can get away with it."

"Just don't let her do it before the morning."

"Give me a little bit of credit, Dad. She's recovering from a brain injury. I know she shouldn't be alone overnight. I just hope her stairs don't creak. I don't want her to hear me coming up there to check on her. She seems like the type who would sleep with a gun under her pillow. I have no intention of being used for target practice when she shoots first and asks questions later in the middle of the night."

"It won't be that bad, Cady. I wouldn't have asked you to do this if I thought it was dangerous. She's actually pretty harmless."

"Who are you trying to convince, me or you?"

"Both?"

"That's what I thought. I don't want to take any chances."

Cady locates a pad of paper and a pen and declares an end to the conversation by starting a shopping list so I decide to explore the main floor of the house. There's a front room off the entryway finished tastefully in shades of burgundy and cream. While it's a nice room, the furniture and other trappings don't really seem to fit Vic's personality. It would be difficult for me to imagine Vic in this room at all save for the 11 x 14 photograph in an ornate gold frame. It's a picture of Vic and Shaun on their wedding day. Her dark hair is swept up with a long veil attached to a small tiara. He's wearing a black tuxedo with tails. The photograph was taken in front of an altar in what appears to be a massive Catholic church. It's quite a contrast to the outdoor shots from Martha and mine's wedding which was a much simpler affair. I imagine Vic's mother was responsible for most of the wedding planning and while I'm ashamed to think it, I wonder how much she also had to do with the selection of the groom. Shaun and Vic do seem to be a little mismatched as a couple. From what I know of Lena Moretti, she was probably willing to do whatever she could to "save" her only daughter from the kind of marital difficulties that she and Vic's father have had. I look at the picture more closely. Their faces look happy and full of hope. I'm glad to see that, but it also makes me a little sad. Somewhere along the course of their journey together something happened in their marriage that brought them to the place where they felt the only viable option was to end it. In contrast, I never wanted my marriage to end and wasn't allowed a vote in the decision.

I move down the hall, past the kitchen and a bathroom. At the end, I find myself standing in a large room with a high ceiling, an open stairway on one end and windows all along one wall. It is immediately obvious to me that this must be where Vic spends much of her time at home. The furniture looks comfortable and inviting with pillows, blankets and afghans strewn about to help fight off the bitter Wyoming winters. At the far end there's a fireplace with a big screen TV mounted above it and bookshelves flanking either side. On the wall opposite the windows there are panoramic pictures of Veteran's Stadium, Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park. As I look around I find myself wondering if Vic will be able to afford to keep this house without Shaun's income. While it is more house than she probably needs, you can tell she's settled in and made at least this part her own.

I start to investigate the bookshelves when I hear Vic coming down the stairs. She's wearing a worn Philadelphia Flyers sweatshirt that looks about two sizes too big for her and a pair of black leggings. Her feet are bare and she's towel drying her hair. I realize I've rarely ever seen her out of her work boots and notice how graceful she looks without them, even in the over sized clothing. Her toenails are painted pink and her feet are definitively feminine. It seems impossible, but seeing her in such a state makes me more attracted to her than I already was. I follow her into the kitchen and am a little disappointed when she disappears into the laundry room and returns with a pair of socks on her feet. She has no idea she's denying me the privilege of admiring the soft curves of her arches. I'm hoping her shower has helped her to calm down a little.

"So what now?"

Cady and I look at each other. She raises her eyebrows at me and turns her attention back to her list.

"What do you mean, Vic?"

"We've got approximately 7 hours before I go to bed. You've insisted on inserting yourselves into my recovery and therefore my home. So, now that you're here, what am I supposed to do with you?"

If she's calmed down, it isn't by much, "Uh, nothin', Vic. You just go about your business. We don't want to be in the way."

"I don't suppose you're going to let me drink a beer are you? That would be next on my agenda."

"Well, did your discharge papers say anything about consuming alcohol?"

"I don't know. I didn't read them, I just signed them so I could get out of there." She walks into the hallway and returns with two pieces of paper that she pushes into my hands, "Here, you read them and tell me what you find." She walks out of the kitchen.

I skim through the papers until I get to the part where it talks about no alcoholic beverages for two months. I look up at Cady, "She's not supposed to drink."

Cady smiles as she hands me two bottles of water, "Good luck with that. I'm staying in here."

"Coward."

"Takes one to know one."

I find Vic sitting on one end of the couch with her legs pulled up underneath her. She's staring into the cold fireplace. I elect to not say anything about the beer and set one of the bottles of water on the table next to her. She's a smart woman. She'll figure it out.

"You seem a little, uh, on edge. Are you feeling okay?"

She shrugs her shoulders and turns to face me. "I can tell I don't feel like myself but it's pretty vague as to what exactly is wrong. Dr. Weston said I could be out of sorts for while. Maybe this is what he meant. I thought I'd feel better once I got home, mentally I mean." She sighs, "I'm sorry, Walt, I know you two are trying to help. I just hate being a burden on anyone. My husband should be the one to...well, we both know that's not going to happen."

Maybe now's the time to come clean about what I know, "When is he due back from Alaska?" Or maybe not. Cady's right, I am a coward.

She turns her attention to the windows before answering, "Your guess is as good as mine. It's not like we parted on good terms."

I wait for her to continue.

"I didn't want to tell you yet but considering the circumstances I guess I need to. Shaun's filed for divorce. I was going to and then while I was having second thoughts he beat me to it."

"So he's not coming back."

"Not to stay, but he will have to come back eventually. He doesn't want the house or the furniture but he still has most of his clothes and some other things here that are his. I'm sure he'll come pick all that up."

"How are you doing with all that?"

She looks over at me, "Are you going to go all Dr. Phil on me?"

"Nope. Just concerned. I care about you."

I hadn't really planned on that slipping out of my mouth so soon but here it is. I want to keep going and tell her how important she is to me. I want her to know that the thought of her no longer being in my life almost broke me. I want to ask her what she thinks and feels about me but I know now is not the time for any of that, so I don't.

She turns back to the windows, "Thanks, Walt."

The doorbell rings, pulling us both out of our peaceful silence. Vic stands then pauses slightly. I see her start to tilt and quickly move over to catch her just before she starts to fall to the left.

"I'll get it" I hear Cady's footsteps walking toward the door but my eyes are locked on Vic's. She looks confused and frightened but as I hold her there I start to see something else entirely. Her eyes explore my face finally resting on my lips before rising back up to my eyes.

"I...got dizzy. I must have stood up too fast."

"It's okay, I've got you."

It seems like forever but I'm sure it's only a few moments before I help her back down onto the couch. I sit too, keeping her supported with my arm. I'm so focused on Vic and what just happened that I'm only vaguely aware of hearing Henry's voice in the background as he and Cady move toward the kitchen.

Vic starts to slowly shake her head.

"What?"

"Just call me Lizzie, fainting to get your attention."

I close my eyes briefly before speaking. I need to be clear with her, "Vic, you're nothing like Lizzie. You don't have to faint, or do anything else for me to pay attention to you. I'm already there."

"Really?" I hear a vulnerability in her voice that I'm not used to hearing from her.

"To be honest, Vic, I think I may already pay more attention to you than I should."

"Oh."

I am only pulled out of Vic's eyes by the sound of Henry clearing his throat. I look over to my best friend standing just inside the room. He looks as though he didn't really want to interrupt, "Hello, Henry."

"Walt." He moves his gaze past me, "Vic, I hope you're hungry. You look as though you may have lost a few pounds over the last few days. We will see what we can do about that. Come, Cady has the table set and we can eat."

"Thanks."

I stand and offer my hand to Vic. She takes it and allows me to help her stand, this time without almost falling over, "Are you ready?"

She nods and looks me straight in the eye, "I'm ready."

These two latest chapters seem to have channeled Craig Johnson's characters of the page a little more. (If you haven't read the books, you really should, they are amazingly good!) While it obviously works for me, I hope it works for you too!