After they arrived at the Fine's apartment, Fran left the living room to find her father, and Sylvia stayed with Max, overjoyed at the news of their engagement.
"Oh, Mr. Sheffield! I'm just so happy the two of you are getting married! I just can't believe it's finally happening! You know she's had a thing for you for ages. We just never thought the two of you would get together. But now that you are, oh my goodness!" Sylvia cried.
"Well, Sylvia, I have to admit I had a thing for your daughter for quite a while, too. I just- well, I had a lot of issues I had to get over. I took way too long to get over them though. I have a lot to make up to Fran," Max said, solemnly.
"Oh, don't you worry about all that. Fran's very forgiving, as long as she knows you're committed to her. And she knows. We can all see it now. I'm just so happy she has you, with all this other business going on." Max nodded. "Tell me, how has she been? Has she been feeling alright?"
"Yes, She's been doing well. I think being able to eat normally really helps her out. She can take her medication again, too, and they gave her some other things to take. We just have to be a little more proactive about things and catch the fever if it starts up again. We need to keep taking her temperature throughout the day."
"Oh, good. That sounds like a good idea. I'm so glad you're there to take care of her now. To watch out for her."
"Yes, so am I. It just kills me that she was suffering so long, without anyone knowing. But that won't happen again. We'll get her all healthy again. We've got a lot of things we want to do together. Places we want to go." Max smiled, thinking of the future. "So, Sylvia, if you don't mind my asking- I mean, without Fran here- do you think you will come to the appointment on Friday?"
"Oh, absolutely! You couldn't keep me away!"
"Good, good. What about Morty? Do you think he will come?"
"I don't know, I might have to drag him. He's been very worried about her. He doesn't like anyone seeing it, but she's his baby, too. We've never been through anything like this before, and there isn't a lot of time to let it settle in, you know? I mean, if they want to do surgery so quickly."
"Maybe it will help him feel better if he goes on friday, he can ask any questions he has. Maybe it would make him feel- less out of the loop? I don't want him feeling like we're all involved in helping her without him. He should feel like he's included as much as anyone else."
"Oh, I know, I know. And I don't want you feeling like you need to go out of your way. You've really been wonderful with everything, taking care of her and everything. And I know Morty really appreciates it, too. It might just be time that he needs. Maybe Fran can get through to him, to let him know she needs him there too." They were quiet for a moment, looking towards the door Fran had gone through to find her father. "So tell me, what were these doctors like? I know you didn't have a long time with them, but did they seem alright?"
"Oh, yes, Sylvia. The oncologist was really great. He went through everything they knew so far, showed us the images, talked about possibilities. But he said they would be meeting with their surgical board to finalize things. He made a very good case for getting this surgery done sooner rather than later. Even showed us these things- they were like balls of different sizes that represented the tumor at different stages, so we could see how much it had grown in such a short time. And how letting it get any larger could cause more than one issue- not just affecting the size of the incision they would have to make, but that it could become more invasive. We don't want that, not at all."
"No, no we don't. So what will they be talking about on Friday?" Sylvia asked.
"Well, mostly what the plan is for next Monday. I think about how they prep her for surgery, what they will do, any special things she needs to do ahead of time. She has to be on a restricted diet this weekend. Then about the surgery itself. We know it will be arthroscopic- with a camera, so they will try to keep the incisions as small as possible and in places where they won't be so noticeable. Then probably about what they have to do to remove the tumor. Then I guess her recovery. So if you can think of any questions at all, maybe try to write them down. If we can't answer them, then we'll ask on Friday. Even Morty- if he has something to ask."
"Yes, I'll find a notepad."
"And I can send a car for you Friday morning, so you don't have to worry at all about driving or taking the subway. We can get you all the information about how to get to the office there at the hospital."
"Okay, yes. I think that might be a good idea, for a car. I don't think we should drive. Was Val coming?"
"She might- we weren't sure if she could get the time off from work. She wants to be there for the surgery, so she was going to see what time she could get off from work. We'll see. Oh, and Brighton will be coming as well. He's taken a big interest in this. I think not just for the medical side or because he can get credit at school, but I think it helps him feel a bit of control over things, too. He loves Fran a lot, he's worried about her. It's hard for him to show it, too, but he's making an effort. All of the children have been helpful. They really love and adore Fran. She's made a huge difference in their lives. And in mine too. And Niles. You've raised a wonderful daughter, Sylvia. You and Morty both."
"Oh, Mr. Sheffield. I'd like to take the credit, but Fran is a strong personality. She figured out a lot on her own. She always bounces back. She'll bounce back from this, too. We all have to believe that."
"Yes. Yes, we do. I do. She's the toughest person I know. She'll get through this surgery and I bet she recovers faster than they expect her to. And then we can get working on planning a wedding!" Max smiled at Sylvia.
"Oh! That's going to be so much fun! She's going to love that so much! And so will I! Oh, I can't wait! But we need to focus, we need to get her through all this first. If we can be of any help, Mr. Sheffield, please let me know. We'll do anything she needs. If you need a break, I can help, whatever she needs. Just let me know."
"I will, Sylvia, I will. We may just have to ask her afterwards, see what she wants and needs. And Sylvia, you can call me Max now, too."
"Oh!" Sylvia clutched her chest.
Just then, Fran appeared back in the doorway- with Morty. She had her arm wrapped around his and pulled him through into the living room.
"Look who I've got! Daddy was just watching the game, but he's taking a break from it. Come daddy, come sit."
"Well, yeah, it wasn't much of a game today. Those Islanders sure aren't what they used to be. Mr. Sheffield, how are you? I hear congratulations are in order!" Morty stuck out his hand and Max stood up and shook it.
"Yes, Morty. Thank you. And you know, it's alright if you and Sylvia call me by my first name. You know, we're family now."
"Oh, well! Max it is then!" Morty slapped Max's arm and Sylvia and Fran smiled. "Did you get a look at this ring, Syl? Both of them, even."
"Yes, I sure did. They're so beautiful," Sylvia said. She took Fran's other hand and they sat down with her on the couch, Max on an end chair. Sylvia looked over Fran's rings again and she smiled at Fran.
"So, Morty," Max started. "Sylvia and I were just talking. Um, would you be able to come to the appointment with us on Friday? I was telling Sylvia that we can send a car for you to get you to the hospital and back. We'd really like for both of you to be there."
"Yes, Morty. I'm going, and we can write down any questions we both have. It will help us understand what Frannie's going through, and what they will be doing for the surgery. I think it would be best if both of us were there." Sylvia said.
"Yeah, daddy," Fran said. "I do want both of you there. The appointment shouldn't take all that long. Maybe we can even have lunch afterwards. Or something. Okay, daddy?"
Morty looked at Fran, then at Sylvia, and at Max. He looked back at Fran. She smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. "Well, I suppose, if your mother's going, then it would make sense for me to be there too. I mean, if you really want me there."
"I do want you there, daddy. I need you to be there. You're my father. And I think it will help you too, to hear what they have to say. So you can know what we know." She rubbed her father's arm and smiled at him. He nodded.
Max and Sylvia smiled at each other.
"Well, let's celebrate your engagement! Let me get everyone something to drink! Sylvia exclaimed, standing up.
"Oh, ma," Fran said, "It's too early to drink."
"I don't mean alcohol, I don't have anything but Maneshevitz anyway, and that's not what you drink for an engagement celebration. I just mean any kind of a drink, to make a toast with. Orange juice, milk, water, tomato juice, coffee, tea…"
"How about tea, Ma? Is that okay with you, Max? Daddy?"
"Tea would be great," Max said.
"Tea is good, thank you Syl," Morty said.
"Let me run and get a kettle on, I'll be right back." Sylvia rushed into the kitchen, filled the kettle with water, turned on the stove, and set the kettle down on it, then rushed back out to sit next to Fran again. "It'll just be a few minutes now. Does everyone want milk and sugar?" Everyone nodded.
"Well, while the water's heating up, I need to excuse myself because my other medication is kicking in, if you know what I mean," Fran said, getting up quickly.
"Medication? They have you taking more medication?" Sylvia asked, concerned. Fran leaned down and whispered into her ear. "Oh! Oh." Sylvia moved out of her way and Fran rushed past Max, squeezing his shoulder as she did, then hurried to the bathroom.
"Did I miss something?" Morty asked.
"Oh, Morty, what kind of 'medication' makes you have to run to the bathroom?" Sylvia rolled her eyes.
"Oh. Oh! But why…?" Sylvia swatted at him. "Oh." He said, with the slightly-confused-but-I'll-stop-asking-questions look on his face.
Things got quiet for a little while. Then Max remembered. "Oh, would you like anything from the deli? We were going to stop there on the way back and get some things for Niles. We can pick you all up something too, if there's anything you want." Sylvia raised her eyes and looked at Morty.
"Well, I hadn't sorted out what to make for dinner tonight. Morty, is there something you might like from the deli?"
"Oh, well, I don't know, Syl. You know I could live there, but I'm not sure that would be so good for my health."
"Oh Morty, your health is fine. And you don't have to eat everything they have. Do you want some potato salad? Maybe their roast beef or pastrami might be nice. I could make sandwiches tonight."
Morty raised his eyebrows. "Sandwiches? You have some of that good bread?"
"I do, a brand new loaf. How about maybe roast beef sandwiches with some gravy, or au jus? They have that there, too, you know. And if you don't want potato salad, they do those wedges too, or even the potato hash. Would something like that sound good?"
"Well, I suppose I- I mean um, you know, if we had some, I expect I'd probably, uh…"
"Done. We'll get you some of that then. Does that sound good to you Sylvia?"
"That would be wonderful, Max! Thank you so much! Oh, that helps me so much, now I can wait until tomorrow to go make a grocery run. Thank you!" Just then the kettle whistled and Sylvia jumped up and ran into the kitchen.
"Thank you for that, Max, it's much appreciated. Really. Syl works so hard around here, she really appreciates things like that. And, so do I. Really."
"My pleasure, Morty. Well, I guess I should say our pleasure. Fran and I are a team now." Max smiled. Morty felt happy about that, and he smiled too. Morty looked back and forth a moment, making sure the coast was clear.
"You know, Max, Fran really does love you. I'm happy for you both. I can only imagine how happy Frannie is, now that you're engaged, too. She must be over the moon." Morty said.
"Well, she has me over the moon, too, Morty. Like I was telling Sylvia, you two raised a wonderful daughter."
"Aw. She is pretty spunky, isn't she?" The two men laughed. Fran came back into the living room as Sylvia came out with a tray of cups of hot tea.
"What are you two laughing at?" Fran asked. "Or do I even want to know? Ma, sit by daddy. I want to sit by Max." She smiled and took Max's hand and sat at the end of the couch.
"Sure, sweetie," Sylvia smiled, passing out the cups of tea. They all took small sips as Sylvia sat down. She put her arm around Fran and hugged her.
"Now, don't make me spill, Ma. I don't have any clothes here to change into."
"I'm sorry, sweetie, I just can't believe my baby's getting married!" Sylvia clutched at her chest and then picked up her tea.
"Well, not for a little while, Ma. We still have to see how my recovery goes. Once I have the surgery and see how I feel, then we can get a better idea of a timeline. We need to figure out a place to reserve, too, before we plan much else."
"Oh, you'll be such a beautiful bride, Fran! Won't she, Max?"
"Absolutely, Syl! The most beautiful. We might have to make a run to the bookstore and buy up all the bridal magazines for her to look at during recovery," Max teased, smiling.
"Hey, you know you ain't joking. I'll need something to pass the time while I'm sitting in bed!" Fran said.
"Oh, Fran, I'm sure you won't be in bed all that long, you should be able to come downstairs and hang out," Sylvia told her.
"Oh, I'll get through those magazines before I'm allowed to come downstairs and walk around. I bet you I will!" They all laughed.
"You know, Fran, I bet the girls will love looking at them with you," Max said.
"Yeah, that'll be nice," Fran said softly.
They chatted over tea for a while until Fran asked Max if he might be ready to head out. Sylvia took their tea cups back to the kitchen and Morty shook Max's hand, thanked him for the cigars, and hugged Fran, then headed back into the den to watch the rest of the game. As Fran and Max helped Sylvia tidy up, Max glanced at Fran. She had gotten a little quiet, and her smile started to look a little strained. Max reached for her hand and looked into her eyes, then tried to inconspicuously rest his wrist on the back of her neck. His face grew concerned.
"Um, Sylvia, I hate to trouble you, but-" he glanced at Fran and she didn't protest. She was pretty sure she knew what Max would ask. "By any chance do you have a thermometer we could borrow?"
Sylvia whipped around and looked from Max to Fran, startled at first, then realizing why Max wanted a thermometer. She reached for Fran and pressed her own wrist to Fran's forehead. "Let me go get it, wait right here!" Sylvia said quietly, so Morty wouldn't hear.
Max took Fran in his arms and kissed her forehead. "It's alright, darling. We'll get you home fairly quickly and get your medication. Maybe it would be a good idea to bring it with you if we go out somewhere again. I was a little afraid this might happen. Should we skip stopping at the deli?"
"No, no, it's not that bad right now. We'll go get what we need to get, and drop off their food here, then head home. I can rest when we get home, until the medication kicks in. I guess I just wasn't expecting it to kick in this early, since that only happened once before."
Sylvia came back into the living room, shaking out the thermometer. She squinted as she looked at it to see if it was ready, then handed it to Fran. Fran put it under her tongue, and they all sat back down on the couch- Fran in the middle and Max and Sylvia on either side of her. Sylvia held her hand in silence and Max rubbed her back. Fran rested her head against Max's shoulder. They waited for the thermometer in awkward silence.
"So, um, Syl, for the deli- it was roast beef, au jus, and potato hash?" Sylvia nodded. "We can grab some dessert for you too, if you'd like."
"Oh, don't worry about that. It's alright to skip that if you need to get her home. Really, it is."
Fran shook her head no, then mumbled with the thermometer "I'm okay." She patted her mother's hand. Max checked her cheek with the back of his hand.
"She doesn't feel super hot, like what she went through before. It just feels like a low fever. Sweetheart, I can run into the deli myself if you want to stay in the car. Okay?"
Fran shrugged and patted Max's leg. She took out the thermometer and looked at it, then handed it to Max.
"99.5. Yes, we need to get you back home and get your medicine. Sylvia, we'll run to the deli, then would it be possible for you to come down to get the food when we come back this way? We can give you a call when we're on our way back."
"Oh, absolutely! You won't need to get out of the car. I can do that!" They all stood up and Max helped Fran on with her coat, then put his on. They both hugged Sylvia and headed out of the apartment to the waiting car, and headed for the deli.
Fran decided she was well enough to go into the deli with Max, and help him order everything quickly. She recognized a few people behind the counter and said hello, introducing Max as her fiancé.
"Yo, Frannie! That's fantastic! Congratulations to the both of you!" A man named Pauly called out.
"Thank you, Pauly! He just proposed yesterday," she waved her hand with the ring on it in front of them. Max smiled.
"Whoa! What a rock! So you putting an announcement in the paper or something? That's the kind of news that needs to get around this neighborhood, things have been real dull here lately."
"Well, yeah, of course there will be an announcement. But it might not make it into this week, so maybe next week if we can get a picture done for it. But believe me, my mother will be at the Kinkos making copies and plastering all the walls and poles with them to make sure everybody knows!"
"Oh, yeah, I bet she will! Boy, the Chatterbox will be crazy with all that talk! So whatcha here for? What can we get started for you?" Pauly said.
"Well, we're getting stuff for my parents too, so can we keep that separate? We're going back past there on the way back to the city so we need a bag I can just hand over to Ma."
"Sure, that's no problem. What ya gettin' for them?"
Fran looked at Max, since he knew what to order.
"Well, they want some roast beef with au jus to make sandwiches, and potato hash, if you've got it. What do you think, Fran, maybe enough for four people so they can have leftovers?"
"Yeah, four should be good. Pauly, they'll probably do maybe four sandwiches- can you get us enough to make four big, fat sandwiches? I'm sure it won't last long with those two. And enough potato hash for four big servings. Is that good to have the au jus on, too? It seems like it would be."
"Oh yeah it is! I can get a bowl of au jus for them, it should last through everything. You want a loaf of bread, too? We can slice it up. We got fresh Italian loaves that go great with the roast beef."
Fran looked at Max for the okay, he nodded. "Yeah, throw in one of those, sliced. And two bottles of tea. We'll see what else we're getting for us, too." She took Max's hand and they looked through the deli displays, trying to decide on what to get for Niles to fix.
"Definitely hash- but do you want corned beef hash or pastrami hash? They're both really good," Fran said.
"That's a tough one. Should we do six servings of each, or just get one kind, and maybe just a bit of the other for the two of us today?"
"Hmmm. Well, if Niles serves it for dinner tonight, we don't need both kinds today. Why don't we get six of each, and get maybe a couple pounds of pastrami for sandwiches. Do you think that will be enough?"
"Well, let's start at two and see how much that is, then we can double it if it doesn't look like much. Should we get some salad as a side? Maybe just one day's worth. Just so it's not all starchy sides. Oh, and we have to bring back a cheesecake or Niles will never talk to us again."
Fran laughed. "Okay, Pauly, now for the stuff for us- we need six big servings of corned beef hash and six of pastrami hash, then some pastrami. Can we see how much two pounds of pastrami comes out to?"
"You got it! Hey, Joey, can you do the hash while I slice the pastrami?"
"Got it," a young man said, grabbing some containers to put the hash in.
Pauly put gloves on and took out a partially cut slab of pastrami from the front display and put it on the meat slicer, then began to slice it fast. He gathered the stack of meat and set it on a paper on the scale, then sliced a bit more until he had two pounds worth.
"Okay, Frannie, that's two pounds. How many people you feeding?"
"Six. And I bet Brighton could eat all of that himself. What do you think, Max? You want to go a pound per person? We should end up with a lot of leftovers to have later."
"Yes. How about we make it an even six pounds of the pastrami. It won't go to waste if we have extra," Max said to Pauly. "Fran, should we get a plain cheesecake? Then Niles can make any kind of topping for it, in case the kids want different kinds."
"Yeah, you're probably right. But this cheesecake is so good you don't really need anything with it. You want to grab one out of that case? They can box it up for us."
"Sure. And see what kinds of salads they have. I know Maggie likes three bean salad, but the others might not want that. Maybe cauliflower salad, something like that."
"Okay, lemme see here." Fran stepped up to the display full of salads to try to find something everyone might like. She was having a bit of a hard time concentrating, she was beginning to feel more effects from the fever. She reached for the side of the display to steady herself. Max came back with the cheesecake and set it on the counter for them to box up and add to the bill. "Hey, Pauly- what goes good with the pastrami and hash? Is this baby kale salad a good match? I was looking at the carrot and raisin, but that might be a little heavy."
"Yeah, that baby kale is perfect, and you know, if you don't think it's weird, you can even mix it into the hash and eat them together, that way you don't need any dressing. But that baby kale is even good with some caesar dressing. But you might not want that dressing if you're having the pastrami, that might be too salty. Bleu cheese is also good with it."
"Okay, that okay with you Max? We can feel like we're being a little bit healthy if we have some kale with all the fat and carbs. And I'm not knocking your pastrami and hash, Pauly, they're totally worth it!" Pauly laughed.
"Yeah, let's do that. And sweetheart? Why don't we get a sandwich to split for the ride back. That way you'll have a full stomach once we get home."
"Oh, yeah, okay. Yeah, let's get a lunch to eat in the car. We can get chips and drinks, too. What kind of sandwich do you want? They're all good."
"Hey-" he took hold of her arm that was still resting against the display to hold her up. "Sweetheart, come sit down a minute. Do you want one of those teas, too?"
Fran nodded, realizing that she was trying to steady herself. "Yeah, tea would be good. And you can pick the sandwich, I'm not picky."
"Okay, here, come sit while the rest gets sorted out." He took her hand and led her to an empty chair at a table nearby, then went back to the counter. "Okay, so we've got Sylvia and Morty sorted, that's that bag, then pastrami, two kinds of hash, kale salad, cheesecake, and the last thing would be two more bottles of tea, then a sandwich with chips. Can we get the peppercorn chicken sandwich on wheat? We'll be splitting that for our lunch."
"You got it. Hey, Joey, can you get that all added up on the register?" Max stepped over to the register to pay for everything and begin moving the bags out of the way for other customers. He brought Sylvia's bag over to Fran at the table after they rang it up, then he brought the cheesecake over, then the large bag of hash, salad, and pastrami and a loaf of sliced bread on top.
"Oh, Max? What about the driver? Should we get him something? I always feel bad when we make them drive us around at meal time."
"Sure, we can grab a sandwich for him. Ah, Pauly? Do you happen to have an easy sandwich we can grab for our driver? We can grab the chips and maybe a Coke, too."
"No problem- I just made a muffuletta for a customer who just came in before you. They only wanted a half, so I have the other half all ready to go. Would that work?"
"Oh, yes! That would be perfect. Let me grab the drink and chips, and I think that will be everything." Max rushed over to grab teas and a Coke and chips, and then paid for everything at the register.
"Hey, Max," Fran said. "Can I take Ma's stuff and the driver's stuff to him? Can you carry everything else? Then I'll meet you in the car and help you set the food in there so we don't knock it all over." Max knew that it was her way of saying she wasn't feeling so good and wanted to go sit in the car.
"Oh yes, absolutely, darling. Here, can you hold onto all of this?" He helped her stand up and gave her Sylvia and Morty's bag and loaf of bread, then handed her the smaller bag with the driver's lunch. He opened the door of the deli for her and watched to make sure she was steady. Luckily the driver was waiting for her and opened the car door, took this lunch from her, and closed the door behind her after she got in, then set his bag on the front seat. Max came out with his arms full and the driver rushed over to take the cheesecake from him and helped him into the car. They arranged all of the food on the floor in the back of the town car so nothing would spill, and Max took Sylvia's bag and set it on his lap, then called her on the cell phone. The driver rushed them back over to the Fine's and Max handed Sylvia the food through the window to keep some of the cold air from rushing into the car. They said their goodbyes again and then headed back into the city. Max handed Fran a tea which she began drinking right away, and then he handed her half of the sandwich, which she dove into immediately.
"Don't eat too fast, darling. Pace yourself." He opened the bag of chips and set them on the seat between them, then took a bite of his half of the sandwich. He patted her knee and looked at her. "How are you holding up, darling?"
"I've been better. I've been worse. But I know once I get that pill in my system, it will be like nothing ever happened. But, yeah, if we go anywhere else this week, even to that next appointment, I better bring the bottle of pills with me, just to be safe."
"I think that would be a good idea." He took another bite of the sandwich and grabbed a few chips from the bag.
"And by the way, Max, this sandwich you picked is fantastic! Did they put any deli pickles in the bag?" Max looked down into the bag.
"Yep- two!"
"Oh, yea!" Max rubbed her knee and smiled. He was glad to see that she was eating, but he still felt protective and felt the need to keep a watchful eye on her. They continued eating their halves of the sandwich and shared the bag of chips. He had the feeling that Fran was trying to put on a brave face, but he didn't want to call her out on it while they were away from home. He finished his sandwich and took a sip from his bottle of tea, then put his arm around her. She was so wrapped up in finishing her sandwich and getting to the deli pickle that she didn't quite pick up on how he was watching her, but trying to not let her realize he was watching her. She finished her pickle and checked the bag of chips, then looked over at Max next to her. "You want your pickle?" She asked.
"I think I'm good, you can have it if you want. Or save it for later." Max smiled at her slightly and she kept looking at him. She wiped her hands on the napkin she held and put everything away. She leaned back against his arm and took hold of his other hand.
"Talk to me, Max. You're lookin' kinda worried."
Max stroked her shoulder with his thumb. "Can't hide anything from you, can I?"
"What are you worried about? The fever? It's not so bad. I know I kind of had to sit down for a bit, but I feel better now."
"But can I ask you something- I know we said we wouldn't hide things from each other anymore, that we'd be open and talk it out. But I was kind of getting a little bit of a feeling that maybe you were trying to put on a brave face, for me, that maybe you didn't want me to see that you might not feel so good."
"No, sweetie. I didn't mean to make it seem that way. Maybe- maybe for Ma, she hadn't really seen me like that, needing to take my temperature before. I mean, Friday night I wasn't feeling good and she saw a bit of that, but she didn't know what was going on then. I might have been trying to not let it show so much in front of her. But then in the deli- well, I knew some of those people, I didn't want to look like something was going on. I was feeling a little off there for a minute. You picked up on that."
"Yeah, that got me a little worried. I'm still not sure we had to go to the deli, maybe we could have done that later, and got you home quicker."
"But then Ma wouldn't have gotten the food, and we'd get home and have to make some lunch and I would have to wait for all that time to get something to eat. I think the food is helping me feel better." Max checked her forehead with the back of his hand, then his wrist.
"You still feel warm, so we should check your temperature again before you take your pill, okay?"
"Okay. Then I promise I'll take it easy for a while after that, okay? Until my fever comes down."
"That would make me feel a lot better," Max said, kissing her cheek and squeezing her hand.
As they got closer to Park Avenue, Max asked the driver to bring them to the back of the house so they could have an easier time bringing the bags of food into the kitchen. When the driver parked the car, Max got out and had Fran hand him all of the bags of food, while she picked up the remnants of their meal. She got out of the town car and hurried in front of Max to open the door to the kitchen.
"Oh, hello! Here let me get some of that!" Niles welcomed them home, realizing they brought food with them. "What have you got here?"
"Well, Niles, it's dinner. And maybe lunch tomorrow. And if there's anything left after that, maybe lunch the next day, too. Pastrami, two kinds of hash, salad, and a cheesecake!"
"Ooh! Goodie two shoes! This is wonderful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Niles was positively giddy as he emptied out the bags and looked through everything. "Oh, will you two be needing any lunch?"
"No, Niles, we had a sandwich on the way back, and there's one deli pickle left but it's mine, so don't let anybody touch it! I'm putting it in the fridge for now." Fran opened the fridge and put the wrapped pickle on a shelf, then grabbed two bottles of water and stepped over to Max, taking his hand.
"Oh, Niles, did the courier come with that paperwork from C.C.?" Max asked.
"Yes, sir, I put it on your desk. It's just one envelope. She had a note on it that there will be a large delivery of scripts next Wednesday or Tuesday, and if there is anything worth considering, you can forward them to her and she'll work on breaking them down. So that should hopefully take care of the next week or so of your work, unless you need to get that paperwork back out again."
"Thank you Niles, I'll go through it later and see what it all needs. It is probably things that will have to go to the lawyer next, so I may need a courier for that unless C.C. wants to take them. But I'll figure that out later." Max took a bottle from Fran and they headed for the stairs.
"Niles, we're gonna go chill out for a while upstairs. We should be back down before dinner, or sooner. You okay until then?" She asked.
"Yes, go on. Since I don't have to fix dinner tonight, this frees me up to catch up on some soaps!" Fran and Max laughed and headed up the stairs to the bedroom.
Fran and Max changed into some lounging clothes after she took her temperature again. It had climbed to 100.5. She immediately took her medication and curled up under the blanket Max got for her. He sat on the bed next to her with his legs stretched out, and stroked her forehead. She had her pillow up against him and rested a hand on his thigh. She watched the TV as he flipped through channels, trying to decide what to watch.
"You want a show, or a movie? There's Mary Tyler Moore, or we could jump in the middle of a movie," Max said.
"Mary Tyler Moore's fine."
Max set down the remote on the bedside table and rested a hand on Fran's shoulder. He watched as she breathed, could just see her eyes as she watched the show on TV. She had gotten quiet, and Max was pretty sure she wasn't feeling well, but he knew the medication would do it's job at some point, so he didn't push nagging her about how she was. He just tried to stay still and let her relax, let her be as comfortable as she could be. He tried to watch the show with her, but found it hard to focus. He kept looking back over Fran, her petite body cuddled tightly against him. It hurt him to think she was suffering in any way, for any reason. This fever changed her demeanor so drastically, she just wasn't herself. It had to be taking a toll on her. But he was glad that the doctors were getting ready to address the problem and remove this awful tumor, once and for all. Part of him wished that the surgery was sooner, but the other part of him was truly scared about her going in for the surgery and the risks that entailed. He was worried more about her going under the anesthesia than about what the doctors actually had to do to remove the tumor. They had good reputations and seemed to be highly skilled, and the hospital had many things in place to make sure they were doing the best for her. But he knew there was always a possibility that something bad could happen. He stroked her shoulder and looked over her again, and felt the tears welling up in his eyes. He looked down at the side of her face- it looked like she had fallen asleep, or at least was tired enough to close her eyes and try to sleep. He was still fighting back the tears so he tried to watch the show on the television to distract himself. He didn't know what the storyline was, but caught a good joke here and there. He just found it hard to laugh at all. He really just wanted to take Fran in his arms and comfort her, to try to make everything better, or at least get her through until the medication brought down her fever. He loved her so much, it overwhelmed him. He was still feeling helpless and it frustrated him. He knew that right now she probably just needed him to be physically present- to be there for her to hold on to. Maybe that was enough. Maybe she just needed to know he was concerned for her. He wanted to be the strong male- to take charge and fix everything, but he couldn't do that. Fran was the strong one, and to see her knocked down just left his stomach in knots. He carefully tried to wipe a tear from his cheek without disturbing her, then she suddenly moved her arm and stretched it across his lap. She still seemed to be asleep- she hugged his lap tight to her, then settled back down again, breathing softly.
Max thought about all the times they had together- all the meals at the dinner table, going to restaurants with the children, all the vacations. The times they would have quiet moments together and how it made him feel. And the kisses they shared. He would always have regrets about not making a move much sooner. He thought about all the time they had lost together. What if they had gotten together a year ago? Would they be married now? He expected they would have been. He looked at her again- imagined her as his wife, his wife now, not in the future. The tears came again, and he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He took several deep breaths to stifle his sobs and caressed her shoulder. He wished they were already married, so she would truly know how much she meant to him. His anxiety was welling up, making his heart race. He swallowed hard and took another deep breath. Come on, he thought to himself. Don't do this- don't let it take you over! She needs you!
He reached for his bottle of water and carefully set it beside him, trying to remove the cap with one hand. Once he had the cap off, he chugged quite a bit of it down, in hopes it would settle the lump in his throat. He put the cap back on the bottle and set it back on the table, then leaned his head back on the headboard, closing his eyes. He slowed his breathing and tried to pay attention to his heart rate. His heart was pounding in his chest.
Fran stirred again, then clenched the side of his pant leg and pulled him to her. He wondered if she was dreaming, or if there was a chance she was still awake. She let out a sigh, so he was pretty sure she must still be asleep. He rested a hand on her arm stretched across his lap, and the other on her shoulder. He leaned back against the headboard again but didn't close his eyes. He looked at the ceiling blankly, then around his room. He saw several items that reminded him of her- of things they had done together, places they had been. He looked at his dresser and remembered the boxes from the jewelry store that had been in the drawer. He smiled and looked down at her hand- still clenching his pant leg. He could see the rings on her finger. He knew how important they were to her- how important they were to him.
Max looked at her lovingly. She seemed content, and that made him start to feel better. He carefully tried to slide his hand to the back of her neck to see if he could tell if she might still have the fever or not, but her shirt collar was in the way. He slowly lifted his hand off of her and gently rested his wrist on her temple. He couldn't be certain, but thought she might still feel warm. He moved his hand back to rest on her shoulder again. He loved having her next to him, clinging to him, but he wished it was under different circumstances. He wished she was healthy. He wished he didn't have to worry about being so careful around her- he wanted to be with her as much as she seemed to want to be with him, but he was afraid of hurting her somehow. He felt knots in his stomach again, felt the anxiety welling up once more. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He needed to stop thinking about everything- it wasn't helping. He tried to listen to the dialogue coming from the TV set, but found himself listening to Fran's soft breathing instead. He opened his eyes and looked at her again. He watched her form rise and fall with her breaths. He stroked her shoulder and she sighed, then stirred a little. He hadn't been aware of how much time had passed, but it was enough for Fran to get a decent nap. She stirred some more and rolled over on her pillow, letting go of Max's pant leg. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat, then yawned. Max brushed the hair from the side of her face and she opened her eyes, realizing where she was. She looked over at the TV, then up at Max's face.
"Hmmm. I guess I konked out," she mumbled.
"You sure did." He continued stroking her hair softly and she rested with her eyes closed.
"I didn't think I was that tired. I guess I was. Sorry for monopolizing your lap," she opened her eyes again and looked up at him, blinking away the sleep. She reached for his hand and held it to her lips. She looked back into his eyes and noticed something.
"You can have my lap any time you need it, sweetheart. Fevers have a way of making you want to sleep, too."
Fran pushed herself into a seated position and moved her pillow, then looked at Max again. "Max? Are you okay?"
Max cleared his throat. "Yes, I'm okay." Fran didn't believe him, so she turned herself around to face him, then climbed over to sit on his lap. He didn't protest, but was a little surprised at what she was doing. She caressed his cheek and pulled him to her chest and hugged him hard. It felt so good to him. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her chest. He knew then that she knew, so he relaxed into her and let her make him feel better. She did make him feel better. She had her arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him tight to her, not letting go. She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed the top of his head. How did she know what he needed at that moment? Were his eyes that red? Still full of tears? Was he just a bad actor, trying to pretend nothing was wrong. Probably. She didn't interrogate him at all, it was like she knew exactly what was going through his mind, and she wanted to comfort him. Needed to comfort him. He kissed her chest through her shirt as she kissed his head again and again.
"I love you, Max," she whispered between kisses. "It'll be okay."
He lifted his face from her chest and looked into her eyes. "I love you too, Fran. I do." He kissed her lips lightly, then buried his face back into her chest.
She stroked his hair and held his head in her hands. "Sweetie, tell me what's going through your mind right now. Is it because of the fever?" She moved his head back so she could look into his face again. Max sighed and opened his eyes.
"I guess I just had a moment. A long moment. I think I was processing things. It all just kind of got to me." He took a deep breath and Fran caressed his cheekbone, then brushed the backs of her fingers across his cheek. She kissed his forehead.
"Did it help, or hurt? I mean, to think about things?"
He thought a moment. "It sort of hurt a bunch at first, then you sort of grabbed hold of me, tightened your grip on my legs, and that seemed to make it a little better."
"What were you thinking about? That made it hurt?"
"Just worrying about you. I don't like seeing how the fever just seems to knock the stuffing out of you. It's like night and day- you can be so full of life one minute, but when the fever kicks in, it just seems to drain you. It bothers me. I want you to be healthy again. I guess it just kind of triggers something in me. My stomach gets tied up in knots. Maybe it's like panic or something. Anxiety. I don't know. But it just takes me over for a little bit. I have to sort of talk myself back out of it. You know?"
Fran nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, Max."
"You don't have to apologize, darling. You haven't done anything."
"I mean- I mean I'm sorry that you're going through this. I don't like seeing you upset either. I just want to hold you. I want to make it better for you."
"You do make it better, darling. When you hold me like this. I just don't want to let go of you." He tightened his arms around her and nuzzled his face into her neck.
"Aw, sweetie. You don't need to let go of me! Not ever! And I won't let go of you. Just remember this, us holding each other like this. Anytime we need to remember, if we aren't with each other, for whatever reason, we can think about this and how good it feels. I love you, Max. You're in my heart, forever."
"And you're in my heart, Fran. Anytime you need me, always remember that. I love you. I wish that none of this other stuff was happening. I wish I had handled a lot of things differently. I've needed you so much, for so long, but I was too much of a coward. I don't ever want to be a coward like that again. I want to give you everything I can- everything you need." They hugged each other hard. Fran's eyes started to drip with tears, and Max kissed her neck, her cheek, and she held his head tightly against her.
"Just hold me, Max. Just like this. I think we both need it. A lot." They held each other tightly, Max pressed his lips into her and Fran squeezed him tightly, stroking his hair. She brushed his hair back from his forehead and kissed his temple, over and over. "Sweetie?" She asked.
"Mmm hmm?" Max mumbled into her chest.
Fran squeezed him in her arms and whispered in his ear, "Do you think maybe we should go to someone, maybe a therapist, and talk about this? The anxiety? I mean, I don't know if we can get in to see someone this week, but it might be worth trying. All this is happening pretty fast, it's hard to wrap our heads around it. And I know it's bringing up a lot of other things for you, too."
Max was quiet. He squeezed her tightly and took a deep breath. "Maybe. I guess I wouldn't be opposed to it. I don't think it would hurt to try." He leaned back and looked into her eyes. She kissed him softly on the lips.
"I know you think you aren't being strong, Max, but you are. You really are. None of this is easy, and we don't have time to get used to things. Being with you is all the strength I need, and that's everything to me. This is the hardest part- from now until after the surgery. Then we can take a deep breath. Together. Okay?" She smiled and brushed his hair behind his ears.
He smiled and squeezed her back. "Okay." They kissed each other softly, then deeply. She pulled his head into her, caressed his face. He let his arms slide down to her hips, and then he wrapped his arms around her again. She held his face in her hands and parted their lips, then kissed him lightly on his bottom lip. "You know it drives me crazy when you kiss me like that!" He whispered, catching his breath.
"Good! Then I know what to do to you later tonight!" She smiled and kissed him again, sucking on his lower lip, then letting it go.
"Mmmmm! You're such a wonderful woman, darling!" He gasped. He buried his face in her neck again and held her tightly. "I take it you're feeling better?"
"Yeah. It feels like the medicine is working, and I'm waking up a bit, especially after your kisses!"
"Oh, sweetheart, I think you did most of the work…" He rested his face against her, loving the smell of her, the feel of her.
"What time is it? How long was I asleep for?" Fran slowly let go of Max and climbed off of him to sit next to him, then reached for his wrist to check his watch. "Oh, that's not so bad. The kids won't be home yet. But we really should try to find a therapist to call pretty quickly, shouldn't we? I mean, I don't really want to put the brakes on our amorous activity, but we can get back to that a little later. I just want to make sure we're doing the right things too, you know. I mean, as far as other kinds of right things. Because the amorous stuff is very, very right…"
"It sure is," he smiled, "but I know what you mean- doing the responsible things too. So yes, I suppose we might need to put ourselves back together and head downstairs to find a therapist to call." They both looked back at each other, then looked over each other's faces and sighed. "Can I bother you for your temperature again?" Max asked. Fran smiled, then nodded. He picked up the thermometer from the bedside table and began to shake it out. He checked it to see that it was ready, then leaned over to Fran to kiss her before gently putting the thermometer under her tongue. "While you do that, I'm gonna go wash my face and try to get rid of my red eyes. Which I'm sure they must be."
Fran rubbed his back and watched him get up from the bed and head for the bathroom. She stretched her arms and legs out and grabbed the thermometer as she inadvertently yawned, trying not to let the thermometer fall out of her mouth. She slid off of the bed and picked up the blanket she had been using and folded it up, then set it on the bench at the end of the bed. She slid her feet into her slippers, then smoothed out the rest of the covers on the bed and stacked the pillows back, then headed for the bathroom to join Max.
Max had just finished washing his face and was drying off with the towel when Fran stepped into the bathroom and walked up behind him. He smiled at her in the mirror and she wrapped an arm around his waist, then mumbled- asking if it was time to take out the thermometer. He reached for the thermometer and took it from her lips, then checked it. "Um, maybe not quite. Let's give it another minute." Fran made a pouty face as he placed it back under her tongue. He buttoned the top buttons of his shirt back up and then combed his hair. Fran checked her makeup in the mirror, then fixed her hair. Max came up behind her and rested a hand on her hip, then reached around to take the thermometer once again. He squinted as he checked it, then smiled.
"Good?" Fran asked, turning around.
"Yep, looks like it's just about back to normal!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and he kissed her. "You hungry at all? Would you like a snack or something?"
"Sure. I probably could use a snack. But not too much, I can't wait for all the deli stuff for dinner! Here, let me get that washed off." She took the thermometer from Max and began to wash it in the sink.
"Darling, do you want me to go downstairs and call one of the therapists to see if we can get in? Or do you want to be with me? Or do you want to call? I mean, I can get that started if you wanted to get a snack first, if you're really hungry."
"Do you want to call from the office?"
"Sure, I have the numbers for the therapists in there. But I don't want to call by myself if you want to be involved with it too."
Fran smiled. "I trust you, if that's what you were wondering. But yeah, I can be in there with you when you call. Do you want to go find the phone numbers first, and I'll meet you in your office? I just want to fix my makeup a little and I'll be right down. Then maybe we can both go in the kitchen to get a snack."
"That sounds good. I can do that. Meet up with you in a little bit?"
"Yep. I love you!" She kissed him.
"I love you, too, darling. See you in a minute." Max left the bathroom and headed out of the bedroom. Fran dried off the thermometer and put it away, then headed for her dressing table in the bedroom.