Chapter 11: Pas de Deux/Mrs. Carlisle (4.14 & 4.15) 1/8/95-1/15/95
Disclaimer: These two might be my least favorite episodes in the entire Classic Silk repertoire. Rita's storyline and personality were uncharacteristically odd. The fact that Eric could land Chris in the ER and Rita was still willing to give him a chance… It has always bugged me. I have a theory as to why, which I attempted to explore below. There are ways to show a woman's vulnerability without completely derailing who she is as a person. The whole Rita/Eric relationship was very forced. I guess the bright spot was that Eric took off at the end of the episode!
Diana hung up the phone, in absolute shock over what she just heard. Taylor caught her up on the happenings of Palm Beach, and while she was excited to hear the gossip of the Medical Examiner's office, nothing could have prepared her for the story she just heard about her two best pals. Eric got drunk and punched Chris in the middle of a cop bar, which sent Chris to the ER. Eric also had a DUI a few days later, wrapping his car around a tree. What a mess. Rita had to be a disaster.
According to Taylor, rumors were flying about Chris and Rita in the aftermath, unbeknownst to the pair. That Eric decked Chris because he caught them in bed together. That Chris and Rita weren't speaking to each other. That Lipschitz was pissed and told Rita to get her act together. Ouch. Diana and Taylor both knew that none of these were even remotely true. Chris and Rita were prone to rumors for years, simply based on the fact that they were young and beautiful and partners and incredibly close friends. If you were in their inner circle you knew firsthand that the rumors over the years were all insane. To a casual onlooker, however, it would be easy to get reeled into the office gossip.
Diana sighed heavily, eyeing the phone again. The job offer in Fort Myers was too good to pass up, but it left her hours away from Chris and Rita. As much as she'd love to jump in the car and drive to Rita in person, she had an early day in the morning and couldn't swing the time off. Diana knew that she would get so much more out of Rita face-to-face; she couldn't read body language over a telephone. However, it was all she had.
Before she called Rita, she had to find out the real story from the person with the ringside seat. She hesitantly dialed Chris' number, hoping she wasn't interrupting an evening with Jillian. Actually, the petty side of her hoped that she was. While she would never begrudge her friend's happiness, there was something about Jillian that she didn't like. She also wondered if Rita was there instead, which would completely wreck her plan of attack. Surprisingly, Chris answered on the first ring.
"Your voice sounds sexier every time I hear it."
"Dee! How are you, gorgeous?"
"I'm great? I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
"No. Jillian's at a medical symposium dinner tonight. I got out of it."
"What excuse did you use? Headache?"
Chris caught on to her teasing banter immediately. "Headache… well, now I know the reason for your call."
"Word travels fast."
"Don't medical examiners have anything better to discuss? Dead bodies, liver temps, times of death?"
"Yeah, but then we dish about the latest gossip." Diana quieted, adopting her more serious tone. "Chris, how are you? What happened?"
"Have you talked to Rita yet?"
"No… I wanted to hear it from you first."
Chris gave his signature laugh, a futile attempt to keep the conversation light. "Dee, people are making way more out of this than there is. I'm fine."
"And you can't lie to me, no matter how badly you want to avoid the conversation. We've been through too much together." She sobered, thinking of when they both thought Rita had been murdered. It was a horrifying experience that solidified their bond as Rita's closest friends.
She heard Chris sigh. She won round one. "Dee, there's not much to tell. The three of us went out for a beer, which turned into several drinks for Eric. He got drunk, he got belligerent, Rita got pissed and left. I told her I'd get him home. I was trying to get him out of the bar and he sucker-punched me. There's nothing else to tell. He was drunk. As a guy, I can relate."
"Why, because all guys get drunk and sucker-punch their girlfriend's best friend?"
"No, because guys get drunk and do stupid shit. We become all testosterone. We think we have something to prove."
"So, Eric sees you as a threat." It wasn't a question. Diana knew the drill. All of Chris and Rita's significant others expressed jealousy in one way or another over the years. She heard the stories. She was surprised she hadn't heard anything about Jillian yet.
"Well, he has no reason to feel threatened by me."
Diana laughed at Chris' naive take on the event. "Come on, detective. You are her partner and best friend, and you're gorgeous. Same tune, different guy."
"Dee, I'm with Jillian. Stop grasping at straws."
"You have nothing to prove to me, Chris. But is it a far reach that Eric sees you and Rita together and feels a twinge of jealousy?"
"I'm trying to step aside and give Rita some space. Maybe that's what we both need right now."
"Space? Wait, are you and Rita not speaking? Please tell me that rumor isn't true."
"What rumor? For God's sake, are we all that people talk about?"
"When you have a public brawl with her boyfriend, yes."
Chris paused for a second, giving Diana a chance to settle down as well. "Of course we are talking. And it wasn't a brawl. He punched me, and that was that."
"You didn't punch him back?"
"No… but man, I wanted to."
Diana snickered and relaxed some more. She was grateful that Chris' comical tone was still there beneath the seriousness of the conversation. "I would have loved to have seen that."
"You don't like him?"
Diana paused. She hated talking behind Rita's back, but she cared too much about her to avoid it.
Chris read her thoughts. "Dee, you don't have to say anything. I know."
"Know what?"
"I know that you don't want to discuss Rita behind her back. I don't either. It's just…"
"You're worried about her. I am, too." Diana breathed a sigh of relief because she knew something that Chris didn't. Hell, Rita didn't even know she knew. Quantifiable words weren't needed for Diana to see the bullet-sized hole in Rita's heart after the shooting. She hadn't been the same since, and dove into this relationship with Eric way too soon. Chris was oblivious to the fact that his best friend was in love with him. And he was madly in love with her too, if he ever admitted it to himself. It wasn't wishful thinking, it wasn't a hope or a dream, it was right there in front of them. Between Rita's "murder" and Chris getting shot, Diana saw the emotional changes in each of them. She'd been cautiously weaving in and out of their conversations, looking for signs, listening for a glimmer of something that might be heading in the direction of them finally being honest with each other about their feelings. So far, no dice. Eric and Jillian had annoyingly been in the picture for far too long.
"Rita's done with him, right?"
"You'll have to discuss that with her. To be honest, I don't know."
"Say WHAT?! Eric puts you in the ER and she's still with him?"
"It was my idea for her to at least hear him out. But after the DUI and what Cap found out about him in New York-"
"What's this about New York, now?"
Chris exhaled hastily. "I've said too much. Talk to Rita- she'll fill you in. I'm sure she'd like to vent about me- I'm not her favorite person right now."
Diana didn't like the catch she heard in his voice. "Chris, are the two of you okay?"
"We're fine. I overstepped and she called me out on it, that's all. Come on, Dee, you know how it is- life is crazy, we are both dating people. It's distracting. Things have been a bit different, but not bad. More work, less play."
"If you say so."
"Call her, Dee. Maybe you can get something out of her that I can't. I've never seen her this down. I can't get her out of this funk."
"I'm on it. Chris, you know I love you guys. If you need me I can be there in a heartbeat."
"We love you too. Hey, you're still coming in for that conference next week, right? Lunch is on me."
"Let me guess, Roach Coach? Your charm is fleeting, Lorenzo."
"Nothing but the best for you, darling. See ya."
Diana smiled as she hung up the phone. When she first met Chris she was instantly attracted to him. However, she rarely mixed business with pleasure, and once she saw the chemistry of the Lance and Lorenzo duo, she knew she was stepping into claimed territory. They were meant for each other. She instead became their second in command when best friend number one wasn't available. She and Rita could talk for hours about all of the things Rita didn't want to disclose to Chris; typical 'girl talk'. She and Chris had a ball with flirtatious banter, which was the bulk of their friendship until the day they thought Rita died. During those 18 hours, they discovered a true bond with each other as they held each other and cried during a quiet moment in the morgue. Neither one wanted to believe it, yet both knew that it was just a matter of time before the truth shattered their lives forever. She'd never forget that midnight call from Chris announcing Rita was indeed alive, the happiness and relief palpable in his wavering voice. When he put Rita on the phone that night to confirm his news, Diana sobbed for hours. These two meant everything to her; she was going to do everything possible to make things right in their world.
Diana dialed Rita's number next, and patiently let it ring until it reached the machine. She always screened her calls when she didn't want to be bothered with the world. "Rita Bonita, pick up the phone…"
"Diana, hi!"
"Hey, beautiful. How are you?"
"I'm okay. What are you doing up this late? I thought I was the only one burning the candle at both ends lately."
"Well, I was sitting here thinking about my two best friends in Palm Beach, and thought I'd call to check-in."
"Ah-ha… that's all, huh?"
"You tell me… is there anything I should know?"
"Who blabbed? Did you talk to Chris?"
"He's not the one who told me. Unfortunately, the Palm Beach ME's office doesn't get to talk to live people much, so word travels fast. I hated hearing it from the rumor mill, though."
"I'm sorry. I was going to call you a few days ago, but it's all too embarrassing to talk about. I can't find the words to piece this mess together."
"Try me. I'm all ears and I'd love to help if I can."
"I don't think anyone can help."
Rita spent the next half hour pouring out the contents of the story and her heart. The night at the bar, Chris getting punched, the fallout at work (that rumor was partially true), Eric agreeing to go to AA and then crashing his car the next day, her showdown with Chris and Cap regarding Eric and the rumors from NYPD, and Eric's side of the story and attempt to clean up his act. Diana was mostly silent for it, thankful that Rita was getting all of it off of her chest.
"Wow, Rita. You've been going through a lot."
"It hasn't been pretty. I'm so confused. I just don't know what to do."
"He punched Chris. He could have seriously hurt him."
"I know. I should have just ended it right then. Chris is the one that convinced me to hear him out."
"Well, you know Chris. He just wants you to be happy."
"Then why did he put Cap up to calling his buddies in New York to check up on Eric? I am so furious with him right now. He always finds a way to infiltrate my love life."
"Now Rita, that's not true and you know it. You're deflecting. Chris cares about you and he's worried about you."
"Yeah, well I guess I'm a little tired of the brotherly love."
"Well, now you've got some sisterly love coming your way, and you're going to have to deal with it." Diana heard a slight laugh, a promising sign that maybe she was getting through to her after all. "I'm also worried about you. I've never seen you this down, Rita."
"Mmm… Chris' words, exactly." Diana heard an edge to Rita's voice. "Did he put you up to this phone call, too?"
"Rita, that's not fair. Yes, I called Chris first to check the truth of the story and to see if he was okay. You both mean the world to me- I don't want to see either of you hurting, okay?"
"Diana, I'm sorry. I'm cranky and miserable. I shouldn't be talking to anyone right now."
Diana hesitated before delving into the next topic. She was never one to dance around her honest opinions, especially with Rita. Their friendship was too strong for placation and appeasement. However, Rita's relationship with Eric was uncharted territory that she hadn't broached before. Chris' words echoed in her mind. If he couldn't get her out of this funk, Diana would need to tag in and give it her best shot. In her eyes, Rita would be happier and safer without Eric in her life, but she'd have to tread carefully. She also had a theory that had been burning in her soul ever since she heard these sordid details about recent events. "Rita… you know, with Eric's drinking…"
"What? Diana, tell me."
"It seems like you are working overtime to try and save him from himself. Maybe trying to make amends for the past? Rita, you were seven. You and I both know that alcoholics have to want to get better. There's nothing their loved ones can do but sit back and watch the destruction. You went through this once, and once was enough. Why are you so invested in this guy when he's done nothing but hurt you? He's not your dad; it's not the same."
Rita sounded tearful. "He's struggling. I feel like I'm his only friend in the world. If I give up on him, he has nobody to lean on. That loneliness could put him right over the edge."
"You already fought to keep Chris alive this year, and that almost broke you. I've watched you struggle with those emotions for months. I feel like you are transferring all of that hurt and fear and panic to Eric's situation."
Rita remained silent. Diana could tell she struck a nerve, but she cautiously kept going. "Rita, how are you and Chris doing? You know, since the shooting. Have you guys ever really talked about that night? About what happened?"
Rita finally spoke, barely audible. "There's nothing to talk about. Chris is alive. That's all that matters."
"That's all that matters? What about you? You don't sound very alive to me right now."
"My feelings about the shooting are complicated. You know that. Even more so now that Chris and I are traveling down these parallel paths. It's like we both need to explore our own journeys right now, you know? We've been joined at the hip for so long, in so many ways. I'm not sure if that was healthy."
Diana sighed in frustration. Rita was doing what Rita did best. When her heart couldn't handle something, she retreated. Usually, Chris was her safe haven. Now, she seemed to be spiraling out of control.
Rita seemingly read her mind. "Diana, I promise you, I'm okay. And Chris and I will be fine. I just need time to be mad at him for a bit. I'm not even mad, just a tad irritated, I guess."
"Well, life's too short to stay mad. You two know that better than anyone else." Diana paused before adding something she knew would reach Rita's soul. "Chris loves you, Rita. Remember that."
Rita exhaled slowly. It was the same sound she made when she first hugged Diana in the ER after Chris made it through the first night after surgery. A sigh of relief and devotion. Diana could hear Rita's walls of armor disintegrate in that breath, and she knew she finally reached Rita's heart. "I know. I love him too."
"I hate that I'm not there in the flesh to see your beautiful faces. Still on for next week?"
"Definitely. Who knows, by then maybe I'll have a much happier story to tell."
"I hope so. Rita, if you need anything in the meantime, you call me, okay?"
"I will. Diana, I love you. Thank you."
"I love you too, Bonita." Diana hung up the phone and shook her head. She couldn't fathom Chris and Rita's friendship being tested in any way, and her heart was heavy for her favorite duo. As she turned off her bedside table lamp, she opened the drawer underneath and retrieved her rosary beads. As she went through her nightly ritual, she added a special prayer for her best friends: a prayer for peace, resolution, and love.