Post by rsafan on Mar 20, 2007 6:12:11 GMT -5
Chapter 57:
“Chelsea!” Billie called as she spotted her daughter in Salem Place; it had weeks since she’d seen her and longer since they’d spoken. Any and everything she wanted to know about her daughter’s life had been passed along through either Bo, Shawn or Victoria.
Chelsea sighed and turned around, maybe her mother hadn’t taken the hint; maybe she needed to be told personally that she no longer wanted anything to do with her. “What do you want?”
“I want to talk to my daughter, I want to know why I was suddenly cut our of her life, I want to-”
“Well maybe,” Chelsea cut her off, “you shouldn’t have slept with half of Salem, if you hadn’t done that, I might actually still want something to do with you.”
“Your grandmother-“
“Oh!” Chelsea said, putting her hand up to cut Billie off once again, “Don’t even mention that woman to me, I guess the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree but tell me mom, how does it feel to have slept with the same guy who slept with your MOTHER?! Or maybe it’s a hobby the two of you have…” Chelsea was shouting by now and didn’t seem too aware of the fact that they were in a public area.
“That’s not what happened and for your information, I never slept with Nicholas Alamain, hard as it may be for you to believe that, it’s true. Nicholas and I have never been serious.”
Chelsea stared at her mother shocked, “You’re lying!” she accused, “I heard them…”
“My mother asked Nicholas to ‘date’ me as a way to get my mind off your father, it didn’t work, I was no more interested I him than he was in me. Our relationship never went any further than a kiss, if it even went that far, now I cannot say the same about Kate but-”
“Are you being honest mom? Why should I believe you?”
“Chelsea, if you don’t believe me, ask your father or Hope, they have no reason to lie to you. At the time I was totally in love with your father, try as he might, Nicholas Alamain was not your father and therefore I never saw him and what’s more, he’s a few years older than Shawn, you forget I helped raise Shawn for a while and was around when Nicky was growing up, I’d never be comfortable dating someone almost old enough to be my son.”
“So if I believe you, and I’m not saying I am,” Chelsea warned, in case her mother thought everything would suddenly be forgiven, “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
“I tried! Your sister and I spoke at length about a lot of things that happened back then, she promised to have a talk with you.” The look on Chelsea’s face said Victoria had kept her promise; Chelsea had just refused to listen. “I’ve spoken to Nicholas since, only spoken.” Billie cut in seeing Chelsea’s face darken. “He misses you and I think he truly cares for you, this is killing him Chelsea.”
“I don’t care.” she said flippantly, but Billie wasn’t buying any of it. It wouldn’t matter so much if she didn’t still care.
“Okay, I won’t press the issue, but I will press the issue of our relationship.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I’m not going to give up something we’ve struggled so hard to build simply because you choose to-”
Chelsea shook her head, “I miss you mom, I really do. And while I love staying with Tory, it’s not the same.”
Billie, too afraid to hope for what she thought her daughter was offering simply stared at her, “You mean?”
“When can I move back in?” Chelsea asked, biting her lip, hoping she hadn’t blown it.
“Oh honey,” Billie said, blinking back tears as she hugged her daughter, “Anytime you want.”
“What you’re saying is impossible Patrick, Victoria would blow a gasket.”
She paused, wondering what they were discussing and why she was involved.
“I’m telling you,” Patrick responded, “the truth is going to come out eventually and it had better come from you.”
“I can keep it quiet for as long as I want, there’s no need for her to ever find out, things are going according to plan, the very last thing I need right now is to have my wife interfere.”
“Well she and her family are going to interfere plenty when they find out how you used her.” Patrick warned.
“I-”
But Patrick cut him off, “You knew exactly who she was, who her family was before you married her, that it was why you married her. When she finds that out-”
“I already told you,” Luc shouted at him, “she’s not going find out anything. I’m going-”
But the study door shot open and banged so hard against the wall, it bounced back, “You knew?” she accused as she stormed into the room.
“Victoria-” Luc started as Patrick got up to leave, “I’ll leave the two of you-”
She halted them both, “No Patrick, I want you to stay. You obviously know a lot more about the state of my marriage than I do, perhaps you could answer a few questions for me, since my husband isn’t too forthcoming with details.”
“Victoria I know you’re angry but-”
“Oh I’m not angry. Do I look angry?” she asked Patrick, she looked about ten levels above angry, Victoria Dimera was not angry, she was royally pissed.
“This is really between the two-”
“Patrick,” Victoria bit out, “if you know what’s good for you, you’d sit your behind in that chair and not lift it till I say so.”
Patrick, who had lived with two of the most emotional females on the planet, dutifully did as he was ordered.
“So tell me, is what I just overheard true? Did you know who I was, who my family was?”
He had never lied to her before and he wasn’t about to start now. Not even if that lie could keep her with him, “Yes.”
“How long?”
“The day after we met.”
“And everything was planned right, that was what I just heard you telling Patrick. Everything was running according to plan.”
No answer from either male, she turned her attention to Patrick, “What was the ‘plan’?”
“Victoria I really think you and Luc should sort this through on your own.”
“The plan Patrick, what was the plan. I was the intended target right?”
“Vict-”
“I’m talking to Patrick now. You had your turn.” Once again neither man was forthcoming with any details. And then it struck her, just what it meant that she was ‘part of the plan’, “It was all a lie; everything was a lie. Every single moment of our time together was a lie, our relationship-”
“No, none of it’s lies. Everything is real, all the feelings, those are all real. What we have English-”
“Don’t call me that. You lied to me, from the very beginning you lied and I fell for it. But of course that was the plan right, to get me to fall for you, to get me to love you. Oh God.” She let out a sob, remembering everything they’d done. Things she’d thought had been special, feelings between the two of them that she’d thought had been real and for the second time in her life, her heart broke. What made it infinitely worse this time was that she knew it was shattered in a million pieces and she’d never be able to put it back together again, not fully. The tears sprang to her eyes but she forced them back, she wouldn’t cry. Not in front of him, the time for tears would come later, when she was alone. “To get me to lo- to love you, to get me to trust you and open up to you. It must’ve been so easy for you; I made it so easy for you.”
“No Victoria, that’s not what happened. That was not the plan-”
“Stop lying to me! Don’t you think you’ve done enough of that already; do I not at least deserve some honesty? Do I mean that little?”
“I love you, you mean everything to me. You’re my wife; nothing about our relationship is a lie.”
“Our relationship? Our relationship? We have no relationship, we have nothing.”
“No, we have a marriage.”
“I have no marriage, I have no husband. The man I married, the man I thought I’d married, he doesn’t exist, he was a figment of my imagination, someone you conjured up to make me believe- You used me, you used me as a means to an end. I hope it was worth it.”
“Victoria.”
“Congratulations Lucien, you won. Another victory for the Dimeras, you managed to destroy yet another Brady. Your father would be so proud, as would your grandfather. What a way to carry on the family legacy. I’d appreciate it if you weren’t home tomorrow afternoon, that’s when I’ll be collecting my things and in case you have other ideas, my father and uncles and brother and every other male Brady in the area that I can get my hands on will be accompanying me.” She waled out of the study, out of the house and she hoped, out of his life.
Back in the study, Patrick got up out of his chair and walked out, he wasn’t dumb enough to voice and ‘I told you so.’
“Can I- Can I come in?” she asked, she didn’t look at all well and he didn’t hesitate to let her in.
“Are you okay? You look ill.” He asked, concerned when she just stood in his doorway. She looked at him, or through him because he wasn’t too sure she knew where she was, “Tory?” he took her arm and pulled her into the apartment.
“You were right.” She said, “About the Bradys and the Dimeras and him using me. You were right about everything Shawn, he was just using me.”
Shawn pulled her into his arms, “For what it’s worth, I didn’t want to be. For your sake, I didn’t want to be right.” But he knew that his words weren’t worth much, because for the second time, he had to watch his sister’s life fall apart and he could barely stand it.
“I have no where to go.” she said against his chest, she seemed to be having an out of body experience, she couldn’t really feel anything that was happening around her even though she was aware of them. She hadn’t cried, she didn’t think she could, the pain went far deeper than any tears could heal. She wanted to die.
“You can stay here,” he said, “as long as you want; I’m not sharing with anyone.”
“Thank You.” she whispered. Though her mind had long since passed the point of having a place to stay and was now focused on how she would handle walking back into that house again tomorrow, no matter how many reinforcements she took, she’d still have to pack up the life they’d built, the lie she’d built.
Chapter 58:
Everyone was worried about her. She changed nothing but her address. She still went to work everyday, in fact she worked longer hours than she ever had and when she got home, she cooked and redecorated. After the haze she’d been walking in for the past forty-eight hours had lifted, she’d finally taken a real look at Shawn’s apartment and had found it horribly lacking. She’d voiced her opinion to Shawn, who gave her the all clear to do any redecorating she felt like doing that included all new furniture, new coats of paint and new kitchen cabinets. She would not ‘slum’ it, even if she was desperate, she’d stated.
Hope figured that Shawn wasn’t the best person for her to be staying with, especially since he had his own marital problems, but Victoria fought coming to stay with her parents. Mimi had offered to move out of the apartment, but Victoria refused that too. She liked staying with Shawn, he allowed her to stay in her cacoon, he allowed her to do what she wanted and didn’t ask her if she was okay or how she felt every five minutes. All everyone knew was that Shawn ate like a king, the day after she’d moved in; she’d gone shopping and had been cooking up a storm since.
Chelsea helped her decorate, she was almost as depressed as Tory, Nicholas had gone back to Europe before they’d had a chance to talk; he wouldn’t be back for quite some time. Tory did however manage to find her a job at Titan, since she’d left Basic Black as soon as she’d heard about Kate’s actions. Bo had to resist the urge to drive over to the Dimera place and beat the hell out of one Lucien Dimera, Hope did get the pleasure of kicking him off their property when he’d come around there. She’d felt bad after because he looked almost as bad as her daughter and try as she might not to, she worried about him.
Everyone walked around on eggshells waiting for the day Tory would finally break down.
Shawn, having heard the crying didn’t hesitate I dropping what he’d been doing, which hadn’t been anything important and rushed over to the apartment. When he arrived, Zach still hadn’t quieted down, “Hey Zach, come here buddy.” he said as he took his son from Mimi, “Have you been to the doctor’s?” he enquired.
“I called the paediatrician and was advised to leave a message. I would’ve taken him to emergency but he wouldn’t let me go and I didn’t want to drive with him on my arm. I called you instead.”
“How long has he been like this?”
“Non stop since early this morning. I didn’t know what to do Shawn, he won’t stop crying.” She was on the verge of tears herself and he could see it.
“Have you had any sleep? You look exhausted.” When she shook her head, he suggested, “Why don’t you go and lie down and I’ll see to him.” She seemed reluctant and he could understand why, “If you don’t get some sleep, you’re going to be useless to him.”
She sighed and dragged herself upstairs to bed, she was sure she wouldn’t be able to sleep with all the noise Zach was making but she was simply too exhausted and she was out as soon as her head hit the pillow.
He turned at the sound of her voice, “The better part of four hours. Feel any better?”
She nodded, “When did he go down?”
“About a half hour ago, I called my mom; she said he was probably teething.”
“It hasn’t been this bad before.” She commented, thinking of the slight fever he’d had and the mild earache.
“Apparently, teeth just start appearing around this age. She advised the appropriate course of action and it seemed to help some. I think the crying is what finally did him in.”
“I felt so helpless. I didn’t know what was wrong with him.”
“You’re entitled, we’re new at this. Are you hungry, you want me to make you something to eat?”
She shook her head, “I can do it myself.” When he eyed her sceptically, she defended herself, “Hey, my cooking skills have developed; I’ve been forced to cook, especially since Zach’s been on solids. How about an omelette?”
He got up and followed her to the kitchen, “Only if you promise the smoke alarm is not going to go off.”
“You set the table and let me do the rest.”
“Okay.” he said apprehensively, but taking the necessary dishes out to the living room to set the table. He checked in on Zach and couldn’t deny that the smells coming from the kitchen were delicious.”
“Ta-da.” She said as she came out and slid a perfectly cooked omelette onto his plate. “I put in extra peppers, to make up for the last time I tried to make omelettes.”
“Oh my God, this is delicious.” He said as he popped a forkful in his mouth.
She smiled at him, “Told you so.”
“Yeah you did. So why don’t we sit down and enjoy this properly.”
“Wait a minute; you have something right…here.” She moved to wipe the offending mark off his face. She looked up at him, smiling, but the smile faded when she saw the look in his eyes. Before she could voice any protests, his mouth was on hers, reminding her of everything about them she’d missed the last few months.
“I don’t think we should do this?” Mimi murmured, pulling away slightly.
“Why not?” Shawn asked her. As far as he could see, there was no one standing in the way of them doing anything and they were still married so…
“I would have thought tha- Oh what the hell.” she said as she pulled his head down to hers and put her lips to his.
Mimi looked up from her position on top of Shawn on the sofa when she heard the banging of the front door against the wall, “Victoria hi!” Mimi exclaimed as she jumped off the sofa. “Didn’t see you there.”
Tory, who had already turned to leave the apartment, spun back around, “I didn’t mean to interrupt, I was just looking for Rex. I did knock.”
“No it’s fine it…Umm Rex isn’t here. He’s having lunch with Kate, some sort of family thing.” Mimi explained.
“Well then I’ll come back later.” she said and closed the door behind her as she left.
Shawn, who was still lying on the couch, burst out laughing.
“This isn’t funny.” Mimi scolded, although she too was finding it just a tad hilarious.
“Of course it is.” Shawn said and grabbed for her, “Come here. We have some unfinished business.” One would have thought that the interruption would have killed the mood, but it didn’t. In fact, Mimi did exactly as Shawn had ordered her and slid onto the couch to ‘finish’ their business.
Out in the hall, Victoria took out her phone and called Chelsea. She got her voicemail and figured she was probably in class or something to that effect, “Chels, this is Tory. I need to speak to you; you’ll never guess what I just walked in on. Call me back as soon as you get this.”
“Chelsea!” Billie called as she spotted her daughter in Salem Place; it had weeks since she’d seen her and longer since they’d spoken. Any and everything she wanted to know about her daughter’s life had been passed along through either Bo, Shawn or Victoria.
Chelsea sighed and turned around, maybe her mother hadn’t taken the hint; maybe she needed to be told personally that she no longer wanted anything to do with her. “What do you want?”
“I want to talk to my daughter, I want to know why I was suddenly cut our of her life, I want to-”
“Well maybe,” Chelsea cut her off, “you shouldn’t have slept with half of Salem, if you hadn’t done that, I might actually still want something to do with you.”
“Your grandmother-“
“Oh!” Chelsea said, putting her hand up to cut Billie off once again, “Don’t even mention that woman to me, I guess the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree but tell me mom, how does it feel to have slept with the same guy who slept with your MOTHER?! Or maybe it’s a hobby the two of you have…” Chelsea was shouting by now and didn’t seem too aware of the fact that they were in a public area.
“That’s not what happened and for your information, I never slept with Nicholas Alamain, hard as it may be for you to believe that, it’s true. Nicholas and I have never been serious.”
Chelsea stared at her mother shocked, “You’re lying!” she accused, “I heard them…”
“My mother asked Nicholas to ‘date’ me as a way to get my mind off your father, it didn’t work, I was no more interested I him than he was in me. Our relationship never went any further than a kiss, if it even went that far, now I cannot say the same about Kate but-”
“Are you being honest mom? Why should I believe you?”
“Chelsea, if you don’t believe me, ask your father or Hope, they have no reason to lie to you. At the time I was totally in love with your father, try as he might, Nicholas Alamain was not your father and therefore I never saw him and what’s more, he’s a few years older than Shawn, you forget I helped raise Shawn for a while and was around when Nicky was growing up, I’d never be comfortable dating someone almost old enough to be my son.”
“So if I believe you, and I’m not saying I am,” Chelsea warned, in case her mother thought everything would suddenly be forgiven, “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
“I tried! Your sister and I spoke at length about a lot of things that happened back then, she promised to have a talk with you.” The look on Chelsea’s face said Victoria had kept her promise; Chelsea had just refused to listen. “I’ve spoken to Nicholas since, only spoken.” Billie cut in seeing Chelsea’s face darken. “He misses you and I think he truly cares for you, this is killing him Chelsea.”
“I don’t care.” she said flippantly, but Billie wasn’t buying any of it. It wouldn’t matter so much if she didn’t still care.
“Okay, I won’t press the issue, but I will press the issue of our relationship.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I’m not going to give up something we’ve struggled so hard to build simply because you choose to-”
Chelsea shook her head, “I miss you mom, I really do. And while I love staying with Tory, it’s not the same.”
Billie, too afraid to hope for what she thought her daughter was offering simply stared at her, “You mean?”
“When can I move back in?” Chelsea asked, biting her lip, hoping she hadn’t blown it.
“Oh honey,” Billie said, blinking back tears as she hugged her daughter, “Anytime you want.”
*****
Chelsea had called her an hour earlier to tell her she’d sorted everything out with her mother and would be moving out. Victoria was glad, now the only thing she had to do was get Chelsea and Nick together and the two of them could concentrate their efforts on their idiot brother once again. She walked to the study, actually, bounced would’ve been a more apt description of her movements as she went to inform Luc, who she knew was working from home that day, as was she, that they would soon have the house all to themselves again. “What you’re saying is impossible Patrick, Victoria would blow a gasket.”
She paused, wondering what they were discussing and why she was involved.
“I’m telling you,” Patrick responded, “the truth is going to come out eventually and it had better come from you.”
“I can keep it quiet for as long as I want, there’s no need for her to ever find out, things are going according to plan, the very last thing I need right now is to have my wife interfere.”
“Well she and her family are going to interfere plenty when they find out how you used her.” Patrick warned.
“I-”
But Patrick cut him off, “You knew exactly who she was, who her family was before you married her, that it was why you married her. When she finds that out-”
“I already told you,” Luc shouted at him, “she’s not going find out anything. I’m going-”
But the study door shot open and banged so hard against the wall, it bounced back, “You knew?” she accused as she stormed into the room.
“Victoria-” Luc started as Patrick got up to leave, “I’ll leave the two of you-”
She halted them both, “No Patrick, I want you to stay. You obviously know a lot more about the state of my marriage than I do, perhaps you could answer a few questions for me, since my husband isn’t too forthcoming with details.”
“Victoria I know you’re angry but-”
“Oh I’m not angry. Do I look angry?” she asked Patrick, she looked about ten levels above angry, Victoria Dimera was not angry, she was royally pissed.
“This is really between the two-”
“Patrick,” Victoria bit out, “if you know what’s good for you, you’d sit your behind in that chair and not lift it till I say so.”
Patrick, who had lived with two of the most emotional females on the planet, dutifully did as he was ordered.
“So tell me, is what I just overheard true? Did you know who I was, who my family was?”
He had never lied to her before and he wasn’t about to start now. Not even if that lie could keep her with him, “Yes.”
“How long?”
“The day after we met.”
“And everything was planned right, that was what I just heard you telling Patrick. Everything was running according to plan.”
No answer from either male, she turned her attention to Patrick, “What was the ‘plan’?”
“Victoria I really think you and Luc should sort this through on your own.”
“The plan Patrick, what was the plan. I was the intended target right?”
“Vict-”
“I’m talking to Patrick now. You had your turn.” Once again neither man was forthcoming with any details. And then it struck her, just what it meant that she was ‘part of the plan’, “It was all a lie; everything was a lie. Every single moment of our time together was a lie, our relationship-”
“No, none of it’s lies. Everything is real, all the feelings, those are all real. What we have English-”
“Don’t call me that. You lied to me, from the very beginning you lied and I fell for it. But of course that was the plan right, to get me to fall for you, to get me to love you. Oh God.” She let out a sob, remembering everything they’d done. Things she’d thought had been special, feelings between the two of them that she’d thought had been real and for the second time in her life, her heart broke. What made it infinitely worse this time was that she knew it was shattered in a million pieces and she’d never be able to put it back together again, not fully. The tears sprang to her eyes but she forced them back, she wouldn’t cry. Not in front of him, the time for tears would come later, when she was alone. “To get me to lo- to love you, to get me to trust you and open up to you. It must’ve been so easy for you; I made it so easy for you.”
“No Victoria, that’s not what happened. That was not the plan-”
“Stop lying to me! Don’t you think you’ve done enough of that already; do I not at least deserve some honesty? Do I mean that little?”
“I love you, you mean everything to me. You’re my wife; nothing about our relationship is a lie.”
“Our relationship? Our relationship? We have no relationship, we have nothing.”
“No, we have a marriage.”
“I have no marriage, I have no husband. The man I married, the man I thought I’d married, he doesn’t exist, he was a figment of my imagination, someone you conjured up to make me believe- You used me, you used me as a means to an end. I hope it was worth it.”
“Victoria.”
“Congratulations Lucien, you won. Another victory for the Dimeras, you managed to destroy yet another Brady. Your father would be so proud, as would your grandfather. What a way to carry on the family legacy. I’d appreciate it if you weren’t home tomorrow afternoon, that’s when I’ll be collecting my things and in case you have other ideas, my father and uncles and brother and every other male Brady in the area that I can get my hands on will be accompanying me.” She waled out of the study, out of the house and she hoped, out of his life.
Back in the study, Patrick got up out of his chair and walked out, he wasn’t dumb enough to voice and ‘I told you so.’
*****
Shawn went to open the door, hoping it was Mimi. She wasn’t due but she popped in every now and again just so he and Zach could spend some time together, or to bring him lunch. “Victoria?!”“Can I- Can I come in?” she asked, she didn’t look at all well and he didn’t hesitate to let her in.
“Are you okay? You look ill.” He asked, concerned when she just stood in his doorway. She looked at him, or through him because he wasn’t too sure she knew where she was, “Tory?” he took her arm and pulled her into the apartment.
“You were right.” She said, “About the Bradys and the Dimeras and him using me. You were right about everything Shawn, he was just using me.”
Shawn pulled her into his arms, “For what it’s worth, I didn’t want to be. For your sake, I didn’t want to be right.” But he knew that his words weren’t worth much, because for the second time, he had to watch his sister’s life fall apart and he could barely stand it.
“I have no where to go.” she said against his chest, she seemed to be having an out of body experience, she couldn’t really feel anything that was happening around her even though she was aware of them. She hadn’t cried, she didn’t think she could, the pain went far deeper than any tears could heal. She wanted to die.
“You can stay here,” he said, “as long as you want; I’m not sharing with anyone.”
“Thank You.” she whispered. Though her mind had long since passed the point of having a place to stay and was now focused on how she would handle walking back into that house again tomorrow, no matter how many reinforcements she took, she’d still have to pack up the life they’d built, the lie she’d built.
Chapter 58:
Everyone was worried about her. She changed nothing but her address. She still went to work everyday, in fact she worked longer hours than she ever had and when she got home, she cooked and redecorated. After the haze she’d been walking in for the past forty-eight hours had lifted, she’d finally taken a real look at Shawn’s apartment and had found it horribly lacking. She’d voiced her opinion to Shawn, who gave her the all clear to do any redecorating she felt like doing that included all new furniture, new coats of paint and new kitchen cabinets. She would not ‘slum’ it, even if she was desperate, she’d stated.
Hope figured that Shawn wasn’t the best person for her to be staying with, especially since he had his own marital problems, but Victoria fought coming to stay with her parents. Mimi had offered to move out of the apartment, but Victoria refused that too. She liked staying with Shawn, he allowed her to stay in her cacoon, he allowed her to do what she wanted and didn’t ask her if she was okay or how she felt every five minutes. All everyone knew was that Shawn ate like a king, the day after she’d moved in; she’d gone shopping and had been cooking up a storm since.
Chelsea helped her decorate, she was almost as depressed as Tory, Nicholas had gone back to Europe before they’d had a chance to talk; he wouldn’t be back for quite some time. Tory did however manage to find her a job at Titan, since she’d left Basic Black as soon as she’d heard about Kate’s actions. Bo had to resist the urge to drive over to the Dimera place and beat the hell out of one Lucien Dimera, Hope did get the pleasure of kicking him off their property when he’d come around there. She’d felt bad after because he looked almost as bad as her daughter and try as she might not to, she worried about him.
Everyone walked around on eggshells waiting for the day Tory would finally break down.
*****
“Come on baby, go to sleep for mommy please.” Mimi begged Zach as she rocked him back and forth. She’d tried everything and he wouldn’t stop screaming. “Hush little baby…” but the lullaby which usually calmed him, only made him scream louder, “okay, not that one.” She tried placing him back in his crib, but he refused to stay, clinging to her, “Zach come on, I’m tired. Give your mom a break please?” Finally relenting, she picked up the phone, Shawn answered on the second ring and Mimi had no time, energy or patience for a proper greeting, “Shawn, its Mimi, could you umm…could you come over please?”Shawn, having heard the crying didn’t hesitate I dropping what he’d been doing, which hadn’t been anything important and rushed over to the apartment. When he arrived, Zach still hadn’t quieted down, “Hey Zach, come here buddy.” he said as he took his son from Mimi, “Have you been to the doctor’s?” he enquired.
“I called the paediatrician and was advised to leave a message. I would’ve taken him to emergency but he wouldn’t let me go and I didn’t want to drive with him on my arm. I called you instead.”
“How long has he been like this?”
“Non stop since early this morning. I didn’t know what to do Shawn, he won’t stop crying.” She was on the verge of tears herself and he could see it.
“Have you had any sleep? You look exhausted.” When she shook her head, he suggested, “Why don’t you go and lie down and I’ll see to him.” She seemed reluctant and he could understand why, “If you don’t get some sleep, you’re going to be useless to him.”
She sighed and dragged herself upstairs to bed, she was sure she wouldn’t be able to sleep with all the noise Zach was making but she was simply too exhausted and she was out as soon as her head hit the pillow.
*****
When she opened her eyes again, she was conscious of the silence. Had Shawn taken Zach to the hospital? No, he’d have woken her, which meant that Zach was probably asleep. She pushed aside the duvet she didn’t recall getting under and walked downstairs. Shawn was watching TV, “How long was I out for?”He turned at the sound of her voice, “The better part of four hours. Feel any better?”
She nodded, “When did he go down?”
“About a half hour ago, I called my mom; she said he was probably teething.”
“It hasn’t been this bad before.” She commented, thinking of the slight fever he’d had and the mild earache.
“Apparently, teeth just start appearing around this age. She advised the appropriate course of action and it seemed to help some. I think the crying is what finally did him in.”
“I felt so helpless. I didn’t know what was wrong with him.”
“You’re entitled, we’re new at this. Are you hungry, you want me to make you something to eat?”
She shook her head, “I can do it myself.” When he eyed her sceptically, she defended herself, “Hey, my cooking skills have developed; I’ve been forced to cook, especially since Zach’s been on solids. How about an omelette?”
He got up and followed her to the kitchen, “Only if you promise the smoke alarm is not going to go off.”
“You set the table and let me do the rest.”
“Okay.” he said apprehensively, but taking the necessary dishes out to the living room to set the table. He checked in on Zach and couldn’t deny that the smells coming from the kitchen were delicious.”
“Ta-da.” She said as she came out and slid a perfectly cooked omelette onto his plate. “I put in extra peppers, to make up for the last time I tried to make omelettes.”
“Oh my God, this is delicious.” He said as he popped a forkful in his mouth.
She smiled at him, “Told you so.”
“Yeah you did. So why don’t we sit down and enjoy this properly.”
“Wait a minute; you have something right…here.” She moved to wipe the offending mark off his face. She looked up at him, smiling, but the smile faded when she saw the look in his eyes. Before she could voice any protests, his mouth was on hers, reminding her of everything about them she’d missed the last few months.
“I don’t think we should do this?” Mimi murmured, pulling away slightly.
“Why not?” Shawn asked her. As far as he could see, there was no one standing in the way of them doing anything and they were still married so…
“I would have thought tha- Oh what the hell.” she said as she pulled his head down to hers and put her lips to his.
Mimi looked up from her position on top of Shawn on the sofa when she heard the banging of the front door against the wall, “Victoria hi!” Mimi exclaimed as she jumped off the sofa. “Didn’t see you there.”
Tory, who had already turned to leave the apartment, spun back around, “I didn’t mean to interrupt, I was just looking for Rex. I did knock.”
“No it’s fine it…Umm Rex isn’t here. He’s having lunch with Kate, some sort of family thing.” Mimi explained.
“Well then I’ll come back later.” she said and closed the door behind her as she left.
Shawn, who was still lying on the couch, burst out laughing.
“This isn’t funny.” Mimi scolded, although she too was finding it just a tad hilarious.
“Of course it is.” Shawn said and grabbed for her, “Come here. We have some unfinished business.” One would have thought that the interruption would have killed the mood, but it didn’t. In fact, Mimi did exactly as Shawn had ordered her and slid onto the couch to ‘finish’ their business.
Out in the hall, Victoria took out her phone and called Chelsea. She got her voicemail and figured she was probably in class or something to that effect, “Chels, this is Tory. I need to speak to you; you’ll never guess what I just walked in on. Call me back as soon as you get this.”
