Post by rsafan on Mar 28, 2007 8:23:21 GMT -5
Chapter 62
“Aren’t we the pair, sitting here moaning about how pathetic our lives have become.” Victoria asked, as she dug into the almost empty ice-cream container. “You know, I spoke to Chelsea this morning. She’s not having such a great time either; maybe we should call her and invite her over. Have a pity party.” She picked up the phone and a half hour later, Chelsea was laying with Victoria on Shawn’s bed eating doughnuts this time. Shawn was keeping to the edge of the bed closest to the door.
“At least you can do something about your situation.” Chelsea said between mouthfuls, “All you have to do is pick up the phone and tell Mimi you were an idiot to let her go and you want her back.”
Victoria placed her arm around her sister’s neck. “Chelsea honey, you still have a lot to learn about relationships, and being female for that matter.”
Chelsea chose not to point out the fact that there was only two years between them, “What do you mean?”
“What I mean is that there’s no way in hell Shawn is going to get within an inch of his wife without a police escort and some serious begging. She hates his guts and I don’t blame her for it.”
“Who says I would want to call her anyway?”
They both shook their heads, “Come on Shawn, we’re your sisters. You can admit to us that letting Mimi walk out of this place, was the biggest mistake of your life.”
Victoria shook her head, “No Chelsea, you’re wrong. Having Mimi walk in on him in bed with Belle, that was the biggest mistake of his life. You want to know the quickest way to turn a woman’s heart cold? Bring the one woman she fears could ruin her life, into the bed she shared as your wife.”
They both giggled at the rhyme; then Chelsea stopped laughing, “Did you just say? Shawn!” she looked at her brother, outraged. Then slapped him.
He sat there rubbing his cheek, “That was in case Mimi hadn’t done it herself. I can’t believe you.”
“All men are dogs.” Victoria quipped.
“Hey, when did this become a guy bashing session?”
“When I found out my brother is as low as they come. You know, brothers are supposed to be different.”
“Things aren’t all cut and dried you know.” Shawn stated.
“Yeah, I’m sure the judge is going to believe that. Sorry your honour, I thought she was my wife. I hope you get a really nasty female judge who hates guys, especially scum like you.”
“Yeah, and she’ll let Mimi take you to the cleaners.”
“Thanks a lot for the sisterly support. And besides, I’m not worth much.”
“No, except a four million dollar patent and a trust fund. And our sisterly support is superseded only by our female solidarity, so you’re going to have to go somewhere else for support.”
“Yeah, maybe Belle will comfort you; we all know she just loves comforting Shawn Brady.”
“Okay, that’s enough from the both of you.” He grabbed the covers off them, “Out! Both of you.”
“You can’t throw us out!”
“And why not? This is after all my apartment.”
“Well, for a start, I don’t have anywhere else to go and we’re your sisters, if you throw us out, it’ll only come back and bite you in the rear.” In the end, he decided against throwing them out, they in turn gave him some useful tips on how to get Mimi back.
“You’re not doing a very good job of making her happy though are you?”
“I’ll admit that I made mistakes, but who doesn’t? The fact of the matter is that she’s my wife not yours. You could have had it all but you walked away. You didn’t see how much you hurt her and you didn’t have to help her pick up the pieces after.”
“Would it have made a difference? You were here Shawn, you helped her get through one of the worst times of her life and what did you do? You pulled the rug right from underneath her, you made her believe in love again and then you hurt her. You hurt her more deeply than I did when I walked away because you knew how she felt, you’d seen her at her most vulnerable, at her lowest and instead of doing everything you could to make her forget those times, you simply reminded her of them by doing what you did.”
“I’m trying to make things right with her and its not easy with you running around like some medieval hero come to make all her troubles go away.”
“You hurt her very badly, you hurt her in a way I never did and you say you’re trying to make things right but you’re only making things worse. I’m not the bad guy in your marriage Shawn that would be you.”
“I love her.”
“But that didn’t stop you from hurting her did it? And it doesn’t stop you from continuing to hurt her. I loved her too and I did the same thing. Only recently have I come to realise that love isn’t enough, it should be, but in order to have a healthy relationship with someone, there has to be more. I have that with someone Shawn, so you needn’t fear that I’m going to want Mimi back, I don’t. We’ve simply managed to get past the hurt and anger of our past, we’re moving on as friends, nothing more.”
“Are you sure?”
“Mimi’s an amazing woman; she’s also a woman who’s totally in love with her husband. She needs to be able to trust in you again Shawn, that’s all.”
She smiled, “Still on friendly terms with my mother are you?”
“She told me she’d explained about our ‘relationship’, I figured I might as well do the same.”
“Why even bother? It doesn’t matter, we’re no longer together.” She watched him carefully, as he walked around her room, examining everything before coming to stand before her.
“That’s the thing Chelsea; I refuse to accept that we’re over.”
Chelsea shrugged, hoping the action appeared to be one of non-chalance, “It doesn’t really matter what you do or don’t choose to accept, the fact remains that I ended our relationship.”
“Over events that took place years ago, things that have no bearing on how I feel about you.”
“But,” she corrected him, “they do have a bearing on how I feel about you, that’s why I broke it off. Accept it, live with it, move on.”
“Impossible.” He declared, “I’d never be able to.”
“You’d be amazed at what the human heart is capable of doing Nicholas. We’re able to overcome many pains; this’ll just be one of many in your life.”
“May I at last know why?” he asked her.
She didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to keep the charade going, she needed him to leave or they’d end up a tangled mess on her bed, she’d missed him so much. His smell, his eyes, his hair…
When she didn’t answer, he continued, “Will you allow me to tell my side of events that took place all those years ago?”
She nodded, indicating that he should take a seat, he chose her bed and she almost groaned aloud at the images that came to mind of what she’d like to do with him on that bed. “I didn’t sleep with your mother, Kate on the other hand, Kate was just an infatuation. One she made sure I got over pretty quickly.”
“I know the story, what I want to know is why. Why you’d choose to jump into bed with a woman old enough to be your mother, quite possibly your grandmother.”
“I was in awe of her and at my age, men are prone to confusing awe with love or attraction. She was a business guru; there was a lot I could learn from her-”
“That much is obvious.” Chelsea piped in.
“I’m talking about in the boardroom, I was this naïve executive and Kate chose to take me under her wing.”
“And you chose to get under a lot more than her wing.”
“Would you stop that?” he said, rather annoyed at her constant interruptions, “You’re starting to make me feel guilty-”
She did it again, “If you don’t feel any guilt or shame, then we really have nothing to say to each other. You might as well leave right now.” She motioned him to the door.
“I never felt shame or guilt till it affected our relationship. I never regretted anything more in my life than knowing a stupid infatuation could ruin what we’d built together. And you know what we had was real and good and strong. It wasn’t some fly by night fancy, it was, IS,” he corrected himself, “it IS solid.”
“It still doesn’t change anything Nicholas.” Chelsea said sadly because she knew it to be true. She’d had weeks to deal with the ‘affair’ between him and her grandmother, that was in thanks largely to her mother and Tory, but she still couldn’t get over what he’d done. Not physically, but his willingness to seduce her mother just to get in Kate’s good graces, to garner false hope and to mislead in the most horrible way, in the same way Tory had been burned. She couldn’t forgive him for that even though she’d never known him at the time.
“Have you never done something you’ve regretted? Something you wish you could take back because then your life might make sense or be easier?”
She thought about Zack, would’ve accused him of using it against her but the tone of his question wasn’t accusing and so she simply said, “Yes.”
“Then you can understand what it’s like. I want a relationship with you Chelsea, a long lasting one. I thought going back to Europe would diminish the need, but it hasn’t. I had to come back here; I had to hope you could get past this.”
She looked at him, thought of the second chances she’d prayed for. The chances she’d been granted because the people who loved her had been forgiving had been willing to let her back into their lives. She was a much better person because of it, “I can’t promise you anything, but I’d certainly be willing to give it a try.”
He smiled at her and she reached out her hand, for the first time in weeks, she touched him and knew she wasn’t making a mistake. “Thank you.” He murmured against her lips.
“Aren’t we the pair, sitting here moaning about how pathetic our lives have become.” Victoria asked, as she dug into the almost empty ice-cream container. “You know, I spoke to Chelsea this morning. She’s not having such a great time either; maybe we should call her and invite her over. Have a pity party.” She picked up the phone and a half hour later, Chelsea was laying with Victoria on Shawn’s bed eating doughnuts this time. Shawn was keeping to the edge of the bed closest to the door.
“At least you can do something about your situation.” Chelsea said between mouthfuls, “All you have to do is pick up the phone and tell Mimi you were an idiot to let her go and you want her back.”
Victoria placed her arm around her sister’s neck. “Chelsea honey, you still have a lot to learn about relationships, and being female for that matter.”
Chelsea chose not to point out the fact that there was only two years between them, “What do you mean?”
“What I mean is that there’s no way in hell Shawn is going to get within an inch of his wife without a police escort and some serious begging. She hates his guts and I don’t blame her for it.”
“Who says I would want to call her anyway?”
They both shook their heads, “Come on Shawn, we’re your sisters. You can admit to us that letting Mimi walk out of this place, was the biggest mistake of your life.”
Victoria shook her head, “No Chelsea, you’re wrong. Having Mimi walk in on him in bed with Belle, that was the biggest mistake of his life. You want to know the quickest way to turn a woman’s heart cold? Bring the one woman she fears could ruin her life, into the bed she shared as your wife.”
They both giggled at the rhyme; then Chelsea stopped laughing, “Did you just say? Shawn!” she looked at her brother, outraged. Then slapped him.
He sat there rubbing his cheek, “That was in case Mimi hadn’t done it herself. I can’t believe you.”
“All men are dogs.” Victoria quipped.
“Hey, when did this become a guy bashing session?”
“When I found out my brother is as low as they come. You know, brothers are supposed to be different.”
“Things aren’t all cut and dried you know.” Shawn stated.
“Yeah, I’m sure the judge is going to believe that. Sorry your honour, I thought she was my wife. I hope you get a really nasty female judge who hates guys, especially scum like you.”
“Yeah, and she’ll let Mimi take you to the cleaners.”
“Thanks a lot for the sisterly support. And besides, I’m not worth much.”
“No, except a four million dollar patent and a trust fund. And our sisterly support is superseded only by our female solidarity, so you’re going to have to go somewhere else for support.”
“Yeah, maybe Belle will comfort you; we all know she just loves comforting Shawn Brady.”
“Okay, that’s enough from the both of you.” He grabbed the covers off them, “Out! Both of you.”
“You can’t throw us out!”
“And why not? This is after all my apartment.”
“Well, for a start, I don’t have anywhere else to go and we’re your sisters, if you throw us out, it’ll only come back and bite you in the rear.” In the end, he decided against throwing them out, they in turn gave him some useful tips on how to get Mimi back.
*****
Shawn’s first action the following day; was to address the problem that had been undermining his confidence since day one. If he wanted to make a concerted effort to get Mimi back, he had to speak to the one person who he felt could railroad his plans. He knew his actions might be too late, but he was taking a chance. And so, he went to see Rex at the University. “You had your chance with her and you chose to walk away. I’m with her now so please just stay away from Mimi.”“You’re not doing a very good job of making her happy though are you?”
“I’ll admit that I made mistakes, but who doesn’t? The fact of the matter is that she’s my wife not yours. You could have had it all but you walked away. You didn’t see how much you hurt her and you didn’t have to help her pick up the pieces after.”
“Would it have made a difference? You were here Shawn, you helped her get through one of the worst times of her life and what did you do? You pulled the rug right from underneath her, you made her believe in love again and then you hurt her. You hurt her more deeply than I did when I walked away because you knew how she felt, you’d seen her at her most vulnerable, at her lowest and instead of doing everything you could to make her forget those times, you simply reminded her of them by doing what you did.”
“I’m trying to make things right with her and its not easy with you running around like some medieval hero come to make all her troubles go away.”
“You hurt her very badly, you hurt her in a way I never did and you say you’re trying to make things right but you’re only making things worse. I’m not the bad guy in your marriage Shawn that would be you.”
“I love her.”
“But that didn’t stop you from hurting her did it? And it doesn’t stop you from continuing to hurt her. I loved her too and I did the same thing. Only recently have I come to realise that love isn’t enough, it should be, but in order to have a healthy relationship with someone, there has to be more. I have that with someone Shawn, so you needn’t fear that I’m going to want Mimi back, I don’t. We’ve simply managed to get past the hurt and anger of our past, we’re moving on as friends, nothing more.”
“Are you sure?”
“Mimi’s an amazing woman; she’s also a woman who’s totally in love with her husband. She needs to be able to trust in you again Shawn, that’s all.”
*****
“Your mother said I’d find you here.” Nick said as he popped his head around the door. Chelsea got the fright of her life, she’d known he was back in Salem, she just didn’t figure he’d come looking for her.She smiled, “Still on friendly terms with my mother are you?”
“She told me she’d explained about our ‘relationship’, I figured I might as well do the same.”
“Why even bother? It doesn’t matter, we’re no longer together.” She watched him carefully, as he walked around her room, examining everything before coming to stand before her.
“That’s the thing Chelsea; I refuse to accept that we’re over.”
Chelsea shrugged, hoping the action appeared to be one of non-chalance, “It doesn’t really matter what you do or don’t choose to accept, the fact remains that I ended our relationship.”
“Over events that took place years ago, things that have no bearing on how I feel about you.”
“But,” she corrected him, “they do have a bearing on how I feel about you, that’s why I broke it off. Accept it, live with it, move on.”
“Impossible.” He declared, “I’d never be able to.”
“You’d be amazed at what the human heart is capable of doing Nicholas. We’re able to overcome many pains; this’ll just be one of many in your life.”
“May I at last know why?” he asked her.
She didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to keep the charade going, she needed him to leave or they’d end up a tangled mess on her bed, she’d missed him so much. His smell, his eyes, his hair…
When she didn’t answer, he continued, “Will you allow me to tell my side of events that took place all those years ago?”
She nodded, indicating that he should take a seat, he chose her bed and she almost groaned aloud at the images that came to mind of what she’d like to do with him on that bed. “I didn’t sleep with your mother, Kate on the other hand, Kate was just an infatuation. One she made sure I got over pretty quickly.”
“I know the story, what I want to know is why. Why you’d choose to jump into bed with a woman old enough to be your mother, quite possibly your grandmother.”
“I was in awe of her and at my age, men are prone to confusing awe with love or attraction. She was a business guru; there was a lot I could learn from her-”
“That much is obvious.” Chelsea piped in.
“I’m talking about in the boardroom, I was this naïve executive and Kate chose to take me under her wing.”
“And you chose to get under a lot more than her wing.”
“Would you stop that?” he said, rather annoyed at her constant interruptions, “You’re starting to make me feel guilty-”
She did it again, “If you don’t feel any guilt or shame, then we really have nothing to say to each other. You might as well leave right now.” She motioned him to the door.
“I never felt shame or guilt till it affected our relationship. I never regretted anything more in my life than knowing a stupid infatuation could ruin what we’d built together. And you know what we had was real and good and strong. It wasn’t some fly by night fancy, it was, IS,” he corrected himself, “it IS solid.”
“It still doesn’t change anything Nicholas.” Chelsea said sadly because she knew it to be true. She’d had weeks to deal with the ‘affair’ between him and her grandmother, that was in thanks largely to her mother and Tory, but she still couldn’t get over what he’d done. Not physically, but his willingness to seduce her mother just to get in Kate’s good graces, to garner false hope and to mislead in the most horrible way, in the same way Tory had been burned. She couldn’t forgive him for that even though she’d never known him at the time.
“Have you never done something you’ve regretted? Something you wish you could take back because then your life might make sense or be easier?”
She thought about Zack, would’ve accused him of using it against her but the tone of his question wasn’t accusing and so she simply said, “Yes.”
“Then you can understand what it’s like. I want a relationship with you Chelsea, a long lasting one. I thought going back to Europe would diminish the need, but it hasn’t. I had to come back here; I had to hope you could get past this.”
She looked at him, thought of the second chances she’d prayed for. The chances she’d been granted because the people who loved her had been forgiving had been willing to let her back into their lives. She was a much better person because of it, “I can’t promise you anything, but I’d certainly be willing to give it a try.”
He smiled at her and she reached out her hand, for the first time in weeks, she touched him and knew she wasn’t making a mistake. “Thank you.” He murmured against her lips.
