The first thing Beth saw when she woke up was her sparkly. Sam caught her looking at it mistily.
Sam: Like that, do you? Beth: Thought I showed you last night. Sam leaned over her, a finger gently tracing a path along her breastbone. Sam: I'm stupid. I forget. Show me again. I woke up long before Billy did, and given the level of chemicals in him I wondered if he was going to wake up at all that day. I decided to take advantage of the relative peace and get him cleaned up a little. First I slipped into a pair of long underwear, then I built up the fire so that the room would be comfortable when I went to change his dressings. The hand was easy, then I went to work on his belly. Halfway along, as I was attempting to tease the surgical tape away from the skin, he woke up. He went to slap my hand away. Billy: Hurts, dammit. Deb: I know. I have to do it. Quit wigglin' or it'll be worse. Billy: Pipsqueak damn near reran her lunch when she did this for me. How come it don't faze you? I lifted my nightgown, eased aside the longhandles and my panties to display the long scar I carried courtesy of two of the boys. Deb: What'd you think this was, a dimple? Billy: Damn! Laid you open like a Thanksgivin' turkey. What's that from? Deb: Babies, honey. They had me all stuck together like a cheap box. Blood's no big deal in my line of work, either. When Tristan was 4, he had an accident, fell out of a car his dad was driving. The whole left side of his little body was nothing but road rash. They had to knock him out to scrub the hottop off him, dug a rock out of his face, and then had to treat the thing like a burn. Guess who got to change his bandages - without benefit of morphine like they used in the hospital. Billy: Gimme three guesses. Deb: First two are wrong. When Justin was born - he's the one I delivered naturally, I stayed at home until the contractions were two minutes apart, then had to take off across town in the middle of rush hour. Rode in a State Police cruiser, in the back. Trooper was doing eighty, had one eye on his watch to time my contractions and he didn't have a clue where he was. What's wrong, you're lookin' kinda green around the gills. Billy: Damn, that's rude! Deb: Goes with the territory. Hold that up so it doesn't get hung up in the staples. Billy: Those mothers are comin' out. Deb: In two or three days. Not until. Billy: The hell you say! Deb: As long as I'm the one has to drag your ass across the lake, you're damn right. You've been pretty thoroughly ventilated down there, son. Let's make sure nothing's going anyplace before I take those out. Billy: What kinda tool you use to do that? Deb: Never mind. You'll go lookin' for it and then I'll have to make a mad dash across the lake to find a doctor or a vet who can put your guts back. Billy leaned back against the headboard, staring at me in frank astonishment. Billy: This the woman who was sayin', 'don't leave me, I'll die if you leave me'? Deb: She was saying it to the man who said it to her in the first place, yeah. Billy: Well, where'd she go? I liked her a lot better than this hardass runnin' around here now. I finished spreading antibiotic cream over the incision and the various holes left by the buckshot, then I quickly bandaged him up. I brought him more Tylenol, Darvon and penicillin, then covered him and got back in beside him. I reached out a hand and laid it on his arm. Deb: She's here, Billy, but she's operating under Mom's prime directive. You ever have anybody mother you, honey? Really fuss over you? Billy covered my hand with his. It was a tender movement, therefore I can only assume he didn't realize he was doing it. Billy: Can't say I remember. Deb: Thought so. I thought so. Well...you're gonna be fussed over now, so get used to it. Sam finished cleaning up after his frugal lunch - it was no fun cooking for one - and wandered back to the couch. He was still very tired - Beth's promise of sleep had gone right out the window once he put the sparkly on her - but he felt wonderfully content. Settled. Complete and contained. The last piece of the puzzle had had always been Samuel P. Gerard had been found and had more than consented to fill the space in his heart set aside for it. When...if...he ever climbed fully back into harness again, his kids would find him very different indeed. Still intense, he could never be anything but intense, but quieter. Possibly Cooper or Poole might use the word gentle. That would be a good word. he had never in his life felt more gentle, less driven. He had nothing to prove anymore. He picked up the phone. Sam: Yeah, baby. Beth: How'd you know it was me? Sam: Who else'd wanna talk to me? Beth: Feeling any better? Sam: Still beat all to hell. You wore me out. Beth: Stop it, I'm blushing. Sam: Put somebody else on, I'll tell 'em all about it. Beth: You wouldn't?! Sam: Right now I'll tell the world. When you comin' home? Beth: Done at five, lover. Then I'm on my way. Sam: Too damn long. Can't sleep when I'm overtired and you're gone. Stupid sounding, I know, but all I want to do is put you behind me so you can rub my shoulders and I can relax. Beth: You sound any more relaxed, you'd be liquid. What's really keeping you awake, Sammy? Sam: Can't hide anything from you, can I? Beth: Nope. Talk to me, big guy. Sam: Well...you know I wanted to take you back to the cabin this weekend... had it all planned. Beth: I know. But you sent Deb and Bill up there and now we can't go. So? We're still together. Sam: I'm kicking myself, honey. I bought that place for you. I don't mind so much about the monkey...but Strannix! Damn! What was I thinking? Beth: I get it. Poor baby...but hang on. I have an idea. Sam: What's that? Beth: Deb and I put that hot-tub in at Bill's as much for you and me as for them. And I'll take you over there tonight. On one condition. Sam: Condition? Beth: That's right. One condition. You need to promise me you won't use what you see to bust him. Sam: I can't do that! Beth: Yes, you can. You've never caught him in direct violation of anything as much as a speed law... Sam: It stands to reason, honey! Beth: Maybe so, but you don't even have a way to prove your hunch. He's my best friend next to you, and you're everything to me. Promise me. Sam: Aw, goddammit, Beth! Beth: Baby sister's heart is there, Sam. You want two women mad as hell at you, you go right ahead. Otherwise, promise me. Sam: Shit! Beth: Is it a deal? Sam seethed and writhed in his seat. Strannix had been dancing just out of reach for months, and a peek into his house might give Sam needed insight into what it would take to lay hands on the tricky little bastard. But Beth was insisting on discretion. Therein lay his dilemma. On the one hand, Strannix brought to justice, permanently relocated to Leavenworth or Marion. On the other hand, Beth as God made her in the warm water of that hot-tub. Over here, a job well done. Over there, a woman well made. And then there was the Brat to consider. If he locked Strannix down he would be doing his job, but he would break her heart and possibly cause a permanent, serious breach between himself and Beth as well as the Little Sister. Beth: I'm waiting, Sam. Sam: Okay, all right, you win. Strannix' joint is off limits. Tell you what, you take a funky route and I'll keep my eyes shut. If we wait until after dark, I won't even see a house number. Agreed? Not even Strannix is worth missing you in a hot-tub, child. Billy kept picking at the tape on his stomach. He had already refused to have his hand bandaged any further. Deb: Cut it out, you'll tear it open. Billy: Damn thing itches. Deb: Of course it does, it's healing. Leave it alone. Ready for your dinner? Billy: If it's anything like lunch ya can throw the shit in the lake. Clear broth. Phhhth. Deb: Sorry, baby, but I don't want to put too much through your innards until they've had a chance to heal. Billy: Baby? Honey? What is this shit? Deb: That bother you? I kind of like the sound. Billy: It ain't you. Now if you were callin' me asshole... Deb: Your point being? When the shoe fits, you'll have every opportunity to wear it. This is me...it's just never had a chance to be before now. You're injured and you're trying to get your strength back and you're nothing but a big baby right now. And you're my baby. Billy: You wanna fight? Deb: You wanna lose? What the hell's wrong with you? Billy: You need an 8X10 glossy? Deb: Not that? That'll heal. I'm talking about in here. I was sitting behind him, and he was leaning against me with some light reading...looked like Jane's Defence Weekly. I tapped the side of his hard head. Billy: Nothin' wrong in there. Deb: Maybe not, but you act like you're afraid of me and it's coming from in there someplace. Billy: Afraid of you, punk! Messed up as I am, you keep talkin' that shit I'll whip your ass! Deb: Move. Sit up. I'll get your dinner. I pushed at Billy's shoulders and he let me out from behind him. Deb: Sorry, I said the 'f' word again. I don't want a fight, this has been too nice, so I'll back off. But understand...I have a feeling about you, a really strong feeling. I've had it for some time. I trust my feelings. I headed into the kitchen. Billy could see and talk to me there, so there was no reason for him to move. Billy: What'n hell d'you mean, a feeling? Deb: Never mind, you're not ready to hear the answer. All I ever get is macho bullshit out of you. Most of the time you make me laugh. Sometimes you upset me and this is one of those times. I don't want to be upset, so I'mm gonna avoid the subject. All I know is, wherever you are is where I want to be, and wherever you hang your bandanna is home. And you can do whatever the hell you want with that. Sam lay against the side of the hot-tub. His long legs were stretched out and his feet were propped against the opposite side. Beth lay across the length of his body, legs bracketing his hips, rather like a woman on her stomach in a lawn chair. Her head was in the spot he most preferred it, tucked under his chin and against his heart. Her little body pressed softly, fully against his was maddening, but he needed time to regain his strength again the way it was. She had raised her arms to encircle his neck. His own arms loosely embraced her, his hands tracing random patterns on her smooth skin. He found the very tip of her tailbone and followed a slow path up to the small of her back. She shuddered, and he felt himself stirring against her. Sometimes promising the impossible had its compensations. Billy had found the staple removing tool and had cut out all the staples, much to my dismay. He'd done this while I took a short walk to get away from his mouth and get some air. When I returned after about an hour, he was tightly taped up and waiting for me. I'd bawled him out, but he'd stopped my mouth with his, after saying the words 'shut the hell up, Mom - Daddy's back.' Deb: Billy...we can't. It'll tear things. Billy: I told you to shut up. My mouth still works. Deb: I think you'll be talkin' when you're dead. Billy: That's not what I mean. Then he tossed me on the rug in front of the fire and showed me what he meant. TO BE CONTINUED...
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