- Dizzy moved into the Schmidt home.
- Gail and Adrian decided to get their own place.
- Caitlyn was visited by Damien.
- Cassie started to get closer to Mac Kern...
[.....]
[.....]
Scene One:
505 Auburn Rd., Stone Creek. “Thurlow Cottage”
James, Caitlyn & Aidan’s Home.
“I honestly don’t think that it is a good idea to involve Damien in our lives again James, that is all.” Caitlyn Thurlow spoke, with a long sigh. “Putting a restraining order on Damien will only make matters worse. Do you want to be involved with another fiasco?”
James had been pleading with Caitlyn to get the paper for the last couple of minutes. Until now, their words about the subject had been sparse and few. Once Aidan Jurado left for work, James felt it necessary to bring the subject up again. “That’s the thing Caite, once you get the restraining order on Damien he will be forced to stay out of your life.”
She rested her hand on her hip. “Do you really think he would stay away?”
“Yes.”
“Well I don’t.” She admitted, solemnly. “The past that I share with Damien is too deep to keep him away from me. I can’t put a restraining order on him because I can’t find it in my heart to do that to my daughter’s father. James, can we just drop the subject?”
“Do you still love him?”
Caitlyn scoffed, she didn’t know how to answer his question. “I still care very much about my daughter.”
“Danielle is gone Caite. We have been over this so many times and I know it is hard for you to accept it. But Damien no longer needs to exist in your life because the life the two of you shared is completely gone now. I want you to be happy.”
“I am.” The woman walked over to James and gave him a hug. “I am completely happy being here with you James. I couldn’t ask for anything better than this. I have so much other things on my plate to be worrying about Damien. I just have way too many things to worry about.”
“Are you still stressed out about your seat on the city council?” James asked, noticing her change.
The feeling Caitlyn felt when she overheard two of the women on the Stone Creek city council talking bad about her came rushing back. “I know that Penelope keeps stating that those women won’t be able to over-rule her vote, but I just worry that maybe she’s wrong?”
“Having Penelope Wilkinson on your side is a blessing.”
“Did you see her at the dinner?” Caitlyn asked. “Penelope Wilkinson looks so frail right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if they somehow found a way to get Penelope to resign from the city council as well. I need this chair James. For so long I’ve worked my butt off to get where I am.”
“I know that.” James spoke, he pulled her into another hug and kissed her forehead. “You are a magnificent woman Caite and nobody can take that away from you.”
“I can’t lose this chair James, it’s one of the only things left in Stone Creek that I cherish.”
James felt the dagger hit his heart, hoping that he was still one of the few things left in Stone Creek that Caitlyn still cherished as well. But the topic wasn’t about him, so he comforted his wife in every way that he knew how to and kept his fears to himself.
[.....]
Scene Two:
2634 W. Parker St., Stone Creek. Callahan Condos #15
Marina, Cassie & Lucian’s Condo.
Bouncing baby Lucian on her knees, Marina held onto his hands to keep him from falling off. Although the rest of her attention was on her best friend as she maneuvered through the living room. She watched as Cassie gathered a couple of Lucian’s toys.
She never knew how many toys a child his size could obtain until she saw them sprawled out all over the floor. Truth be told though, Marina didn’t mind. It gave her time to explore her childhood whenever she took care of him. “He told me that he missed me.”
Cassie Lakhani turned to her best friend with a cautious grin. “Well that’s a good sign, right?”
“I hope so.” Marina shrugged, she frowned. “I screwed up royally when I let it leak that Jared Marlowe was his father and then watched as he got rejected from the man. I don’t know if I actually deserve an “I miss you" at this point. But it’s good that he does.”
“Keep your chin up.” Cassie smirked, she wrinkled her nose at the thought of packing all of Lucian’s toys. She decided against it and only grabbed two of the toys that would calm him down while out in the field. After packing everything up Cassie turned to Marina.” Give me the kid.”
This caught Marina off-guard and confusingly she picked Lucian up from her knees, then she pulled him back closer to her. “I haven’t had enough time with him. I thought the word of the day was sharing?”
Cassie scoffed. “He’s my kid!”
“I had him first.” Marina spat, cuddling with Lucian. The boy, oblivious to the women around him, cooed and gurgled and played with his fingers. “So you can have him when I’m tired of him.” Marina stuck out her tongue, teasingly.
Her best friend tossed her hands onto her hips. “Technically I had him first.” She reminded Marina. “Besides, we’re going to be late if I don’t start heading towards the park now.”
“That’s another thing.” Marina squinted her eyes, accusingly. “You haven’t told me where you are taking my child today. I told you, if I was going to give up my parental rights to you that you would need to keep me updated on everything you do with him.”
“Who are you?” Cassie chuckled, picking Lucian up and buckling him into his stroller.
Marina started to chuckle as she helped Cassie get him settled in. “I’m your best friend and I care about the both of you. Which brings me to ask, where has Clifton been lately? I haven’t really seen him around the house and you haven’t really talked about your knight in shining armor.”
“He’s just busy.” Cassie sighed.
Watching as her friend skillfully tried to avoid the conversation, Marina folded her arms. “Is that why you’ve been spending more time with Mac Kern?”
[.....]
Scene Three:
341 Wallow St., Stone Creek. “Schmidt Home”
David, Helen, Gail & Dizzy’s Home.
Walking into the kitchen Helen Schmidt moved passed the current occupants and moved towards where she kept her coffee mug. It had been an icy morning, although the weather outside was just the opposite. The only time she muttered any words was when she was talking to her new assistant over the phone.
How she let Mac Kern quit was beyond her. She must have dosed up on her prescriptions that day, because honestly he was the only good worker in the whole company. Besides herself, of course. Helen poured the contents of the coffee maker into her mug.
She looked at her husband who entered the kitchen in his work clothes and tried to pull a full smile but knew it wasn’t working without her morning coffee so halfway through the smile she pulled the mug to her lips and found nothing inside it.
“Did anybody bother making coffee today?” She snapped, placing the mug down on the table. There was a reason why she always loved her husband. David Schmidt was a coffee junkie. He always made the coffee, she watched as he got ready to leave.
David turned to his wife. “We didn’t feel like drinking coffee this morning.”
“You didn’t feel like drinking coffee this morning? David, you live off coffee! I mean seriously if your patients knew you were pulling a double standard they’d be terrified for you. Why didn’t you feel like drinking coffee?” She asked, walking over and feeling his head.
He shrugged her away. “Dizzy made a healthy alternative.”
“I’m sorry Mrs. Schmidt, I just thought it would be a good idea.” Dizzy Roberts spoke from her corner of the kitchen. She had spent most of the morning to herself whenever Helen entered a room. “I found this recipe in Arizona that actually gives you more energy through out the day-”
“I’d rather rely on my coffee, at least it doesn’t disappoint me.”
“Helen, that’s enough!” David barked, he watched as Dizzy lowered her head. “Dizzy is a guest in this house and quite frankly I like the idea of having a healthy supplement in the morning. It actually gets me through my days at work without a crash.”
Helen walked over to the stove where Dizzy was making breakfast. “Maybe I’ll just grab a muffin before I head to the office. There are so many people moving in and out of this place these days. At least at my building I get to control who stays and who goes.”
“I really appreciate you letting me stay here.” Dizzy pipped in.
“I’m sure you do.” Helen scoffed. “Maybe tomorrow you can appreciate someone else letting you stay at their home. I don’t even remember what it feels like to have a place to yourself that wasn’t my office at three in the morning. I know we agreed to let you stay here Dizzy, but you’ve out stayed your welcome.”
---
Our love. Our fights. Our friendships.
On Concrete Shelves.
Forever, they shall be remembered.
---
Scene Four:
Above Alice’s Haven Cafe.
Adrian’s Loft.
He watched as Gail Schmidt slipped out of her dress. They had spent most of the night trying to get comfortable after the sudden heat spell that took over the city. It wasn’t odd to have around this time of year, but it did sneak up on them. Adrian licked his lips as she smiled at him.
“I’m glad to have today off.” Gail spoke, in her underwear. Her hands on her growing belly.
Adrian Stone fixed his jeans as he lay in the bed in front of her. “Why is that?”
“Because now I can get out of my clothes and stay around the house comfortably. Do you know how hard it is to be pregnant in the heat?” She grumbled, undoing her bra. “I just want to sit in front of the fan and relax, maybe a cold shower later?”
She crawled up onto the bed and lay on his chest. They locked hands and Adrian kissed her forehead as she clicked on the TV and started to settle in for the day. “I think we should definitely take a shower later.”
“I went down to the Cafe earlier to get us muffins and Kirsten said they were showing the old Friday the 13th movies today. Maybe we can get some popcorn and settle in for the day watching them? I haven’t seen them since I was a little kid!”
Gail shrugged. “Slasher movies and popcorn?”
“Not romantic enough?” Gail shook her head. “Alright then, I’ll try harder. How about a nice back massage and a couple kisses along your neck?” He asked, kissing her neck. He could hear her moan in delight. “We can get out of these clothes and slow dance.”
She chuckled. “You just want to get me out of my underwear.”
“I can’t help it that you are turning me on.” Adrian whispered in her ear.
Gail sprung up, turning to face her boyfriend with a wry smile. “Even though I’m going to be as big as a house? I still turn you on?”
He nodded. “You’re carrying my child Gail, after all these years we are finally settling down to have a family. I will always love you for being so strong. Everything about you turns me on. Even when your ankles swell and your entire body starts to sweat.”
“There’s that romance.” She giggled, kissing him.
Once her phone rang, she broke the kiss. They lingered face-to-face for a minute or two before she decided to shuffle off the bed and answer her phone. Stubbing her toe in the process, she turned to a chuckling Adrian and put a finger to her lips.
“Gail speaking.”
“Gail, it’s Greta!” The woman on the other line spoke. Although Gail was excited to hear her friends voice, the pain from her collision was still climbing her leg and causing her to tear up a little bit. She walked over to Adrian who rubbed her shoulders and kissed her forehead.
“What’s going on Greta?”
“I just wanted to call and tell you the good news about the house you wanted!” Gail’s eyes lit up and Adrian insisted on knowing what was going on, but she shrugged him off as payback for laughing at her. Sticking her tongue out she returned to the conversation. “I just wanted to let you know that you got the house!”
“Thank you so much Greta!” Gail jumped up, screaming. “That’s such good news, Adrian is going to flip once I tell him! Thank you so much! I’ll tell him right now!”
“Alright, you can fill-out a couple forms and get the keys from me later today.” Greta trailed off.
Adrian Stone smiled, knowing this was the news that they had been waiting for. Now that they had the house he needed to tell Kirsten that he was moving out of the Loft. He frowned at the thought but looked back at Gail and smiled. He was now starting a new life with her.
[.....]
Scene Five:
Now Town.
Candle Light City Park.
Cassie Lakhani couldn’t help but laugh when Mac told her about the fight he almost got into with Adrian Stone back in Arizona when he went to retrieve the guy for Helen Schmidt. She knew that he had never told anybody the story before and immediately felt a bond between the two.
She thumbed a couple of grapes as she looked around at the park. When he asked if they could go out for the day, she didn’t expect him to pick something so simple.
“I’m really glad that you asked me to come out here.” Cassie spoke, she could feel the words filling the space between them. “I can’t believe how thoughtful you were to bring me to the park. With Lucian usually by my side, it’s probably the best place to come.”
Mac Kern smirked. “I didn’t think it was appropriate to take Lucian to a bar.”
“I’m serious! This is really sweet of you.”
“Of course I would think of Lucian, I really like the little guy.” Mac replied, his words seemed to be carrying weight. Weight that Cassie hadn’t encountered in awhile, so to distract the butterflies building in her stomach she tossed a grape at Mac and laughed when it connected with his nose.
He gawked at her and tossed a grape her way. “I’m trying to be all sentimental and you start throwing food at me!”
The two of them chuckled. “Okay, okay! You win!”
“Hold still, open your mouth!” Cassie chuckled, she guided a grape into his mouth. “I used to play on my high school basketball team.”
“I was on the swim team.”
Cassie raised an eye brow. “Mac Kern and a speedo?”
He blushed. “I had to shave my legs too.”
The two of them burst out into another fit of laughter and Cassie felt safe around him for the first time in a long while. She watched as he picked up a couple fallen grapes and then when Lucian started to cry Mac picked him up as well and quieted the baby.
Watching Lucian and Mac interact stirred something inside of her. Cassie wished that Clifton was around more to help out with their baby. For a second she had forgotten all about him. She felt as if she were scouting for a new father to take care of Lucian.
It didn’t feel right. Gulping she started to pack their things up. “I better go, I forgot that I had a couple things to do before night falls. Riding the bus everywhere and what not.”
Mac’s face fell. “I can drive you wherever you need to go.”
Cassie shook her head, watching as Mac buckled Lucian into his stroller. She tried to smile so that Mac wasn’t alarmed. “There’s just a couple things I have to go do alone. But thank you for the offer and thanks for today Mac, it was really sweet of you.”
He smiled. “I’ll see you another day?”
“Yeah, of course!” Cassie spoke, strolling away and trying not to look back at him. What was she doing? A part of her wanted to turn back around and find the perfect moment to kiss him. But then another part of her wanted to never contact him again to save him from having to be a part of her new world.
[.....]
Scene Six:
Sage Gardens
Alice’s Haven Cafe
Marina Thurlow sat at the table tearing pieces of her napkin off, trying to stay in supportive step-daughter mode and not transfer over to reporter mode. It was something she had been working on ever since the incident with Ian. She knew it was a step in the right direction.
“How do you feel about Damien now?” Kirsten Sutton asked, chewing on a fry. “I mean after everything that he put you and our father through do you think that you can be civil with him again? Or do you think that there just isn’t any way?”
Caitlyn shrugged. “Damien and I had been through so much together. We were High School sweethearts. Obviously that is something that you cannot change.” She told the girls, trying to make them see her side of things. “But I do see the things that he did to us.”
“Right.” Marina dabbed.
“I just don’t want you to make a decision that could reflect badly on yourself.” Kirsten explained. “I’ve seen the way things work in Stone Creek. You have to understand where my father is coming from by trying to protect you. He doesn’t like Damien at all.”
Marina rolled her eyes. “Can you blame him?”
“Not at all.” Caitlyn replied, she sighed. “I really do wish that Damien had never found me and told me about our daughter being alive. This past year has been extremely hard on me and I’ve seen how hard it had been on your father as well.”
“I’m so sorry about the article.”
Caitlyn turned towards Marina and rubbed her arm. “I was just upset that you went behind our backs by reporting on it. It wasn’t something nice to do Marina. But I am glad that it is all out there now, no longer can it be an inner demon to me.”
“Would you put a restraining order against Damien?” Marina asked, she wiggled her nose in anticipation and then sipped on her diet soda. “Nobody would hate you either way.”
Caitlyn looked at both girls, she really didn’t know how to feel about the topic. It was nice to have them both around at times like this when she was dwelling on her own feelings. But to say she would get a restraining order on the man that she once loved. “If I needed to, in order to protect my marriage to your father.”
Kirsten smirked. “We’re really glad that he has someone who would rather look out for him than their own personal feelings. My mother was a lot of things, but generous wasn’t one of them.”
The three of them looked up to see Helen Schmidt entering the Cafe. It was as if she knew they were talking about her, the awkwardness of the sudden appearance caused the three women to shuffle in their seats. Leaving Helen to smile in delight.
[.....]
Scene Seven:
2634 W. Parker St., Stone Creek. Callahan Condo’s #29
Taylor’s Condo.
Dizzy Roberts held the piece of paper to the door, as soon as she realized that the address was exactly the same she took a deep breath. After the conversation she had with Helen this morning, she needed to start finding her own place as soon as possible.
She knew that Adrian and Gail would be staying at the loft for a little longer and didn’t want to rush them. So instead she went online to scout the area for a nice place. She found the building to be nicer on the inside than it’s concrete shell.
Knocking on the door Dizzy waited for a response.
She still didn’t have her finances in order, it was something that she had always been bad at. When she saw a nice purse in the mall, she had to buy one in every color. Which was another reason she needed to get out of the Schmidt home, she needed her own space.
The condos looked spacious, even if she was rooming with another woman. Dizzy knew it shouldn’t become a big deal and once it did, she hoped that her new job would be able to financially find herself a better place on her own. For now though, she waited as the current attendant answered the door.
To her surprise a tall, light skinned man opened the door. He smirked as he caught her dumbfounded. “I don’t remember ordering a gorgeous african american beauty such as yourself.”
Dizzy rolled her eyes, she knew it was too good to be true. “Is that the best you can come up with? Please tell me your girlfriend isn’t inside cooking your All-American ass dinner.”
The man chuckled. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Please tell me your name’s not Taylor.”
He bowed. “The one and only, what about yourself?”
“Leaving.”
“Hold up!” Taylor chuckled. “Are you responding to my roommate ad? You thought I was a girl didn’t you? It was the name, I’m sure. I get that a lot.” After she didn’t respond, Taylor went on. “Look, I’m sorry if I burst your bubble, but I could really use a roommate and I don’t bite.”
Dizzy sighed. “I looked everywhere.”
He smiled. “I’m your man.”
Taking a minute to think it over, she knew there wasn’t anyway that this could get any worse. Dizzy tried to put on a smile, all she needed to do was live here for a couple months and then find her own place once she had money saved up. Besides she would be at work most of the time, anyways.
“We’re gunna need some rules!” She spit, walking into the condo.
[.....]
Scene Eight:
Sage Gardens
Gladys’ Bistro
Ryan Bauer couldn’t help but get Marina out of his head. He found every opportunity to check-up on her that he could. Even while he was at dinner with Natalie Marlowe. He looked down at his phone every chance he got, just to make sure he hadn’t missed a call.
All the while Natalie kept on yapping about her new job.
It wasn’t that Ryan felt he didn’t have control over Marina’s thoughts. It’s just that now that he sensed Ian Kiefer back in the picture, he knew it was going to be harder to rope her back into his life. He often found himself thinking about when they were sharing Marina’s sandwich outside of her job and the conversation they had.
There was a part of him that missed having her around all the time.
“Are you even listening to me?” Natalie Marlowe barked, she caught Ryan’s attention and rolled her eyes. “Who are you even texting right now? I thought you wanted to have a nice dinner with me?”
“I’m sorry babe.” Ryan replied, stuffing his cellphone into his pocket. “It’s just some work things that I had to take care of. Patrick Sutton has been on me about the election for Mayor. I know it’s not a topic you’d like to discuss so I try to keep it secret.”
Natalie sighed, she was thankful that he didn’t want to bring up the election in front of her. “Well I appreciate that. After everything my asshole father put us through, it’s nice to know someone is looking out for my feelings.” Ryan returned back to his pocket, waiting for his phone to vibrate.
“Do you know who Patrick is running against?”
“What?” Ryan looked up, clearly distracted.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Maybe this was a bad idea, clearly you’d rather pay attention to your job then listen to me talk about my day.”
“It’s not that.” Ryan replied, hastily.
Natalie nodded. “I’ve lost my appetite for food anyways.”
Her date watched as she got up from the table, astonished by her out burst. “Where are you going?”
The brunette turned back to Ryan with a smile. “Back to my house. How about we leave this stupid restaurant and go back to my place and just have sex. I’ve got a craving for something that won’t leave your mind wandering about Patrick Sutton.”
Ryan smirked. “That’s not a bad idea.”
He jumped up at the offer and found himself beside Natalie, grabbing her waist and pulling her towards him violently, which made her chuckle. Kissing her neck, Ryan went to pay the check and carted her off to his car. Sex at her house would have to wait, as they couldn’t help themselves.
[.....]
Scene Nine:
1509 Mango Ln., Stone Creek. “Briggs Home”
Clifton’s Home.
Clifton Briggs wiped his hands as he opened the door. “Cassie, I didn’t expect you to be stopping by. Especially with this little guy, I was in the middle of making a snack if you wanted something to eat? Have the two of you eaten?” He asked inviting them in.
He smiled as he caught Lucian’s eye. “Did Marina drop you off?”
“We caught the bus, actually.” Placing his things to the side Cassie tried not to flashback to visiting Clifton here at the house for the first time. It seemed like it was so long ago that she was sneaking around with his child in her belly. She hated how things ended with Audrey.
Clifton turned to face Cassie. “I can get you a car, Cassie.”
She shook her head. “That’s not necessary.”
“Lucian is my son, I want to make sure he is safe and I don’t really think catching a bus this late is something safe for a woman such as yourself and my child.” He watched as she awkwardly smiled. “Is everything alright Cassie? You’re not having second thoughts about me being in his life, are you?”
“What are we?” She asked, a frosty voice.
He pondered the question for a moment. “We are two people raising a son together.”
“Then why do I feel like I am cheating on you whenever I talk to Mac?” Cassie asked, “I guess I came here because I need to know what we are. Are we really just two people who are raising a child? I just don’t know how to feel about being this single mother.”
Clifton brought her into the kitchen where he continued to make the snacks. “We have definitely been through a lot Cassie and we both decided that just because we share a son doesn’t mean we have to be anything more. What happened between the two of us was a mistake.”
Cassie looked at Lucian. “Not entirely.”
“I don’t want to stop you from a future with Mac, if that’s what you were asking Cassie. I just want to be apart of Lucian’s life. I’m sorry for not being around as much lately, but I can tell you after this whole election I will be right back there helping out.”
“Election?” Cassie frowned.
Clifton nodded. “Investments. Cassie, if you have feelings for Mac then go ahead and explore them. He seems like a really good guy.”
“I don’t know what I feel right now.” She admitted.
“I’ve always seen this determination in you Cassie, you’re not like all the women around here. Certainly not like my ex. wife.” Clifton picked Lucian up and played with the child. “You know what you want, I just don’t understand why you always hide behind your own fears.”
“I come from a poor background.”
Clifton smirked. “I know. I’ll get you guys a cab back to your place. Just know Cassie that you are my child’s mother and I care for you just as much as I care for him. I want you to be happy so don’t let some simple fear be what keeps you away from your own happiness.”
“Thanks.” Cassie sighed, wishing that she wanted to be with Clifton.
[.....]
Scene Ten:
Sage Gardens
Alice’s Haven Cafe.
“Smoking in perfect view is a very dangerous habit.” Adrian Stone spoke, he watched as his old friend Kirsten Sutton turned to him, startled. “What’s got you so wound up? I thought you weren’t smoking anymore now that you were with Charlie.”
She smiled. “Just taking a breather.”
“I never knew you to take a breather.” Adrian replied, he watched as she tried to compose herself. Although it had been such a long time since he had actually been close with Kirsten, he still knew how she reacted to things. “I just wanted to come down and talk to you.”
Kirsten snuffed the cigarette and looked at Adrian. “About what?”
“Do you remember when I told you about Gail wanting to get our own place? I know it seems like such a hasty decision but we got the house.” Adrian admitted, he kicked around some dirty to distract himself from the truth. “We’re going to be moving into it soon and that means-”
“You’re not going to be living here anymore.” She finished.
He nodded his head. “Don’t worry, I am still going to pay this months rent although it’s halfway over and then with my deposit I’m sure it’ll have taken care of the next month after that. The place is still in tremendous shape so you will find a new renter soon.”
“Don’t worry about it Adrian.” Kirsten replied. “You don’t have to pay this months rent, the deposit will take care of it. I’m just sad to see you go. It was nice having an old friend around in case I needed a couple of extra hands around the Cafe. It won’t be the same.”
“I’ll still be in town.”
She nodded. “Well then I hope that is an invitation to help out.”
Adrian chuckled, he grabbed Kirsten’s cigarettes and lit his own. “Do you remember when we were in High School and we went to Cuttlebone Lake for the Fourth of July?”
“That water was freezing.” Kirsten recalled.
“Especially with no clothes on.”
Kirsten put a hand to her forehead, remembering the night the two of them shared. They had decided to break away from the tradition of going to The Lakeside Inn to celebrate the holiday. Somehow they both ended up on the dock near the marina.
Then Kirsten dared Adrian to jump in the lake, naked. Half of her wanted to see the man without any clothes on and the other half was bored with her life. She had everything she wanted, everything a little rich girl such as herself had wanted.
“I’ll pay this month’s rent.”
Kirsten sighed, she definitely knew he was persistent. Especially when it came to the money he owed. She decided that she would drop it, in hopes that he could focus on other things in his life. Taking the pack of cigarettes and placing them in her pocket she smiled.
“I should get back to Gail.”
“Alright.”
[.....]
Scene Eleven:
341 Wallow St., Stone Creek. “Schmidt Home”
David, Helen, Gail & Dizzy’s Home.
David Schmidt walked down the stairs just as his wife walked in the door. He found it funny that he hadn’t seen his wife all day, after his shift at the hospital he came home to find Dizzy packing her things up. A chill went down his back as he sat on the steps.
“What are you so glum about?” Helen asked, tossing her keys in a bowl shaped piece glass. “When did you get off work?”
“A couple hours ago.” David spoke, he watched as his wife walked around the living room and then back towards him. She stopped and looked at him curiously. “Are we going to just fight about things and not change them? That fight we had this morning.”
She looked narrowly at him. “Was just a fight.”
“We’ve been like this for awhile now Helen and quite frankly it is starting to effect my work at the hospital.” David announced.
“Then you should probably take care of that.” Helen replied harshly. Putting her hands on her hips she sighed. “Honestly David, I don’t understand why you are being so difficult. Gail is pregnant and back home and it seems like Adrian wants to stay in Stone Creek. Your daughter isn’t running away again, I think you should be appreciative of that!”
“I am.”
“Then act like it!” Helen spat. “Stop moping around here. If it is effecting your job, then maybe you should go see a therapist to sort your head out because I am doing quite fine at my job.”
He gulped. “Here you go again Helen, pushing our problems off.”
“That’s just silly David, we don’t have problems. We have always been so simple and I think thats what keeps us together. We have sex and then we go about our lives without having to check in on one another. I tried my best, I really have, I tried to be your wife.”
“But what?”
She shook her head, how was he not appreciative of everything that she had done for him? Helen left James so that she could marry David the following year. She gave up her reputation so that she could be standing next to the powerful Dr. David Schmidt. But the man sitting before her wasn’t powerful at all.
“But I’m not Monica, David.” Helen sighed, it was a topic they hardly brushed up on. “I’m not your dead wife.”
Helen watched as her words broke David down, although he didn’t cry, his eyes wore a thin grip on the situation. “Well, then you should be happy to hear that Dizzy has moved out.” Getting up from the steps he looked at her one more time before turning away.
“You can sleep in your office again tonight!” David called out, climbing the steps.
Leaving his wife out in the cold of their hallway. Helen closed her eyes, angry at the way she turned the conversation, but knowing deep down that she didn’t marry David because of his sensitive side. After they had an affair, it was his power that turned her on.
It was no longer there these days.
[.....]
Scene Twelve:
The Lakeside Inn.
La Bella Sul Lago’s Restaurant
Caitlyn Thurlow chuckled as she sipped on her wine. It was indeed the perfect night out with her husband James Thurlow and a few of their closest friends. Passing the bowl of bread to Daphne Wilkinson she thanked her for suggesting the current wine of choice.
“I’m telling you, once you’ve had a taste of the wine from Tuscany, you will never go back! I make Gideon get us a couple of bottles every couple of months. The good thing is they sell them by the case here to make things easy on us.”
Gideon shook his head. “This woman is crazy about her wine.”
“It’s a good way to just relax after a long day at work.” Daphne let on, holding her husband’s arm as they delved deeper into their meal and the topic at hand. “Besides, it does help us bond together every now and then. Something romantic to keep things flowing.”
“Cheers to that.” Diem Joplin smiled from her end of the table. “I’m so glad that the four of you can keep me around even though I seem to be the fifth wheel these days. I’m really lucky to have friends like you guys.”
Caitlyn frowned. “What happened to that Seth guy?”
She remembered a time when Diem was talking about a man that she had met. “Things just didn’t flow right with myself and Seth Keeler. I guess our timing was just off.”
“That’s too bad.” Daphne snipped. “Cheers to a future that is full of surprise. One day Diem, a man will come into town that is perfect for you. Just you wait and see.”
“I agree.” James spoke, holding his wine glass up.
Caitlyn caught the glimpse of hope that James tossed their friend and didn’t know how to feel. She was happy that he was supporting Diem Joplin but at the same time knew about their past. She gulped. “I was thinking, and I know this is sort of off topic, but I was thinking if you guys would agree with it.”
“What is it darling?”
Daphne shook her head. “Tell us, we’d love to know.”
“I was thinking about Damien and the restraining order.” She watched as their faces were a mix of emotions. “You know how I feel about pressing charges, but if he approaches me one more time then I wouldn’t have any other choice. So I was thinking if I feel threatened by him then I will give him a restraining order.”
Everyone at the table agreed that it was a good idea.
“That’s all we wanted dear.” Daphne spoke, touching her friends hand for support.
James nodded. “I just want you to feel safe.”
“I do.” Caitlyn sighed. “I really do.”
[.....]
Next Time, On Concrete Shelves
- Helen deals with babysitting Megan once again.
- Gail and Adrian start putting together their family.
- Bentley shares a surprise with his grandmother.
- Patricks plans catch a snag...
[ Previous Episode | Home | Forum | Next Episode ]
