Choices Pt. 03: The Recovery

Author's Note:

As noted in Parts 1 and 2, this is a romance and a work of fiction. I encourage you to read those chapters first before reading this one. This part picks up about thirty years after the events of those chapters.

Because of what happens, there's just a little sex in this chapter (and all such characters participating are well over the age of 18 and are doing so willingly). If you're seeking graphic descriptions of hardcore action, please try elsewhere.

For those who continue, thank you for reading. For those who read all the way, please rate the story at the end. Thanks!

* * *

Part 3: The Recovery

Almost twenty months ago...

Rob awoke with a start on that early August morning to gentle ministrations he wasn't expecting. His sharp intake of breath led to a gentle 'pop' and Lisa looking up at him, wiping hair from her face as she did a lollipop-like lick.

"Happy anniversary, honey. You likey?"

"Me likey very, very much," he said with a sleepy grin, "but we might ought to think about postponing the grand finale until after I hit the bathroom."

She giggled, giving him one more gentle massage and an enveloping kiss before sliding up and resting her cheek over her hands on his chest. "Hold on just a second before you go. I'm taking a mental picture of this so we can resume tonight right where we're leaving off. Unfortunately, we need to get started. We've got a lot to do today."

Rob shook his head and said "Uhh, I don't think so," as he rolled her over and pinned her to the bed before nuzzling her neck. "Lisa, my love, we may have lots to do but we have to keep our priorities straight, too. Right now, I'd say this is top priority."

She breathed sharply as he teased a nipple with his tongue and his finger traced down to find her clit, where he started to gently rub it through her panties. "Rob! You're such a tease..ahhh...but such a good one..."

She shifted, shoving her panties to the side, and spread her legs as he moved atop and then slowly up into her. Moving together as they'd done so many times over their years together, they took comfort in each other. The concerns of their world and their all-too-busy day faded for a little while as they spent those few moments loving each other with their own private anniversary celebration.

* * *

Rob was still smiling as he watched the florist starting to decorate the ballroom at the Buckhead hotel where the event would be held. It was so different than that day twenty-eight years earlier when, with him as a struggling law student and her just starting her first nursing job, they'd married on a shoestring budget in a little country church with just over thirty people in attendance.

There had been handmade decorations and barely a handful of flowers between the bride and her three attendants. Rob, Mike as his best man, and his groomsmen all wore dark suits with the guys wearing matching ties that Rob purchased for them. The reception consisted of wedding cake, punch, Mike's stereo system and a few albums, and a dance floor created by moving a couple of tables out of the way. Despite its simplicity, it was, Rob remembered, an excellent day and an even better night.

When Lisa suggested the recommitment ceremony idea, her initial idea was to invite most of the same people plus their children and a few others to share their happiness and the marked improvement in their circumstances. Rob agreed but had reservations.

"Don't you think it would be better to wait a couple of years and do it for 30 years?" he asked.

"Honey, the kids will have graduated and gone their own ways. Robbie may be doing his residency in Timbuktu for all we know, and where's Abby going to be in law school? We renew our vows now and hold an event we can enjoy while we can still get them here, or we'll never do it at all."

He'd agreed and agreed to a limit of fifty guests. Her initial plan, the number of guests, and the budget requirements grew quickly after that.

It was about 11 AM, when his phone rang and Lisa's name and photo flashed up on the screen. He answered, "Hi, Sweetheart. Happy anniversary! What's up?"

"Honey, Abby and the girls are running behind at the nail salon so I'm going to run down to the airport to pick up Robbie."

"What? Just have him take a taxi or an Uber-car. Tell him we'll pay for it."

"Rob, I don't get to spend much time with my son these days, so I'm not missing this chance. It'll probably be the only time I get a chance to speak with him one-on-one before he flies back out in the morning."

"Hold on. Girls running behind? I heard you make their appointment with the salon. You planned this from the start didn't you?"

She laughed. "Ah, busted! I'm leaving right now and will be back with him by one. That gives us plenty of time. I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetheart. Be safe and I'll see you shortly."

It was a beautiful, sunny day as he drove home with the windows down in the summer heat. It was almost one when he pulled into his driveway. He frowned as he got out of the car on noticing a police car coming to a stop on the other side of the street. He walked toward the house only to hear his name.

"Mr. Malone? Robert J. Malone?" An officer was walking up the driveway toward him.

"Yes, Officer, can I help you?"

"Sir, I'm very sorry to tell you this, but there's been a serious accident."

* * *

It was late that evening and Lisa was still in surgery. Her car had been t-boned at an intersection just a couple of blocks from the freeway she was planning to take toward the Atlanta airport when a distracted driver ran a red light. Prince, Lisa's Golden Retriever and near constant companion, was killed in the wreck.

The surgical waiting room was full of Malone family members and their friends praying and awaiting word of her condition rather than being at the celebration as planned. The doctor came out and spoke with Rob privately.

"She made it through the surgery, Mr. Malone, but when it came time to take her off the machines..." He shook his head. "I'm sorry. She's an organ donor, so we still have her on the machines now to keep her functioning for organ harvesting."

Rob hung his head in his hands, trying to fight off tears. Sherri, Lisa's mother, who was in town for the ceremony started crying when she saw. Robbie, a rising 4th year medical student, asked to speak to the doctor, and Rob nodded to grant permission. As they spoke, Abby, a rising college senior, came over and hugged her father and held him while she cried.

When his son was finished speaking, Rob asked, "Doctor, you're sure there's no hope? People have been known to come out of comas, right?"

"This is very different than a coma, Dad," said Robbie. "They could keep her functioning, probably indefinitely, on the machines, but you know Mom wouldn't want that. She was always a carefree spirit, loving life. Remember how she hated zoos because all of the animals were caged up? That's the way she is now. She'd want us to let her go so she could help a few more people."

"I'm grasping at straws, son," replied Rob. "Doctor, can we see her before you start?"

"Very briefly, if you must," replied the surgeon, "and only you as next of kin. I warn you that her injuries were very severe so..."

Rob nodded and switched Abby over to be held by her brother. Though everyone had already surmised, he had to say it aloud. He forced out the unwelcome words, haltingly, as tears slipped down his cheeks. "Everyone, I'm so very sorry. Lisa didn't make it. She is an organ donor so hopefully her loss will mean life for others. Our family thanks you for your support and prayers today and for the difficult time ahead. We will let you know when..."

Despite putting on a serious face and using as much determination as he could muster, it wasn't enough and he couldn't continue. His tears streamed down as he went back with the doctor for one final goodbye.

* * *

With the funeral and the legal aspects related to Lisa's death, the next month was a blur to Rob and his remaining family. He talked to his business partners at the law firm and took a one-month leave of absence. Abby, so upset at the loss of her mother, took the semester off from college to deal with her grief and to be with her dad. Robbie didn't have that option. Though he was off for ten days for bereavement, he had to return to his last year of med school or lose an entire year and all of the work he'd done toward being assigned a residency in the spring.

Other family and friends came and visited; with Rob and his daughter hurting, they were almost glad when everyone was gone and they had quiet, but no real peace, in their home. Reminders were everywhere, and Rob and Abby suffered.

The one-month leave was over far more quickly than Rob deemed possible, so he extended if for another. He retreated to his bedroom, and rarely came out except for an occasional bite to eat. It got to the point that he didn't see Abby for days on end.

It was one of those trips down to the refrigerator that the situation came to a head. Abby was looking into the refrigerator shaking her head when she heard him approach. She turned to him and said, "Dad, this isn't working and Mom wouldn't like it. We're both grieving and we said we'd help each other, but we rarely see each other and it's getting worse instead of better. Just look at this fridge; Mom would kill us if she knew." It was practically empty. "We've got to keep living, for her sake."

Rob nodded. "You said 'We've' but I get the distinct impression that's directed first and foremost at me, Councilor. You know it really does go for both of us. Therefore, we have to do something to make it happen." He sighed. "Ten minutes from now, we're going to the store to get some things. After that...well, let's talk about that on the way. Now, go get ready."

She gave him a hug and said, "Better make it twenty. I haven't put on makeup in weeks."

Their new plan was to do family things together at least a couple of times each week. They would take turns picking something. As a result, Rob took Abby on a a nature hike along the Chattahoochee, to an exhibit at the High Museum, and even to the shooting range one weekend. In turn, she took him shopping for her a new dress and him a new suit, on an escape room adventure, and introduced him to her favorite social media site, even setting up an account for him. She helped him find Marci, Jen, and several of his other friends and cousins, but he wasn't a fan and didn't bother going back to it.

Rob started back to work in October. Abby became more glum with each day he left the house, so by Thursday night of his first week back, he said, "Sweetie, we have an unpaid intern position that's opened up? Would you like to have it?"

"Really? When can I interview?" she asked.

"Seeing it's in my group, you just did and you passed. Can you start tomorrow?"

With something to occupy their minds, fall slipped by and turned to winter. They went to see Robbie at Christmas, with a stop to see Lisa's mother on the way back. Abby was glad to see her grandmother and Sherri was ecstatic to be able to spend a few days with Abby and Rob and to know that they hadn't moved on without her.

By January, Abby knew that she'd done what she could to help herself and her dad and that she had to move on. She returned to college to start her next-to-last semester and Rob was in the house by himself, dealing with the ghost of Lisa that really wasn't there but which always seemed to be. He eventually settled into a routine; between work, doing some volunteer work at the homeless shelter where Lisa sometimes helped out, and doing some volunteering with the American Red Cross, he kept himself busy and started thinking about what he wanted to do in the future.

Robbie graduated from medical school in late spring after having been assigned a much coveted residency at a major university hospital in the northeast. Before the young man left, he took his dad aside and said, "Dad, Mom's been gone for almost a year. I didn't want to say anything until then in case the turn of the calendar meant anything to you but since I'm not going to be here then and since I want to say it in person from a purely medical standpoint, here goes: you have to move on.

"First, you need to go get a physical. Talk to the doc about it and the spend the next two or three months getting back into shape. You always worked out with Mom, when you could, and the two of you were good for each other. I bet you haven't done anything on your own in months."

"Got it. That's great advice, Robbie."

"Glad you think so, Dad, 'cause there's a second part to it. After you've done some work on yourself, you need to go out on the town. Go meet a nice woman. Have a few drinks. Then fuck each other's brains out."

"God, Robbie! Have some respect. You're not to speak to me like that again."

"Sorry, Dad. I have to talk to you about it due to the Hippocratic Oath. You know, 'do no harm.' Well, you doing nothing is harmful, so I have to tell you and you really need to listen. After all, it's a purely medical diagnosis, though I must admit that last part is a strange medical euphemism and isn't actually meant literally."

He laughed but Rob glowered at him. After Robbie left, though, Rob followed the first half of the advice, getting the physical as he'd agreed and then getting back into an exercise regimen. He started walking a few mornings a week before work and even joined a gym, where he worked out a couple of evenings each week. Before long, he was running parts of the morning route, pushing himself a bit more each time. By the end of July, he was running over two miles several times a week and was starting to feel better about himself physically as he started to stretch for mile three. Even better, the pounds he'd added since Lisa's passing started to come back off.

Abby lived at home and interned with Rob again during the summer. Before she headed back to college to start her last semester, she talked to Rob again, too.

"Dad, I know you're trying but I'm still worried about you. I know you still love Mom; I do, too. We'll always love her, but we need to let her go and live our own lives now. It doesn't matter it you don't want to find someone new. I get that, but you can't keep dwelling on her. Find something, anything, that you enjoy doing and live."

"Thanks, sweetheart. I been seriously thinking about it and have just about decided that I need to make a big change. I'll let you know if anything happens about it."

A few weeks later, Rob sent Abby and Robbie a picture of Lexx, a male golden retriever mix that he rescued from the pound. He didn't have the heart to make the dog learn a new name, so he left the old one. It wasn't long before Lexx started joining Rob on his morning runs. During the day and many weekends, he poured himself into his work, but later in the fall, they did a few day hikes in the mountains; the beauty, the solitude, and the cool, crisp air seemed to do him and his attitude good. He started attending church again, too, for the first time since Lisa's death. He apologized and started reconnecting with some of his church friends that he'd pushed away during the depths of his depression.

It was a couple of weeks before Christmas, the day of the company holiday party, when Rob found a Christmas card from Jen in his mailbox. "She's sending her love and wishing us a Merry Christmas, Lexx." He read on until he saw her postscript at the bottom.

P.S. Have you seen our pictures that I've posted on the social media site? It's in my Cheerleading album. There are some really good ones of the two of us doing stunts and some I took of you doing all those tryouts. I linked yours to you. Check them out and let me know what you think.

Rob smiled and put the card on the refrigerator with the few others he'd received before getting a shower and getting ready for the party. Cards had always been something Lisa handled, so he made a mental note to pick some up on his next trip to the store.

With Lisa's passing so fresh on his mind, he'd skipped the company party the year before but had received special invitations from several of the more senior partners this time. "Everybody would love to see you there, Rob" was the word from on high. He knew that his group had been the top revenue earner among the corporate attorney groups for the current year, so he agreed to attend.

He was surprised to be singled out for a special corporate award and he received a standing ovation following his brief thank you for the award, to members of his team, and to all for all of the support he'd received over the past sixteen months.

Later during the dancing, one of the new women in accounting came up and asked him to dance. He was surprised and politely declined, but a couple of his partners essentially shamed him into going out on the dance floor with her. She introduced herself as they started toward the floor.

"Okay, Laurie, just one dance. And I warn you, it's been a while since I've danced so I won't be very good."

She smiled at him. "I think you'll do just fine. Say, you mentioned something about support you'd received. I noticed that you've lost weight since I started. Were you sick or something?"

He drew back in surprise but saw concern rather than malice in her expression. He swallowed hard before replying. "My wife was killed in an accident on our anniversary last year. We were married for twenty-eight years so it's taken me some time to get over it."

The concerned look turned to horror as she realized what she'd done. "I'm, I'm so sorry, Mr. Malone. I've only been with the firm for a few months and didn't know. I'd have never—"

He stopped her. "It's okay, Laurie. And, if you still want to dance, it's Rob." He held out his hand."

Laurie was in her late thirties to perhaps early forties, was pretty, and was a good dancer. As they moved around the floor together, Rob recalled some of the dance lessons he'd taken with Lisa, so he did what he could and was generally able to keep up with her through the fast dance that ended shortly after they arrived on the floor. Rob almost winced when a slow dance followed, but Laurie stepped into his arms and seemed to mold herself against him.

He felt almost woozy as they moved together. Her perfume, as refined as it was, caused him to breathe deeply, such that he also smelled her hair. It was their bodies in close contact that was the final straw; he started to turn red from embarrassment as his body reacted to her pelvis brushing against him. He tried to twist away, to avoid the contact, but she smiled at him and pulled him closer, comfortingly. "Please, Rob, relax. It's okay," she whispered, barely audibly. "Enjoy the moment."

Unable to escape or to will himself flaccid, he closed his eyes and swayed to the music while in her arms, and actually began to enjoy the feeling. As a result, Laurie seemed to enjoy their dance, too, thanking him when it was over. Then she surprised him with a little kiss on the lips before whispering, "If you want to dance again tonight, Rob—or whenever—just yell." She turned away to go find another dance partner.

Rob was surprised and his heart was racing, too. For the first time in many months, he felt an energy that made him feel alive again. The feeling stayed with him through the night in the shower when he relieved himself as he thought of how close she'd been. It was only after he felt that intense rush and his spasms that he realized he was dreaming of sharing the experience with Laurie rather than remembering making love with Lisa. He regretted it for a few moments, almost hating himself for his betrayal of his beloved, before taking a breath and reminding himself that she was gone.