In the Stacks Ch. 08

***

She left her hospital room, barely balancing on her cane, and when she saw Will there was a visible expression of relief on her face.

"God, it's good to see you boy." She said, and uncharacteristically wrapped her arms around him. Her tears were fewer now, having gotten a good deal of her purging finished when Penny was away.

"It's okay ma. He's in a better place." He said softly, letting her cry into his shoulder.

Penny bit at her lips, wanting to be the one to hold Marilyn, and yet, knew that they had so little time together, she realized that none of it was like this. She imagined there were probably very few times in Marilyn's life when they had been so close.

"Are you going to be okay, Ma? Are you sure you can leave?"

"Bah, I'm leaving before they serve dinner, and before you drink all my scotch."

Will threw his head back and roared with laughter, a huge peeling emotion. Despite the redness of his eyes, the sorrows, the pain, just the thought that she was concerned about her single malt stash made him feel much better.

She smiled at him, a winning smile, one she borrowed from Penny, and was happy to have made him laugh as well. Even with the dark specter of his father's death, Will needed to laugh, and it was only Marilyn that could do it in this instance. They were directly affected. While Chris and Penny were family, they did not have the bond, the union of mother and child. The loss of Thomas Marshall was now, finally coming to bear.

"I bet you know the best Chinese delivery in town." He countered.

"I'll bet you can still eat a double order of MuShu pork." She retorted.

"I'll even bet I can do that and drink you under the table."

"You're on, boy. Penny, my dear, oh. Um, I take it we've all ready met?" Marilyn said, her mask of composure coming on strong.

Penny smiled, "they came by the house."

"You remembered where it was? You have a terrible sense of direction, boy." Marilyn admonished.

"Fortunatly, I do not," Chris said.

"Ah yes, my bad. I remember you touring us around Chicago's nightspots. Never could figure out how you could get around that city. Huge thing."

The quartet walked past the nurse's station, and only at Will's insistence did she even bother checking out. She signed forms stating that she was leaving against medical advice, something that she enjoyed immensely and Penny held the door open.

Penny took the lead in the early afternoon traffic and drove slowly and carefully under Marilyn's careful tutelage.

"They are quite the pair, aren't they?" She asked.

Marilyn nodded, "I'm very lucky. Don't you dare tell Christopher that. He's a good man, standing by my son all these years. I wish I hadn't been so blind, Penny. My life might have been easier. Will might have trusted me a little more. I don't know, it seems like I'm an old fool."

"Marilyn!" Penny gasped.

"Oh you hush. I'm entitled to a little self-loathing now and then. I feel like a great weight has lifted, and yet, I feel guilt. I feel so many things. Most of all, I'm feeling lost. It's surreal, Penny. Like a Salvador Dali painting in my living room of Rembrants.

They pulled in ahead of Will and Chris, and Penny opened the door for her not unlike a proper chauffer. Chris arched an eyebrow at this, and as Will and Marilyn talked their way to the front door, Penny got it open, lights on, and was cleaning up when Marilyn eased herself into the front chair.

"So ma, what's the name of this Chinese place you got going?" Will inquired.

Chris bit his lip. While waiting for the big man in the waiting room, Chris watched him consume six sodas three candy bars and two bags of chips. Only when Will ran out of single one dollar bills for the machine did he finish eating. He imagined that Will's eating binge tonight would be incredible. He was not disappointed.

Four hours later, Will finished the second order of Mushu-Pork and he and his mother had relocated to the living room, leaving Chris and Penny to socially fend for themselves. Penny had busied herself by washing up plates and Chris helped. His self-depreciating humor was entertaining for her, and they had both had a couple of drinks. They both were both blown away, not just by the capacity of alcohol flowing, but by all of this history of the Marshall family. It was as if they were on the outside, looking in, almost like a servitor class or a bad television sitcom.

"So how long do you think they can keep this up? She just finished her sixth double scotch?" Chris asked Penny.

"I have no idea. I've never seen her drink this much. Then again, if my dad died, or my husband that I'd stayed with died, I'm not sure I could keep sober, either."

"Good point," Chris said, "but Scotch? Give me a Shirley Temple any day." He swished his hips and finger gestured. Penny could not help but give a grin.

"Penny, my dear? Could you give me a hand?" Marilyn called out.

"You'll excuse me, Chris, the Madame calls." She said with a smirk, causing Chris to laugh and nearly drop a dish.

"What's up, Marilyn?" Penny said, smiling.

"I'm afraid we've exhausted the larder. If you could nick into the garage, in that metal storage cabinet under the paint you'll find another case of scotch. I'm hoping you'll favor the Glenlivit, old enough to vote."

"Um, which metal storage shed? There's a lot in there."

"Good question. It's in one of them. I think. Better let me give you a hand." Marilyn said jovially, trying to stand.

"Ma, you're loaded. Let her get it, hell, we'd fall on our asses at this point," Will said.

"He's right, and the last thing you want to do is end up back in the hospital, now would you?" Penny said, nearly mocking her.

Marilyn managed a drunken, slightly icy stare at the thought, which Penny brushed aside. While she wouldn't get a spanking tonight for it, she was sure that it was going to buy her one later, and the thought of that made her feel a little less jealous.

Chris giggled hysterically and then perfectly imitated Marilyn, "remind me to dock your pay, young lady."

Will started to peel with laughter and even Marilyn, the butt of the joke, could not resist and too started to laugh. While Penny had actually hoped for a little genuine discipline later on, it was good enough, for now.

She went to the garage door only to find that it was locked and as she'd had a drink or too lingered at it a second just too long for Chris to find her.

"Need a hand?" He offered.

"Um, sure. I really don't know which cabinet it's in, Chris. It could be in any one of these."

"I'm surprised she doesn't have them labeled with inventory control tags." He replied.

She giggled and they stepped into the garage. With Marilyn's car to one side, the cabinets had plenty of berth to open. She immediately went to the farthest one and wrenched it open, looking at its' contents critically.

"She said it was with the Paint," Chris said.

"Paint...paint... Okay, this is paint here." Penny said, kneeling down. Her shorter skirt flared up, revealing the thong underwear, and perfect ass, which Chris was terribly jealous over. To have a butt that firm, he mused to himself. She must make some boy very happy. He also took into account an odd, squareish mark that went from the edge of her panty line down, a remnant to the spatula incident of a few days before.

Penny pulled out the box still squatting when the alcohol rushed to her head. She lost her balance, and with a squeak and a giggle, fell back upon her rump. Chris emitted a similar squeak, of surprise, and then he knelt down to look at her.

"Are you all right?" He said.

"Just lost my balance. She's got so much scotch in that box there's no way they could run out, except if they drank themselves to death." She was lying flat now, and glanced up, past Chris to the suspension system. Her eyes got wide and she gasped.

To Chris, master of observation, it wasn't lost, and he looked up. His eyes got wide. Softly he muttered, "so all those novels, it's all true."

"Huh?" Penny said.

Chris eyed her, not knowing how much she knew.

"Your boss, I'm sure you know is a writer."

"Oh yeah, she um, writes about stuff, I guess like that up there," Penny said. She was putting on her best acting face.

"Have you read any of her works," Chris asked.

"Some, mostly the shorter stories," Penny said, standing up, and gripping the dusty bottle.

"Have you met any of her...playmates?" Chris asked.

"Playmates?" Penny asked. She looked at him with her big innocent eyes.

Chris smiled a half a smile, and put the box of scotch in. Two plus two still added four, and the squarish mark on her ass clicked in his mind.

"Or are you her playmate? Marilyn's little girl toy?" Chris said. He stared directly into her face, his eyes focused not on hers, but on the middle of her brow.

Penny whimpered.

"I thought so. How long have you been licking that old lady snatch, hm?" Chris asked.

"I, um, I don't know what you're talking about." Penny said, stammering.

Chris stood and looked at the rope that would lower the suspension system. "Perhaps I should just tie you up, and wait for my answer? Or would you enjoy that too much?"

Penny swallowed. Large crocodile tears poured from her eyes.

"Shush you. I won't tell anyone." Chris said. He reached out and held her for a few minutes. "I'm just glad she's found someone that could make her happy. Now if you can just get her convinced to come to our wedding, I'll be really pleased."

"We're coming," Penny blubbered.

"Good girl." Chris said and stroked her hair. "You know, Penny, I really am envious of you."

"What do you mean?" Penny asked.

"You're a girl. I have to take my makeup and nails off at a certain point." Chris replied.

Penny blinked, "they have operations and stuff."

"Not quite the same. I want to feel the child growing in my belly." Chris admitted.

Penny nodded as they heard Marilyn bellow from the hallway.

"Mistress calls," Chris said, again mimicking Marilyn down perfectly.

Penny broke from him, utterly confused what had transpired, and headed back into the kitchen to open the scotch, leaving an eternally confused Chris to tidy up behind her.