Just Once... My Ending

At that moment I knew we were both stuck with our convictions and there was nothing further could be done to mend the situation. We had lost the trust which is instrumental in successful marriages through lack of communication.

Not just communication during this difficult period of time, but lack of communication that reached back many years in our marriage. Why didn't Marcy tell me how she felt when I was gone on deployments.

Why didn't I try to understand the helpless feelings she harbored through all these years when she was acting as both parents to our children in my absence as well as working a demanding job and managing all of the house hold tasks.

It was too late now for Marcy and Rick Weston. Their lack of communication had festered to a point where neither of them could survive within their marriage.

Epilogue

Penny

Penny landed and was immediately greeted by Josh. Crying, she fell into his arms and begged for forgiveness. With difficulty he tentatively accepted her apology but told her that much dialogue and counseling was inevitable if their marriage was to survive.

Penny looked up at him and readily agreed to any terms he demanded in order to save their marriage. Penny quit her job at Mercy General and never went back to nursing again. Josh increased his work load and they managed to find a way to make ends meet for their family.

Leslie and Vince

They found other ways to feed their fetish knowing that Rick was off limits. Their life became a continual procession of bogus lovers who satisfied them for the moment.

They learned that seeking lovers for Leslie in their immediate neighborhood was indeed fool hearty.

Two years later at a night club far from town, Vince was attacked by ecstacy laced playboys who wanted to double team Leslie when they arrived in the couples hotel room. The incident made the couple rethink their plans and find a safer way to spice up their marriage.

Doctor Trey Cardoza

The hospital underwent an investigation into the good doctor's behavior and found out that he had been harassing not only Marcy but multiple nurses throughout the hospital. These nurses came forward when they realized what a fool Trey had made of Marcy.

Trey was fired and the last time he was heard from he had taken a job as a proctologist's assistant at a clinic in Des Moines, Iowa.

Marcy

Before leaving Bogota, Marcy sent an email to Rick telling him not to even think of picking her up. She had made arrangements to stay at a friend's house and would contact him after she filed for divorce. Once home, Marcy had the unenviable task of calling their children Kyle and Rhonda to tell them of their parent's impending divorce.

Marcy felt she needed to quit her job at Mercy General because of the undercurrent of gossip associated with her affair. The Weston's home was sold and the proceeds split between them.

After delivering her resignation to Mercy General, Marcy moved out of town. The small town gossip mill made her feel as if she wore a scarlet letter whenever she appeared in public.

She would not agree to counseling when the divorce proceedings occurred and stubbornly refused to even talk to Rick unless it was about their children. After the divorce proceedings, Marcy and Rick never talked again unless the subject was their children.

Rick

He did not second guess his response to forcing Marcy to come home. He had hoped the end result would be different and she would initially be angry but eventually capitulate and realize that trying to save their marriage was worth the effort.

Events did not proceed that way as Marcy showed him in every way possible that they were finished.

After their house was sold, Rick decided to reenlist in the Army. He realized that the service was his first love and would never let him down. Rick accepted a commission overseas and the last phone call he made state side was to Deidre. He asked her if she would consider reenlisting and possibly working "under him" at his new assignment. She readily agreed and the rest is history.