Just Once, You Out Of Your Mind?

Rick listened to Marcy's phone message and started laughing, so hard in fact, he had tears in his eyes. He couldn't talk when he went to share it with Diedre and just had to replayed the message for her. Soon, Diedre was laughing hysterically along with him.

The next morning, Penny informed Dr. Mendez that she needed to get home in order to fix her marriage. He told her that she would have to stay until a replacement could be flown in, but it should be within a day or two because he had been working to replace the entire team. Penny walked out of the Doctor's Office laughing at the news that the entire team was being replaced. Penny was fine with this, she wanted no part of the surgical team. She was tired of working with these philandering assholes.

Rick got a call from his attorney. He informed Rick that the two private investigators he had hired when he was in Korea to follow Marcy, that she had bribed to not follow her, had their Private Investigator License revoked by the Judge for Unethical Behavior. The Judge pulled all their licenses, their office license, their individual licenses and their bonded license. Often times, in this State, when a Private Investigator has their individual license suspended or revoked, they continue to do business under the companies license or a separate bonded license. The Judge was so angered by what they had done to Rick, that he had shut their office down completely. They were out of business until their case could be reviewed, but it was very unlikely that their case would be overturned. The Judge also issued a legal bulletin, that if any investigator acted for, with or on their behalf, their license would be revoked as well.

His attorney asked Rick if he wanted to sue the private investigators for failure to fulfill their contract?

Rick said no, he was not interested, having their license revoked was enough.

Dr. Mendez gathered the doctors and nurses in the hotel conference room the following morning and informed them that they were all going to be replaced on the mission. Almost immediately, everyone turned on Dr. Trey Cardosa, Dr. Barnes, Penny and Marcy and in very colorful language accused them of being the only ones "fucking around" on the team. Dr. Mendez smiled, as he knew that this was more than likely what was occurring before he started the meeting, but the condemnation by the rest of the medical team confirmed it. This made his job easier, because now he only had to replace the four culprits, and their replacements were already in route. This would only put the six-week mission behind schedule by a day and that was actually very acceptable. Penny's replacement would arrive later that day. Marcy and Dr. Barnes replacement tomorrow and Dr. Cardosa's replacement the next day.

Dr. Mendez had already sent letters to the hospital expressing his displeasure working with these doctors and nurses and Doctors without Borders would have no further dealings with them in the future. Dr. Mendez had also sent another set of letters to the State Medical Boards for both the Doctors and Nurses, stating that these individuals were not allowed to reference their association with Doctors without Border in any future resumes or other correspondence and doing so would cause Doctors without Borders to take legal action against them. The letter stated that these measures were being taken because these doctors and nurses had failed to represent the ideals and values of Doctors without Borders in their time working with the organization.

After the meeting, Marcy rode in the van taking them to the hospital with Trey and some of the other team members.

"Hey, Trey, we don't have to go straight back. We could slip off somewhere and spend the next four weeks together." Marcy suggested, in a whisper.

"Marcy, I can't. I have to get back and try to salvage my career. I also got an email from the police that my car had been stolen and found abandoned, completely burned. Also, someone broke into my condo and left a recording of you telling Rick his dick was bigger than mine. So, why the fuck would I want to spend any time with you?" Trey replied in a harsh whisper.

"I never told him that, sweaty." Marcy pleaded.

"Bullshit, Marcy, I heard it myself." Trey replied, shaking his head in disgust.

"No, Trey, it isn't true. Remember, Rick's a spy, he probably had someone make a fake recording." Marcy said, lying.

"I don't care, Marcy. Getting involved with you was fun, but it has turned into a disaster." Trey stated.

"Don't worry, once we get back. I'll talk to Rick and everything will be fine." Marcy assured him.

"I doubt it." Trey said and ignored her for the rest of the trip to the hospital.

Josh Washington came off shift at the fire station and got home and checked his email. He had been checking Penny's phone messages and emails, but not responding. He was surprised to see that there was an email from Penny, she was returning early. It stated that she would be arriving at the airport tomorrow and it contained her flight information. So, tomorrow Penny would find out that she was getting a divorce, Josh couldn't wait.

Josh called his attorney to let him know when to have someone at the airport to serve her with the Divorce papers. He called Rick to let him know Penny was on her way back.

Josh hung up the phone. He was off shift today and was planning on spending the day with Jenny and her kids.

Rick found out the next morning that Marcy would be arriving the next day, via email. She had been replaced on the medical team by another surgical nurse and was being sent home. She said in the email, that she had changed her reservations at the Ambassador Hotel and was still willing to meet him there, so that they could get back to being husband and wife.

"Can you believe this?" Rick said, pointing at the computer screen as Diedre read over his shoulder.

"No, she is seriously not in touch with reality." Diedre commented. "What are you going to do?"

"I have been thinking about this a lot." Rick began. He stood up from his chair and began to pace as he thought and spoke. "I was going to thrash her car, like the doctor's. But then I thought it would be better to go the opposite direction"

"What so you mean?" Diedre asked, she was rapt, watching him in planning mode.

"Have her car detailed, return it to the parking area at the airport. Put a copy of the divorce papers and evidence against her on the passenger seat, along with the first settlement check." Rick concluded, smiling at Diedre. She stood and stepped into his arms.

"That sounds perfectly devious." Diedre commented and kissed Rick.

Penny Washington was extremely nervous as she stepped off the plane and walked through the airport. She had no idea what to expect as she had not talked to her husband since her first night in Bogota. She had called him as they had planned and then gone and spent her one night with Dr. Barnes. Rick had interrupted her night with the doctor with his phone call and she had been so upset, she had kicked Dr. Barnes out of her room. She had been miserable the rest of her time in South America. Now, she was walking through the airport into the unknown. She saw no one waiting for her outside of security and was disappointed as she did have some hope that Josh would be there to pick her up, like they planned before she left. She collected her luggage and then turned to see the line of chauffeurs holding placards with people's names on them. One had her name on it, and she got excited. Maybe, Josh had a surprise for her. She thought. She stepped up to the chauffeur.

"I'm Penny Washington." She said.

"Thank you, ma'am. You've been Served." The process server announced, handing her a manila folder.

A stunned Penny took the folder, still not understanding what was happening.

The process server took a picture of her holding that folder and left Penny standing there.

Josh was watching in the distance as Penny's world began to collapse around her. He took no pleasure in it, but wanted her to feel some of the pain he had been feeling over the last two weeks. Part of him wanted to rush to her, forgive her and take her pain away, but it was a very small part. He had been with Penny for over 23 years and this is how she was repaying him for his years of loyalty, by cheating on him. Firefighters had to beat women off with a stick and Josh had plenty of opportunities to cheat on Penny, but he never had because he loved her and hated cheaters.

He watched as Penny fumbled for her phone.

Josh phone rang and he decided to answer it. She had no idea he was at the airport.

"Hello, Penny." He answered.

"Josh, I'm so sorry. I made a mistake. I don't want a divorce." Penny pleaded.

"I wanted a wife that didn't screw around on me. So, I guess neither one of us got what we wanted." Josh stated.

"Josh, let me come home. We can work through this." Penny begged.

"No, Penny. You know how I feel about cheaters. There is no working through this, there is no going back." Josh voice had become toneless. He has entered the place in his mind he went to when he had to recover a body or inform a someone that a loved one had died. It was an emotional detachment that allowed him to function in situations like the one he was dealing with now.

"Josh, please." Penny begged.

Josh hung up his cell-phone and left Penny to her own devices.

Josh called Rick on his way home, telling him how things went with Penny at the airport. Rick was not surprised and knew Josh needed to talk to someone to affirm that he was doing the right thing.

"Hey, do you want to worry about Penny cheating on you again? 'Cause I know Jenny won't." Rick reasoned.

"Yeah, good point." Josh acknowledged. He chuckled thinking about how things had blossomed with Jenny.

"Talk to you, later." Rick said, after a moment of silence.

"Don't play with matches. Talk to you, later." Josh said and hung up.

Marcy and Dr. Barnes hardly spoke a word to one another during their entire trip back from South America. Marcy had made a pass at him about two years ago and Dr. Barnes could see how she was looking for more than a casual relationship. Dr. Barnes had seen how arrogant she had become and knew she was looking for a full-blown relationship to justify how she felt about herself. Dr. Barnes thought she was a stupid bitch because she was married to a retired Army Colonel that could have been a General, if she hadn't been so selfish. Now he was an executive in a multinational, multimillion-dollar company, which was almost beyond the status of a Surgical Nurse. Dr. Barnes would not be surprised if Rick Weston's personal portfolio was in excess of a million dollars, if not more. Marcy was a selfish, self-aggrandizing, whore. He felt Rick Weston deserved better. He just hoped he could salvage his own career and his marriage out of this whole fiasco.

Marcy's phone rang almost as soon as she turned it back on, after stepping off the plane. It was the hospital, informing her that her Disciplinary Hearing was scheduled for tomorrow at 1 PM. She tried to joke about getting a few days off before coming in because of her travel and she was told, no. And they hung up.

Marcy's phone rang again and it was Penny.

"I just called to warn you, bitch! Josh had me served with Divorce Papers at the airport yesterday. So, be prepared." Penny hung up before Marcy could reply.

Rick wouldn't cause a scene at the airport, he agreed not to. Wait, I told him not to, he never agreed. She thought.

Marcy made her way to baggage claim and nothing had happened, so she was beginning to think she was clear of any incident. She collected her luggage and then a Sheriff's Deputy approached her.

"Marcy Weston?" He asked. She could see that he had a picture of her in his hand.

"I've been asked by the Court to inform you that there is a Restraining Order preventing you from contacting or coming in contact with Mr. Rick Weston, your former husband, by any means. A lawyer should have contacted you already." The Deputy stated. Then handed Marcy a copy of the Restraining Order and left.

Marcy stood there, with her luggage, confused. She couldn't rationalize any of this in her mind, so she decided to go get her car. She thought she had parked it further down the row in long term parking, but decided not to worry about it. It was really clean, like it had just been detailed. Maybe, Rick had taken it and had it detailed as part of his apology, she thought. She loaded her luggage in her trunk and the jumped in the drives seat. The interior smelled like it had just been cleaned and she could just smell her favorite 'piña colada' air freshener. She saw a flat gift box in the passenger seat with a ribbon and bow on it. Obviously, another gift from Rick, she thought, smiling. She tore open the box to see nothing but papers and a key with a tag on it. She shifted through the papers and saw that it contained another copy of the Restraining Order, a final copy of her Divorce Decree and a bunch of photos fell out of the papers onto her lap. She sat the paperwork aside, saw that there was also paperwork from a storage facility. Then she looked at the photos. They were older pictures of her having sex with Dr. Brian Morris, a Pediatrician that worked at the hospital. They were from eight years ago, when she had been meeting him at the Red Roof Inn, before she went into work each day. This was while Rick was in Korea, so why was this an issue? Marcy wondered. A 3x5 card among the photos told her why.

Marcy

This evidence of your affair while I was in Korea, was collected by your children, when they were 11 and 13. How dare you put your children in a situation like this. While you did take care of them while I was away, you are an awful mother for exposing your children to this.

Don't be surprised, if the kids limit their contact with you in the future.

-Rick

The key had a tag on it with an address and number of a storage unit. She absently looked at the paperwork for the storage unit and saw that Rick had rented it in her name for two months. She assumed all her possessions were now in the storage unit.

Marcy put everything back in the box. She was numb. She had no idea what to do, so she stuck to her original plan and went to the Ambassador Hotel. She waited for Rick as planned, but he never showed. She called his phone, only to hear the recording informing her that it was no longer in service.

Marcy was in her Disciplinary Hearing, when Dr. Trey Cordosa arrived at the airport. He had ridden with Marcy to the airport, so he was uncertain how he was getting home. The taxi ride to his condo was expensive. His condo reeked when he entered. He heard Marcy's voice through his home speakers, "His dick is smaller than yours, and he is not better. His dick is smaller than yours, and he is not better. His dick is smaller than yours, and he is not better." It took him 20 minutes to figure out that he needed to unplug his computer to make it stop. He opened all his windows and put all the spoiled food in garbage bags and took them to the dumpster. After an hour, the condo still stank, so he called another taxi and spent the night in a hotel. His Disciplinary Hearing was tomorrow, so he called Marcy to see what had happened to her today.

"Hey, how did your hearing go today?" Trey asked.

"Gee, asshole, thanks for being there for me." Marcy retorted.

"Marcy, I was on a plane." Trey explained. Man, she was being unreasonable.

"Well, you should have been there." Marcy continued.

"I'm sorry. Well, how did it go?" Trey asked, again. He decided he needed information and pandering to Marcy's whims was a small price to pay.

"Well, I'm not fired. But I am on probation until I can find a new job somewhere else and they are providing no references. I am also working at reduced pay." Marcy explained, she sounded defeated.

"Wow, okay. Did you work things out with Rick?" Trey asked. He knew it was a stupid question the moment he asked it.

"No," Marcy said quietly. "He did get an immediate divorce. He took all my money and all the jewelry you gave me and it's all your fault." She finished in an accusatory tone.

"How is it all my fault. Not once did you ever say no." Trey shot back.

"You were just there. If you hadn't been there. None of this would have happened." Marcy shouted into the phone.

"Marcy, if it wasn't me, you would have been fucking someone else. Just like Dr. Morris." Trey stated. He was referring to the doctor she had an affair with 8 years before. But he had enough of her. She was fun to fuck because she was pretty wild in the sack, she had pretty nice enhance breasts, but she was older and pretty full of herself. She had also insulted his manhood with her comment about his dick and sexual prowess to her ex-husband, and that had been broadcast in his condo.

Marcy just hung up the phone after Trey's last comment.

Marcy, ironically, stared at the wall of her room in the Red Roof Inn, across from the hospital. She had no idea what to do. Her husband wouldn't talk to her, so she couldn't get him back. She was in the process of losing her job. She had lost her home and all her money. Her prized jewelry was gone and she had no idea how to get it back. Finally, her boyfriend had not dropped everything to fix her problems.

Marcy had driven past her old home and saw Rick and Diedre acting as a couple. Even with the Restraining Order and the Divorce, she knew that she could win him back if she could just talk to him.

Dr. Trey Cardosa no longer worked at the hospital full time after his Disciplinary Hearing, he was being kept on as a consultant until a replacement could be found. He had expected this because that is what happened to Dr. Barnes the day before at his hearing. This wasn't the first incident for Dr. Barnes, so the board had no mercy. Trey was glad that he wasn't Dr. Barnes though, his wife was divorcing him and she had evidence from his previous philandering to use against him. When and if Dr. Barnes found a new job, he was going to be paying most of his salary in alimony and child support.

Penny Washington did not have a Disciplinary Hearing as she had not embarrassed Doctors without Borders or the hospital in any way and appeared to be mostly a victim during all these events. A Letter of Reprimand was placed in her employment folder for amoral conduct not in accordance with hospital policy. She knew Josh's feelings about infidelity before she left, but Marcy had talked her into having a fling while they were away. Marcy was sure Josh would never find out, but from what Penny now knew, Marcy had taunted Rick with her affair. Of course, the whole thing had blown up in Marcy's face and Penny had been caught in the blast.

The two private investigators had taken the news that they had lost their licenses hard. They had been a new agency when Rick had contacted them and they needed the money. When the wife showed up with more money, asking they to tell Rick that they had found nothing, they took it. They knew that there was no way Rick could find out, because he was in Korea. Now, the husband had shown up in court with evidence that they had failed to collect, a service they had failed to provide.

They were going to get Rick back for his petty revenge, that had ruined their livelihood.

They did what they did best, gather information. They knew that Marcy had been caught screwing around on Rick again and that he had divorced her. They knew that she had been screwing Dr. Trey Cardosa. Both Marcy and Dr. Cardosa were still working at the hospital until they could be replaced.

One PI swung by Rick's house to make sure he was home. Both he and his girlfriend's trucks were in the driveway, so he knew they were home. He called the other PI, who was at the hospital, waiting for Dr. Cardosa to leave. The first PI drove to the hospital to join in waiting for the Doctor.