Saving the Doctor Pt. 06

The game eventually ended with Rob winning after beating Jon in a final battle.

Carly couldn't leave the table fast enough and cringed as Tabitha approached her soon afterwards.

"Sorry about beating up your robot. I couldn't believe I got lucky like that," she said timidly.

"Don't worry about it," Carly reassured her.

"So how do you know Jon?" Tabitha asked.

"Oh, um, I'm a pharmacist and we work right next to each other. Plus Jeff works in the same clinic as him, and I'm really good friends with Grace."

"Oh, okay that makes sense," Tabitha said. "I'm just struggling to figure out who's who. Jon's so lucky to have so many good friends, I can't even keep track of them all," she giggled nervously.

"Yeah, he's a great guy," Carly said. "You two just started dating?"

She blushed, "Yeah, people keep saying that word dating, but I guess that's what it is now. To be honest, I wasn't even sure until he invited me here."

Carly felt a glimmer of hope and immediately felt guilty for it.

"I don't think you need to be nervous, he's a good man and you two seem happy together," she said.

"Oh thank you. It's just, life's been kinda crazy. I sorta just got out of a really bad long term relationship. It's actually pretty scary to think of what I might be going through right now if Jon hadn't been there. I feel like he kinda saved me." Tabitha stared wistfully and almost seemed to tear up a bit.

Carly suddenly felt childish and selfish for how she'd been thinking.

"Well you're a lucky woman."

Tabitha smiled up at her, "Thanks. You're so nice. Sorry I'm just dumping all this on you, you're probably wondering who this crazy girl is that you barely know," Tabitha laughed anxiously.

"Don't worry about it." Carly put a reassuring hand on her tiny shoulder. "I need a drink, how about you?"

"Yeah me too!"

They wandered back to the kitchen to fill their glasses and mingle. She noticed Jon's eyes on Tabitha and her. She wondered if he was uncomfortable seeing them talking and hanging in the same group.

Serves you right, you dufus. You brought this upon yourself, so deal with it.

They started up a game similar to password, played in two large teams. It was much easier for her to handle than the last one, with no one-on-one confrontations and being able to get caught up in a larger group. She was almost able to forget about her internal drama for a while.

The wine was possibly helping as well. Everyone was gradually seeming louder and more boisterous. After a round of shots in the kitchen, she ended up in a group with Grace, Jenna and Tabitha. Carly was forced to admit that Tabitha was an absolute sweetheart. She wished she could have met her in a different context.

After a while Jenna leaned over to Tabitha, and told her to go save her boyfriend from a vulture swooping in. Carly looked over to see Dara laughing flirtatiously with Jon. Tabitha blushed and mouthed the words 'boyfriend' with an amused smirk as she wandered over.

She watched Dara give an annoyed smile introducing herself to Tabitha, who slid her hand around Jon and pecked him an adoring kiss.

Carly said she needed some fresh air and excused herself. Grace gave her a concerned look and told her the deck was clean. She noticed Brent seeming to be looking around the room, likely trying to find her. She casually walked behind another group to avoid him. She quickly grabbed her beret for a bit of warmth and headed out the back door onto the deck.

The night was still relatively warm for mid-winter, but the cold still filled her lungs and felt refreshing. She had wanted it to feel numbing. She sighed and looked up at the stars. Tears started to fill her eyes.

She had tried to make herself believe the words she had spoken to Jon when they had said their last goodbye in the park. That she needed to figure out her life without him, and be okay with herself without him, before leaping out of her marriage and into his arms. She wanted to take it all back. She hadn't known it for sure until seeing him tonight, but she regretted every word. She wished she had left Brent that same day. Gone back to Jon and ran away with him. Responsibility be damned.

She sniffed and shivered, telling herself it was the alcohol talking. She didn't believe herself.

She gave a start as the door opened and Grace and Jenna came tip-toeing through in their own berets.

Grace was holding a joint and gave her a devilish grin. "Hey. Thought you might appreciate one of these."

Carly sniffed and laughed wiping away a tear, "Yeah. Thanks."

"Tough night?" Grace said, lighting the joint.

"Yeah, kinda."

"Wanna talk about it now, or save it for a bitch sesh tomorrow?"

Carly sighed, "Tomorrow. Let's just drink and smoke and have fun tonight."

"Atta girl," Grace said, sucking back on it.

Jenna gave her a supportive smile and squeezed her wrist.

Grace exhaled and looked at Jenna, "Brent's kind of an asshole. If you hadn't gathered that already."

Jenna nodded in uncomfortable agreement. "We only had a brief chat when you left us with him earlier, but... yeah, sorry Carly."

"Hey, I said tomorrow," Carly said, feeling exhausted.

"Yeah I know just... Coles notes. For her sake," Grace said defensively.

"Tabitha seems really nice," Jenna said. Innocently trying to change the subject.

"Yeah she's a sweetie," Grace said with a sigh. "I kinda feel sorry for her though, I think Jon's gonna break her heart."

Carly coughed on the joint, "What do you mean?"

"I just mean that I don't think he's in it for the long haul with her," Grace clarified. "She's gaga over him that's for sure, but I feel like he already looks ready to back-peddle a bit."

"I thought they seemed completely enamoured with each other," Jenna said.

"Yeah mostly, like outwardly... I dunno, it's nothing specific, just, gut feeling stuff," Grace said.

As if on cue, Jon walked outside with Rob.

"So, you thought you could lose us you little sneak?" Rob laughed.

"Hey, I said I was gonna have a joint, I didn't say where." Grace teased.

"Yeah, like you didn't know we'd be wandering around the basement like a couple of schmucks," Jon chuckled.

Jenna politely handed the joint to Rob.

Grace sighed, "Fine, just don't bogart that thing."

"Is it your only one?"

Grace rolled her eyes, "No... of course not."

Jon laughed and took the joint from Rob, thanking Grace for the generosity and complimenting them on their matching berets.

The conversation lightened up quickly and they were all smiling and laughing in no time. Halfway through the second joint though, Brent walked out.

He gave her a confused look which turned ugly as he approached.

"Hey Carly, I didn't know wh-..." His face had turned to stone as he looked around at the others in hesitation. "...I need speak to you in private."

Carly knew he was pissed off that she was smoking up. She knew he looked down on it and she immediately realized he'd never known she was ever doing it at the parties they had been at.

"Can it wait? I'm in the middle of something here."

He walked up to confront her. "No. What are you even doing out here?"

"What does it look like?" Carly said, feeling like she didn't give a shit anymore.

"Hey Brent we're just hanging out here K?" Grace chimed in. "Just g-"

"Shut the fuck up Grace," Brent suddenly bit at her.

Jenna gasped.

"So what, are you a pot head now?" he said turning back to Carly.

"I'm just sharing a joint with my friends, I'm not getting completely fucked up, I'm just trying to relax. Go back in the house," Carly said.

"YOU get back in the fucking house!" he reached for her.

"Don't TOUCH me!" Carly swatted him away.

"Hey!" Jon said stepping forward.

"Back off!" Brent said over his shoulder, "What am I married to one of my idiot students suddenly?"

"Yeah you fucking wish," Carly said.

Brent went stiff and looked at her with a sudden new level of rage.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" he said, softly and threateningly.

Carly steeled herself and looked him in the eye.

"You know exactly what I fucking mean you lying piece of shit," she whispered.

She didn't have time to react to defend herself as Brent's face suddenly went wild and he swung his arm at her, his hand colliding with her face.

Pain stung through her cheek as the hard slap jolted her head back and she staggered away.

Jenna screamed.

Grace was immediately between them throwing her arms around Carly to stop her from falling and looking back at Brent who was stepping toward them and raising his hand again.

Carly's eyes were filling with tears but they went wide as she saw Jon's hand grab Brent's shoulder to stop him, and then his fist colliding with Brent's face.

She watched in disbelief as Brent's feet briefly left the ground and he collapsed into the snowbank next to the deck.

**********

Jon watched in disbelief as Brent writhed in the snowbank, then clumsily flailed his arms and legs as he tried to get out of the deep wet snow.

He had acted on pure instinct. He couldn't remember the last time he had punched someone,...maybe in highschool. He started to register the pain shooting from his knuckles up his forearm. Like his fist was yelling 'what the fuck' just as loud as his brain was. He wasn't used to it, but it felt strangely right. He had never been one to condone violence, but it seemed like it was just simply what he had to do. Carly had been in danger, and he couldn't have fathomed not acting.

He stepped forward instinctively as Brent finally got his legs under him, wiping blood from his nose with a wet hand, but Rob stepped between them. Jon backed away with a nod to Rob who grabbed Brent's arm to help him up.

"Easy there pal," Rob said, holding his arm firmly to stop him from approaching Carly again.

"Get off me you fucking faggot!" Brent said and tried to shove Rob away, but pushed himself backwards instead, almost falling down again.

"Whoa!" Jeff exclaimed, having come through the door a second before. "You got a problem with him, you got a problem with me, what the hell's going on here?"

Jon had automatically gone over to Grace and Carly, and knelt down next to them.

"Stay with her ok?" Grace told him softly, and stood up.

Jon nodded and put an arm around Carly.

"He's getting the fuck off our property is what's happening," Grace said, angrily approaching them. "He hit Carly."

"Jesus," Jeff said, looking back and forth between them in shock.

"Come on Carly let's go," Brent called.

Carly put her arm around Jon and pulled herself into him with a sob.

Jenna put a supporting hand on Carly's shoulder, and even she looked threateningly at Brent.

"No. She's staying here. You're going the fuck home," Grace said, pointing her finger harshly.

Brent took a furious step towards her. "Who the fuck do you think you are t-"

Jeff's hand grabbed Brent's shoulder and he jolted to a stop.

"Look around you man. Choose your next move carefully," Jeff said seriously.

Brent's eyes shifted around with a scowl, and he finally sighed and backed up.

"You're seriously going to stay with these retards instead of coming with me?" he called back to Carly.

Carly stood up. "YES! Just get out of here, please!" she shouted angrily, and then turned her face away again to cry into Jon's shoulder.

Jon stood supporting her, holding her with a simple sense of purpose. He would stand there all night if she needed him to.

Brent wiped the blood from his nose again and shook his head.

"Fine. We'll talk about this tomorrow once you've slept off whatever the fuck you're on! Have fun with your snakes and ladders or whatever all that fucking bullshit is."

He stomped into the house angrily. Jeff and Rob followed after him.

Grace looked back at Jon and Carly. "Stay out here okay? We'll make sure he leaves."

Jon rubbed Carly's back as she sunk into him with a deep sigh. The familiar softness of her body felt precious in his arms.

He had wanted to hug her the moment he saw her. He had somehow forgotten how much he missed her. It was like time had slowed down when she first walked into that room. Her beautiful face glowing in the dim light. Her curves flowing through that gorgeous dress. It had been so painful to have to look away and pretend she wasn't there, to keep playing the part of the excited new boyfriend for Tabitha, even though the moment he laid eyes on Carly again it had all become a lie. Tabitha was a good woman. She was cute and sexy and full of life, and he kept repeating to himself that he was lucky, but he was fighting a losing battle.

Jenna gave Carly a pat on the shoulder again and said she was going to go inside and find Ben.

Suddenly they were alone.

Carly pulled her arms more tightly around him and whispered.

"Are they all inside?"

"Yeah," he said softly back and rubbed his hands over her back.

She nuzzled affectionately into his neck.

"I missed you," she sobbed quietly. Her lips grazed his neck and shot shivers along his skin. They both held each other more tightly.

He let out a shuddering breath and tears started to form in his eyes.

"I missed you t-"

The door opened again and Grace stepped out.

Carly slowly let her arms slide down along his sides and stepped away.

"Thanks," she said with a sniff and a regretful look.

Grace walked up and hugged her.

"You're gonna be okay. Alright? You can stay here tonight."

Carly nodded and gave a courageous smile. "Okay."

Grace hugged her again and met Jon's stare.

"Thanks Jon. You did good," Grace said with a friendly smirk. "Let's head back inside."

They headed back towards the door and Jon heard them whispering.

"I can't believe what he said to Rob."

"I know..."

Jon walked back into the house and saw Tabitha across the room looking at Jenna with a hand over her mouth in shock. She saw him and immediately ran over to hug him.

"Hey! Jenna just told me what happened are you okay?!" she looked up at him with scared eyes.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine, there was no big fight or anything I just punched him once to stop him from hitting her again and that was it," he reassured her.

Tabitha let out a big breath, "I'm glad you're alright," and reached up to peck a kiss on his lips.

She slid her hands down his arms and took him by the hands with an adoring smile. Then she looked down with a frown.

"Oh my God, your hand's bleeding!" she exclaimed.

"What? Oh, yeah I guess it is," he remarked, only just now noticing the blood and small gash on his knuckle. "I don't think it's that bad."

"Oh don't be stubborn, come on we need to wash it and put a bandage on it at least," she said and led him away to the bathroom.

She insisted on helping him wash it off and found a bandage in their cabinet and put it on him.

"There we go," she said with satisfaction, and looked up at him cutely.

She put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"This almost reminds me of our first time together," she smiled excitedly and wiggled her body closer into him.

He returned the smile, but it obviously looked as forced as it felt.

"Are you gonna be okay Jon?" she asked, with a frown and a sympathetic stare.

"Yeah. Sorry Tabitha, this night's just kinda crazy."

"No of course, I understand. Do you want to just head back to the hotel? I won't mind."

"No that's okay. As long as they're not stopping the party I'd like to stay and help them try to salvage the night."

"Alright. You're such a good friend. I can see why you have so many of them. They all seem so nice and I'm having lots of fun."

"I'm glad to hear that," he said with a much more genuine smile.

"If you change your mind and want to go though, just let me know. K? And if you need to talk I'm here for you." She squeezed his shoulders and pecked him a kiss.

"Okay," he said, as she turned around and led them back out into the party.

He sighed as he followed her, admiring her from behind. She was being the perfect girlfriend. In almost every way except that she wasn't Carly. It wasn't fair to her. He almost wanted to tell her everything right then and there, simply because she deserved the truth.

Thankfully, as they mingled into the crowd his brooding thoughts dwindled, and everyone else seemed to loosen up as well, as the shock of the incident wore off. Jeff and Rob gave him some congratulatory pats on the back for his quick reflexes during the altercation. He felt more embarrassed about the whole thing, rather than flattered, but laughed it off anyway. Rob said he had almost wished Brent had taken more of a charge at him so he would've had the excuse to land a blow himself. Jeff told him he wouldn't have judged him if he did anyway, based on the slur he had called him. Chris agreed and put his arm supportively around Rob.

To Jon's relief, they changed the subject, and he started feeling more relaxed and almost back to normal again. Tabitha never left his side, giggling and squeezing his arm proudly.

Grace and Carly eventually made an appearance again. Carly's face still looked a little bit washed out, but she had composed herself impressively well, considering. That dress still clung to her and complimented her curves in all the right ways and he couldn't stop glancing in her direction whenever he had the opportunity. She seemed to be doing the same, and their eyes kept meeting for longer and longer stares. He started to worry it might be getting too obvious.

Eventually they decided to get a few more games going. Tabitha led him over to a table with a space-themed board being set up. He sat next to her as she excitedly asked Rob about the rules.

As they chatted Jon's eyes found Carly standing alone against the wall across the room staring at him. They locked their gaze and seemed to float into their own world for what seemed like forever. Finally Carly blushed and looked down into her drink. She bit her lip and then looked back up at him with a hint of a smile and then straightened up away from the wall. She took a deep breath and her massive chest stretched the seams of her dress, and with what seemed like a new determination, she stepped towards him.

"Hey Carly, did you want to join us over here? We could use another on our team." Grace suddenly called out from the other room.

Carly's stride halted and she looked over in hesitation. "Oh, uh, no I was just about to join this one actually," she answered.

"Yeah sure no worries," Grace called back casually.

Feelings of relief and nervousness mingled in Jon's head.

Carly immediately looked back at him and walked confidently across the room to his table, with her hips swaying in a deadly sexuality that his eyes drank up eagerly. She moved without any hesitation to the empty chair next to him and sat down.

"Hey," she said softly

Jon's heart was already racing. He cleared his throat softly. "Hey. Come to join the fun?"

She gave a subtle smile. "Yeah. I thought I'd enjoy myself more over here."

"Have you played this before?" he asked.

"Not exactly. It seems a little familiar though," Carly said.

"I was just gonna grab a fresh beer before we got started, did you want anything?" he asked her.

He was taken off-guard when Tabitha responded, "Ooo yeah can you grab me another cooler?"

"Uh, yeah sure," he said, having momentarily forgotten she was there.

"Thanks," Tabitha said, and gave his hand a squeeze in appreciation.

Carly gave a quick glance at Tabitha and then looked at Jon again with a calculating stare.

"I'll just come with you," she said with a half-smile.

She walked by his side to the kitchen. It took all his effort not to reach out and hold her hand.

As they entered the kitchen he turned to her. "Are y-"

"Please don't ask me if I'm okay, I think I've heard it from every fucking person here," she said with a smirk.