The Last 24 Hours Ch. 10

I had not allowed myself to grieve for the loss of my children. The marriage was a dead thing and best put out of its misery and buried; I felt little sorrow for its loss. But my daughters, they were another matter altogether. And now they were not even mine. I had, to all appearances lost them more completely than if they had died. If they had died I could visit their graves, mourn their passing, and in time go on, but they weren't dead, they were across town at their mother's house. There was no memorial for the love I felt for them and they for me, for I loved them still. Yet to them I was dead.

Tears streamed from my eyes; tears of, impotent rage, anger, bitterness, loss. And yes, in the dark part of my soul that I keep leashed and caged for fear of the carnage it would wreak upon the world should I ever set it loose, I could admit to tears of hatred as well. I shook with the rage and howled my grief to the empty walls. Beth held me and rocked me. But comfort was a very long time in coming. I huddled on the floor in the arms of my best friend and love, and prayed for the pain to cease. I don't know how long I knelt there, it must have been close to an hour, maybe more, but my knees had begun to ache. Finally I tried to stand and discovered I hadn't the strength. Beth helped me to stand and I took a glass of water and rinsed my mouth repeatedly to remove the vile taste of Lisa from it. I would forevermore associate that vile taste with her memory, her visage.

Josh was still waiting for us when I emerged from the porcelain repository. He looked as bad as I felt. Worry and concern etched his face adding years to his appearance. He shook his head looking ashamed and said, "I'm sorry man, I never thought about the possibility of somebody calling her and tattling to her about you. It never occurred to me that she would come here if she had found you."

I looked at him with a wry grin and said, "It's not your fault she has an ego that dwarfs the Himalayas and makes the Andes look like foothills."

He jerked at a thought and said "Oh yeah! Speaking of tattling? Just how would it be that Fred Phillips called me with a job offer today? He seemed to be well up to speed on my personal life and I sure as hell haven't been advertising it in the business section."

I sighed tiredly and said "You were talking about moving back here before this all started last year. You have nothing to keep you in Torrington, do you?" Torrington is a small town thirty miles south of us where Josh had been living and working. "I thought you'd be a good fit there. I nearly got Fred killed the least I can do is to try to fill the hole…" I never got to finish what I was saying as my head rocked back from the slap it had received.

Beth was furious again and my right cheek was burning with the evidence of that fact in the form of her hand print. Her voice was loud and brooked no argument. "Don't you EVER, EVER say that ANY of this was your fault ever again? Do you hear me? Lisa and her pack of jackals are to blame for this! I won't have you blaming yourself for this. Do you hear me Alex Palmer? I won't have my HUSBAND saying such things!"

I stood there rubbing my cheek and looked at an astonished Josh, "Excitable little thing isn't she? Packs a wallop too!"

Josh looked like he was watching a tennis match as his gaze swiveled between Beth and myself. Finally he cocked his head to one side looking at me and asked in a quiet voice "What did she mean by "Husband" Alex?" Beth's hands flew to her mouth as she realized she had let something slip. I smiled and held out my hand to her and when she took it I enfolded her in a hug.

"Why Josh, I thought you were brighter than that. Surely you know what it means when a woman calls a man "husband" don't you? I mean you see them all the time in your line of work." The smile on my face split from ear to ear as Beth held out her hand so he could see the promise-engagement ring I had given her.

The lights finally came on in Josh's eyes. His grin was almost as big as mine. "He's asked you? Already? And you've said yes?" Beth just nodded and placed my arm over her shoulders. I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek and said, "I thought we had decided no more hitting?"

Beth looked at my face and then realized she had hit me. Again. Her hands flew to her mouth and she began to apologize. "Oh No! Oh God Alex I'm sor…"

I used the expedient of kissing her to shut her up. She melted against me and wrapped her arms around me. After about a year, which only lasted a few moments; time is a relative concept you know, Josh coughed and said, "AHEM!"

I pulled back and in my best Peter Lorre's Igor the Ghoul voice said, "A-heh A-heh, you vant somtink?"

Beth and Josh dissolved into gales of laughter. Beth shook her head as she gazed lovingly at me and stroking my cheek said, "You are certifiable, you know that?"

Josh took her hand and said "Looks like a welcome to the family speech is in order, huh sis." Josh took my hand and shook it. His smile broadened. Beth hugged me tighter as I looked at Josh and asked, "So what offer did Fred and his firm make you?" It was his turn to smile.

"It wasn't anything much. Twice what I'm making now, relocation allotment, their firm will buy out any mortgage I currently hold and get me a low interest fixed rate loan on a new place, company car. I get my choice of staff. They'll even make an offer to Joyce if she wants to come to work for me here. I'll offer but I don't think she'll come." He seemed saddened by this revelation.

Beth piped up and said "I wouldn't bet on that. She may not come to work for you but she might be moving here soon." We both looked at her in wonderment. I kissed her and asked "What makes you say that Sweets?"

Beth looked at me and smiled an enigmatic smile and said "Her boyfriend lives here now." Josh looked at me and said, "I didn't know she had a boyfriend. Well, I'll make the offer. She's a great paralegal and a better assistant. I've been fighting to get her a raise for almost a year and the managing partner won't go for it. She won't sleep her way around the office like some and it pisses me off that they penalize her for it." He seemed a little dejected as he spoke. I looked at Beth and started to ask her if she was talking about Josh. She read my mind though and made a locking motion at her lips. She wasn't going to say anymore in front of Josh.

*****

It was nearly one o'clock when Josh left. I had signed the complaint on Lisa after talking it over some more with Josh and Beth. He had made his phone call and the front desk had a faxed copy of the restraining order against Beth on file. Josh gave me a copy and said he'd have Lisa served by breakfast. I went to the master suite and used the bathroom there to clean up a little. I brushed my teeth four times gargling with mouthwash each time and I STILL had that woman's foul taste in my mouth. I went back into the bedroom, passing Beth as she went into the bath to prepare for bed, and saw the bottle of oil in the Scotch glass sitting neglected. Again. I sighed and turned off the cup warmer, the last thing I felt this evening was amorous. As I straightened up Beth's arms circled my waist from behind and she laid her cheek against mine from behind over my shoulder. She whispered in my ear, "I think we should go to bed. I've called downstairs and told them not to disturb us in the morning. I think we need to sleep until we wake up on our own."

I turned and wrapped my arms around her and said, "Do you know how much I love you?" She smiled at me. "I don't have the words to tell you how much I love you." The sadness in my voice was apparent. A lone tear fell from my right eye. "Would you be terribly angry with me if I asked that we just go to bed and sleep tonight? I don't trust myself to give you a proper massage tonight and I'm just not in the frame of mind to be making love to you either. I still have Lisa's "psychic stench" on me and I am afraid of what would happen. Please?"

She never batted an eye, she just kissed me soundly and started taking off my shirt. Once we were nude she led me over to the bed and we climbed under the covers. The advantage of being nearly the same height is that when you lay down you match up so much better when you try to cuddle. Beth scootched up so her head was slightly above mine on the pillows and pulled my head to her magnificent breast, wrapped her arms around me and said, "Lay your head down and let me hold you." I kissed her nipple and then snuggled down into the best pillow on this earth. Beth reached over and turned out the lights and she held me stroking the hair on the back of my neck until I fell asleep. The last thing I remember before sleep claimed me was the steady beat of her heart and Beth murmuring to me to "Sleep peacefully, my lovely man. I'll keep the nightmares away." And she did.

*****