Wife's Hall Pass

"Shit, I forgot to mention you guys to the detective that spoke to me at the hospital. Damn it, that won't look good. Listen Bart let me reach Detective Cipriano and give him your contact info. I will do it as soon as we hang up."

"Ok but if I don't hear from him shortly I'm going to the police myself with everything I have. I'm not losing my license for you, so make the call now. My first statement still stands Mr. Smith." And he disconnected.

"Shit, shit, shit this just keeps getting worse."

Nevada fished Cipriano's business card out of his pocket and called the cell number listed on it expecting to get his voice mail. Cipriano answered right away.

"Detective, this is Nevada Smith, we talked earlier tonight at the hospital...."

"I know who you are Mr. Smith, why are you calling?" Cipriano had been on the job a long time and he figured another guilty person would be trying to offer up some other lame excuse as to their innocence.

"I have to tell you something and give you some information. I'm afraid it won't look good for me but it is the truth."

"I'm a busy man Smith, what is it?"

"I, uh I forgot to tell you something important. I hired a PI firm to follow my wife this weekend." Cipriano audibly exhaled and uttered something Nevada couldn't decipher. "Yes, well I just got off the phone with Bart Hudson..."

"I know Bart."

"Well he told me that he had video, audio, and eyewitness information to the attack on my wife and her...friend. He said it would probably help identify the attackers. Do you need his number?"

"No I have it. Good night Mr. Smith." Well that was different. And he ended the call. That had surprised him but it wasn't shocking. Anyone on the job for any length of time really can't be shocked any more.

Sunday was spent with Nevada and his children in a semi-conscious state of mind. He called the hospital a few times to get updates. They finally told him not to call any more and that they would call him with any changes to her condition. They also said there was no point in coming to visit because they wouldn't even be allowed into Pilar's room.

First thing Monday morning Nevada called Nessa Sand to update his attorney on what was going on. Bad news must travel fast because before he began to explain the reason for his call...

"God damn it Mr. Smith, I told you not to do anything stupid. If you had anything to do with this, so help me..."

Nevada angrily interrupted. "I'm getting tired of people accusing me Ms. Sand. I had nothing to do with it. You have to believe me!" Nevada didn't think she really did believe him but he told her what he wanted done anyway.

"Wow, I've been in the business a long time Mr. Smith and this is a first for me. I just want to make sure I understand you completely. You still want to go forward with the divorce, but you only want to delay service on your wife until she regains consciousness.

"You want her served in the hospital? Excuse me for saying it, but you are one cold blooded son of a bitch."

"Maybe but it is no more cold blooded than what she did to me. So will you do it?"

"Yes, you're the client, just let me know when. To change the subject Mr. Smith I believe you might be in need of a criminal defense attorney. I don't do that type of work myself, but I know a couple of good ones. Do you want their numbers?"

"I guess I better." And he copied down a couple of names and numbers she read off to him.

Nevada really started to worry when his three children who had skipped out early from school came to him in the afternoon. No one said anything, but he knew why they were all there staring at him.

"Guys, you have to trust me. I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT! I promise you." Nevada broke down himself at that point. All three of the kids hugged him and cried along with him. At least he was almost sure they believed him.

Nevada was now sweating bullets. This could get really ugly for him once Pilar's family found out about it. Fortunately for him they didn't live locally but still?

He supposed he had to call her parents which he did but it wasn't a pleasant experience at all. He pulled no punches. He laid out everything for them and didn't sugar coat anything. Her father started in on him, but Nevada just hung up the phone and refused to answer any subsequent calls. The numerous voicemails her parents left were accusatory and threatening. I guess maybe I should have just cost him his twenty-five thousand?

Nevada was convinced he'd better call one of the attorney's names he got from his attorney before things got too far out of hand. He was getting ready to do just that when Detective Cipriano showed up at his doorstep.

Mr. Smith I have just one question for you. Did you tell Mrs. Malden about her husband and your wife's affair?"

"No sir I did not. However, true confession time, I did find out who her friend was and that he was married. I had every intention of giving Mrs. Malden the PI's information to try and ruin that prick's life too."

Cipriano actually smiled a bit when he spoke. "Yeah I suppose I would have done the same thing. Besides Hudson told us what his marching orders were. Listen Mr. Smith it looks like you are off the hook. Hudson was right, the evidence he gave us lead us to the perpetrators of the assault. They are in custody and they both confessed."

"Seriously, who did it?"

"Well I shouldn't say but shit, it's going to be all over the news by tomorrow anyway. It was Mrs. Malden and her brother."

"Damn how did she find out?"

The same way you did. He told her what he was going to do. Apparently this was the third time he pulled this trick. He loved to rub her nose in his infidelities for some perverted reason. And I guess she just couldn't take it anymore. So she told her brother, who has a rather lengthy rap sheet of violent type crimes and together they came up with the plan."

"I guess Malden didn't have a hall pass. Hey, out of morbid curiosity can you tell me about his condition?"

"Nope, sorry I can't do that. The only thing I can tell you is that it was the brother's job to work over the mister and Mrs. Malden was to take care of your wife. The brother is much bigger and stronger than the missus. Although to be fair the wife used a heavier bat than her brother. Anyway, I am truly sorry for your troubles. I won't bother you any more. Good afternoon."

The sense of relief Nevada felt was immeasurable. He collapsed into his recliner to catch his breath. He was actually shaking all over. He wondered what his life would have been like over the next several weeks if he hadn't had his wife followed. It was too frightening to dwell on.

His relief at no longer being a suspect did nothing to assuage his anger at Pilar though.

The next few weeks were a blur. Detective Cipriano was right. The story was all over the local news and it played for days. Nevada returned to work and the kids to school, which was close to ending for the summer break. It was about the same time that he received a call from the hospital that his wife had regained consciousness and that she was asking about her family and wanted to see everyone. The charge nurse said she could have one visitor at a time. They also warned him that she would have confusion and probably a lot of memory gaps too.

Nevada went to see her alone without telling the kids. He did this for two reasons. First and foremost he wanted to talk with her alone and secondly he wanted to make sure that the sight of their mother's physical condition wouldn't traumatize them too badly.

When he arrived at the hospital even he was shocked at Pilar's condition. There were machines, tubes, casts, and bandages all over her. The parts of her he could see including her face were still pretty much covered in bruises. He wasn't sure if the bruising was from the beating or the three surgeries she had now undergone. But she could talk.

Even though he had been prepped by the nurses, when he stepped into Pilar's room it took his breath away. Never mind the injuries, Pilar who was always a voluptuous woman now looked emaciated. It was quite disturbing and he wasn't sure the kids should see her like this. Screw it, they were old enough. It would serve her right anyway.

She heard him come in and turned her head slightly towards him. She didn't speak but had tears in her eyes. She could only wipe them away with her left hand as her right was still immobilized.

"Damn Pilar, you look like shit. The next time you use a hall pass you better make sure your lover has one too!" He knew he was being petty but it made him feel better and he just didn't care. At any rate his number one emotion was still anger.

She croaked out, "I'm sorry" in a barely audible voice.

"Yes you are. Listen Pilar I don't want to be here any longer than I have to. As soon as you are out of ICU I am having you served for divorce. I'd do it sooner, but the hospital won't allow it. I'll have the kids come by, they are anxious to see you. Right now I am too busy thinking about how to avoid financial ruin to worry about your health. Somehow I'll figure it out though.

"You know thanks to you Suzanne won't be able to go to USC now because of all the damn hospital bills. You did this Pilar. You destroyed your marriage and the financial security of your family. So no, I don't feel one bit sorry for you, so fuck you!"

"Couldn't you be a little more understanding Nevada? I'm hurting and I'm sorry and I want to find a way to put our marriage back together. I love you." She could only speak in a hoarse whisper.

"Too little too late dear. That's never going to happen. I'm so pissed off at you for what you've done to us it's taking all my restraint to remain civil. Good bye Pilar." He turned and walked out. He never returned to the hospital.

At the dinner table several days later Nevada spoke up. "Kids time for a family meeting. Your mom is being moved out of ICU tomorrow and I am having the divorce papers served on her.

"Dad you can't be serious, you are going to have the divorce papers served on Mom in the hospital! You cannot be that cruel."

"It has nothing to do with cruelty Suzanne; it has to do with timing and trying to keep from filing bankruptcy. You all want to keep living in this house right. You want to go to college? Well we have to make some serious sacrifices to make those things possible.

"You see, I've checked with lawyers and the hospital and this is the way it is. Your mom has her own insurance but it doesn't matter if we are getting divorced. Because we were married when the bills were incurred, I am still as much responsible for what her insurance won't cover as she is. And trust me the uncovered portion will be huge. That won't change until the divorce is finalized. In addition we do not have any long term care insurance so that is where her real expenses will be incurred, so I need to get the divorce done as soon as possible to minimize the long term financial impact on our family. I'm sorry, but that is the hard truth of the matter.

"I have one attorney looking into the possibility of suing your mother's boyfriend to recover costs, but I suspect it won't go very far. His medical expenses will far exceed your mom's so that's probably a non starter. Plus his wife is divorcing him anyway, although I'm not sure how she will accomplish that from prison?

"Another thing though, I have been meeting with your mom's medical staff and we have to have a serious talk about your mom's condition." He had all three of their undivided attention at this point.

"There is a distinct possibility that your mother will be wheel chair bound for a long time if not the rest of her life. Because of damage to her brain she will probably never be able to fully care for herself again. At the very least she will need home nursing for several years. She is in for months of rehab and years of physical therapy and other procedures."

The children were horrified but not shocked all that much. They had after all been to visit her and they saw first hand how bad she had been hurt.

"So anyway this is what we are going to do." Nevada spoke for about twenty minutes as to what were his plans. At the end the kids agreed it was probably the only reasonable course of action.

When he was finished Suzanne sadly spoke. "I guess USC isn't in my future is it Dad?"

"No honey it isn't, but I promise you will go to State. It's a lot cheaper and there are more grants and scholarships you can apply for to offset the cost. Also, I know you want to help your mom so instead of being a thousand miles away, you will only be thirty minutes away. You can stay at home so there are no dorm costs either."

"I know Dad. It will all work out for the best."

Five Years Later:

"You know I love you but Dad, you've lost your humanity. There is a big hole where your soul used to be."

"Listen to me Suzanne. Every time I think I am 'getting over it' as you say I should, I get another hospital bill I'm still responsible for. Twenty percent of my wages are garnished every week to pay civil judgments against us. We are hopelessly behind on the house payments but at least I homesteaded it with Nessa's help, so they can't kick us out for quite a while. In the meantime I am trying to do a mortgage restructure to stave off the inevitable. Nessa even does most of her work for us pro bono.

"Your brother Steve skipped college and joined the service. Every month he sends half his paycheck home to help out. Do you know what he told me when he enlisted? He said one reason he did it was so that we wouldn't have the cost of feeding him any longer. Your brother Pat has a part time job flipping burgers. He signs his entire paycheck over to me each week to do his part. And look at you. This should be the time of your life, but you still haven't finished college because you had to go part time. Every spare moment you have is dedicated to caring for your mom instead of being out having fun.

"The grass in the front yard is two feet high because I can't afford to fix the lawnmower. I'm surprised the neighbors haven't started a petition to the HOA to get us kick out.

"I make a six figure income and we are on food stamps. I beg every non profit and public assistance office weekly to find more money to pay for your mom's care. We have one ten year old beat up car between us and it's held together by chewing gum and bailing wire."

"If you feel that way why would you even let her live with us? You haven't said a civil word to Mom in over four years. You haven't even looked at her. If she comes into the same room you leave. It's like she's a recluse in her own home. It doesn't make any sense."

"There are several reasons really. No matter what she did, she is still you and your brothers' mother. And as you know you are all involved in her care to some extent even all these years later. And secondly my motivation is revenge. She gets to see the loving interaction between Josie and me every day of her life. Every single day for the rest of her life, she gets to be reminded of what she gave up just to try out a new dick.

"The vindictive part of me still surfaces every now and then and I want to force Pilar to sit in a chair in our bedroom and watch Josie and me making love on what used to be her bed. I would do it too, except I'm pretty sure Josie would kick my ass out of the house.

"All that aside, the real reason is to save money. Assisted living care can cost as much as seven thousand dollars a month. She obviously couldn't afford that even with government assistance. Do you want your mom living in one of those privately run assisted living homes? You saw what they are like.

"And to be clear this isn't her home any longer, I just allow her to stay because I don't want your mother dying in some card board box under a freeway overpass.

"No Suzanne your mother burned all the compassion out of me. Maybe I'm part of the walking dead but there is nothing I can do about it."

"You're wrong Dad. You do have compassion left in you. I'm sure Josie wouldn't have married you if you didn't. But she and I talk a lot, and we are worried about you. It has been five years and there is still so much anger left in you, it's scary. You have to let your bitterness go and somehow work your way through all that. I want my dad back." She was teary eyed and deeply saddened. "You can't go on like this. You have a beautiful new wife and your family around you. Focus on the future, not the past. I'm begging you! It's not for her. She did what she did, and she is what she is. Don't you think she's paid a high enough price for one stupid decision five years ago?"

"No I don't."

"For god sakes Dad, she lost everything dear to her and she's crippled for life and that's not enough for you? Listen to yourself!" Suzanne disgustedly walked away shaking her head.

On an intellectual level Nevada knew his daughter was right. Josie had been after him about the same issue. He was sure they were planning an intervention soon. He just didn't see a way out for him. He had hypertension and was on medication. He had gained twenty pounds. How the fuck to you gain twenty pounds when you can't even afford to eat? His doctor warned him about his worsening ulcers. His wrath frequently kept him awake at night. Sometimes he wondered if his family would be better off if he just died. At least he had a five hundred thousand dollar life insurance policy on himself that could help pay off the bills. Of course he was behind on those payments too.

Later that same evening when they were in bed Josie started in on him again. They had just finished a satisfying round of love making and as was their habit Josie lay with her head on his shoulder idly running her fingers threw the thick hair on her husband's chest. This was the only time Nevada had any peace. He was so grateful that he had met Josie at his wife's rehab facility. He understood that without her love and support he would have fallen apart.

"Nevada, sweetheart. I spoke to Suzanne today and just to be clear, if you ever even hint at having Pilar watch us in bed I will castrate you with a rusty knife." She said it casually but her meaning wasn't lost on him. She had grown up in a really tough neighborhood so he was pretty sure she was capable of doing it. Plus what is it with women always threatening to cut off men's dicks?

"I know, I know. My anger was getting the better of me and..."

"Nevada I don't care about that. I've tried my best to help you and it hasn't been enough. I'm tired of trying and tired of only getting part of you in return. How do you think it makes me feel? To me your anger is a constant reminder that you aren't over Pilar."

"What! That isn't true at all, why would you even think that?"

"Just let me talk Nevada. It's more like you aren't over what Pilar did to you." She stopped stroking his chest and laid her palm flat over his heart. I'll wait for a few more months but I can't go on this way. If you won't give me all of you soon, I will leave you. I give much more than I get from you. It isn't fair. I even help take care of your ex-wife. I have earned better from you." She wasn't angry, she didn't raise her voice, she was just incredibly sad.

"When I first saw you at the rehab facility I felt an instant attraction. I'd never seen anyone in so much pain. As we got to know each other I could see how much you loved your family. You had problems and a lot of pent up anger, but I knew you were a kind decent man. We've been married over two years Nevada and your issues haven't improved. If anything they have gotten worse.

"Please don't think I am sounding like Pilar giving you ultimatums. But I can't go on like this. It hurts too much. I need you to do something to bring back the man I fell in love with."