6 comments/ 26753 views/ 16 favorites Drew's Story By: rwsteward Dear readers, I've received many comments via personal email about Maggie's Story. A lot of you really connected with the characters in this story. I received many requests to continue with the lives of Maggie and her husband Drew. This time, Drew's Story picks up about twenty years down the road. Guys, if you're looking for one handed reading, this is not the story for you. Please, enjoy Drew's Story. As always, your comments are welcome. Maggie heard the front door close rather abruptly, almost as though it was slammed closed. She looked at the clock; it was well after seven that night. Drew had left early that morning, easily before five. Drew walked into the kitchen and pulled his tie out of his shirt. "Sorry, I'm late. There were issues that needed to be worked on." Maggie snarled back, "There's always an issue isn't there." Drew looked around the house, the kitchen sink was overflowing with dishes, and there was clutter everywhere he looked. Old magazines stacked into piles that stretched down the hallway. The hamper was overflowing with dirty clothes while bags of groceries still sat on the table. "Maggie, when in God's name are you planning on picking up this house?" Drew said as the veins in his neck started to pop out. "Tomorrow!" Maggie shot back, "I had promised to head up that program I told you about. Don't you listen to me when I talk? Tomorrow, I'll get it tomorrow." Drew quipped, "Instead of burning through your free time volunteering for stupid shit like the 'national prevent hang nails assocation,'why don't you just volunteer being a wife!" Maggie walked over and reached her hand out, Drew placed his tie into her hand and then turned away from her. Maggie tried to defuse the situation. "Drew if you don't cut back, you're going to loose all your hair." "Well at least I didn't cut mine off!" Drew snapped back. Drew looked back her way, "Maggie I'm sorry. It's just been one of those days." Maggie placed his tie down on the kitchen table; "I kept dinner warm for you. Avery wants to talk to you; she's in the other room. I've had a rough day myself. I'll be upstairs. Turn the lights off when you come up." Maggie turned away from Drew and walked up the stairs to the bedroom. Drew let out a long sigh then turned toward the living room, and walked in. Avery was sitting down on a chair, the TV playing in the background. "Avery, mom said you wanted to talk to me?" Avery looked up from the TV, then pointed the remote control at the TV and shut it off. "Dad, you and mom okay? I heard you two going at it again." "Yeah, we just both kind of wore out. We're kind of at each other sometimes, I've been working too much, and she's working two jobs between all her volunteering for this and that. I'm going to sit a bit, Avery, I seem especially tired tonight. What's on your mind sweetheart?" Avery crossed her legs on the large chair and looked over at Drew. "Dad, what's love?" "Oh, Jesus Avery, that's a tough one," Drew said as sat down in his recliner, "You know since recorded history scholars, dreamers, philosophers, and men of God have all tried to figure that one question out." "And did they?" "No, till this very day, no one really knows what love is. It's like what that one Supreme Court justice said about porn, 'I can't tell you what it is, but I know it when I see it.' "There're all kinds of love Avery. You may love apple pie, but that's not the same kind of love that you have toward your mom or me, yet the love we have between us is different from the love we have toward you. "It's like this. Someone you love is supposed to arrive home at six and when that person doesn't show up then, you start watching the clock a bit more than you normally do. You get a sick feeling in your gut when an hour has gone by, and you hear nothing. You start wondering what's wrong and your mind races, generating thoughts of things that might have gone wrong. Then when that person walks into the room, the feeling of love fills your whole soul. To me, that's the meaning of love." "Well dad how do you know...when you're in love. I mean real true love?" Avery asked. "Well honey, when you find your own true love, you'll know it by his smile, the light in his eyes when sees you, and the look on his face. You already know what I mean as I've seen you light up when Justin comes into a room." Drew started rubbing his left arm and un-buttoned his shirt collar. Avery noticed her father's discomfort, "Dad are you okay, you look a bit pale?" "Oh I'm fine, it just seems to be a bit warm in here that's all." "What wrong your arm?" "Must have sprained it somehow. It kind of hurt the other day, too but it must have gotten better as the pain went away till now." Drew could see there was something more Avery wanted to say as she was avoiding looking her dad in the eyes. "There's something else on your mind isn't there?" Drew asked, "Come over here and sit by your old man and get it off of your chest." Avery got up and moved over to Drew taking a seat next to him on the floor. "Daddy, I've got something to tell you." Drew keeps rubbing his arm, "Go ahead, what's on your mind?" Avery just blurts, "Dad, I'm pregnant..." "I see...Jesus Avery! Well damn honey, how did it happen?" Avery smiled, "Well do you want me to explain where babies come from dad? Are you mad at me?" "No, I'm not mad. I'm a bit more than just upset right now that you didn't listen to the advice your mother and I gave you about birth control and abstinence. But no, I'm not mad. But let's face it, that's a hell of thing to spring on your old man when you're not married. Is Justin the father? I know you two are very close; guess I didn't know just how close till now. "Yeah, daddy, Justin is the father. He is the only boy I've been with, there're no others. We only did it once, and well I've missed a period. I'm not completely sure yet and will need to see the doctor." "Have you told him? Have you said anything to your mother yet?" "No, I've not told anyone but you..." "You know you'll have to tell your mother, don't you? You can't hide something like this forever." "Yeah, I suppose so. I know she'll freak out, and I'll get an ass ripping from her. That's why I decided not to say anything to her just yet. I was hoping you'd be able to kind of smooth things over, maybe run some interference for me." "Your mother loves you more than you think Avery, that woman would run into a burning building to save you. Don't underestimate your mother's love for you..." "But dad, she is always so picky towards me, I can't seem to do anything that pleases her." "That's because she sees herself in your eyes. She doesn't want the same things to happen to you that happened to her when she was your age." "Like what dad?" "That Avery, will have to be between you and your mother." "Dad, there's more... I heard mom talking to Aunt Joyce the other day on the phone. Dad I think mom's planning on getting a divorce from you. I heard her say something about setting the date for the divorce on the fourth of this coming month." "Ohhh..." Drew said as stared down at the floor. "Dad, I'm not sure about it, it was just what I heard them talking about. Dad are you okay?" Drew fell back into his chair, his face was blushed, yet he seemed to shake a bit. Beads of sweat started to form on Drew's forehead. He gripped his arm then all the color drained from his face turning pale white then bluish. Drew cried out in pain, "Avery! Avery! Go get your mother! Hurry! It feels as though someone just parked a truck on my chest. Get your mother!" Avery jumped up and ran through the house, yelling out for her mother. "Mom! Mom! There's something wrong with dad! Mom!" Maggie practically flew down the stairs and ran into the living room. There, she saw Drew clutching his chest, he had fallen out of his chair and was on the floor, curled up into a ball from the pain, and then he fell silently as his body relaxed. "Avery! Call 911, then run to the bathroom and get that bottle of aspirin and bring it here! Hurry!" Avery dialed 911 and started to speak with the 911 Operator as she ran to the bathroom retrieving the bottle of pills as her mother requested. She brought the bottle back to her mom. Maggie placed one of the aspirins under Drew's tongue, turning toward Avery, "Avery, your dad is having a heart attack. We can't wait for the EMS team. We must give your dad CPR, and we got to start it right now!" "Mom, I can't I just can't!" "Avery, look at me! It's just like in the classes we took last year with the Red Cross. You can do this! I'll breathe for your dad, you do the compressions, just like the way they taught us. "Avery now for God's sake, we need to do this now! Lock your fingers together and start the compressions!" Maggie pulled Drew's head back, and began breathing air into his lungs; she could see his chest raise and fall. Avery started to press on his chest, counting to herself keeping time with her presses. The sound of sirens could be heard in the distance, growing louder with each second. At last, she could hear footsteps on the porch and the doorbell ring. "In here, we're in here," Maggie yelled out. The paramedics began to work on Drew, connecting wires to a heart monitor and inserting a tube down his throat. "Is he your husband? What's his name?" one of the paramedics asked, and he started to take his vitals. "Yes. His name is Drew." "How old? Does is smoke? Any drug use?" "Oh, God, he's forty-five, no, no, he doesn't do any of that stuff. I put an aspirin under his tongue as soon as I could—" "Jim, he's is full arrest." "Charge to 650!" The other paramedic pushed several buttons, and the machine in a red box let out a screeching "ta-weeee" sound as it built up to full charge. He took out two silver paddles from the case and held them upright to Tim, the other paramedic. Tim smeared a jelly like goop on one paddle then Jim rubbed the two plates together. He placed one paddle on this chest, the other on Drew's side. The heart monitor just showed a squiggly line as it endlessly moved side to side. "Clear!" The machine let out a loud thud, and everyone watched the green line dance across the monitor's screen. "Still in full arrest!" "850! Charge to 850!" "Jim!" "I said charge to 850!" Ta-weeeeeeee, the machine began to build up its charge. Jim opened up a red case holding drugs and syringes. He took out one the size neither Maggie nor Avery could have dreamt about. He opened a small vial and sucked out the entire contents with the syringe; he pushed on the plunger forcing a stream of liquid out the needle's tip. "Jim, you don't have authorization!" "Are you his wife?" "Yes!" "Do you give me permission to use this drug?" "Yes!" Maggie's words barely left her lips when she saw the paramedic pour iodine all over Drew's chest and plunged the needle into his heart. "Oh God, I'm going to get sick!" Avery said as she witnessed the needle being pushed deep into her father's chest as she ran toward the bathroom. "Drew! Don't let the bastard win!" Jim said, and he applied the paddles to Drew's body for the third time. "Clear!" A third thud came from the machine and Drew's body responded in kind. All eyes were on the small green dot as it moved across the screen. The dot flew and bounced around a bit then settled down. Suddenly, the dot began to move up and down as it traced across the front of the monitor. "I've got a pulse! He's pinking up, pressure coming up." Maggie let out a puff of air; it seemed as though she had been holding her breath all this time. One paramedic reached up to his shoulder and pushed the microphone button. "Dispatch, we have a white male, forty-five years old, approximately one hundred eighty pounds. Was in full arrest when arriving on scene. Revived and will transport ASAP." The ambulance was waiting and Drew was placed on a stretcher and strapped down for his ride to the hospital. As the two paramedics were packing up, Maggie pulled one paramedic aside and asked, "What did you partner mean when he said don't let the bastard win?" "Death...My partner hates to lose. Is your daughter going to be all right?" he asked. "She'll be fine. Are you taking my husband to Sinai Medical Center?" "Yes, they're closest, but there's no need to rush over, he'll more than likely be taken directly to surgery to get a few stents implanted. They won't let you see him at all till he's stable. There will be lots of test to do. It's about eight, when he gets stabilized and into surgery, it would be going on ten perhaps eleven. I'd get there about that time. There will be a ton of forms to fill out. I've got to go. I wish the three of you the best." Maggie watch the ambulance and the squad pull out of the driveway and race down the street, sirens blaring as they went. Maggie went into the bathroom but couldn't find Avery; she looked into her room and saw her lying on her bed, tears in her eyes. "Mom, it's all my fault. I killed him!" "What are you talking about, your dad is going to be okay, I just know it; I'll be going to the hospital in a while. I'd like for you to come along." "You don't understand mom; I did this to him. I gave him the heart attack. It's all my fault! I was talking to him, and well I told him some things that made it all happen. It's my fault..." "You can't give anyone a heart attack. What things Avery?" Avery stood and blurted out, "Mom...I think I'm pregnant..." "Oh Jesus Christ Avery! What the hell's wrong with you! Didn't you listen when your dad and I explained things to you? Do you know who the father is? How many boys have you been sleeping with?" "I'm not a whore mom! I don't sleep around. Justin is the father. He's the only boy I've been with. I knew you'd go in orbit. That's why I told dad first. He understood. All you want to do is find fault with me. There's nothing I can do that makes you happy, make you proud of me. I'm in love with Justin. That's something you can't say about dad! "I know you don't love him anymore, I heard you and aunt Joyce talking about getting a divorce from dad on the fourth of this coming month. I told him. I told him you were planning on divorcing him." "Avery, why did you do that? You didn't have your facts. I'm not divorcing your dad. That thought never entered my mind. Where did you come up with this idea?" "I heard you. You were talking on the phone with aunt Joyce. I heard you! And I told dad!" Maggie flung her arms into the air, her voice increasing in intensity, "God damn it Avery, what the hell did you do? "What you heard was Joyce and I talking about one of the girls we work with. Her divorce from her third husband is final on the fourth of this coming month. I have no plans to divorce your father today, tomorrow or the fourth of next month!" "I didn't think—" Avery said. "That's your whole problem, you never think, you just do. You got yourself pregnant because you didn't think. You told your dad I'm going to divorce him because you didn't think!" Avery started yelling back, her hands clinched into fists, "I'm not perfect! I didn't ask to be born! Right now, I wish I'd never been born. I'm sorry to be such a burden to you. I wished I was dead. Would that make you happy?" Maggie reached over and grabbed Avery arms and pulled her toward her, "I don't ever, ever want to hear you say that again! Do you—" "Mom, you're hurting me!" Maggie called out, her voice grew in anger; she was practically screaming. She shot out her words like bullets from a machine gun. "Do you understand me? Do you hear me? I said do you hear me!" "Mom, let go, you're hurting me!" Maggie finally heard Avery's cries and looked down at the death grip she had on her daughter's arms. "Oh, God, what am I doing..." Maggie ran out of Avery's room. A half an hour passed by; the house was eerily quiet. The silence was broken when the telephone rang. Avery got up from her bed and walked down the hallway to her mother's room. She peeked inside and saw her mother sitting quietly on the end of the bed in the dark; her head cradled in her hands. "Mom are you okay? May I come in?" Maggie spoke, "I never thought in my wildest dreams, I could get so angry with my only child." "Mom?" Maggie raised her head and looked up and said, "Sit with me for a bit. The hospital just called. They got dad stable, but they need me to come down and start the paper work. Where did I go wrong? "Avery there is something I need to tell you. I've never mentioned this to you, and your dad promised he would never speak of it to you." Avery walked over and sat by Maggie on the end of the bed. "Listen now. When I was about your age, perhaps a bit older, I fell in love with a young man. His name was Scott. We were both madly in love in with each other. Well, as life would have it, Scott was killed in a plane accident. I found out a few weeks after his death that I was pregnant. "A month or so into the pregnancy, I got sick, really sick. The doctors had to abort the baby. Things were really bad for me... I said I wished I was never born. I said I wished I was dead. I said those very words you told me. "Then on a cold spring afternoon I sat down on the couch in the living room and took an overdose of pills. Joyce found me and took me to the hospital. I nearly died, a few minutes more and we wouldn't be having this conversation. I meet your father about a year later. "When I look into my daughter's eyes, I see my reflection; my life, and I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did." "Do you ever miss your first love, mom?" "Sometimes, especially in the spring, I'll hear a small plane flying low overheard and I wonder if Scott's spirit is up there in the sky, keeping watch over me." Avery looked down and then over to her mother, "I didn't know... about your suicide attempt either." "Well now you do. You now know why I got so mad when you told me you wanted to die," Maggie dried her eyes and reached out and gave Avery a hug, "What do ya say we get our butts in gear and go see how you're father's doing?" **** Drew was in an ICU room when they arrived. The doctors had put in a stent to help open up a blocked blood vessel, and he was given medications to help lower the stress on his heart. A respirator was doing his breathing. As they were talking to one of the nurses at the ICU desk, a young intern came out from behind his desk and asked, "Are you Mrs. Carter?" "Yes." "And this is your daughter?" "Yes she is." "You two are the talk of the ER," the intern began, "From what we were told from the paramedics, you two were giving your husband textbook style CPR. Your quick thinking by putting an aspirin under your husband's tongue...well let's say you two saved his life. "I'm not his doctor, but I would guess he'll need some bypass work." "May we see him?" Maggie asked. "Only for a minute or two. He's sedated right now. Has either of you two ever been into an ICU unit?" Maggie and Avery both shook their heads no. "Well it can be a bit overwhelming. There are all sorts of pipes and wires and machines making noise. With all the banging he received during the CPR and the work of the paramedics, well he is kind of bruised up, don't let that worry you. I can let both of you in, but for only a few minutes." The intern led Maggie and Avery to the ICU unit that Drew is in. As they pass through a curtain, Maggie could see her husband lying on a bed connected to what seemed like a dozen machines, each one making its own noise. When Avery saw her father lying in bed with all those machines hooked up, she ran out of the room, her hand covering her mouth. Maggie just stopped cold in her tracks, then said, "Sweet Jesus Drew..." Drew's Story "I had a really rough day and was just not in the mood. I kind of blew up on him. I looked at Drew and told him I wasn't his personal Barbie doll that he could dress and undress as he pleased. I told him this wasn't what normal couples do! I wadded up the pantyhose, jammed them down deep into the garbage can and threw the heels down the hallway and went back upstairs. "After that night, he never again mentioned wearing nylons for him anymore. There were no longer any notes, no packages of expensive hose left out for me. Our sex life slowed and then stopped altogether." "Maggie," Joyce began, her hands resting on Maggie's knees, "Who defines normal? God, I wished Eric would grope on me like that when I wear thigh high nylons." Joyce looked around again, making sure no one could hear her or Maggie speaking. Joyce spoke very low, leaned toward Maggie, and said, "Eric...He likes taking me in the rear. I thought this can't be normal, too. Maggie, my Eric is a good man. He's a great father and provider and a great lover. So he enjoys anal sex...Is that normal? Who really cares? And you know what? I'm enjoying it too now!" Maggie looked surprised by Joyce's boldness about her husband. Maggie continued, "Last night I went to his room and laid down beside him wearing just some thigh high hose for him. I put his hands down on my thighs were he liked to touch me. Joyce, Drew asked me why he had to wait till he was lying in hospital bed to see me like that. That's why I wore this outfit today. Even though he only glanced at me, he knew I did it just for him." "You know Maggie you should give Drew what he enjoys." Joyce said. Then Joyce added, "Men, if they don't get what they need at home, they'll find it someplace else. A wondering eye can produce roaming hands! Life is too short. Besides, it could be a lot worst!" "How?" Maggie inquired. Joyce smiled and said, "Whips and chains!" Just then, Avery walked into the waiting room. Her long red hair tied up in a ponytail swung about her sweatshirt. Her faded jeans had holes in them, and the sound of her flip-flops could be heard on the carpeted floor. "Aunt Joyce! You here to see dad?" "Yeah, your mother and I were just talking. I need to run now. Maggie, please think over what we talked about. Let me know if there is any news with Drew." Joyce gave Avery and Maggie a big hug then walked out of the waiting room. "God mom! You look really good. Why so dressed up?" Avery said with a surprised look on her face. "Well your dad always liked me to look nice for him. It's something I kind of got out of doing. I know it made him feel good about us. It made him feel good. "Does it really make that much difference?" "Let me tell you something about men Avery. They seek out what they like. If whatever it is they like is at home, they'll come home. If not, well then they'll go out looking for it." Maggie's voice trailed off, thinking of what Joyce had said a few minutes earlier. "But I've noticed you two don't seem to be as, well as happy as you were say five years ago. What happened mom?" "Avery, it's just life. Your dad had been so busy with his company and me with my work we had no time to be with each other. We drifted apart like two ships in the night. We would pass by each other without paying any attention. We both knew each other was there, but we couldn't find the time...We didn't make the time for each other. "Sometimes Avery, the fires of love are like a campfire. The fire can burn so hot, it can boil water—then after the water boiled away, there's nothing left to heat up. All the fuel was consumed, and love starves. Other times, the flames burn too slowly and the embers cool. It's possible that unless something strokes these embers, love can die. "A husband and wife need to find a balance. When you're young and madly in love, the fire burns the hottest, as you grow older, the flames die back. "It got so bad...Avery, your father, and I have not been together in almost a year. When your dad had this heart attack, we almost lost him. He's still not out in the clear yet. There's that old saying, 'you never know the value of water till the well runs dry.' I'm simply not going to let this happen again between the two of us. I need to stroke the embers... we both need to stroke the fire..." "Mom you still love dad then?" "Oh Avery, more than ever! He's my world. I'm not about to give up on him," Maggie said as she dabbed her eyes dry with the back of her hand. "And that's why the tailored jeans and heels then?" "Yeah, just to let him know I'm thinking about him. Now I'm not going to do the dishes in a white chiffon dress with matching white high heels, but your dad likes to see me look nice for him. I guess for him, well that's just normal. "Avery, sweetheart, we both made some mistakes. I plan on correcting the ones I've made. I know your dad will step up to the plate as well. "When we first started dating, his company had all of about fifty employees, now there's over five hundred and there's several regional offices. Drew doesn't need to spend hours and hours worrying about how things run. He has employees that he pays to keep track of all that. I don't need to volunteer for every cause that asks me to help out either." Avery looked around at the people in the waiting room, then turned toward Maggie, "Mom, I need to run back home. I'll be back here within an hour. It's going to be a few more hours before dad is taken into surgery anyway. I'll be back as soon as I can. Love you." And with that Avery made a dash for the door and was soon out of sight. Maggie fell back into her chair, "I wonder what that was all about?" she said to herself as she picked up a magazine from the stack on the table. **** The clock on the wall silently ticked down the seconds, and soon an hour had burnt away. Out of the corner of her eye, Maggie saw the image of a young woman approach her, without looking up, she moved over so the woman would have room to sit down. With her head still buried into the magazine, she heard her daughter's voice, "Mom, I'm back." Maggie looked up from the magazine and there stood Avery. Her long red hair fell across her shoulders and cascaded down the front of her pastel blue short sleeved shirt. She stood before her mother wearing black heels that matched with her own pair of tailored blue jeans. Avery's makeup highlighted her cheekbones and the silver necklace about her neck caught the light in the waiting room. All the men in the waiting room turned their heads and watched Avery as she walked over and sat down. "Avery, you look wonderful, simply stunning. But, why the change of clothes?" Maggie inquired. "Because of what you said to me earlier, Justin will be stopping over to wait with us, and well since you prettied up a bit, I thought I'd do the same for Justin." "Avery, have you told him yet?" "Not yet mom, I felt that these past few days have been exciting enough without adding more drama to all our lives. I'll tell him tonight. We are planning to go out, and I'll let him know. I'm going to think this one through." "I wonder how he'll take it?" Maggie inquired. "Well mom, I don't know. But I love him. I really do." "That maybe true, but does he have those same feelings toward you?" "I don't know. I hope so..." "Well I bet he does. After all, you're my daughter!" Avery smiled and tossed her head to one side, sending her red hair flying across her face. "Avery let me ask you. I've been thinking of letting my hair grow back out. Do you think I'm too old for long hair?" "Of course not mom! I know dad would love to see your hair down on your shoulders again." "How so?" "He told me. He said he missed running his fingers through your hair as he did when you had it longer. That's how I know." "You two are very close aren't you?" "Yeah we are. I can talk to him about anything. I can talk to you too mom, but you get mad at me when dad doesn't. Dad said you see yourself in my eyes." Avery reached out and touched her mother's hand. "Mom, I'm sorry about dad. I never should have said anything without getting all the facts. I'm sorry..." "Maggie reached up and stroked her daughter's hair softly, "It's okay Avery. We'll move on. Everything will work out fine." Just then one of the staff walked over to the pair, "Mrs. Carter. There's going to be a delay in getting your husband into surgery. They're telling me about one hour, perhaps a bit less. I'll let you know if the situation changes." "Is there something wrong? Is there a problem with my husband?" "There's nothing wrong. This happens quite often. Some surgeries take a bit longer, and everything gets backed up a bit. I'll go up and check on him myself." Maggie smiled back, "Yes, please let us both know." The nurse turned and walked back toward the large doors and disappeared behind them. "Well poop! I was hoping his surgery would be finished by now. This waiting is a killer," Maggie said as she looked at the clock on the wall. "Avery walk with me." "Where are we going mom?" "You'll see when we get there." As the two made their way down the hallways of the hospital, Avery turned to Maggie and said, "Mom, since we're going to be here for a while, can I ask you a personal question about you, dad and me?" "Whatever you would like to know, if I can answer it, Sure." "Well, I'd like to know whether I was a mistake, an accident?" Maggie looked a bit shocked at the question, the turned toward Avery, "Why; of course, not. Neither one of those." "That's what dad said, too." "What else did dad say?" Maggie questioned. "Well he said I was a good time," Avery replied with a grin on her face. "Well I wouldn't have called it a good time. As a matter of fact, I'd say it was a very, very good time." Avery's face turned bright pink. Maggie looked over at Avery, "Well you did ask!" "Mom that's so..." "So what? We were both young once too." As they both turned the corner, they came upon the hospital's chapel. "Here we are Avery." "The chapel? I didn't think dad was into God or anything like that." "Well Avery," Maggie begun, "Your father never subscribed to Protagoras' bias..." "That man is the measure of all things, from the Greek philosopher Protagoras," Avery interrupted. "Why Avery, I'm impressed..." "I really did pay attention to my teachers in school!" Avery said with a grin. Maggie smiled back and then said, "Avery, have a seat, and let me tell you about your dad and the night you were conceived." They both sat down on a small bench by the door of the chapel. Maggie turned toward Avery and began to tell her how she came to be. "We were up at the lake. Your dad always liked going up there, and on one hot humid summer night we pitched our tent. Avery, the air was so thick you could almost chew through it. Out in the distance, we could see a storm. Lightning filled the sky, but it was so far away we couldn't even hear the thunder. "Your dad never seemed to be bothered by my small chest, but whenever we went to the lake to camp, he always had me take my shirt and bra off. It never really bothered me, as there is absolutely no one around up there but us. Don't ask me why he wanted this, as he never told me. It was just something he always had me do. I guess he wanted to start a tradition or something. "Well as I said, it was a really muggy night, and the heat kind of beat me up. I laid down and took a short nap. When I woke up, I saw your dad sitting on a big rock by the fire pit. He was just staring up into the sky. I guess I wasn't quite fully awake, and I threw a shirt over my shoulders and walked up to him. I startled him somewhat as I approached from behind. I said, 'Whatcha doing?' Your father looked around and said, 'I'm talking to God.' Then he looked up at me and saw me standing there with my shirt wrapped around my shoulders. "He got his wild look on his face and said, 'Lose the shirt.' I took it from my shoulders and just held it in my hand. 'Drop it!' Well I did as I was told, then he stared at me with this strange look on his face. 'Loose the shorts, too.' I protested a bit, but it was mostly an act on my part. I recall pulling my shorts down and stepping out of them as he watched my every move. He led me over by the fire, and we made love under the stars. "Now Avery about a year before this all happened, I found out that the birth control pills I was taking were making me sick. The doctors tried several different ones, but I couldn't handle the side effects." "What did the two of you do then?" Avery asked, her face still bright pink after hearing Maggie described the events that led up to her birth. "Well, we sort of used good 'ol fashioned condoms," Maggie answered back. "They were cheap, and boy did we ever go though a lot of them!" "Mom, you're embarrassing me!" "You wanted to know! Anyway, while we were making love that night, I felt your father's seed pump into me. Something I've not felt for several years. I remembered saying something like, 'Drew you forgot...' He just smiled and said, 'I got my answer back from God.' We laid in each other's arms throughout the night and we watched the sunrise in the early dawn. "Then on May 7th almost nine months to the date, we became parents. We named you Avery, after your dad's grandmother, and Joyce after my best friend. Avery Joyce Carter. "So you see you weren't a mistake, an accident, or any other nonsense. You might say you were God's answer to your dad question. Either way, it was a really, really good time!" "Mom quit it!" Maggie laughed, the first time in several days she felt a warm smile grow upon her face. As she looked back at her daughter, Maggie said, "Let me ask you something now." "Okay mom." "When you're my age and sitting next to your daughter and she asks you whether she was a mistake or an accident, what are you going to tell her?" Avery was taken aback by the question. She tilted her head back and forth several times and thought for several seconds. She started to speak and then grew silent as if the answer she had was not quite what she wanted. More seconds clicked by, and then she looked into her mother's eyes and said, "I tell her... I'll say... She was a child of love. She wasn't a mistake or an accident. I'll say to her she was a very, very good time." Maggie smiled and said, "Come, let's go inside and pray for your dad." **** When they arrived back at the waiting room, the same nurse that had talked to them earlier greeted them. "Your husband is in surgery. Everything is going smoothly. I have been informed that he will be out early." Maggie smiled and said, "Thanks." The two of them sat together and watched the clock as it slowly counted the day down. Avery looked up from her book, and she saw her boyfriend, Justin, walking down the hallway. She got up and raced down to meet him, wrapping her arms around his waist. They walked into the waiting room arms locked together. Avery sat down beside her mother, and Justin joined them. "Wow! Look at you two, you could almost be twins. Mrs. Carter, I know now where Avery gets her good looks! Avery, God, you look good! What's the occasion?" "Thanks Justin," Maggie said as she smiled toward Avery. "Avery stood, "There's nothing special Justin, I just thought you'd like to see me in something other than sweats and flip-flops. I'm going to get us all some coffee. Mom do you want coffee or some tea?" Maggie looked up with a surprise look on her face, "Since when did you start drinking coffee Avery?" "Mom, I'm a grown woman, I'm no longer a child." "Yes, I suppose you're right. Tea would be fine." "Justin you want to help me?" "I would like to talk to your mom for a few minutes, to find out how Mr. Carter is doing if you don't mind." "Okay, I'll be back in ten." Avery's rich cinnamon hued ringlets of hair cascaded around her gorgeous face falling down her shoulders and across her back. She turned and started walking across the waiting room, her hips moving back and forth as she walked in her heels. Her long red hair swishing about her back moving in time with each step she took. She continued down the hallway as Justin watched her till she was out of sight. "Justin, are you ogling my daughter?" "Oh... no... well sort of I guess... Yeah, I find her very attractive. Mrs. Carter I'd like to speak with you about something." "What's wrong Justin?" "Oh, there's nothing wrong. I really wanted to talk to your husband, but well I can't right now, and this won't really wait. I mean I can't wait. Mrs. Carter, I would like your permission to ask Avery to marry me. We've been dating now for almost two years. I'm in love with her. I want to marry her." "Justin, are you sure? How are you going to support the two of you? Where are you going to stay?" "My dad will hire me at the shop. I'll start at the bottom of the food chain. He said I need to learn how to get my hands dirty. I plan on finishing school. I want to be an architect. "You know that small sports car I had? Well I sold it. I got Avery a ring; the most beautiful ring you ever saw. The rest of the money I put down for a security deposit and rent. I would like your blessing and your permission to marry your daughter, Avery." Maggie turned sideways in her chair and took Justin's hands into hers. She looked into his eyes and leaned toward him. In a smoothing voice Maggie started to speak, "Justin, she's only twenty..." "Mrs. Carter, Avery will be turning twenty-one next week," Justin interrupted. "Well then twenty-one. That's awful young. Her father and I were in our mid twenties when we got married." Justin interrupted again, "Haven't you ever been deeply in love when you were younger?" Maggie sat back, still holding Justin's hands, and remembered the love she had for Scott and how young she was then. Maggie smiled and leaned back toward Justin. "Justin...You promise me...You give me your word... you'll never hurt her. You promise me you'll never leave her side; you will always be there for her. If you do then yes, you have my blessing along with my husband's blessing." Justin's eyes grew large, and he threw his arms around Maggie. "Oh, I promise! Thank you Mrs. Carter!" Maggie's eyes were tearing up, and she tried to keep her composure, then asked, "Justin where do you plan on asking her?" "Tonight when we go out for dinner." "Oh, that'll never do," Maggie said, "Do you know where we took you two camping up on our property?" "Yes." "Back at our house there's camping gear stored in the garage. Take Avery up to the lake and propose to her there. It will be something both of you will remember all your lives together. Beats a restaurant any day! And there's another thing, and this is going to sound out of place especially coming from her mother, but I know you two won't be playing board games up there tonight." Justin's face turned a bright beet red, and he stumbled for his words trying to come with something that would appease Maggie. "What's the other thing you want me to do?" This time it was Maggie's face that blushed as she said to Justin, "When you get there and after you get the camp set up, tell her she needs to take her shirt and bra off. Tell her it's a tradition." Now you could have just push Justin over with a feather after what he heard Avery's mother say. Justin was speechless. Then Maggie gave him a hug and said, "It's mom now." That seemed to put Justin at ease with the conversation they just had. Just then Avery popped through the door with the drinks. She passed them around and took a seat beside Justin. Justin took a few sips of his coffee then looked over to Avery. Drew's Story "Avery I have to run and do an errand. We're still on for tonight. I'll pick you up at your parent's house early, say five this afternoon? I really like what you wore today, could you leave it on for me?" Avery looked a bit surprised but said, "Yeah, okay, I'll be at mom and dad's place at five. I won't change. What's going on?" Justin got up and as he walked to the door, "I've got some plans. See ya at five!" "Mom, what's going on?" "Avery, you told me you were going to tell Justin about you being pregnant tonight, but can you hold off for another week?" "What's going on mom?" Avery asked again. "Justin is a fine young man. With all that had happened these past few days, let's just wait a bit longer before you tell him." "Well okay, I'll wait till dad is out of the hospital and back home. Would that be okay?" "That would be perfect Avery!" They both looked up when they heard the large double doors open and out stepped Drew's surgeon. He stopped at the desk, and the nurse pointed back toward the two women. The surgeon had a great big smile on his face and a quickstep to his stride. "Mrs. Carter... And this lovely young lady is who?" the surgeon asked. "This is my daughter, Avery," Maggie said. "Mrs. Carter, your husband's surgery was a textbook example of how things are supposed to go. It couldn't have gone any better. I've done thousands of surgeries like this and never had I had such clarity of thought. One of the doctors in the operating room mentioned I operated like the hand of God was guiding me." The doctor pulled a coffee table closer to the two and then pushed a stack of magazine aside so he could sit down. "Your husband's heart was in much better shape than the CAT scans showed. There's hardly any damage to the muscles of the heart. But, the good news is we thought we had to do three bypasses, but we only needed to do two. "He'll be moved down from the surgery step-down room then into a cardiac ICU for twenty-four hours. We'll have him up and walking around his room by then. If everything goes as well as it did in surgery, I see no reason why he can't be back home within three, maybe four days. "I didn't see any physical reason why he had the attack other than his cholesterol is high clogging his arteries. I have a feeling that he is under so much stress that it triggered the heart attack. "Here's what you need to do. He's going to have to change his diet and reduce his stress levels. I know you can't live in a Walt Disney world, but you need to get him to relax and not worry. A little bit is fine, but he must have been carrying the weight of the entire city on his shoulders. "Within a month after he gets home, you both need to start walking, riding bikes or doing some mild exercise. And you might not want your daughter to hear this..." Maggie broke in, "You can say whatever there needs to be said in front of her." "All right," the doctor continued. "I want you and your husband to have sex at least twice a week. Its great exercise for the cardio system and your brain floods your body with feel good chemicals like endorphins. It's like having your own drug store in your head. Wait a minute..." The surgeon got up and went back through the large doors only to come back out several seconds later carrying a small tablet. "Here, let's make this official. Here's a prescription that you two need to follow." The doctor sat the pad down on his knee and began to write. He tore off a sheet and handed it to Maggie. Maggie looked down and began to smile. "What's it say mom?" Maggie handed the slip of paper to Avery. As she started to read the prescription, Avery's mouth fell open, then she covered it with one of her hands. "Well I have more patients to see. Mr. Carter will be down soon. It was nice meeting you Avery." And with that the doctor headed back toward the operating rooms. "Mom! Did you read this? It says to have sex three times a week with a minimum of twice a week. Refill as needed and as often as needed." It seemed that no sooner than the doctor has left than on of the staff nurses came up to the two women and said, "Your husband is in the cardiac ICU. He's been in there now for an about an hour. Normally I'm only allowed to let one person in at a time, however, I can see you two would like to see him." "Please, can we see him now?" Avery asked the nurse. "Just follow me." The nurse led the two down a few hallways to an area that was a large room with beds behind thick curtains. "Wait here till I get the okay to let you in," the nurse said in a very soft tone. Maggie and Avery watched as she disappeared behind a door, then came back out. "Here you go, just be quiet and follow me. He is under heavy medications and can't respond to you. You can stay for only a few minutes." The nurse led them over to one of the curtains and pulled it back. Inside Drew was sleeping, tubes and wires were connected to various pieces of electronic monitors. When Avery got her first glimpse of her dad lying there with all that stuff connected to his body, she held her hand to her face. "Daddy, I'm sorry..." Tears began to pool up in her young eyes as she started down at her father lying in the hospital bed. Maggie walked over and stood beside Drew. She held his hand and whispered, "I'm here..." then kissed him on his forehead. In what seemed to be no more than a wink of an eye, the nurse came back in and told them that their time was up. "Until he gets out of the ICU unit, I can only let you in for five minutes every few hours." As they both walked back to the waiting room, Maggie looked down at her watch, "Avery, it's almost four. Justin said he would be picking up you at five. You better run home so you don't miss him." "Almost forgot the time," Avery said, "I wonder what he's up to?" Maggie said, "I'll stay here a bit longer. There's nothing else I can do so, I'll stay and then more than likely go home. "You have your phone on you, so if there is anything that pops up with your dad, I'll call you. You let me know what Justin planned, too." Maggie gave Avery a hug and settled down into one of the over stuffed chairs. She slipped her heels off and tucked her legs up under herself. As the hours passed, one of the nurses brought out a blanket for Maggie to cover up. She got in twice more to see Drew. "Mrs. Carter, why don't you go home?" a nurse said, "There's nothing you can do here. Get a good night's rest and come back in the morning. By mid afternoon, your husband should be awake and can talk to you." "Perhaps you're right. If there is any change in his condition..." "We will be sure to call you." When Maggie returned home, she kicked her heels off and got herself undress, wearing just her panties, she curled up on the sofa with a soft blanket and her two cats, just trying to unwind after the day's events. She looked at her watch; it was almost twelve at night. No sooner than she got herself snuggled in, the phone rang. "The hospital, there's something wrong with Drew!" She thought. Maggie picked up the phone from the coffee table, "Hello!" "Mom! It's Avery..." "What's wrong Avery, you're crying..." "Mom, these are happy tears! Justin... He asked me to marry him. Tonight while we were camping. Ohhhh mom— he got down on his knee and asked me to be his wife. It was so romantic, just like the way I always imagined it would be. You should see the ring he gave me. And mom, just as he asked me we both saw a shooting star fly across the sky. That's a good sign isn't it? And the strangest thing, when we got here, he asked me to do what you said dad always asked you, said it was tradition. It was just like you and dad! Ohhhh, Mom, I've never been so happy. Don't tell dad, I want to when we get back... Mom, I love you." Maggie smiled to herself then said, "I'm so happy for you two. I'll let you tell your dad when you two get back. I love you, too." "Oh thanks mom, I'll see you tomorrow evening." **** The next morning Maggie was back at the hospital. Drew was moved out of ICU and into a room. Drew was awake and could talk now that they had removed some of the hoses and pipes from him. Maggie walked into his room and saw that he was awake, "Hey, how ya doing?" Maggie asked. Drew didn't hear her come into his room and was startled a bit, then said, "Maggie, you look good to these old eyes of mine. I'm really, really sore. I was told I'd be up and walking later today. Guess they want me to get moving as soon as possible. "The nurses told me what you and Avery did to save my life. I did a lot of thinking just laying here in this bed for the last few days. Maggie, I'm thinking of turning over the mundane everyday running of the company to those that are doing it now. I think I'll check on them two, perhaps, three times a week..." Maggie broke in, "Make that once or twice..." Drew smiled, "You know you and I haven't been camping for a year or so. I'm getting a bit old to sleep on the ground, and I think I would enjoy building a cabin up there. Nothing fancy, but something we could all use. A place where we can enjoy our grandchildren." Just then, Avery and Justin came into the room. Avery was absolutely glowing and Drew quickly picked up on it. "Dad! How you doing? Dad...I'm sorry..." "Don't be Avery. I can tell there's something going on...I can see it on your face." "Dad Justin asked me to marry him. Last night at the lake he proposed to me!" Drew looked surprised and yet happy at the same time, "Justin, welcome to the family!" Justin reached out and shook Drew's hand, "Thank you sir. She's a fine woman. I'll treat her with all the love and respect I have." "Justin, just call me dad, no more of this sir crap! Makes me feel old!" Everyone laughed, then Drew asked Avery, "Did you..." Out of the corner of his eye, Drew could see Maggie shaking her head side-to-side knowing what Drew would be asking. "Did you have a good time up at the lake then?" "It was fantastic! All of it. Justin is so romantic. There's a lot of tradition up there." Avery said as she looked over to Maggie, giving her a wink of her eye. **** Drew seemed to bounce back faster then even his doctor's thought. Soon, he was walking on his own. Within three days, Maggie, Drew and his surgeon were in his room. As the surgeon looked over his chart one last time, "Mr. Carter, I don't see any reason why you can't leave today. Now before I sign you out, there are a few things you both need to know. "You can do almost anything you want but run a jack hammer and skydive. Give yourself about four weeks before you two get intimate, and then ease into it. You still have my prescription Mrs. Carter? "I know you neither of you two smoke, but nonetheless, don't start. Most important of all, you need to change your diet to lower your cholesterol. And for God's sake, ease back on all that stress! "For the first two weeks, no showers, only sponge baths, you don't want to get the bandages wet. You'll get you a whole list of dos and don'ts from the staff and make sure you follow them. Oh yes, both of you need to get some exercise. And Mrs. Carter, you need to call my office and set up an appointment." "When do you want to see him?" Maggie asked. "Oh, it's not for your husband, it's for you! You need to reduce your stress too. You both are young enough you shouldn't have to worry about heart problems. Why don't you two just set back and enjoy each other's company?" Later that day, Maggie brought Drew home. He sat down in his favorite chair and just took in the sights and smells of his home. His two fat cats came up and sat on his lap, purring as they curled into fury balls on his lap. Drew smiled in appreciation at his two cats, stroking their fur, "Sure is good to be back home." **** Though out the first week, Drew was so sore he was only able to do his exercise the doctors had ordered, however, as the days marched by, he started to gain some of his strength back. Maggie had drawn some hot water and she preparing to give Drew his sponge bath. She got him onto their bed and undressed. Drew was lying naked on top of some towels she had laid down. With all the stitches holding Drew's chest together, he was just barely able to move. She took a warm washcloth and started to massage his body with the tepid water. It felt good to Drew, and a smile came to his face. Maggie reached over to wash his shoulders when she noticed Drew was looking at her small breasts hiding under her bra and shirt. "You like what you see?" Drew reached up and caressed one of her breasts through her shirt with the back of hand, then he rubbed his fingers across the soft cotton material of her shirt. As he continued fondling her breasts from outside her shirt, she stopped washing his shoulders and just closed her eyes. It had been so long since she felt's Drew's hands upon her breasts. Drew could feel her nipple growing larger as he continued to touch her. "Maggie, would you mind taking... I mean if you don't care...I'd like to see your..." Maggie put the sponge down then reached up and started to un-button her shirt. "Drew, you never have to ask." Maggie pulled her shirt down from her shoulders and dropped it on the floor. She reached between her breast and un-clasped the bra's hook. She slid the garment down her shoulders, teasing Drew with it. Drew raised his hand and touched her bare skin; Maggie tilted her head back and smiled. "Honey, it's been so very long since you touched me... Kiss them, oh please kiss them both." Maggie leaned over Drew so her breasts were within his reach. He pulled her closer and took one of her nipples into his mouth, running his tongue back and forth. It seemed as though Drew's never had her before, and he savored each breast as he kissed one, then the other. He ran his hand down her spine, and his fingers lingered were her pants meet her hips. "Would you like these off?" "If you don't mind, yes, I would like to see you..." Drew said as he stared at this wife's body. Maggie took a few steps away from the bed, to give Drew a clear view, and popped the snap holding her jeans together. As she wiggled then down her legs, she slightly turned to give Drew a nice eye full of her butt. As Maggie pulled her jean down past her hips, Drew could see the very tops of Maggie's thigh high stockings. "Oh," Maggie said softly, "I guess I forgot I put these on earlier..." When her jeans were to the floor, she kicked her shoes off, keeping her white socks on over her nylons. She walked over to Drew and hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her panties and ever so slowly pulled them down just a bit showing a neatly trimmed strip of public hairs. Drew's eyes brighten, and Maggie noticed. "Trimmed up things just for you honey," Maggie said seductively. As Maggie slid her panties down her thighs and to the floor, she leaned forward, causing her petite breasts to fall from her chest. Drew smiled again in appreciation. He seemed to notice her areolae seem darker than he remembered; her nipples stuck out from each breast. Maggie walked over to the side of Drew's bed and laid down beside him. She pulled her leg up to his waist and snuggled up close. Her husband was warm to her touch. She took his hand and purposely placed it on her thigh exactly where he liked it; just at the very top of her stocking where her bare skin meets the nylon. "Ooooooo...Maggie...That's nice..." "Drew," Maggie began, "When I was talking to Avery in the waiting room, I told her that love is like a campfire. A fire that is too hot can boil water, let a fire that's not stroked with new fuel will go out. "Drew you're the fire. Your passion burns hot and fast. I'm the water, running smooth and deep. But we're as natural as can be-fire and water- and you and me." Drew reached up and rubbed Maggie's shoulder and ran his fingers down her arm. Maggie felt so warm, so smooth; so very much his wife. He pulled her tight. Maggie laid her head upon Drew's chest. She could feel his heart beating, beating strong, and beating true, as the rhythmic sounds of his heart continued, Maggie pulled herself up as close to him as she could. Drew could feel the warmth of her bare breasts against his chest. Maggie moved her leg slowly up and down Drew's bare legs so he could feel her stockings. "I told you. I told you I'd hold you in my arms forever," Maggie whispered as she ran her fingers across Drew's face, "Fire and water-and you and me." **** As the week passed, Drew started to regain his strength. Little by little, he grew stronger and they had a dinner date planned for tonight. While Maggie was finishing getting ready, Drew sat down on a chair waiting for his wife. When Maggie walked over she said, "What's wrong Drew?" You look a bit pale. You okay? Is it your heart?" "Maggie," Drew replied, "Would you mind if I take a rain check on our date? I think I might have overdone things, as I feel a bit weak. Would it be okay with you if we just stay home and maybe eat in?" "Well to be honest with you, I kind of feel the same way, Let's get a veggie pizza later on." Maggie walked over and slips a CD into a player, adjusting the volume low, she slowly make her way back to Drew. "Have seat," Maggie instructed Drew as she tugged at his arm. With Drew on the sofa, Maggie pulled the zipped down on her skirt and an amazed Drew watched the garment slowly fall from her waist, piling up around her high heels. Maggie reached up under her sweater, unclasps her bra, then pulls the straps down her arms. She flung the small black bra to Drew. Maggie, wearing very sheer soft black pantyhose, stepped out of her skirt and then ran her hands up and down her thighs as she leers over to Drew. A pair of black boy short panties are clearly visible hiding under her hose. By now, Drew is visibly excited as he watched Maggie bend over showing off her butt to Drew. Maggie swaggered over, sat by Drew, and placed her legs across his lap. Maggie looked over to Drew, "You like this?" "Yes!" "Well aren't you going to touch me? I really wouldn't mind being groped on as the kids would say." Maggie asked as a grin formed on her face. Drew placed his hand on her thigh and ran it up to her waist, then further up to her small breast, caressing it through her sweater. "I thought you said you weren't a Barbie doll for me to dress and undress. That's what you said." Drew asked. "Well I did say that, but that was a year ago. I've been thinking that possibly I was wrong. I guess for you, if this is what turns you on, well I guess that's going to be our normal." "Drew, I need, I really need to know something." Maggie asked in a very quite voice setting the mood in the room to serious. Drew's hand was now under Maggie's sweater rolling her swollen nipple between his fingers, cupping her small breast in his hand, "You look worried, do you want me to stop?" "Please don't, it feels really good, but Drew I need to know." "Know what Maggie?" "This last year, ah...you know you and I weren't...Ah shit Drew, we didn't have any sex, any touching. Nothing. I'd like to know. Were you having an affair with another woman? Having her give you what you weren't getting from me. I really need to know." Drew looked over and could see Maggie's face had turn pale white as all her color just left her. She looked worried and concerned. Drew pulled her hand out from under Maggie's sweater and dropped his hand to her legs. "Maggie," Drew began, "Once I was tempted, really tempted. We hired a new girl, and was she ever a cutie. She was a few years older than Avery with legs that went all the way up. She knew she was good looking and would flirt with all the men including me. I thought about it, I really did, but in the end I remembered my vow to you and God to forsake all others." Drew's Story Maggie's eyes widen as she listened to Drew "Honey the opportunity presented itself. But I turned my back to it. I just couldn't cheat on you. So to ease your mind, I've never had an affair with any woman." Maggie placed her arms around Drew's neck and said, "You can have me Drew, anything you desire." Drew begun caressing her legs once again, "For right now, this is just fine." **** As the evening waned, Avery and Justin returned from a night out. As Avery unlocked the front door, she could see the house was rather dark inside, she could hear music coming from the living room. As Avery turned into the room, she let out a gasp. There were her parents asleep in each other arms, her mother nearly naked, "Oh Jesus...Justin wait here for a second will you?" Avery said as she went in and pulled a throw from the back of the sofa and covered her mother's exposed behind. "Mom, dad, it's Avery and Justin, we're home," Avery said softly as she gently rocked her mother's shoulder trying to wake her. Maggie was the first to stir, "Hi Avery," Maggie said as she tried to get her bearings, "Your dad and I fell asleep here." "No shit mom, look at you!" Avery said, "Let's get you to the kitchen. Dad, you okay?" Drew woke up as Avery and Maggie made their way to the kitchen. "Mom!" Avery began, "God mom! You two go at it like a couple of horny teenagers anymore!" "We do? Oh, that's good to hear," Maggie said with a big grin on her face then she remember the only thing she had on was a pair of pantyhose and her heels. "Oh my look at me! Avery would you run upstairs and get me a skirt to put on?" Avery ran up and bought down what Maggie wanted, and after she got dressed in the kitchen. The two of them walked out into the living room where Justin was already talking with Drew. Avery sat down beside Justin, their hands held together, and Justin begun to speak, "Avery told me. She told me tonight she is pregnant with our child. She said you both knew already. "Well...Justin, yes, we both knew. We thought it best to let Avery tell you," Drew begun, "I suppose this means the engagement and marriage are off then?" "Of course not! We both wanted-" Avery jumped in, "Mom, dad, I told Justin because I didn't want to start a new life with a lie." Maggie walked over and sat beside Avery, "Avery, I'm so proud of you! You did the right thing." Avery's face brightened, "Are you mom? Are you really proud of me?" Maggie shook her head the said, "Yes, very proud." Avery beamed a smile back to her mom and then continued, "We would like to get married up at the lake. We know it's short notice, but Justin and I want to do this, well before I get a baby bump. We'd like to be married within the next two weeks; I mean if that's okay with the two of you?" "Well Justin, there's going to be a whale of a lot planning that's going to have to come together. How are you two going to get everything done in such short notice?" Drew asked. Justin replied, "I'm the youngest of five kids; I have four sisters. My mom and dad have wedding planning down to a science! It will all get done." "Well, I guess it's time then Maggie," Drew said as he motioned Maggie with his hands. Maggie got up and walked over to a large cupboard and reached behind an old plate. She retrieved three small white envelopes. She brought them back over to Drew and handed them to him. Drew looked over at Justin and Avery, "You two come over here." They both looked at each other and then slowly made their way over to Maggie and Drew. Drew handed one envelope to Justin, another one to Avery. Both looked dumbfounded as they opened the envelopes. Contained inside both envelopes was a check. One made out to Justin, the other to Avery. Both check were in the amount of ten thousand dollars. Justin's mouth fell open and he looked over at Avery. She too was shocked and remained silent. The looked at each other and then at the same time they both said, "What's this for, you can't do this?" Maggie smiled at the confusion both had on their faces, "This is for your wedding, and yes, we can!" Then Drew placed the third envelope in Justin's hand, "A marriage is like a business son, and when you're starting a new business, you need some seed money." Justin opened the envelope, pulled out another check and damn near fainted. Justin's eye grew watery, he looked over to Avery, then back to Drew, "Mr. Carter..." Drew interrupted, "Call me dad." Justin continued, "Dad, you can't. This has to be you twos life savings!" Avery reached out and took the check from Justin's fingers, looking down, she said, "Dad!" "You two can use that for any purpose you wish. When it's gone, then it's gone." Justin broke in, "That's your life savings, we can't take that!" Avery looked over to Justin, "Justin, there's something else that you need to know. Mom and Dad, well they're not exactly what they appear to be. Dad, he needs to know what you really do." "You told me your dad makes boxes, storage boxes," Justin said. Drew smiled, "Well she is technically correct. I make things that hold stuff. I own a company that designs software. Database software used in hospitals. And a data base is just a fancy way to store stuff; digital stuff. So Avery never really lied; from a certain point of view." "Justin," Avery said as she held his hand, "Dad and mom are worth millions of dollars. I never said anything because I wanted you to love me for me and not because of the balance of a saving account." "Justin," Drew broke in, "We would appreciate it if this information stays in this room." Justin fell back into a chair, looked at the two checks in his hand and said, "But Avery went to public schools? Your car, it's well I'm sorry, but it's kind of beat up. There's no Lexus sitting in the garage. You've got a twenty-year old Jeep in your garage! I'm confused!" "Well Justin," Drew begun, "All those things are well just things. I'd love my wife with the same passion I'd have if we lived in a sod home in Arkansas or a penthouse in New York City." Justin got back on his feet and pulled Avery to his side and reached around her waist with his arms. He kissed her deeply and with passion in front of Drew and Maggie. Maggie smiled as she watched Avery kiss him back. "It's the way I feel, the way I love Avery," Justin said, "Your secret is safe. I won't say anything to my parents. Except, that I've got the best girl in town that money can't buy." **** No one could have asked for a better July day to get married. The sky was a turquoise blue, which made Avery's red hair glow even brighter. A gently breeze blew across the lake. The sounds of Pachelbel's cannon in D echoed across the lake, resonating down the valley. It was picture perfect. Justin's sisters made the whole thing come together. Drew and Maggie sat and watched their only child marry. Maggie started to cry. "What's wrong Maggie? I thought you'd be happy?" Drew asked his wife. "It's a rule! A mother has to cry at their daughter's wedding..." As they listened to the minister marry the young couple he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, friends of the family. Please welcome into your lives, Mr. and Mrs. Justin Matthew. As Maggie and Drew watched the couple as they left the altar, Maggie looked over to Drew, "Well do you think they'll make it?" Drew replied, "It's going to be rough. It's difficult learning to live with someone new and then throw a baby into the mix. I'm sure there will be some rough spots, but I feel they'll work it all out. It will be an interesting story as each day they complete adds another chapter in their lives." Maggie gave Drew a hug, "You're right, it will be an interesting story; it will be Avery's story."