FanFiction: Starting Over [Part 2]

[docwarnerfan]

As soon as Tom has left, Margo picks up her purse and keys and heads out the door.

Fifteen minutes later, Jess is lying on her couch in the dark, staring blankly into space when there's a knock at her door. The sound doesn't register at first with Jess, but when there's a second knock, and then a third, she's finally brought out of her daze. She shakes her head and groans in frustration as she slowly and deliberately stands and walks over to the door. She looks out the peephole to see Margo standing there.

Her brow furrows as she takes the chain off the door, unlocks it, and opens it. Margo smiles happily upon seeing her lover and reaches out for her.

MARGO (pulling Jess into a hug and kissing her on the cheek) : "Hey, sweetheart. I missed you."

JESS (looking confused) : "Hey."

MARGO (gently) : "Are you ok? What's the matter?"

JESS : "Nothing. I…"

MARGO (brow furrowed) : "You did know I was coming here after my dinner with Tom, didn't you?"

JESS : "Well, I wasn't sure."

MARGO (searching Jess' face) : "Not sure? Baby, you know I can't stand to be away from you for longer than absolutely necessary."

Jess silently drops her gaze to the floor, avoiding Margo's gaze. Margo cups Jess' chin and brings Jess' head up until their eyes meet. Margo reads Jess' thoughts.

MARGO : "Hey, look at me." (putting her hands on either side of Jess' face) "There's nothing left between Tom and me. You know that, right? Baby, I want you. I'm with you. You're the only one for me, I swear, ok?"

JESS (meekly) : "Really?"

MARGO (smiling broadly) : "Of course, silly." (leaning in and kissing Jess softly) "Don't you know that I am absolutely crazy about you?"

Margo slips her arms around Jess' waist, drawing her close and nuzzling her neck, and then planting a gentle kiss there.

She continues kissing her way up Jess' neck and then across her jaw, slowly and gently until she reaches Jess' lips. She lingers on the taller woman's lips and then whispers breathlessly in her ear.

MARGO : "I really missed you, baby."

Margo resumes kissing Jess. Finally, Jess responds by wrapping her arms around the redhead as she closes her eyes. She returns Margo's kiss with passion and clutches the other woman tightly.

Margo begins pulling Jess' shirt over her head as she continues kissing the taller woman. Jess begins unbuttoning Margo's pants and sighs deeply.

Margo pulls back, takes Jess' hand and leads her through the living room, into the bedroom.

Early the next morning, Margo's cell phone rings loudly as she lies sleeping with Jess curled up around her back, holding her from behind. Both women awaken with a groan.

Margo reaches for the phone, sits up, and rubs her eyes before reading the caller id.

MARGO : "Sorry, baby. I have to take this. It's the station." (flipping the phone open) "Hughes." (she stops to listen) "Yes, Hal?" (stops to listen again) "You got him? You're kidding. You're holding him at the station right now? Fantastic. I'm on my way."

Margo puts her cell phone back down on the nightstand and turns to Jess.

MARGO : "I'm sorry, baby. I have to go. We've got a suspect at the station and we need to question him and all that and I need to be there."

JESS (smiling softly) : "It's ok, baby. I understand."

MARGO (looking lovingly into Jess' eyes) : "How did I get this lucky, huh?"

JESS (chuckling lightly) : "Go to work before you blow your case, Hughes."

Both women smile warmly.

MARGO : "Are you going into the office?"

JESS : "Yes."

MARGO : "Soooo, will I see you later tonight?"

JESS : "Yes."

MARGO : "Soooo, will I see you later tonight? If my case doesn't take all night?"

JESS : "Yes. Just call me and let me know when you have some idea of when you'll be leaving the station."

MARGO (smiling) : "Cool."

Margo leans down and kisses Jess.

JESS : "All right. All right. Let's get going."

The couple gets out of bed, shares a quick shower together, gets dressed together, and leaves the house together with the promise to call each other later.

Twenty minutes later Margo arrives at the station to find a lot of activity going on. Margo approaches Hal.

MARGO : "Hey, Hal. What's going on?"

HAL (aggravated) : "This mental giant tried to squirm out of the cuffs and ended up breaking his wrist. We're going to have to take him to Memorial."

MARGO (shaking her head in frustration) : "Oh, man. We've got a real genius here, huh? All right then. Let's get him transported to Memorial and get him looked at then."

HAL : "Right, Chief."

Twenty minutes later, Margo and Hal arrive at Memorial with their suspect. They run into Bob in the halls.

MARGO (hugging Bob) : "Hey, Bob. How are you?"

BOB : "I'm good. How are you?"

MARGO : "I'm fine. Got a suspect here who tried to play Houdini while handcuffed and ended up breaking his wrist we think."

BOB : "Oh, boy. Ok. Well, he's in luck. We recently acquired one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the country. Her name is Callie Torres and she's on duty right now. I'll page her."

MARGO : "Thanks, Bob."

Five minutes later, Dr. Callie Torres shows up at examining room 1.

CALLIE : "You paged me, Bob?"

BOB : "Yes. I have a case for you here. This man tried to get out of his handcuffs and might have broken his wrist, so this falls into your area of expertise."

Five minutes later, Dr. Callie Torres shows up at examining room 1.

CALLIE (enthusiastically) : "I'm all over it."

Callie examines the suspects hand while Tom and Margo stand guard. Once Callie has completed her examination including x-rays and put a cast on the man's hand, she addresses the man while removing her rubber gloves.

CALLIE : "Ok. Like I said, you broke a bone in your wrist and another one a little higher up in your hand and the cast has to stay on for at least six weeks. Then you can look into having it removed."

The suspect says nothing, but maintains a hostile expression.

MARGO : "Thank you very much, Dr. Torres."

CALLIE : "Callie, please, Chief Hughes."

MARGO : "Margo, please, Callie."

The two women smile warmly at each other.

HAL (putting his hand on the suspects shoulder) : "Ok. You're done here. Let's get going."

Hal leads the suspect away. Margo lingers behind momentarily.

MARGO (to Callie) : "Well, thank you again, Callie. Maybe I'll see you around the hospital again sometime. Lyla, the nurse, is my mother, so I come around sometimes."

CALLIE (smiling) : "I look forward to seeing you again, Margo."

MARGO : "Bye."

CALLIE : "Bye."

Five hours later, Margo is walking back into Jess's house..

MARGO (seeing Jess on the couch, smiling) : "Hey, baby. How are you?"

JESS (smiling) : "Good. How are you?"

MARGO (leaning down to kiss Jess and give her a hug) : "Good. Except I missed you a lot."

JESS (still smiling) : "I missed you, too baby."

Jess looks adoringly into Margo's eyes and gently pulls her down until the redhead is seated next to her on the couch. Jess leans towards her and kisses her again. At that moment, Margo's phone rings.

MARGO : "Damn it." (picking up her phone and reading it, getting a confused look on her face) "It's Emily." (answering her phone) "Hello?" (stops to listen) "Emily? What's the matter?" (panicking) "What's the matter with Tom? What? Oh, my God! I'm on my way."

She quickly snaps her phone closed as her eyes become moist with tears.

JESS : "What's the matter?"

MARGO : "Tom had a heart attack. He's in the hospital. I have to go."

Jess is both worried and crestfallen as she believes Margo has forgotten all about her. Margo stands and gathers her purse and keys and starts towards the door when she suddenly turns back to Jess.

MARGO (gently) : "Are you coming?"

Jess brightens at being included.

JESS : "If you want me to. Are you sure?"

MARGO : "Of course I'm sure. Besides you're his friend, too. Come on. Let's go."

Fifteen minutes later Margo and Jess arrive at the hospital and find Bob, Kim, Emily, and Lisa there.

MARGO (approaching Bob, very worried) : "Hey. How is he? What's happened?"

BOB (worried) : "It looks like he had a heart attack, but luckily he got here quickly and doubly luckily we have the best cardiothoracic surgeon on the face of the earth right here at Memorial and she's examining him right now."

MARGO (exhaling deeply) : "Thank God."

The door to Tom's room opens and his blonde, blue-eyed doctor approaches his loved ones.

BOB : "Everyone, this is Dr. Hahn."

ERICA : "Hi. It's nice to meet all of you."

MARGO : "How is he, doctor?"

ERICA : "Well, you know that he was having a heart attack. Right now we're just trying to stabilize him, but we found that he had 50% blockage of both arteries so I'll have to get in there and unblock them as soon as possible."

BOB : "Well, he couldn't be in better hands, so I put all my faith in you, Erica."

ERICA : "Bob, I promise you I'm going to do all I can for your son. I can't tell you not to worry because you're going to do that anyway, but I will tell you that I've seen a hell of a lot worse cases make it just fine. So, take that for what it's worth, ok?"

BOB : "We can't ask for more than that. Thank you."

ERICA (starting to walk away) : "Don't thank me yet. Thank me when Tom walks out of here with a clean bill of health."

BOB : "That's a deal."

Two hours later Margo has been pacing the floor of the waiting room unceasingly while Tom is undergoing surgery to unblock his arteries. Running her hands through her hair and rubbing her face repeatedly, her breathing is erratic and her movements frenetic.

Jess ventures to approach her lover.

JESS (sympathetically putting a hand gently on Margo's back, speaking softly) : "You ok, babe?"

Margo gives Jess an incredulous look.

JESS (raising her hands defensively) : "I know, I know. Stupid question. Sorry. I'm just worried about you, sweetheart."

MARGO (weakly) : "I know, baby. I appreciate it. I just feel like I'm going crazy here. I feel so… so helpless while he's in there fighting for his life…"

Margo's voice trails off as she stops to consider how Jess might be interpreting her comment.

MARGO (pleading) : "Jess, please don't misunderstand me…"

JESS (reassuringly, rubbing Margo's back) : "No, no, baby. I understand. You were married to the man for 25 years and he's the father of your children. He's always going to have a place in your life and there's a part of you that's always going to have love for him. I get that.

MARGO : "Yeah, I mean, my relationship with him was one thing. It's in the past now. My relationship with you is now, my present and my future. Please believe me."

JESS (smiling gently) : "I do, baby."

MARGO (hugging Jess) : "Thank you. You're amazing, do you know that?"

JESS (looking into Margo's eyes) : "You're not so bad yourself there, Red." (pulling back slightly) "You feeling better now?"

MARGO : "A little but…"

JESS (knowingly) : "But you're still wound up."

MARGO : "Yes. I feel like a caged animal. God, I want to get out of here."

JESS : "So, go."

MARGO : "What? I couldn't."
JESS : " Sure you could. The surgery won't be finished for a couple of more hours yet and I'll be here. I'll call you if anything happens. Go get some air. It'll do you good. Make you feel better."

MARGO : "You promise you'll call me if there's any news at all?"

JESS : "Remember who you're talking to. Of course I promise. Go clear your head."

MARGO (pulling Jess into a hug) : "Thank you, sweetheart."

JESS (returning Margo's hug happily) : "Don't mention it."

Margo kisses Jess before releasing her and starting to walk off.

MARGO (calling back as she leaves) : "I'll be back."

Ten minutes later Margo walks into an empty church, eyes moist with tears. She steps into one of the pews and drops to her knees.

MARGO : "Dear Lord, I came here today because I really need you. Tom is really sick and it's pretty serious." (eyes fill with tears and she wipes them away) "He's in surgery right now and his chances of making it are the flip of a coin." (voice cracks) "Even though he and I aren't together anymore and we've each found someone else, he and I still have two sons together and those boys need their dad. I know that Adam's dad is really Hal, but as great as Hall is with him, Tom has always been there in the same house with him every day. And Casey desperately needs his dad, too. So, please don't take him yet, ok? Please? He's still needed down here so please let him stay a while longer. We won't make it without him. So, please, Lord, don't take him yet. Please."

Margo begins to sob uncontrollably as she drops her head and closes her eyes.

Two hours later, Margo walks back into the waiting room of the hospital. Jess is the first to see her and she hurries over to her lover.

JESS (reaching out for Margo) : "Hey, baby. You ok?"

The two women embrace intimately.

MARGO : "I'm trying. I'm trying. No news yet, huh?"

Jess shakes her head sadly.

Margo purses her lips anxiously as she rubs Jess' back. At that moment, Erica comes through the door, removing her scrub cab with a small smile. Everyone's attention immediately turns to the blonde surgeon.

ERICA (as everyone gathers around her) : "Hi, everyone. I'm happy to report that the operation went very well. We were able to unblock his arteries with no complications. He's strong as an ox. He's recuperating right now, resting comfortably. He won't be awake for several hours, so if you want to take some time to rest, go home and shower, change, whatever, now would be a good time. You can come back to see him later."

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief at the good news and hugs are exchanged all around. Erica is thanked profusely by everyone. Memorial's head of cardio graciously and humbly accepts everyone's thanks before promising to keep an eye on Tom, saying her good-bye's and taking her leave.

JESS (turning to Margo) : "Thank God for that. Well, what do you say we go home and get some rest, babe? We can come see Tom later, ok?"

MARGO (wearily) : "Yeah, yeah. Let's go"

Jess and Margo say their good-byes and leave the waiting room with their arms around each other.
Upon turning the first corner, they see a sight that is somewhat surprising to them. Erica is leaning against the wall with one hand on the hip of none other than Callie Torres while the gentle brunette has one hand on Erica's shoulder. The two couples exchange startled glances as they acknowledge one another.

MARGO : "Callie? Hey, how are you?"

Erica gives Callie a confused look. Jess gives Margo a confused look.

CALLIE (to Margo) : "Hey, Margo. How's your suspect?"

MARGO : "In jail."

Both women chuckle.

CALLIE (to Erica) : "I treated a man that Margo had under arrest, honey. He'd broken his wrist trying to get out of his cuffs, the dummy."

ERICA (to Margo, smiling, joking) : "Long time no see."

This time it was Callie's turn to give Erica a confused look.

ERICA (to Callie) : "My last surgery was Margo's ex-husband."

CALLIE : "Wow. Small world. Is he ok?"

MARGO: " Yeah, thanks to God and to Erica." (cautiously) "So…. You two…"

CALLIE (putting her arms around Erica's neck prompting Erica to slip her arms around Callie's waist) : "Six months now." (noting Jess and Margo's embrace) "You two?"

MARGO (smiling) : "Four months."

CALLIE (smiling) : "Wow. Nice."

ERICA : "Hey, we were just going to have some coffee. Care to join us?"

Margo and Jess exchange glances and shrug at each other.

MARGO : "Honey? You want to go have some coffee?"

JESS : "Sure. Sounds good."

ERICA : "Great. Let's go."

Erica puts her arm around Callie's shoulders, Jess mimics the move with Margo, and the two couples head out together.

Ten minutes later all four women are seated in the hospital cafeteria together enjoying their coffee.

MARGO (in the midst of telling the story of her relationship with Jess) : "We've been friends for years while I was married to Tom and Jess was married to Ben." (looks at Jess with a smile) "It turns out that we've always been attracted to each other on some level. So when both of our marriages ended… we couldn't keep our hands off of each other anymore. And here we are. Together and happy."

CALLIE (smiling, with her head propped up on one hand as she attentively listens to the story) : "Aaaaawww. That is so cute!"

ERICA (smiling) : "Very sweet."

JESS : "So, how about you two? What's your story?"
CALLIE : "Us? Well, I had a disaster of a marriage that ended horribly. I was already separated and well on my way to a divorce when Erica came to work at my hospital. We became friends and just kept getting closer and closer until it started becoming more. I, very stupidly, maintained a relationship with another attending, a man, during this time and it almost cost me the love of my life." (takes Erica's hand)

"Thank God Erica forgave me for that, but I still almost lost her when we ended up on opposite sides of a huge controversy at the hospital. She almost left, but I couldn't let her go, so I went after her, we talked things out and I got to understand where she was coming from. In the end, she couldn't stay at that hospital and I couldn't stay in Seattle without her, so we came out here together. And here we are. On cloud 9, right, baby?"

ERICA (chuckling) : "Yes, sweetheart."

Erica brings Callie's hand to her lips and kisses it.

Jess regards the other couple with a smile. Margo smiles for a moment before succumbing to a yawn.

JESS (smiling) : "Sleepy, baby?"

MARGO (meekly) : "A little."

JESS : "Allright, love. You've had a tough day. Let's get you home so you can get some sleep."

MARGO : "Ok." (turning to Callie and Erica) "But hey, we should get together for dinner sometime."

CALLIE : "We'd love to, right, baby?"

ERICA (enthusiastically) : "Absolutely.

ERICA (enthusiastically) : "Absolutely. We haven't been here that long and we haven't had a chance to make many friends yet, so a night out with another couple would be awesome for us."

MARGO : "Great." (taking her wallet out of her purse, extracting a card from it, and handing it to Callie) "Here's my card."

Callie extracts a card from her own wallet.

CALLIE : "Here's mine."

MARGO : "Fantastic." (turning to Erica) "And please let me know if there's anything new with Tom, ok?"

ERICA : "Of course. He should be fine, though. He's just recuperating from the operation right now, but he should steadily start getting stronger from here on out, ok? But if anything changes, I'll call you."

MARGO (smiling gratefully) : "Thanks."

Margo and Jess stand.

MARGO : "Ok. Well, we'll be back in a couple of hours to check on Tom so maybe we'll see you around. And as soon as Tom gets better, we'll make plans for dinner, ok?"

CALLIE : "You got it."

The four women hug good-bye.

When Jess and Margo have left the cafeteria, Callie turns to Erica.

CALLIE : "Wow. They are so nice."
ERICA : "Yeah, they are. The whole family is really nice."

CALLIE : "Really?"

ERICA : "Yeah, they're great."

CALLIE : "Plus it's so nice to have another lesbian couple to hang out with."

ERICA : "Yeah. I feel like we fit in better now."

CALLIE : "Yeah, it's great to have that in common with other people."

Two weeks later, Tom has recovered and is home resting comfortably. Margo and Callie have kept in touch and ironed out their dinner plans. On the appointed evening, Margo and Jess have cooked an elegant meal and set the table and dressed and awaiting their guests when the doorbell rings.

They open it to find Callie and Erica standing there with a bottle of wine.

MARGO (as all four women exchange hugs) : "Hey, guys! I'm so glad you made it. Come on in."

CALLIE : "Thanks for having us."

ERICA (looking around, impressed) : "Wow. You're place is fantastic, Margo."

MARGO (smiling) : "Thanks. Jess and I worked on all this together."

CALLIE : "You did an incredible job."

JESS (smiling as she takes Callie and Erica's coats) : "Thanks."

MARGO : "So, anybody hungry?"

The other three women all raise their hands

MARGO (chuckling) : "Ok. Well, dinner's ready. Let's sit down and eat."

Margo serves dinner to all four women and the conversation flows easily.

MARGO : "So, how are you two liking Oakdale?"

CALLIE : "I like it a lot here. People are friendlier then in Seattle."

ERICA : "Yeah, it's just… I don't know, homier, cozier than Seattle."

CALLIE : "Yeah, we're really comfortable here."

JESS : "That's good. If there's anything we can do to help you settle in…"

ERICA : "Thanks."

CALLIE : "It helps a lot just to have friends, especially another couple that we can relate to."

MARGO : "I know what you mean. When Jess and I got together… I didn't know if we'd ever find another couple that we could feel comfortable with so meeting you guys is really cool."

CALLIE : "Absolutely. We haven't hardly gotten a chance to do anything fun since we've been here so this is great."

MARGO : "Well, we're happy to have you. Welcome."

Margo raises her glass and the other three women follow suit and clink their wine glasses together.

The two couples engage in further conversation and share about their respective jobs, families, and childhoods. They enjoy cake and coffee for dessert as Erica and Callie sit on the couch and Jess and Margo share the love seat. An hour later, Callie and Erica are gathering their coats and heading for the door. Margo and Jess are seeing them out.

CALLIE (reaching out to hug Margo) : "Thanks for dinner, you guys. This was great."

MARGO : "Thanks for coming."

The two couples exchange hugs and promises to keep in touch as Erica and Callie walk out and Margo closes the door behind them. Margo and Jess fall into each other arms and walk upstairs with their arms around each other.

ERICA (reaching a hand out to Jess) : "Next time dinner at our place. Deal?"

JESS (shaking Erica's hand) : "Deal."

The two couples exchange hugs and promises to keep in touch as Erica and Callie walk out and Margo closes the door behind them. Margo and Jess fall into each other arms and walk upstairs with their arms around each other.

It is early morning, six months later, a week before Christmas. The alarm clock shrills next to Margo and Jess' bed and the two women slowly stir together.

MARGO : "Morning, baby."

JESS : "Morning, love."

MARGO : "Hey, do you realize that there's only a week left before Christmas?"

JESS : "Yes."

MARGO : "Well, I was wanting to do something for the holiday."

JESS : "What do you want to do?"

MARGO : "Well, I was thinking we could decorate the house, get a tree, maybe even have a dinner party?"

JESS : "You want to?"

Margo nods.

JESS (shrugging) : "Ok."

Two hours later, the couple returns with a seven-foot Christmas tree. They carry the tree in through the door together and stand it up in the corner where they ultimately plan to set it up.

MARGO (looking at the tree) : "Looks great, babe." (suddenly getting an idea) "Hey, do you want to invite Erica and Callie over to help decorate?"
JESS : "Sounds great."

MARGO : "Ok."

Margo gets her cell phone out of her pocket, dials, and brings the phone to her ear.

MARGO : "Hey, Cal. How are you guys doing?" (stops to listen) "We're doing good, too. What are you guys doing right now?" (stops to listen) "Nothing? Well, we just brought home a Christmas tree and we were going to decorate it and put up decorations around the house, too. We can use some help. You guys want to come over? We'll buy lunch." (stops to listen) "Cool. Ok. Get over here then. See you when you get here."

Twenty minutes later Margo and Jess have brought all the decorations into the living room when they hear a knock at the door. The couple walks to the door together and opens it, and smile widely upon finding Callie and Erica there. The two couples embrace each other in greeting.

MARGO : "Hey, guys! Thanks for coming."

CALLIE : "Thanks for inviting us. I love Christmas and Christmas trees and decorations and carols and all that stuff."

JESS (smiling, standing behind Margo with her arms around the redhead) : "Yeah, so do we."

Callie gives Erica a look and Margo and Jess follow suit.

ERICA : "What? I like Christmas, too."

CALLIE (doubtfully) : "Since when?"

ERICA (smiling warmly, getting lost in Callie's eyes as she gently caresses her face, in a whisper) "Since now."

Erica and Jess stand the tree up while Callie and Margo string twinkling lights around the living room. Erica and Jess stabilize the tree and begin stringing lights and popcorn and hanging tinsel as well as all manner of decoration on the tree while listening to classic Christmas carols. Then the two couples stop for lunch. Jess briefly excuses herself halfway through the meal and leaves the kitchen, but returns promptly.

Lunch over, everyone helps to clear the table and do the dishes before returning to the living room. With Margo's back to Jess as she kneels beside the tree adjusting the skirt, and Callie's back to Erica as she adjusts an ornament on the wall, Jess silently signals to Erica with a sly grin and points above Erica and Callie's head at the doorway. Erica looks up and finds mistletoe above their heads. Erica smiles widely, gently places her arms around Callie's waist, drawing her lover to her.

At Callie's puzzled look, Erica takes Callie's chin in her hand and gently guides the brunette's face up until she, too, sees the mistletoe. The two exchange loving looks and lean in for a soft kiss. Holding Callie close, Erica looks at Jess over Callie's shoulder and gives her a thumbs up behind Callie's back.

Erica pulls back, looks at Callie, and places a finger over her own lips, signaling to Callie to keep the mistletoe a secret. The cardio goddess leads Callie away from the mistletoe, walks by Jess, and mouths Your turn, to Jess. With a mischievous smile, Jess walks over to the doorway and calls to Margo.

JESS : "Margo?"

MARGO : "Yeah, hon?"

JESS : "Can you come look at this, please?"

MARGO : "What, babe?"

JESS : "Come here."

Margo happily stands and walks over to her lover.

MARGO : "What did you want me to see, baby?"

Jess looks at Margo adoringly and then points to the mistletoe. Margo notes where Jess is pointing. A smile spreads across her face and she chuckles lightly. The lovers lean in towards each other, put their arms around each other and kiss gently.

Three hours later, the two couples are sitting on the couch, chatting and laughing easily over coffee when Margo suddenly puts a hand over her eyes and forehead. She exhales sharply and winces.

JESS (noting Margo, putting an arm around her) : "Honey? Are you ok?"

MARGO : "Yeah, I'm ok. Just a little nausea and a sharp pain."

CALLIE (to Margo) : "You should rest. We should probably get going."

Callie and Erica stand and start to gather their belongings. Margo and Jess stand along with Callie and Erica and embrace the other couple as they say their good-nights. Once the other couple is gone, Jess turns to Margo.

JESS (concerned) : "You any better, baby?"

MARGO (weakly) : "Not really."

JESS (taking Margo in her arms) : "I'm sorry, baby. What do you say we go to bed and I'll rub your back and help you relax, help you get some sleep?"

MARGO : "Sounds fantastic."

The two lovers head up the stairs in each other's arms.

The next morning, Jess wakes up to find Margo still asleep in her arms. Jess smiles, holds Margo tighter, and kisses her forehead. Margo stirs and her eyes flutter open. The redhead smiles up at her lover.

MARGO : "Morning, baby."

JESS (smiling back) : "Morning, love."

JESS (smiling back) : "Morning, love. How are you feeling? Did you sleep ok?"

MARGO : "Slept good and yeah, I'm ok now."

JESS : "Good." (caressing Margo's face) "What do you say I make us some breakfast?

MARGO : "Umm, actually, I'm not that hungry. I just want some coffee."

JESS (looking at Margo quizzically) : "You sure?"

MARGO : "Yeah. But make something for yourself. I know you're hungry."

JESS (smiling) : "A little."

MARGO (starting to get up) : "Ok. I'm going to go take a shower."

JESS (drawing Margo to herself and kissing her cheek and neck, seductively) : "Want me to shower with you?"

MARGO (with a forced smile) : "No, baby. I know you're hungry. You go eat. I'll meet you downstairs, ok?"

JESS (with a questioning look) "You sure?"

MARGO : "Yes, I'm sure, baby. Go."

JESS : "Ok. See you downstairs."

With a quick, soft kiss to Margo's lips. Jess slips out of bed, throws on her underwear, sweatpants, and a tank top, and heads downstairs. Once Jess is out of sight, Margo covers her face with her hand, winces, and groans.

Twenty minutes later, Margo comes back down to find Jess in the kitchen, cooking bacon and eggs while coffee is brewing in the coffeemaker. Margo slips her arms around Jess' waist from behind and kisses her neck.

MARGO (softly) : "Hey, beautiful."

JESS (smiling, continuing to cook her breakfast) : "Hey, you. You sure you don't want any breakfast? There's enough."

MARGO : "No, baby. Thank you. I'm not hungry." I'll just have a cup of coffee."

Margo kisses Jess' cheek and crosses the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee.

Forty minutes later, Jess has finished eating breakfast, cleared the table, and washed the dishes, and both women have dressed for work. As both women are heading out the door, they say their good-byes,

JESS (putting on her jacket and grabbing her briefcase) : "So, I'll see you tonight then?"

MARGO : "Yeah, I think so."

JESS : "Ok, baby. I'll miss you."

MARGO : " I'll miss you, too. Call me, ok?"

JESS : "I will." (leaning over to kiss Margo) "See you tonight, baby."

Three hours later, Margo is sitting at her desk at the station. Her eyes are closed and she's holding her head in her hand. Hal passes by Margo and stops when he notes the state she's in.

HAL (looking at Margo intently) : "Hey. You ok?"

MARGO (sitting up straight up, turning back to her computer, non-chalantly) : "Yeah, I'm fine."

HAL : "You sure?"

MARGO (turning to face Hal) : "Yeah, I'm sure." (waving Hal off) "Go arrest somebody."

Hal looks at Margo doubtfully, but turns and walks away. Margo stands and tries to walk away from her desk, but she only makes it a few steps before doubling over in pain, holding her back. Hal happens to turn back and witnesses Margo's predicament. He rushes back to her and puts his hand on her shoulder.

HAL : "Hey, hey, Margo. What's the matter? And don't tell me nothing!"

MARGO : "Hal, I'll be all right."

HAL : "Yes, you will be all right because I'm taking you to the hospital right now to get treated to make sure you'll be all right."

MARGO : "Don't be ridiculous, Hal. We can't both leave right now. At least one of us has to be here."

HAL : "Oh, is that what you're worried about? Not a problem."

Hal extracts his cell phone and begins dialing.

MARGO : "Who are you calling?"

Hal ignores Margo.

MARGO : "Hal!! Who are you calling?"

HAL (still ignoring Margo) : "Jess? It's Hal."

MARGO : "Hal!"

HAL : "Listen, Margo's not feelings so well and she needs to go to the hospital. Okay. I'll sit on her of I need to to keep her here until you get here. See you soon."

MARGO (irritably) : "You're a dead man, Munson."

HAL : "Yeah, well, when you feel better you can come over here and stomp me, but for now you're going to get checked out."

Ten minutes later, Jess rushes in the door and makes a beeline for Margo.

JESS (approaching Margo with a look of concern) : "Baby? What's the matter? What's wrong?"

MARGO : "It's not that big a deal, baby." (turning in Hal's direction and staring him down as she addresses Jess) "Hal's just overreacting. He is such an old lady!"

JESS (doubtfully) : "Right. Okay. Well, grab your coat. Let's go."

MARGO (gently) : "Jess…"

JESS (staring at Margo intently, pointedly, emphasizing each word) : "Grab… your…coat. Let's… go."

MARGO : "Jessica…"

JESS (frustrated) : "Damn it, Hughes. Do I look like I'm playing with you? Grab your damn coat and start walking before I haul you to the car bodily."

Margo meekly puts on her coat and starts heading for the door. Jess puts her arm around her lover and walks with her to the door. As the police chief passes the detective, she stares daggers at him.

HAL : "Have fun now, Munson because when I get back, you're going to be on a stake out at the city dump for a month!"

JESS (tapping Margo's head) : "Shut up! He probably just saved your life, you stubborn mule."

Margo shakes her head in defeat and stares at the floor as Jess leads her out the door.

Fifteen minutes later Jess and Margo walk in the doors of Memorial together.

JESS : "Sit down, baby. I'll have Bob paged."

Margo obediently takes a seat. Jess walks over to the front desk and has Bob paged. She then returns to sit by Margo and takes her hand.

JESS (concerned, speaking gently) : "You okay, baby? You need anything?"

MARGO : "I'm fine, sweetheart. Really.

At that moment, Callie walks by and spots the couple. She approaches them with a smile.

CALLIE (genuinely happy to see them) : "Hey, you guys! What are you doing here?"

JESS (putting her arm around Margo) : "The love of my life here isn't feeling so hot, so I had to drag her down here to get checked out."

CALLIE (concerned) : "Oh, wow, man. What's wrong?"

MARGO (shyly) : "Just… a little pain… in my back… and some nausea… and a little dizziness."

Jess shakes her head worriedly.

JESS : "You know I'm going to kill you for not saying anything."

MARGO (weakly) : "Babe…"

JESS (with a shake of her head) : "No, don't try to butter me up now. You're in trouble and that's all there is to it."

Callie laughs.

CALLIE (to Jess) : "I know what you're going through. My girl would rather jump in a pool of hypodermic needles than admit she's in pain. The stubborn mule."

JESS : "Exactly!"

MARGO (accusingly) : "Ok. You're off my Christmas card list."

Callie scoffs.

CALLIE (to Margo, laughingly) : "I'll survive." (turning to Jess) "Don't let her get away with jack, Jess."

JESS : "Oh, I don't intend to, no."

Just then Callie's phone rings. She reads it and smiles as she answers.

CALLIE : "Hey, baby. Where are you?" (stops to listen) "Second floor? Well come down to the lobby. Jess and Margo are here." (stops to listen) "Yeah, Margo's not feeling so hot so Jess brought her in." (stops to listen) "Ok. See you in a minute."

Four minutes later, Erica approaches the other three women.

ERICA (to Callie) : "Hey, honey."

CALLIE : "Hey, baby."

The couple hug and kiss in greeting.

As Erica turns to the other couple, she and Callie leave their arms around each other.

ERICA : "Hi, guys." (to Margo) "So, chief, I hear you're a little under the weather."

MARGO (meekly) : "Yeah, I'm having a little pain, nausea and dizziness."

CALLIE (to Erica, teasingly) : "She's as stubborn as you are about getting checked out, babe."

ERICA (frowning in mock aggravation) : "I don't like you anymore, Torres."

CALLIE (snuggling closer into Erica) : "You love me and you know it."

ERICA (smiling) : "Yes, I do."

Erica gives Callie another soft kiss on the lips.

ERICA (taking her arm off of Callie and approaching Margo) : "So, nausea, dizziness, and pain, huh?"

MARGO : "Yeah, back pain."

ERICA : "Come here. Let me check you out."

Erica takes Margo's temperature and pulse, listens to her heart and lungs, and looks in her eyes and ears. Then she places her hand on Margo's midriff.

ERICA : "Any tenderness in your abdominal area?"

MARGO : "Not really, no."

ERICA : "Any history of illness? Diabetes? Cancer? Anything?"

MARGO (uncomfortably) : "Um well, yeah. I had Hepatitis C, but I was in remission."

ERICA (looking concerned) : "Ah. I see. Well, I'm sure Bob's going to be running some tests and he'll get to the bottom of this, okay?"

MARGO : "Ok. Thanks, Erica."

ERICA (with a gentle smile) : "My pleasure."

Some time later, Bob, Lyla, and John meet with Margo and Jess in Bob's office and they are discussing Margo's test results.

MARGO (holding Jess' hand, noting the look of dismay on Bob's face) : "What is it, Bob?" (pausing fearfully) "Is it the Hep C again?"

Bob purses his lips with a somber expression and nods almost imperceptibly.

Margo's face drops and her eyes begin to tear, as do Jess'.

MARGO (wiping her eyes) : "And you're sure about this? No mistake?"

JOHN (gently) : "No, honey, I'm afraid not. I made sure they ran the tests twice."

Margo shakes her head incredulously. Jess picks up on her frustration.

JESS (drawing Margo's hand to her chest) : "Baby, listen to me. I know you're frustrated. I know you're scared and worried and all that, but we're going to fight this together, okay? You don't have to do this alone."

MARGO (aggravated, restless, not making eye contact) : "I thought I was done with all this crap when I went into remission, damn it!"

LYLA (gently) : "Sweetheart, you knew there always a possibility of a relapse…"

MARGO (frustrated, pulling her hand out of Jess' and running it through her hair) : "I know, mom. I know. I just…" (Margo sighs, closes her eyes and shakes her head) "Damn it!"

BOB : "Margo, you know we're going to get you the best care that modern medicine has to offer. Money is no object."

MARGO (bouncing her legs in agitation) : "I appreciate that, Bob. I…"

JESS (gently taking Margo's hand again) : "Baby, look at me. What are you thinking? How are you feeling right now?"

MARGO : "Claustrophobic."

Margo gets to her feet and pulls her hand out of Jess' yet again.

MARGO (looking around urgently) : "I gotta get outta here."

Margo grabs her coat and bag and rushes out the door.

JOHN : "Margo?" (watching Margo leave) "Margo!"

John starts to head for the door after Margo, but Jess stands in his way.

JESS (gently) : "John, let her go. She needs some space right now."

JOHN : "But…"

LYLA : "Jess is right, John. She just got hit with some awful news. Give her a chance to clear her head."

Meanwhile, back in the hospital cafeteria, Erica and Callie are having dinner and discussing Margo's predicament.

ERICA (shaking her head) : "I hope I'm wrong, but when Margo said that she had a history of Hep C… I mean all the signs were there."

CALLIE (sadly) : "God, baby. She just found happiness with Jess and they are such good people. It so sucks that they're going through this." (noting the strange expression on Erica's face). "What is it, baby?"

ERICA (taking Callie's hand) : "If anything like that ever happened to you, baby…"

Erica's voice trails off as she's unable to finish the sentence.

CALLIE (gently searching Erica's face) : "Hey, hey, mi amor (my love).

(taking Erica's face in her hand, looking intently into her eyes) "Don't worry. We're okay. It sucks that Margo's sick, but we're all right. Ok?" (noting that Erica's eyes still look sad) "Come here."

The Latina takes her blonde lover into her arms and holds her close.

CALLIE (rubbing Erica's back) : "Shhh. I'm right here, baby. I'm right here."

ERICA (looking into Callie's eyes) : "I want you to know something. I love you more than anything. You're my whole world, Callie. You're so good at saying things like that, and I'm just not. It comes so easy to you, but… I'm sorry if I don't tell you enough, but I promise I'm going to start from now on, okay?"

CALLIE(raising her eyebrows at Erica) : "You do not need to promise me anything, madame." (frowning) "Do you honestly not see how wonderful you are to me? You make me feel like a queen, don't you know that?"

Erica leans in, rests her forehead on Callie's, and closes her eyes.

ERICA : "You are my queen."

CALLIE (smiling) : "And you are my queen." (frowning) "I just wish there was something we could do for Margo, you know?"

ERICA : "I know. Me, too. I feel so bad for her. And for Jess. And for the rest of her family. I just really hope there's something Bob can do for her and that she takes care of herself."

CALLIE : "Me, too."

At that moment, Margo is walking into Al's diner. She sits down at a table and orders a cup of decaf. For several minutes she silently sips her coffee and then she notices a young couple two tables over. They are completely engrossed in each other, smiling and cuddling and laughing together.

She thinks about Jess and her heart sinks. She starts thinking about the time that she and Jess won't have due to her illness and starts imaging leaving Jess behind after her death. She gets overwhelmed. She takes her last sip of coffee, hastily drops a few bills on the table and rushes out.

Half an hour later she arrives at Raven Lake. She slowly lumbers out of her car and goes to sit by the water's edge. For an hour she sits unmoving, staring out into the water in a daze, tears in her eyes. She rests her head on her arm and begins to sob. Finally, she takes a deep breathe, wipes her face, and slowly, deliberately, gets to her feet.

Half an hour later, she arrives back at her house to find Jess sitting on the couch in the dimly lit living room.

JESS (expectantly) : "Hey."

MARGO (grimly, avoiding eye contact) : "Hey."

JESS : "You okay?"

Margo gives Jess an incredulous look, but says nothing.

JESS (getting to her feet) : "I know. I know. Stupid question. Of course you're not okay right now." (approaches

Margo) "But I'm here for you, baby, okay?"

MARGO (stepping back, away from Jess) : "Uhh, listen… I appreciate your support, but… I think I need to be alone right now."

Jess searches Margo's face with a questioning look.

JESS (decidedly) : "No."

MARGO : "No? What do you mean no?"

JESS : "Margo, baby, we just got some devastating news…"

MARGO (angrily) : "We? Are you sick? No, I don't think so. You're not sick. I'm sick. Me. I got the devastating news and I'm the one who has to deal with this."

JESS : "What? My girlfriend has a terrible disease and I'm not supposed to have any feelings about that?

MARGO : "Yeah, well, maybe we should rethink that part. The girlfriend part, I mean."

JESS : "Excuse me?"

MARGO : "Jess, I've got a lot to deal with right now and I don't think I can handle dealing with you, too."

JESS (flabbergasted) : "Oh, you don't think you can deal with me right now? Really? Well, let me explain something to you, Chief. I'm not going anywhere. We need each other right now."

MARGO : "No, I think I need to be alone."

JESS : "Margo, you don't need to be alone right now. We need to be together."

MARGO (exasperated) : "Jess…"

JESS (sighing, defeated, speaking softly) : "Margo, baby, listen to me." (approaches Margo again) "I-I can't be away from you, honey. I'd lose my mind without you." (reaches out and puts her hands on Margo's hips) "I need you." (gently caressing Margo's cheek, looking deeply into Margo's eyes, taking a deep breathe, whispering) "I love you."

Margo's eyes fill with tears and she drops her head. Jess steps forward and takes the redhead in her arms and holds her tight.

MARGO (through her tears) : "I love you, too."

Jess kisses Margo's cheek and runs her fingers through the shorter woman's hair.

JESS (whispering gently) : "Shhhh. It's ok, baby. I'm right here. I'm right here, ok?"

Margo continues to cry as Jess holds her and comforts her. Jess continues placing kisses on Margo's face and neck as she leads her lover to the bedroom. She undresses the shorter woman as well as herself, slips under the covers with Margo, and holds the redhead close in her arms as sleep finds them both.

Early the next morning, Margo stirs in Jess' arms. As she stirs, Jess stirs beneath her. Slowly, their eyes flutter open and the two women regard each other happily.

JESS (somberly) : "Hey, sweetheart. Sleep ok?"

MARGO : "Yeah, thanks to you. How'd you sleep?"

JESS : "Ok." (looking lovingly into Margo's eyes, gently caressing Margo's face) : "What do you need to help you through this?"

MARGO (sadly) : "I want to see my kids."

JESS (smiling softly) : "Do you want me to call Tom and ask him to bring the boys over?"

Margo nods almost imperceptibly.

Jess smiles gently and kisses Margo's cheek.

JESS : "Ok. I'll call him."

An hour later, there's a knock at the door and Margo hurries to answer. She opens the door to find Tom standing there with Adam and Casey. Margo smiles and drops to her knees in front of the children. The boys rush into her arms. Margo stands carrying one of her boys in each of her arms. Margo turns to Tom.

MARGO : "Thanks for bringing the boys."

TOM : "No problem. The boys were eager to see their mom."

MARGO : "And mom was eager to see her boys."

Margo cuddles the two boys in her arms.

TOM : "So, listen, I needed to go take care of a few things. I was thinking, if you want, I could leave the boys here with you so you can have some time with them and I'll pick them up later."

MARGO : "Really?"

TOM : "Sure."

MARGO (gratefully) : "Thanks, Tom."

TOM : "You're welcome. Ok. I'll call you later." (turning to the boys) "Ok, guys, you be good for mommy and I'll pick you up later, ok?"

MARGO : "Talk to you later."

Half an hour later, Margo has been playing with her sons when she spots Jess watching her from the doorway. Margo stands and walks over to her, leaving Adam and Casey playing with their toy cars on the floor.

MARGO (putting her arms around Jess' waist) : "Hey, you. How are you doing?"

JESS (putting her arms around Margo, somewhat sadly) : "I'm ok."

MARGO (unconvinced) : "What's the matter, sweetheart? Hmm?" (kisses Jess' cheek) "Why do you look so sad?"

JESS (shrugging) : "It's just… I don't know. Seeing the boys is just making me miss Bonnie a little. That's all."

MARGO : "So call Lisa and go pick her up and bring her over here."

JESS : "You think?"

MARGO : "Of course, baby. I want you to be happy as much as you want me to be happy. Go get your baby."

JESS (excitedly) : "Ok. I call Lisa right now."

Jess kisses Margo on the cheek.

Three hours later, Tom has picked up Adam and Casey and Jess has left Bonnie sleeping peacefully in the nursery. Suddenly, the doorbell rings. Jess and Margo look at each other questioningly.

MARGO : "Are we expecting anyone?"

JESS (shaking her head) : "Not that I know of."

Jess walks to the door and looks out the peephole. Immediately, she smiles.

JESS : "It's Callie and Erica."

MARGO (happily) : "Really?"

Jess opens the door.

JESS (smiling happily) : "Hey, guys. This is a nice surprise. How are you?"

The two couples exchange hugs in greeting.

CALLIE (smiling) : "We're good. Sorry we didn't call before getting here."

ERICA : "We just happened to be driving by and we thought we'd stop in and say hello, see how
you guys are doing."

MARGO (smiling, excited) : "I'm so glad you did. It's good to see you." (pointing Erica and Callie to the couch) "Come sit. I'll put on some coffee for us."

ERICA : "Thanks. Coffee sounds great."

Ten minutes later, Erica and Callie are cuddling on the love seat while Jess and Margo are cuddling on the couch, each woman with a coffee cup in her hand. The four friends have exhausted a number of topics such as the weather and work and have now moved on to discuss Margo's diagnosis.

CALLIE : "We're really sorry that the news you got about your health wasn't what you wanted to hear."

MARGO (shrugging sadly) : "Thanks. It's okay. I'll be all right."

ERICA (supportively) : "Of course you will." (after a moment of silence) "Margo, do you mind me asking how you contracted it?"

MARGO (opens her mouth, drops her gaze to the floor, voice low and sad) : "Ummm, well… I…was raped… actually."

ERICA (horrified) : "Oh, my God, Margo. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…"

MARGO (shaking her head, waving Erica off) : "It's okay."

CALLIE (sadly) : "That's so awful."

MARGO (shrugging) : "I got through it. It took quite a while and it took the love and support of my friends and family, but eventually… I got through it."

ERICA (softly, sadly) : "I can't even begin to imagine…"

JESS (softly) : "Neither could I until it happened to me."

CALLIE : "You, too?"

JESS : "Yes."

ERICA : "Oh, my God. How does a thing like that even happen?"

MARGO : "Well, for me, I was chasing some suspects… I wasn't even on duty at the time… it was a fluke that I was in a store that was being robbed and I chased the suspects by myself like a complete idiot and… they cornered me. They grabbed me, dragged me into their van, and…"

CALLIE (closing her eyes in horror) : "Wow, man."

MARGO (eyes tearing) : "Yeah, it was pretty brutal. They beat me up really bad. And a month later we found out , he tested positive for HIV. I had to get tested and wait for 6 months to find out if I had HIV. Fortunately, I didn't get HIV, but with the Hep C… I wasn't so lucky." (takes a deep breathe) "But I've got the best family and friends in the world and they got me through it. I even went into remission for a while, but… I guess it's back."

ERICA (reassuringly) : "You're going to be fine, Margo. I'm sure of it. You fought it successfully once and you can do it again."

MARGO : "Thanks."

CALLIE : "And you got raped, too, Jess?"

JESS : "Yeah…what happened to me was a little different. I was dating this one guy, but I had an affair with another man while I was running for DA. We got caught. Anyway, some time later, I was representing the man I had an affair with, I even let the son-of-a-bitch live in my home, and I was once again dating the same man I'd been dating before when the bastard I was representing came up to me while I was sleeping, and… it was horrible."

ERICA (sympathetically) : "God, Jess, I'm so sorry."

JESS : "Thanks. But I'm okay now. I worked my way through it, too, just like Margo did and we both survived it. And here we are today. Together and happy. And you're right, Erica. Margo and I are going to fight this illness together and we're going to beat it again."

Jess and Margo exchange loving glances and press their heads together affectionately.

Callie drops her head on Erica’s shoulder and Erica kisses the top of Callie’s head.

The blonde then possessively tightens her grip on the brunette’s waist.

To Be Continued