Meryl and Don-Love and Only Love Chapter 30, Part 3
After putting Louisa to bed and checking on a sleeping Grace, Meryl got herself ready for bed and grabbed some blankets and pillows as well as pajamas and a toothbrush for her husband, and went to check on him. She smiled as she covered him up and gently kiss his lips only to be surprised when he kissed her back. "Hey, handsome."
"Hey...I fell asleep? It's not a long book." He laughed.
Meryl smiled as she sat down next to him and smoothed his hair back as she kissed his head. "You've been through alot, and I'm sure the pills had something to do with it."
"Yeah, probably." He laughed. "Are the girls asleep?"
Meryl smiled at his concern. "Yeah babe, they are both fine and asleep."
"Good." He sighed. "It's been a day, and I'm starving."
Meryl couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it earlier. "You have to be! You never had dinner. I made vegetable stew for dinner and fresh baked bread. Would you like some of that?"
"Yeah babe, that would be great." He said starting to get up.
Meryl shook her head as she gently pushed him down. "No you don't, you stay right here and I'll get it for you. I did bring your pajamas down if you want to try to put those on."
"Those I think I will definitely need help with!" He winked.
Meryl couldn't help but laugh at his predictability. "Okay, I'll warm up the soup and be back."
Don reached for her hand and kissed it; he figured she hadn’t eaten either. "You better; and you better eat with me.”
***
While the soup was heating up, Meryl helped Don into his pajamas and got him comfortable on the couch, then went to get his dinner. When she came back in with a tray he was looking at a photo album. "What are you looking at?"
"Hey, Louisa's baby photo album. It was laying out here on the end table." Don said as she sat next to him and put the tray over his lap.
Meryl smiled as she took the album so he could eat as he fed her his soup and bread after every bite he took. "She must have been looking at it, she's done alot of reminiscing lately."
"I think she was the best surprise." Don smiled wistfully.
Meryl couldn't help but smile at the love he had for the kids. "What about falling in love with me so quickly? What about Henry and Mamie?"
"Falling in love with you wasn't a surprise, I knew I would spend the rest of my life with you the first time I saw you." He said eating some soup. "Mamie wasn't a surprise, we had been trying."
Meryl was looking through the album. "True, but we stopped trying after we weren't getting pregnant when I got pregnant.”
"Okay, and yes Henry was a surprise, a HUGE WONDERFUL surprise. BUT, I thought I was all dried up by the time we got pregnant with Louisa. WHO KNEW?" He laughed.
Meryl leaned forward and kissed his lips. "I knew you had it in ya." She teased.
"Bad joke." He laughed as he held his side. "All of our children are amazing surprises and gifts, you know I feel that way."
Meryl smiled as she ran her singers through his hair. "I know, sweetheart. I want you to be careful with Lou, though."
"Careful?" Don asked as he took a bite of bread. "What do you mean?"
Meryl turned the page in the album as she looked up at him. "I don't want you to feel like you need to overcompensate for your father. Yeah, what he did was beyond shitty, not to mention how he treats you and her."
"And you." Don said with a mouthful.
Meryl smiled and nodded. "Louisa knows how much we love and adore her, how much she is wanted. I just don't want you to go overboard with your little princess."
"When do I ever go overboard with any my girls and Henry?" Don asked as Meryl raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, I concede."
Meryl laughed as she continued to look at the album. "Look do you remember this?"
Don smiled when he looked at the note Mamie had left for Louisa in her crib before she was even born. She had used Don's good sketching supplies but he couldn't complain. "I love you baby come soon...Love, Mamie." Don smiled. "That is still incredibly sweet."
"Maybe we should remind Mamie of this." Meryl laughed as she scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder as they reminisced. She just wanted to be close to him.
Don continued to eat. "This is fun...what else?"
"Oh God...I still can't believe I let you take pictures of me and my growing belly every month." Meryl laughed as she turned to the next page.
Don smiled as he could see the progression of the pregnancy: the growing belly, the glow in her face, the change in her hair. "I KNEW that would be our last one and I wanted to capture it, and you are breathtakingly beautiful when you're pregnant."
"Just when I'm pregnant?" She ribbed him.
Don laughed as he took a drink of tea." Always." He winked. "Besides, I'm an artist, and you were art."
"Playing the artist card again, huh?" She teased as she turned to the next picture. "Look, Mom and Lou."
Don watched as Meryl's eyes welled up with tears. They were both grateful that the kids grew up so close to her parents, considering the problems with his. "She sure loved her grandbabies. When was this taken?" He asked pointing to the next picture.
"I have my ways." She winked as they looked at a picture of Don asleep without a shirt on and a baby Louisa sleeping on his chest. She couldn't have been more than a few days old. "I love those pictures."
They kept reminiscing until they got to the last page filled with a picture of her first haircut and a ringlet of hair, a picture of her first tooth, and the hospital bracelet they cut off her when they got home. "Our little Lou Lou."
Meryl couldn't help but wipe a tear from her eye as she closed the book, she always did get emotional when reminiscing. "She is incredibly loved Don, and she knows it."
"I hope so." He sighed as she moved the tray off his lap. "I still can't believe he did that, Meryl. It would be hard enough to take if he just blew the money, but he used her education money for MANN'S LAWYER."
Meryl couldn't agree more. "I know babe, I am as upset about it as you are, but we can't change it. Mann will be behind bars for the rest of is life, THANK GOD. It sure as hell isn't worth a confrontation with your father. Don, I mean it, I can't let anything happen to you." She choked as she leaned her forehead against his.
"It won't sweetheart, this really was my last straw. We will protect the family from him. Like I said, I'll talk to Larry tomorrow." Don said.
Meryl took his bandaged hand in hers, he really hadn't said much about it. "You haven't told me about your hand."
"Yeah, it's sprained. I'm out of commission for awhile." Don sighed. "I can probably paint and draw, but no sculptures."
Meryl gently kissed it. She knew how precious his hands were, after all, look at all the masterpieces they had created. "I'm sorry sweetheart. Is it because you hit the wall?"
"No." Don laughed. "When the car hit me and I came back down and landed on the street I landed on it and got the sprain."
Meryl couldn't hide the tears, he hadn't told her that part. "What do you mean 'came back down?'"
"That's right, we haven't gotten to talk much." While they were at the hospital they were inundated with doctors and nurses, not to mention the police who wanted more information while she was out talking to the doctor. "When the car hit me I flew up in the air and came back down hitting the pavement."
Meryl closed her eyes and shook her head at that image. "Thank God you weren't hurt worse. My God, you could have been killed, Don!"
"But here I am, like I always promise." He smiled as he lifted his good hand to her face and brought her head close for a kiss.
Meryl relished the kiss. "Are they close to finding the ass that did this? Not only was this person drinking but they just LEFT you!"
"Hopefully between my statement, the witnesses, and the traffic cameras they will find them soon." Don smiled. "I'm really sorry I left."
Meryl smiled at him, she knew that. "I know babe, but next time, not like there is going to be a next time, but if there is PLEASE just talk to me. I was worried sick BEFORE I got the call, then even more so after."
"I know, I'm sorry." He sighed. "Some night, huh?"
He was right, Meryl was exhausted. "Yeah. Babe, I wanted to talk to you about Grace and Louisa. I had a little talk with Grace before bed, I found her crying."
"I thought you said they were okay." Don said concerned.
Meryl gently placed her hand on his chest to calm him down as he was trying to get up. "They are baby, but I think these past few months are finally taking it's toll on both of them. Mamie and Henry seem to be fine since they are so busy with their lives and so removed from it, but I worry about Lou and Gracie."
"Okay..." Don said, signaling for her to continue.
Meryl took his good hand in hers. "Louisa didn't want to leave you until we said she could come down here while you read her a story, she was crying. Then I go upstairs and find Grace crying and she asked when all of this would be normal. We really need to try to make life as normal as we can for them, their lives have been shaken up so much these past months."
"We tried so hard to shield them." Don sighed.
Meryl met his sigh with her own. "Yeah, but we have incredibly smart and intuitive kids. It's probably good I don't have anything lined up for awhile and that you will be home recovering. We can give them extra attention and normalcy. I know I'm looking forward to not only giving them attention, but you as well, to being a normal family for awhile. Thankfully I have no projects right now. Or as normal as we are."
"I feel the same babe." Don smiled as he stroked her cheek. "Laying low and normalcy sounds good, and planning our wedding."
Meryl started laughing when she realized something. "I think getting married is dangerous to your health."
"What in the world are you talking about?" Don asked.
Meryl couldn't help but smile when she looked down at her wedding band. "We got married only a few weeks after you were mugged and were recovering from broken ribs then, and then right after we renewed our vows the first time you had chicken pox and were so sick, now you ask me to marry you again and get by a car. Marrying you is one of my favorite past-times but I don't think your poor body can handle anymore.
"Seeing you walk towards me, and hearing you pledge your love for me is worth it." It was cheesy but he meant it.
Meryl leaned forward and kissed his lips. "I love you so much Donald Gummer, and I am so glad to have you home."
"I love you, Meryl Gummer, and I am BEYOND happy to be at home." He said giving her another kiss. "I'm sorry we are sleeping down here."
Meryl was waiting for him to complain about it. "It's just for a night or two until you're stronger. I don't mind, I just want you."
***
A/N: The book Louisa read to Don was Goodnight Moon.