Round Robin: the dangers of knowing too much, chapter 22
Title: The Dangers of Knowing Too Much (22/?)
Author: Papillongirl
Rating: PG
Last time in The Dangers of Knowing Too Much:
"Goodbye, Daddy." She slid off the stool, made her way to the door, and did not look back. She yanked the door open setting the bells jingling again.
She climbed back into the truck and curled her shaking hands around the the steering wheel, leaning her head back against the seat. After a few deep breaths, she cranked the engine and yanked the truck into gear. She guided the GMC to the highway on ramp heading West. She had one more stop to make before heading home.
Chapter1|| Chapter2|| Chapter3|| Chapter4|| Chapter5|| Chapter6|| Chapter7|| Chapter8
|| Chapter9|| Chapter10|| Chapter11|| Chapter12|| Chapter13|| Chapter14|| Chapter15
|| Chapter16|| Chapter17|| Chapter18|| Chapter19|| Chapter20|| Chapter21
Mary sat on a bench in the puppy section of the off-leash dog park she found for Squid. She smiled as she watched the little guy chase leaves. He’d been cooped up in the back of Marshall’s truck for too long. The puppy should be exploring his new home and learning the routine, what little routine there was, she thought wryly. Instead she had dragged him across the country on some wild demon chase.
She pulled her phone out of her purse, turned it idly in her hands. She was already here. She could do a little research into Aaron Shannon, possibly find family she didn’t know she had, maybe even figure out what he was doing in Albuquerque. Or, she could go home.
She could let Dershowitz investigate the bombing. She could let it go. Mary wilted on the bench and slowly put her cell back into her purse. She’d never been good at letting things go but she thought back to Marshall’s words.
“When you're done, please come home."
Home. To Marshall. Mary couldn’t think of a place where she would rather be. She shook off the guilt she felt about Marshall’s injuries. He wanted her to come home.
“Squid, come on,” she called, and her dog came running. He flopped over on his back at her feet. She took a minute to scratch his belly. “Are you ready to go home?” She asked. An enthusiastic tail wagged in response. She clipped on his leash and he jumped willingly into the crate in the back of the truck. “Marshall wasn’t kidding when he said he trained you,” she muttered to the pup.
The drive out had taken 72 hours. The drive back to Albuquerque took only 48. She pushed hard, stopping only for gas and coffee and for a few minutes nap when her eyes rolled into the back of her head despite her best intentions. She turned her cell phone off and the radio down low. She spent the mindless hours thinking about everything. She mourned the relationship that she would never have with her father. She thought about Marshall. Where their relationship had been and where she wanted it to go. She felt some of the baggage that she’d carried around for so long lighten. She hadn’t even realized what a heavy load she’d carried with her until it was gone.
Mary was exhausted when she let Squid loose in the back yard and jumped in the shower for ten minutes to wash off the road grime. She pulled her wet hair into a loose ponytail on top of her head and changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and tennis shoes. She looked at her bed longingly but she wouldn’t sleep until she’d seen her partner. She’d been gone too long.
It was well past visiting hours when she padded down the hospital hallway. The unit was quiet. Mary didn’t stop at the nurses station. Marshall’s name was posted on the wall outside room 12. She slipped inside. He was sleeping and she eased down into the chair beside his bed. She let her head fall back against the hard plastic of the chair and her eyes closed involuntarily. She would just rest them for a minute.
***
She felt fingers rubbing the back of her hand and she was disoriented until she heard his voice.
“Mer, hey sleepyhead wake up.” Marshall spoke quietly.
“Marshall,” she rubbed at her eyes. They were heavy with sleep.
“When did you get in?”
“I don’t know, it was late. You were asleep.”
“You could have woken me.”
“You needed to sleep.” She really looked at him for the first time. He looked tired despite the time in the hospital, thinner. She sat up, planted both feet on the floor.
“You okay, Doofus?”
“Better now that you’re here. They’re springing me today. Want to take me home? Or did you just drop by on your way out of town on another road trip?” His smile softened his words.
Mary leaned forward until she was eye to eye with him. “I’m not going anywhere.” Her words were a solemn promise.
Marshall nodded, accepted her words at face value and without question.
Mary shifted over so she was sitting on the bed facing Marshall. She grabbed his hand. “You look as crappy as you did when I left. What’s wrong? Aren’t they feeding you here?”
Marshall didn’t quite meet her eyes. “The food sucks and I was, lonely.” He paused. “I’m ready to go home.”
“Good. Squid missed you,” she said lightly, looking around the room. “I’ll get your stuff packed up and we’ll blow this-” She stopped suddenly, her gaze frozen on the familiar looking letter lying on the bedside table. “Marshall,” she said slowly. “About that letter, I-”
“Mer, you don’t have to-”
“I need to,” she interrupted. She hopped off the bed and marched over to the letter, fingering it nervously. “I need to say this. You have to believe me. I never meant to hurt you with these letters. I was trying to be more open and it backfired. Why can’t anything be easy?” She ran her fingers through her hair, exasperated when they tangled in her still damp ponytail. She squinted when Marshall laughed out loud.
“I asked the same question,” he smirked.
“What?”
“Why can’t anything be easy? I asked the same question.” He reached out and snagged her fingers. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
Mary looked startled at the change in conversation.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” Marshall repeated.
“I, um...” She sat heavily next to him when he tugged on her again. “I found what I needed to find.” They sat quietly. Marshall waited patiently. He didn’t press for details. Mary studied him. He wouldn’t pry. He wouldn’t demand information that she didn’t want to give.
“I found my father,” she volunteered.
“I know.”
“It wasn’t at all what I dreamed it would be.” Marshall squeezed her fingers tighter and nodded encouragingly. “You always knew, didn’t you? That I was chasing a ghost. I imagined the day I’d see daddy again for years, but then...” she trailed off.
Marshall spread his arms in invitation and Mary leaned against him. She heard his soft grunt. “Sorry,” she muttered.
“It’s okay, just ribs.” He ran his hand gently over her head. There were no tears. Mary had the distinct feeling that she had finally come home.
“Listen.” She pulled away just far enough that she could see his face. “When they spring you I’m going to take you home, tuck you into bed with Squid, and feed you anything you want. As long as they deliver.”
Marshall chuckled and held her tighter.
Mary groaned when her phone vibrated in her back pocket. She pulled it out reluctantly. She turned so she was leaning on her elbow when she answered.
“What?” she said irritably, not looking at the caller ID.
“Shannon-” Marshall could hear the tinny voice through the speaker.
“Dershowitz...” She sat up straighter and eyed Marshall. “I’m in the middle of something here.” She paused to listen. “No.” Marshall could only make out scattered words but Mary was getting agitated. “Fine, I’ll be there in an hour.” She snapped the phone closed and tossed it on the table.
Mary leaned up and kissed Marshall on the cheek. “I’ve gotta go. Stay here and I’ll come back and drive you home.”
“Mer, what’s?”
“Later,” she interrupted, hopping off the bed and stuffing her phone back into her pocket. “I’ll tell you all about it later.”
pipisafoat - I gently hand this thing to you!
Author: Papillongirl
Rating: PG
Last time in The Dangers of Knowing Too Much:
"Goodbye, Daddy." She slid off the stool, made her way to the door, and did not look back. She yanked the door open setting the bells jingling again.
She climbed back into the truck and curled her shaking hands around the the steering wheel, leaning her head back against the seat. After a few deep breaths, she cranked the engine and yanked the truck into gear. She guided the GMC to the highway on ramp heading West. She had one more stop to make before heading home.
Chapter1|| Chapter2|| Chapter3|| Chapter4|| Chapter5|| Chapter6|| Chapter7|| Chapter8
|| Chapter9|| Chapter10|| Chapter11|| Chapter12|| Chapter13|| Chapter14|| Chapter15
|| Chapter16|| Chapter17|| Chapter18|| Chapter19|| Chapter20|| Chapter21
Mary sat on a bench in the puppy section of the off-leash dog park she found for Squid. She smiled as she watched the little guy chase leaves. He’d been cooped up in the back of Marshall’s truck for too long. The puppy should be exploring his new home and learning the routine, what little routine there was, she thought wryly. Instead she had dragged him across the country on some wild demon chase.
She pulled her phone out of her purse, turned it idly in her hands. She was already here. She could do a little research into Aaron Shannon, possibly find family she didn’t know she had, maybe even figure out what he was doing in Albuquerque. Or, she could go home.
She could let Dershowitz investigate the bombing. She could let it go. Mary wilted on the bench and slowly put her cell back into her purse. She’d never been good at letting things go but she thought back to Marshall’s words.
“When you're done, please come home."
Home. To Marshall. Mary couldn’t think of a place where she would rather be. She shook off the guilt she felt about Marshall’s injuries. He wanted her to come home.
“Squid, come on,” she called, and her dog came running. He flopped over on his back at her feet. She took a minute to scratch his belly. “Are you ready to go home?” She asked. An enthusiastic tail wagged in response. She clipped on his leash and he jumped willingly into the crate in the back of the truck. “Marshall wasn’t kidding when he said he trained you,” she muttered to the pup.
The drive out had taken 72 hours. The drive back to Albuquerque took only 48. She pushed hard, stopping only for gas and coffee and for a few minutes nap when her eyes rolled into the back of her head despite her best intentions. She turned her cell phone off and the radio down low. She spent the mindless hours thinking about everything. She mourned the relationship that she would never have with her father. She thought about Marshall. Where their relationship had been and where she wanted it to go. She felt some of the baggage that she’d carried around for so long lighten. She hadn’t even realized what a heavy load she’d carried with her until it was gone.
Mary was exhausted when she let Squid loose in the back yard and jumped in the shower for ten minutes to wash off the road grime. She pulled her wet hair into a loose ponytail on top of her head and changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and tennis shoes. She looked at her bed longingly but she wouldn’t sleep until she’d seen her partner. She’d been gone too long.
It was well past visiting hours when she padded down the hospital hallway. The unit was quiet. Mary didn’t stop at the nurses station. Marshall’s name was posted on the wall outside room 12. She slipped inside. He was sleeping and she eased down into the chair beside his bed. She let her head fall back against the hard plastic of the chair and her eyes closed involuntarily. She would just rest them for a minute.
***
She felt fingers rubbing the back of her hand and she was disoriented until she heard his voice.
“Mer, hey sleepyhead wake up.” Marshall spoke quietly.
“Marshall,” she rubbed at her eyes. They were heavy with sleep.
“When did you get in?”
“I don’t know, it was late. You were asleep.”
“You could have woken me.”
“You needed to sleep.” She really looked at him for the first time. He looked tired despite the time in the hospital, thinner. She sat up, planted both feet on the floor.
“You okay, Doofus?”
“Better now that you’re here. They’re springing me today. Want to take me home? Or did you just drop by on your way out of town on another road trip?” His smile softened his words.
Mary leaned forward until she was eye to eye with him. “I’m not going anywhere.” Her words were a solemn promise.
Marshall nodded, accepted her words at face value and without question.
Mary shifted over so she was sitting on the bed facing Marshall. She grabbed his hand. “You look as crappy as you did when I left. What’s wrong? Aren’t they feeding you here?”
Marshall didn’t quite meet her eyes. “The food sucks and I was, lonely.” He paused. “I’m ready to go home.”
“Good. Squid missed you,” she said lightly, looking around the room. “I’ll get your stuff packed up and we’ll blow this-” She stopped suddenly, her gaze frozen on the familiar looking letter lying on the bedside table. “Marshall,” she said slowly. “About that letter, I-”
“Mer, you don’t have to-”
“I need to,” she interrupted. She hopped off the bed and marched over to the letter, fingering it nervously. “I need to say this. You have to believe me. I never meant to hurt you with these letters. I was trying to be more open and it backfired. Why can’t anything be easy?” She ran her fingers through her hair, exasperated when they tangled in her still damp ponytail. She squinted when Marshall laughed out loud.
“I asked the same question,” he smirked.
“What?”
“Why can’t anything be easy? I asked the same question.” He reached out and snagged her fingers. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
Mary looked startled at the change in conversation.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” Marshall repeated.
“I, um...” She sat heavily next to him when he tugged on her again. “I found what I needed to find.” They sat quietly. Marshall waited patiently. He didn’t press for details. Mary studied him. He wouldn’t pry. He wouldn’t demand information that she didn’t want to give.
“I found my father,” she volunteered.
“I know.”
“It wasn’t at all what I dreamed it would be.” Marshall squeezed her fingers tighter and nodded encouragingly. “You always knew, didn’t you? That I was chasing a ghost. I imagined the day I’d see daddy again for years, but then...” she trailed off.
Marshall spread his arms in invitation and Mary leaned against him. She heard his soft grunt. “Sorry,” she muttered.
“It’s okay, just ribs.” He ran his hand gently over her head. There were no tears. Mary had the distinct feeling that she had finally come home.
“Listen.” She pulled away just far enough that she could see his face. “When they spring you I’m going to take you home, tuck you into bed with Squid, and feed you anything you want. As long as they deliver.”
Marshall chuckled and held her tighter.
Mary groaned when her phone vibrated in her back pocket. She pulled it out reluctantly. She turned so she was leaning on her elbow when she answered.
“What?” she said irritably, not looking at the caller ID.
“Shannon-” Marshall could hear the tinny voice through the speaker.
“Dershowitz...” She sat up straighter and eyed Marshall. “I’m in the middle of something here.” She paused to listen. “No.” Marshall could only make out scattered words but Mary was getting agitated. “Fine, I’ll be there in an hour.” She snapped the phone closed and tossed it on the table.
Mary leaned up and kissed Marshall on the cheek. “I’ve gotta go. Stay here and I’ll come back and drive you home.”
“Mer, what’s?”
“Later,” she interrupted, hopping off the bed and stuffing her phone back into her pocket. “I’ll tell you all about it later.”
pipisafoat - I gently hand this thing to you!