Learning Curve (3/9)
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Scotty looked at the pile of debris he had just finished piling into a wheelbarrow. He stretched, then tried to relax for a moment, sighing. Someone walked into the room, and seconds later, wrapped their arms around Scotty’s waist. He smiled to himself.
"You are so hot like this," Kevin murmured.
"Dusty and grimy and sweaty?"
"Mm-hmm."
Scotty smirked. "We should get back to work."
"Mm-mmm."
"Where’s everyone else?"
"Not here." Kevin splayed his fingers out on Scotty’s stomach, pressing into him ever-so-slightly more.
Scotty turned around in Kevin’s arms, facing him. Then he grinned. "You know, your little mask is kind of ruining the mood."
"It’s sexy, and you know it," Kevin replied.
"The only thing I know for sure," Scotty said, laughing, "is that I’m so glad we don’t actually have to live here."
"You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?"
"Nope."
***
"These next few days are going to drag," Quinn commented darkly. The others nodded.
"Yeah, but it will be worth it when we get there," Scotty observed, taking a sip of his beer.
Jordan and Mario turned to stare at him skeptically.
"What? It will."
"No," Quinn explained for the others. "It’s not that. It’s just...well, we’ll believe you’re coming when you actually show up."
Scotty laughed. "What’s that mean?"
Jordan shrugged. "Family holiday? It’s OK, Scotty. We know you’ll get roped into going to the Walkers."
Scotty shook his head in determination. "No. We’ve been going to Palm Springs for Thanksgiving for five years now. It’s tradition."
Mario smiled at him with a slight air of mocking disbelief.
"Marriage," Scotty said haughtily, "is about making compromises like splitting your holidays between each other’s families and friends. And Kevin is going to compromise, damn it."
But a few days later, Scotty was running around the apartment, taking care of a few things before following Kevin to the hospital. In one hand, he held onto his cell phone, cursing silently as it rang. Finally, Jordan picked up.
"Hello?"
"It’s me."
"Yep. Hey, everyone! It’s Scotty. Settle up your bets now."
"Shut up, Jordan. This isn’t - "
Jordan immediately turned serious at the tone in Scotty’s voice. "What’s wrong?"
"Tommy’s baby daughter is in the hospital. She might need a liver transplant. The doctors say the best bet is a parent."
"Oh my God!"
"It’s more than that, though. She was...Tommy’s sterile. Either Justin or Kevin is the biological father. They’re being tested right now, and I’m on my way to the hospital."
"Yeah, go. Go! Keep us posted."
"I will. Bye."
"Good luck!"
Scotty hung up, then closed his eyes, exhaling as he finally allowed everything to catch up with him. How could this be happening? How could such a young girl have so many difficulties? How would he deal if it turned out Kevin...?
He would never say it aloud, but there was some tiny part inside him just then, just for a moment, that wished he could go back in time and completely support Kevin’s initial decision not to donate.
He took a deep breath, shook himself slightly, grabbed his keys and walked out the door.
***
Well after 2:00 the morning of the surgery, Scotty was still awake. He knew he’d be exhausted the next day, but right then, all he cared about was feeling Kevin’s arms around him and listening to his deep and steady breaths.
For better or worse, Scotty thought to himself. In sickness or in health. This was what marriage was. It was being there for each other, getting strength from each other during the worst times of your lives. He was scared; he wasn’t afraid to admit that to himself or to Kevin. But he’d be there. He’d be there for Kevin through all this, no matter what happened during the surgery or after.
Not that anything was going to happen. He wouldn’t allow it.
Scotty sighed. He could feel the determination and the fear chasing each other around his body, and it was making him jittery again. He carefully lifted Kevin’s arm, sliding out of his embrace. He slowly climbed off the bed, standing incredibly still as Kevin shifted and muttered in his sleep. As soon as Kevin settled again, Scotty turned and walked out of the room. Hands in his pocket, he slowly made his way down the hospital corridor. Without even realizing it, he ended up outside Elizabeth’s room. He stared through the window at Kevin’s daughter. After several minutes, he finally turned away, looking at Tommy and Julia curled up on the room’s furniture. Scotty swallowed thickly and then continued walking.
He ended up in a dark, empty waiting room down at the end of the hall. Leaning against the wall next to the window, he looked out at the lights of the city and sighed.
"Hi," came a quiet voice from the door to the room.
Startled, Scotty turned around. It was Julia. She walked further into the room, pulling the sides of her cardigan tightly around her. When she got next to Scotty, he could see, even in the dark room, that her eyes were red.
Scotty smiled softly. "You should be sleeping," he said.
Julia laughed ruefully, and Scotty nodded in acknowledgment at the ridiculousness of his comment.
"I can’t believe this is happening," Julia observed.
Scotty reached an arm out, wrapping it around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. She sighed as they both stared out the window.
"She’s going to be fine," he said quietly.
"You don’t know that," Julia said. "I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but...I lost one baby already, and you don’t know that."
"No, I don’t," Scotty conceded. "But I’m pretty sure. She’s a fighter; it’s in her blood."
"That Kevin Walker stubbornness?" Julia said with a small smile.
Scotty looked down at her, eyes crinkling as he smiled. "That Julia Ridge spirit."
Julia gave a short laugh at the unexpected compliment. "You’re right," she agreed, tears choking up her throat. "Nothing’s keeping her down."
"Nope," Scotty concurred.
Julia turned again, sniffling as she looked up at him. "They’re both going to be fine."
Scotty pressed his lips together in a grim smile. He looked out the window again. "Yeah," he sighed.
***
Kevin laughed quietly as he watched Scotty roll up the cuffs on the pajama legs. Then he grimaced, pressing a pillow to his torso.
"If it hurts to laugh, don’t laugh, you idiot," Scotty said.
"Sorry, it’s just...God, you’re tall."
"No, I’m not. You’re short."
"Ouch."
Scotty flashed a smile at him before moving to the other leg.
"How long have you had these pajamas anyway? They look brand-new."
Scotty shook his head. "A while. I got them from Jordan."
"Ohhh, right," Kevin said, tilting his head back as he remembered. "At your bachelor party. These are the ‘you’re getting married and will never have sex again’ pajamas."
"Mm-hmm," Scotty said, nodding. He patted Kevin’s calf lightly, then walked closer to the head of the bed. "You think it’s obvious they’ve never been worn?"
"What, you mean the permanent crease lines from being folded and stuck in a drawer for months? Well, Mom didn’t say anything," Kevin said with a grin.
Scotty closed his eyes and shook his head. "Please don’t remind me."
Kevin cocked his head. "What?"
"Your mother insisted she go get all this stuff. There was nothing I could do."
"So what? She wanted to help."
Scotty nodded. "I know. But she went through our stuff - the medicine cabinet and maybe the nightstand too."
Kevin shook his head, still confused at the issue. Scotty sighed. "Kevin - think about what he have in the medicine cabinet and - "
"Oh my God," Kevin whispered, his eyes closing in sudden, embarrassed understanding.
***
Of all the marriage horror stories Scotty had heard, the ones about the dreaded, evil mother-in-law were the most frequent. He never expected to have much trouble, however. He knew, of course, from Kevin’s stories and his own experience, that Nora could be...overwhelming. But mostly, he just figured that would be a nice change of pace from his own mother. So their first major clash came as a real surprise to him.
The drunken apology on his voicemail almost made it worth it, though.
But Scotty still wanted to clear the air. So the next night, when Kevin went to talk to Tommy, Scotty went to talk to Nora. He carefully balanced a plate of freshly-baked brownies in one hand as he rang the doorbell. Almost a minute later, the door opened.
"Scotty!"
"Hi. I...here," he said, blushing as he presented the plate. "I’m sorry."
Nora laughed, shoulders shaking as she took the plate and then reached out to hug Scotty. "Come on in, honey. I have something for you too."
"You do?" Scotty asked in surprise as he followed her to the kitchen.
She glanced behind at him as she opened the fridge and pulled out a container. "Yep. I was just about to bring it over."
Scotty took the container from her and lifted it to peer through the bottom. He gasped. "Mango peach salsa!"
"Look under the lid," Nora directed, turning away towards the coffee pot.
Scotty watched her for a beat, with a slightly confused expression. He cracked open the container; on the bottom of the lid, in a plastic baggie, was an index card with a recipe. Scotty closed the lid again and looked up, fighting a smile. "You said that recipe was going to your grave."
Nora shrugged. "You’re the only one who will ever see it. Got it?"
Scotty laughed. He put the container on the counter and sat down. Nora finished pouring two mugs of coffee and joined him. She pulled the plate of brownies over and removed the covering.
"This doesn’t mean I’m deleting that voicemail," Scotty said, still grinning. Nora fake-scowled.
They sat, talking quietly as they ate brownies. Nora asked after Kevin, and Scotty explained what had happened at the hotel. Then they moved to other topics - Nora’s work with the center and Scotty’s job, a new book Nora planned to lend him, and a recipe he was going to email her. Quite some time passed before they even acknowledged how late it was getting. But finally, Kevin called, looking for Scotty, and they decided to call it a night.
Scotty leaned over the counter, picking up the salsa container. He laughed slightly.
"What?" Nora asked.
"Just remembering the first time I met you."
"Oh my God," Nora said, groaning. "I don’t know what came over me."
Scotty smiled. "I just remember thinking...this woman is the craziest person I’ve ever seen, and yet, quite possibly the bravest. All I knew was, I wanted to get to know you better."
"That’s nicer than what I thought about you," Nora said with a small smile.
Scotty raised an eyebrow, and Nora laughed.
"In between...everything, I remember seeing you and wondering ‘what had Sarah been thinking?’ You were so...unlike any of the guys Kevin had ever dated before, not that I had met that many of them. Don’t get me wrong - I thought that you were adorable, and I soon discovered that Kevin was, in fact, very interested. I just...Back then, I just couldn’t see it working."
"Oh. Well...thanks."
"And then," Nora continued pointedly, "there was that night at the theater. You were there with that young man - "
"Um...Randy."
"Randy, that’s right. Kevin went over to talk to you, and I came over later, remember?"
"Uh-huh."
"And I saw how you two were reacting to each other, and I saw how Kevin was the rest of that night. It was suddenly so obvious. I didn’t know how I hadn’t seen it before. And now look at you!"
Scotty looked down at the floor, pleased and slightly embarrassed. Nora put a hand to his cheek, and he looked up to see her smiling through sudden tears. "I’ve never been so happy to be proven wrong."
Scotty smiled back at her, and Nora pulled him into a hug. She quickly backed away, however. Hands on his arms, she turned him around and guided him out of the kitchen towards the front door.
"OK, you have to go. Kevin’s waiting, and it’s getting late. Drive safe and call me when you get there."
Scotty laughed as he was forced outside and pointed in the direction of his car. He turned to face Nora one last time. "OK, Mom," he said, grinning.
Nora scoffed, smacking him lightly on the arm. "Go on," she said. "I love you."
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Scotty looked at the pile of debris he had just finished piling into a wheelbarrow. He stretched, then tried to relax for a moment, sighing. Someone walked into the room, and seconds later, wrapped their arms around Scotty’s waist. He smiled to himself.
"You are so hot like this," Kevin murmured.
"Dusty and grimy and sweaty?"
"Mm-hmm."
Scotty smirked. "We should get back to work."
"Mm-mmm."
"Where’s everyone else?"
"Not here." Kevin splayed his fingers out on Scotty’s stomach, pressing into him ever-so-slightly more.
Scotty turned around in Kevin’s arms, facing him. Then he grinned. "You know, your little mask is kind of ruining the mood."
"It’s sexy, and you know it," Kevin replied.
"The only thing I know for sure," Scotty said, laughing, "is that I’m so glad we don’t actually have to live here."
"You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?"
"Nope."
***
"These next few days are going to drag," Quinn commented darkly. The others nodded.
"Yeah, but it will be worth it when we get there," Scotty observed, taking a sip of his beer.
Jordan and Mario turned to stare at him skeptically.
"What? It will."
"No," Quinn explained for the others. "It’s not that. It’s just...well, we’ll believe you’re coming when you actually show up."
Scotty laughed. "What’s that mean?"
Jordan shrugged. "Family holiday? It’s OK, Scotty. We know you’ll get roped into going to the Walkers."
Scotty shook his head in determination. "No. We’ve been going to Palm Springs for Thanksgiving for five years now. It’s tradition."
Mario smiled at him with a slight air of mocking disbelief.
"Marriage," Scotty said haughtily, "is about making compromises like splitting your holidays between each other’s families and friends. And Kevin is going to compromise, damn it."
But a few days later, Scotty was running around the apartment, taking care of a few things before following Kevin to the hospital. In one hand, he held onto his cell phone, cursing silently as it rang. Finally, Jordan picked up.
"Hello?"
"It’s me."
"Yep. Hey, everyone! It’s Scotty. Settle up your bets now."
"Shut up, Jordan. This isn’t - "
Jordan immediately turned serious at the tone in Scotty’s voice. "What’s wrong?"
"Tommy’s baby daughter is in the hospital. She might need a liver transplant. The doctors say the best bet is a parent."
"Oh my God!"
"It’s more than that, though. She was...Tommy’s sterile. Either Justin or Kevin is the biological father. They’re being tested right now, and I’m on my way to the hospital."
"Yeah, go. Go! Keep us posted."
"I will. Bye."
"Good luck!"
Scotty hung up, then closed his eyes, exhaling as he finally allowed everything to catch up with him. How could this be happening? How could such a young girl have so many difficulties? How would he deal if it turned out Kevin...?
He would never say it aloud, but there was some tiny part inside him just then, just for a moment, that wished he could go back in time and completely support Kevin’s initial decision not to donate.
He took a deep breath, shook himself slightly, grabbed his keys and walked out the door.
***
Well after 2:00 the morning of the surgery, Scotty was still awake. He knew he’d be exhausted the next day, but right then, all he cared about was feeling Kevin’s arms around him and listening to his deep and steady breaths.
For better or worse, Scotty thought to himself. In sickness or in health. This was what marriage was. It was being there for each other, getting strength from each other during the worst times of your lives. He was scared; he wasn’t afraid to admit that to himself or to Kevin. But he’d be there. He’d be there for Kevin through all this, no matter what happened during the surgery or after.
Not that anything was going to happen. He wouldn’t allow it.
Scotty sighed. He could feel the determination and the fear chasing each other around his body, and it was making him jittery again. He carefully lifted Kevin’s arm, sliding out of his embrace. He slowly climbed off the bed, standing incredibly still as Kevin shifted and muttered in his sleep. As soon as Kevin settled again, Scotty turned and walked out of the room. Hands in his pocket, he slowly made his way down the hospital corridor. Without even realizing it, he ended up outside Elizabeth’s room. He stared through the window at Kevin’s daughter. After several minutes, he finally turned away, looking at Tommy and Julia curled up on the room’s furniture. Scotty swallowed thickly and then continued walking.
He ended up in a dark, empty waiting room down at the end of the hall. Leaning against the wall next to the window, he looked out at the lights of the city and sighed.
"Hi," came a quiet voice from the door to the room.
Startled, Scotty turned around. It was Julia. She walked further into the room, pulling the sides of her cardigan tightly around her. When she got next to Scotty, he could see, even in the dark room, that her eyes were red.
Scotty smiled softly. "You should be sleeping," he said.
Julia laughed ruefully, and Scotty nodded in acknowledgment at the ridiculousness of his comment.
"I can’t believe this is happening," Julia observed.
Scotty reached an arm out, wrapping it around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. She sighed as they both stared out the window.
"She’s going to be fine," he said quietly.
"You don’t know that," Julia said. "I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but...I lost one baby already, and you don’t know that."
"No, I don’t," Scotty conceded. "But I’m pretty sure. She’s a fighter; it’s in her blood."
"That Kevin Walker stubbornness?" Julia said with a small smile.
Scotty looked down at her, eyes crinkling as he smiled. "That Julia Ridge spirit."
Julia gave a short laugh at the unexpected compliment. "You’re right," she agreed, tears choking up her throat. "Nothing’s keeping her down."
"Nope," Scotty concurred.
Julia turned again, sniffling as she looked up at him. "They’re both going to be fine."
Scotty pressed his lips together in a grim smile. He looked out the window again. "Yeah," he sighed.
***
Kevin laughed quietly as he watched Scotty roll up the cuffs on the pajama legs. Then he grimaced, pressing a pillow to his torso.
"If it hurts to laugh, don’t laugh, you idiot," Scotty said.
"Sorry, it’s just...God, you’re tall."
"No, I’m not. You’re short."
"Ouch."
Scotty flashed a smile at him before moving to the other leg.
"How long have you had these pajamas anyway? They look brand-new."
Scotty shook his head. "A while. I got them from Jordan."
"Ohhh, right," Kevin said, tilting his head back as he remembered. "At your bachelor party. These are the ‘you’re getting married and will never have sex again’ pajamas."
"Mm-hmm," Scotty said, nodding. He patted Kevin’s calf lightly, then walked closer to the head of the bed. "You think it’s obvious they’ve never been worn?"
"What, you mean the permanent crease lines from being folded and stuck in a drawer for months? Well, Mom didn’t say anything," Kevin said with a grin.
Scotty closed his eyes and shook his head. "Please don’t remind me."
Kevin cocked his head. "What?"
"Your mother insisted she go get all this stuff. There was nothing I could do."
"So what? She wanted to help."
Scotty nodded. "I know. But she went through our stuff - the medicine cabinet and maybe the nightstand too."
Kevin shook his head, still confused at the issue. Scotty sighed. "Kevin - think about what he have in the medicine cabinet and - "
"Oh my God," Kevin whispered, his eyes closing in sudden, embarrassed understanding.
***
Of all the marriage horror stories Scotty had heard, the ones about the dreaded, evil mother-in-law were the most frequent. He never expected to have much trouble, however. He knew, of course, from Kevin’s stories and his own experience, that Nora could be...overwhelming. But mostly, he just figured that would be a nice change of pace from his own mother. So their first major clash came as a real surprise to him.
The drunken apology on his voicemail almost made it worth it, though.
But Scotty still wanted to clear the air. So the next night, when Kevin went to talk to Tommy, Scotty went to talk to Nora. He carefully balanced a plate of freshly-baked brownies in one hand as he rang the doorbell. Almost a minute later, the door opened.
"Scotty!"
"Hi. I...here," he said, blushing as he presented the plate. "I’m sorry."
Nora laughed, shoulders shaking as she took the plate and then reached out to hug Scotty. "Come on in, honey. I have something for you too."
"You do?" Scotty asked in surprise as he followed her to the kitchen.
She glanced behind at him as she opened the fridge and pulled out a container. "Yep. I was just about to bring it over."
Scotty took the container from her and lifted it to peer through the bottom. He gasped. "Mango peach salsa!"
"Look under the lid," Nora directed, turning away towards the coffee pot.
Scotty watched her for a beat, with a slightly confused expression. He cracked open the container; on the bottom of the lid, in a plastic baggie, was an index card with a recipe. Scotty closed the lid again and looked up, fighting a smile. "You said that recipe was going to your grave."
Nora shrugged. "You’re the only one who will ever see it. Got it?"
Scotty laughed. He put the container on the counter and sat down. Nora finished pouring two mugs of coffee and joined him. She pulled the plate of brownies over and removed the covering.
"This doesn’t mean I’m deleting that voicemail," Scotty said, still grinning. Nora fake-scowled.
They sat, talking quietly as they ate brownies. Nora asked after Kevin, and Scotty explained what had happened at the hotel. Then they moved to other topics - Nora’s work with the center and Scotty’s job, a new book Nora planned to lend him, and a recipe he was going to email her. Quite some time passed before they even acknowledged how late it was getting. But finally, Kevin called, looking for Scotty, and they decided to call it a night.
Scotty leaned over the counter, picking up the salsa container. He laughed slightly.
"What?" Nora asked.
"Just remembering the first time I met you."
"Oh my God," Nora said, groaning. "I don’t know what came over me."
Scotty smiled. "I just remember thinking...this woman is the craziest person I’ve ever seen, and yet, quite possibly the bravest. All I knew was, I wanted to get to know you better."
"That’s nicer than what I thought about you," Nora said with a small smile.
Scotty raised an eyebrow, and Nora laughed.
"In between...everything, I remember seeing you and wondering ‘what had Sarah been thinking?’ You were so...unlike any of the guys Kevin had ever dated before, not that I had met that many of them. Don’t get me wrong - I thought that you were adorable, and I soon discovered that Kevin was, in fact, very interested. I just...Back then, I just couldn’t see it working."
"Oh. Well...thanks."
"And then," Nora continued pointedly, "there was that night at the theater. You were there with that young man - "
"Um...Randy."
"Randy, that’s right. Kevin went over to talk to you, and I came over later, remember?"
"Uh-huh."
"And I saw how you two were reacting to each other, and I saw how Kevin was the rest of that night. It was suddenly so obvious. I didn’t know how I hadn’t seen it before. And now look at you!"
Scotty looked down at the floor, pleased and slightly embarrassed. Nora put a hand to his cheek, and he looked up to see her smiling through sudden tears. "I’ve never been so happy to be proven wrong."
Scotty smiled back at her, and Nora pulled him into a hug. She quickly backed away, however. Hands on his arms, she turned him around and guided him out of the kitchen towards the front door.
"OK, you have to go. Kevin’s waiting, and it’s getting late. Drive safe and call me when you get there."
Scotty laughed as he was forced outside and pointed in the direction of his car. He turned to face Nora one last time. "OK, Mom," he said, grinning.
Nora scoffed, smacking him lightly on the arm. "Go on," she said. "I love you."
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