Chapter 16: ... So Are the Days of Our Lives

August 9, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“So what do you think?” I asked my wives as we lay in bed together after having made love.

“I think Ken Corday would be fired if he proposed a script for Days of Our Lives that followed your extended family!” Jessica declared.

“Are you watching that show?” I chuckled.

“It’s on in the doctors’ lounge. That’s the most popular one, and then General Hospital. Nobody is really into All My Children. Anyway, you told us what they said, and I’m sure you have an opinion.”

“I do,” I said. “I’m just not sure how to proceed other than take things one day at a time.”

“Did you ever watch that show?” Jessica asked.

“I saw a few episodes. Valerie Bertinelli was smoking hot!”

“Speaking of TV, there are rumors of a show about a Chicago hospital being talked about.”

“That would be interesting, if only to hear you complain about how wrong it was!” I chuckled.

“It’s the same as with you whenever they do some technology thing in a movie!”

“True.”

“I am worried about Samantha and the way she throws money around,” Jessica said.

“I blame her parents,” I sighed. “That’s the only expression of ‘love’, and I use that term loosely, which she ever had from them. So that’s how SHE shows it. Her other expression of it is sex. That’s where she needs our help. And I honestly think Birgit and Abbie are going to help her more than I am in that area. My relationship with her is going to be a bit weird because she sees so much of her dad in me.”

“Girls often look for men like their fathers. Or the opposite. I found one like mine. Kara found one opposite of hers.”

“You mean your biological father,” I said.

“Yes, of course!”

“I think the thing to do with her is tell her that if she’s going to be with us, she needs to live like we do,” I said. “That’s going to be her real challenge, and will do more to help her than anything else we can do. And, if she can’t handle it, then that pretty much puts an end to things.”

“You mean no Gulfstreams?” Kara asked.

“Exactly.”

“And Aimee?” She continued. “And her Piper and Twin Beech? And her dad flying you back and forth to Ohio when Bethany was hurt?”

“I see your point, but I didn’t ever feel that either of them were flaunting wealth or trying to buy my love, if you will. That’s what it feels like with Samantha. She said she wanted to take me to Paris for dinner. If that doesn’t scream ‘over-the-top’ I don’t know what would!”

“It would be nice to have the money to do something completely silly like that just once, don’t you think?” Jessica asked.

“It’s all about the motivation,” I countered.

“And Michelle’s main issue?”

“She’s trying to reconcile her desire to make love with me with her Catholic beliefs. They’re in direct opposition to each other and that’s why her issues are far more serious than Samantha’s. There are other things about Michelle which make things more difficult for her. I think Samantha could accept our lifestyle much easier than Michelle could.”

“That’s what really surprised me about Michelle,” Jessica said. “That she basically told you to have sex with Alli.”

“That was her way of putting the decision on me without making me tell HER ‘no’,” I said. “And a way of asking for what she wanted without having to actually ask for it. She needed some way to assuage her conscience. It didn’t work, and that’s why she’s conflicted.”

“And both girls being in love with you?” Kara asked. “And both knowing the other one is?”

“Creates a potential for serious conflict between them. And Samantha thinks she has the upper hand.”

“Because sex is just a ‘cost of doing business’ for Samantha?” Jessica asked. “She can have sex with you without any internal moral conflict, and can use her money to her advantage.”

I nodded, “But she’s missing the entire point.”

“That Michelle giving herself to you means far more than anything Samantha could do.”

“Yes. Michelle is giving herself - heart, mind, body, soul. Samantha is giving tangible things, if you will.”

“For now,” Kara said. “Until you show her otherwise.”

“Assuming Michelle takes it to heart, yes. And Kara, you were right about her being very much like you. The parallels are uncanny, really.”

“Which means there is only one question, doesn’t it?”

“Yes,” I said. “Will Michelle ever be with anyone else? But there are two questions, really. The other one is, will Michelle be with me in the future?”

“Only time will tell,” Kara said. “It took me a long time to figure things out. All we can do is wait and see.”

“Like sands through the hourglass...” Jessica said.

August 10, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“Good morning, Lucas,” I said when I arrived at the office on Monday morning.

“Good morning, Steve!” he replied. “Good morning, Elyse!”

“Keri, you’ve done a good job, as always!” I chuckled.

“Thanks! He catches on quickly!”

Elyse said good morning and we went into the office. Kimmy was at my door a minute later with my coffee.

“Thank you,” I said.

She smiled and her eyes twinkled.

“You’re welcome. I told Keri she should thank you properly for the promotion!”

Elyse had made Keri the primary contract administrator. That would occupy a good portion of her day, and she’d do accounting and other clerical work to fill out her day. We had enough clients, both for our software packages and for consulting, that it was overwhelming Chris and Kimmy. The BLS merger was, in the end, costing us a bit more than we had planned, but once the annual contract revenue started flowing into our coffers in November and December, we’d be in good shape.

“Behave, Mrs. Cantril!” I chuckled. “You know the rules!”

“So did you,” she teased.

“Just leave the coffee!”

“I will. Work on the new space is moving along according to plan. There should be no problem with it being ready for occupancy before Thanksgiving. We’re going to have a bit of shuffling to do with the move because we’re reusing furniture from here. We’ll probably make the move over the weekend of December 4th to 7th. Pittsburgh and Los Angeles will cover the phones, but we’re going to lose a couple of days of work here because of tearing down, moving, and reassembling the furniture. I’ll do my best to minimize the disruption, but I think that’s where we are.”

“Programmers and support staff, right? But the executive team can work Friday and Monday?”

“Yes. And the consultants mostly aren’t affected because they’re out of the office.”

“I think you have it under control, Kimmy! Just make sure everyone has a copy of the move plans.”

“I will! I’ll be back to check on your coffee situation in a bit!”

“You take good care of me!” I grinned.

She smiled, turned, looked back over her shoulder, shook her hips, giggled, and walked out.

August 12, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“Hi, Samantha!” I said. “I didn’t expect to see you here!”

I had gone home on Wednesday morning to walk Jessica to work.

“I talked to Abbie last night and she said she’s leaving for Michigan after lunch. I’m going to help watch the kids until she comes back. Well, except for Sunday when we’re going to the race.”

“Birgit will be ecstatic!” I chuckled. “How much experience do you have with little kids?”

“Not much, but your kids are all angels!”

Abbie, Kara, and I all started laughing.

“Just wait!” Kara said.

“Abbie,” Jessica said. “The car keys are on the key rack. Have fun and we’ll see you when you get back!”

“Thanks, Doctor Jessica! And thanks for letting me use your car.”

“It mostly sits in the driveway, and Steve’s car and Kara’s minivan are both here if I need to go somewhere.”

“Just call home when you arrive, Abbie” I said. “Jess, are you ready to go to work?”

“I am.”

I hugged Abbie, and then set out for the hospital with Jessica and Kara.

“That was an interesting development,” I said.

“It makes sense if she wants to integrate into the family,” Kara said.

“It also makes sense if she’s competing with Michelle,” Jessica said.

“I hadn’t considered that angle,” I said. “Michelle mostly keeps to herself at this point because of her internal struggle.”

“But Samantha probably can’t even understand it. Has she ever gone to church?”

“Other than being baptized as a baby? Mostly just for weddings or funerals. So you’re probably right that she doesn’t understand the struggle in spiritual terms.”

“Bethany came to see me after you left for work this morning.”

I chuckled, “About the conversation I had with her?”

“Yes. You remember I’m going to the three-day medical conference in Minneapolis the last weekend of September?”

“Yes.”

“She wondered if you were available for a long weekend at Kohler.”

“Am I?” I grinned.

Jessica laughed, “Yes. Because there’s one more piece of information. She’s going to move out at the end of October.”

I stopped walking and dropped Jessica’s hand. She took one more step, then stopped and turned. Kara dropped my hand and stopped as well.

“She told you and not me?” I asked, my brow furrowed. “Seriously?”

“It was part of the conversation and she said it was OK to tell you. She thinks it’s time to get her own place. She planned that from when you offered to let her live here. It does make sense.”

I took a deep breath and let it out. Bethany hadn’t done anything wrong, and being upset about the fact that she talked to Jessica was, well, silly. I took Jessica’s hand, and then Kara’s, and we began walking again.

“Did she ask Jesse?” I chuckled. “We may need to use that gravesite that she reserved next to Nick!”

“She’s going to talk to Jennifer and Josie about it sometime this week and figure out the best way to break it to Jesse. She signed a lease starting November 1st on a two-bedroom apartment in the building Jolene lives in.”

“I knew it would happen eventually,” I sighed. “I just didn’t think it would be so soon.”

“She’s still going to be around! She’ll be less than a mile away!”

“I know. I’m not going to get depressed about it, Babe.”

“So will you go away with her for a weekend like she wants?”

“That’s up to the two of you. I may be in charge, as we agreed, but I do need to hear your advice.”

“Bethany is the least dangerous person on the planet,” Kara said. “I sent you to Prom with her!”

I chuckled, “Now THAT would be a weekend to remember!”

Both my wives laughed.

“In your dreams, Tiger!”

“If Kurt came to visit...” Kara giggled.

“Nothing would happen, and you know it! Just as nothing will ever happen between me and Kathy, despite all the teasing that goes on. In the end, it is just the same as between you and Kurt.”

Kara smiled, “IF I was going to do something like that, he’d be the guy! But I’m not. Jess, we know Kathy would be Steve’s. Who’s yours?”

“Do I have to tell?”

“Yes!” Kara and I said together.

“Jorge!” she giggled. “But you can NEVER tell him! Ever!”

“That ‘Latin lover, teddy bear’ thing does it for you, huh?” I grinned.

“You are a strange man, Tiger! You have no problem with me saying that?”

“Why? We just talked about me having a crazy, sex-fueled weekend with Bethany, and the fantasy of her bringing Kathy along the way she did at Prom! How could I complain about you having your secret crush?”

“Most men can’t deal with it.”

“Most men can’t deal with being told about the things Gina tells me about!” I chuckled. “Seriously, the relative merits of how one guy’s cum tastes compared to another? I swear she’s doing her best to freak me out!”

“As if that were possible!” Kara giggled. “Jess, did you finish reading the journals?”

“I’m getting there. It was really tough reading about how you all were feeling when I was gone. But one thing shone through - you all loved me.”

“How far along are you?”

“Nick’s funeral,” she sighed.

We arrived at the hospital and after hugs and kisses, I walked Kara home, and then went back to the office. That evening, after dinner, I asked Bethany into my study to chat.

“I would have thought you would tell me first,” I said.

“So you could talk me out of it?”

“That would be the old me, Bethany. Right now I just want you to do what’s best for you and Nicholas. Is this because Nick’s family will be here on Friday?”

“No. But it is true that if I can tell them I’m moving into my own place it might mollify them a bit.”

“As long as that isn’t your primary reason.”

“No. I planned this from the beginning. Six months seems about right. Things are stable with the Center, and after the fundraiser next month I should be able to hire a part-time counselor to help me. I need to get on with the next phase of my life.”

“And you can’t do that living with me.”

“Not properly, no. We both know it. That’s why you don’t sound depressed now. You know and accept it.”

“I’m just curious, this weekend in Kohler, is this a one-time thing? Or?”

She smiled, “That sir, is up to you. So long as your wives permit it, and I’m not involved with anyone, I want to continue.”

“Not involved with anyone? That sounds as if you’re thinking about it. That’s a change.”

“I’m allowing for the possibility. That’s all. I’m not sure I can live another fifty years or more alone. And you can’t be mine the way I would need you to be. You never could.”

“No, I couldn’t. At least we figured it out before we did something exceedingly stupid.”

“True. Oh, before I forget, did you see I left an advance copy of my book here for you? I thought you might want to get it to that reporter.”

“Thanks; I did see it. I’ll get it to him. Book the weekend at Kohler.”

She smiled, kissed me on the cheek, and we went back to join the rest of the family.

August 13, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“Steve, there’s an Abbie Nolan on the phone for you,” Lucas said about 3:30pm.

“Put her through, please.”

She was on the line a moment later.

“Abbie? What’s up? Is everything OK?”

“No, it’s not,” she said softly. “Davey Allison’s little brother, Clifford, just died in a practice crash.”

“Shit,” I sighed.

“We didn’t see it happen, but they said he was in turn four, spun, and the driver’s side hit the retaining wall. He died on the way to the hospital.”

“Damn. If you see Davey, give him my condolences. He was at Stephie’s funeral. This has been a really shitty year for that family with all of Davey’s wrecks. I’m sure you know Bobby’s story, too.”

“Yes, he almost died from a wreck at Pocono.”

“I take it everything else is OK?”

“Yes. Jason said he’s looking forward to seeing all of you. So did Bill.”

“We’ll see you on Sunday morning. Thanks for calling to let me know.”

“Sorry,” she said.

“It’s OK. See you Sunday.”

We said goodbye and I hung up. I was going to hear about it from Jessica, for sure. And as always, it would lead to a debate that neither of us would ever win. To me, the risk was worth taking; for Jessica it never was.

August 14, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“Is everything set for dinner tonight?” Bethany asked on Friday morning.

“Yes. Are you going to the airport or are they taking a cab?”

“They decided to rent a car so they can get around more easily. They’re staying at the Hyatt in Hyde Park. They’ll be here around 3:00pm.”

“OK. I’m going to come home early today so I’m here when they arrive. Jess and Kara will both be here, too.”