Chapter 25: Home and Work – Part 3

Wedding And Honeymoon

After crying all the way home, I was useless the rest of the night. All I could do was hold her and cry.

“Mick, I’m sorry. I wish I could make myself better, but I can’t. Please don’t be like this. I need your strength.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t help it. I love you so much. I’ve never loved anyone like this. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you.”

“Don’t worry about that now. Come to bed with me. I need you inside me.”

We made love almost all night. She kept getting me hard and I kept jumping on her. We eventually fell asleep with her little body still impaled on top of me.

I woke to the sensation of kisses on my chest. My arms were wrapped around her and I held her tight.

“Come on, Mick. I’ll make you breakfast and pack our lunches. We need to go to work and deal with this with the ladies. They are going to be as emotional as you were last night. I expect that you are going to have to hold and take care of the four of them.”

“I don’t know if I can take care of them like I did with you.”

“No, you can’t. But would you take care of me in the shower?”

When we took off for the office, we were clean and wonderfully taken care of. I parked the SUV and we walked into our offices, holding hands. As soon as we entered, there were four women in hysterics. It took all of the strength I had to not break down with them.

Diana seemed to be the one under the most control, but then she and Sasha had become best friends and had already talked that day in the hospital. I wondered if Sasha had told her some things that day. Tasha was the worst. She had the same reaction I did last night. I stood back and let the emotions flow for a long time before I stepped in and took Tasha in my arms and held her. She cried on my chest and when she looked in my eyes, she saw the tears being held back in my eyes.

“How are you, Mick?”

“I’m pretty messed up. Sasha had to drive home from the doc’s because I couldn’t see the road to drive. Last night I think I drained out all of my emotions with Sasha. Right now, I think I’m good, but it’s going to be rough.”

Tasha released me, went to her desk and came back with a box of tissues. She gave me some and took some for herself. I walked over to the three women and pulled Jos away and wrapped her in my arms. She broke down again and sobbed into my chest. I gave her some tissue.

“Jos let it out. Sasha and I have had some time to work through this thing and we’re still struggling, well I am. Sasha seems to have made peace with the whole thing. She seems to have a well of strength that I can’t begin to understand. I just found her and now I’m going to lose her.”

“It’s not fair, Mick,” Jos sobbed.

“No, it isn’t, but I found out a long time ago that there is no fair.”

Diana came over and joined us.

“Jos, are you OK?”

“No, I’m not. I’m going to lose my friend,” she sobbed out as Tasha came to us.

“Tasha are you OK yet?” I asked.

“No. The man I love is going to lose the women he loves. My friends are going to lose Sasha. I’M NOT FUCKING OK,” Tasha was almost hysterical.

“I’m going to lose her too. We are all going to have to keep it together,” Diana held her friend.

“Tasha, you still have a wedding to plan,” I said.

“You’re still going to get married?” Tasha asked pulling herself together.

“Hell yes, Tasha,” I said. “I love her, and she wants to be married to me for the rest of her life. I need you to put it together so that we can fulfill one of her final wishes. OK?”

“Yes,” she straightened up like a switch had been hit. The determined look in Tasha’s eyes made me feel better for her.

I turned to see Jos and Sasha embracing, and to see James holding Lissa as she sobbed into his chest. I took my ladies hands and I got them and James together.

“Gang, how much time do you want to get yourselves together? I don’t want to sound like a crass, hard ass, but we need to get some work done or this young company is going to go away. So, we all need to get together and take care of ourselves,” I tried to speak more calmly than I really felt.

“Girls, I understand how you feel. I have had several days to go through what you are going through now,” Sasha said lovingly to her friends.

“What do you mean several days. We just found out yesterday.”

“No, Mick. You’ve known since yesterday. I knew as soon as the doctor told me I had cancer. The way he looked at me, the way I felt; I knew. I didn’t tell you because you were so hopeful that we could fight it, but I knew.”

I looked at Sasha and the hurt must have been showing, because she grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into a hug as I started crying again.

“My love, when I talked to Diana,” Sasha held me tightly to her. “I told her that I was going to die and that I was going to want to marry you before it happened. I told her that I didn’t know how long I was going to have but I wanted that time to be with you as your wife.”

She released me and looked at our friends. “Now, everybody, let’s get back to work. My husband is going to need a strong company to support him and his friends and the people he loves. I’m going to go to the HR department over there in that room and find out where Gail is,” Sasha took control.

“She called this morning. Her little girl’s home puking,” Jos informed all of us.

“OK, thanks for that Jos. Tasha is going to make plans for me and Mick’s wedding. Lissa I need you to drop the bachelor party and take over the plans for our honeymoon,” Sasha looked over the small group of friends and lovers. “I don’t know if Diana told the rest of you, but the doctor has given me about three months if I don’t do the chemo and radiation. If I do the treatments, he says I will have six months of pain and agony in bed before I die in pain and agony. I am going for the best quality of life I can. Read quality of life as being with my husband and my friends for as long as possible. Now get to work! I hear the head of HR is a hard-ass.”

Everyone went to their desks and we went to work. I sat across from James and tried to code the software we had been working on, but I was a mess. I would type in a few lines, then go back and correct all of the errors I’d just made.

“James, I can’t seem to focus. I’ve entered this same line of code four times and I still can’t get it right.”

“I know. I’m having trouble too.”

“Why are you having issues? You haven’t known Sasha that long.”

“No, but I’ve known Lissa long enough, and when she is hurting, I’m hurting.”

“You and Lissa?” I asked.

“Yeah. I think I love her.”

“I know I do,” I admitted.

“She told me. We’ve gone out a few times and I think it’s going to get serious. But right now, she is hurting for Sasha and for you ... Oh, she told me about the washing machine.”

“The washing machine?”

“Yeah. Both times.”

“You OK with that?” I was hoping that he would not be jealous.

“Yeah, Mick. It was before I got to know her. She loves you, but if all goes well, she will be IN love with me. Right now, we are really good friends.”

“Good. She is a wonderful woman. I’m happy for you. Please let me know if I can do anything to help.”

I sat quietly for several minutes. Finally, I had to tell a guy.

“James?”

“Yeah.”

“I love her so much. I don’t know how I am going to make it without her.”

“I can’t imagine how you are feeling, Mick. I’ve never lost anyone in my life. The best I can do is offer a shoulder from a guy. I know that you are surrounded by women, but a guy looks at things differently. I like you, boss. I’m here if you need me. Besides, I hear that you got me pregnant! Now shut the fuck up and get back to work.”

I looked at James and laughed. He and Lissa. Good. I put my head down and began to type until I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Mick, honey?” Sasha said softly. “It’s time to go home.”

“Huh?”

“It’s time to go home.”

“What time is it?”

“It’s after eight.”

“Eight!?” I was stunned.

“Yeah. Everyone has gone home. You were so intent on what you were doing that James told us to let you go. I’ve been sitting and waiting for you, but I’m hungry.”

“Oh lover, I’m sorry. I got on a roll. I got a lot of bugs fixed in the new software and I think this is going to make our clients really happy.” I started to cry again. “I’m sorry.”

“Mick, what’s wrong?” Sasha said, taking her place on my lap.

“I was working, and I didn’t think about you. You weren’t on my mind.”

“That’s OK, Mick. You needed some time to let your brain be free. You needed time to shut down your emotions. Before this, you would get into your work too, and I know that you didn’t think about me then. Why should you get upset now?”

“Because of the cancer.”

“Mick, it doesn’t matter if it is cancer or a cold. There are times to worry and times to move to other things. It doesn’t mean that you don’t care for me or love me. And it doesn’t mean that I feel slighted or unloved.” She kissed me and stood. “Sometimes I wonder if I can hold all of the love you give me. It makes me feel like I’m going to burst.”

I saved my work and closed my computer. Sasha and I walked out to the SUV and kissed for a while before I drove us to the Texas Roadhouse for dinner. We shared the jalapeno poppers. She had a glass of wine and I had a Shiner Bock. Our steaks were good, and we talked quietly and calmly.

“Has Diana said anything to you about the wedding?” Sasha asked.

“Yes. She told me to shut up and go away!” I complained.

“What?”

“Yeah! I asked for some details and she told me to shut up and go away.”

Sasha laughed and shook her head. “I thought that the wedding was supposed to be my day. Diana had this look on her face. I think she’s really got something up her sleeve.”

“Great,” I rolled my eyes, not being able to do anything else.

After dinner we went home and made soft love before cuddling until the morning alarm went off. We showered and had breakfast. I looked at her face while she chewed her eggs and smiled.

“What?”

“I was just thinking that you look so normal. If I didn’t know you were sick, I wouldn’t be able to tell.”

“Mick, you’re acting like I should change. What do you think? Should I be looking like a giant walking tumor? I’m me!”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what to think. Maybe I should call one of those support groups. This is just so scary, not knowing what to expect or what to do.”

“Come on. Let’s do the dishes and get dressed and go to work. I’m curious to see if Diana will tell me about my wedding.”

“Yeah, when you find out let me know too. I think after last night that James and I can rip through the rest of the program today.”

“Good. I’m going to work with the temp on the HR position and then try to find out when I’m getting married.”

We got dressed, with the normal amount of playing around. She bent over the bed and offered herself to me and I accepted the gift. We still got to work on time.

“Hi Sasha,” Diana said with glee. “When you and Mick have a few minutes, I need to tell you about your wedding.”

I looked at Sasha and smiled. She looked and cocked her head in the direction of Diana’s desk. Taking her hand, I walked, while she skipped the fifteen feet over to Diana’s desk. Diana just looked at her and chuckled as she shook her head.

“OK!” Diana relented under the undeniable cuteness of the bride-to-be. “You are getting married on Saturday.”

“Then you’re going on your honeymoon for a week,” Lissa stuck her head in the door and announced.

“Hi, Lissa. OK, now that we know the when, where is the location?”

“That’s a surprise!” Lissa said smugly.

“A surprise?”

“Yes. You two pack for a week. We’ll take you to the wedding, then you will start your honeymoon from there.”

“Where is there?”

“It’s a surprise! We are going to put you in a limo, blindfolded and take you to the wedding site. It is going to be so cool!”

“As soon as you say your “I do’s”, we’ll whisk you off to start your week of bliss.”

“Lissa? What do we pack?” I asked, just a little annoyed. “Are we going on an Alaskan cruise and need warm clothes or are we going to Jamaica and need bikinis?”

“Mick? Do you wear a bikini?” Lissa looked at me and was forming a picture in her minds eye.

“No Lissa. But Sasha does.”

“I’ll tell you what, I’ll pack your bags and have them in the limo for you.”

I looked at Sasha and she smiled back and shrugged her shoulders.

“Mick, I think they’re plotting again,” Sasha sounded like she was warning me.

“Yeah,” I agreed.

“Sasha. Mick. Trust me,” Diana said. “This is going to be the most memorable wedding any of us will ever go to.”

“And it will be the honeymoon that you both deserve,” Lissa gave us that evil smile. “You have to trust Diana and me.”

I needed to voice my concern. “I do, but under the situation I’m worried about how it will affect Sasha.”

“Mick,” Diana spoke sternly. “I have considered Sasha in everything having to do with the wedding and Lissa has taken care of everything having to do with your honeymoon. You know that we love her and won’t do anything to hurt her, or you.”

Diana grabbed my arm and pulled me off to the side and whispered to me.

“Mick, please trust me. You are going to be so happy that I did this. I have the rings, the reservations for the honeymoon, her wedding outfit, everything is done. I want you to remember this for the rest of your life.”

I looked at my dear friend, she hugged me before returning to me fiancé.

“OK! I agree. Sasha, how about you?”

“I agree. This is going to be fun. Mick?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve always wanted to fuck in a limo.”

“Oh shit. I’m gonna die!”

On Friday night the ladies and James came to our apartment for dinner, then they told us to go to the movies and neck in the back row while they packed for our surprise wedding and honeymoon. So, we went to a movie and sat in the middle and didn’t neck too much. After the movie we got home at 7PM to find everyone gone and a note on the kitchen table.

WE HAVE YOUR TRAVEL STUFF AND WILL BE BACK AT 6 IN THE MORNING. BE READY. WE LOVE YOU.

We showered and after I set my alarm clock for 5AM, we went to bed and made love several times before falling asleep. When the alarm went off, we made love again, showered and dressed. We made a pot of coffee and had some toasted bagels with cream cheese or peanut butter. We sat there and chatted about what we thought was going to happen when the front door flew open.

Diana commanded as she rushed into the apparently unlocked front door. “Let’s go!”

We were grabbed and pulled out the door.

“Lock it!” I called out.

“Hush! I got it,” Tasha yelled back.

“OK,” I relented.

“Put these on.” Tasha said as she handed us sleep masks.

Sasha and I looked at each other, then at Diana and Lissa. Sasha giggled and put the sleep mask on me.

“I wonder if they’ll have whips and chains,” Sasha said.

“Oh boy,” with our crazy friends, I could see that.

Then we were led away to the limo, I think.

“Watch your head. Feel free to play around and feel around. You will be the only people in the limo. I’m going to ask you to please keep the masks on. Please. This is going to be such an awesome surprise if you do. It is going to be the best thing ever. We love both of you.”

“What do we do when we get to where we are going?” I asked.

“We will meet you there and be all set up. The guests will be there. The minister will be there. Everything will be ready. All you will need to do is don your outfits and walk to the altar.”

I reached out, blindly, and found Sasha. We took seats in the back and heard a voice.

“Are you two ready?” The voice asked.

“I guess so. Who are you?”

“I’m the driver,” he answered.

“Do we need seat belts?” I asked.

“There are seat belts, but we are under the bus laws and they are not required like in a car. I don’t intend to hit anything, but feel free to wear them.”

“How long is the ride going to be?” I was sounding so insecure.

“As long as it takes. The lady who set this up told me to be ready to drive around until they have the wedding set up. By the way, congratulations.”

“Thanks,” I said, sounding a bit grumpy.

“Thank you. My name is Sasha, and this is Mick. What’s your name?”

“My name’s Michael Loucks,” he replied.

“Like the famous author?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t know. Sit back and relax and like the lady said, please keep your masks on. And if you feel like doing anything lovey dovey, go ahead, it wouldn’t be the first time a couple made out or made love back there. If you need me there is a button on the roof above your head. The left and right buttons turn on the reading lamps, which you won’t need, and the middle one calls me. Here we go.”

Sasha and I sat as close together as we could and cuddled. The drive started to feel really long. I reached up and found the buttons and pushed the call button.