I finally had time to finish enough to post.
The last part seemed to either offend or surprise at least one reader (well, only one posted) with my having put the character Dee Dee McCall-Turnan in a situation where she has mental and physical abuse thrust upon her. I thought I'd put an "R" rating to let readers know that there is a possiblity of Dee Dee being in more situations of this type. Also, there are scenes of strong sexual and language content, and illeagal drug use.
I don't recall any authors using a disclaimer here, (fanfiction.net, yes) but...
Although my ideas were built from an episode (Streetwise) of the show, I, the author of the fanfictional story "Fools Rush In" am in no way affiliated with the tv series "Hunter", the cast, crew, copyright assoc., etc. I'm just a fan of the show and it's actors, trying something I've always wanted to try. Writing stories. I probably won't always remember to put up the rating, so forgive me if you read something offensive and wasn't warned ahead of time. I'll have to get used to doing that.
Hope that works.
On with the fic.
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(Part 15)
Dr. Turnan drove to his destination knowing there was no way to avoid the confrontation to come. Dr. Ingram made that clear with yesterday’s phone call.
Dr. Harrison Ingram; chief of staff called Alex into his office. The visit wasn’t one for praise on the good work Alex has contributed to the foundation, but to be warned of the consequences he’d be facing if he didn’t meet the terms awaiting him. As the two men quietly walked down the hall, taking the elevator to the twelfth floor conference room, Alex knew for certain that he was in for strict punishment for his actions.
After Alex took a seat at the rectangular shaped table; joining several other men and women who were called to the meeting, Dr. Ingram began to speak.
“Alex. You know you’re a wonderful asset to us, but finding traces of cocaine in your system isn’t something we’ll overlook. I don’t know how many other times we could have found it, but if this wasn’t your first time using, you’ve done well with hiding it…until now.”
The doctor continued to reprimand Alex, until other heads of staff joined in with their words of disapproval and frustration with him. The decision was made that Dr. Turnan would receive three months probation, with a drug screening every week within those months and for the next six weeks, he wouldn’t be allowed any access to any part of the research grounds. He was also advised to attend a rehabilitation facility, as recommended by Dr. Ingram.
“Alex. We were looking forward to your educating future scientist at the university, as well as putting more of your talents to good use here. Cocaine or any drug abuse is just something we can’t tolerate. I don’t have the slightest idea of why you’d put such poison inside yourself. We’re very disappointed. I do hope you’ll get the help you need.”
Dr. Ingram gave his Alex his final instructions. “You need to turn in any keys, pass cards, and identification badges. After you do so, you’ll be escorted from the grounds by security guards.” Alex nodded in somber agreement, and without a word, rose to leave the room.
After being escorted to his office to retrieve his belongings, he was shown the way off of the property; guards watching until he drove away.
*****
As her husband made the drive home, Dee Dee stood in the room where her paint supplies and beginning artwork stood. She stirred the bluish-gray paint over and over; while her mind settled on the thoughts of Alex being a coke user. There was so much she didn’t know about him. Yet she allowed herself to believe she knew enough to have him as her loving husband and father of her children. For whatever the reason, she felt that the same Alexander Turnan she met eight years ago had to be inside the exterior form which is so destructive, abusive and angry. She didn’t know how, when or if she’d actually go about finding out what caused the drastic change in him, but it was definitely something not to leave her thoughts anytime soon.
----
Alex didn’t say a word as passed the room she was in. Dee Dee was curious about why Alex was home so soon. It wasn’t his day off, as he had made sure not to have very many of those. Any he did have, weren’t spent with her either. Of course with the attitude he’s been sporting for weeks, asking him about his day might not be a good idea.
Alex sat inside his office, alone with the earlier events of the day floating in his head. He could only curse himself for allowing Monica to be a destructive influence in his life. He knew that she was responsible for a huge part of his life being the way it is. She was the one who introduced him to the world of drug abuse, and she was also the one who encouraged him to become a regular user. She didn’t use threats or brute force to get him to that point, as he could have said no. But the way she manipulated his mind with reminders of drug euphoria and untamed sex was enough to keep him going back for more.
Monica Fallon, this wild woman that Alexander Turnan couldn’t refuse, had helped him bring torture and turmoil into his life, and the life of Mrs. Alexander Turnan. With the few days of being free of Miss Fallon, he was beginning to see that with her, he wasn’t truly happy. It was only drugs and sex. Along with admitting that to himself, and the possible warnings in his nightmares, he knew that whatever he and Monica shared should come to an end if he would succeed in saving his career and his life.
-----
After a few hours of doing much of nothing with the paint supplies, and wondering about Alex, Dee Dee checked her watch and saw it was time she headed to the community center. Before she headed downstairs she knocked on the partially opened door to Alex’s office.
“Hey. I’m going to the center. I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Okay.”
Alex didn’t turn to face her when he replied. She knew that he’d told her she could volunteer at the center, but with his irrational moods, she still expected him to protest against it. When he didn’t she went down to her car and drove off.
-----
Alex picked up the phone to hear a familiar voice. “Dr. Turnan. I know you’ve missed me terribly and I’m calling to let you know your suffering will soon be over.”
“Monica?”
“You were expecting someone else? I thought I was the only one. My feelings are hurt.” The voice carried a false tone of disappointment.
“Sorry.”
For a minute, Monica had a true sense that Alex hadn’t missed her very much at all. “Alex, is something wrong?”
“I’ve got some things going that really need straightening out.”
Monica quickly thought of what could be causing Alex’s troubles. “Oh, no. Dee Dee’s pregnant, isn’t she? What about the abortion? Did she fight you on it? You’ll get her to have it done anyway, right?”
“Slow down Monica. Dee Dee isn’t pregnant. She never was.”
“Oh. Well that’s good news.” Monica breathed a sigh of relief. “And don’t scare me like that again.”
“There are other things going on that I need to take care of.”
Monica heard the melancholy in his voice. “Alex, please tell me what’s wrong. I want to help you if I can.”
Dr. Turnan had silent thoughts.- -“You’ve helped enough.”
The realization of Monica being a huge part of his troubles was getting stronger.
“Alex? Are you still there?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, tell me what’s going on. Is it something wrong at work?”
“That’s part of it. I don’t want to go into it over the phone.”
For the moment, Monica lay off the questions and gave her reason for calling. “Okay. I just called to tell you I won’t be leaving Paris for London tonight. I’ve decided to go ahead and meet with another client. We’ll be meeting in three days, and I didn’t see the sense in taking a flight home and come right back to Paris.” Monica paused for a second for Alex’s comment, but didn’t’ get one. “I’m looking forward to being with you again; having those perfectly wild moments together. There’ll be a special package arriving just after I get to the apartment. Maybe you could go by and pick it up for safe keeping. I can imagine you’re anxious to get your hands on both of us.” Wickedness trailed in her laughter.
Alex was hesitant with replying. “Yeah…well, I hope you have a safe trip home. I’ll talk to you about things when you get here.”
Monica, still not satisfied with Alex’s conduct went for the direct questions. “Are you seeing someone else, Alex? Is that what’s going on?”
“It’s not like that, Monica.”
“Then, what is it? You don’t sound like yourself. You mentioned something about work. What’s wrong?”
Alex waited for a second before giving Monica a small bit of what was troubling him. “I got caught.”
Monica knew immediately what he meant. “You got caught? How the hell did that happen? Didn’t you take the precautions?”
“No. I guess I let it slip my mind.”
“It slipped your mind?! How, Alex? We did everything to cover it up. It was routine as peeing first thing in the morning, for heaven’s sake.”
The two had actually gone to great lengths to keep the drug from showing up during any testing. They had contacts that supplied them with products to allow them to appear drug free, no matter the type of testing. They had it down to the urine, blood, saliva, and even hair samples. It was too easy for Alex not to screw up and Monica knew it.
“Alex. That was really stupid of you. Why didn’t you take care of it? Did you want to get caught?”
Dr. Turnan didn’t answer yes or no, but deep down he knew might have wanted to get caught. He couldn’t tell that to Monica.
“Look, Monica. There’s a lot more you don’t understand and don’t know about. I can’t discuss it over the phone. Let’s wait until you come back.”
Miss Fallon couldn’t end the conversation yet. “You’ve decided to play house with your pathetic wife afterall, didn’t you?” Rage became the guide for Monica’s words. “Damn it! I can’t believe you’re doing this shit to me! After all I’ve done for you…making sure you had your nose candy when you needed it! I was the one that showed you how to live out your sex fantasies! You were just as boring as your stupid tight assed wife until you met me! I gave you much more than that too! I was there to listen to you bitch and moan about any complaints you had about Dee Dee! Damn you, Alex!”
Alex maintained a calmer tone. “Monica. Calm down. Please. You’ve got things are twisted. I need to explain things, but I can’t now. I’ll talk to you about everything when you get home.”
“Fine! What ever the fuck you say, Alex! Just so you know I won’t let you use me anymore! I’m not Dee Dee! I won’t put up with your shit!” After inhaling and exhaling deeply, a more composed Monica finished the conversation. “I’ve got to go. Someone’s waiting for me. I’ll see you later, and we will definitely have a talk. A long talk.” With that said, Alex heard the loud slam of the phone receiver as it made contact with its cradle.
After the phone conversation with Monica, Alex felt he needed a fix of coke to help take the mood away. After finding the drug in the proper place; inside a hollowed out book on his office shelf, he found safety in the extra upstairs bathroom. For a brief moment he thought of how this very treat was the cause of his being dismissed from the job he’d dreamed of for so long, and how it controlled his actions more often than he’d like. He knew it was his downfall, and he promised himself he’d stop and get help but couldn’t resist at this moment. Within minutes he was fueled from the cocaine. It would be up to his wife to deal with his unpredictable actions.
----
Hours later Mrs. Turnan returned home. She was still in a good mood from spending time with the children and she hoped she wouldn’t have anything; such as Alex, break the mood.
Fortunately her husband was asleep on the den sofa. Alex hadn’t inhaled a large enough amount of coke to keep him high for very long at all. He spent most of his time drinking bourbon which happened to overrule the coke and bring on a heavy sleep. Dee Dee wanted to visit her friend and neighbor, Celise. She didn’t want to wake Alex, but also knew he’d want to know her every move. Before adding a second thought to the matter, Alex began to stir in his sleep. He seemed quite restless and quickly woke with a start. Still and quiet, Dee Dee stood timidly near the end of the sofa where Alex’s feet were. He squinted to help himself focus on his wife.
Trying not to let fear overcome her, Dee Dee asked what she wanted.
“I just got back from the center, and I’d like to visit with Celise for a while. Is that okay?” She felt so degraded having to get permission, but it was the only option for now.
Alex sat up, stretched and realized his head was about to remind him he’d drank quite a lot in a short time. “Yeah, go ahead.”
“Yeah, go ahead?” Dee Dee repeated the reply in her head. She never knew what to expect from her husband, and this was a bit of a surprise to her. She figured he’d say no, and raise hell over her asking, but she took the chance of asking and she got what she wanted.
After the visit, she returned home to find Alex in front of the television. He looked as if he was lost in thought or maybe just lost within himself. She didn’t say anything more than “I’m back” and went to kitchen for a bite to eat. She heated the leftover tuna casserole and sat at the kitchen table to eat. Alex soon made his way into the kitchen and Dee Dee’s stomach did a quick nervous twitch. She had no idea if Alex was about to yell at her about something or not. Thankfully, she was put at ease when he did nothing more than toss a beer can in the recycle bin and go upstairs.
After finishing her meal, she too went upstairs to change into her pajamas. She chose the navy blue satin, brushed her teeth, a little facial cleansing, brushed her hair into a loose ponytail atop her head and climbed into bed.
Last night, Alex joined her in the bed, and she didn’t have a clue as to if he’d come back tonight. He was in office for a good hour as Dee Dee scanned through a magazine and watched the news. There was a piece on the rate of domestic abuse being on the climb in some areas, and listed the high percentage of pregnant women as victims. Dee Dee sighed and shook her head with the disappointing news, not acknowledging that she was a victim herself. Without realizing, she let her hand glide back and forth over the silk fabric covering her tummy, which contained the growing baby created by her and Rick.
After the news, an episode of “I Love Lucy” followed. Dee Dee was able to get a few laughs while Lucy and partner in mischief, Ethel Mertz, lost the battle against chocolate candy and a conveyer belt. Minutes after the show, Alex came into the bedroom. Dee Dee had hoped she’d be spared of clinging to the edge of the bed while trying to sleep, but with Alex there, it wouldn’t be so.
The night before, she didn’t know if she’d sleep at all; not sure of what Alex might do, but she did sleep. If not disturbed by his reaction to his nightmare, she might have had a full night of sleep. After Alex got into bed, he said a few surprising words to Dee Dee, who had just taken her position to sleep.
“Dee Dee. You don’t have to sleep like that. There’s enough room for the both of us.”
She thought of him talking of fulfilling her sexual needs, and decided she’d be better off on the edge of the bed. Then, she realized that if he wanted to, he could grab her and pin her down like he did that day on the sofa. She felt angry at herself for even thinking she’d allow that to happen again. She thought - “If I do fight back, maybe he’ll leave alone, and I won’t have worry about it anymore. I’ll chance it if I have to.” Getting into a physical fight wouldn’t be good for the baby, but she’d try to protect him or her as best as she could.
With her back still to her husband, Dee Dee couldn’t find an easy way to approach with the question, so she asked right out. “Alex. If you wanted to have sex and I didn’t, would you force me to anyway?”
Without hesitation, Alex answered her. “No. I know there are things I can say to you, and maybe even push you around when you make me really angry, or just to keep you in check, but rape…no, not on the list. Whether you believe me or not, is entirely up to you. Is that why you’re hanging off the side of the bed?” Dee Dee slightly nodded yes.
“Like I said. It’s up to you to believe me. I know what I said about us having sex, but I won’t try anything. The past few nights of falling asleep on the sofa or at my desk have been kinda rough, so I thought I’d get back to sleeping in here. That’s all.”
There was no response from his wife. “Did you hear me, Dee Dee?”
“I heard you.”
She was still afraid of Alex, but she wasn’t about to be a rape victim. Not again. She of all people knew it made no difference if they were married or not. If she said no, it was still rape. Saving herself from that, as well as saving her baby would be the things she’d fight hardest for. There was still a glimmer of Dee Dee McCall inside, and although Alex had a large amount of control over Dee Dee Turnan, McCall wouldn’t allow her body to be assaulted by rape.
She slid back a couple of inches from the edge into a slightly more comfortable position. She wasn’t entirely in the best spot on her side of the bed, but it sure beat the edge. She decided that being more comfortable would allow better sleep, avoiding unnecessary exhaustion for the benefit of the baby’s health. Within less than a minute, she was breathing at a calmer pace and drifted off to sleep.
----
The next morning, Alex was sleeping late. The alarm clock hadn’t gone off, and Dee Dee remembered that he didn’t set the alarm last night. They both slept without any of Alex’s nightmare interruptions and Dee Dee was glad of that. Even still, she wondered why he wasn’t headed for work. The telephone rang just as she entered the living room.
“Hello. Turnan residence.”
“Dee Dee? Hey, it’s Rick. How ya doing?”
She thought her heart would jump from her chest. She was happy to hear his voice and at the same time, afraid of Alex picking up the extension at any time.
“Hey. I’m doing okay. How about you?” She did a quick sweep of the room with her eyes. So far,….so good. No Alex.
“I’m fine. I haven’t heard from you in a few weeks, so I thought I’d take a gamble at catching you at home. Did you get my last message?”
She thought of the day she heard his last message. She was sitting in the same room as the phone, but Alex wouldn’t allow her to answer it. She remembered each word in Rick’s disappointed voice. “Hey, umm…..Dee Dee. It’s me, Rick. It’s time for our weekly catching up. I guess you’re out, so I’ll try to catch you again later. Take care.” During that message Alex was telling her all about Monica, the fact the he couldn’t and wouldn’t be a father, and for her to abort their baby if indeed she was pregnant. She desperately wanted to pick up that phone but fear held her at bay.
“Oh, I don’t remember the message. It must have gotten erased by mistake. I’m sorry.” It was either tell a lie, or tell the truth and have Rick hop a plane to London and kill Alex.
“That’s okay. I’m talking to you now.” With a light chuckle, a smile came across his face and Dee Dee could picture it there so well.
“Yeah. I’m happy about that too.”
“So, tell me what’s new.”
“What’s new? Let’s see. Well, I’ve been forbidden to talk to you, about you, or anything related to being a police officer, in my own home. Oh, yeah. I got pregnant the last time we slept together, and our baby will be born in a few months. That’s what’s new.”
Only in her thoughts did those words form. Not a single one was even whispered.
“Umm. Not a whole lot going on. I’m working at the community center, now. And the kids are really great.”
“That’s good. I’m glad you started working with them. I’m sure they make you really happy.”
Hesitating for a second, she scanned the staircase for Alex. “Yeah. They really do make me happy.”
Rick hated to appear rude to Dee Dee, so he thought he’d swallow the bitter pill of asking about her husband. “How’s the doctor?”
“Fine. He’s doing just fine.”
“Are you two planning on any little McTurnans, anytime soon?” He didn’t particularly care to hear that the answer was “yes”, but of course it would make Dee Dee happy to be a mom, and he wanted her to be happy.
“McTurnan’s? Isn’t that some sort of a fast food chain?” She let out a small laugh, and Rick joined her and added a comment.
“If it’s anything to do with fast food chains, I’m sure you’d know about it.” Again, the two shared a laugh.
She had a silly thought of her own. - - A little McHunter would be more accurate. How can I tell him about our baby? I can’t. I can’t tell him.”
She answered Rick’s question seriously. “No. No babies for us at the moment.”
Without admitting it, of course, a sense of relief came over Rick. Why? He didn’t know. He wasn’t ready to give her a child, but Alex was. He should be happy to hear she’s pregnant, but the fact of Alex being the father didn’t sit too well.
He could tell something wasn’t quite right. She wasn’t really holding a conversation. At least not in the way Dee Dee McCall could go on and on, with laughs and sarcasm included. “You okay, Dee Dee?”
“Sure. I’m okay.”
“Hmmm. Alright, if you say so.” He didn’t buy that answer totally, but didn’t know which way to start figuring out the problem, if there was one.
Dee Dee could hear Alex’s footsteps upstairs. From the sound of them, he’d gone into his office, but the steps were slowly coming closer to the stairway. She tried to remain calm, but knew she’d have to find a way to get off the phone in a hurry.
“Well, friend, I hate to cut this short, but I’ve got to meet Sporty in a couple of minutes.”
She tried not to be obvious with a whisper, but did lower her voice slightly. “I understand. Be sure to tell Charlie and Sporty I said hi.”
“Will do. Take care of yourself, Dee Dee. And call me, okay?”
“I will. You better get going. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay. Bye, Dee Dee.
“Bye, Rick.”
Thankfully, Rick was the one to end the conversation, keeping her from having to lie her way out of it. She had just enough time to hang up and take a seat on the sofa before Alex made it into the room. Her heart was racing with the fear of getting caught. She managed not to show it, as Alex would have said something about her actions.
After Alex went into the kitchen, Dee Dee let out a huge breath of relief. She remembered she hadn’t asked Rick an important question and pounded her forehead with her fist. “The money. I forgot to ask him to send my money.” She was thinking of the money Rick collected for selling her belongings. “I’m so stupid! I can’t leave Alex without any money. What now?” She knew that her only option was to wait for another call from Rick, or call him, if she could figure out how not to get caught during either task. She put her hand on her stomach, whispering to her baby. “We’ll get out of here someday soon. I promise you, that. I’ll keep that promise, too.”
*****