Hi, there.
I know what you're thinking - "What?! Another part up, already?!"
LOL!
I'll try to wrap this thing up by part 39.
I hope you're all doing well.
Take care.
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(Part 29)
Though the police station, and the officers’ uniforms were completely different from that of the LAPD, Dee Dee felt memories of her old job come alive. Officers in uniform or plain clothes were typing up reports, some where filling their cups with coffee and others were entering with the catch of the day in cuffs.
After being directed to the proper area, the two ladies found seats until they were waited on.
“This reminds me so much of home.” Dee Dee said. (Home) – She thought. It seemed like decades since she’s been in that home. “I wonder what my old gang is up to.”
“You do miss it, don’t you?” Celise asked.
“Yeah, I do. But I can’t see myself as a street cop, now that I’ll be a mother. I’ve always felt that way. If I’d ever return to law enforcement, it’d be to an office job; working the juvenile division if I could get assigned there.”
“Maybe you could find something on the squad here, if you decided to stay in London a after the babies are born. Well, provided Rick doesn’t ride his white stallion over to take you away from us.” Celise smiled.
Dee Dee chuckled at the idea of Rick on the horse in a suit of armor. “That would be interesting to see.”
---
When Dee Dee and Celise returned home, they put away their new clothes, made a late lunch for themselves and sat at the kitchen table to eat.
“I’m really glad we were able to get in and out of the police station so quickly.” Dee Dee said.
“So am I. Now you can focus on getting a lawyer.”
“Right.” Dee Dee answered quietly.
“Is something wrong?”
“I was just thinking about the police station; the reminders.”
“I’m sure that’s not all it reminded you of.” Celise looked concerned. “You’re thinking of Rick, too, aren’t you?”
Again, Dee Dee was quiet for a moment; then let out a deep sigh. “Yes, I guess I am.”
“Well, now that you’re able to call him whenever you’d like, maybe that’ll be of help to you; talking to another really close friend.”
“Maybe.”
Celise didn’t want to press the issue; fearful of upsetting Dee Dee, so she changed the subject. “We did really well with our shopping. I think we should go again next weekend.”
“Yeah. I had a really good time, and I’m looking forward to buying more of those cute outfits.” Dee Dee perked up. “I’m really surprised at how fashionable some of the clothes are. I remember a time when maternity clothes were basically blouses or dresses that just kinda draped over you, like tents, and plain-Jane pants and skirts that weren’t flattering on many women at all.”
“I know what you mean. Thank goodness the styles have changed with the times.”
As soon as lunch was over, the two moved into the living room to relax and watch a movie. Within a half hour, Dee Dee had nodded off to sleep while lying on the sofa; and Celise pulled a light blanket from the hall closet to put over her.
Dee Dee slept for nearly two hours, and didn’t even wake up when Michael came through the door. He saw her sleeping and spoke softly to his wife.
“Hi, hon. How was your day?” Michael kissed his wife and followed her into the kitchen.
“Fine. And yours?”
“It was good. I got a lot of work done; things that were held over from last week.”
“Great.”
Michael stepped back to the doorway and peeked in. “Is Dee Dee okay?”
“Yeah, she’s just catching up on her rest. She probably hasn’t slept more than a weeks worth in the months she spent with Alex. Besides that, we went shopping today; both got some cute outfits, and we stopped by the police station for her to file the abuse report.”
“Oh.” Michael sighed. “I hope it wasn’t too hard for her.”
“She did fine. I was really proud of her.”
“That’s great.”
Celise grabbed Michael around the waist. “I’m glad we’ll be able to help her. She’s been through so much, and she’s still got a long road ahead.”
“You’re right. But between the two of us, and hopefully Rick, the journey will be a little easier.”
“I hope so.” Celise sighed as she looked at Dee Dee. “Maybe one day she and Rick can talk things out face to face. But in the meantime, we need to make sure she’s healthy and eating properly. Let’s wake her up so we can all have dinner.”
When Dee Dee went to bed that night, she felt a strong urge to call Rick. It’d only been a day since their last conversation, but it seemed like a week. She missed him terribly, and talking to him only made her miss him more. She struggled to put him out of her mind, but that was something she could never do. She tossed and turned for quite some time before falling asleep, and even did so afterward. Eventually, she fell into a deeper sleep filled with dreams of Rick.
------
Los Angeles, CA
“Yeah?” Charlie replied to the knock on the door.
Rick stepped inside the Captain’s office. “Hey, Charlie, how’s it going?”
“Pretty good. How about you?”
“Okay, I guess. Got a minute?”
“Sure. Have a seat.”
“I got a call from Dee Dee yesterday.” Rick sat in front of the desk.
“Really?” Charlie sat up with surprise. “How is she? Everything going great, I hope.”
Rick sighed, and rubbed the back of his tense neck. “Not exactly, Charlie. She’s going through a tough time.”
“How tough?” Charlie’s brow crinkled. “What’s wrong?”
“She and Alex have split up. She left him a day ago and they’re getting a divorce.”
“A divorce? What in the world happened?”
“He proved to be a no good son-of-a-bitch like I thought he was.” With his elbows on the armrests, Rick clasped his hands under his chin. “He was never really in love with Dee Dee. He was involved with another woman before and after he married her. He used her, Charlie. She told me that Alex only married her to mask the truth of his lifestyle of sleeping with any willing woman. She also told me that he was extremely verbally abusive toward her.”
“Are you serious? How in the hell could he treat her like that? That son-of-a…” Charlie clinched his fist on his desk as his face grew red. “I’d like to get my hands on him for just one minute.”
“Same here.”
“How is she coping with it all?”
“She said she’s doing pretty well. She moved in with some good friends, Michael and Celise Grey. She and Celise have formed a pretty good friendship, and her husband, Michael is also watching out for her. I told her I’d fly over to be with her, but she said she wasn’t up to it yet.”
Charlie relaxed his clinched fist. “Think it’d be okay if I called to check on her?”
“Well, actually, she’d rather you didn’t right away.” Rick sat up a little straighter. He didn’t want to hurt Charlie’s feelings, but wanted to protect Dee Dee. “She means no offense, but she said she had a hard enough time talking to me about it, and she’ll have to tell the story again to her parents when they get back from their trip. She just needs time to collect herself.”
“I understand. I just want to be sure she’s okay, but I’m sure you’ll keep me informed.”
“Sure, I will. She’ll talk to you at some point, when she’s ready. She sends her love.”
“Great.” Charlie smiled. “Give her my love as well, and tell her I’m here if she needs me.”
“Will do. Listen. She doesn’t want much of this to get out to the rest of the gang. She said if anyone asks, we could just tell them it didn’t work out between them, and they’re divorcing.”
“Good enough.” Charlie saw that Rick seemed to have more on his mind. “Is there anything else you’d like to talk to me about; something concerning Dee Dee? I know you’re worried about her. ”
Rick pushed himself up from the chair and leaned against the wall. “I know she told me she didn’t want to go into all the details and would tell me more later, but I can’t help but worry that what she hasn’t told me is a lot worse than what she has told me. I know she said he was verbally abusive, that he was cheating on her, and that the marriage was a scam, but I just feel it goes much, much deeper than that.”
“You think he was physically abusive?”
“I hope to God he wasn’t, but I do wonder about that.”
“I hope he wasn’t too. But if he was, one day the truth will come out at the right time.
“Yeah, right. Time.” Rick leaned over with his hands on Charlie’s desk with anger in his voice. “I just know that if Alex put his hands on her, he’ll wish he’d never met Dee Dee or me. I’ll make sure of that.”
Charlie sighed. “I know. I feel the same way. But you can’t be of any help to Dee Dee if you do something that’ll put you in prison. Just be careful of how you handle Alex, if you get the chance.”
“I know, Charlie.” Rick started for the door; stopped and turned back to Charlie. “I’ll watch out for myself, but Alex has got to pay; even for the things Dee Dee told me he did. I just can’t let it go.”
------
(Two days later)
[riiiing!] [riiiing!]
“Hello.”
“Hello, is this the Grey residence?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Great. You must be Celise. I’m Rick Hunter…Dee Dee’s friend.”
Celise gasped with surprise. “Oh, yes. I’ve heard so much about you. Dee Dee speaks so highly of you.”
“She does?” Rick felt himself blush. “I’m glad to hear she hasn’t told you all the bad things about me.” He laughed.
“Oh, far from it.” Celise laughed, too.
“Is she there? I’d like to speak with her.”
“Yes, she is. Hold for a moment.”
Rick waited excitedly and nervously. He was anxious to hear her voice again, but didn’t want Dee Dee to feel pressured by his phone call.
Celise stepped into the den where Dee Dee was reading a book.
“You have a phone call.” Celise held her hand over the phone’s receiver.
Dee Dee looked up with surprise. “Really?” She knew who it was. No one else knew she was staying with the Grey’s. “It’s Rick, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Dee Dee sighed nervously. “I wonder what he wants.”
“You can ask him. That is, if you want to talk to him.” She extended to phone to Dee Dee.
“I’ll talk to him.”
“Good.” Celise smiled. “I’ll be in the living room.”
“Hello.” Dee Dee answered.
“Hey, Dee Dee. How are you?”
“I’m okay. How are you doing?”
“Fine, thanks.” Rick took a seat on his sofa. “I hope I’m not bothering you.”
“No, you’re never a bother. I was just sitting here reading.”
“Well, I know you said you were dealing with things fairly well, and didn’t want to talk much about it. I’m not calling to pressure you. I wanted you to know that whenever you decide to come back, let me know, and I’ll send money for your travel expenses; whether you have it at the time or not. It’s my treat. That is, if I can’t come and bring you back personally.”
Dee Dee’s eyes began to water at the kindness from Rick.
“And I also wanted you to know that if you ever feel you need me; if things get too tough, all you ever have to do is to tell me you need me.” Rick desperately wanted her to reach out to him. “Just say it, and I’ll drop everything and come to you immediately. Do you understand?”
Dee Dee’s heart ached for Rick. She truly did want to be with him, but she just wasn’t ready to face him with the truth yet. “Yes, I understand. Thank you. And I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel you were shut out.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you told me as much as you did. The rest will come when you’re ready.”
“And when that time comes, there are going to be moments when I’ll want to call you in the middle of the night to talk.”
“Anytime is fine with me. You know that.”
Dee Dee sighed with contentment. “Yes. And I’m grateful to you for that.”
Rick felt his heart skip a beat with Dee Dee’s words. “I don’t want to wear out my phone welcome, so I’ll let you go. I just wanted you to know that I’m here for you.”
“Thank you for calling. I promise we’ll talk again soon, and regularly.”
“I look forward to it. Goodbye, Dee Dee.”
“Goodbye.”
After hanging up; unaware of what each was doing, both Rick and Dee Dee lay into comfortable positions on their sofas. Rick couldn’t get Dee Dee off his mind. He wondered and worried about how she was really handling things. He wanted so badly to rush to her side, but he swore to keep his promise and only go if she asked. It was tearing him up inside, but had to fight the temptation, including that of making a visit to Alex. He made up his mind to look into getting a passport right away. He wanted to be ready if Dee Dee called him.
Dee Dee thought of nothing but Rick for the rest of the evening and into the night. She tried to picture herself with him; telling him about their children and for the most part, her daydreaming proved Rick to be ecstatic about the twins. But the opposite reaction; utter and complete anger could also prove to be real. After she went to bed, she tried her best to focus on the fact that Rick would be happy about the babies, even if he and she couldn’t work things out as a couple. Although she wanted to build a family with him, she would happily accept that he’d help raise their children even while living in separate homes in LA. The second part of her daydreaming, was telling him the entire truth about Alex. She hated to imagine his reaction when she told him that she lost her will and stayed with Alex out of fear, how Alex was both verbally and physically abusive, was a coke addict, and that his beatings could have harmed the babies. And the way she knows Rick, he’d surely go after Alex for putting them in danger.
If Rick would truly want to be a father, how would he take the news of his children being in harms way because of her weakness? What would he do and say to her? It would most likely cause Rick to walk away from her for good. He may even want full custody of the children after proving that she was keeping them in possible danger. The thoughts terrified her.
She couldn’t stand losing custody of her babies, not even to Rick.
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