Date: Mon, 09 Nov 1998
By Her Side: Epilogue by Bill Disclaimers in first part. by Vickie Moseley vmoseley@fgi.net
Another beautiful day.
It finally cooled off, at least for San Diego, and the breeze off the ocean is just calling my name. Two more weeks and I ship out to Honolulu. If I play my cards right, after our cruise is back from the Phillipines, I can request some leave time at Pearl, tell Tara to pack that bikini she's finally fitting into, and we'll see if we can make the magic happen again.
Matty was conceived on a beach in Hawaii.
Maybe, this time we can pull a little girl.
Oh, maybe my good mood has a little more to it. We are all in the minivan again, but this time, we're heading for the airport. After three more days in the hospital, Dana is finally taking her partner back to DC to finish his recovery.
There is a God and he answers prayers!
Don't get me wrong. I have changed my opinion of the jerk, to some extent. Oh, I'll be the first to admit that he's a complete and pompous asshole. I'd be the first in line to break his jaw if I ever find out that he's treating my sister with anything other than the upmost respect and devotion. And I'll probably continue to make his life miserable, whenever possible. But I've also come to a conclusion.
He's really not that bad for her.
That sounds like 'any old screwball' is OK for my sister, and there can be nothing further from the truth. In truth, I'm still battling that small voice within me that wants to tear the little shit limb from limb. Drawn and quarter, hanging from the yardarm, walking the plank and a few other mixed tortures I could come up with given more time.
But all this has been a learning experience for me. For us all.
I learned, to my utter surprise, that my baby sister really couldn't give two shits what I think of the men in her life. That hurt.
But I also found out that she still loves me.
I discovered that the guy who has given me the impression that he's systematically destroying my family isn't really a monster after all. That he worships the ground my sister walks on and would give his life in a second to save her. Just like he did a couple of weeks ago.
But he's still fucked in the head.
And it came as a complete surprise that when I let my 'sensitive side' show a little, and just give people a break, it's an incredible turn on for my wife.
Almost made me wish for a longer stint on land. Almost.
So, here we are, at the airport. I park at the ten minute spot, close to the door to their terminal. Mulder still walks slow, he's using a cane for support. The doctor assured Dana that he's healing properly, or she was prepared to barracade the hospital door to keep them from kicking him out too early. Mulder just looks happy to be going home. He's not as pale this time and he's smiling easier than I've ever seen. Of course, he probably just can't wait to get away from me.
It's been kind of nice, really. On the way here, Tara wanted them to hear how Matty has learned the 'e, i, e, i, oh' part to Old MacDonald. Dana started singing the verses, Mulder started coming up with some pretty weird possiblities for the barnyard (werewolf here, werewolf there, here a wolf, there a wolf, everywhere a wolf, wolf) that had Matty in giggles and Tara and I in stitches. I haven't laughed that hard in ages, and it wasn't easy to do while keeping the car going straight.
Mulder still needed a hand getting out of the car. Dana obviously wanted to, but she was first in the car, so unless she wanted to crawl over him, she'd have to wait for him to get out. I don't know why it seemed like such a big deal to her, but it did. I ended up getting to the door and helping him out.
I'm not a total creep, regardless of what my sister thinks.
Anyway, Mulder accepted my offer of help without a word and together we got him on the sidewalk. He really is doing better than the last time they let him out of the hospital. Stupid ass doctors, if they'd let him stay long enough to heal, he wouldn't have scared us all to death coughing up blood like he did the other night. But all that is over. I hope.
We decide to say our goodbyes at the security check point. Matty is too wired to let him down in this crowd. He'd be off like a shot. So we stand for a couple of minutes, making sure they have everything. Finally, it's time for them to go.
"Tara, next time we'll skip the hospital part," Dana says, giving my wife a big hug. Like a flash, it occurs to me. My sister has always accepted my wife. Even when we first started coming home, Dana and Tara always hit it off. It seemed so effortless on Dana's part. Tara was just glad my family liked her. It never occured to me that maybe Dana might have seen it some other way. That she might not have accepted Tara at all, might have done everything in her power to keep us apart.
Sort of like what I've done to her and her partner.
Well, if the ground wants to cooperate and split open to swallow me right now, I wouldn't bat an eye.
Dana is looking at me hard, like I'm a bug under a microscope. "You feeling all right, big bro?"
No, frankly, right now I feel like ten thousand kinds of heel, but I don't think she'd understand.
"You look a little piqued. You better not come down with something before the ship leaves."
"Must have been the hot mustard at lunch," I lie. I take hold of her shoulders and give her the tightest hug I can manage. It takes a bit of shifting, but I lean over and whisper in her ear. "He's a good man, Danie. Treat him right."
She pulls back and stares at me like I just suggested the President is from outer space.
"Of course, if you tell him I said so, I'll deny everything." There, that's better. She's smiling again. She puts her arms around me one more time.
"I love you, Billy. I always will."
I'm not gonna cry in a crowded airport. But damn the dust in these places.
Mulder and Tara are watching us and Tara looks like she's gonna ask me how I am. I don't really feel like lying to her so I reach out and take Mulder's hand to shake it firmly.
"Try to make it all the way home without a major medical emergency," I tease.
He smiles at me. He can take a joke, apparently. "That's why they assigned me a doctor for a partner. Saves on insurance."
Tara steps in and gives Mulder a hug. "Next time, let us know you're in town _before_ you go into surgery, huh, you big lug!"
Mulder laughs and Dana rolls her eyes. "I promise." He reaches up and shakes Matty's hand. "Keep 'em on their toes, little guy," he tells my son. OK, so I wouldn't pick him out of a crowd to be my kid's uncle, but we could do a whole lot worse.
And they're gone. Guns checked, bags x-rayed, and a wave over their shoulders and we turn to leave. Just for a second, I catch a glimpse of my baby sister, her partner by her side. I know it's right. I know it's where she needs him to be.
Tara puts her arm around my waist. "Six months," my wife says as we head toward the car.
"Two weeks," I reply.
"Two weeks! You think they'll be in bed together in two weeks! That's insane. They've taken _six years_ to get this far!"
"Tara, you don't know my baby sister when she gets her heart set on something. He'll be lucky if he's healed before she tackles him."
Poor bastard. I almost feel sorry for him. Almost.
the end Vickie
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Donna: Where does Disco come from?
John: Hell. And not the really cool part of hell with all the murderers. It comes from the lame part of hell with all the bad accountants.
That 70's Show ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^