Their Next Chapter

Chapter 23

The rest of Thanksgiving went well. The kids and their cousins had left. Jane went to lay down for a bit. Don noticed his wife seemed to have disappeared and after the emotions of talking about William and Matthew he was worried about her. He smiled when he ran into her in the upstairs hallway. "There you are; are you okay?"

"Lasix." Meryl said making him laugh as he knew she constantly had to go to the bathroom.

Don smiled as he kissed her cheek. "You're feeling okay?"

"I'm fine; sweetheart, really." Meryl said tenderly smiling at him. "I'm sorry if I worried you. Did your brothers leave?"

Don nodded. "Mom is laying down. We can go."

"It's whatever you want." Meryl said as they walked downstairs. "I'm just along for the ride. I have nowhere I have to be."

Don laughed at her. "If you're just along for the ride then you're the most encouraging and supportive passenger there is. Actually, I like co-pilot better."

"Don, Meryl." Brad said as Don and Meryl walked into the kitchen. "I'm glad you're still here."

Don was a little confused. "We were just discussing our plans for the night."

"I was hoping you two could fill in some blanks for me; I have obviously missed so much and am trying to understand things." Brad said motioning to the table.

Meryl looked at Brad and then Don. "I'll go check my emails in the other room and give you two some time to talk."

"You sure don't need to." Brad said. "I'd like all three of us to visit."

"You never have to excuse yourself." Don said strongly. "I want you here."

Meryl smiled as she sat down next to Don. "Then I'll be here."

"What do you want to know?" Don asked as Meryl wrapped her arm around his shoulders, sitting close to him, and he placed his hand on her leg.

Brad took a drink of his coffee. "I find it very odd that your ex-wife of more than 40 years was here today. What are your relationships with her like? Why was your mom contacting her? Who is Harry's father? I'm not accusing you, Don, but he sure does look like a Gummer."

"Don has NEVER cheated on me; and Henry is older than Harry." Meryl immediately jumped in.

Don reached for the wine bottle and the glasses on the table; pouring both him and Meryl glasses. "As I explained earlier, we were BRIEFLY married. Then I moved to the East Coast, thank goodness, it's the best move I ever made. I hadn't seen her in YEARS. Then mine and Meryl's first Christmas together in 1978 we came out here and ran into her at a restaurant when it was just the two of us. It became clear she and James still saw each other during our conversation with her."

"When Jane's father died, we came out here and I walked in on James and Peggy having sex here in this kitchen." Meryl explained. "He tried to guilt Don and me into not telling Jane. After much conversation we decided to protect her."

Brad shook his head. "My God, he never changed."

"I wanted to protect Meryl. She was pregnant with Henry at the time and I didn't want the extra stress for her. So, as hard as it was we decided together to keep it to ourselves. I told James off and said how sick it was. He said someday I would understand not staying faithful to one person." Don looked at Meryl and shook his head. "I still don't understand; and never will."

Meryl leaned her head on Don's shoulder. "Because we're not them. Henry was several months old when we came out here for Jane's hip replacement surgery and I ran into Peggy at the store while Don was checking on Jane at the hospital. She was pregnant and said she was naming her baby Harry, like Henry; and that they would be brothers insinuating she and Don would get back together."