Chapter Four
A thick, heavy fog encased his brain, although it did little to deaden the
rhythmic pounding in his head. His stomach churned with nausea. Every inch
of his body hurt.
With a groan, he rolled over onto his back, covering his eyes with his arm.
Just the light shining through his eyelids was too bright. His mouth and throat
were dry, like he'd stuffed them with cotton balls, though he'd never done
such a thing before.
What the hell had happened last night? He allowed his mind to drift, and
it filled with confusing snippets of images and sounds and scents and sensations.
Bright lights, loud music, the mingling of perfume and alcohol and vomit,
a body pressed against his. . .a soft female body. . . Oh, shit. . .
He lifted his arm, ignoring the stabbing ache in his head as he glanced
at the other side of bed, which was thankfully empty. Staring up at the ceiling,
he pieced together his adventure. Evidently he'd gone to a bar, got drunk,
and. . .
There had been a woman. One with honey brown hair. One who looked a lot
like Paige. But it couldn't have been. Could it? She'd gone to her condo
to have intercourse with the interloper. But pictures of her smiling face,
the touch of her gentle hands, breathing in the lavender hand cream she always
wore, became clearer with every passing moment.
Had he been dreaming? She'd been pissed at him when she'd left. No doubt
already blaming him for Tim taking the job in Jordan. It had been unfortunate
timing but. . . He was the leader of Scorpion. The ex-SEAL had been foisted
on him from the beginning and yet he was the bad guy because he finally exercised
his right to say who he wanted (or didn't want) on his team.
The slamming of a door shook him out of his troubling thoughts. It sounded
close by, like someone had gone out on the roof. His nose caught a whiff of
coffee being brewed. His gut rebelled and he had to dash to the bathroom,
where he discovered as he emptied his stomach, he was naked.
After taking a shower, he found a pair of jeans and a shirt. Getting dressed
was a challenge. His head kept spinning, his fingers lacked dexterity, and
it took five attempts to get his legs into his jeans correctly. Walking through
the loft had proved difficult as well. The floor undulated at odd moments,
impeding his progress.
Walter stood at the top of the staircase, wondering why it was swaying back
and forth until he realized he was the one swaying back and forth. Gripping
the handrail tightly, he cautiously made his way down, stopping midway when
he glimpsed something out of the corner of his eye.
Paige was spraying disinfectant from the bottle Sly kept handy onto the
human calculator's desk. His first thought was what the hell had happened
on Sylvester's desk that it needed to be disinfected? His second, why was
Paige there? And where was Ralph? A third question, but he was no longer
interested in keeping count.
She looked up from her task and smiled at him. "Merry Christmas, Walter,"
she said in a low tone.
"Uh, Merry. . .Merry C-Christmas," he returned, the sound of his own voice
driving spikes into his head. "Um. . ."
"Do you want some coffee? I made a fresh pot. I didn't put any cinnamon
in it," she announced. "Thought it might not be a good idea."
"Uh, maybe later." He continued on his way down the stairs, finally reaching
the bottom. Reaching out to steady himself on the nearest desk, he made his
way toward her. "W-Wait. . . W-Why w-would it. . ." Then it dawned on him.
She knew he was hungover. It had been her last night. Oh, damn, damn,
damn. He hadn't. . .with her. . .on Sly's desk, had he? He would remember
doing that. Wouldn't he?
"Um, Paige," he began, not sure where to begin. "I c-can't remember everything.
. .last night. . . I, uh. . ."
She set down the squirt bottle and the stringent smell of its contents stung
his nose, causing him to gag a little. Hoping he wouldn't vomit again, he
took a step back.
"I'm not surprised you don't remember, Walter," she said somewhat disapprovingly.
"You were pretty plastered."
"I didn't, um. . .didn't do anything. . . er, untoward. . ." His face was
on fire as shame rose inside him. His gut swirled but he swallowed it back
down.
"Not unless you call throwing up all over Sly's desk untoward," she replied,
grinning at him.
He was more confused than ever. Why had she been here last night? Why was
she here this morning? Why was she being so pleasant? He was having trouble
wrapping his head around the whole situation. It was surreal and he vowed
then and there never to drink again.
"Walter? Are you okay?" Her hand touched his shoulder, startling him, sending
waves of desire through his body. He shrugged her off, her nearness was too
much to for him to bear. She didn't want him anymore. She'd made it clear
she wanted Tim. He had to learn how to live without her and this. . .kindness,
sympathy, whatever it was. . .wasn't helping.
"Walter." Her voice was soft and gentle.
"I don't want your pity, okay?" he lashed out. "Why are you being so nice?
I thought you were angry with me." He moved further away, hoping physically
distancing himself from her would emotionally distance himself as well.
"I've had some time to think," she said. "Tim's leaving is not all your
fault. If I hadn't been so, well, blind, I would have seen how unfair this
has been to you. You're not blameless," she added as he glanced up at her.
"You've done and said some pretty childish things."
"I know and I'm sorry." He stared at the floor. "It still doesn't explain
what happened since last night that changed your mind."
Paige chuckled. "Well, I don't know all the details. . ." She told him what
she'd been able to piece together, most of it matching what he could remember.
But still, one missing element nagged at him.
"Wait, if I didn't. . .uh, you know. . .if it wasn't you. . . W-Was there
another w-w-woman?"
Her smile left her face then. "Yes. You brought someone back here. If I
hadn't been here to get the present for Ralph I'd forgotten, you probably
would have had sex with her on my desk."
"Oh. . ." He rubbed his hand over his face. "I'm sorry. I-I don't know what
I was thinking. . . I w-wasn't thinking. You sh-shouldn't have had to w-witness
that." Turning on his heel, a move he instantly regretted as his head started
spinning, he stumbled his way into the kitchen before plopping down in a chair.
"Walter. . .Walter, it's okay." Paige sat down next to him. "It was. . .unsettling.
. . But I know why you did it."
"You do? I sure don't," he muttered as he held the sides of his face.
"You were upset I was with Tim," she said. "Or you thought I was going to
be with Tim. You know, intimately." Her cheeks flamed pink.
He gazed up at her. "You weren't?"
"No," she replied, shaking her head. "We broke up. We, uh, talked it over
and decided it wasn't going to work. The long-distance thing. I'd already
been burned once before. I don't think I could go through that again."
"You're worried Tim would cheat on you?" Walter was incredulous. If Paige
were his, he'd never even look at another woman, let alone. . .
"Yes. He admitted he's done it before." She looked pensive for a moment.
"I'm glad I found out before. . . Before things went too far."
"I'm sorry." A little spark flared up inside him. The interloper was out
of the picture. She hadn't had intercourse with him. Maybe she hadn't been
in love with him either. He knew he needed to atone for his earlier behavior.
But still. . . There was hope.
"Do you want that cup of coffee now?" she asked, getting to her feet.
"Yes, thank you." Walter watched as she filled one then another mug before
placing one in front of him. She sat back down then drank from her cup.
"I brought some pancakes too," she said, pointing to a foil covered plate
on the stove top. "I make them every Christmas. They're Ralph's favorite."
"Uh, maybe later, thanks." His stomach roiled slightly at the thought of
food. He took a tentative sip of his coffee and considered it a small victory
it didn't come back up..
"Mom! Mom! Oh, hey, Walter." Ralph came running down the ramp, coming to
a halt when he reached the kitchen. "You gotta come see my telescope camera,
Walter. I got it for Christmas."
"Ralph, Walter's not feeling well. . ." Paige began to scold.
"No, I'm fine. A camera? Awesome." He stood up, gulping down the rest of
his coffee. "I'd love to see it."
"Okay. Okay, mom?" Ralph hopped up and down excitedly.
"Go." She waved her hand as she rolled her eyes. The boy genius headed back
to the roof. As Walter passed by, Paige grabbed his arm. "If you get sick
again, you're cleaning it up."
He saw the smile in her eyes. "Okay."
Once on the rooftop, the fresh air cleared Walter's head a little. Ralph
showed him the photos he'd taken so far. "Since it's not dark and it's cloudy,
I couldn't really get any star shots. These are just practice."
"If it clears off tonight, you should be able to take some great ones. Orion's
belt, Polaris, the Pleiades. . . they're all visible this time of year."
Ralph nodded. "Walter," he said, his young face growing solemn. "Did mom
tell you she and Tim broke up?"
"She did." Walter knew where this conversation was heading and he needed
to nip it in the bud. "Ralph, it doesn't mean she and I will ever be. . .what
you want us to be. What I want us to be. It's up to your mom."
"I know." The boy's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Why is love so complicated
anyway? It's just an abstract construct."
Walter chuckled. "I used to think that too. I learned the hard way I was
wrong." He knelt down beside Ralph. "I love your mom. . .and you. But I messed
up. Big time. And it's not going to be easy, but I am going to do whatever
it takes for us to all be together. But no matter what we do, it's still up
to your mom to forgive me."
"I don't stand a chance, do I? Not against two of the smartest men in the
world."
Both geniuses whirled around to see Paige leaning on the door frame. Walter's
heart leapt into his throat. Oh, damn, how much had she'd heard? She didn't
appear upset. In fact, the grin on her face indicated the exact opposite.
"Why don't you show me how your new camera works, Ralph?" she asked as she
walked toward them.
"Sure." The youngster took her hand and led her over to where he had his
telescope set up.
Moving several steps back, Walter observed the two of them interact with
other for several moments before coming closer again. Standing next to Paige,
he was surprised when he felt her hand touch his. He glanced over at her,
a shy smile on her beautiful face, then entwined his fingers with hers as
Ralph explained the settings on his new photography equipment.
"Eggnog?"
Walter stared down at the mug Toby had shoved into his hands, his lip curling
in disgust. He still disliked eggnog.
Standing there, cup in hand, he watched as his friends departed. When the
door banged shut after Cabe, who was the last one out, Walter felt his fingers
tighten on the mug's handle.
"Do you have it?" Ralph came up beside him, speaking out of the side of
his mouth in a conspiratorial tone.
"Yes, right here." Walter patted his pocket with his free hand.
"Good." The boy genius looked from side to side in an exaggerated manner.
"Mom's in the kitchen. I'll tell her you want to talk to her on the roof.
Okay? Now, go."
"Okay." His breathing grew harsh and he started shaking. Setting down the
mug of eggnog on the closest flat surface, he then headed upstairs.
"Ralph said you wanted to talk to me." Walter spun around a few minutes
later as Paige stepped through the rooftop door.
"Uh, y-yeah, I-I do." Even though it was a cold night for Southern California,
his palms and forehead were damp with sweat. Wiping his hands on his trousers,
he watched as she moved closer.
"It's beautiful out here tonight," she said, looking up at the sky.
"Not as beautiful as you."
"Thank you, Walter." She smiled as she touched his upper arm. "Is that what
you wanted to tell me?"
"No. . . I mean, y-yes. . . But there's more. I wanted to give you your
Christmas present a bit early." He bent down, picking up two cords then plugged
them together.
The perimeter of the roof was dotted with Christmas trees draped with sparkling
lights. He watched as she stared in amazement. "Oh, Walter, it's wonderful.
I love it."
"One more thing," he said, swallowing nervously. He knelt down on one knee,
feeling like an idiot, but more experienced heads (okay, Toby and Cabe) insisted
this was the way to do it. His so-called gallantry was rewarded with a gasp.
"Walter?"
Taking the box from his pocket, his fingers fumbled as he opened it, nearly
dropping its contents onto the ground. He managed to grab the diamond ring
before holding it up to her.
"W-Will you m-marry me?"
He glanced up at her, watched as her eyes filled with tears. Oh no, she
was going to turn him down. It was too soon. He should have. . .
"Yes."
. . .waited. Wait. . . "Yes?"
She nodded, holding out her left hand. He slid the ring onto the appropriate
finger, then stood up.
"I love you," he said, his whole body bursting with joy.
"I love you, too, Walter."
He leaned in at the same time she did and their lips met somewhere in the
middle. A noise from the door way drew Walter's attention away for a moment.
Ralph was there, a smile on his young face and giving him a thumb's up. Walter
returned the gesture before refocusing his efforts on the woman in his arms.
Who would have guessed a year ago, when everything had seemed so bleak and
he'd hit rock bottom, he'd now be the happiest genius in the world?