Two Perfect Wrongs

An Arresting Matter

Adam and Sally were walking into Society to have a nice lunch when Sally froze. "What's wrong babe?" Adam asked confused by her sudden stop. She nudged her head in the direction of the bar and he looked up to see an exhausted looking Chelsea sitting on a stool. The CEO let out a heavy sigh, this was exactly the last thing he wanted to deal with. 

"Should we say something to her?" Sally hesitantly asked. Her face clearly signaling that she didn't want to. 

Sighing again, "No, but yes." Sally shot him a confused look. "If we don't go over there, she'll come over to us. And who knows what she'll say. At least if we start the conversation, we can control it." The beautiful redhead had to agree with his logic and the couple very reluctantly headed over to Adam's ex-wife. 

"Chelsea." Adam called out. Chelsea turned around in disgust at the sound of her ex's voice. 

"What Adam?" she bitterly asked. Adam was surprised by the venom in her voice. Sally wasn't shocked that Chelsea was seemingly ignoring her presence. 

"I wanted to see how you're doing. I've been worried about you." Adam gently stated. He genuinely was concerned. Chelsea had lost three good friends, losing one was devastating enough, but three. 

"Oh you're worried about me? How thoughtful of you." Chelsea sarcastically sneered. "I'm fine. Thanks for asking." 

"Chelsea." Adam exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I mean it. You lost three friends in one night. That's a lot. And based on..." 

"Based on what? My fragile mental state. You're not afraid for me, you're afraid of me. Afraid that if I lose my mind again, you'll be stuck parenting alone and not have enough time for your sidekick over there." She pointed at Sally who had been quietly standing off to the side. She had been content to not say anything, but now that she'd been mentioned she figured it was time to say something. 

"His sidekick has a name." Sally snapped as Chelsea leaned back on her stool and Adam groaned. Why must all of his outings descend into chaos? "And I would never ask or tell Adam to neglect Connor for my benefit. I care very deeply about your son. I understand that Connor has been and will always be Adam's top priority." 

Chelsea scoffed but stayed silent. "We came over here because we were both worried about you. It's the truth. I'm very sorry about Chloe, I know you two were close." 

"You're sorry about Chloe? After what you said to her the last time you spoke?" Chelsea spat, chuckling at Sally's stunned face. "Of course she told me. Like you said we were close." 

Adam clapped his hands. "Okay, we're going to go now. Have a nice lunch." Adam motioned to a table and Sally followed him over. "Now I know why I don't do the nice thing most of the time." Sally reached across the table and grabbed his hands. Adam kissed her hands as a thanks. 

"I'm sorry for letting her get to me. I hope she doesn't make things difficult for you." Sally apologized. She did feel terrible for fighting with Chelsea. She was trying to be a bigger person, but that woman made it difficult sometimes. 

Adam bitterly chuckled. "Don't apologize. If it wasn't this, she would have found something else. I'm trying to be supportive because of Connor, but lately she hasn't been easy to deal with." Sighing he continued, "But enough about her. We came here to have a nice lunch and that's what we're going to do." 

The couple soon put the awkward encounter with Chelsea out of their minds. They were laughing and talking like the conversation hadn't even happened. Adam did every now and then look over in Chelsea's direction. Something Sally saw but chose to ignore. She understood why he was worried about her. Anything she did impacted Connor and if his mother was slipping, Adam needed to be aware of it. 

"Are you Chelsea Lawson?" A cop's question caught Adam and Sally's attention. Chelsea answered in the affirmative and before they knew it Chelsea was being led out of Society in handcuffs. Sally was stunned, Adam sympathetic. He and Chelsea made eye contact for a brief moment and she looked away in anger. The couple stared at each other not knowing what to do or say as the restaurant whispered about the latest gossip around them. 

Suddenly Adam stood up from the table. "Connor. I need to get to Connor and tell him before he finds out from somebody else." 

Sally nodded in agreement, " I got this go." Adam smiled and kissed her goodbye before running out of the restaurant. Sally waved the waiter over for the bill. What a day she thought. 

Early June

The news of Chelsea's arrest had spread through Genoa City like wildfire. Adam tried his best to be there for Connor, but understandably the boy was all over the place. Adam was in an inconvenient situation with his two ex-wives. He completely understood Sharon's rage and honestly felt that she was justified in whatever actions against Chelsea she wanted to take. However, Chelsea was also his son's mother, and he couldn't just ignore that because he was horrified by what she did.

Sally, God bless her, was trying to be a sounding board for both Adam and Connor. Adam could never tell her how profoundly grateful he was for her. He was sending her little gifts and flowers every day, and it still didn't feel like enough. She insisted that she didn't need these gifts but loved every one of them. She did truly empathize with Chelsea, and she could understand how she could go that far. She was extremely grateful that none of her stupid plans in L A ever got this bad.

Adam smiled as he watched her try to keep Connor entertained. His poor son had already been through so much and now this. He couldn't remember the last time he saw the kid laugh or even smile. He had gotten into a fight with Victor over the Chelsea situation because of course, the old man just had to involve himself. Rolling his eyes over Victor's dramatics he went back to preparing dinner for the three of them.

Sally helped Adam clean up after an incredibly awkward dinner with Connor. Her heart broke for that boy. She remembered how talkative he was just two months before at Adam's birthday dinner. Now he hardly said two words and just stared at his plate. Adam had to force him to take three bites before letting him go back upstairs.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Adam asked her. "You looked like you had a lot on your mind."

"You caught me." She tried to joke, but it sounded so forced. Sighing, "I was thinking about Connor. I feel so bad for him. He's so lost and confused. It's like he's a completely different kid."

"I know what you mean." Adam let out a deep exhale. "He's moody and withdrawn, which is normal for his age but this seems excessive. I wish I knew how to help him."

An idea popped into the newly minted CEO's head, "Hey, why don't you and Connor go on a father son trip?" Sally suggested as she handed him the last dish off the table. "It might do Connor some good to get out of town for a couple days."

"That's not a bad idea. I know he was asking about going to see some baseball games. Let me look up the Brewer's schedule and I can take him to an away game." Adam pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Did you want to come with?"

She politely declined, "I think it would be best if it was just you and Connor. Besides, I don't like sports all that much. I'm happy to hold down the fort here." She smiled as Adam kissed her. "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?"

"For being wonderful" Her boyfriend answered with a smile of his own. "Seriously between this stuff with Connor and Chelsea and my family, you've been incredible. I don't know what I did to deserve such a kind, caring, and supportive girlfriend."

Walking over to pull him into a hug, Sally answered him. "Just like I don't know what I did to deserve such a thoughtful, supportive, not to mention incredibly hot boyfriend." The Newman started laughing and Sally soon joined him.

"I knew you were only with me because of my looks." He teased her.

"Well, duh." The Spectra teased him right back. The couple kissed once more before Sally broke away. "Hurry up and get those dishes done. I want to properly thank you for dinner." She gave him a seductive smile as she headed up the stairs. Adam practically ran into the kitchen to get those dishes started. Laughing, he prayed that life could stay this good for him.