I Think I'm in Trouble {Reimagined}

CIX.

"I told you I had a feeling something was going to happen today," Stevie smiled softly, fingers laced through Lindsey's as they sat closely on the couch in the waiting room. "I'm glad it wasn't a nasty feeling like the last time, but nevertheless, something is happening."

He grinned, simply taking in the softness of her beauty as they sat there together and he kissed the back of her hand out of acknowledgement.

He too was glad that whatever she felt was something more lighthearted than the last time---they certainly didn't need any further tragedy.

"Let me know when you see Robert..." she sighed, her tone quieting down. "But I have to tell you---Kristen and I had a really long discussion and it kind of buried any fears I was having about being her child's grandmother..."

"Mhmm," he followed along, just finding it proper to respond in some way since she couldn't tell if he was engaged by his expression, not like normal.

"I could just hear in her voice she wasn't feeling well which prompted me to get you, although Shannon got you because she was outside the bedroom door."

He recalled Shannon making a drink in the kitchen---voicing she was going to see if her mother or Kristen needed anything before she went outside to lay by the pool.

"We talked about things regarding you, regarding the past... If I know anything about my daughter, it's that she eavesdrops on things that catches her attention. She doesn't do it a lot because she isn't exactly into gossip. She always says: If it's not my circus, it's not my monkey..."

He smirked. 

"Something like one of the times you and me were on the phone---it caught her attention. She overheard me on the phone, making plans to meet up with you and that's how she knew I was cheating on her dad... She told me."

He felt guilty, smoothing the back of her hand over with the pad of his thumb, showing her empathy for such things.

"When I opened the door, I didn't hear footsteps... She must have come up to ask us something and overheard our conversation and I am betting she heard something having to do with what we all know, what we've all been keeping a secret..."

He sighed, knowing well to follow along with whatever was filling her mind---he knew she wasn't wrong.

"I may be blind, but I'm not a complete idiot and when it comes to my kids, I know better. She didn't say anything to me but I just have that feeling, so when everybody goes home, I'm gonna try and talk to her. I already know, she's not gonna bring it up."

"Whatever you want to do," he sighed---knowing they couldn't just suspend another lie after getting the worst one out of the way where Shannon was concerned.

Stevie thought back to everything; when Kristen initially met Robert and her sons---how interested both Robert and Jeffrey seemed by her concurrently from the first day without her even realizing it was Lindsey's ex-girlfriend they were talking about. She had noticed they were both taken by her, and she felt at ease once Jeffrey was the one to make the first move only because it caused Robert to find the switch in him to be more like a father. Although, in the last few weeks from delivering the news about Jeffrey to simply bringing her to the function that day---something had changed. She wasn't dumb, she'd been married to the man long enough.

After her spiel, she grew very quiet and it was eminent she was far too wrapped up in her thoughts about everything.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "Do you want to go to the cafeteria or something? We can get coffee or tea..." he suggested. 

"Um..." she lingered. "I do, but I don't want to miss anything..."

"Well, I had them page Dr. Arthur like you asked and luckily he was here---I'm sure he'll find you. He knows you're excited."