Love is the Best Medicine

Chapter 25

Don woke up from his nap and his wife wasn't with him, so he went on a search. He wasn't surprised to find her in the kitchen talking on the phone, and cooking dinner. Even though he thought he had talked her into ordering in for dinner, but obviously he hadn't. He wondered who she was on the phone with, but it didn't take him too long to figure out. "Yeah, we'll see you soon, Jane, bye." Meryl slammed the oven door shut as she stirred something on the stove. "As if we don't have enough going on. I sure don't need her telling me how to take care of my family...BLOODY HELL!"

"Talking like a brit already, babe? Don't hold back, tell me how you really feel." Don said trying to ease the tension in the room.

Meryl sighed as she turned around and saw her husband sitting down at the breakfast bar. "Hi there, my Don Man." She sighed as she leaned over the breakfast bar to kiss his lips. "Sorry."

"What did Mom want?" Don asked.

Meryl sighed as she got out dishes. "She's coming for your knee surgery. She'll be here for a week, and I pick her up at 10pm on New Year's Eve."

"No...she's NOT coming." Don said strongly. "That is the LAST thing we need right now."

His strong voice surprised her. "Babe, she's your mother. She is worried sick about you, and I haven't called her as much as I probably should have."

"You have called her everyday; besides, you've been a LITTLE busy." Don sighed. "After all she could call here. Why does it always have to be up to you with her?"

Meryl smiled at him. "She's your mother, Don. I don't want to keep her away from you. I overreacted; I'm just tired. She's welcome here anytime."

"Baby, you have gone through HELL. First, what happened with me, and then Diane, me again and now the baby. I know how crazy she makes you; she makes me crazy as well. You drive yourself crazy cooking and cleaning, I don't want that. You have a history of high blood pressure and getting really sick with it, you're already on the verge. I love my mother I do, but she can be condescending towards you, and I don't want that right now. I don't want you to deal with how she speaks to you right now, well I don't want you to deal with it period; and I probably won't be able to keep my mouth shut. You know how I feel about what she did to you after your rape and my shooting." Don said honestly. "I will NEVER get over that."

His words brought tears to Meryl's eyes. "I appreciate you wanting to protect me, but she DEMANDS on coming."

"She's being demanding to you? REALLY? What a shocker, but it stops NOW." Don said as he reached for the phone; his blood pressure already rising.

Meryl sighed. "Don baby, DON'T. I do NOT want you worked up. Listen, it's a week. We'll be fine."

"Okay, but we are calling the housekeeper to come do a deep cleaning; even though I don't think we need it but I know you think we do." Don winked making her smile. "We are having food delivered from the market, and you are NOT going to drive yourself crazy; remember what Hal said, we need to watch that blood pressure." Don was adamant; he was terrified she would have an attack.

Meryl leaned over and kissed him again. "I love you for that, and for the fact you think you can tell me what to do."

***

"Stop sulking and worrying, stress isn't good for you." Meryl said as she looked at her husband in the mirror on the dresser as she was putting up her hair and he was sitting on the bed looking at her.

Don shook his head. "I can't believe you are driving to JFK at night on New Year's Eve; and this late. It's not safe. She should just take a cab."

"That's ridiculous." Meryl laughed.