Meryl and Don: An Unforeseen Journey

Chapter 58

"Hi, baby." Meryl smiled weakly.

Don held her head in his and tenderly kissed her lips. "We need to talk."

"Okay." Meryl said apprehensively as she and Don helped one another sit up a bit more. "Did something happen? Did I do something to upset you so much?"

Don grabbed her head in his hands and tenderly kissed her lips. "You, my amazingly strong wife, haven't done ANYTHING to upset me. My mother has...to you."

"How did you find out?" Meryl choked. She could tell by the look in his eyes, and the tone of his voice, that he knew what happened the night before.

Don wouldn't let go of her head. He wanted her to feel his touch through this awful conversation. "Well, you were having a bad dream in your sleep and were mumbling my mom's name then mine and 'no' and 'stop.' I was able to calm you down but then Larry came in and I asked him if she had been here. I thought I was dreaming, but I guess what I though was a dream during my medically induced state was actually your living hell."

"She was right." Meryl cried. "I don't deserve you. You're too good for me."

Meryl tried to look away but Don loosely held her head where it was. He didn't want to let her go but he also didn't want to hold her down and force her in any way. "That is where you are so unbelievably wrong. She was NOT right. I'm the one that doesn't deserve you. You are way out of my league, Mary Louise Streep."

"That's Gummer to you." Meryl finally joked.

Don said that hoping that would be her reaction like it usually was; and he was right. He tenderly kissed her lips. "Damn straight."

"Larry said you would say that." Meryl gave him a small smile.

Don nodded as he wiped her tears away. "He was right. You are the BEST thing to EVER happen to me. Moving here is the BEST thing to ever happen to me because it led me to you. She had NO FUCKING RIGHT to try to take me away from you; to try to take Henry away from you. She had NO FUCKING RIGHT to not let you near me; you are my WIFE, my LIFE. I understand Henry not being able to be around me; but you?! She had NO FUCKING RIGHT to fucking blame YOU. Baby, none of this is your fault. Not at all. I need to hear you say you believe me."

"I believe you." Meryl said weakly.

That wasn't good enough for Don. "I want you to say, 'I, Meryl Gummer, did not cause ANY of this.'"

"Don." Meryl tried to look away but he wouldn't let her.

Don shook his head as he kept her head where it was. "I want you to say it, I want you to BELIEVE it."

"I, Meryl Gummer." Meryl began and choked on her words. "Didn't cause any of this."

Don nodded. "I also want you to say and believe this: 'I, Meryl Gummer, did NOT deserve ANYTHING that bastard did to me.'"

"Baby." Meryl broke down crying.

Don didn't stop his own tears from forming. "Say it, Darl, believe it."

"I." Meryl sobbed. "Meryl Gummer....didn't deserve anything..."

Don wiped her tears as he choked on his words. "That bastard did to me or that bitch said to me."

"You changed it." Meryl choked as he nodded. "That bastard did to...me...or that bitch said...to...me."

Don continued staring into her eyes. "You believe it?"

"Yes." She sobbed.

Don immediately took her into his arms. "I'm so damn proud of you, baby. I can't imagine what these last 4 days have been like. I've tried to, and I can't. You should have been safe here but my mother fucking ruined that. I won't allow her to get to us."