Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 31

Don and Meryl had sat in silence for the longest time; not exactly silence as they were both crying but it was awhile until either of them said something. Don was just kissing her head and rubbing the babies heads and Bradley's stomach-afraid to touch anywhere near Mags' bruises. Meryl looked up at him when she realized she had been hogging the babies. "God Don, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"Hey." Don said tilting her chin up with his pointer finger and kissed her lips. "What are you talking about?"

Meryl handed Margaret over to him. "Here; I know I've been hogging them. I'm sorry. They're your children too. It's just whenever this shit has happened I don't want them out of my sight; or you."

"Baby, I get that; believe me. I feel the same way." Don said as he kissed Mags' head and held her in the way he knew didn't cause her pain. "You haven't hogged them. YOU are the one who got her back for us; I want you to do whatever you need to do. If that's holding both of them all the time then that's okay, love."

Meryl smiled at him tearfully as she tenderly kissed his lips. "Thank you; but you need them too. Next time I have them and you want them just tell me. Promise?"

"Promise." Don said as he placed his free hand under her chin on her neck and stroked her cheek. He was alarmed when he could feel her pulse racing near the pulse point on her neck."Sweetheart, your pulse is racing. Are you feeling okay?"

Meryl looked at him as she got even redder in the face. "I could kill him, Don Man; I could honestly fucking kill him. Not only just for what he did to our baby girl which made me want to strangle him; but because of that he also got our babies taken away from us."

"I know, baby; but they're not. They're safe in our arms just like they should be." Don tried to soothe her. "For the record, I could fucking strangle him for what he did to both of you. For what his actions have caused."

Meryl stroked his cheek where she could still see the scars from what Dana did to him. "I never forgave him for what he did to you. I honestly have so much anger for what he did to you and Margaret."

"I know baby; me too." Don sighed. "For what he did to our baby and to you. Baby, we really need to get your heart not to race so much. Do you want to talk about it?"

The tears streamed down Meryl's face again. "I am so sorry he and Mary lost a baby; I know, WE know what that feels like." Meryl choked as Don nodded while he wiped her tears. "But to try to take OUR baby? A baby we both love more than anything in the world. A baby that we have fought so damn hard for; as well as her brother. THEN to HURT HER? THEN...WE ARE QUESTIONED ABOUT OUR PARENTING ABILITIES?! We could have lost them, Don. We could have lost our babies all because my fucking brother has never had to deal with anything in his life; and he feels so god damn entitled. I get that he's sick, and my heart does break; but he fucked with our baby girl and our family."

"I know, baby; I feel the same way you do." Don tenderly kissed her lips. "It didn't work, sweetheart; because of YOU. YOU got her back before he took off with her or hurt her more. The social workers saw how much we love our children; ALL of our children and how safe they are with us. They know it was HIM. We won't let him hurt them or any of our children ever again."

Meryl nodded as she took a deep breath. "I don't know if I can look at him again, Don. My heart that loves him tells me he's sick; but my heart that wants to protect you and all of our babies tells me never to let him in our vicinity again."

"Baby, we're pressing charges against him. He will have to take responsibility for what he did to our girl, to me, to you, to our family." Don said as he nodded. "You have stood up to him time and time again; you are making him grow up and face his demons. In many ways not only did you save your life and Margaret's from him; you are saving him from himself. You are in a way also saving Mary and the kids as well. He can't get to them again sweetheart; and as soon as I have the final report I'll be damned if we are going to be questioned and go through this farce EVER again. You trust me?"