Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 74

"What?!" Don exclaimed as he looked at her.

Meryl looked at Larry as he nodded and stepped aside with the chief to give Meryl and Don some privacy. "Baby, I need my chance at him."

"NO! NO WAY!" Don shook his head. "I'm sorry, M, I know I don't tell you what to do but we're talking about a deranged lunatic here."

Meryl stroked his cheek as she looked at him. "Don Man, please listen to me." She said as he nodded. "I would want you and the police in there with me, of course. I couldn't and wouldn't do this without you. Baby, he has terrorized us. He's destroyed our home. He's threatened to kidnap me and Henry. Hell, he broke into our home with a gun ready to KILL YOU. Do you really think I'm not going to give him a piece of my mind?"

"Baby, I know how you feel, believe me. What good will it do? He's going to be locked up for a long time. We're all safe. Nothing else matters." Don tried to reason with her.

Meryl took a deep breath, desperate for him to see her side. "Don Man, he's been able to say whatever he wants to me, and through letters to you. When this first happened I took it because I thought he was a reporter and I was trying to be professional while tactfully putting him in his place. Not anymore. He's been able to spew unwarranted judgements and hate at us. I want to set him straight on everything."

"Baby, it doesn't matter. I know. You know. That's all that matters." Don said.

Meryl reached down to take both of his hands in hers. "It matters to me. I NEED to do this, Don. I need to do it for Henry. I need to do it for you. I need to do it for me."

"Larry?" Don said while staring into his wife's beautiful, but sad, green eyes.

Larry immediately went over to the couple. "Yeah?"

"If Meryl wanted to say her peace to him can I be in there with her? Would she be protected?" Don asked.

Larry saw the desperate look on Meryl's face and knew how much she needed to do this. He also saw the look of deep worry and concern on his best friend's face. "You of course could be in there; and then the police and I will watch everything on a monitor and we'll record it in case we can use anything he says against him. It would be in an open room and he would be handcuffed to the chair."

"Don Man." Meryl said gently as she turned his head to face her. "I'm not asking permission. I am going to do this but it sure would make it a hell of a lot easier if you were with me and I had your support."

Don nodded as he cupped her face in his hands and tenderly kissed her forehead and her lips. "Of course I will be in there with you. Though this terrifies me I understand and will support you. He'll have to get through the guards and me to get to you."

"And me." Larry interjected.

Meryl smiled at their friend and then at her husband. "You know I can protect and stand up for myself."

"I know, but marriage means you never have to go through anything alone anymore." Don smirked at her. "At least that's what an incredibly beautiful woman has been telling me for the past 2 1/2 years."

Meryl laughed through her tears of love for her husband. "Always using my words against me."

"I'll go put in the request and it shouldn't be too long. Once you all do this I will need you to sign your statements so we can process them through evidence." Larry told his friends, his family, as he and the chief left the room.

Don cupped Meryl's face in his hands. "Baby, I wasn't trying to control you; I'm just worried."

"I know that, sweetheart; that's not you and not our marriage." Meryl said with a tender kiss to his lips. "Thank you for being in there with me and supporting me; I love you, Donald Gummer, so much."