Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 90

Don and Meryl were sitting in court, along with the rest of their family, as they were waiting for it to start. Don held Meryl's hand in his and he could feel her shaking; and he turned to her in concern, cupping her face in his hands. "Darl, are you okay?"

"I'm nervous." Meryl whispered as she chewed on her bottom lip. "I don't want what happened to you on Monday to happen today. The way you were sweating and shaking and not moving while you were sleeping..."

Don wiped away a few of her stray tears as he kissed her lips. "Baby, that was because I remembered that day; and the sheer exhaustion caused by my brain trauma. You took amazing care of me and I feel even better. Besides, the court doctor checked me out a little while ago and I'm okay."

"They are absolutely awful to you." Meryl sighed looking over at Peggy. "If she takes you away..."

Don turned her head towards him and pressed his forehead to hers. "Look at me; don't look at her. She won't. No one EVER will. I really will be okay, Darl."

"The prosecution calls Mr. Donald Gummer to the stand." Mike said. "Don."

Meryl helped Don up and buttoned his suit coat. "I love you, my Don Man; I'm right here."

"You always have been; and I know you always will be." Don replied with a wink and then a kiss to her lips. "I love you, my girl."

Henry went up to sit next to his mother and wrapped his arm around her. "He'll be fine, you know."

"You didn't see him the other day after he remembered." Meryl said wiping away her tears. "It really scared me."

Henry rubbed his mother's back. "He's done the hard work. I can tell by the way he's looking at me right now that he is more worried about you."

"That's my Don Man." Meryl smiled weakly at her husband. "Always so worried about me."

Don took a deep breath as Mike began. "Mr. Gummer, please tell us when you were married to Peggy Gummer; and what that was like."

"We married when we were 20 years old; and it only lasted a year." Don began. "I came from a very unhappy home. Peggy and I had dated in high school and I was desperate to make a new life for myself and to get out of my childhood home; so we got married. I never loved her, not really. She was awful to be married to; and was continually cheating on me. People who I called my chosen parents." Don smiled at Mike. "And my grandfather said there was someone out there who really loved me. I wasn't sure. I thought the divorce was mutual but I was the one who filed; and I just trusted after I signed the papers it was all taken care of. I have regretted that so many times." Don looked at Meryl. "Not filing for divorce that's not what I regret; that is the BEST thing that EVER happened to me. I regret trusting her that it was finalized. Anyways, I was ready to start over so went to art school in Boston and then got my masters at Yale. I then met Harry Streep the Third who introduced me to his sister, Meryl. She is the BEST thing to EVER have happened to me. After everything with Peggy I never wanted to have kids, a family, or even get married. That was until I went to a movie screening and met the love of my life; I immediately knew she was who I was always supposed to be with, and I couldn't wait to have children with her. I didn't know what true love was until I met her. I didn't know what peace and contentment and happiness were until I met her. When I found out I wasn't legally divorced from Peggy my devastation stemmed from the fear of  losing the best thing to ever happen to me, the only woman who was ever meant to be my wife-Meryl."

Mike smiled tenderly at Meryl. "Did you?"

"Never; neither of us would let that happen." Don took a calming breath. "We knew we didn't need a damn piece of paper to validate the love we share; or the family we were creating."