Hand in Hand

Chapter 32

After the wonderful supper Don had made for Meryl, Meryl insisted on helping Don clean up. Really, she wanted to clean all of it up herself as he worked so hard to make her a wonderful meal from scratch; but he said that if she insisted they would do it together. Besides, it helped them get everything cleaned up that much quicker. Afterwards, they went into the den and played with the babies until they were getting hungry; and soon Meryl was nursing a baby at a time cuddled up to Don as he held the other baby. Don and Meryl sat there in silence for the longest time; Meryl not knowing how deep in thought Don was. He had been thinking about this all day as they talked to all of their kids and spent time with his youngest children and wife. For the past few days he had been thinking about how much he and Meryl had been through in their life together and he just didn't understand; it really bothered him. He and Meryl were a part of each other; and he couldn't imagine having a life where she wasn't a huge part of it. As he watched her nurse, and they were both loving on their youngest children, he decided to verbalize what he was thinking. "I just don't get it."

"Huh?" Meryl asked as she looked up at her husband; and she was troubled by the troubled look on his face. "What don't you get, Don Man?"

Don realized his statement came out of left field for his wife. "You fall in love. You promise your heart and soul to your wife or husband. You create a life together. You are there when your wife gives birth to your children. You hold her hand. You raise the kids, wipe the noses, clean up the vomit, pick out the schools, go to the games, plan the vacations, pick out homes and cars and pay the bills. You make love to your partner because of your overwhelming love for them. You do life together. You are partners. Then after 40 years you just decide you are done and leave? Like those 40 years never happened? Like that person you shared your bed and life with for all those days and nights didn't mean a damn thing?"

"I don't know, baby." Meryl choked as she stared at him; she could tell this was really upsetting him. "George?"

Don nodded as they traded babies and he began to change Brady as she began to nurse Mags. "George. Tom, partly because of how quickly he moved on after Di and how who he got involved with impacted us."

"You and the babies most of all." Meryl said as she kissed Mags. "Though I think he was targeted because of your friendship with him; which upsets me even more."

Don sighed as he leaned over to tenderly kiss her lips as a way to show her that he was okay; they were all okay. "And Dana; he has totally flipped and left his WHOLE family. Then there's Leo who left Gloria after 45 years, Rachel who left John after 33 years. I don't get it, M. You just wake up one day and think that this life you created sucks and leave? What about the person who is left to pick up the pieces? I would NEVER EVER do that to you. You're my partner. You are literally a part of me; so much so that I don't know where one ends and the other begins."

"I feel the exact same way; sweetheart." Meryl assured her husband. "That's NOT us. That is not who we are. Sure, life is incredibly hard; no one knows that better than the two of us with everything we have been through. However, I can't even fathom doing life without you. You are my heart, my strength, my joy, my laughter and the love of my life."

Don nodded as he was just feeling vulnerable after everything with his mother and then learning what his good friend George did to his cousin. "When I say that you and the kids are EVERYTHING to me, I mean EVERYTHING. Life isn't worth doing without you and the kids. Every hurdle, every night we have walked the floor with a crying baby and every time we have had to live apart because of our careers has just made me love and cherish you more. I need you to know that. Just as I know you would NEVER EVER betray me; I NEED you to know what I would NEVER EVER do that to you. I guess that is why I don't get it."