Convalescence

Good to Be Home

Teri Hatcher-Cain is not above tears.

That much is evidenced when she walks through the door with wet eyes and a slump to her entire body, that not even being home could fix. It'd been a long, exhausting day full of everything that could go wrong, doing so in the most disastrous way possible. The icing on the cake had been when, instead of dealing with the frustration like grown adults, a few choice cast members had devolved into tossing fourth-grade level insults, sniping at each other, and having ongoing verbal cat-fights.

By lunch, Teri had been more than ready to crawl home to her husband, bury herself in his arms, and forget the world. And, that's exactly what she intended to do, right now. Her purse and jacket are haphazardly hung on the hooks by the door, she drops her keys in the brass bowl with his (oh good, he's home), and turns the deadbolt on the door.

Her shoes go next, and she heads up the stairs to find her husband.

It's one in the morning - filming had gone late - so theoretically, he should be sleeping, but he's a perpetual insomniac and refuses to take any sort of medication for the problem, so she knows he'll still be awake, either working on his laptop or reading. He never stops and while she adores his strong work ethic (it'd been a wonderful influence on the kids), she can be a bit bitter about his workaholic tendencies.

Sometimes, she just needs him to slow down, when all he wants is to keep going, and while they've gone to war over the issue, it's also something that she appreciates on days like today. He's not reliant on her - he has his own career, his independence, and while they're happily married, she doesn't wonder if he resents her working late, because he's usually working, too.

Tonight, though, he's sitting up in bed, legs stretched out in front of him, a stack of extra pillows under his right knee, and an ice pack taped to it with medical tape. He's sipping a glass of wine while scrolling on his iPad - probably, more than likely, Twitter, but she also knows he checks his email on his iPad and marks the ones he needs to answer - and looks relaxed, if a bit pained.

"Hi."

A click of the iPad and his attention is on her, his soft expression deepening into concern when he notices the teary eyes and exhausted slump. "Hey, sweetheart. You alright?"

"Bad day." Teri mumbles, making her way to the closet to find something more comfortable to wear. She disappears into the walk-in, re-emerging a few minutes later in a pair of firm fitting but soft and comfortable running shorts, and one of her husband's button-downs - the blue one that always had a hint of his cologne, no matter how many times he washed it.

She fidgets a little, at the edge of the bed, bad day having worn away the usual confidence she had in asking for what she wants. She's afraid, tonight. Afraid he'll be angry and snap at her like had been happening all day. She just wants to curl into his side and forget the world for a night. He seems to realize what all her fidgeting is about and lifts his arm in invitation.

Teri is quick to crawl in the bed and nestle herself in his side, curling a leg around Dean's good knee, and resting her head on his chest while he sinks a hand into her hair and absently rubs her scalp. A tender kiss is followed by a softly spoken question; "What happened today, sweetheart?"

"Everything that could go wrong did. And, in the worst possible ways." Teri mumbles into his t-shirt. "People on set were horrible - constantly snapping insults at each other, like a bunch of fourth-graders and I just wanted to be home with you."

"I'm sorry, Princess." his voice is so soft, so soothing, "It's okay, now."  

The guarded tension eases slightly, but she's still not relaxed enough to open up completely. While she hadn't been complicit in the bratty behavior, she certainly hadn't put up with it, and news of trouble on the set would soon spread like wildfire. It's not that she's worried about how he'll react, as he's fully aware of her take no shit motto when it comes to co-workers, but it's more of she can't seem to find the words to explain it all, just yet.

When approached with the childish petulance, she had merely brushed it off and continued on in a professional manner. She'd raised a daughter, she knew enough to know that tantrums rarely ever stopped with attention, but rather when the person throwing it felt ignored. Except with adults, the tantrums get louder, more petulant, and in one instance, more violent. A coffee mug shattering against the wall near her head had been the end of her day. She'd laid it out flat that she was going home and would shoot the rest of her scenes, tomorrow.

"Someone threw a coffee mug." Teri finally explains quietly. His hand pauses in her hair, and she feels him tense, ready for a fight. "It hit the wall near my head. I had to leave. I wasn't supposed to be home until three but after that, I had to leave."

"Were they aiming for you?" Dean questions around clenched teeth.

"I don't think so." she turns her head to press kisses into his chest. "I just couldn't stand to be on that set any more. I know the day was awful, everything was going wrong, but that's no reason to be mean and bully people and it's definitely not a reason to throw things." 

"And, I don't want you on set where things are being thrown at you. I understand this is a film and there are fight scenes but from what you told me, nothing is being thrown." Dean leans down to kiss her head, absently rubbing her back. "Is there something about this film that's making everyone crazy? Because I've had bad days on sets but I've never seen a cast or crew devolve into violent tantrums." 

"I don't know." Teri sighs softly. "I just know it was a horrible day." 

"You're home, now." 

His hand continues it's soothingly slow pattern of circles all over her back, as he uses his free hand to set his iPad aside and grab his phone. Clicking through until he finds what he's looking for, it isn't long before the soft sounds of whatever song they had been listening to the night before filled the room, and Teri's sinking deeper into the calming, solid warmth of her husband, letting him ease the tension of the day. 

She'll receive an apology from the cast member responsible for the shattered cup, and an explanation - a divorce from hell combined with exhaustion had resulted in a short fuse - the next day, but for now...

It was good to be home.