Until the Very End

Chapter 63

Things were calm for the Gummers for the next week. Whenever Jane tried to contact them, they would just ignore the call or text or email. Don had spoken to his father several times, and neither of them brought up Jane. Don just hoped that Brad was doing whatever was best for him. Don and Meryl spent time in their apartment resting and healing from their latest health scares, as that is what Dr. Abbott ordered them to do. Maeve and Third were working but checking in on Don and Meryl. Louisa wanted to take a leave from school, but both Don and Meryl told her absolutely not, especially not in her last semester of college. Mamie and Grace were working around the city but got to have supper a few times with their parents. Hen and Suze were busy getting her business together, but Liz watched Lily along with Mike and Maggie and they were frequent visitors at the Gummers' penthouse loft. Don and Meryl di a good job of ignoring what the next week would bring...for awhile.

***

Meryl woke up early on Monday morning, her nerves and stress waking her up, and all she wanted to do was curl up in her husband's arms, but he wasn't there. As she sat up, she saw him through the darkness of their bedroom sitting at the foot of their bed, with his head in his hands. She was pretty sure that what was disturbing her sleep, also disturbed his, Carl Raymore's trial was set to begin that day. They hadn't talked much about it, except in planning sessions with Larry and Mike, but it was sneaking up and they couldn't ignore it anymore. She crawled down to the foot of the bed, sat behind her husband and kissed his back. "Hey, handsome."

"Oh, hey baby." Don turned around to kiss her lips in the dark. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

Meryl shook her head as she laid her head on his shoulder. "You didn't, sweetheart. I am pretty sure the thing that woke me up is what has you sitting at the end of the bed in the dark at 2 am staring at the babies."

"You aren't always right, Mrs. Gummer." Don teased, sending that they both could use a little injection of humor. "I was staring at you as well."

Meryl tenderly kissed his lips before laying her head back down on his shoulder. "The babies okay?"

"Yeah." Don nodded as he went back to staring at their sleeping 5-month-old twins. "I just love watching them sleep. They are growing up way too quickly."

Meryl agreed with him, and she knew they both couldn't seem to stare at their babies enough. Even when the older kids slept over, they caught themselves watching them sleep as well. All of these products of their love and commitment. However, she knew there was something he wasn't saying. Something she wasn't saying. She knew Don was trying to protect her by not bringing it up, and she wanted to protect him by bringing it up so they could get everything out in the open and face it together. "It's going to be okay, baby. You have done EVERYTHING to protect us and build a case against him."

"WE worked together." Don turned so he could face his wife, even in the dark. "Am I that predictable?"

Meryl ran her fingers through his dark curly hair as she kissed his forehead. "You are to me because I love you so much."

"I love you too, Darl, more than anything." Don sighed as he tucked her hair behind her ear. "That is why I can't stand the thought of you having to go through this...again. I can't stand the thought of him hurting you, of his lawyers hurting you. I honestly don't understand this fucking system."

Meryl knew he needed to get this off of his chest, she hoped that by doing so then he could get a little more sleep. She knew how worried he was about her and healing from her concussion, she was just as worried about him healing from his recent surgeries. "What don't you understand, sweetheart?"

"That fucker has beaten you, stalked you, terrorized you." Don began. "He has tried to kill you multiple times."

Meryl would never forget the fear of Raymore holding a gun to Don and threatening their babies. "And you."