Forever With You

Chapter Twelve

By Sunday morning, all is forgiven, and things are just about back to normal. Bridget wakes to hear the shower running and smiles at the thought of joining her young lover when she hears Franky's phone begin to vibrate. She glances over at it to make sure it isn't work or family, and seeing that it's an unfamiliar number, proceeds to get out of bed. Before she can step away, she hears a text come through and looks over at it again. 'Franky. It's Erica. Give me a call.' Bridget does a double take before the screen goes dark. "Franky!" She calls through the room. She hears the shower turn off and the shower door slide open. Franky appears in the doorway drying her hair with a towel. "Did you call me?"

"When did you give Erica your number?" Franky looks confused as Bridget points to her phone. "I gave her my card at the wine store why?" "Then why is she texting you?" Franky walks over and picks up her phone. She opens it and checks the text messages. She shakes her head as she sits on the bed. She notices three missed calls from an unfamiliar number and two voicemails. She clicks on the first one and raises the phone to her ear. 'Franky. It's Erica. I got your number from Fessler. We need to discuss a few things before court Monday morning. Give me a call.' The second was pretty much the same as the first but left just a few minutes ago and right before the text. "Fessler gave it to her. It's about court tomorrow." Bridget sets her jaw, but nods. She could just make out the message from where she was standing. "I'm going to hop in the shower." She says before turning and walking to the bathroom. Franky tosses her phone on the nightstand. 'Fucking Erica.'

The ride home is brutally quiet. Neither knows what they can say without starting a fight. The elephant in the room is suffocating and Franky feels like she is boxed into a corner. She has not been unfaithful, or even considered it, however, Erica shows up at the most inconvenient of times whether in person or fucking spirit. She just has to keep her cool and get through this week. Hopefully, the case is over by Friday. Boomer needs her, and Fessler's right, Erica is the best qualified for this case.

After returning home, they eat a small lunch and sit on opposite sides of the couch to watch their recorded shows. As they fast forward through the first commercial break, Bridget reaches across the couch, laying her hand palm up towards Franky. Franky looks down at her hand, knowing it's her silent way of an apology and takes her hand in hers. It doesn't take long before Bridget is curled up with her head in Franky's lap. Franky strokes her long, blonde locks as she wonders how long Erica will cause issues between them. She knows Bridget heard the message, and that Fessler gave out her number, but she also knows that the part bothering Bridget is the who it was given to; not the why or how. She looks down and gently runs a hand down the side of Bridget's face. Bridget looks up into her eyes. "You know this is only temporary, right?" Franky asks while cupping the blondes' face in her hand. "What's that?" Bridget asks, raising her eyebrows slightly. "Erica having my number." Franky can feel Bridget tense against her and watches her turn back towards the TV. "She'll still have it, even if you don't keep hers." She says softly. "Then I'll block her." Franky says, turning Bridget's face back to look at her. "I'll do anything to prove there is nothing between us. Shit, if it wasn't for Booms..." Bridget presses a finger to her lips. "I know baby. It's just hard knowing that in the past..." Franky stops her by crashing her lips against hers. She moves a hand behind the blonde locks and feels Bridget slide a hand up her neck and behind her head. Bridget feels a tear slide down her cheek as she feels the love that Franky is desperately hoping she will feel. She knows Franky prefers action to words, so she is not surprised when she feels Franky raise her legs pulling her closer. When they break the kiss to breathe, Franky cups both sides of her face with her hands. "It has been you, and only you, since the first time I saw you. I was just too stubborn to admit it to myself until you started poking and prodding." She caresses the side of her face with her right hand. "Please Bridget. Please don't let anyone ever make you doubt that."