When We Meet Again

*****

They were woken by insistent knocking on the door. Dean put his head up like a reluctant mole venturing out of its hole and Meaghan burrowed deeper in the blankets. She had an interview at Valley General Hospital for a locum position that had opened up but that wasn’t until two o’clock. She really wasn’t ready to meet any of Dean’s friends or relatives so she intended to stay under here until whoever it was had been dealt with.

The voices in the living room sounded upset if not raised with Dean sounding defensive. Meaghan tried her best not to listen but the other voice; which sounded cold and angry as all get out, was familiar. She’d heard those dulcet tones once before in a hospital in Aspen and she wasn’t likely to forget it in a hurry. Poppy Wesson had come to call.

The voices were getting nearer and more frantic and Meaghan was beginning to panic. She could make out words now whether she wanted to or not.

“How long do you think you can keep this up Dean? You’re far too old for this ‘finding yourself’ nonsense you’re perpetuating right now. The family needs you. Now I’ve spoken to Sammy and she’s quite willing to give you another chance but you need to act now,” she was saying while Dean’s efforts to interrupt her were smoothly overridden.

“Now whatever tramp this is you’ve got in your bed has got to go because Sammy will be hear in 2 hours and you need to be ready,” Poppy was saying. Meaghan debated on whether she should emerge from the bed clothes or stay in here and let Dean sort it all out. He had said something about secrecy.

“Well?” Poppy demanded, “What are you waiting for?”

“Mother, I’m not getting back with Sammy,” Dean said. He sounded weary but resolute.

“Don’t be a fool Dean,” Poppy replied.

“I’m not. For the first time in my life I’m choosing to do something for myself; not for the good of someone else, but just for me. And I won’t let you take this away from me, Mother,” the emphasis he put on the last word was cutting.

Meaghan heard footsteps and tensed. The duvet was shoved off her in one fell swoop and she was left exposed to Poppy’s scrutiny. Meaghan thanked the heavens she’d had time to slip on a t-shirt.

“Hi,” she squeaked.

Poppy glared at her. “Do I know you from somewhere?” she asked and then turned to Dean without waiting for an answer. “Dean are you fraternizing with the help now? Is this one of the maids you’re choosing?” she asked in tones designed to cut and bruise.

To his credit Dean’s glare was just as cutting. “Dr. Meaghan Leonard, meet my mother,” he said coldly. “You must forgive her regressive views; she’s still living in 1864,” he said never dropping eye contact with his mother.

“Pleased to meet you,” Meaghan said dryly.

“You have two hours, and then I need you to take out your trash Dean,” his mother said as she walked out of the room without further reference to Meaghan.

Meaghan breathed in deeply and then breathed out slowly. Dean was standing as if frozen, staring at her like he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“Well that was…pleasant,” Meaghan ventured smiling tentatively at him. He collapsed on the bed and lay his head in her lap.

“Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?” he asked.

“For?” she asked.

“Coming from that,” he said flinging his arm out in the direction his mother had been. Meaghan laughed.

“I’m used to that sort of crazy. It’s a lot more common than you’d think,” she said.

“Well I still need you to forgive me,” he said.

“Forgiven. Now you’d said something about breakfast…?” she said prodding his shoulder.

He got up and reached a hand out to pull her out of bed. She let him propel her and ended up wrapped in his arms. She grimaced. “I haven’t brushed my teeth,” she said. He smiled and shrugged leaning down to fit his lips to hers. Things pretty much went downhill from there. There was kissing and then there was touching.

His whole body relaxed; he was probably asleep.

*****

Meaghan barely made it for her interview; but it turned out to be more of a ‘when can you start?’ type gig rather than ‘tell us why we should hire you’, so she didn’t have to strain herself at all. As soon as she was done with the paperwork to start work as soon as possible she left the building and called Bain.

“We need to meet,” she said as soon as he picked up.

“He turned out to be even more of an asshole than I projected?” Bain asked.

“His mother actually. Now where and when?” she asked.

“Come to the site. Let’s have dinner,” he said.