Simply Complicated (34 page)

When it was time for her to leave work she called Donald to tell him that she had some errands to run prior to coming home. She had told him the night before that she was getting off work early and didn’t want him calling and interrupting her conversation with Ted.

After picking up lunch, Kristie headed for the hotel. She continued to wonder what was so important that he had to see her. It had been nearly six months since they had last met.

When she arrived at the hotel he was already there. He greeted her with a dozen red roses in one hand and a box of chocolate candy in the other. She was stunned.

“Hey dear, I am so glad you were able to make it. This is for you. I remembered that roses are your favorite flower. I also have a box of chocolates for you. If my memory is correct, you always like the chocolate with the caramel and nuts inside,” he said as he handed her the gifts.

“Okay Ted, what’s this all about? My favorite flowers and chocolates? It’s not my birthday for another month. What’s the special occasion?” she asked, confused.

“There is no special occasion. I realized that since we’ve been back together, in the past three years I’ve never given you roses and candy. I’ve missed the last two Valentine’s without giving you anything and I didn’t want to miss another one. Happy early Valentine’s Day, sweetheart,” he said, kissing her on the lips and giving her a hug.

“That was very sweet of you but you didn’t have to give me gifts. You know I can’t take them home with me. Donald would ask me a million questions. So, is this why you had such a sense of urgency to see me? To give me flowers and candy?” she asked in an inquisitive tone.

“That’s one of the reasons,” he said.

“And the other reason is?” she prompted impatiently.

“The other reason is to tell you that I love you,” he said as if he was hiding something.

“Okay Ted, what’s really going on? I know you love me and you know I love you. But I have the feeling you’re hiding something from me. Can you please be honest?” she asked, showing her frustration.

Ted waited a moment, and then explained, “I went to the doctor and he said there’s a slight chance I may have prostate cancer. I’ve been having some difficulty and pain while urinating. I’m going to the hospital tomorrow for some tests.

“I wanted you to know because you’re a part of my life and I want to share everything with you. There’s a good chance that it’s something else but they want to make sure,” he said, trying to be strong.

Kristie immediately hugged him and started crying.

“Don’t cry baby. You know me. I’m going to be okay,” he said while holding her tight.

“I am so sorry to hear that, baby. Thank you for telling me. I’m here for you. I’m sorry for crying but I cannot stand the thought of losing you. I love you so much, Ted,” she said, trying to gain her composure.

“I know you love me baby and I love you too. I’m just happy to have you here with me. But please don’t cry,” he said, kissing the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

“I’ll be okay; it’s you I’m worried about. You’re trying to be strong for me when you’re the one going through this ordeal. You don’t have to be strong in front of me, baby. It’s okay to show your vulnerability with me. I won’t think any less of you.

“You can stop being stoic. If you want to cry, it’s okay. No one is here but you and me. It’s okay to be scared,” she said as she pulled him close to her.

Within minutes he started crying. As the tears streamed silently down his face she kissed them and continued to hold him tightly. She had never seen him cry before. In fact this was the first time he had ever cried in front of a woman. His wife had never seen him cry.

He trusted Kristie completely. He had never allowed himself to get this close to any woman. He always tried to maintain a feeling of control over his emotions and actions.

Deep down he was relieved that he could expose himself to someone without being looked at differently.

As he and Kristie lay across the bed and she continued to comfort him, they found themselves taking their relationship to another level. Without giving it any thought they started kissing passionately. As their emotions took over, they quickly undressed each other and succumbed to years of desire. They spent the afternoon making love. It was better than they imagined.

The next day Ted went to the hospital to have some tests done to see why he was experiencing his symptoms. He was given a blood test and a rectal ultrasound. Both of these tests were outpatient but his doctor wanted him to stay overnight until the results came back the next morning.

He hated being in the hospital. He didn’t like the feeling of not being in control. Lynn and the children were by his side through it all. She wanted to stay at the hospital with him but he insisted that she take the children home and stay with them. He kissed everyone goodbye and tried to assure them that he was going to be okay.

As soon as they left, he texted Kristie to let her know what was happening. She was happy to receive his message and wanted so desperately to go and see him but she knew it wasn’t a good idea.

The next morning his doctor entered his room with his test results. His wife had arrived an hour before.

“Well Mr. Finch, I have your test results and it appears that you don’t have prostrate cancer. The pain you experience during urination is caused by a urinary infection. You seemed to have developed this infection due to an enlarged prostrate.

“Right now your symptoms are very mild. We’ll give you an antibiotic for the infection. As for the enlarged prostrate, we will do what we like to call watchful waiting.

“We recommend that you get regular biannual check-ups so we can watch for early problems or signs that the condition is posing a health risk or major inconvenience.

“You’re free to go home. The nurse will come in soon with your discharge instructions. Do you have any questions?” asked Dr. White.

“What caused the prostrate to get enlarged?” asked Ted.

“This is a common problem in men over fifty. BPH, which is another name for your condition, is an enlargement of the prostrate that blocks the flow of urine through the urethra. The prostate cells gradually multiply, creating an enlargement that puts pressure on the urethra,” said the doctor.

“Okay, so let me get this straight. I don’t have prostrate cancer, correct?” asked Ted.

“That is correct,” said the doctor.

“And this enlarged prostrate is treatable, correct?” he asked.

“Yes it is, but right now yours isn’t posing any major problems so no treatment is necessary at this time. You should see your doctor in the next six months or sooner if your symptoms progress. And the antibiotic will help clear the infection that’s causing the pain when you urinate,” said Dr. White.

“Thanks doctor, you have really relieved my anxiety,” Ted said gratefully.

Ted couldn’t wait to call Kristie with the good news. Since his wife was there he had to wait until later. As soon as he arrived at home he went into his den to call her. When he told her what the doctor said she was thrilled and relieved. They agreed to meet over the weekend to celebrate.

Ted and Kristie met at their usual place. This time their rendezvous was a little different. With all of the excitement about him not having cancer, they never had a chance to discuss what happened the last time they were together.

Kristie wanted to bring it up but was unsure how to do so. Although she enjoyed making love to him, she wasn’t sure if he thought it would happen every time they saw each other. After being with him she felt guilty for cheating on Donald. She didn’t like feeling this way.

“Hey sweetheart, I am so glad things worked out. I was so worried,” said Kristie, running to give him a big hug.

“Hey baby, it’s so nice having you here. I must admit I was worried too. Listen, I want to thank you so much for being there for me last weekend. Having you with me made me feel as if I could conquer anything.

“I also want to thank you for letting me make love to you. I know it was something we were trying not to do but I really needed to be with you and to love you. The fact that you gave yourself to me again knowing the risk meant a lot.

“I know we may never make love again and despite how difficult that will be for me, I do understand and respect you enough not to ask that of you. But if it should happen again, of course I will be happy as hell,” he said before giving her a hug and a gentle kiss on the lips.

“I’m glad you said something because I wanted to talk about that but I wasn’t sure how I was going to bring it up. I enjoyed making love to you too. It was better than I imagined but the guilt I felt afterwards was overwhelming for me and I had a difficult time handling it.

“If we do make love again, I don’t want it to be something we plan. We had managed to remain best friends without having sex for three years. What we shared last weekend was different. I knew you needed me and because I love you I needed to show that I’m here for you. Making love seemed like the natural thing to do at that time,” explained Kristie.

“So what do you want to do today? Have you eaten anything yet?” he asked, changing the subject.

“I had breakfast earlier today. How about we eat downstairs in the restaurant this time instead of here in the suite? It’s funny, all we’ve done since meeting here is eating,” she said while laughing.

“I know, but thanks to last weekend we’ve done a little more. But of course I did end up eating,” he said with a sly grin on his face.

“You’re so nasty, but that’s why I fell in love with you in the first place,” she smiled and quickly kissed him.

“Oh really? And I thought it was my charming personality that attracted you to me,” he said jokingly.

Kristie laughed, “That too, but more of the nastiness.”

“You are still a bad girl, Kristie. I love you baby, more than you know,” he said as they headed downstairs to eat lunch.

When they finished eating, Kristie decided to head home. Although it was supposed to be her day to enjoy herself, she wanted to see what her family had planned. It was nearly 4:00 p.m. and they were trying to figure out what they wanted to do. They were happy that she came home to help them decide.

“Mom, I’m so glad you’re here. I want to go bowling but DJ wants to see a movie. We’ve been arguing about which one we’re going to do for an hour now. Can you please help us? Dad is no help,” demanded Katherine in her usual bossy tone.

“Well dear, who selected the last time?” asked Kristie.

“Dad chose last time because we couldn’t decide then either,” explained Katherine.

“Well I guess that question didn’t solve anything. Okay, it seems to me that if you and your brother can’t compromise then perhaps Dad or I need to decide again today. I’m sure you don’t want to hear our decision,” said Kristie in her typical calm manner.

“No—we know what you’ll say, Mom. If we can’t decide on where to go then perhaps we don’t need to go anywhere,” muttered Katherine, mimicking her mother.

“You got it, baby. Now I’m sure you and your brother are more than capable of calmly discussing where you want to go or what you feel up to doing without our help. You have ten minutes to work it out. Once your time is up, Dad and I will decide,” Kristie explained as she headed upstairs to talk with her husband.

“Hey sweetie, I see you and the kids are trying to figure out what you’re doing this evening. I told them they had ten minutes to come up with a compromise or we’ll decide where to go,” said Kristie.

“Good—they do this every time you have your special Saturday. So are you going with us?” he asked.

“Sure I’ll go with you guys. I don’t have anything planned for this afternoon. I think they have about five more minutes before we may need to step in,” she said.

“Mom, Dad—we figured out what we want to do today,” yelled DJ.

Kristie and Donald went downstairs to see what the children had come up with.

“So what did you two decide?” asked Donald.

“We want to go bowling,” he said.

“Okay, then bowling it is,” said Kristie.

She really enjoyed spending time with her family. She loved her children and Donald and was happy to be with them.

As they drove to the bowling alley, she started imagining her life without her family. She did not want to risk losing them. She knew if she continued to fall in love with Ted that she would get lost in him. She was glad they decided to try and keep sex out of their relationship.

After they made love she had a difficult time getting him out of her thoughts. She found herself longing for him and wanting to be with him more and more each day. She wondered if he really loved her as much as he professed.

She yearned to make love to him again but she knew if she did, she might not be able to stop.