Re: Ghosts - ch.22 -- The Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman Fan Exchange

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, [2], 3, 4, 5, 6 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 04:36:27 04/08/03 Tue
Author: dqfan
Subject: Re: Ghosts - ch.22
In reply to: dqfan 's message, "Re: Ghosts - ch.20 & 21" on 09:54:29 04/07/03 Mon

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Sophie returned to her room, relaxed and hopeful - hopeful that Reggie's unexpected appearance might signal a turn for the better, in all their lives.

Optimistically, she'd knocked on the adjoining door to Peter's room, only to be greeted by silence. Disappointed but undeterred, Sophie decided to keep her adjoining door unlocked, just in case Peter returned. Then, she stepped out onto her balcony and allowed the warm desert breezes to melt both her worries and her skin.

After a while, though, the heat of the day began to seep through her heavy spa bathrobe, forcing Sophie inside again to change. But, as she finished latching the sliding glass door behind her, Sophie turned to find an unexpected visitor standing in the middle of the room.

"Hi," Peter said sheepishly, looking like something the cat dragged in.

"Hi," Sophie repeated, so very grateful that he was there and all right - no matter what.

Awkwardly, she shoved her hands into her bathrobe pockets. "You okay?" she asked, trying to keep her questions simple and her emotions in check.

Feeling guilty, Peter nodded and inched closer. "You?"

"Little lonely," Sophie shrugged, not sure if Peter was ready to confide in her or not.

"I wasn't with Ivy, Soph," Peter blurted, afraid of what Sophie might be thinking.

"I know," she admitted quietly, taking a few steps closer as well.

"You do?" Peter asked, surprised. "How?"

"Because I trust you, Peter," Sophie's lip began to quiver. "I'm sorry if I made you think that I didn't, it's just, I get so scared when you shut me out."

Sophie cupped her hand to Peter's cheek and closed her eyes, overcome by the feel of him. "Don't shut me out, Peter, please," she begged.

Defensively, Peter shook his head, breaking from her touch. "Soph�"

Maybe he couldn't do this after all�

"Tell me, please." Sophie wasn't about to give up - not on Peter, or their marriage.

"What's to tell?" Peter paced, trying to compose himself.

"You know me, Soph," he said dejectedly. "You even said it yourself once. When I get stressed, I need something."

That's what Sophie had told him after his father died, when he'd been prepared to tackle a mountain and reinjure his knee, all to avoid facing his problems.

"Booze�drugs�exercise," Peter quoted her word for word.

"What did you expect?" Sadly, Peter reflected on a lifetime's worth of self-recriminations. All his failures�all his disappointments.

Sophie brushed away any tears and struggled to make Peter understand. Why, couldn't he see? None of that mattered any more�none of it at all.

"I thought, once we got married," Sophie shared tenderly, "maybe you would need me, instead."

Peter stopped dead in his tracks, stunned by the quiet simplicity of Sophie's statement.

"Peter...please�" Sophie urged, demanding his full attention, hoping to make him see that together they could face anything. "Need me."

The passionate desperation in Sophie's voice, and in her eyes, rocked Peter to his very core. She stood before him - honest, loving and true. She was his wife�the most beautiful woman in the world�and she was fighting for him. She loved him. Peter never wanted her more.

In the heat of their quarrel, the sash on Sophie's robe had loosened slightly. The garment's deep, portrait, collar now rested low upon her breasts and its floor-length slit afforded a revealing glimpse of long legs and creamy thighs.

Peter couldn't take his eyes off her. His heart raced and his muscles tensed and suddenly nothing else mattered except showing Sophie how much he loved her.

"I do need you, Soph," Peter vowed, his voice suddenly husky with desire. "I need you so much�"

Sophie'd had every intention of holding her ground - demanding openness and honesty, first, above all. But, she could no longer ignore her feelings. She needed Peter too much right now - so much, that it hurt. What's more, Peter was hurting, too. The pain was there in his eyes, their usual bright blue laced with darkness, like sapphires in the moonlight.

So, when he closed the space between them and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders, Sophie sighed in anticipation. When he peeled the robe from her body - following it with his gaze - she smiled. And, when he finally allowed it to drop to the floor, she held her breath, waiting, in excruciating silence, until the familiar taste of his lips made her gasp with delight.

They had drifted too far too fast. And that scared Sophie more than anything Peter could ever tell her.

There would be time for talk later�

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sophie looked over at the clock beside her bed.

11AM.

Amazing what could happen to a girl before noon in this town, she smiled, running her fingers lazily through Peter's hair as he slept.

Still a bit dusty and dirty from his travels, Sophie couldn't have cared less. He was wrapped snugly around her�their legs intertwined, his arm draped over hers, his bearded cheek tucked against her breast. She felt blissfully happy and safe. She could only hope that Peter did, too.

They lay wordlessly for a while, just like that, until, eventually, Sophie felt Peter begin to stir. His fingertips traveled absent-mindedly, back and forth across her arm, and his deep breaths warmed her skin.

He was peaceful, at last, sharing body and soul with the woman he adored.

There would be no better time to finally tell Sophie the truth...

"I don't have it," he whispered contritely.

"Hmmm?" Sophie looked down at him with love.

"The locket," Peter admitted quietly. "I don't have it."

Pensive, Sophie stopped massaging Peter's scalp. "What happened?" she asked softly, without accusation.

Peter rolled over onto his back and pushed himself up onto the pillow. "It's a long story," he sighed.

In reply, Sophie pivoted over him, looking directly into his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere," she promised, kissing him deeply.

Nestling herself contentedly within Peter's embrace, Sophie listened as he began to explain.

"When Chloe and I broke up, I was in really bad shape," he started at the beginning. "She got everything in the divorce. Our apartment�whatever money I hadn't spent on drugs or liquor�"

"I was left with about a thousand dollars, my motorcycle," Peter revealed sadly, "and a few pieces of family jewelry."

"The locket?" Sophie looked up at him, beginning to understand.

"Uh-huh," Peter nodded, placing a loving kiss on Sophie's forehead. "Michaela's engagement ring, too."

"I rode that bike cross-country," Peter continued, his voice hollow, as if he were recalling another person's life. "Lucky I didn't crash, I guess."

"By the time I got to Seattle, I was stoned and broke," Peter said simply. "When you found me in the hospital, Soph, I don't even know how I got there."

"To be honest, I don't remember much of anything about us, until after we got to Vashon, except for what you've told me..."

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Seattle General Hospital had been a hub of activity that day, especially the emergency room. Sophie's broken leg was only the first in a stream of emergencies to fill the crowded space. Bay after bay was occupied, with only a few partially-drawn curtains separating patient from patient.

Sophie's leg had been a clean break and her cast had been applied without delay. The nurse, instructing Sophie to wait while it set, promised she'd return with Sophie's discharge papers in about an hour. Three hours and several nursing shifts later, Sophie was still waiting. Stir crazy from boredom, she'd hobbled out for a magazine, watching with interest as the newest medical emergency arrived.

"What's your name?!" the attendant inquired urgently of the patient on the stretcher. "Can you tell me?"

"What did you take?" the EMT asked again. "Stay with us!"

"His B.P. is stabilizing," the nurse shouted. "We'll need to pump his stomach�"

"I'm on it�" A doctor appeared quickly, and drawing the curtain, attended to his patient's care in, what seemed to Sophie, record time.

Her heart skipped a beat, realizing how close the man had come to death.

When the curtain finally opened, Sophie couldn't take her eyes off him. He was pale as a ghost, but even a drug overdose couldn't hide his handsome features. He had thick, dark hair, full lips, and a chiseled jaw. He wasn't much taller than she was, but he had shoulders broad enough to support a couple of continents. Edging a bit closer, Sophie was startled to see his eyes flutter and then close. Beautiful, blue eyes�sad, but brave, she thought.

"He shouldn't be here�" Sophie's inner voice nagged.

His clothes were obviously expensive. His tan suede jacket, alone, must have cost at least several hundred dollars and his blue checked shirt appeared to have been well made. But, both items were dirty and worn, likely slept in for several days, if not longer.

How does a man so handsome and so successful end up in an emergency ward of a drug overdose?

Sophie had a Master's Degree in Educational Counseling. She'd made it her career to understand how people tick. Fascinated, her inner voice nagged again�

"Why is he here?" she wondered, tragically.

Suddenly, a nurse noticed Sophie standing close by.

"Are you a family member?" she asked, gently.

"No," Sophie shook her head, then added, on impulse, "a friend."

"Oh, good," the nurse brightened. "Then you can tell me his name."

Sophie didn't have time to protest.

"Just let me go get the paperwork and I'll be back in a few minutes," the nurse smiled. "They're finishing up in there. You can stay with him, if you like."

Sophie nodded, unsure of what to do now. Hesitantly, she walked toward him, standing there until the doctors left.

"What's your name?" she whispered, but the man didn't answer.

Desperate to cover her fib, she began to search his jacket pocket for some ID. He must have something! Maybe his shirt pockets?

Lightly, Sophie began patting down his chest.

"I don't smoke�"

Sophie nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice. It was raw and scratchy, but just as deep and alluring as she'd imagined.

"What's your name?" she asked again, more urgently.

"Peter�" he croaked, wondering if he should know her. "Peter Scarbrow."

"Who are you?" he asked, still dazed.

"Sophie�" she replied softly. "Sophie Becker."

"Pleased to meet you, Sophie Becker�" Weakly, Peter held out his hand.

Sophie didn't hesitate. All her life she'd acted on impulse, living each moment as an adventure to be savored.

Taking Peter's hand in hers, Sophie smiled.

This would be the adventure of a lifetime�

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"That's why when Chloe asked how we met�" Peter's voice trailed off and he held Sophie tightly, just as tightly as he'd held her hand in that Seattle emergency ward.

Sophie patted Peter's chest and smiled. "You joked and told her I was just checking out your pecs."

"Sorry�" Peter smirked.

"I don't mind," Sophie teased him, lovingly. "I kinda like your version."

"I never showed you the locket?" Peter wondered, grasping at straws.

Sophie hadn't thought about those days in so long. It seemed like forever� "No," she answered, quite certain, nonetheless.

"Didn't think so." Peter had come to face facts. Somewhere in Seattle, he'd sold the locket, his motorcycle, and everything else, to pay for drugs.

"Hey, it doesn't matter, you know," Sophie hugged him.

"How can you say that, Soph?" Peter's voice cracked. "It matters to Charity, a lot."

"No, it doesn't," Sophie argued confidently. "YOU matter to Charity� She loves you more than anything in this world, Peter, I know it."

"And look how I repay her�" Peter grimaced.

"They're just THINGS, Peter," Sophie reminded him sternly, reaching across his chest to take his left hand in hers. "Just pieces of metal�"

With that, she brought his bare ring finger to her lips and kissed it sweetly.

"I'm sorry I took off my ring, Soph�" Peter felt guilty all over again.

"It's what's in our hearts that matters," she reminded him.

"I left it in my room, on my bureau�I'll go get it," he offered, starting to get up.

Sophie tugged him back playfully. "Not so fast, Mountain Man�" she teased.

"I want you right here." And her kiss left no mistake.

Peter's eyes brimmed with love. Affectionately, he brushed the hair away from Sophie's face, but his tone grew quiet and somber.

"Why," he asked softly.

"Why do I want you?" Sophie grinned. Peter had to be kidding.

"Well, maybe I didn't make myself clear�" she flirted, trailing her fingers from his Adam's apple, down his chest, to his stomach, on her way to�

"I'm serious, Soph." Peter snatched her hand and looked deeply into her eyes. "I'm a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, with a failed marriage, and a relationship with his father that makes Hamlet look well-adjusted."

Sophie was astounded. "You really are serious," she stared, her mouth open.

"You could have anyone." Peter traced her cheekbone with his fingertip. "You're beautiful, smart, fearless, outrageous�"

"Barren�" Sophie stopped his compliments with her least-desirable attribute.

"Soph�" Peter shook his head, refusing to tolerate any objections.

"We all have baggage, Peter," she said softly, touched by the depths of his love.

"You want to know why I chose you?" Sophie was about to regale Peter with all his fantastic qualities: his generosity, his caring�his capacity to love with all his heart. But then, she remembered something Daisy had told her once�something that made it all quite simple, really.

"Because, when there's only one person for you in this world, you take them as is," Sophie recited word for word. "That's why."

"I love you, Sophie Becker," Peter replied with a sweet, soft kiss.

"Say it again�" Sophie sighed, as Peter nibbled her neck.

"I love you, Sophie Becker." He traveled along her collarbone with his tongue.

"Again�" Sophie was becoming lost in the moment.

Suddenly, Peter lifted his head, mystified. "Soph?"

"Hmmm? What? Oh, why'd you stop?" she moaned.

"Did you go swimming in a pool of tequila or something?" Peter licked her again, his eyes twinkling, as he enjoyed a hint of the forbidden flavor. He'd thought Sophie tasted of it earlier, but at the time, neither of them had the inclination to converse.

"Ohmigod! The margarita rub! Can you really taste it?" she shrieked, pulling away from him immediately.

"Somebody rubbed a margarita on you?" Peter's confusion turned to only a half-teasing rage. "If it was Gus, I'll kill him!"

"I had a margarita salt rub at Gus' spa this morning," Sophie explained quickly.

"But Gus wasn't even there, as a matter of fact," she was relieved to say.

"It's funny, now that you mention it," Sophie thought about it more clearly. "He was supposed to wait for me, but then he disappeared. Miguel said he was called away on business."

"Who's Miguel?" Peter was trying to keep track.

"Miguel is the one who gave me the salt rub," Sophie blurted as quickly as possible. "But he's a dear old-world gentleman, Peter, really�"

Grimly, Peter shook his head. Trying to look fierce, he swallowed his smile. "Too bad�" he blustered in his best Count Dracula impersonation, "I am going to have to kill him."

"You are a crazy person!" Sophie squealed delightedly, as Peter swooped in for his attack.

"And you are incredibly delicious." Peter attempted to renew his tasting.

"Ooh�no�" Sophie grinned - resisting - her conscience overriding her libido. "You are not coming near me again until I wash this stuff off!"

"I can't believe I tempted you like that�" she muttered to herself.

Sophie was seriously dismayed at her lack of judgment, but, in her own defense, she hadn't expected there'd be real tequila in the margarita rub. Plus, frankly, she'd had no idea her day would improve quite so quickly.

"You always tempt me, Sophie Becker�" Peter leaned in for another kiss.

Sophie put the palm of her hand flat against Peter's chest to stop him. "Forget it, Sparky�" she laughed.

"Then, how about�I join you?" Seductively, Peter cast a glance toward the shower.

Sophie eyed him warily. "The tequila's coming off," she insisted, sternly.

"I'll take it off myself," Peter promised, doing his best scout's honor sign. "With soap," he added, reading her mind.

"I don't know�" Sophie hedged, just for the sheer pleasure of making him squirm. After all, it never hurt to build the suspense.

"Soph, we're in the desert," Peter pleaded, mischievously enjoying their game, and Sophie's momentarily confused look as she inched out of bed.

"We need to conserve water," he justified with great sincerity - and a hopefully angelic look on his face.

Sophie couldn't even hide her amusement. Her face broke into a huge grin and her eyes twinkled, as she paused for just a second�

"Race ya!"

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

Re: Ghosts - ch.23 -- dqfan, 08:35:58 04/09/03 Wed
- Re: Ghosts - ch.24 & 25 -- dqfan, 09:56:27 04/10/03 Thu
  - Re: Ghosts - ch.26 & 27 -- dqfan, 11:43:42 04/11/03 Fri