Keep Your Girl Out of My Shoe Cabinet, Your Wife

Sidney’s giant hands were wrapped around Viviane’s. Her hands were shaking and the palms sweaty. He was boiling inside but he knew he had to be strong. He had to be Viviane’s rock. Not many words had been spoken since she had returned from the bathroom. Quickly both got dressed, dropped Anakin into Vero’s and Marc-André’s hands and rushed to Viviane’s doctor. Now they were sitting in the vacant waiting area dreading the result of the examination and blood test. Viviane constantly tried to talk to Sidney but every time she looked up to him or opened her mouth, he shot her a silencing glance or calmly raised his hand.
It felt like an eternity until the door opened and the nurse asked them to come back into the examination room.
In silence they got up and entered.

The doctor again sat behind the table looking down onto the result sheet in his hand. Carefully Sidney pulled back the heavy leather armchair so Viviane could sit down before taking a seat next to her. The doctor dropped the paper, took off his glasses and sighed.

“Well Mr. and Mrs. Crosby we do have the results now. I don’t know whether this is good news for you or not, but you are not pregnant. All syndromes pointed to this conclusion but they also point to a food poisoning. So maybe you have eaten bad fish or sea food in the last days. For now all you can do is stay close to a bathroom in case the sickness returns, which should and try now to hold it in. The toxins have to get out of your body. It is important that you do not breast feed for about a week. I send blood draws to the lab so they can find out whether it’s germinal or bacterial. I want to see you again in 2 days. In case it’s bacterial and you’re still feeling sick I will have to give you antibiotics but until then rest a little, don’t worry to much and stay hydrated with isotonic drinks okay?”

Sidney sighed thankful and nodded.

“Thank you very much doctor.”

“Just be careful okay?” the doctor said with a wink before guiding them to the door and saying good bye.

Viviane still remained silent when Sid lead her to the car.
He pulled out of the parking lot and started driving home…
The talk they would have to have hung heavily over them sucking away every ounce of oxygen in the car.

“Let’s not…” Viviane started but stopped, letting her head hang down. Her hair fell forward so it covered her face but Sidney knew she was crying.
Quickly he set the blinker and changed the lane before letting his hand rest on her knee.
She squirmed slightly and stared out of the window.

After a while of driving he parked the car in an empty parking lot overlooking the beaver run reservoir.

“Viviane…” he spoke up after another few minutes of silence pulling her back out of her deep thoughts.

“Can I just explain?” she asked in a low voice.

“Sure.” He agreed, unbuckling he seat belt und shifted so he was semi facing her.

“Erik Gustafsson brought his girlfriend with him. She and I have been friends since years so we went out for a late dinner after the game. You looked so beat and I know how you are after losses so I didn’t even bother to ask you to tag along. So the three of us went out, apparently I had bad fish and now I’m sick. Some old dude at the table next to us was smoking all the time so my hair smelled like cigars and I hate the smell of smoke. I should have called you. Sorry.”

Sidney stared at Viviane in disbelief.

“So you weren’t with him?”

Viviane’s eyes went wide: “What? Who?”

“I don’t know who, I just know that you have been seeing someone else over the summer. I mean why else would you have flow to Montreal with Taylor in July? Shopping my ass. Both of you hate it.”

Viviane stared at her hands. “Yeah I have been seeing some one. Can you blame me? Since Ani was born it felt like we were thrown back to last summer. Sometimes I really waited for you to come home with some girl or Becky.”

“I’d never do that to you ever again. I swear. I learned from my mistakes.”

Viviane shushed him. “I know we are married and everyone except for out families think it is the real deal and they expect us to be this young and happy couple. Can you imagine how every comment of some team mate stings? There were days I lay awake at night and thought about what would be worse: being stuck in the golden case or getting a divorce with all the things that would follow. Public humiliation, disappointed family and friends, losing my best friend again. I felt lonely. Lonelier that I did in all those years I was really alone. I just wanted some attention. Someone who paid attention to me, hugged me or kissed me every once in a while. I swear it was never more than that. And the Montreal trip… yes I saw him but it mainly was about Taylor. Not saying anything more about it. That’s her thing.”

“Wow.” Was every thing Sid could muster up.

“Yeah” Viviane sighed twirling a strand of hair around a finger.

“Look at me please” Sidney ordered in a kind tone.

Their eyes locked and he tried to smile.

“Can we try to put it behind us? I know I hurt you tremendously with the whole Becky thing and what happened on the Maldives was beyond wrong. I behaved like a stubborn child that felt like their parents were taking away it’s favorite toy. I can’t say that it didn’t hurt me when I first found out you were seeing someone else behind my back. Can we just try to make a clean cut and go on from here? Forget Becky and forget that guy? Just promise you will never go on a date or something with him again? No don’t tell me his name or I will have to kill him.”

Viviane laughed shortly and sighed not answering yet.

“Please… let’s try to make a new start. Let’s pretend you just came back from Paris and we just met again after all these years. Screw the fact we are married and have this amazing boy. Let me take you on a date tonight and see where it takes us.” He finally finished and looked at her with puppy eyes.

“Fine.” She smiled. “Now speed to Flower’s to pick up your son and I need to see Vero. I hear I have a hot date tonight with my former high school crush, so I better look amazing.”

Sidney smirked, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in to peck her forehead.

“That’s my Vivy.”