The Only Exception

After Jimmy's funeral, the days seemed to become a blur for Leanne. She and the others took turn taking care of Sascha as Summer seemed to fall deeper into her depression. Not only had she just had the baby, she lost her husband within the same month. She barely got out of bed, and that was only because her mother would drag her out of bed every morning. She made her eat, and shower. All she wanted to do was stay in bed. She didn't even want to hear the baby so much as whimper. So everyone else had her. But they had a plan, and it was being put into effect that night. It was time for Summer to go out and forget. Just for one night that Jimmy was gone. Otherwise, she was never going to move on. Two and a half months had gone by now, and it was insane.

“Are you ready to go drag my sister in law out of the house?” Turning Leanne looked at Jesika and nodded.

“More than. Just the two of us?”

“Well yeah, Sam and Jordan are knocked up. They don't want to be downers. Beside's Zack and Johnny seem to think seeing them that way will only make Summer worse.”

“Yeah you're right. Let me go tell Brian we're leaving.”

----

Summer sat glaring at Jesika as Leanne got them a round of drinks. When she walked back she was carrying three beers. A waitress walked behind her carrying a tray with nine shot glasses on it and they were full of whiskey.

“Ready ladies?” Jes said sitting and once the girl that had followed her over sat the shots on the table and walked away.

“Can't I go home?”

“No, you're gonna feel human tonight. C'mon. You're out with us, you're safe. C'mon Summer, take a shot.” Leanne pushed three shots in front of the woman. She looked at them a minute and Jesika and Leanne stared as she lifted the first one and then tossed it back, before quickly doing the same with the other two. She chased them with her beer.

“Well, damn.” was all either of them could say. Jes and Lea followed suit with their shots, but took a little longer with their beers, before signaling for another round.

“So, what have I missed? What's gone on outside my personal pity party?”

“I'm connecting with my Dad. He's pretty awesome. He owns the Urban Bar and Grille. He took the money from the restaurant that burned down that was his parents and put it into the place. He's pretty awesome.”

“Doesn't want a damn thing from you in other words?” Summer asked as she took her beer. “Can I get three more shots?” She asked. The waitress only nodded and looked at the other two. They shook their heads no.

“No he doesn't. Brian says it's been good for me. You know, having a parent around that isn't a jackass and is actually my parent.”

“How is he with Aaron?” She had closed her eyes as she asked, knowing what she had ignored for the past two months.

“Good. Aaron loves to go to the Grille and see him. Always gets a piece of cake or something.” They watched again as the shots were placed on the table in front of her.

“Keep them coming.” Was all Summer said. The waitress looked at them, as if asking permission.

“We're watching her. She's fine.” The woman shrugged and walked off.

----

Three hours late and Jesika who had a little more than she planned on, finally called it a night.

“Let's go ladies. Summer is clearly drunk, and I'm missing my husband.”

“Me too. I want my man and my son.”

“I'll call a cab.” Summer murmured and pulled out her cell phone to do so, as the others got their things together and made sure they left the waitress a tip. “It's on it's way.” She concentrated, without making it look like she was and walked to the doors with them. “I'll wait on it. You to go ahead on home. No one is waiting on me.”

“Call as soon as you get home Summer. I mean it.” Jesika told her sister in law. Leanne hugged Summer and then walked out with the red head.

Summer watched them leave and shook her head, before heading back into the bar and dropping her ass onto a bar stool and ordering another drink.

----

Jesika woke the next morning a grin in place on her face and sprawled in her bed beside her husband. Upon getting home the night before he promptly had her in his arms, and his hands on her. She hadn't minded, not one bit. She had instantly forgotten that Summer was supposed to call her when she got home. She however shot up in bed now, remembering and struggled with the sheets as she got up, only to fall off the bed and onto her ass. She growled and cursed the damn bed, as she grabbed at the phone to check the caller ID. Matt was still asleep. Her brow furrowed when she discovered no new call from the woman. She stood and walked to the bathroom, to use it and then grabbed her robe, and headed downstairs, following the trail of clothes, not bothering to pick them up as she went and found her cell phone. She picked it up and went to check her call log. No missed calls. No new texts. She dialed Leanne's home number and waited for the woman to answer.

“Morning Jes, what can I do for you?” Leanne asked, sounding the same way, she imagined she would at the moment if she wasn't worried.

“Getting laid last night, is going to be the furthest thing from your mind in a minute. Did Summer call your house?”

“No, you told her to call you. She didn't call here.”

“She didn't call here either.”

“Call your in-laws. Maybe she just forgot to call you and passed out when she got home.”

“They'd have called me, but sure.” She picked up the house phone and dialed her in-laws. On the second ring Gary picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hey Gary, is Summer there? Did she make it home alright? She was waiting on a cab when we left last night and she didn't call like she promised to.”

“She never came in. We figured that she crashed at your house, or Leanne's.”

“No, no she did not.”

“She didn't?” Jes asked into the phone, knowing that Leanne was still on the other end of the cell phone that she had put on speaker. “Shit.” She said at the same time Leanne did.

----

Summer sighed as she opened her eyes. Her head hurt like hell. She had drank too much the night before. She had lied to her friends. She hadn't been ready to go home. She probably would've been safer having them pick her up a bottle on the way home, and drinking at home. She didn't move in the bed that she was in, because she remembered, as soon as she had woken up, exactly what she had done the night before. When she had finally left the bar. She had not slept alone. She had been stupid. Really stupid. Now the question was, could she face the man that was asleep in the other side of the bed. A bed that she had only ever shared with the man that she had married and lost. Making sure the sheet stayed over her she moved, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and sitting up. She looked out the window and saw that the sun was all the way up.

She ran a hand through her hair and sighed once more as she felt the bed move, and knew that he was awake and up. Did he remember what they had done? Was he as angry with himself as she was with herself? Very slowly she stood pulling the sheet, with her, and wrapping it around her body. She didn't look at him as she grabbed clothes from the dresser and disappeared into the bathroom. She heard him moving around and dressed slowly. Finally she left the bathroom, hoping he had left. She slowly made her way downstairs, only stopping to glance into the room where her baby girl should have been sleeping. She wasn't lucky enough for him to have left. He was sitting on the couch, and when he saw her, he scrubbed his hands over his face. Obviously he didn't know what to say about what they had done the night before.