Behind the Scenes




Again I want to thank all of my beta's. Shelly, for inspiring, encouraging, and supporting me. Cathy for your patience and quick response in answering all my questions. Bev for finding an error that everyone else missed that would have changed the meaning of life as Dave knows it. lol
Thank you all
*************************************************************


5-Start All Over Again



After a long and exhausting day, John walked into the house ready to collapse. He had told Abby that he was fine but he still hurt like hell. He walked slowly up the stairs and straight into his bathroom to draw a nice hot bath. He stepped out long enough to grab a change of underwear and was just about to step into the Jacuzzi when Dave came bursting in.

"John!" Dave bounced into the bathroom, a smile spread across his face. "I thought you were going to be home an hour ago. Don't get in the tub now." He grinned like a Cheshire cat and announced proudly, "My mom and Maura are here." Ever since his mother had called and they had made plans for her to come and visit, he could not wait for John to meet his daughter.

John continued to step into the steamy hot water and slowly lower himself into it. "Oh man, I am so sorry, Dave." He groaned wearily as he leaned back into the water. He closed his eyes and placed a wet wash cloth across them to block out the light.

"So how long do you plan on being in here?" Dave leaned over and playfully plunged his hand into the water, grabbing hold of John's balls.

"Ewwoughh." John yelped as he grabbed Dave's hand, pushing him away. "Jesus H. Christ! Dave, don't do that!" He growled angrily.

"What?" Dave jumped back in surprise. Dave saw the pain etched across John's face as he bolted up, drawing his knees up to his chest.

"Ohhhhhhh man," John sighed heavily as he tried to curl up into ball.

"Geesh. I didn't grab that hard." Dave whispered. "Shhh, my mom's in the next room."

"Yeah, well I had a little accident today." John wasn't in the mood to go into any details. He slowly relaxed back into a lying position, sinking deep into the hot water.

"What happened? Get kicked or something?" Dave asked with concern.

"Shocked."

"Shocked? How?"

"Tell you later." John lay back, exhausted from his busy day.

"By the way, I checked on Gamma. Algier told me about her fainting. She insisted on coming down for dinner. She seems fine." Dave filled him in.

"Thanks. Is she in bed already?" John asked. "She wouldn't stay long enough for me to really check her out," he was still really worried about her.

"Yeah, about an hour ago. Maura went to bed, also. She's not used to staying up this late," Dave added.

"I'm sorry, I sort of got involved in a conversation with Susan and lost track of time." John apologized for being late.

"My mom and I were just watching some TV and talking," Dave shrugged. "I told her about us," he blurted out.

"So, how'd she take it?" John sat up and poured some bathwash onto a sponge and began rubbing it over himself, creating a rich, fragrant lather.

"I was a bit shocked when she said that she wasn't surprised. She said my sister figured it out after her last couple of visits." Dave grinned.

"Camille?" John remembered meeting Dave's sister a couple of times.

"Yeah, she said she knew you had to be gay when you didn't even try to hit on her." Dave laughed, taking the sponge from John and washing his back with it.

John smiled as he thought of Camille, with her long dark hair, olive skin, and a tall slender frame she had definitely been a wonderful piece of eye candy. He quickly dismissed the thought as his attention drifted back to Dave, decided to change the subject.

"Well, I had a very interesting case today. This woman came in, in active labor and while Susan was examining her, her water broke and flooded the control switch for the bed and shorted it out. The bed started rising and we ended up delivering the baby from a ladder. It was pretty hysterical actually." John relaxed back against the back of the tub.

Dave lean over to captured his mouth, kissing John as he began to run the sponge across John's chest. They were suddenly interrupted by a knock at the bedroom door.

"Dave?" A woman's voice called out.

"Yeah, just a minute, Mom," Dave answered, handing the sponge back to John. He quickly rinsed his soapy hands in the tub, drying them on his jeans and ran to answer the door.

"Did you two fall asleep or something?" Marie called out as she stood outside the bedroom door.

"No Mom, I was just talking to John. He's taking a bath." He closed the bedroom door behind him, then led his mother back into the living room.

"Well, dear I know that you wanted me to meet John tonight, but it is getting late and I think I'm going to go to bed. I can meet him in the morning," Marie smiled at her son.

"That's probably a good idea. John had a bad day and is in sort of a pissy mood. I don't think he's up for company anyway." Dave apologized and followed his mother to a room across the hall.

Dave smiled sweetly as he observed his little girl all wrapped up in a large pink and white, flowery comforter on the queen-sized bed. Dave kissed his sleeping daughter on the cheek and his mother checked to make sure she was properly tucked in. Together, they left the room leaving on a small night lamp and leaving the door open just a crack.

"Mom, I'm really glad you came." Dave said as he followed his mother into another guestroom next door to the room Maura was sleeping in. "It's so hard to get away."

"And now that you have John, I'm sure that you have even less time for Maura." Marie stated somewhat sarcastically.

"Mom, I'm doing the best I know how." Dave answered defensively, his head dropped as he nervously crossed one foot in front of the other.

"I'm sorry Dave, I know that you love your daughter. I didn't mean for it to sound like that." His mother quickly apologized. "It's just that she is beginning to ask about you a lot and I was hoping that you would want her to come stay with you by now."

"I do, I mean I haven't really had a chance to really discuss it with John or his grandmother as of yet, but I have been thinking about it a lot lately." Dave was growing very excited.

"Well, if you want my opinion, I think it would be great." John leaned into the opened door. "May I come in?"

"John!" Dave grinned as he took in the fresh, clean look of his lover.

"Mom, this is John, John, my mother, Marie." Dave introduced them.

"Pleased to meet you ma'am." John extended his hand towards her.

"It's Marie, and don't you forget it," She reached out and shook his hand, holding it as she inspected him approvingly. John didn't seem to mind, her soft touch was warm and welcoming and he saw where Dave got his tender side from.

Marie seemed to look John over, and glancing towards Dave said, "Very nice, very nice indeed," she smiled pleasantly.

"Mom!" Dave blushed a bright crimson red. His mother smiled sweetly and patted him on the cheek. He was used to his mother teasing him about his dates, but for some reason he felt a bit awkward.

"Okay, you boys must be getting tired, off to bed with the both of you." She said goodnight to each of them, pulling both of them into a hug and kissed them both on the cheek. "We have plenty of time to work out all the details later."

~~~~~~~~

The next morning, John reached across the bed for Dave. He was still in that semi-conscious state halfway between sleep and wakefulness. As he attempted to curl up closer to his lover, his knees came in contact with something that seemed to be above the covers. Raising his head and rubbing at his eyes he focused on an angel kneeling in the middle of the bed between him and Dave. Still not fully alert, be heard a tiny voice speaking.

"Hi," she spoke softly. The little girl wore a white cotton nightgown with large puffy sleeves and had long curly dark brown hair, which was messy from sleep. Her bright emerald eyes sparkled as she shyly leaned towards Dave.

"Are you Maura?" John asked hoarsely as he raised up on an elbow. The little girl just nodded as she lay her head on Dave's hip hiding her face from John.

The bedroom door was open and Dave's mother peeked inside. "Maura come here, Sweetie, you shouldn't bother your daddy." Noticing John awake she apologized for the little girl. "I'm so sorry she bothered you. Is Dave still sleeping?"

"Hey it's no problem, she can stay," John reassured Marie. "Really, she's fine," John tried to stifle a yawn.

Dave stirred and sat up. " Morning, Sweetie." His voice raspy, he pulled Maura into a hug and kissed her. "I missed you so much," he squeezed her gently. "Did you meet John?" Dave noticed him awake and watching them.

"Yeah, we met." John stated a bit gruffly as he rolled out of bed, in only his boxers. He needed to use the bathroom and didn't care who saw him this way.

"Is something wrong John?" Dave asked, heeding his slightly cranky attitude, which really wasn't unfamiliar to Dave. John was normally rather cranky when awakened unexpectedly.

"No, I just need to get up." He walked into the bathroom closing the door behind him. He hadn't really meant to sound so put out, it had just came out that way.

Dave got out of bed, picked Maura up and handed her to his mother. "Mom can you take her for a minute and give us a little privacy?"

"Sure Dave, I'll just get her dressed and take her downstairs and see about getting her some breakfast. Corrine is a very nice lady and she told me last night that we could come down for breakfast whenever we were ready." Marie gathered Maura into her arms and closed the door behind her.

John came out of the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"You want to join me in the shower?" Dave offered. "Or are you still too sore?"

"I'm still tired." John groaned as he crawled back into bed. "My back is killing me. I think I tweaked it again." He curled up into a ball hugging his pillow.

"Okay, John lie down." Dave opened up a cabinet below the nightstand and brought out a bottle of eucalyptus massage oil. Pouring a generous amount onto his hands, Dave warmed the oil a bit and began working it into John's back. Within a few minutes, John had fallen back to sleep.

Dave joined his mother and Maura for breakfast. Millicent had also come down and joined them for coffee as she had a breakfast engagement.

"Where's John?" She asked, noticing his absence.

Dave told her that he was still asleep. He had already explained to his mother about John's back problem and his most recent injuries and the fact that John did not want his grandmother worrying herself over it, so they just left it at that.

~~~~~~~~

John slept for another couple of hours while Dave took his mother and Maura for a walk around the grounds of the vast estate. They went out the front door, through the front driveway and walked along a graveled road that passed by the garage. They stood and admired the view as Dave pointed out that the road went down to a small private lake.

From the hill behind the garage they could see that across the lake was a wooded area filled with evergreens of all varieties. There was a small cabin down there that John had told Dave his grandfather had had built for him and his cousins to use in the summer. There was also a boathouse and a dock.

They could see that the road circled around the front of the lake and to the back of the property, through the wooded area. They walked along a path behind the garage next to a lengthy, high hedge that brought them around to the far back of the very large back yard. Entering through an ornate wrought iron garden gate, they were in the far back section of the yard, where there was a rather large gazebo surrounded by well-manicured rose bushes. Large shade trees dotted the yard, giving it a cool, comforting feeling. Park benches and a couple of ornamental statues also decorated the yard along with the broken birdbath that had yet to be replaced.

Walking closer to the back of the house they saw a heated swimming pool surrounded by concrete stone walks and benches. Several chase lounges were scattered over one end of the pool area, and there was also a covered patio area with small round picnic tables.

On the other side of the yard, closer to the house, was a fabulous flower garden.

"You have to come out here at night, it's really beautiful with all the lights on," Dave pointed out as his mother admired the huge estate. He put Maura down and let her run around, warning her to stay away from the pool.

"Sometimes, John and I sneak out here to the gazebo at night, "he confessed, his face turning pink as he smiled and looked away.

"You really love him, don't you, Dave?" Marie asked as she noticed Dave's nervousness.

"Yeah, I think I do," he blushed. He had been so surprised that his mother had so easily accepted him being with John, but what seemed to surprise him even more were his own reactions to talking with her about John as a lover. He had always had a very open relationship with his mom and could easily talk to her about his girlfriends. Why should this be any different?

"David, honey, if he makes you happy and you love him, then don't worry about what others might think. You don't need the world's approval." She drew him close to her and hugged him.

"What about Maura? How do I explain.this.I mean." He found himself at a loss for words.

"Don't worry, when the time comes, you'll know," Marie reassured him.

"Mom, what about my father, what if I turn out to be like him?" Dave swallowed hard, bitterly remembering the abuse that he had endured for years at the hands of his old man.

"Oh baby, I'm so sorry," Marie took him into her arms and held him close. "You are nothing like your father. He was a sick man. If I had known what he was doing I would have divorced him a lot sooner than I did."

"Stop worrying, you're going to be a good, father, Dave. You are a good father." She corrected herself.

They were suddenly interrupted by Maura pulling on Dave's hand. "Daddy, I have to go to the bathroom," her eyes begged him to help her. She was old enough to go on her own but being unfamiliar with the place she didn't know where it was.

"Okay, come on," Dave lifted her up and carried her inside.

As they waited in the hall for her to finish. Marie spotted a rather large portrait of two very young boys; she immediately recognized those deep dark eyes of John's. "Does John have a brother?" Marie asked.

"Had," John answered as he appeared from the kitchen, coffee cup in hand. "That's Bobby, he died of leukemia when we were just kids," he said with a shrug, still looking as if he just rolled out of bed.

"Well, good morning, 'Sleeping Beauty'," Dave reached up to smooth down a few stay hairs that were sticking up.

"I thought 'Sleeping Beauty' was a girl," Maura gave them a rather puzzled look, which caused them all to burst out laughing.

"It's just an expression, Sweetie," Dave explained to her as John led them all into the family living room.

"Feel better?" Dave asked as the two of them sat together on the sofa. Marie took the Barcalounger as Maura crawled onto Dave's lap. John nodded as he sipped the hot liquid. Dave could see that he still wasn't quite awake yet.

"I understand you had a rather rough day yesterday?" Marie questioned with interest. John just glared at Dave questioningly, somewhat embarrassed. He didn't want to explain to Dave's mother what had happened.

"I'm fine thank you, but I would rather not talk about it," he remarked sheepishly.

"I do have to ask you boys, how do you plan to take care of Maura with the kind of hours you boys keep?"

Dave looked rather disturbed as it occurred to him that he had never really thought about it.

"We hire a nanny," John stated as if it was the natural thing to do. "I mean lots of people raise kids using baby-sitters, daycare, nursemaids, whatever." John stopped when he saw the look on each of their faces.

"What?" John looked back at Dave, afraid that he had said something wrong.

"No, no, I mean yeah, that sounds like a cool idea," Dave agreed. He really didn't have a clue and needed all the help he could get. Especially since he knew that if his mom didn't agree, that she would not relinquish custody of Maura to him. Dave had willing agreed to give up custody of her after Diane's death, because he knew that he wasn't able to raise her on his own. He had thought at the time that it was for the best, even though he still did everything he could to make sure Maura knew that he still loved her very much.

"You realize that it takes time to find a reputable nanny." Marie offered to help them to find someone suitable.

"I'm sure my grandmother can help us to find a service that would recommend someone," John seemed to have all the answers, which only served to amuse Marie. But his eagerness was enough to tell her that he was serious.

"And what kind of services are you offering for me to help with?" Millicent had just come in from her early morning ladies charity breakfast and heard the tail end of the conversation. John sat her down and asked her how she felt about having Maura come live with them. He had mentioned it to her briefly before but wanted to make sure that she really was agreeable.

"John, I already told you that it would be fine." She sat in the love seat and joined the conversation. "I spoke to Mrs. Roberts this morning and she has a niece, it seems that she is very good with children and is looking for a position as a governess." Millicent knew that the boys would need her help and she was way ahead of them. "She does seem a bit young. But she comes very highly recommended. I invited her to join us for dinner."

Marie seemed quite content with the fact that the boys had the support of John's grandmother and was sure that everything thing would work out. She would also be around long enough to make sure that everything was in place before she went back to New York.



Part 6
Fanfiction Home