Tom And Jane Ch 04 Bad Week

Chapter 4 -- Bad Week

The pace of flights quickened, and my trips began to see a common theme of vacation spots. I was now even flying into Central America and the Caribbean. Unfortunately, the craziness also saw Jane pick up mostly west coast trips, and we spent the next couple weeks not seeing each other, although we talked on the phone. We also texted and chatted online, and I got a bunch of great pictures of her that made my trips a lot better. I hadn't discussed what was said that night at her place, what she had said in her sleep, and I had chalked it up to just murmuring from a dream. Finally, by mid-June, we were on our third week apart, when I realized that we both had an overnight in New Orleans. I immediately called her up, only to get her voicemail. Figures, she's in the air. I texted her, and almost immediately received a text reply; "We need to talk, one hour." That sounded ominous.

I had paired up with Rory again, who, in addition to being a good pilot, was sharp as hell. "Tell Jane I said hello" he said, huge grin on his face.

I gave him the 'don't start with me' look, and quietly whispered over to him "I'm trying to keep this hush-hush." Rory's grin just widened, as he packed up his stuff, I wondered what was going on. We were still in the aircraft, getting everything set up for the next crew, and about to head to the shuttle. There were a thousand thoughts in my head; part of me, a good sized part, was worried that she was tiring of this, and wanted to see someone else. My imagination took hold for a second, until I pushed it away, deciding that it didn't do me any good to over think the situation

I was talking through the airport when my phone rang. I told the others to go ahead without me, that I'd find a shuttle of my own to the hotel. I answered, and Jane was on the other line, sounding somewhat stressed. We made small talk, her trying to avoid the meat of the subject. Finally, she said "Tom, I'm not going to be in New Orleans. I'm catching flights to get to Montreal ASAP."

"What's going on, are you okay?" I was worried at this point.

"I'm fine, and just so you know, we're okay, but Robert was arrested overnight for money laundering." Jane dropped the bomb on me.

What in the fuck is going on? "Jane, if you need me, please call" I said, not knowing how much help I could even be.

"Thank you Tom" she replied "but I'm not even sure you can be of moral support right now."

I was starting to worry "Okay, but seriously, if you need anything, I'm here for you." She thanked me, we talked about my upcoming schedule, and she made what seemed like a halfhearted promise to meet me somewhere.

I got more of the story at the hotel via text messages and the news. Eventually, Jane had started messaging me again from the flight. From what she knew, it looked like Robert's firm had a Canadian politician as a client, who just so happened to be doing some insider trading. Robert, being a partner, had made the rash decision to protect the client when protecting the firm would have been wiser. Jane had joked that it made sense, given that the politician was a younger female. I could now see why she had said it; the entire thing looked like it was part of a tryst that her ex had gotten into. Jane and I were texting until she got to Montreal, at which point she said she'd probably have to be incommunicado for a few days. I was missing her that evening at the hotel, and the final day of that trip went by too slowly, as I had all of the time to think about Jane. When I got to Detroit, I was stopped by one of the local office staff, and said that I was being shifted to cover for a sick pilot. I'd still get 48 hours off for rest, and the trip was only a two-day one. What sealed it for me, however, was that the single stop on the trip would be in Montreal. I could see Jane.

The rest days and first flying day went fast, and I found myself in Miami, heading for Montreal, with one problem; possibly no Jane, she had spent a good part of the week in Montreal talking to lawyers, accountants, government investigators, and on occasion, friends from college. Even though she finally was able to start communicating again, it was mostly through text messages, and the only two times we talked on the phone, the calls were brief. My brain was telling me that the worst was happening, that Jane was back in Montreal for Robert. I knew it couldn't be true...but my brain was asking me to look into places I didn't want to go.

Finally, having given Jane her space, I had to talk to her. While waiting for the plane we were supposed to take over to come in, I called her from a quiet place in the airport. She answered, and I started "Jane, I want to talk to you."

"Tom, I'm kind of busy right now" Jane replied, tensely, seemingly irritated that I'd interrupted something.

"Jane, I'm in Miami, and I'll be in Montreal in a few hours. I just want to know if I can see you" I said.

Jane paused for a second, and I could tell she wanted this conversation to go away. Finally, she said "Tom, I don't know if you've noticed, but now isn't a good time."

I saw red. "Jane, I don't know what's going on, because you won't talk to me. I don't know how to make you feel better, because you won't talk to me. I don't know if you're even okay right now, because you won't talk to me. All I know is that you got on a plane to Montreal, to see your ex-husband, because Ro-."

Jane cut me off "Fuck you Tom. Fuck you and your fucking accusation. I didn't fucking fly to Montreal just to fuck my ex-husband. Fuck you Tom. Fuck you, I really want you to take your fucking thoughts and sh-."

I cut her back off "Fuck you too, Janine, I hope you have a good life" and hung up. I used her full name, which I knew she didn't like being called.

I sat there and stared at the phone, immediately regretting everything. I wish I hadn't called her. I wish I hadn't let my imagination run wild. I wished I hadn't gotten angry. I even regretted taking the flight, but not just because of Jane. After departure, I started to get the chills, and was full on feverish as the plane pulled into the gate. Franklin, my copilot, helped me get my stuff to outside of the crew lounge ("I'm not letting you in there in your condition" was his only rule to helping me), and I caught the shuttle to the hotel. A call to the company later, and I was off the cursed flight, pilot number two to get the flu.

Things could be going better in my life. It was, by now, late June. I had a vacation planned with my kids in a few weeks, and I knew I'd still be feeling the after-effects of being sick. I was stuck in Montreal, probably for the next few days while I got well enough to fly. I had another trip that was supposed to start, now, within a week, and that was probably out as well. The cherry topper on the shit cake was that, through my own stupidity and insecurity, I had blown up the relationship with Jane. I spent the first few hours in the hotel, watching TV, trying to take my mind of off everything. I could still smell her. This wasn't normal for me, not for a relationship this short. Hell, my ex and I had spent months apart with no ill effects. Jane, though. Jane... My thoughts drifted off, and I couldn't think about anything else. After a few hours, I drifted off to sleep, and slept until 10am the next morning, a solid 15 hours later. When I awoke, I still was feverish, and now in bad need of some food. I called down to the hotel restaurant to order breakfast up to the room. After about 20 minutes, there was a knock on the door. I answered it in my bathrobe, without seeing who it was.

It was Jane.

Her face wasn't beautiful. Her eyes were puffy. She wasn't wearing makeup. Her hair was a mess. She looked at me with a mix of sadness and anger. "Can I come in, Tom?" she asked tensely. I motioned her in, and saw the room service waiter come out of the elevator. Jane went inside the room, and I paid the bill for my expensive breakfast. I closed the door, and could now see, with the lightning of the room, that she was crying slightly.

We just stood there, looking at each other, and I could feel us each trying to dare the other to talk. "Jane, I don't know where to even beg-" I began, but Jane just started sobbing. Body wracking, earth shattering sobbing. I stood there and watched her, and couldn't even think of a way to even say something that would stop it.

After a minute of that, Jane looked at me, still sobbing, and stammered out "Hold me you asshole" between sobs. I walked over and did so. She cried like that for about 20 minutes, before I got her to sit on the bed. She continued to cry hard, the whole time sobbing worse than I had ever seen someone do it.

After an hour, she stopped, and began; "Tom, as much as you missed me, I've missed you so much more, and wanted you to be here with me so much, but," she trailed off, but before I could get a word in "but I need to know that you trust me, because my ex never did, and it was one of the many things that made it hard to trust guys after the divorce."

I was shocked, but agreed "Jane, I trust you, I just" I halted, trying to think of what I could say "had a bad way of putting that I missed you."

"You could say that again, you jerk" she said, smiling through her tears. "But I need to know you really trust me, and that I can trust you. Because I'm about to tell you something." I was waiting for it. This was going to be bad. She was probably still married to Robert, and I was just her side toy. I had enough hurt for a lifetime, having Jane angry at me. I didn't think I could take more of it.

"Tom, the reason I'm in Montreal, besides talking to a bunch of federal agencies about my marriage to Robert, was to make sure that none of the 8 million I have from the divorce was caught up in what he did." I audibly gasped. We just sat there, for a minute, her letting me take the information in, before explaining that payment was less of her wanting money, and more of him paying her to keep her mouth shut about his many affairs.

Finally, I caught up to everything, and ol' smartass chimed in "Wait, you always let me pay for everything." Jane, instead of getting angry, let her mouth drop open, and hit me with a pillow. "You dick, you dick, you dick!" she repeated, as she hit me with the pillow, playfully.

I laughed, and only repeated "Plague patient! Plague patient!" We both eventually collapsed on the bed, me absolutely spent and feeling all of the flu.

Jane still looked like shit, and was now crying again. "Tom, there's something else I wanted to tell you, that I wanted to wait to do a long time ago, and was going to do after-."

I cut her off "I already told you, I love you too Jane."

I knew Jane wasn't in the best place mentally, with what she was going through, but she took a minute to realize what I said. "Tom, don't interrupt, it's hard enough given" she paused, and processed what I had said "wait, what did you say?"

"I told you I love you too" was my reply, smug grin on my face.

"How?" she asked, visibly confused.

"Well, the night at your place, while you were sleeping, you told me you love me, and I told you I love you too" I told her.

Jane's mouth dropped open, and she started crying more. "Why didn't you tell me that, you ass?" was her response.

"Well, let's just say that I was afraid of scaring you" I replied.

Jane smiled, that loving smile, and only said "Thomas Banner, I love you."

"I love you too, Jane Majewski" I replied. She kissed me hard, causing me to back away "Oh shit, sorry, everything's sore right now." Jane only laughed, and got up to get the now cold food for me.

I shared it with her, since we both really didn't have an appetite by now. Jane gave me more of the story about her divorce. "Robert" she paused "needed someone to show off to the partners. I had all the right pedigree; I was smart, went to McGill, was an athlete, I had these," she pushed up her boobs "and I was willing to do whatever he wanted me to." At that, the sobbing began. After a few minutes, after she had mostly calmed down, she continued her story. "I blew up my life to be with him, and it was the most selfish thing I could have done. Then, I found out he was fucking his secretary, his boss' secretary, a couple of the younger female lawyers in the firm" she had to pause, I could feel the sobbing coming back, so I held her hand. She squeezed it. "They covered up for him. I eventually caught him in the act, and I did what everyone in his life did" she paused and kept crying "I ignored it. When I finally couldn't ignore it, the fourth time I saw it, he just paid me to go away" The sobs came back, and I held her. "He used me" she got out between her bursts of crying. I just sat there, holding her as tight as I could. Eventually she had cried herself to sleep. I had room service take the cart away, and considered leaving to go get some things for Jane and I. I ended up not wanting to leave her in the state she was in.

Jane woke up a couple hours later, somehow looking worse than she had. She started crying again. I didn't know what to say, or what to do. Jane finally decided that she needed to clear the air. "Tom, are we?" she seemed to be pleading with me.

"Jane, of course we are, I love you. I love you more than any woman I've ever loved." Jane smiled, a mixture of sadness and happiness. I sat on the bed, and she moved between my legs, back to me, sitting against me. She pulled my arms around her, and we sat like that for a while. I just wanted to hold her forever.

"Where are we going with this" Jane asked, startling me for a second.

"I'm not in the mood for sex right now, Jane, so cuddling for the foreseeable future" was my witty retort.

Jane pinched me, but got more serious "What do you want from us?"

"Jane, I want you. I don't want to say something to scare you off." Jane seemed to sag a bit. Wrong answer.

She asked again "No, Tom, what do you want from me?"

At that, I had no answer. I thought for a minute "Nothing, Jane. I want you as you are, with me. I don't want to complicate things by proposing to you this minute, partially because I don't have a ring, but also because" I halted, considering my words "Jane, I don't know if you're going to be able to deal with my shit." Jane turned, and I expected anger, but she was crying...and giggling, and a smile crossed her face. I just looked into her eyes.

"Then for now, can it just be love" Jane said. I agreed.

We cuddled, and fell asleep together in the bed not long after. She slept next to me in the clothes she was wearing, which were a pantsuit that she probably had worn to wherever she had been that day. I slept in the hotel robe. In the middle of the night, I woke up and realized I wasn't wrapped in blankets anymore, and felt a hundred times better. Jane, though, was wrapped up in all of the bedclothes. I felt her forehead, and she was burning up. Shit. I got up, and started looking on my laptop for a place to get some medicine. There was a pharmacy down the street that was open, and I took off in my khakis and polo, at 3am, to get my girlfriend some medicine.

I returned 40 minutes later, and the light was on, and she was rolled over, looking at the door, and I could see her tears. She said weakly "Tom, I thought you were gone" and trailed off, and I realized that she thought I had ditched her. I dumped the medicine out, picked the one that the guy at the shop recommended, and started making hot water in the coffee machine. Jane lay in bed, watching me, crying slightly. I poured the medicine packet into the mug, then the hot water, and came over to sit by her. I propped Jane up on a few pillows, and smiled at me. I handed her the mug "I hate this stuff, but" she said, as she took a sip. I sat with her as she finished the drink, and she fell back asleep.

The next morning, it was my turn to have breakfast ready for her, wearing only an apron (it was actually just a towel I had sort of tied around me a bit). Jane laughed, really laughed for the first time since I had seen her again. I was happy. Jane was, of course, not nearly in the mood for sex, and I really wasn't either. We just cuddled, ate a little of the breakfast, and watched TV. I kept it off the news stations, to stay away from seeing anything that would make Jane start crying again. I think she noticed eventually, because she started hugging me tightly after a while.

Jane made calls to cancel her next trip, starting in a couple days, as did I. She also called to cancel the meeting she had planned for today, with her money manager. I got us another night in the room. We spent the entire day and night in there, cuddling, and by the next morning I had coaxed her back into enough health to get back to doing what she needed to do.

She drove me to the airport, and walked me to the gate (being aircrew had its privileges). We said goodbye in the way we knew how to in public by now, just by talking quietly. "Tom, I love you, and can't wait to see you again in a few days when I get back."

"I love you too, honey" I said, not realizing I had a pet name for her until I said it. Jane just smiled at me and giggled. We parted, I got on the airplane, headed home, took the extra free time to get better, and plan the vacation with my kids.