Author's Note: I originally posted this story under the name zeke81. Time has passed and I've had several suggestions about improving this story so I am submitting this revised version. Please feel free to read the version posted under zeke81 and let me know which version you think is better.
ZENDO_ARGOS
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Pete and Jane had gotten married when they were both 18 years old. They had 3 children early in their marriage, and after 25 years of marriage it seemed to Pete as if he had the perfect life.
Then he got sick.
Pete didn't think it was that big a deal at first; he was sure he'd be over whatever it was in a few days, but after a while he started to realize that things were getting worse and not better. Pete had been able to hide the sickness from his wife Jane because he didn't want her to worry about him when there was no need.
Pete finally went to the doctor for a full exam and tests to determine what was wrong with him. Two days later the doctor called Pete and asked him to come to his office so they could talk about the results.
The family doctor that had taken care of Pete and Jane's children when they were younger had recently retired and this new doctor was a younger man that Pete had never met before he got sick. As Pete sat down in the doctor's office he wished his old friend Doc Roberts was there, because he knew that Doc Roberts would tell him the truth, he wasn't sure about this new kid.
"Mr. Miller, thank you for coming in, I felt it was better to do this face to face then over the phone." Dr. Evans says.
"Am I going to be okay Doc?" Pete asks.
"Yes, you're going to be fine. I'm going to put you on some antibiotics for a couple weeks and they'll clear this little problem all up. Mr. Miller, when was the last time you and your wife made love?" Dr. Evans asks.
"What the hell kind of question is that?" Pete asks angrily.
"Mr. Miller, it's important." Dr. Evans says.
"A week or so before I started feeling sick I guess, why?" Pete asks.
"Mr. Miller, I'm afraid you have an STD and given when you last made love to your wife I am going to have to strongly suggest that you have her come in to be checked out as well. Oh, and any other partners you might have should be told to consult their doctors immediately." Dr. Evans says.
It seemed perfectly clear to Pete that either Dr. Evans assumed that Pete had been cheating on his wife and picked up an STD or he was trying to be nice and not suggesting that Jane was having sex with someone else.
Pete knew that he had never cheated on his wife and he didn't want to believe that Jane was cheating on him, but he had to have gotten the STD from Jane so what other explanation was there?
"Doctor, my wife has no idea that I came here today, she certainly doesn't know that I have an STD, is there any way we could have her checked out without having her know what you're looking for?" Pete asks.
"Mr. Miller, I understand your concern. This is a tough situation that must be handled delicately, but if your wife has been infected it is important that she starts treatment immediately. I know how difficult it will be for you to talk to your wife about this, but for her sake you have to do it." Dr. Evans says.
"Yes doctor, I understand." Pete says.
Pete leaves the doctor's office and drives home. When he gets home he parks in the driveway and can't bring himself to get out of the car. He just sits there gripping the steering wheel and starts crying.
It's over an hour later before Pete finally heads inside.
Nobody is home; the house is dark and quiet. Pete sees the picture of him with Jane on their wedding day; he takes the picture off the wall and looks at it. The pain is terrible in Pete's heart. Pete can't believe it, but Jane has been cheating on him.
As he stands there looking at the picture of their wedding day questions begin running through Pete's head.
Who gave Jane the STD that she had now infected him with? Was it a one-time thing or was it a long-term affair? Was that guy the only one she'd been with? If it was an affair; how long had Jane been cheating on him? Was he somehow responsible for her cheating? Did Jane have any idea that she had infected Pete with an STD?
Pete walked over to the liquor cabinet, pulled out a bottle, poured himself some Scotch and drank it down. He filled the glass again and took several drinks of the Scotch as he thought about his life with Jane. He tried to think of any signs that she might be cheating on him, he couldn't think of any. Pete had no reason to believe that Jane was unhappy, no reason to believe that she didn't love him, and no reason to believe that she had found their sex life unsatisfying.
As Pete drank down his third Scotch the front door opened and Jane walked in.
Jane saw Pete standing there with a bottle in one hand and a glass in the other and the bright bubbly smile that was always on Jane's pretty face immediately became a look of concern.
"What's the matter honey? Is everything okay?" Jane asked.
Jane walked up behind Pete and wrapped her arms around him lovingly. Pete usually liked it when she did that, he enjoyed feeling the warmth of her body against his back and he liked to smell her perfume drifting forward encompassing him in a fragrant cloud of happiness. Today however Pete was saddened at her touch and the perfume only caused his stomach to churn.
"Pete sweetie, maybe if you tell me what's wrong I can fix it." Jane said.
"No, I don't think you can fix it this time." Pete said.
"Are you sure? I'm pretty good at fixing things, come on, tell me what's wrong." Jane said.
"Okay. I went to the doctor today." Pete says.
"I thought that it looked like you weren't feeling well. Are you okay sweetheart?" Jane asked.
"No, Jane, I'm not okay. I'm much sicker than I thought." Pete says.
"Oh god, is it cancer? There are new treatments coming out all the time, we can beat this together." Jane said.
"No, it's not cancer." Pete says.