In Love With An Older Man 23

December 1995

"Cindy? Put Dad on, please." Cindy heard the tension in Carly's voice and knew that something must be terribly wrong as she silently handed the receiver to Gary.

A minute later Cindy saw Gary's face turn pale. Oh, no, she thought.

"Where are you? Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital? Of course I will, sweetheart. I'll be there just as soon as I can. I love you, baby." Gary hung up the phone.

"Carly had a serious accident just outside Sacremento," he told Cindy. She says that she's not hurt but that the car is no longer driveable. I'm going right now to pick her up and bring her home."

"Are you sure it wouldn't be better for me to go? I mean, I can tell you're pretty upset..."

"No. I'll go. You stay here and take care of the twins." The tone in Gary's voice told Cindy that the subject wasn't open for discussion.

"All right, but please be careful, honey. Sacremento's a long drive."

Gary hurriedly kissed Cindy good-bye and she settled in for the long wait.

Rebecca wandered into the living room. "Where did Daddy go?" she asked.

"He had to go pick up Carly. She can't drive home because her car is broken."

"Why is her car broken?"

"I don't know, sweetheart."

The little girl climbed into her mother's lap, and Cindy held her tight. Jonathan joined his sister a short time later.

It was a good eight hours later before the phone finally rang.

"Hi, Cyn, it's me." Gary's voice sounded extremely weary.

"Are you both all right?"

"We're fine. Carly's still a bit shaken up. A car going the opposite direction on the Interstate lost control and crossed the barrier and broadsided Carly's car on the passenger's side. The damage is so extensive that I doubt it can be repaired, but I don't even care about that. All I keep thinking is, God, if it had been the driver's side instead of the passenger's side..."It sounded as if Gary was sobbing.

"Well, there's no point in dwelling on that. Carly's all right. That's the important thing."

"Yes. Well." Gary cleared his throat. "Listen, Cyn. It's kind of late to start driving back, so Carly and I are just gonna stay in a motel for the night. Are you and the twins all right?"

"Yes, we're fine."

"Okay, well, I'll see you tomorrow then. I figure if we start out first thing in the morning we can be home not long after lunch."

"Okay, Gary. Thanks for calling. I'll see you tomorrow then. I love you, hon."

"I love you too, sweetie. Kiss the twins good-night for me."

"I want my Daddy!" Jonathan cried when Cindy tried to put him to bed.

"Daddy's not home right now. He had to go get Carly because her car is broken. He's coming back home tomorrow."

"I want Daddy now!" Jonathan screamed, flailing his arms.

"Sh, sh." Cindy held her son tightly and rocked him. "It's all right, sweetheart. Daddy will be back home tomorrow, I promise. How about if I sing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' to you?"

Cindy sang to Jonathan and rocked him until his sobs dwindled to hiccups and he finally fell asleep.

Cindy had some difficulty falling asleep herself that night. She missed the warmth of Gary's comforting arms around her, and the bed seemed entirely too big.

Gary and Carly arrived home in the early afternoon of the following day. The twins heard the car pulling into the driveway and began jumping up and down. "Daddy's home! Daddy's home!" they cried excitedly. Gary scooped both of them up into his arms while Cindy went to embrace Carly.

"Are you all right, dear?" she asked anxiously.

"I am. Unfortunately, my car isn't," Carly said gloomily.

"Thank goodness for insurance," Cindy said.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"I'm just so thankful that you weren't hurt, Carly."

"Yeah, me too." Carly smiled weakly.

Gary and Cindy helped Carly with her suitcases while the twins both excitedly tried to talk to their older sister at once.

"Hey, I can only hear one of you at a time!" Carly laughed.

"Whew! It sure is good to be home," Gary said as he embraced Cindy.

"Are you really all right, Gary?" Cindy asked in a voice so low that no one else could hear.

"Yeah. Just kind of stressed right now."

Cindy continued to watch him with concern. He knew that she was remembering a similar incident that had happened when she had been pregnant with the twins.

"Please don't worry about me, hon. I'm fine," he said tenderly, lightly kissing her.

Most of the rest of that day was spent on the phone with the insurance company. Then Carly called Ben long distance and told him what had happened.

"You don't know how much I missed you last night," Cindy said later as she cuddled with Gary underneath the sheets.

"As much as I missed you?" He grinned saucily at her.

"More."

"I doubt that."

They both laughed. Gary playfully swatted Cindy on the bottom. "Go to sleep, sweetie."

They were both so tired and stressed that they were asleep within minutes.