Des Moines

The early part of the week was more of the same. We barely spoke to one another. She continued to try and push my buttons, but I wasn't having any of it. On Monday night she made it a point to inform me how humiliated she was in the OR when her co-workers teased her about her hickey. I shrugged my shoulders indicating my lack of care.

On Tuesday morning Stan Rosen called and asked me to stop by his office.

"The bad news first. You have a very mild form of Chlamydia. Chances are you haven't experienced any of the symptoms. Over half of the men who contract this don't. The good news is, with treatment it will clear up quickly although you'll need to be re-checked in about three months. Any reason I should ask you if you know how you contracted it?"

"Sure Stan, I got it from my wife. I'm trusting our doctor -- patient confidentiality here. I've never slept with another woman since a year before Lyn and I became engaged. Last Thursday I discovered she was having a sexual affair with another man. I can only assume she got it from him... unless there have been other lovers of which I'm unaware." He could hear the sadness in my voice.

"Well, I'm damn sorry to hear that, Tyler. I always thought you guys had a good marriage. I'll put you on a normal dosage of azithromycin, and as I said, it should clear up without any trouble. You'll need to tell Lyn and abstain from sex for the next few weeks just to be safe."

"No sex isn't a problem Stan, but I'm in a serious transition here and I'll need to talk to my lawyer about sharing this information with my wife. How serious can the infection get?"

"It doesn't kill, but if left untreated it can cause serious health issues up to and including shutting down a woman's ability to reproduce. Depending on when Lyn contracted it, she's on the clock. A couple of weeks isn't a problem, but the longer it goes, the higher the risk. Beyond that Ty, no matter how hurt you are, you don't want to live with the responsibility of knowing you could have endangered anyone's health."

"You're right Stan. I couldn't live with myself if I stooped to that level just because I was hurt. But let me ask you this. I haven't noticed her exhibiting any symptoms so is it safe to say it is early, and she doesn't yet know what she's contracted?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Some women never feel symptoms either, but that doesn't mean it can't do serious damage. I can't tell you what to do here, but I will say waiting more than forty-eight hours would be wrong."

We shook hands as he told me he'd call the script in to a local pharmacy that I didn't frequent. I appreciated his care for my reputation.

An hour later I was in Eli Sharp's office explaining everything to my lawyer. He chuckled at my FWLH strategy but warned me not to become so obvious as to give myself away. He was much more serious when he heard about the STD's.

"Well, that changes things," he said with a sigh. "I know we sharks are lawyers but even I can't condone keeping someone in the dark when it comes to a serious health risk." It was my turn to chuckle at his well-placed lawyer joke.

"Since the doc gave you forty-eight hours, we better act in twenty-four. Let me consult with a couple of buddies whom I respect, and I'll see you back here tomorrow morning at eight sharp.

That evening Lyn didn't come home until around ten. Her shift had ended at six. If she expected me to demand to know where she had been, she was disappointed. I was watching an episode of Only Murders in the Building when she walked in. She stuck her head in the den for a moment, sighed and headed upstairs without a word.

Under any other circumstances, she'd have plopped down next to me and helped herself to my bowl of popcorn while I got her a white wine. The thought that this would never happen again with her the rest of my life gave me an overwhelming sense of loss. I was committed and wasn't going to stay with a cheater who betrayed me and our marriage, but I had loved her, part of my still did and that part was grieving what was gone for good.

The next morning, I was seated in the conference room of T, S & S. Sharp was present along with PI Molly and one of his legal team, Mick Sawyer.

"We don't like the timing Ty, but it's time to pull the trigger. Everyone agrees the STD's change the landscape. Have you thought about how you want to tell her?"

"Yes, I have. One of my goals is to keep her off balance until she's served. What if you guys are aware of my notifying her, but for the moment she won't know the source of the information?" Everyone around the table looked skeptical but kept silent, waiting to hear more.

"What if I send her OBGYN an anonymous text informing her that one of her patients, Lyndsey Clinton had Chlamydia? Wouldn't she be obligated by her hypocritic oath to inform her patient? You guys could testify later it was me, Molly can witness me texting, verifying date and time. I will have acted with a reasonable amount of good faith since my doctor obligated me to tell her within forty-eight hours and I did it in less than thirty. It may be devious, but she will have the opportunity to get the medical attention she needs. Wouldn't that pass the smell test in court?"

There was a pause as Molly and Mick waited for Sharp to mull it over. After a few moments he spoke.

"Not perfect, not even good, but it's not terrible either. It will make you appear petty, but not negligent or criminal. Given the circumstances and the right judge it might be OK. However, it is also incomplete. Any judge will want to know who was aware of your actions and what steps they took to dissuade you. So, Tyler, I'll tell you right now, I don't think you should do this, and it is a bad idea."

"Me too," said Molly.

"I concur with Eli Tyler," Mick chimed in grinning from ear to ear. "You shouldn't do this."

"On top of that," Sharp chimed back in, "She will eventually put two and two together and realize that if it wasn't Banks, it had to be you. She will be aware you know of her affair."

"Yes, but that will take a day or two so I can prepare for her. Thanks for your advice, everyone. However, I'm determined, so when I leave here, I'm getting a burner phone and sending Dr. Pamela Conners the message."

"In that case, I want to witness it," responded Molly, "I don't want it to be said I just trusted you to follow through but never checked up to make sure it happened."

We covered a few other details and then I left. Forty minutes later Dr. Conners received an odd text from an unknown source. On the other end it was witnessed by PI Molly Elkington.

"Dr. Conners, I'm choosing to remain anonymous, but I have it on good medical authority, that one of your patients, Mrs. Lindsey Clinton, has the STD Chlamydia. Now that you have this information, I trust you to act immediately as her primary physician and offer care for your patient. Thank you."

I broke the phone apart when I finished and later that afternoon, on my way home tossed it into a pond about five miles from my house. Nobody was around to witness my complete disregard for the no littering laws of Iowa.

About the time I was tossing away the burner, Molly was parked outside Dr. Conners office when a black Honda Accord pulled into one of the parking spaces. Lyn emerged looking a bit disheveled and entered the office. Forty-five minutes later she came out looking worse. Molly followed her to a local pharmacy drive through where she picked up a small bag containing a prescription.

Lyn arrived home shortly thereafter. I was sitting on our screened in porch watching a recap of the previous day's Cardinals' 10-0 win over the Royals. Since we still weren't speaking much, she didn't stop to say hello she just headed up the stairs. About a half hour later she came out on the porch, freshly showered, and unexpectedly plopped down next to me letting out a deep sigh.

"Ty, can we call a truce and get back to us?"

"I don't know Lyn; how would you suggest we 'call a truce?'"

"Can't we just drop the entire argument and let it go?"

"I'm not sure that works for me Lyn."

"Why not Ty?" She looked like she genuinely wanted to know. Maybe the revelation of her STD's had jolted her a bit.

"I'm happy to forgive and move on Lyn. I apologized several times for misreading your 'Spice it up a bit' comments, but as far as I know you still don't think you've done anything for which you need to apologize. Dropping it, therefore, seems to mean you win, and I lose. I'm not trying to come out on top here Lyn, but I believe we're equally at fault for the last several days, but you don't see it that way."

"Fine" she replied, with a bit of edge in her voice. "I'm sorry. There, now are we OK?"

"No Lyn, we're not. I've known you for almost ten years and I know when you don't mean what you say. Your words may be correct, but your tone demonstrates your heart hasn't changed. Tell me I'm wrong Lyn. Explain your understanding of where you were in error, and we can move forward."

She looked at me for the briefest moment with sadness in her eyes. I thought perhaps she was going to come clean about the entire episode of her cheating. I'd never expected a sincere apology given what I'd heard in the tapes, but perhaps I'd misjudged her. Could I forgive her and work on our marriage? To be honest the thought scared the shit out of me. I needn't have worried.

Her eyes gave her away as she returned to her righteous indignation. She still blamed me. At that moment, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, we were done.

"You're just so stubborn Tyler Adam Clinton! I apologized and you threw it back in my face because it wasn't up to your standards. Fine... fine with me! You're causing this impasse and it will be on you if we can't find a way to deal with this!"

"Well Lindsey Abbott Simon" using her maiden name intentionally, "I'm sorry you feel that way, but I can see in your eyes and hear the tone of your voice that you may be using the right words, but you believe in your heart that you are innocent, and I am guilty. You are convinced I'm being prideful and unreasonable. So, I'll make you a deal. If you can find one of our close friends who truly believes I'm an arrogant ass who never apologizes or admits he's in the wrong, I'll accept your conclusion."

She rose to her feet glaring at me and stomped off the porch into the house.

I sighed deeply. It had been almost a week since I discovered her flagrant disregard for her vows and our marriage. The next two weeks were going to be nearly impossible. It was time to look for some options.

The next morning, I was in my boss's office. Connie Silverton was a fair but hard charging boss. You don't become CEO of a major medical facility if you're not. It was tough to do, but I laid out my situation for her. I needed some advice and some help to survive the next fourteen or so days until I served Lyn with divorce papers. Connie's response was professional but caring.

"First Tyler, I'm very sorry for your position. My folks divorced when I was ten and it was awful. However, before we progress, I need to know you will weather this storm and continue your fine work for me and Unity. I can't help if I know this situation is about to blow up and go to hell in a handbasket."

"Connie, I can't tell you I'll be worth a shit for the next couple of weeks, but I genuinely love my job and the folks with whom I work. You'll have my best going forward. I'm deeply wounded, but I'm not dead and I have no intention of throwing away my career for a woman who has betrayed me. If I can get just a bit of short-term slack, I promise you'll have me one hundred percent."

"I think I know you pretty well Tyler and I know I can trust you to shoot straight with me. There is a conference in DC next week for hospital CFO's. In the past I've declined your requests to attend because of cost. However, this year, I think it would be in Unity's best interest to have you go. It begins on Monday and ends on Thursday afternoon. As I recall, you have family on the East Coast, so why don't I approve you attending and then you can stay the weekend with some family. That part you'll have to cover out of your own pocket. Deal?"

"Boss, I'd hug you, but I know you'd probably smack me, and I have no interest in Mike taking my appreciation the wrong way." (Hubby Mike was a retired Army Ranger Colonel.) "But know this. I'll never forget your kindness and you will never regret helping me!"

She smiled as warmly as I'd ever seen her smile. "I'll put the paperwork through today Tyler. If you can make it to next Sunday afternoon, I'll buy you a week. Now, get your ass out of here and figure out how we're going to sign a new contract with our nurses. Their union reps are driving a hard bargain."

I rose and smiled, "Consider it done boss! By the way, if I can save us five percent on the next contract can we talk about my year-end bonus?" Her normal glare reappeared which told me it was time to leave.

I just needed to survive three days before heading to the conference. If I was lucky on the backend, it would only be two or three days after returning that I'd have to live in current tension. I was able to concentrate for the rest of the day and got a good bit of work done, even pissing off Jodi Meyer, the nurses' union rep when I informed her their latest offer wasn't even in the ballpark. "Let her stew over the weekend and next week," I thought to myself. "Maybe a little pressure will land on her when her folks hear she doesn't have a deal and there isn't even one on the horizon."

On my way home I called my dad and brother to let them know I'd be in the area next weekend and would love to connect. I apologized for the short notice, but both promised to carve out some time together. I wasn't looking forward to sharing the bad news with them, but then again, I knew they'd be supportive when they heard the entire story.

My last call before pulling into my driveway was to Eli Sharp attorney at law. I quickly filled him in, and he let me know it was the perfect opportunity to stick one or two of Mary's people on Lyn to get some more evidence of her betrayal.

Lyn wasn't home when I arrived, which, under normal circumstances, would have been unusual. However, there had been nothing usual in my life for over a week. It was day two of her three-day break, so we'd have already had something planned. As it stood, she could be out fucking little Justin, or some other guy for all I knew. That was the first time it hit me that there could be or have been other men. "Wouldn't that be a hoot," I thought to myself. "What if the whore is running around on Banks behind his back? Maybe I should send him an anonymous text as well urging him to keep tabs on his cheating slut, lest he become her latest victim."

I decided to go for a run. I ran a bit of cross country in high school although I was never great at it. However, running three to five miles a couple times a week did help me clear my head. My route was basically out to the golf course and back. A couple of good hills on the way out and back gave the run a good cardio element. I ran harder today trying to exhaust myself so I could perhaps sleep that night.

My world was crashing in around me and ever since I'd kicked it into survival mode, I rarely let myself slow down to take stock of my reality. It was good to run and think. I was depressed about Lyn's affair. Nine days ago, I was in love with a woman I thought loved me as much or more. Discovering that her vows didn't mean shit to her shook me to the core. "How much of that was my fault" I wondered as I grunted up hill number one. No marriage problems rest completely on one person. Perhaps I'd been too busy or preoccupied with my career, not giving her enough time and attention.

Other questions swirled through my noggin as I continued my course. How would she react? Would she ever come clean and admit what she did? Would she excuse it or beg for forgiveness? I knew I wouldn't stay in the marriage after such a deep betrayal, but how would I treat her when I saw her around the hospital? Would I get pissed seeing her dating other men? Would she stick around or beat it out of town? I couldn't imagine her slinking off as if she were defeated. She would be too stubborn for that. No, I assumed, she'd stick around and try to prove to me that I was a complete fool for divorcing her.

It dawned on me that if I was thinking this hard, I wasn't running hard enough. By the top of hill two I was no longer preoccupied with thoughts of my soon to be ex-slut wife. I was just looking for little things like... oxygen! When I returned home, I was completely spent, which was the idea behind the run in the first place.

I walked up and down the street for twenty minutes cooling down, then hoped in the shower. Emerging I tossed on my swim trunks, grabbed a beer, and hit the hot tub since my calf muscles were making me aware they hadn't appreciated the last hour or so. Still no sight of Lyn.

Later, around 11 PM I'd had some supper, watched two episodes of Ted Lasso, and finally crawled into bed. Lyn never arrived, nor did she text or call. I did her the courtesy of leaving her alone too. It was the only time in our marriage we'd been apart for over twelve hours without touching base or knowing where the other one was. I took two Melatonin and four Motrin since my claves were not letting up on their complaints. I slept straight through until 7 AM the next morning.

Before coming down the stairs in the morning I noticed a Lyn's door was closed, so I guess she arrived home at some point the night before. I listened for a moment; nothing was stirring. I had some coffee and a couple bagels, showered changed and headed to the golf course. Late May weather in Des Moines can be spectacular and today was no exception. I hit some balls on the range and joined a couple buddies for 18 and then lunch.

By 3 PM I'd run out of excuses to stick around so I headed home. I'd not texted or called Lyn all day and she had also ignored me. I guess we were waiting to see who blinked first. She wasn't home when I arrived, so I basically began a repeat performance of the night before.

Sunday morning wat the same but I was headed out of town on a 4 PM SWA flight to Reagan International. I'd cut the grass and worked in the flower beds most of the morning, something Lyn and I usually did together. When she finally appeared around 11 AM she just looked out the door at me and went back inside.

"Fuck this" I thought as I packed my bags. If she wants to stay away and silent, she's welcome to, but no way in hell I'm letting her control the game. I left for the airport without leaving her a note or texting her to let her know where I was headed and how long I'd be gone. I assumed she probably wouldn't even notice I was gone all week. I hoped she did, and I hoped she brought shit head Justin over and fucked him in our bed so I could add that to her list of skank behavior.

On Tuesday two things happened.

First, I got a call from Eli telling me Mary's folks already had several new pictures and videos of Lyn and Banks. No question they were going hot and heavy.

The second one surprise me. Lyn finally texted me. The exchange wasn't polite

"Where are you?"

"DC"

"WTF???"

"I'm at a hospital CFO conference Connie wanted me to attend."

"When were you going to tell me you inconsiderate bastard?"

"Whenever you came home before one or two in the morning and had a conversation with your husband who had been waiting for you since six on both Friday and Saturday. Where were you each night?"

She ignored the question

"Ty, I was scared to death something had happened to you. I can't believe you'd do that to me!"

"Why didn't you just text me?"

"I did, you didn't answer." (Lie # 1)

"If you did text me and I didn't answer, did you call the cops?"