Mason Ch. 05

Toni grinned as James tried to change the diaper of a squirming baby. Jamie was six months old and a very happy baby who smiled easily but was very busy. They were coming to the end of their time off and were reluctant to go back to work. For the past two months they had been interviewing sitters and not caring for any of them including some of the ones recommended by colleagues.

One of the recommendations reminded Toni too much of Kim in the way she only looked at James when Toni had been the one to ask a question. Another one, they both had bad feelings about and so it went. Wanda had volunteered to help but she was busy trying to catch up with school and both James and Toni weren't sure that it was a good idea at least for now. They talked about each of them going part time and working different days eliminating the need for a sitter and decided that it was the best option. They would meet with the supervisors and see what they could work out.

Toni watched as James finally got the squirming baby diapered and felt a pang that they couldn't have a child together. James made sure that it wouldn't happen by having what he called the "good old snip-snip" of which for him the hardest part was not being able to make love although he offered to please Toni.

"Nope, not until you can." she said kissing him.

Having a baby in the house was an adjustment for the both of them, on more than one occasion their lovemaking was interrupted because of a crying baby or postponed because Jamie was sick but they wouldn't have changed anything. They loved Jamie as if he was born to them.

***

The last month of their time off was over, fortunately the hospital was able to meet their demand and allowed them both to go part time, the question was what was the best way to break up the schedule. After much debate they decided to alternate weeks. Toni would work her week first, they would have a more than a week off in between and then James would work with the difference being that he wouldn't work his days in a row.

Instead of Jamie having separation anxiety it was James. He called Toni several times when he thought that she wasn't busy. The fact was Toni missed them too, the six months of constantly being together had spoiled her and when he wasn't calling her, she was calling him. That first day was the longest day of her life and couldn't end soon enough. She couldn't wait to get home to hug and kiss her two men.

While Toni was at work and Jamie napped, James set up the video camera and started video taping conversations for Toni and Jamie. He felt great but he wanted to be sure that he told the two loves of his life everything that he thought they should know, mainly how much he loved them. When he finished, he dated and timed the disc and put it in a small box. When he had more, he would take them to his attorney for him to give to Toni when and if the need arose. He was surprised at how much he had to say to her and Jamie, the first thirty minute disc was full.

The next day he did the same thing, sometimes he talked about the things that they did together and of the things that he hoped that they would do together. Sometimes as he talked, he would hold a sleeping Jamie in his arms and talk just to him about what he hoped and dreamt for him.

Each night Toni would come home and would ask, "What did you do today?" He would tell her everything that happened except for the videos.

When it was his turn to go to work, he didn't want to go; he wanted to spend every waking moment with Toni and Jamie and was considering resigning. He knew that if he did that Toni would think that there was something wrong when there wasn't, he just wanted to be with them. By the time James got to the hospital, he had made his decision; he wouldn't resign but would strictly take call meaning that he could work from home. He didn't know how Toni would feel abut that but the decision was made.

James found the director of internal medicine and asked to speak with him privately. When they were in his office behind closed doors the director offered James a drink.

"No, thanks." James said. "I just wanted to talk to you about something. I know that you have a couple of doctors on staff that only take call and I was wondering if you could use one more."

The director sat back in his chair and eyed James.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked.

"I'm good; it's just that I miss being at home with Toni and the baby." James replied.

"You discuss this with Toni?" the director asked.

James didn't see where it was any of his business but answered the question.

"No, not yet. I wanted to see if it was a possibility before bringing it up."

"Well, as luck would have it, one of the on calls is leaving next week. She got a job in Hawaii that was too good to turn down so if you want her position it's open."

"I want it." James replied without hesitation.

James left the office feeling as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. The only thing left to do was to tell Toni in such a way that she wouldn't worry.

****

Mason lay on his bed resting; Eustace and Gretchen were officially mated. Eustace once again offered his practice to Mason so that he could move to LA with Gretchen and open a new practice. Any of Ethan's relatives that were seeing him would follow him there. Mason declined; he wanted to be able to leave whenever the need arose. As a matter of fact, he had already been to San Diego and had purchased a condo there. It was fully functional although he hadn't lived in it yet. Something was telling him that sometime soon, that he would be moving.

Eustace ended up selling his practice to one Dr. Lydia Smythe. She and Mason clashed on their first meeting and only meeting.

"I understand that Eustace let you do whatever you wanted but this is my practice now." she said in a tone that sent Mason's defenses up.

"I am also aware that he allowed you to set your own hours, this will not be the case. Our hours will be from five pm until five am and every other weekend." she added.

Mason looked at the woman as if she had gone insane. Just who in the fuck did she think she was talking to? He wondered as she rambled on about what she expected from him. When she was finished and asked if he had any questions, Mason stared at her for several minutes before speaking.

"I don't know who in the fuck you think you are but you will not dictate to me my hours nor will you dictate the way that I treat my patients. If I am not mistaken, you've lost more than one associate and colleague because of your manners. Yes I investigated you and I was prepared to give you the benefit of the doubt but it seems that the stories that I heard about you are true so lady take your fucking office and stuff it up your ass. I'm done."

Mason left the office from where he sat leaving a startled Lydia staring at his empty chair. He wasn't home for more than ten minutes when his phone rang. Lydia.

"I do not appreciate the way in which you just spoke to me!" she said as soon as he answered the phone.

"Tough shit!" Mason replied and hung up. It looked like he was leaving Boston much sooner than he had anticipated.

He packed his suitcase and decided to drive back to California. He wanted to enjoy seeing the Palm trees as he made his way to San Diego. As he packed he called Eustace.

"Why didn't you tell me that she was such a bitch?" he asked.

Eustace laughed, "I heard that she had changed and when I spoke with her it appeared that she had but apparently not. What are you planning?"

"I'm packing as we speak, I told the bitch to stuff the office up her ass and I left. I'm moving back to California, San Diego to be exact." Mason replied.

Eustace hesitated and then spoke.

"Mason, are you ready for that?"

"I think so, I can say Katrina's name without feeling like my heart's being yanked from my chest and I can think of her without feeling pain. So yes I'm ready." Mason replied.

"And what about Toni?" Eustace asked.

"That hasn't changed. I'm not going to interfere with her life. I'm not even going to make myself known to her but it's time for me to leave Boston. Any chance that I can stop by and see you and Gretchen?" he asked.

"Of course, mi casa is su casa and all of that." Eustace replied.

An hour later, Mason was on his way back to California. His cell phone rang several times but he ignored it, it was Lydia.

***

Toni met James at the door with Jamie in her arms. She had missed him and was anxious to hear how his first day at work went. She knew that he didn't want to go and if there was anyway possible he wouldn't have.

James hugged and then kissed her before kissing the baby. He stopped and sniffed the air; Toni had tried to cook again.

"Sweetness, what is that I smell?" he asked.

"I watched the cooking show today and they made this dish that we happened to have all of the ingredients for and I decided to make it." she said happily.

"I see and may I ask what the dish is called?" James asked.

"Oh, I don't remember, I just wrote down the ingredients and the measurements." she replied.

James cringed, Toni's handwriting in the best of times looked like another language. More than once he had been stopped by a nurse and asked to interpret her writing.

"Ok then, let's see what we've got." he said taking the baby from her so that he could hug him properly. The closer to the kitchen they got, the worse it smelled.

"Sweetness, what exactly is that smell?" James asked.

"It's dinner." Toni replied doubtfully.

"Uh huh, take the baby; I want to see if it's something that I should call HAZMAT for."

James handed the baby to her and went into the kitchen. He approached he stove, lifted the lid on whatever it was that was cooking and covered it again. Whatever it was had become nothing more than a bad smelling thick brown goo. He couldn't help it, he started to laugh; he loved Toni and she was one hell of a doctor but in the kitchen she was a disaster.

He stopped laughing when he heard her sniffling behind him.

"I was just trying to surprise you." she said as tears ran down her face. "I knew that your first day would be hard and we thought that we could make dinner."

James hugged her and kissed her head, we?

"Sweetheart, what do you mean by we?" he asked.

"Me and Jamie. I measured the ingredients and let him put it in."

"Where's the recipe?" James asked.

Toni handed him the recipe that she had hastily scribbled on a piece of paper towel. James read the recipe and frowned.

"Sweetness, what does that say?" he asked.

Toni looked at the recipe and couldn't read the writing, "I think it says....I don't know" and then she began to laugh, "Why don't we order Chinese?" she asked.

"I think that's a winner." James replied laughing with her.

After dinner and playtime with Jamie, James decided to tell Toni about his decision.

She didn't say anything for a long time which usually wasn't a good sign but this time, she let out a sigh of relief.

"I like the idea. To be honest, I worried about you all day especially since we were off for so long, so if you're alright with it then so am I as long as you don't mind that I keep going in to work."

James breathed easier as he hugged Toni, suddenly he was very horny.

"How about you meet me in bed after we put Jamie to bed?" he whispered in her ear.

They had learned from experience that the best time to make love was soon after they put him down for the night.

After they had Jamie tucked in, they were in the bathroom together. Toni saw James looking at his reflection in the mirror. He pulled his shirt off and stared at himself. James had always been very proud of his body and up until the time that he had gotten sick he was an avid athlete. The six pack that he had been so proud of was gone but he was far from fat. Reading his mind, Toni went over to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"You are still by far the sexiest man that I know." she said meaning it.

James rubbed her arms and said, "You have to say that, you're my wife."

"It's true that I'm your wife but what I said stands. James, I love you six pack or not so don't go getting any crazy ideas." she said.

James was already wondering about starting some kind of exercise program that included more than the light weights and walking that he did. He would call his cardiologist in the morning and talk to him about it that way he could assure Toni that it was alright.

Toni watched James as he left the bathroom; she knew him and knew that he wasn't happy with his body. She didn't care what he looked like just as long as she and Jamie had him around for a good long time.

As they made love, Toni started to cry. She didn't know why, but she felt an intense sadness that almost took her breath away.

James held her as she cried; he had stopped asking her for a reason for the tears finally accepting that she really didn't know. As they slept, Toni lay pressed tightly against James, she was awake long after he was asleep. When Jamie cried, she got up even though it was James' turn. She changed and offered Jamie a bottle before tucking him back in. James was standing by the door when she turned around.

"It was my turn to get up." he said softly.

Toni shrugged, "I was awake already and you were tired. You can have the next turn." she replied.

When they got back to bed, they made love again.

***

Mason hummed along with the radio as he drove; this trip was so much different than the trip out. He found himself anxious to be in a new city and was thinking of calling Ethan and asking if he could stop by there too. If he could see Katrina and not feel pain or regret then as far as he was concerned, he was over her and then he could concentrate on getting ready for Toni even though it could be years.

He drove until it was just shy of four am, stopping at a bed and breakfast just for vampires. He decided not to rush off in the evening but to stay for a couple of days if there was room. It had been awhile since he had a vacation and there was no real need to rush. The couple who owned the establishment assured him that he could stay as long as he wished as there were no conventions or anything of the sort scheduled.

Once checked in, Mason checked his cell phone only to see several messages from Lydia. He deleted all of them without listening to them and set the phone up to charge. As he lay down to rest, it wasn't Katrina that he thought of but Toni.

The two days that he spent at the bed and breakfast went by quickly. He spoke with Ethan, Katrina and then the girls amazed at how much they had grown. He made a mental note to stop and buy them each a gift, it would be a nice one, he had several birthdays to make up for.

A week later he was settling in at his condo by the ocean. He really had missed California with its sunshine and palm trees. While he had learned to love Boston, it was never home and now he was home. He was in no hurry to set up a practice, he never had to see another client for as long as he lived if he didn't want to but he did just not now.

He sat on the balcony and listened to the sound of the ocean with his eyes closed, for some reason he couldn't get Toni off of his mind. Was she in trouble? He wondered. Unable to shake the feeling that something was happening with her, Mason went inside and logged onto the internet. He read a few articles one of them mentioning something about them adopting a baby but there was nothing to explain the feelings of disquiet.

He sat at the table tapping his fingers idly as he thought about his feelings. Something was wrong, he could feel it but all he could do was wait. It struck him that he was beginning to feel for Toni what he should have felt when he first saw her and for the first time he felt that it was truly possible for him to love someone as they deserved to be loved. He wasn't quite there yet but he was close.

****

The on call position was working out quite well for James and everyone concerned. The nurses loved it when either he or Toni was on because they never yelled at them no matter what time they called. On occasion Kim would be one of the nurses to call and if Toni was taking call she could hear the disappointment in her voice.

One day while Toni was at work, James made a final video and sent it to his attorney to put with the others. He also made sure that everything would go to Toni and Jamie if anything ever happened to him. He had actually done that after his hospital stay but wanted to make sure that everything was in place. James didn't know why he was doing what he was doing, he felt great especially after the doctor okayed a more challenging exercise program for him. He was beginning to see a hint of the six pack that he had lost and that alone was an ego booster. He had to resist the urge to add just one more set to his exercise routine knowing that Toni and the doctor both would be upset if he did and he ended up back in the hospital.

The other advantage to him being home was that there were no more 'mystery' meals even with Jamie helping him. In a few weeks Jamie would be one and James was making the meal with the exception of the cake, he put Toni in charge of that knowing that she would order it instead of baking it herself, she was just as bad a baker as she was a cook.

Both sets of grandparents were due in two days before Jamie's birthday and Toni made sure to invite Wanda as well. James looked down at the crawling baby and laughed.

"I plan to teach you how to cook just in case your wife is a bad cook like your mommy." James said.

As if he understood, Jamie looked up at James and smiled. He and Toni decided to have Jamie tested for any hereditary diseases and he was negative for anything major much to theirs and Wanda's relief. She didn't know much about the father only that he was Hispanic and worked somewhere in downtown San Diego.

James looked at the clock and scooped Jamie into his arms.

"Time to start supper, your mommy will be here soon." he said kissing the boy's dark head.

Toni finished up as soon as she could, it had been a long day and she was looking forward to the next several days off. She had planned to stop at the cake shop on the way home to order Jamie's cake but changed her mind. She was anxious to go home and see what the little munchkin had been up to. It was becoming more and more important to her that she be home as much as possible, she was considering taking a sabbatical, she would talk to James about it tonight. She knew that it wouldn't be an issue; James hated to see her leave as much as she hated leaving.

James had just taken the lasagna out of the oven when Toni came in, lately when she came in and he greeted her at the door she felt a profound sense of relief. She didn't understand the anxiety, James looked good and felt good especially since he was slowly but surely getting some of his six pack back and she didn't feel that impending sense of doom that she felt before

Toni kissed him and whispered a promise that made his cock stand up.

"You are a wicked woman." he teased, "But I like it."

Over dinner, they talked about the day and then Toni brought up her plan to take a sabbatical. James loved the idea and encouraged her to go for it. The decision went a long way to quieting any sense of disquiet that they both felt but had no basis for.

Later that night after they made love, Toni felt a sense of peace. It was as if whatever bad thing that was coming decided to go somewhere else. Even James was more relaxed, he felt as if he had been given a reprieve.

The next morning they went to breakfast at Toni's favorite place-Denny's. Jamie as always drew a lot of attention especially from the waitresses. At almost one, he was quite the flirt smiling at whatever woman that happened to stop by and chat with him. The next stop was the bakery to order the birthday cake with the final stop being the grocery store. James loved to grill out for company and was shopping for when his parents and Toni's parents would be staying at their house.