The Juggling Act

by Carol Maloney Scott

“You know what, let’s try to figure out the code on her phone. That’ll be easier. And listen, I’m sorry, man. I can see you’re genuinely trying to help. She can be a handful.”

  “Tell me about it. Remember, I was the one who saved her from drowning in the fountain at your book launch party and brought her home to my house.” Because you didn’t want anything to do with her.

  “Yeah, you were always rescuing Claire and…never mind, try Aidan’s birthday for the code. 1112.”

  I type in the numbers and sure enough, I’m in. “That worked. I guess we both know who her favorite person is, huh?”

  “Yep, the little guy. Dr. Mason is her gynecologist and he’s the only doctor I know that she sees. Unless of course there is a secret drug providing doctor I don’t know about.”

  “Nope, Mason is the name on the pills. We’re good. I’ll call.”

  “So how is she doing?”

  I have been so embroiled in my conversation/argument with Brandon, I forgot to keep an eye on her. Shit. Where did she go?

  “Um, she’s okay. She’s murmuring a little in her sleep. I started to say earlier that Gina looked up Ambien overdose on WebMD, and read that apparently they only give women five mg now, so the ten she took used to be considered the normal dosage. So as long as I watch her, she should be okay. But I’d like to confirm that with the doctor to be on the safe side.”

  She’s not under the bed. In the bathroom? I peek in and don’t see her. She can’t drive, but she could be walking down Duval Street naked, and I’m willing to bet that wouldn’t be the first time this town has seen that kind of behavior.

  I get Brandon off the phone with promises to call him back as soon as I hear from the doctor, and to have Claire call him in the morning.

  I still can’t find her. I now notice the front door is slightly open. I quickly glance back at the bed, and the blanket that was covering her is still there, so no chance she is actually wearing something. So now not only does the inn have amorous lesbians frolicking in the hot tub, but a stoned nudist roaming around.

  I run out of the room, leaving the door open, since I don’t have the key. Miraculously, Claire is lounging in the hot tub in the courtyard, just outside the room. Thankfully, the lovers have left, and no new guests have joined my little nude friend.

  She looks beautiful sitting there with the heat rising off the bubbling water onto her face. In another life, in another time, I could really enjoy this, although I would never take advantage of a woman who is drugged and sleep walking, married or not.

  I need to get her inside right away, and I can’t tell her about any of this. She will die of embarrassment!

  “Claire, you need to come inside to bed.” I am hoping my whispering will encourage her to keep her volume down. I would prefer she come willingly, too. I don’t want to be seen dragging a naked, married business colleague out of a hot tub against her will.

  Claire smiles and wags her finger at me. “I can’t come to bed with you. I’m a married—”

  I rush over to her as she starts to sink into the water again. She really seems determined to drown herself on this trip, and we haven’t even left the hotel. I may need to rethink my boating plans.

  I grab her by the shoulders, and once again pull her out of the water, wrapping her in a towel. I feel like I just did this, and that’s because I did.

  I carry her back to the room, dry her off again and this time consider that I need to put some clothes on her. And I can’t leave her alone. There is no way to lock her in this room.

  I look through her suitcase and find something to put her in, and at this point the whole ‘respect for the nude girl’ thing is out the window. The light is bright and I can see it all. I try to avoid direct eye contact with anything important, like nipples…and oh, Jesus. Now she’s decided to grab onto me.

  “Justin, where’s Brandon? You shouldn’t be here. But you look so cute…”

  And she’s out again. I carry her limp, but now clothed, body back to the bed and actually tuck her in this time. I decide to pull some extra blankets out of the closet and catch a little sleep on the floor by the front door. She could also hurt herself if she wanders into the bathroom and decides to attempt to drown herself again, but I think I would hear that.

  I finally call the after-hours number and leave a message with the operator, who assures me that the doctor will call back within the hour.

  Right before I found the doctor’s number, I couldn’t help but notice a text from Brandon to Claire. She obviously missed this one since she got so pissed about the photo.

  “Hey, babe. I’ll call you tomorrow. Sorry I acted like a dick. I love you.”

  Wow, she always used to say I was a dick. I guess Brandon gets that honor now. Attached to the text was another photo and I couldn’t resist scrutinizing that one for more evidence, but it was Aidan sleeping in his crib, hugging a pink bunny. Oh my God, that’s the pink bunny I won for Claire at the Hanover Spring Festival almost three years ago. I wonder if Brandon knows the origin of his son’s bedtime snuggle toy.

  Claire is still in one place. I force myself to lay down with the phone beside me, volume turned up.

  Brandon loves her. They’re probably just going through a rough patch. What do I know? I have been with tons of women, but never any serious enough to interfere with my sleep.

  Ironically, Claire is doing just that right now.

  I wonder if this is the weirdest thing this honeymoon suite has seen. But I doubt it. We are in Key West, after all.

  Claire

  I bolt upright in bed and immediately lay back down. What the hell? I didn’t drink last night. Well, I did a little, but not so much as to feel like this. And I could swear I took Excedrin for my headache. I was so mad at Brandon. Why?

  My stomach drops as I remember the picture of Aidan with that skinny bitch’s shoe in the corner. I didn’t want to make too much of it in front of Justin. I’m embarrassed and I don’t want Justin getting any ideas that my marriage is in trouble. He’s never been married and he wouldn’t understand.

  I rub my face and then a second wave of panic sets in. What the hell time is it? It’s looking pretty bright outside, and I was supposed to be at the conference by eight to get my booth set up before breakfast. Leave it to me to fuck up the first business trip I get sent on in years, just because I’m an exhausted working mother enjoying her first night away from responsibility.

  I pull the covers back and manage to sit up to stretch. What the hell am I wearing? Something really weird is happening. Was I drugged? I glance around the room for any signs that I brought a strange man home after being roofied, but obviously Justin wouldn’t have allowed me to do that. Unless…

  “Claire, are you up?” I almost jump off the bed as Justin slowly opens my door, but without looking in the room. Presumably to make sure I’m decent? Why wouldn’t he knock? Why is my door open? My head is so flooded with questions, I don’t even know where to begin.

  “What are you doing in my room?” I start with the most obvious. As I say this, I grab my cell phone and see that I have all sorts of messages, and it’s TEN o’clock.

  He reacts to my confused, but murderous look by raising up his hands in mock surrender. “Don’t freak out, I can explain what happened. But first, how do you feel?”

  He walks slowly towards the bed, and I pull the covers back over me so he doesn’t see the ridiculous…wait…

  “Did I pass out and you had to undress me again?”

  He blushes and stammers, “Umm, no…not at all. Well, you did pass out, but…”

  He goes on to explain how I thought I was taking two Excedrin and it turns out I grabbed my bottle of Ambien, and passed out in the hot tub.

  “Oh my God, thank God you were here. I’m so sorry.” I throw my head back on the pillow and kick my feet in frustration at my own stupidity. I prop myself up on my elbow and say again, “So you didn’t undress me? Because I am wearing a pretty bizarre outfit.”

  “A
s an Ambien user, you should know that you can do lots of things while you’re asleep. That’s why it’s a dangerous drug. You were out for a while, but then you started to stir, so I suggested that you should change out of the wet bathing suit. You jumped up and grabbed clothes out of your suitcase and went in the bathroom to change.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “That sounds like a bullshit story. But I guess if you were going to put other clothes on me you would have been coherent enough to at least put on matching pajamas, even if they were inside out.”

  I am wearing the skirt I was going to wear to the conference today, backwards and buttoned crooked, and my wiener dog mom pajama tank top, inside out and backwards.

  “Of course. However, I was not so worried about your clothing choices. But after I called Gina and got Brandon’s number—”

  “You called Gina?!” My eyes are popping.

  “Well, yes, I didn’t know the code to your phone. So then I called Brandon—”

  “WHAT? You called my husband and told him I was passed out on an Ambien overdose with you in my room, after being in the hot tub together?”

  “When you say it like that, it sounds bad.”

  I throw a pillow at him and yell, “IT IS BAD!”

  “Claire, calm down. I was worried that this was a true medical emergency. I wasn’t going to let you die because someone might discover we were spending time together on our business trip. And if the situation were reversed, wouldn’t you want to know if Brandon was in trouble? I needed your doctor’s emergency phone number, and I didn’t have my computer with me to even look up Ambien overdose. Gina looked it up and was able to determine that taking two at your dosage was not life threatening at all, but I still wanted to make sure you were okay. Your doctor confirmed that he only gave you five mg pills, because you’re so small, but that ten mg is actually considered a normal dose for a regular sized person.”

  He slumps down on the loveseat near the door and I just now notice how tired he looks.

  “Well, that’s a relief. I can’t believe I did that. I was so preoccupied with…other stuff. You were up all night, weren’t you? I’m so sorry.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t want to leave you. The doctor said you should be observed all night. I did sleep a little, but then I got up and went back to my room to get ready for the conference. I was hoping to see if the girls were still in the hot tub from earlier, but they probably wouldn’t have asked me to join them anyway.”

  I roll my eyes. “This is so bad. I have to get up and get moving immediately!”

  I throw off the covers and jump up, now even more self-conscious as I realize that my skirt is slipping down on my hips, and my backwards tank top with no bra is leaving little to the imagination.

  “Relax, Claire. I set up your booth, and I went to the breakfast and told the organizer that you ate something bad last night and had a mild case of food poisoning.”

  “You did that for me? Justin, I don’t know what to say.” I reach out as if to hug him, but then I fold my arms across my chest instead. I think my smile shows my gratitude. I fear looking in a mirror as I am sure my hair is insane and I doubt I took off my makeup in an Ambien induced altered state.

  “I figured food poisoning was a good one. It’s temporary, and it could make you sick enough to keep you out all day, and I wasn’t sure what condition you would be in when you woke up.”

  “My head is so foggy, but maybe I can at least get myself together for the luncheon. Shit, I missed the panel too. That’s going on now.”

  “I think you can get caught up on that at the lunch. It’s all the same agents and editors, right? And you’ll have your individual meetings with the agents this afternoon with their manuscript pitches. That’s the most important part of this trip.” He stands up and walks back to the door. “That and having as much fun as possible on our off time.”

  He smiles and I get a little jolt of something I choose to ignore. I have enough problems.

  “Hey, before you go, did you tell Brandon what was actually going on here? I mean, not that anything was going on, but did he know we were using the hot tub in my room?”

  “No, I didn’t tell him any details. I didn’t have time and he was pretty hostile towards me at first. But I get it. I wouldn’t want some guy alone with my wife under these circumstances. You should call him now. You have plenty of time to get ready and talk to him before the luncheon.”

  He pauses and rubs his eyes. “I need to get to an appointment with a software supplier. Make sure you take a cab if you can’t handle walking to the conference. Linda is in her office, she can help you. Feel better, crazy girl.”

  And he’s gone. I would love to lay back down and ponder last night’s events and nurse this Ambien hangover, but I need to get moving. My stomach lurches, and I just now notice that Justin brought in a little breakfast for me and laid it on the coffee table. How did I not notice that? He’s pretty stealthy. And considerate.

  I look down at my outfit and smirk. I guess I’ll never know, but I have a feeling I didn’t get up and change clothes in the middle of the night. He wouldn’t leave me in a wet bathing suit. Poor Justin. He at least deserved a show after what I put him through.

  Brandon

  If that woman doesn’t call me back soon, I am going to get on a plane and go down there. I know Justin was trying to help, and he was genuinely concerned for her well-being, but I don’t trust the guy.

  When Claire and I first started dating, he didn’t give up his active pursuit that easily. He’s sneaky about it, but I knew what he was doing. It took a Valentine’s Day engagement for him to finally decide to leave town, and go back to Philly to his former job. We were only dating for nine months, but Claire’s birthday is February twelfth, and I thought it was a romantic time to propose, and I was ready anyway. It wasn’t like I did it to get the Viking Romeo out of our lives.

  My phone finally rings and I see it is my wayward wife. “Claire, it’s about time. What’s going on? Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I just feel wiped out. It was such a careless mistake. Thank God Dr. Mason isn’t a drug pusher, and he only reluctantly gave me a small amount of five mg pills, so my overdose was actually a regular dose.”

  “I don’t understand why you need sleeping pills.” I pause and then say, “Is it really because of me that you can’t sleep?”

  “Why do think that?”

  “Your work boyfriend alluded to you being upset about me. I guess we need to have a talk when you get home?” I probably shouldn’t even be going down this road because not only is she probably pissed about the shoe in the picture, she also knows Chastity is visiting today.

  “If Justin wasn’t here I could have gotten myself in serious trouble. So you should be thanking him. I love you, Brandon, but I feel like we’re getting off track.”

  She sounds weepy and my heart sinks.

  “Claire, I love you too. I’m sorry. I can do better.”

  “Chastity is coming today, isn’t she?”

  I sigh and reply, “Yes, I have to confirm with her, but she should be here this afternoon. Claire, you have nothing to worry about. And I don’t know, maybe we were too hasty to turn down the latest adoption offer Peter found for us. But it doesn’t even matter. He sent me an e-mail this morning telling me they found other parents, but our second baby will come when the time is right. Right?”

  She doesn’t respond right away and I know she’s probably crying and trying to hide it. “I know, it’s okay. Let me know how things go with Chastity. And kiss Aidan for me. Bye, Honey.”

  The line is dead. I throw my cell phone on the couch and scare the dogs.

  “You two are lucky I didn’t tell Mommy what assholes you were last night.”

  As if I didn’t have enough to worry about, these two, mainly Dixie, were whining all night. Apparently they can only sleep if Mommy is in the bed. Just fucking great. Maybe I should call Dr. Mason for some Ambien for them.

  I get ready to dial Chastity’s nu
mber, when the phone rings again. Gina. Motherfucker.

  “Hello, this is Brandon.”

  “Hey, is your wife okay?”

  We proceed to discuss Claire’s latest mishap and Gina assures me that Justin is well intentioned.

  “Okay, whatever. Did you need anything else?” I shouldn’t be so short with my publisher’s Editor-in-Chief, but my nerves are shot.

  “Yes, I need your manuscript. How close are you? I can’t give you special treatment forever. You are late and I have to call you on it.”

  We go back and forth on a new date and Gina is placated for now.

  “And call Rebecca. She needs to know what you think of the new cover art.”

  We hang up and I swear I wish I could just go downstairs and drink beer until I pass out, even though I never do that. Instead, I do the responsible thing and call my son’s birth mother. Claire doesn’t understand that I worry about Aidan, too, but if Chastity sees how happy he is with us, she will never try to get him back.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Claire

  “So how’s your day going?”

  Justin and I run into each other in the break room, which is set up with snacks and drinks for the conference participants.

  “Good. I’m exhausted, but I had a nice luncheon with the editors and agents, and I just met with an agent who had some good stuff to pitch. I can’t wait to bring some of it back to Didier for his opinion.”

  We sit down for a break in between appointments. Justin goes on to tell me about his boring software meeting.

  “Hey, I’m sleepy enough already. Save that for later.” I blush when I realize I am insinuating that he will be in my room at bedtime, which will NOT be happening again.

  “Oh, that’s too bad. I really wanted to go to karaoke tonight.” He smiles that killer Justin smile, and I am already weakening.

  “Well, I could probably go out for a little while after dinner. Is it near the inn?”

  “It’s across the street. That place that has the drag queen shows has karaoke on Tuesdays. I thought we could at least do a duet.”