Once again - MANY THANKS to Karen, she's the bestest beta ever, and Vasalysa - who showed me the dark side!

Comments are always welcome at Geek

By the time they arrived at the Ross family home, late the following day, all four of them were the worse for wear. The boys were hot, tired, and hungry, screaming their heads off as McQueen pulled their hire car into the driveway. Both Dill and Ty were in desperate need of something to alleviate their headaches, and consequently had been snapping at each other for hours.

"God, Ty - what the hell were you thinking?" Dill complained, getting out of the car. "A military transport is not the best way for toddlers to travel. Is it any wonder they both got so upset? You yelling at them not to touch things every 5 minutes didn't help, either!"

"Dill, you know as well as I do that the only way to get here as fast as we did was to use military channels. " he groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "The boys will be fine once they've been fed. I'm hoping we will, too."

"Spoken like a true marine." came a voice from behind him. "You always could eat whatever and however much I put in front of you."

Turning, he grinned. "Rhonda! It's good to see you." McQueen pulled her in for a hug as she stepped closer. "I'm sorry you missed the wedding. I'm sure Glen told you it was hardly a glamorous affair."

"So introduce me to your family, Ty. Where are your manners?" she chided him.

"Oh, of course." he chuckled, turning as Dill handed him Hamish. "Well, this is Hamish. I'd offer to let you hold him, but he's a bit stinky. And that's Cameron." he nodded towards Dill, who stood with the boy in her arms.

"And?" Rhonda prompted.

"They're a bit cross at the moment. Hungry, I expect." he told her frowning.

"Tyrus McQueen! You sure do take the cake!" Rhonda told him. Stepping forward, she gave Dill a hug. "You must be Dylan. I've heard a lot about you from Glen." At her startled look, Rhonda smiled. "Oh, don't worry. All of it good."

McQueen watched the two women as they chatted, heading for the house. Dill, small and slim in her jeans and shirt her short curly brown hair bobbing as she talked. Rhonda, a good head taller, her hair braided and swinging halfway down her back, contrasting with the print on the dress she wore. He remembered how proud she was of her African-American heritage. He'd always thought she looked like one of those Nubian princesses he'd once read about. He'd teased Glen many times about how in the hell had he persuaded someone so beautiful to marry him. Ty chuckled at the memory of Glen's indignant face, and followed the two women inside.

The boys were tucked up asleep after being fed and bathed; as the adults sat down to eat. Rhonda commented on how good McQueen was with the boys.

"You've trained him well, Dylan." she said with an amused grin. "I expected him to be all fingers and thumbs, but he's a dab hand with a diaper!"

"Since he turned up like a bad penny a week ago, I've not had to change a single nappy myself." Dill smiled. "He gets up in the night, too!"

"She's ruining your macho image, Ty." Rhonda chuckled. Leaning towards Dill, she whispered, "He always used to complain that my kids made him uncomfortable, wanting to sit on his lap and have a cuddle." Turning back to him, she grinned. "You know, Lizzie was so disappointed when I told her you'd got married again." She laughed at his blush, telling Dylan, "Lizzie was 10 when Ty and Amy divorced. She marched up to him and told him that everything would be okay - that she'd marry him as soon she was old enough. It's been a standing joke ever since. She sends her love, Ty, and says she's sorry she couldn't be here. But you know teenagers - she just had to go to the beach for the weekend with her friends."

"What about James? He must be at college now, yes?" Ty asked, picking up a forkful of food. "As usual, Rhonda, you have excelled yourself. This is truly scrumptious."

She raised an eyebrow. "Scrumptious?"

"I'm afraid I'm teaching him all manner of new words." Dill laughed, "That one's mine. But he's right, this is delicious."

"You're never too old to learn." Rhonda agreed. "Yes, James is away, Ty, and boy, did he give me trouble. He wanted to join the navy. I told him he had to finish school first…such a row we had! But I persuaded him in the end." She turned to Dill. "You know, Dylan, there is this marvellous little shop opened in town - baby clothes. I swear they have some of the cutest things you ever did see. I must take you there."

They sat talking and laughing, well into the night. Rhonda told Dylan all about the Ty she knew, and she and Ty reminisced, only finally going to bed when Hamish woke and called for his daddy, much to Rhonda's delight.

The two women were getting along well to McQueen's relief. He'd always loved Rhonda; she'd accepted him into her family without turning a hair the day Glen had brought him home. It was important to him that she liked Dill, and judging by the way she'd decided that tomorrow they would leave the boys with him and go out for a girly day of shopping, it was obvious that she did.

After settling Hamish, he headed for his and Dill's room, hoping that she was still awake and up for a little fun. She was asleep, but he didn't feel disappointed. The sight of her, still clad in her shirt, underwear and little white socks, sprawled on the bed, her jeans in a heap at her feet, reminded him of just why he loved her. Smiling, he finished undressing her and slipped her under the covers before undressing himself and joining her.

Dylan woke to a familiar weight on her chest. Opening her eyes, she smiled, seeing Ty's head resting there as his hand traced patterns on her stomach.

Glancing at the clock, she saw it was later than they normally woke up. "Good morning, handsome." she whispered. "If you're looking to start something here, Hamish will be waking up in a minute to spoil your fun."

"Well that gives us a minute then, doesn't it?" he chuckled, moving his head so that he could kiss her. Gently he sucked her lip into his mouth as his hands slid up to her breasts, kneading them, gently pinching her nipples to get them hard, before he bent his head to run his tongue across them one at a time, and suck them into his mouth. Very gently he nipped them with his teeth, as she groaned at his touch.

Her hands began to stroke his back, tracing the patterns of the scars she found there. She gripped his shoulders as he suckled hard on her breasts. "Oh god, Ty." she moaned. "Stop teasing me and fuck me."

Raising his head from her breasts, he grinned. "Patience, my sweet. You must have patience."

"I don't want patience. I want you. Inside me, right now. Come on, flyboy; show me what you're made of." She pulled at him, trying to get him where she wanted him.

"No, no, no." he laughed, resisting her. "You have to wait for me. I haven't finished here yet."

"Then don't blame me if Hamish wakes up. He's already slept later than he usually does. But Ty, I want you now. I don't want soft and gentle - I want hard and fast…please…" she pleaded, her hands running down to squeeze his behind. She slipped one hand around to stroke and gently pump his hardening cock.

"You're persuading me." he moaned, as she pumped harder.

"Good." she tittered. "Now for gods sake, Ty, fuck my brains out. That's an order, colonel."

"Yes ma'am." he whispered, pushing her hand away and driving himself hard and fast into her hot wet centre. "Oh yes." he moaned, as he began to pump hard and fast inside her.

Dill wrapped her legs around him, pushing her hips up to meet his thrusts, her hands gripping his shoulders as he pounded into her with all his might. One hand she danced lightly up to his neck, making him gasp and jerk as she lightly massaged his navel. Pulling his head down, she slowly began to flick her tongue across it.

As his body responded to the extra stimulation, he could feel his orgasm approaching. "If you keep doing that, I'm gonna come." he groaned, as she flicked her tongue in and out of his navel.

"That's the general idea." Dill moaned as her own began, her body starting to tremble and shake underneath his. "Come on, Ty, I'm nearly there. Harder… I can hardly feel you." she teased.

"You really are evil. You know that, don't you?" he whispered, pushing himself as hard and fast as his body could go. "One of these days my heart will give out trying to keep up with you." he gasped.

Feeling her muscles tightening around him, he pulled his head away from her and dropped it to her breasts again, clamping down on a nipple and sucking hard. He smiled as she bucked her hips upwards, her climax overtaking her as he sucked. His own followed swiftly, and he collapsed on top of her, trying desperately to drag some air into his lungs.

"Your heart might give out, but what a way to go!" Dill giggled as he rolled off her and pulled her into his arms.

"Oh yes, I can just see you trying to explain that one to the paramedics." he chuckled.

"They'd know from the look of utter bliss on your face." she smiled. "You get such a cute look when you come."

Blushing, he pulled her closer. "Be quiet woman. Why do you have to talk so much? Some of us are trying to sleep." Ty laughed.

"You beast!" Dill gasped. "You woke me up, remember!"

"Shush woman, you're keeping me awake." He closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

"I can hear someone calling for his daddy, so you better go get him before he wakes Rhonda." his wife informed him.

"You go - I'm asleep." Ty whispered. "And anyway, it's you he really wants. He just wants a feed."

"Did you leave him anything?" Dill giggled. "I'm sure you must have drunk me dry! Now go - get up, you lazy beast, and see what your son wants, before he wakes up Cameron too."

"Wakes up Cameron?" he grinned, as he got out of bed and hunted for his sweatpants. "I think that boy would sleep through a Chig attack!"

A few hours later McQueen dropped Rhonda and Dill off in town, with a promise to meet up for lunch at a café Rhonda and he both knew and liked. And not just for the fact that they served invitro's. As he drove off, Rhonda grabbed Dill's arm.

"Right, let's go spend some of that hard earned cash of his!" she chuckled. "That store is this way."

"Oh no, Rhonda, I couldn't spend Ty's money - that's not fair." Dill protested. "I have my own money."

"Honey, he's your husband and they're his children too. Of course you should be spending his money. And anyway," Rhonda smiled, "it seems like he knew you'd say that, so he gave me some money for you to spend. It's not like he spends much up there, you know."

"I know." Dill whispered. "But it makes me feel bad, taking his money."

"Pardon?" Rhonda stood and stared at her. "Dylan, honey, I think we have to get a few things straight, you and I. Let's start off with a coffee, and I'll tell you how it should be."

She led Dill towards a small café, and after ordering for them both, carried on. "Dylan, it's the husband's job to earn the money, and the wife's to spend it. That's the way it has always been, and will always be. Surely you're not telling me he gives you nothing?"

"Oh no, he gives me money for the boys. I didn't want it, but he insisted. I haven't spent any of it. I feel uncomfortable about it. It's just sitting there in the bank." Dill told her, blushing furiously.

"Honey, are you embarrassed about it? There's really no need to be. Look at it this way - how often do you see him… once, maybe twice, a year?" At Dill's nod, she rolled her eyes, sighing. "So you're raising these kids by yourself. His kids. And the only way he can help is to make sure you have enough money in the bank. It's as much for him as for you. He needs to do this." Rhonda lowered her voice and whispered, "And believe me, honey - he can afford it. I know the state of that boy's bank balance. I'm an accountant, and I helped him sort himself out after Amy left him. So don't you fret about it. You let him know you appreciate it, and it'll make him feel like he's really helping. Now come on, drink up. You just have to see this store - they have things that your two will look absolutely gorgeous in."

Dylan picked her cup up. Glancing up as she did so, she saw a tall blonde woman approaching them. "Rhonda? Is that you? I can't believe it! It's been what… 6, 7 years?"

"Amy! Well I wouldn't have recognised you - you cut all your hair off. I must say it suits you though!" With a quick glance at Dylan, Rhonda stood and gave the other woman a hug.

"Do you mind if I join you for coffee? " Amy asked her. "We have so much to catch up on."

Rhonda looked at Dill, wondering if she realised who this was. The awkwardness of the situation appalled her. "I'm not sure, Amy." she said. "We have a heavy duty shopping session planned before lunch. Perhaps another day? Give me your number and I'll call you."

"Surely you can spare the time for a coffee with me? I'm sure your friend won't mind." Smiling at Dill, she asked, "Will you?"

"Umm, I guess not." Dill whispered, feeling very much at a disadvantage in the presence of these two tall, beautiful women.

"See? Your friend doesn't mind at all." Amy said, sitting down. She stuck her hand out to Dill. "Amy." she said. "Amy Wilkinson." Seeing Rhonda's raised eyebrow, she laughed. "Oh, I went back to my maiden name after the divorce."

Alarm bells rang in Dill's mind as she shook Amy's hand. "Dylan." she offered, praying that it would suffice.

"Dylan. Interesting name." Amy said. "But you're not from around here, are you?"

"No, I'm from Scotland."

"So what are you doing over here? Holidaying?" Amy waved the waitress over and ordered more coffee for them.

"No, not for me." Dylan said. "Can I just have some water, please?"

"Dylan's staying with me for a few days. She's a friend of the family." Rhonda hoped Amy wouldn't pry too much, but her heart sank as she saw her eyes fix on Dylan's rings.

"A friend of the family? Oh. Married, I see." At Dill's nod, she smiled. "Well, Rhonda and Glen only know other service families, so I guess you're a military wife too, are you?"

"I suppose so." Dill sighed, her shoulders slumping as she realised she was going to have to have this conversation. She just hoped she could get away with not mentioning Ty's name.

Amy laughed scornfully. "Sounds like it's not your idea of a perfect marriage either. I tried it once. Never again. I found myself married to someone who was married to his aircraft. So what are you? Naval, like Rhonda?"

"Dylan's husband is a Marine." Rhonda said quickly, trying to let Dill know that she realised Dill knew who this was.

"You poor dear. Been married long? Probably long enough to regret it, I expect!" Amy snickered.

"A year. Well, nearly a year. And I don't regret a single day of it." Dill said defiantly. She really didn't like this woman at all.

"Ah, like that, is it?" Amy smiled wryly. "Personally, it was about that long before I realised I'd made the biggest mistake of my life. See much of him? I should imagine that he's away most of the time, what with the war and everything. That's why you're still happy, dear." She patted Dill's arm. "Just you wait till he's home and getting in your way all the time. They drive you wild, don't they, Rhonda? I know mine did. Up in the middle of the night so he could do a 5 mile run everyday. Useless around the house. I tell you, they train them to high heavens, but teach them nothing useful"

"Speak for yourself, Amy. I love having Glen home, and so do the children." Rhonda told her. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have things to do."

"Well I have shopping to do, too, so why don't we shop together? It's always more fun in a group." Amy exclaimed, drinking down her coffee.

Rhonda saw the brief horrified look on Dill's face and tried to persuade Amy otherwise. "You wouldn't be interested in the sort of shopping we want to do, Amy. You and I can go out together another day. But I have somewhere I want to take Dylan today, and we have a lunch date to keep."

"So what are you shopping for? Something incredibly secret?" Amy was not going to be shaken off that easily.

"Baby clothes." Dill said, desperately wishing this woman would leave. As she said it, she realised she'd just managed to turn the conversation somewhere she didn't want it to go.

"Baby clothes?" Amy said, eyeing Dill speculatively. "You can't be far along - you don't show at all."

Rhonda stood up. "Dylan has twins. The most beautiful little boys you ever did see. They're like two little blonde cherubs."

"They're hardly that!" Dill chuckled.

"Lucky you, I guess." Amy said. "How old? They can't be very old if you've not been married a year. We didn't have children. My husband was unable to."

Before Dill could speak, Rhonda said, "We have to go, Amy. I'll give you a ring, ok? I'm sorry to be rushing off, but we do have a busy morning planned. Come on, Dylan. Let's go."

Dylan stood. "It's been nice meeting you, Amy." she said, hoping she'd never see her again.

"Well I think I'll tag along with you two." At the look on Rhonda's face, Amy laughed. "Oh, come on, Rhonda, you know how much fun we had on our shopping trips together!"

So Dill found herself being dragged into stores she would never have gone into on her own, being told 'oh no dear, that'd look awful on you' by someone that she really just wanted to slap. She really couldn't believe that Ty had actually been married to this woman, although she had to admit she was beautiful. And she'd probably changed a great deal since her marriage to him. Still, Dill just couldn't see what he'd seen in her. But then, her father had seen a totally different woman in her mother than she'd ever seen.

By the time they arrived at the baby store, Dill had had enough. She was 'too short for that, dear' or it was 'why would you want to buy that? It's not like he'll get to see you in it, is it?' And if she heard one more 'of course, if you were taller, that'd be perfect', she was going to scream. At least Amy can't complain about whether I'll look awful in any of this stuff, Dill thought to herself, as she held up a pair of plain denim dungarees.

"Oh no, dear!" Amy said behind her. "In this heat? You want something lighter."

Taking a deep breath, Dill turned. "We live in Scotland. It's cold there for most of the year, and my boys need sturdy clothes when they're crawling in the garden." Rhonda, who came over holding up a deep blue shirt, distracted her.

"Oh Dylan, look! This will bring their eyes out - it's the perfect colour for them." she said.

"Look like their father, do they?" Amy asked. At Dill's look, she said, "Well, you have mousy hair. Rhonda said they're blonde, so I'm guessing they look like him."

"Uncannily like him, Amy." Rhonda said. "Now, Dylan, what do you think?" She dragged Dill away to look at another rail of clothes. "I am so sorry, Dylan. This was not what I had planned for today."

"That's ok, Rhonda. I know you didn't. I'm just praying we can lose her before we have to meet Ty for lunch. I get the feeling that would be a disaster."

"Oh, big time. My god - I really don't know who'd lose it first, him or her. And we really don't want those boys caught in the middle of that!" Rhonda exclaimed. "I'll just have to tell her plain that she can't have lunch with us."

"So what have you two found over there?" Amy asked behind them. "You know, this really is a dreary shop. It makes me so glad we couldn't have children." She smiled at Dill. "His fault, not mine. Thankfully we divorced shortly after we found out."

Rhonda looked at her watch. "Gosh, is that the time? Amy, we really must be going. We're late for lunch. I would invite you, but we're meeting someone else, so it's really not my decision to make. We'll meet up soon though, I promise." She grabbed Dill by the arm and almost dragged her out of the store, sighing as Dill demanded to be allowed to actually buy something.

Outside the store Rhonda again said goodbye to Amy.

"I'm going your way, so I'll walk with you a bit." Amy told them.

Admitting defeat, Dill hung back, praying that she'd leave before they met Ty and the boys, but knowing that she wouldn't. As they approached their chosen lunch spot, Dill could see Ty. Fortunately he had his back to them, but the boys were in highchairs and they could see her. They immediately began smiling and waving at her, Hamish banging a spoon on Cameron's head. As she heard Ty telling him to stop it, she saw Amy raise her head and look.

"My god, Rhonda - it's TC!" she exclaimed.

Taking a deep breath, Rhonda opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by McQueen, who'd turned and seen them. "Where have you guys been?" he asked, coming over to Dill and picking her up for a kiss. "The little guys have eaten. They couldn't wait any longer." he told her, before dropping her suddenly as he realised who was standing next to Rhonda. "Amy?"

"TC." she said coldly, looking from him to Dill, and then to the boys. "You were right, Rhonda. They look uncannily like him."

Rhonda wisely said nothing, hoping they would be civil. This was just what she'd been trying to avoid. She sat herself down next to the boys and began trying to amuse them.

Dill, however, stood sandwiched almost between Ty and Amy. She could feel the tension.

"So, Amy." he said. "How are you these days?"

"Not so good as you, obviously." she snapped. "So you found someone willing to use whatever means necessary to make you a father."

"Amy, don't. Please. Why don't we have a coffee? Or join us for lunch, why don't you?" Ty stepped back, glaring at Dill as she stepped on his toe.

"Do you seriously think I could possibly stay and have lunch with you while you flaunt your children in front of me? After all we went through? I don't think so!"

"We didn't go through anything!" he flung back, irritated at her now. "You weren't prepared to, remember?"

"So you found yourself some quiet little thing that'd do as she was told, did you?" Amy flung back.

Dill opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "This is no business of yours, Dill, so keep out of it!"

Fuming, Dill sat down next to Rhonda and scowled. "No business of mine, he says! I'm only married to him, after all."

Rhonda patted Dill's arm. "Hon, this battle's a long time coming. Amy's never yelled at him about this before. "

"Like I care?"

"He has to settle this between them before he can fully be yours. A part of him is still hers. Unfortunately."

"So, did you grow them in a petri dish and then put them in a tank? Pop them out at nine months? No labour, no pain?" The sneer on Amy's face matched the one in her voice.

McQueen's back stiffened and his voice dropped. "No Amy. By some miracle, they were conceived naturally. Dill nearly died carrying the twins to term. I've been blessed with two of the most beautiful children on Earth, and if you had bothered to give me a chance instead of blaming me, they might have been yours. But you decided that going through the necessary procedures was not your style and bailed out. So take a damn good look at what you missed out on, Amy. A family - a father, a mother, and two adorable children. That could have been you sitting there beside Rhonda."

"They wanted to make me into a guinea pig!"

"No, they wanted to make you a mother. But you didn't really want that." McQueen shook his head sadly. "What you really wanted was to be Mrs. McQueen, complete with children that you could pull out as required and put away again. No fuss, no muss. You didn't want to have to deal with the reality of children. Otherwise you'd have gone through with it. I was willing to. I'd already started when you threw in the towel."

"So she's little miss perfect, is she?"

"To me, yes. She came into this relationship knowing I couldn't have children and accepted me anyway. "

"Making her better than me? I don't think so. She'll never make it as a military wife. No guts."

"Amy, don't insult Dill in my hearing again." Ty started to turn toward Rhonda and Dill. "Rhonda, I parked-"

"You bastard!"

Amy's fist connected to his jaw and her heavy purse slammed into his skull, stunning him. Knocked off balance and trying to clear his vision, he grabbed the nearest thing to steady him - Cameron's highchair - pulling it over with him. A tiny fist beat on his hand and he blindly flung himself forward, turning onto his back, hoping to prevent Cameron from hitting the floor. The highchair's back and Cameron's head slammed into his chest, knocking the air out of him just before his head hit the floor.

Dill didn't see the outcome of the fall. Hackles raised by the maternal instincts of millennia, she went after the threat to her children and their father. Her fist caught Amy squarely across the nose, knocking the other woman over backwards.

"This 'quiet, little thing' has some choice words for you, Ms. Wilkinson." Sharp and hard, she spat the words out. "You will never lay a hand on a member of my family again, ever. In fact, I never want to see you again. You made your choices long ago. He's mine now, not yours, and you have no power over him any more. Get out of here. Take your immature attitude, and leave."

Hand to her nose, Amy struggled to her feet. "You broke my nose, you little-" Amy broke off, suddenly aware that people were staring. She turned and ran away.

Breathing hard, Dill turned around, expecting to see Ty shaking his head ruefully at her, holding Cameron in his arms. Instead she saw only Hamish, wailing. She rushed forward. Rhonda crouched near McQueen, Cameron in her arms. A paramedic leaned over McQueen fastening an oxygen mask with a squeeze bulb over his face, the high chair pushed to the side.

"What?" Dill asked, panic rising as she saw that his chest didn't rise or fall. "Why isn't he breathing?"

The man answered as he turned on the oxygen. "His system has gone into shock, ma'am. The blow to the back of the head and the blow to the diaphragm knocked him out and his respiratory system hasn't recovered yet. We'll have to breathe for him until it recovers. His heart's going strong." He squeezed the bulb, forcing air into McQueen's lungs. "He was lucky we'd just seen a little old lady inside for an asthma attack. I saw him go down and was worried when he didn't move immediately."

"Is Cameron ok?" Dill reached for the boy.

On the far side of Rhonda, another paramedic smiled. "He's fine, ma'am. Just scared."

Snuggling Cameron against her, Dill rose to her feet, eyes on the still form of her husband. She wrapped her other arm around the wailing Hamish, who quieted down at her touch. "How long will it take?"

"Don't know, ma'am." said the man beside McQueen. "Anything from a couple of minutes to ten minutes. But we don't want to lose any time in keeping oxygen to the brain."

"Will he recover?" Dill closed her eyes, praying the answer was yes.

"Once in a while, you get a case where they don't start breathing on their own. But he looks strong and healthy. It's just a matter of keeping the oxygen going." The paramedic glanced up and smiled at her.

A few minutes later, McQueen drew a shallow breath, paused, and then drew another. The paramedic stopped forcing the issue, but let him breathe in the oxygen on his own. Checking Ty's pupils, the man said, "I don't think there's a serious concussion, but the back of his head is going to be sore." He turned McQueen's head to the side. "There's a bit of blood, but it doesn't look like it needs stitches. Just some home care."

A moment later, McQueen's eyes fluttered open. He frowned on finding himself on the floor, surrounded by people.

"Sir, don't try to talk yet. Holding your head still, I want you to follow my finger." The paramedic moved his finger from side to side, testing McQueen's vision. "Good. Now, you fell. Or rather, you were knocked down. The high chair hit you in the diaphragm and you hit your head on the floor. You stopped breathing there for a moment."

As McQueen started to struggle to get up, the medic said, "Now, I know you think you feel ok, but I want you to stay off your feet for at least thirty minutes. If you give me your word, I won't insist that you go to the hospital."

McQueen immediately stilled. "My word."

The man patted McQueen on the shoulder. "You may be an invitro, but even you have to take it easy after being so close to death. Now you should rest here for the next several minutes before you attempt to get in a chair." He removed the oxygen mask and picked up the bottle as he stood up. "Ma'am, he may sit in a chair, but he shouldn't walk anywhere for at least a half hour. No alcohol for twenty-four hours. If he reports any dizziness or blurred vision, get him to a hospital immediately. Ok?"

"Yes." Dill nodded.

"Good luck." The two paramedics walked off through the small crowd.

"Where's Amy?" McQueen's voice was tired.

"Off to see if her nose is broken. I don't think so. I didn't see any blood." Dill babbled, aware that if she had seen Ty not breathing before she had gone after Amy, she would have done her best to kill the woman. "This is the worst shopping trip I've ever been on."

Rhonda sat in a chair. "Since we can't go anywhere for half an hour, let's go ahead and order lunch. I think we all need something to calm us down."

"I can't have what I want." McQueen levered himself up onto his side and slowly sat up.

"Ty!"

"I'm ok, Dill. The light was hurting my eyes."

"Oh, ok." Dill sat down Cameron in her arms, as Rhonda took Hamish out of his chair and onto her lap.

"Dylan, are you ok?" Rhonda asked her. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine, but I think I could do with a cup of tea. Do you think they do Earl Grey here? and do you think they could substitute scotch for the water?" she said, her eyes fixed anxiously on Ty sitting on the floor.

"Make that two cups." he said, with a brief smile to her. "Is Cameron ok?"

"He's fine. A little shaken, but he's ok. I'm far more worried about you. Haven't you learnt yet not to take your eyes off an angry woman?" Dill chided him.

"If it'd been you, I'd have expected it!" he chuckled. "Tell me it's been 5 mikes. I swear, if I lay here any longer, someone's going to tread on me."

"It's been 5 minutes." Rhonda said, ordering them some tea as the waiter appeared next to her. "But I'm going to be watching you like a hawk, TC. Glen would never forgive me if anything happened to you. Stay there while we put the boys back in their chairs. That nice young waiter brought them some biscuits. That'll keep them happy while Dylan and I help you up."

"I can get up on my own!" he snapped.

"Tyrus McQueen! Don't you talk to Rhonda like that! She did her best to get rid of Amy. We just couldn't shake her." Dill told him, sitting Cameron back in the highchair and giving him a biscuit. "You apologise right now!" she ordered him, bending down to help him up.

Once Ty was settled in the chair, he smiled at Rhonda. "Sorry. I know it's not your fault. It was a shock seeing her, that's all."

"It's ok, Ty. It was a shock for me, too. I don't remember her being so bossy. I'm sure she wasn't like that when the two of you were married." Rhonda smiled.

"Well one things for sure, she would never have hit me like that." Ty grinned. "That's more Dill's style!" He rubbed a hand lightly over his head. "Boy is my head sore. I'm getting a bump the size of an egg."

"You certainly gave Amy a wallop there, Dylan." Rhonda smiled. "I'd never have believed it, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes."

"I'd had just about enough of her anyway." Dill said, still watching Ty anxiously. "How are you feeling? Up to some lunch?" At his slow nod, she grinned. "Good. I can't believe you were actually married to her. She really doesn't strike me as… well, I was going to say your type, but…" She turned, distracted by the boys complaining, now that they'd finished their biscuits.

The waiter reappeared with their tea, and they ordered lunch. McQueen was quiet as he ate, feeling a little paranoid with both Rhonda and Dill watching him.

"Will you two stop it and eat your food?" he griped. "Are you expecting me to pass out face first into my pasta?"

"Don't even joke about it, Ty!" Dill gasped. "You have no idea how scared I was. I turned around and there you were, flat on your back on the floor, with a paramedic giving you oxygen. For a horrible moment I thought I was going to lose you." she whispered.

McQueen looked up. Seeing Rhonda's tiny nod, he looked at Dill. "Hey, it's ok. I'm fine, I swear. I was more concerned with making sure Cameron was ok. I'm sorry if I gave you a fright."

"It's not your fault. I'll tell you one thing, though." Dill grinned wickedly. "I hope I did break her nose!"

Ty and Rhonda looked at the expression on her face and both burst out laughing, scaring the boys, who instantly dissolved into tears.

"Now look what you've done!" Dylan chided them. "My poor babies." she cooed, turning to the boys. "Did that mean, old lady frighten you? Did she hurt your daddy? "

"Well mommy, they watched you do to her what you are always telling Hamish off for. Bad mommy." McQueen told the boys, with a smile. "She's a very bad mommy."

They finished their lunch, and despite Ty's protests that he felt fine, Rhonda drove them home, insisting that Dill needed the reassurance of keeping Ty close. She moved Hamish's seat into the front of the car with her so that Ty and Dill sat together in the back with Cameron. Rhonda smiled quietly to herself when glancing in the mirror, as she saw that McQueen was resting his head on Dill's shoulder while Dill held him close.

That night, as they lay in bed, Dill hugged him close to her. "I was so scared, Ty. I tell you, if Amy had still been there when I saw you on the floor, I'd be in jail now for murder. I don't think I've ever been so angry in my life." She kissed his head, where he sported a large bump. "Looking at her, I can see why you married her. I mean, she's very beautiful. But… well, she was rather bossy."

Ty sighed, shifting so that he could hold her. "She was the kind of woman I dreamt about when I was in the mines. Tall, beautiful, blonde hair down to here… legs up to there… and she didn't seem to mind that I was a tank. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. We got married far too soon. She had no idea what it would be like… the hurtful things people would say and do. It made her…I don't know…it affected her deeply. And then the whole children issue. That was a handy excuse for her, I think. She realised she'd made a mistake marrying me. It was an easy way out. I didn't love her, Dill. I thought I did at the time, but I know better now. And I guess she didn't love me either. It was a mess. We were infatuated, but you can't base a marriage on infatuation."

Kissing Dill, he whispered, "I love you, Dill. You and the boys. Whatever happens, know that always."

"I do. Every time I see our boys, I know it." she sighed, content.

They stayed with Rhonda for another few days, Ty showing no ill effects from his head injury, before heading to the Ross's beach house with the boys. The weather was marvellous. The boys enjoyed the beach, and Dill and Ty relaxed completely. All too soon they had to head home to Scotland, knowing that they had only another 10 days of Ty's leave left.

Next : Chapter Six
Previous : Chapter Four

Back : To General Fiction