Distant Shores

"There wasnt anything you could have done. "

"Bullshit. " Warren took another drink. "It scared the shit out of me, you know? One minute you were on top of the world; the next minute you were down for the count. "

"I always knew I had glass knees. It was only a matter of time. "

"Howd you get through it?"

Jack leaned back against the tufted seat. That was something he hadnt thought about in years, the how of losing everything. After the surgeries, hed slept a lot; he remembered that. Hed stayed for days, maybe weeks, in his bedroom, holed up in the dark, pretending the pain was worse than it was, popping pills as if they were Sweetarts.

One day, Elizabeth had whipped open the curtains. Thats all the time you get, Jackson Shore. Now, get up, get dressed, and meet me in the living room. We have the rest of your life to plan. In ten minutes, Im going to dump ice water on you, so dont lollygag.

True to her word, shed dumped water on his head. Then a few minutes--hours--later, shed dared to use the prohibited words: drug addiction.

"Elizabeth got me through it. "

"That doesnt surprise me. You got lucky with Birdie. If Id married a girl like her instead of--"

"We broke up. " It was the first time hed said the words aloud. He was surprised by how it felt, both depressing and uplifting at the same time. Hed seen Warren looking at him last night while they were out drinking; more than once his friend had asked when Birdie was getting back to town. "It took me a while to say it out loud, thats all. "

"Jesus, you two have been married forever. Youre the only hope the rest of us have. "

Hed heard that for years, from all of his friends whod married and divorced and then married again. "Then theres no hope. "

"Are you okay?"

The answer to that question had layers and layers. The truth was, he didnt want to look too deep. When he did--mostly late at night when he was lonely--he remembered the good times instead of the bad, and he ached for what theyd lost. It was better to swim on the surface of that pool, to feel good about his new life. "Yeah. It had gotten pretty stale around our house. "

"I know how that is. The silencell kill you. How is she taking it?"

Warlord assumed it had been Jacks decision to separate. Of course. No one would credit Birdie with the guts to end their marriage.

"Shes okay. Now can we please talk about something else?"

"Sure, Jack," Warren said slowly. "Anything you want. "

EIGHTEEN

The beach had become Elizabeths sanctuary. In plainest terms, it had saved her. In the past week, shed spent hours sitting on "her" rock, rain or shine. The weather didnt bother her one way or the other. Day by day, hour by hour, she became stronger.

Until today, finally, she was ready to step back into her ordinary world.

According to her planner, tonight--Thursday--was the yearly library auction and dinner dance. It was amazing that shed forgotten, given the countless hours shed spent organizing the event.

She picked up the phone and called her cochair, Allison Birch. "Hey, Ali," she said when her friend answered. "Its me, Elizabeth. "

"Oh, hi. I thought youd moved to New York already. "

"I came back. "

She was trying to tack an explanation onto that when Ali said, "Is Jack back on the air? I havent seen him. "

"Just me. I came back. Jack and I are . . . "

There was a long pause. "Did you two split up?"

"Were taking a break from each other, thats all. "

"Jeez. I never thought hed leave you. I mean . . . I know you guys were having problems, but I thought it was . . . you know. The way were all unhappy now and then. "