Valerie helped Chris into the elevator. Chris was still woozy from being hit with a flying baseball bat. The bruise next to her left eye was starting to turn weird shades of purple and blue. Valerie cringed when she looked at it.
"Does it feel as bad as it looks?" Valerie asked as the guys joined them in the elevator. While they waited for the elevator Mike had slipped away and come with a cold compress and some aspirin. She was really gonna need it in a while.
Mike handed Valerie the compress as Micky pressed the button for the elevator to go to their floor.
Valerie leaned forward and gently placed the compress on her friends head. One touch of the ice cold compress and Chris moved to the left.
"That's cold!" She said winceing.
"Thats kinda the point doll." Mike said. "Let her put it on. It'll feel better in a second."
"Or let me put it on." Micky said with a dirty smile.
Chris frowned. Depsite being a married woman, Micky was always hitting on her. She was never sure if it was a joke or some sort of non-secret attraction.
"Okay." Chris said and allowed Valerie to put the compress on her head. "My head feels three feet thick."
"It'll get better." Peter said. "I've gotten enough bumps on my head to prove that."
Micky looked as though as he was going to comment on what Peter had just said but a withering look from both Mike and Valerie sealed his mouth shut, for now at least.
The door opened on the floor Valeries room was at. There was several rooms and a large gathering area at the end of the room. It might have been used for parties at one time. Chris took the compress from Valerie, she felt she could hold it to her own bruise now, and left the elevator. Everyone else left the elevator but seemed to break into two groups; one going into the room which comprised of Chris and three of the guys, the other group was actually the duo of Valerie and Mike.
"I know there is a very strong possibility of Chris babbling after being kacked in the head with a baseball bat, but what she said was strange." Mike said. "What is going on here? A husband?"
Valerie moved down the hallway toward the room. "Last night after a strange steam bath incident I'll tell you about much later, I decided to go out and look around Las Vegas." Valerie started to explain herself. "I went to a bar and ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. After I had the drink there is nothing, I mean I can't remember what happened before I woke up in that honey moon suite. I woke up and found this." She showed Mike the marriage certificate in question.
"The name of the 'husband' is very hard to read." Mike said. "But this is your name. It asks for your maiden name rather than your married name."
"Had it asked for my married name this caper might have been over sooner." Valerie pointed out. "I called Chris and she came over with our luggage. We were at the Pacifica but once Chris found out I scored a nice room, she checked out and get a huge rebate. We had breakfast and to make a long story short..."
"Too late." Mike quipped.
"We met you guys downstairs. The others knew something was funny before you did." Valerie continued the story.
"Thats odd, they usually aren't all that observant." Mike said as they got close to the honey moon suite.
"They decided to try and find out who I married. Chris and I went to the marriage chapel for more info but that went nowhere. I gather the guys investigation didnt go well at all." She opened the door to the suite. "Did it?" She called in.
"Hey, I did a lot." Davy said. "I gave a lot of potential suitors the evil eye."
"Lets see this evil eye." Chris said. Davy turned and did something with his face, then turned and looked at Chris. Chris looked as though she was gonna die with laughter.
"Okay it wasnt all that evil." Davy conceded.
"Its cute evil." Chris said. "Oh I needed that." She said wiping a tear out of her eyes. "Okay now my head hurts more. Where is that aspirin?"
"So you are married to a complete stranger." Mike said.
"Thats what it shapes up to be." Valerie nodded. "We are in town for another day. I need to find out who it is before we leave town."
"I don't think you are going anywhere." Mike said. "Once you find out who this guy is, you may have to stay with him. At least till the divorce goes through, but there is something I'm afraid of and I think you share that fear; what if you like this guy once you find out who it is."
"I won't like him. There is only one guy in my life." Valerie said holding a finger to make her point. "And hes standing right here."
"You mean me right babe?" Micky called out. Valerie grunted and slammed the door.
"What will we do?" Mike asked.
"I think we will find out when the time comes. In the meanwhile you got a gig tonight. Maybe we will be lucky and he will turn up looking for me." Valerie said thinking aloud. "Unless he doesnt know who I am either."
"Hmm." Mike said. "We'll think of something."
"Hello!" A voice said behind Valerie. She jumped a mile. She spun and looked at the source of the voice. It was a man about 5'9, 45 years old, had balding brown hair and the bushiest eyebrows you had ever seen. He also had a mustache that would make Groucho Marx jealous. He was also holding a large bouquet of flowers.
"Where did you come from?" Valerie said. "Don't sneak up on people like that!"
"I'm sorry honey, but I havent seen you since last night. I thought you might have missed me by now." The man said.
"Honey?" Valerie and Mike said at the same time.
"Yeah." The man said. "I'm your husband. We got married last night. My name is Marcus Matthews."
It was totally involuntary, and Valerie thought she would never react this way in her entire life, she rolled her eyes up and passed out.
Ten minutes later
As she waited for Valerie to come around Chris sat on the bed next to her out-cold friend. For some strange reason Micky had joined her.
"I'd like to know what your deal is." Chris said taking the compress off of her face. It hurt less now but the swelling would take longer to go down. "You are always hitting on me even though you know I am happily married to Andy."
"I'm sorry." Micky said. "But to sound silly it doesnt really have to do with you."
"What do you mean?" Chris asked crinkling her nose.
"I mean I like you, but I'm not necessarily hitting on you." Micky said. Chris shook her head, not really understanding. "I'm sorry if you take it that way. I really am. The truth is that I'd really like to meet a girl like you, and so far other than you, she doesnt really exist. At least not yet."
Chris looked at him. "I think I understand now."
"You are a very special girl, and girls like you are very rare. Andy is lucky to have you." Micky said. "I just hope whoever I marry someday, if that happens, she will be just like you."
Chris smiled, even though her face still hurt a little bit.
"I think I can take that as a compliment." She said. "But I know your game now. You may have to find something new."
"I think I have. There is this cute blonde girl at the reservations desk. Tell me, do you think she would make a reservation for me?" Micky asked coyly.
"She'd be crazy if she didnt." Chris said. She turned her head as she heard a moaning sound. Valerie was coming to.
Mike came over with Davy and Peter as she came around. She sat bolt-upright as she had just been hit by lightning.
"What happened?" Valerie asked.
"This guy Marcus is your husband." Mike said. "He went to see after a doctor but I said you would be fine. He hasnt come back yet."
"How was it that I married him? I thought I had better taste than that." Valerie said looking around. "He looks likes an uncle I might have and that really makes me feel like I need the worlds hottest shower right now."
"About that night...He said that you passed out, but not all together. Started blabbing about getting married, so he thought it was a good idea." Mike said.
"Very lonesome guy. Very agreeable sounding." Valerie commented.
"You got married and got the deal the chapel offered that put you in this room. He is in town on business, I guess hes the manager of Jerry Lewis or something and he hasnt been able to get back till now." Mike finished.
"Why isnt he here telling me this?" Valerie questioned Mike.
"He went to get the doctor, like I said." Mike said.
"What now?" Chris asked.
"I get the marriage annulled. What can I do? I don't know this guy. I don't think I can fall for him at all." Valerie said.
"Awww but think of the cute little babies you could make." Micky teased.
"You're about to get slapped!" Valerie threatened.
"I thought newlyweds were happier." Davy joked.
"They are when they marry someone they actually love." Valerie said quietly. Mike threw her a look. Valerie looked down at the bed. A loud knocking was heard. "What now? More room service? More belgian waffles?"
"Ooh waffles. I can eat your share." Chris said making a bee-line for the door."
"I wouldn't doubt it." Valerie rolled her eyes.
After a beat or two Chris came back with a note.
"Its from Marcus." Chris said reading it. "He will meet you down the street after the gig. Then you can start talking about your future."
"How soon after the gig?" Valerie said thrusting her hand out. "And thank you so much for reading MY note." Chris handed her the piece of paper.
"Half an hour." Chris said. "We might get to have a late dinner or something. So what do you think you will do?"
"What can I do?" Valerie said. "Starting planning on what to do with my future husband."
Everyone looked at her in shock.
"I know, its strange, but some of the best things have started out strange. I'm going to honor my commitment, I never back away from a promise." Valerie said looking at Mike. He looked as though he was going to either explode in anger or start crying. He did neither. He turned around and stomped out of the room. Valerie looked at the remaining people surrounding her bed. "Okay now that I got him out of the room what I am really going to do?"
