Chapter 4: Patty--A Little Game

A/N: As far as all the French canadians are concerned, I don’t like to write in dialect, it’s too confusing to read for some people, so when the dialogue is written for them, it’s safe to assume that they’re speaking with their accents or in cases when it’s just French Canadians with each other, they’re speaking in French.

Chapter 4: Patty—A Little Game

Patrick Roy was dropping off to sleep, his head was almost completely sunk into his goosefeather pillow, and he was already beginning to hear the tanglings of a dream voice. He thought about the evening. He had come home dead tired, he and Michele had gone from the Pepsi Center to The Chop House after the game. They had come home late and the sour faced baby-sitter took her money, grumbling about hyper brats.

Patrick walked into his daughter Jana’s room, but he didn’t see her in her bed. He found her curled up with her big brother Jonathen, snoring and hugging a blue game-boy to her chest. Michele laughed silently, "How precious," she said.

Patrick smiled, and he leaned over and picked up the tiny girl. She moaned, and woke up slightly, "Did you win daddy?" she asked.

"Yes," Patrick whispered, "go back to sleep."

Jana yawned and buried her little face in his shoulder. When Patrick tucked her into bed, she was still holding the game-boy and she wouldn’t let go of it.

"Where’d you get this?" Patrick asked.

Jana yawned again, "Jonathen gave it to me, it’s mine!"

Patrick’s legs were killing him, he could barely feel a muscle in his body as he dropped his clothes all over the room and dropped into bed. He was lying there now. And then the phone rang. Patrick frowned, what time was it anyway?

"Hello," Michele said into the phone, "Jennifer? .......What’s happened?...Oh...no..

he’s what?.....well is he angry?...are you scared?.....no I wouldn’t think so....oh....calm down dear....I’ll send Patrick over how’s that?.....good....no I can’t Jana has a horrible cough I need to be here....ok? Ok....yes dear he’ll be right there....goodbye."

Patrick was sitting up now looking at Michele with raised eyebrows. Michele smiled, "Patrick, my love..."

"What?" Patrick said.

"Your friend Adam has come home staggering drunk and poor Jennifer is scared out of her mind. You’ll take care of it, won’t you?" she asked.

Patrick frowned. "Jana has a cough?"

Michele cocked her head to one side and shrugged. "I’d only be in the way."

When Patrick came up the driveway of the Foote house, he could see Adam sprawled on the front porch. Patrick shook his head as he got out of the car and slammed the door. He stood over Foote who smelled of beer and smoke. Patrick shook his head and knocked on the door. Almost immediately, Jennifer opened the door. She was in her nightclothes and bathrobe, and her face was red and tear-streaked.

"I’m not going to touch him!" she cried.

Patrick frowned. "Come on Footie," he said as he leaned over and hauled the big man to his feet."Make it easy, Ok? You’re scaring your wife."

Jennifer was silent and she held the door open as Patrick dragged Foote into the living-room and dropped him on the couch.

"Why?" Jennifer cried. "Why does he do this? What is wrong with you men that you have to do this?"

Patrick looked at Jennifer, and sniffed. "He’s OK, see? Just leave him down here, he’ll feel it in the morning. You should go to bed."

"I’m not sleepy," Jennifer said with a defiant chin. But she crumpled quickly and started weeping into her hands.

Patrick sighed and he went to Jennifer and held her to him. She started crying harder as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I’m so sorry to be bothering you like this," she sobbed, "I just get so scared...and...and he resents me for worrying!"

"No don’t worry," Patrick said, "come on...come on.."

He draped his arm around Jennifer’s shoulders and he began to lead her upstairs.

Jennifer continued to mumble and weep, hiccuping as she did. They went down the long hallway, past the rooms where the two young boys slept and to the bedroom.

Patrick sat Jennifer on the bed, she was still babbling and cursing, she was not so much crying anymore as she was ranting. She barely thanked him when he handed a tissue to her so that she could mop up her sopping face. "Sorry," she said again as she pressed the tissue to her face.

His legs didn’t hurt so much when he sat on the bed next to her. Patrick’s blood was starting to stir and he was feeling more alert. Jennifer’s thigh was pressing against his, and he could see that her robe had fallen open a bit. Her skin was peachy, a slight blue vein was tracing across her breast.

"It’s OK," he said again as he reached over and pulled her long brown hair from around her neck and shoulders. Jennifer shivered a bit, as the cool air touched the bare part of her skin.

Patrick knew from Adam that relations between the couple weren’t going well at all. He knew how angry they had been at each other for months now. And he assumed that he would know exactly how Jennifer would react when he quickly leaned over and kissed her neck.

"Oh!" Jennifer said in surprise, "don’t do that!"

Patrick wrapped his arm around her waist and pulling her closer, he kissed her on the mouth. Jennifer moaned a bit and easily she relaxed and her mouth opened to meet his kiss. One of her hands rested on his shoulder as he pressed her to the bed. Her whole body was soft, and satin, and warm. He kissed the side of her mouth and then her neck again, one of his hands rested on her soft belly, sliding up the satin slip and then onto her soft breast.

Jennifer reacted immediately. "Stop!" she cried, "That’s not what I meant for you to do!" She pushed Patrick off her and stood up, covering her face in her hands.

Patrick cursed inwardly, he had guessed wrong. "I’m sorry," he mumbled, "Please forgive me, you’re so pretty and it’s easy to get caught up..."

Jennifer turned away from him. "Please go," she said, "I’m sorry too, I shouldn’t have put you in this position...just go."

Patrick coughed, he was warm and uncomfortable now.Patrick was intensely angry as he got into his car and peeled out of the driveway. The one thing he hated to hear was, "no" and he was embarrassed too. When he returned home, it was already past two in the morning.

Michele sighed when Patrick sat down on the bed next to her and threw his shirt onto the floor. "How is Adam," she said.

"Drunk," said Patrick. He pulled off his jeans and threw them next to his shirt.

Michele rolled around to face him, her face pale in the bluish dark of the room. "And how is Jennifer?" she asked.

Patrick sighed and sliding under the bed-covers, he held his wife tightly and kissed her.

Michele giggled and kissed him back, sliding her hands up his ribs. As her husband arched his back, shuddered a bit and pulled up her night-shirt, Michele whispered, "I guess she left you with a lot of energy, no?"

Patrick didn’t answer her with words.

The sky was a deep cerulean blue outside, as the sun was just beginning to make its presence known on the horizon. Patrick had been awake for a little bit, just staring at the window, and at the line of his sleeping wife’s body. She was amazing, and after all these years he still couldn’t believe that she was his. He leaned forward and kissed her bare shoulder. Michele flinched and turned back to him.

"You never told me what happened?" she said with a coy smile.

Patrick sat back resting his arms behind his head. "What were you planning?" he asked.

Michele rested her cheek on both of her hands. "I don’t know," she said, "I’m tired of Jennifer, I was hoping for anything interesting. She’s so self-righteous, she acts so...so...well above all of us! She goes on and on about how victimized she feels, and how much of a self-sacrificing..."

Patrick laughed and stopped her mouth with a kiss. "She really does bother you?"

he asked.

Michele leaned back and sighed. "Yes," she said bluntly, "she does. I can’t stand these precious little housewives....they think they’re better than everyone. I was hoping you’d fix that for me....did you?"

"No," Patrick said, "I almost had her...but she panicked."

Michele frowned. "Bitch," she said with a sniff, "I wish....oh Patrick I’m bored!"

Patrick laughed again. "Did you know that Dan Hinote is a virgin?"

Michele’s eyes lit up. "No!" she said. "How do you know this?"

"When he had the concussion," he said, "he admitted it. I talked with Drury, I guess it’s true. Some sort of morals thing, like he’s saving himself for marriage."

Michele laughed. "Precious!" she said. "A sweet boy like that? A virgin!"

Patrick continued to smile. "How about a game? Eh?"

Michele narrowed her eyes. "What sort?"

"Well," Patrick said, "You get Hinote, and I’ll see what I can do about Jennifer."

"What’s the prize?" Michele asked.

Patrick shrugged. "Satisfaction, I suppose....what more do you need?"

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