In Sickness and In Health

Jimmy had prepared her sofa for her, and Viggo carefully laid her down. Their eyes met and for a moment it seemed as though time stood still, as cliched as it sounded. He gave her an encouraging smile, and squeezed her hand.

Orlando had brought flowers, which made Lynn smile, and placed them on the coffee table. Having heard of her love of reading and looking at photos, Billy brought her a book of Scottish poems with pictures of various landscapes of his beloved homeland. Lynn was touched by his gift, and the flowers, and hugged both men enthusiastically. Seeing this, Viggo felt a stab of. . . jealousy? He shook his head, knowing there was no reason for him to feel like that.

The men sat around her living room and visited with Lynn and Jimmy for a bit, before Orlando had to take his leave, and as Billy was riding with Orlando, he too was forced to leave. Both men kissed Lynn on the cheek, causing another surge of jealousy clenching Viggo’s heart.

Jimmy walked the men out, leaving Viggo alone with Lynn. Viggo looked over at Lynn, who seemed nervous. With a sigh, he got up and went to sit by her. She looked up, and he smiled at her. ‘So when would you like to go out, Lynn?’ he asked.

She looked at him in surprise. He really WAS serious about taking her out? He saw the surprise on her face, and without thinking, reached out his hand to stroke her cheek.

She flinched. Viggo swore.

He looked at her intently, gently cupping her chin, bringing his hand up slowly and allowing her to see it. ‘Who hit you, Lynn?’

She dropped her eyes, but didn’t answer. He sighed, and turned so he was facing her better. ‘All right, you don’t have to answer, I understand. But sweetie,’ the endearment coming so easily and surprising them both, ‘I will NOT raise a hand to you. Hell, I don’t even strike my son.’

She regarded him with wary eyes, seemingly weighing the words he spoke. Finally, she relaxed a bit. Only then did he bring his hand up another few inches, stroking the back of her cheek with the back of his hand. She sighed and he smiled at her.

‘How about Friday night, love?’ Seeing her startled look, he chuckled. ‘Did you forget already that I asked you out?’

She laughed. How could she? It was only a dream come true for him to have asked. Damn her past She’d always been on the heavy side. In high school though, it got worse, and the teasing increased. ‘Someone Freed Willy’ was a common taunt. She became so distrustful that she operated on the assumption that everyone nice to her had ulterior motives.

As an adult, it seemed that guys thought she’d put out because she was grateful for their attentions. And she had, for a while. Over time, she got tired of being used, and–as Viggo had learned–abused.

She still couldn’t bring herself to believe that he was seriously interested in her; the old voices had crept back into her head, calling herself stupid–Why would someone like HIM ask someone like ME out?

‘Because your brother has told me a lot about you, and I’m not a superficial ass,’ he answered. Damn! She had to stop speaking her thoughts out loud. Flushing with embarrassment anew, she buried her face in her hands.

Viggo smiled fondly at the embarrassed young (damn he felt old!) woman in front of him. He was glad he got to spend some time, even if only a few minutes, alone with her. She was not like any of the women that his recent status celebré had brought him. She was bright–a rare enough trait these days it seemed–enthusiastic, and in no way, shape, or form plastic or fake. How he loathed the perky perfect women of Hollywood. So few of any real substance, and the ones he might be interested in were either already spoken for, or seemed only to want to get into his bed.

Reaching forward with both his hands, he captured both of hers, pulling them away from her face, gently yet firmly. ‘Don’t be embarrassed, honey,’ (Honey? Where had that come from?) ‘I’ve done the same thing a time or ten. And so there can be no more memory lapses let’s say Friday night, at 8 pm. I know you are still recovering from your illness, so I won’t make any firm plans, we’ll play it by ear, okay?’ Realising that he really was serious, Lynn smiled at him. He felt that smile right into his heart. Oh man, he thought, I am such a goner! But what a way to go.

Friday came in a flash, and before she knew it, Lynn was opening the door and welcoming Viggo back to her apartment. He was wearing dark slacks and a beautiful sweater, the hunter green setting off his eyes. God, she could get lost in those eyes

Viggo took in the sight of the woman before him. Dressed in casual slacks and a light blue 3/4 sleeve sweater, both very flattering, he found her breathtaking. She smiled at him shyly, and busied herself with gathering her purse and selecting a cardigan to wear if she got chilled later.

Viggo had reserved a table at a small, very quiet restaurant that only locals knew about. When they arrived, Lynn was impressed. It wasn’t over the top and she felt comfortable right away. It was clear he was a regular, and the staff was all the more attentive, yet respectfully distant, for it.

They were seated at a corner table, overlooking the beach, partially hidden from the rest of the restaurant. It was a perfect location for a celebrity who was trying to avoid undue attention. The table was beautifully made, the linens hand-tatted, the table itself hand-carved with care. She could understand why Viggo would be so attracted to this place–it was a work of art in itself.

When it was time to order drinks, he actually deferred to her, unlike most men she had been out with. She preferred a glass of water, and a cup of ginger tea. He ordered a water as well, and a cup of mate–his preferred tea.

Instead of reviewing the menu, Lynn looked at Viggo. ‘What do you suggest?’ He looked at her in surprise, and she continued, ‘You obviously come here a lot, is there anything in particular you recommend?’

He smiled. She was as observant as she was intelligent. ‘Are you a vegetarian, any food allergies?’

‘I don’t avoid meat, but I tend to eat more vegetarian than not. No allergies, thank god, except penicillin.’

Viggo thought for a moment, and recommended the fileted salmon baked in a tomato sauce with freshly grated parmesan. Lynn smiled, then chuckled. Viggo looked confused.

‘Sorry,’ she smiled. ‘My best friend made that for me one time, to prove that not all fish is gross. I loved it, so I just now thought of her “I told you so” when I told her I liked it. Complete, I might add, with hands on hips and a stuck out tongue,’ she giggled again. Viggo smiled broadly.

‘Sounds like something the prissy elf. . . errr Orlando. . . would do.’ He wasn’t sure if she’d know of the ongoing ‘fight’ with his former cast mate.

She smiled. ‘I know who prissy elf is, filthy human,’ she teased, with an unabashed grin.

He laughed then, feeling more relaxed suddenly than he had in many months. Dinner went smoothly, Lynn clearly enjoying both the company and the dinner itself. Viggo was pleased to see a woman who could relax and eat more than two lettuce leaves. They debated over after-dinner tea, discussing their opinions on the War and the President. While decidedly a liberal, he respected her more moderate, though decidedly NOT conservative, opinions, which she defended passionately.

After dinner, he drove to a cove near his house. He could see she was tiring, so he suggested they sit on the beach and talk. She was touched that he understood what she couldn’t bring herself to say, and that he wasn’t put out by her early fatigue.

He carried a beach blanket in one arm, and put the other around her waist, savouring the contact between them. They soon arrived at what he had come to think of as ‘his’ spot, for he’d never seen anyone else there. Settling down, he helped her down, and settled her back against his chest, his legs on either side of her. She relaxed back against him, against the hard planes of his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing gently before relaxing his grip slightly.

Lynn sighed. It had been a long time since she felt this safe and protected. She leaned her head back against his shoulder, and caught scent of him–a musky cologne and his own unique scent. She inhaled deeply, and closed her eyes.

He smiled, resting his cheek against the top of her head. Her hair carried the scent of freesia, a scent he loved, and she wore a lightly scented perfume. It had been a long time since he had held anyone like this, and he didn’t think it had ever felt so good.

They talked the long hours away, eventually changing positions so they were laying on their sides facing each other. She told him about the man who abused her; he told her about the problems with his ex-wife. She listened and unlike every other woman he had told, didn’t take Exene’s side. She never invalidated any of his feelings, something that most women seemed to do, even if only by accident.

At some point, she fell asleep, her head resting on his arm. He smiled, and brushed a stray piece of hair from her face before pulling her closer and wrapping the blanket around them both. He kissed her forehead, and closed his eyes. For the first time in more months than he cared to count, his sleep was peaceful and relaxed.

After that first date, Lynn and Viggo were practically inseparable. When they couldn’t be together in person, they moped about, except when they were on the telephone. Viggo even bought Lynn a cell phone, just so he could keep in touch with his girlfriend. ‘My girlfriend’ he thought. He really liked those words.

They were discreet. As much as they cared about each other, loved each other really, they didn’t want their relationship to become media fodder, for as private as Viggo was, she was even more so. The media knew Viggo was now in a serious relationship, but they had no luck determining with whom, and she never made public appearances with him. He was hoping to change that though. He had been nominated for an Academy Award, the biggest honour for an actor, and he was hoping to convince her to attend with him.

She didn’t know of his nomination yet. He wanted to tell her in person. Hence the reason he was standing at her door, unexpected by her. She opened the door, and shrieked with delight when she saw him, grabbing him about the waist and burying her face in his neck. He grinned and hugged her back.

Sitting on the sofa, he held out a piece of paper, looking oddly nervous. She looked at him curiously. ‘Read it, baby.’

She took it and read it. Suddenly she stopped and looked at him. ‘This is terrific! Oh I’m so happy for you!’

He looked at her oddly. ‘What?’ she asked.

He drew a deep breath, and spoke, quietly. ‘Happy enough to make a public appearance with me? I really want you to be my date for the show.’

She dropped her eyes to her lap. ‘Ah,’ was all she said. Then, ‘Viggo, I. . . I don’t know. I mean, I love you, and don’t want to hurt you, but I. . .’

He cut her off, ‘Look, we’ve been together three months. I haven’t asked one thing from you, not one goddamned thing!’ he yelled. ‘This is really important to me. I want to share it with the two most important people in my life: Henry and you.’ His eyes, as well as his voice had softened, and he regarded her with clear eyes.

His outburst had shocked her, and she looked up with tears in her eyes. ‘I know you haven’t,’ she said, voice barely above a whisper. ‘I’m just scared of. . .,’ she faltered, her voice breaking. ‘Look, I’m not a beauty queen. The media will have a field day with me. You don’t need that, and neither do I.’ This time her voice WAS a whisper. A tear that she had been fighting broke free, followed by another. She cursed herself for crying.

‘What I need,’ Viggo began, in a voice she’d never heard before, ‘is the woman who SAYS she loves me, at my side, regardless of what others say or think. I thought that was you. Perhaps I was wrong.’ With that he stood and left, leaving a shattered young woman staring after him, mouth agape, tears flowing freely.

The pounding increased. ‘Lynn!! Open the door Lynn!’ came a Scottish accented voice. Billy.

‘C’mon Lynn!’ said another. Lynn sighed. Yorkshire accent-Sean Bean.

‘Dammit Lynn, open this door!’ Orlando.

She rolled her eyes, went to the door, opened it-barely, and walked back to the couch.

The three men pushed their way in, ignoring the gawking of Lynn’s busybody neighbours. The door slammed shut with such force that Lynn felt the floor shake. Three bodies stood in front of the couch, not moving, not speaking. Finally she looked up. Viggo’s friends. . .her friends too she reminded herself. . . were wearing matching expressions, glaring at her. ‘Shit.’ she thought.

‘Guys. . .’ she started.

‘Can it!’ snapped Orlando. ‘There is a man who loves only his son more than you, who would give his life for you, sitting in my house in Elijah’s arms, crying. Because of your selfishness.’

Viggo was crying? Because of her? She sighed, her heart contracted with pain. Her eyes welled up and she started fighting with them; she didn’t want to cry.

Billy’s green eyes missed nothing, and this time was no exception. He sighed. ‘Lynn,’ he started, sitting down next to her. ‘I know you feel insecure, and I understand why. But what does it matter what the asshats who write that gossip crap say? Doesn’t what your friends, your family, and your BOYFRIEND say matter more?’

Sniffling, she nodded, not able to answer aloud. Orlando sat down on her other side, and leaned over, pulling her into a warm embrace. His kindness was too much at that moment, and she started sobbing. Orlando held her tightly and Billy rubbed her back until she stopped crying.

Just then there came another knock at the door. The three men looked at each other, and Lynn looked up, confused. Sean opened the door, motioning the other men to follow him and stopping one of the two men who had knocked. Orlando, Billy, Sean, and Lij sneaked down the stairs, and Viggo quietly closed the door.

His eyes were red rimmed and blood shot from crying, his shoulders were slumped. He walked into the sitting room, and sat down next to Lynn. She turned in surprise, and seeing his face she wanted to cry again. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she turned, to face him. Neither spoke for several minutes.

‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered. ‘I’m so sorry!’ Her voice choked on another sob, breaking his heart. He leant forward and grabbed her in a tight embrace. ‘I love you,’ she choked out, against his neck.

‘Shhh,’ he soothed. ‘I love you too.’ He held her while she cried, rubbing her back and gently rocking her, comforting her, while she clung tightly to him.

Finally, her tears once again dried up, and she looked up. He was looking at her solemnly. ‘I think we just had our first fight,’ he whispered, drawing a weak, half-hearted laugh from Lynn.

‘Look baby, I do understand how you feel. I’m sorry for yelling at you. It hurt though that you didn’t seem to want to come out with me.’

She shook her head. ‘That’s not it at all Vig. I was being selfish, because I’m hyper-sensitive to criticism. But all I need is you. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, just what you think. If you still want me to go, I will.’

He smiled at her, his face softening and eyes lighting up. He cupped her face gently, with both hands, love shining from his eyes. ‘Thank you,’ he whispered. ‘That means so much to me, you can’t even know.’ Dipping his head, he kissed her, gently, sweetly, tenderly.

‘There is one condition, but it’s not anything huge. I need help finding an outfit to wear.’

Viggo laughed. ‘I think we can manage that. We can skip the pre- and post-show parties. I don’t much care to go, and I notice you still get tired with a lot of excitement.’

Almost as if to prove his point, she yawned. He laughed, and lifted her into his arms. ‘C’mon love. You need rest. Can’t have you taking ill again. I don’t know if this old heart can take another scare like that.’

Drowsily, she murmured something that sounded like, ‘. . .not old.’

He laughed. ‘I’m glad you think that.’ Standing her up against him, he pulled back her bedcovers before gently laying her down and tucking her in. Kicking off his shoes, he went to the other side of the bed, and crawled in beside her, gathering her up in his arms, and holding her close. He kissed the tip of her nose, then whispered, ‘I love you.’

She sighed and sleepily whispered ‘love you too’, snuggling closer. Within moments they were both asleep, both grateful to have survived their first fight.

True to his word, Viggo showed up one day, Henry in tow, to take her shopping for a dress for the show. When she opened the door, Henry, who she hadn’t seen in almost two months did a double take.

‘Wow! Lynn you look great!’

She blushed but smiled broadly. ‘I’ve lost 40 pounds total, 20 since I saw you last,’ she said proudly, grinning. Hearing the words from the teenager thrilled her.

Despite Viggo’s initial misgivings about their age differences and what Henry might think, his son had taken to her right away, and after they spent an afternoon together pronounced her ‘mad cool!’

Even his ex-wife seemed to like Lynn, which truly surprised him as Exene was more than a little protective of Henry;the people Viggo brought around him were subject to intense scrutiny. Lynn submitted to Exene’s questions calmly, and his ex seemed satisfied with her answers. While they weren’t friends, Exene and Lynn shared a mutual respect and Exene was warmer with her than any other woman he had dated since they split up.

‘Dad, you gotta keep Lynn around! She’s wicked fun, and I can tell she really likes you. She likes YOU’, he clarified. ‘She isn’t just hanging arond cos of the movies and shit.’

Viggo was so shocked by what his son said that he forgot to chastise him for the language. Exene had told him the same thing, almost verbatim, just the day before.

‘Did your mom say anything about Lynn around you?’

‘No Dad,’ his son had answered, looking worried. ‘Why- does she not like her?’

‘No, she said almost word for word what you just did.’ Henry’s only reply was a knowing grin.

‘Shall we go?’ Viggo held out his hand to Lynn.

‘Almost, I can’t find my wallet.’

‘You don’t need it.’ She looked at him, mutely. This had been a minor picking point between them. He liked paying for her, and she’d rather pay for herself. ‘Lynn, it’s not negotiable this time. Don’t even argue.’ She sighed.

‘At least let my find my identification and such, please?’ she asked.

He nodded smiling. She resumed her search, searching through four purses before she found it.

‘Now we can go,’ she said, smiling. She slipped her shoes on and took Viggo’s hand, pausing to hug him before they left.

When she asked where they were going, Viggo just told her it was a surprise. She knew she’d have a better chance of getting the guards at Buckingham Palace to smile than she would getting a secret out of him. ‘He should’ve been a spy,’ she thought to herself.

Henry had climbed into the back seat, so Lynn shifted slightly to look back at him before enquiring about school. Judging by the groan it wasn’t going so well.

‘My teacher gave us this piece by Nietzsche to read–‘On truth and Lie in an Extra-moral Sense–and I’m having a hard time with it,’ Henry complained. Lynn groaned.

‘I had to read that very piece my freshman year in college,’ she remarked. ‘Let me see if I can find the disk with my analysis when I get home.’ Henry grinned and thanked her.

‘Anything else going on?’ Lynn asked.

Viggo smiled, tuning out their discussion. She didn’t talk down to Henry, she treated him as an equal. Consequently, his son also had come to love Lynn, and he grew to love her even more.

Eventually they arrived at their destination, or rather, Viggo’s destination, since only he knew what it was. Henry clambored out of the car, but Viggo held Lynn back for a moment. Leaning forward, he drew her head to his. Looking deep into her eyes, he whispered, ‘I love you, angel,’ before he kissed her.

Walking round the car, he opened her door to let her out, and put his arm around her, drawing her near. They were in front of an exclusive, by-appointment-only boutique. She looked at Viggo.

He caught the look in her eye, and stopped. ‘Don’t argue baby. You’re getting your dress here, and I am buying. Just accept this as a gift, please?’ he said quietly.

She studied his face for a moment, then smiled. ‘Okay.’ He hugged her close, and kissed her again, making Henry groan, ‘Daaaaaaad!’ She and Viggo looked at each other and laughed.

Once inside, Lynn was speechless. Viggo and Henry were whisked away to wait for her, and the attendants busied themselves taking measurements, examining her colouring, and determining her best features.

‘Definitely the eyes,’ said the first.

‘Yes, but also the long legs,’ the second added. The third woman agreed with both.

‘Black knee length, slightly off the shoulders, with a hunter green wrap,’ she said firmly. The first two agreed, and hurried off to find THE dress. They were apparently used to this at Oscar time.

The third sat Lynn down and tried to keep her calm. ‘This girl, she thought,’ ‘she’s not like the others we get in here.’ She sighed, some of them could be bitches, so catty and cold. This one, ah, this one was sweet and warm, so she would make the girl feel at ease. ‘You have such lovely eyes, darling. The green in the wrap will set them off. The length of the dress will help accentuate your long legs. When you get shoes, look for something in a silver colour, strappy, but with a low heel. You don’t need help with your height, hmmm?’

Instead of taking offence as she might once have done, Lynn smiled. This sales woman was very kind, and Lynn could tell that she was trying to put her at ease.

The other two women returned and conferred with the third woman, Robyn. They were holding three dresses. After examining them, Robyn selected the middle one first, and ushered Lynn to the changing room. Lynn changed, and stepped out.

Robyn smiled. ‘Perfect. Absolutely lovely. Let me show you something though.’ Robyn showed Lynn a way of standing that would make her look slimmer and more confident. ‘It’s how all the stars stand, darling. And don’t forget to keep smiling!’ Lynn thanked her gratefully, and started to turn back.

‘Don’t you want to show Mr Mortensen the dress?’

Lynn stopped. She smiled, and turned. Robyn gave her one more quick lesson, on walking this time, and Lynn went to find Viggo and Henry. Henry spotted her first.

‘Lynn! You look AWESOME!’

Viggo looked up, and swallowed hard. His beautiful girlfriend had been made even more beautiful with one simple clothing change. He stood and walked over to her, still staring.

She looked at him, waiting for his opinion. He stopped in front of her, and smiled, eyes so full of love it took her breath away.

‘You are even more beautiful than usual, angel.’ he said quietly, voice husky.

She smiled shyly, just looking at him. Finally she found her voice, ‘I better go change back,’ she murmured.

He smiled at her. ‘I’ll be right here, sweetheart.’ And slowly a plan started forming in the back of his mind.