17. Ghost

“Well, actually…there is one other person…” Waverly quavered.

“Oh?” Nicole asked, looking intrigued.

“Um, yeah. But not a boyfriend. More like a, uh…a one night stand.” She looked down at her hand on Nicole’s ribs as she avoided eye contact, feeling a little bit shameful.

Nicole pressed her palms into the mattress and pushed herself up, looking over at Waverly as she waited for her to continue. Waverly followed suit and sat up, leaning against the headboard as she sighed. She collected her thoughts, trying to figure out the best way to start the story.

“For my 20th birthday, my Aunt Gus surprised me with an all-expenses-paid weekend trip to this convention for ancient languages in Regina. It was the first time I went anywhere by myself, and it was an incredible experience. I got to learn some amazing things, and meet some extraordinary people. One person in particular…his name was Andrew.”

She glanced up at Nicole to gage her reaction, but noticed that the woman was patiently waiting to hear the rest of the story, so she continued.

“We hit it off right away. We talked only to each other during the receptions, and sat next to each other during all of the conferences. He was kind, generous, and hung on my every word. Basically, he was everything Champ wasn’t. I mean, he was even British for Pete’s sake.”

Nicole lightly chuckled. Not so much at what Waverly had sad, but more so at the way she had said it – with her high-pitched voice followed by that cute snort she often did whenever she found something amusing. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that Nicole realized the words that had come out of the brunette’s mouth, and she quickly felt a pang of jealousy.

“So, I went back to his hotel room, and uh…well, we had sex.”

Nicole swallowed – hard. She tried her best not to show any of the anger she felt on her face. It was one thing for her to know that Champ had been inside her sweet Waverly, but hearing about a second guy was almost too much for her.

Waverly sighed as she thought back to that night. “It wasn’t good with Champ, and I just thought that maybe it was because of him. I had this perfect guy right in front of me…literally, he was perfect. His hair naturally flowed in a way that takes guys hours to style, his teeth were perfectly straight and white, his skin was basically flawless…he even had a perfect six-pack. And I just remember thinking, sex could be really good with this guy.” She blew out a puff of air and shook her head before letting out a breathy laugh. “But, it wasn’t. Not that he wasn’t good, because he was very considerate of my needs. But I still felt like something was missing. I think it messed me up a little bit, because I remember thinking to myself that I was never going to have this amazing love, because I wasn’t meant to. Like, I wasn’t the type of person who would ever enjoy being with someone else. When I woke up the next morning I just felt really empty and sad, and so I quickly snuck out of his room while he was still asleep and left to go back to Purgatory – to go back to Champ. I figured, if I would never be happy with anybody, I might as well just stick with him to pass the time.”

“You were still with Champ while all of this happened?” Nicole finally spoke.

“Well, yeah.”

“So, you cheated on him.” She stated. Waverly could see her brain at work, putting the puzzle pieces together.

“Yeah, I did,” Waverly replied sheepishly.

Nicole shook her head, still processing everything. “I can’t believe you cheated on him.”

Waverly gave a light chuckle. “Nicole, it’s Champ. You hate the guy.”

“It doesn’t matter what I think of him. The fact is, you still cheated.” She quickly replied, slightly pulling away from Waverly.

“I’m not denying that I cheated. I’m just saying that he doesn’t deserve any sympathy with all of the times he cheated on me. It’s not like he was the most faithful boyfriend.”

“And that makes it okay?” Nicole snapped.

Waverly pulled back, noticing Nicole getting angrier by the second. “Why are you getting so upset about this?”

“Because, it’s wrong! I mean, how do I know that you won’t do the same to me?”

Waverly stared at her, stunned. “Because you’re not an asshole? And because I love you.” She reached out to grab Nicole’s hand, but the redhead quickly pulled it away.

“And how many times did you say that to Champ?” She asked angrily as she stood up from the bed.

Waverly’s face dropped and she slowly shook her head before speaking in a soft voice. “That’s not fair.”

“No, what’s not fair is that you’re just now telling me about this.” Nicole began putting her clothes back on. Waverly sat up all the way, holding the covers up over her chest.

“I was looking for answers, and they’ve finally been answered. You answered them, Nicole. I’m not looking anymore. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about.”

The redhead threw her shirt on, shaking her head in anger. “And what happens when you have another question that needs answering? Then what, huh?” She asked sternly as she slowly began to raise her voice more.

“Nicole, I would never cheat on you. I promise, I love you so much,” Waverly confessed, her eyes filling with tears.

Nicole shook her head as she stared down at the floor, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth. She wanted so badly to just move on from it and go back to where they were five minutes ago, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t wrap her head around it all. This picture of her sweet and innocent girlfriend had been tainted with infidelity and unfaithfulness. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this right now. I love you, I do. But I need to process this. I’m sorry, I have to go.”

Waverly watched her girlfriend storm out of the room and shut the door behind her as the tears streamed down her face. “Nicole,” she whispered before falling back onto the pillow and curling up in the covers as she cried herself to sleep.

---

Waverly woke up to the sound of her alarm going off and slowly peeked one eye open. She groaned as she haphazardly searched for the button that would stop the loud buzzing, eventually finding it. With a sigh, she slid out of bed and put her silk robe on before heading down the stairs to make some coffee. As she approached the bottom of the stairs, she was hit with the aroma of freshly made coffee.

“Well good morning baby sis!” Wynonna said in a cheery voice – clearly that of someone who had spent all night getting laid.

“Hey,” Waverly croaked, a little irritated by her sister’s perkiness as she walked into the kitchen.

“Want some coffee? I just made a fresh pot.”

Waverly nodded before plopping down into the kitchen chair and resting her jaw in her hands, letting out a long yawn as she did so. The older Earp set the mug of lightly colored coffee down in front of the disheveled girl and returned to her seat. She noticed Waverly’s puffy eyes and lack of her usual annoying Waverly pep.

“Have you been crying?” She asked before looking around the room. “…And where’s Officer Haughtstuff?”

“We had a fight,” Waverly replied shortly before taking a sip from her mug.

Wynonna nodded in realization. “Ah, I thought I heard you two yelling…and not the sexual kind.” Waverly rolled her eyes in response. “So, what were you two fighting about?”

A sheepish look spread across her face. “I told her about someone I slept with and she didn’t take it very well.”

Wynonna’s scrunched her brow in confusion. “Someone other than Champ?”

Waverly gave a slight nod.

The older Earp’s face quickly changed to shock. “Oh my god! You slept with someone other than Champ?! I don’t believe it! When did you…how did you…no, okay, I’ll let you tell the story. And don’t leave out any details.” She made a platform with the backs of her hands and rested her chin.

The smaller girl sighed at having to tell the story again. She really didn’t want to, but knew that if she wanted any advice from her sister, she would have to know everything. She explained everything from beginning to end, just like she did with Nicole, all while Wynonna listened attentively. When she finished, she looked at Wynonna and awaited her response.

“Wow. I’m actually a little jealous. I’ve always wanted to do a British guy.”

Waverly stared at her in disbelief. “Really? That’s what you got out of this story?”

“What? I’ve heard they’re good in the sack.” She shrugged as she took a sip of her black coffee.

“Well, he wasn’t bad. He just wasn’t…” Waverly trailed off, trying to figure out how to explain it.

“He wasn’t a chick. Yeah, I get it,” Wynonna nodded. “Okay, so you cheated on Champ. Big deal. He’s cheated on you like at least ten times.” She rolled her eyes, not feeling any sympathy for the guy. If anything, she felt a little bit proud of her sister for going after what she wanted without letting Champ hold her back, like she usually did with everything in her life.

“Nicole thinks it’s a big deal. I don’t think she trusts me anymore.” Waverly’s voice trembled with emotion.

“Well what did she say?”

“She said she needed to process everything and then left. I think she’s afraid I’m going to cheat on her.”

“Sounds like she’s got some trust issues. Maybe she’s been cheated on in the past.” Wynonna stood up to pour herself her third cup of coffee.

“You think?”

“Why else would she be so worried about it? You’ve never given her a reason not to trust you, and it’s not like she really cares about Champ. I’d bet all my money on trust issues.” Wynonna slipped back into her chair.

“So, what should I do?”

“Talk to her about it. Reassure her that you would never do anything to hurt her.”

“I tried that last night and she responded by storming off in the middle of the night.”

“She’ll probably need some time before she’s ready to listen. Wait a little bit, then talk to her.”

Waverly nodded, slightly skeptical but at the same time trying to remain hopeful.

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much. That woman loves you, Waverly. I bet that by the end of the day she’ll be crawling back into your bed, trying to get into your pants,” she wriggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Waverly winced. “Okay, can we talk about something else please?”

The older Earp crossed her arms and chuckled. “Okay, like what?”

“Anything other than my sex life,” Waverly sighed.

“So does that mean we can talk about my sex life?” Wynonna asked with a grin.

“Sure, why not.” The younger Earp took another sip of her coffee.

“Okay, so the sex last night was amazing!” Wynonna beamed as she threw her hands down onto the table for emphasis.

Waverly raised her eyebrows. “So I heard.”

“Sorry, were we that loud? I hope we didn’t ruin your night...” she said sounding genuinely apologetic.

The younger Earp shook her head and gave a reassuring smile. “It’s fine. You’re pregnant, so you get dibs.”

“Speaking of which, sex while pregnant is incredible! I mean, everything is extra sensitive in all the right places. Honestly, the best sex I’ve ever had in my entire life.”

Waverly smiled, happy to see her sister finally reacting positively towards her pregnancy.

“Is this what you felt like when you and Haughty banged for the first time? All rejuvenated and shit?”

“Something like that,” Waverly chuckled. “So, do you know when you’re going to tell Doc?”

Wynonna puffed up her cheeks and blew out an audible stream of air. “Definitely not until after my first visit to the gyno.”

“You don’t want him to go with you?”

The older Earp vigorously shook her head. “You’re going with me, right?”

“Of course,” Waverly replied as she took her sister’s hand. “I’ll go to all of them if you want me to. And your childbirth classes.”

Wynonna’s eyes widened. “Oh my god.”

“What?” Waverly asked, concerned about the petrified look on her sister’s face.

“I’m going to have to give birth.” All of the blood drained from Wynonna’s face as she thought back to those videos in health class showing a woman giving birth.

Waverly chuckled. “Uh, yeah silly. Pushing the baby out is kind a big part of being pregnant. It only stays in there for nine months you know…” She said mockingly.

“No, I know. I just haven’t thought about it. I’ve been so busy thinking about actually being pregnant that I haven’t thought about the part where I have to push the child out of my vag.” She felt nauseous at the thought.

“So, you’re definitely going to keep it then? I mean, at least until labor?”

“Yeah, that much I know. But after…” Wynonna slowly shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, you have time to decide. And you don’t have to decide on your own, you and Doc can talk about it together and come up with a decision. But whatever you choose to do, I’ll support you no matter what.” She reached her hand out for her sister to take as she gave a warm smile.

Wynonna smiled back at her and took her sister’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze of appreciation as she swiped away a tear that fell down her cheek. “Hey, shouldn’t you be getting ready for work?”

“Crap. You’re right.” Waverly sighed as she downed the rest of her warm coffee and ran upstairs.

---

It had been five hours since Waverly got to work, and she still hadn’t heard from Nicole. No calls, no texts. Nothing but radio silence. She didn’t even come in for her coffee, which was what hurt Waverly the most. There had been several times where she had pulled out her phone and typed a text to send, but each time she deleted it, unsure if reaching out to Nicole first would help things or make them worse. She just really wanted her girlfriend back – If she was even still her girlfriend at this point.

“Screw it,” she mumbled to herself. “Darren, I’m going on break. Keep an eye out for customers.”

“Got it!” He yelled from the back.

Grabbing her coat, she made her way to her Jeep. Within five minutes tops she was at the station, rushing through the front door and nearly knocking over an elderly woman who was exiting the building. “I’m so sorry Mrs. Gable!” She apologized as she helped steady the thin woman, who had lost her balance.

“Good heavens Waverly! Slow down a little. You kids are always in a hurry!”

Waverly looked at the woman sheepishly. “Yes ma’am.” She took the woman’s advice and slowed down her stride to a normal pace as she continued into the precinct – mainly because she didn’t want to seem too eager.

As she rounded the corner, she saw Nicole pouring over a file, a light frown creasing her brow as she massaged her temple with the fingers of her right hand, which was also holding her pen. Waverly smiled at how gorgeous the woman looked, even when she seemed a little perturbed. She took a deep breath, gaining some confidence and strutted over towards the redhead’s desk.

“Hey sexy,” Waverly lilted as she sat down in the chair across from Nicole, crossing her legs as she sat.

Nicole looked up, surprised by the woman’s unexpected appearance. “Uh, hey.” She spoke in a way that sounded more like a question than a greeting. “What are you doing here?”

“I was on break and decided I would swing by to surprise my gorgeous girlfriend at work.” She smiled as she reached out for Nicole’s hand, but the officer pulled it back slightly before their skin could make contact. She reached up for her neck and played it off like she was itchy, giving it a subtle scratch. Waverly’s smile immediately dropped at the rejection, knowing exactly why Nicole had pulled away from her.

“You’re still mad at me,” Waverly stated softly, the disappointment in her voice causing Nicole to wince in pain.

A small sigh escaped the redhead’s lips. “Look, I just need some more time. And maybe…” she pursed her lips, trying to figure out a better way to convey what she needed. She knew the only words she could think of would hurt Waverly, but they were the only words that would accurately describe her feelings. She continued in a much softer tone, “And maybe a bit of space.”

The words hit Waverly like a punch in the gut. Not wanting to show her disappointment, she forced a weak smile and nodded. Her eyes began to water, but she blinked a few times, urging herself to stay strong and not cry as she abruptly stood up from the chair. “Just let me know when you’re ready then,” she said softly, trying her best not to sound hurt. But it was no use, her quavering voice was a dead giveaway.

Nicole watched with guilty eyes as the brunette traipsed out of the station. As soon as Waverly was gone, she threw her pen on her desk and ran her hands through her hair, stopping them at the base of her neck as she shook her head and exhaled sharply. She hated this. She didn’t want to be upset, but she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t control the way she felt about this particular subject, and truth be told, she was hurt that Waverly hadn’t mentioned it sooner. She quickly returned to her file in an attempt to distract herself from the pain she felt from hurting the woman that she loved more than anything in the entire world.

---

It had been two days since Nicole had given Waverly the cold shoulder – well, one day, 15 hours and 22 minutes by Waverly’s count. The brunette had barely slept since their fight, and even when she was able to sleep she ended up having nightmares of Nicole breaking up with her, which never left her feeling well-rested. Wynonna noticed this change in her baby sister, and she knew the reason why. Which was why when Nicole showed up to the bar that night for a drink, Wynonna wasn’t afraid to rip her a new one.

“Why are you being such a dick to Waverly?” Wynonna asked as she glared at Nicole, completely ignoring her request for a beer.

“Excuse me?” Nicole replied incredulously.

“You heard me.” Wynonna folded her arms across her chest, quirking an eyebrow and tapping her foot as she awaited the woman’s answer. She tried her best not to roll her eyes at how maternal she looked in her mama bear stance.

Nicole gritted her teeth. “This is between me and Waverly, and it’s none of your business.”

“When you treat my sister like shit, it’s every bit my business,” Wynonna yelled.

Nicole looked around to make sure nobody was paying attention to them before leaning in. “I haven’t done anything to Waverly,” she said with a lowered voice. “If anything, Waverly’s the one who lied to me.”

“Oh, that’s right, you’re just torturing her by giving her the silent treatment because you found out that she slept with some random guy. Poor you. Grow up, Officer Dipshit! If you have a problem with your girlfriend, then go work it out. But this whole “being a fucking coward” thing has gone on long enough. I won’t let you be an asshole to Waverly like the rest of them, so I suggest you get your head out of your ass and go talk to her before I break your face for breaking her heart.” She huffed, feeling good about getting all of that off of her chest.

Nicole calmly straightened up, showcasing that she was a bit taller than the brunette. “Do I need to remind you that you’re talking to a police officer? You really don’t want to threaten me right now, Wynonna, or I’ll have you arrested.” She folded her arms.

“Oh, get over yourself Nicole. This whole power trip thing you’ve got going on is extremely unattractive, and a little too testosterone-y for my taste. I’m not afraid of you, and my threat still stands.” She stood on her tiptoes and hovered over the redhead, causing the officer to back down a bit.

Nicole sighed. “Look, I don’t want to fight with you. I just came here for a beer, and then I’m leaving.”

“Well, luckily for me I’m allowed to refuse service to anyone I please. So, Officer Haught, you’re cut off from this bar until you work your shit out.” She glared at the woman for a moment before walking away to take the order of a man who had been drunkenly waving at her for the past minute.

Nicole shook her head and snatched her Stetson off the counter as she stomped out of the bar, slamming the door behind her.

---

Waverly pulled up to the homestead and sighed as she finally walked into her house after an almost unbearable day of work. She trudged up the stairs, wanting nothing more than to lay in bed while distracting herself with some reading on the history of Wyatt Earp. Whenever she was too exhausted to clean, she found that learning about her family history made her feel better. Or at least, that was the plan, until she found herself sauntering towards the sound of knocking at the front door before she could even make it all the way up the stairs.

“I swear, if it’s that guy trying to get us to buy cable again, I’m ripping out his tongue and feeding it to the buzzards, because I am not in the mood,” she muttered to herself in annoyance before swinging the door open to reveal a very distressed Nicole. Waverly’s face displayed a glimpse of sympathy as she noticed the dark circles under the redhead’s eyes, but quickly shook the feeling. She was too angry at this woman for putting her through all of this emotional turmoil to feel sorry for her.

“Hey,” Nicole nearly whispered as she slightly raised her hand in a wave before bringing it back down next to the other one holding her Stetson in front of her by the brim.

Waverly made no effort to respond, other than crossing her arms and deepening the scowl on her face, hoping the officer would get the hint.

Nicole awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. “Um, can we talk?”