Healed {Dean Winchester 7}

Chapter 13

Shut Up, Dr. Phil

We continued the small talk, leading Don to show off his accomplishments and awards that hung on the wall.

"'To Don. Take no prisoners. D. Trump,'" Dean read the writing on the one framed photo on the wall. "The Trumpster, wow."

"Like I said, success breeds fierce competition but, in the end, everyone here respects and admires me," Don replied.

Sam walked back in then. "Including your wife?"

Dean and I looked at him strangely.

"I'm sorry, it's just we heard the two of you were splitting up," Sam continued.

"Yeah, that's, uh, what we heard," Dean added, even though this is the first we're hearing of it.

"Yeah. Maggie and I are going through a tough time," Don admitted. "It's a separation, temporary. Sometimes, you know, you grow apart. It's no one's fault."

I swallowed, glancing at Dean. He'd been distant lately. And I know why, but a part of me still can't help but be worried that...that we're just not as close as we once were.

"How would you describe the issues between you and your wife?" I asked.

"It's just one of those marital misunderstandings, you know." Don shrugged.

"No, I'm sorry, I don't." I spun the ring around my finger.

"It's one of those vague, hard to define passages," Don stated.

"She caught you cheating, huh?" Dean asked. "I couldn't help but notice, uh, things were kind of cordial between you and your assistant. Pretty good with the ladies there, Mr. Stark? It's a blessing and curse, isn't it?"

I rolled my eyes, biting back a smile and laugh.

"I'm a people person," Don laughed, making me roll my eyes once more, but this time out of annoyance. "And I admire dynamic, confident women."

"Admire?" I scoffed.

Don sighed. "Okay, look, it's true, I had a recent little thing with a business associate. That's all it was."

"A thing?" Dean repeated.

"Like a shoe or a golf club," Sam said.

"Yeah, or a waffle iron," Dean agreed.

"Not a life shattering thing for a woman to deal with at all." I shrugged.

"Yeah, you see, Don, uh, wives generally think of an affair as something more than a thing," Dean informed him.

"Yes. When Maggie found out about it, she needed some time off," Don said. "Temporarily."

"Hmm. Now, if we were to guess that the, uh, business associate was Wendy Goodson, would we win the weekend trip to Maui?"

"No. Her death had nothing to do with the affair. It was long over before her accident," Don said.

"If it was an accident," I sighed.

"You're not implying Maggie was behind this."

"I'm just saying, there have been times I've wanted to murder someone who tried to take my man from me. I wouldn't exactly blame another woman for doing it either."

"We're not implying anything. We're just saying you should be careful," Sam shot me a look. "And take her to dinner and apologize."

"Yeah, and, uh, grovel. Wouldn't hurt," Dean added.

"A lot of groveling will be in order," I told him.

______

"Found a bunch of hex junk in her stuff. Clearly her thing," Sam told us as we walked off the porch where dead plants littered the area. "And the empty closet didn't seem like she was coming back any time soon."