For Disclaimers see Ch. 1
Author's Note: This is it, folks. After far too long a haul, this is the end. I would like to thank everyone who stuck with me through to this final moment. It was rough going at times; issues with the rest of my life can really mess with getting anything constructive done at times. But I did it, I'm done. I'm on to my next project and here's hoping that I can keep plugging away for a while longer.
Thank you, everyone, for reading this and for those that sent me reviews, they were very welcome. And often, really helpful in getting me going again. So please, read, enjoy and review!!!
* * *
Kylie shifted nervously in the hospital bed, pretending that she needed to find a comfortable spot. Her loving sister wouldn't be distracted. She continued to stare at her wayward sibling with laser intensity; her eyes looking to bore holes in Kylie's head.
She finished shuffling, gave a great big sigh and held up her hands in surrender. There was just no talking to Molly when she was like this and everyone knew it. She was just about to bite the bullet and confess to every bad thing she'd ever done when Keith stepped up into the line of fire.
“I wondered why Luce introduced me to those feds as her future brother-in-law.” He mused
Kylie shot him a grateful look as Molly rounded on him. “You knew about this?” Her screech of indignation seemed loud enough to peel the paint off the walls. “Why didn't you tell me?”
He shrugged. “I thought maybe she'd taken a blow to the head we didn't know about or something; like she was confused or something. And then she just up and took off before I could find out what she meant. And let's be honest, oh love of my life, you're not exactly sane at the idea of Kylie getting married.”
If the glare she'd leveled at Kylie was pointed, this one was beyond razor sharp. “What's that supposed to mean?”
Keith ignored the laser beams practically shooting from his wife's eyes, reaching out to take her by the shoulders; meeting those intense eyes with his own. “You, my loving wife, are obsessed with weddings. And the idea of Kylie's wedding, that's enough to push you over the edge. In fact, I'd call you almost borderline psychotic obsessive.” The glare increased and again he ignored it. “I figured I'd give Luce a chance to grab me and explain. Once she did, we'd start planning on how to break the news to you in a nice, calm, relaxing setting.”
Molly gave a huge, aggravated sigh. “She's getting married, she's not having a kidney removed.”
He smiled. “No, but you're reacting about the same way.”
She thought for a moment, taking a deep breath before letting it out in a rush. “I do not have a problem. And you both suck!”
They both started laughing at the exasperated expression on her face. Kylie reached out, taking her sister's hand in her own.
She gave it a firm squeeze, drawing her sister's attention. “We don't think there's anything wrong with you, Mol. We just thought it might not be great for the baby to experience the demon roller coaster you climb onto about all things bridal until after they're born.”
She grumbled a bit to herself at that. Keith held out a chair for her and she sank into it gratefully. When she looked at Kylie again there was sheen of unshed tears there, shining in her eyes. “My little sister is getting married.” The words were emotional and full of joy; and it was enough to break the manic spell on her.
Kylie smiled broadly. “Yes, I am; and as an early wedding gift, can you please remember that I am in a hospital bed with some pretty heavy duty drugs in my system before you go crazy? Jumping off the deep end can't be good for either me or the baby right now.”
Those words seemed to deflate Mollie a bit. She sunk further into the chair, leaning across the bed as the reality of the last day hit her like a ton of bricks. For a moment, Mollie wasn't really there in the room with her sister; she was in the past, trapped in the memory of the last time they were all in a hospital room holding vigil at her sister's bed side. Their parents gone and Kylie holding on by a thread.
Kylie leaned over, putting her arm around her sister's shoulders; she knew exactly where her sister's mind had been drawn. “This is not the same, Molly. I'm fine this time. This is no where near the same.” She squeezed Mollie harder, trying to draw her back to the present.
Molly sucked in a breath, struggling to put those dark memories back where they belonged. But they were too strong and they easily overwhelmed her. She sat there at Kylie's bedside, her shoulders shaking as the tears began to fall. Keith reached out, putting his arm around her as well, murmuring to her gently. His soft voice undid the last of her control, and she shattered, letting out a loud sob.
The two of them wrapped their arms around her, placing the crying woman in a hard hug between them, trying to drive her pain away with their presence and love. It took some time; the pain in Mollie was too strong for it to be a quick or easy release. But after a few moments, the tears began to subside and the sobs tapered off.
Mollie went still and quiet; and a moment later, when she looked up, Kylie could see that the tears have done some good, lanced an old wound that she hadn't even been aware her sister had. She let go long enough to grab a few tissues from the bedside table and turned back to her sister to help her clean her face up.
Her sister seemed more relaxed, free of tension along her shoulders and eyes; almost as if she's finally managed to exorcise that long ago horror and finally put it in it's proper place.
Mollie finished drying her eyes, blowing her nose loudly as they draw back. She gaave them a chagrined look. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to break down on you guys.”
Kylie shot her a look that could have cracked stone. “Don't apologize for that; it's obviously done you some good to get that out. I should have thought of how hard it'd be for you to be here.”
Molly nodded. “But like you said, it's not the same.” A sudden thought occurred to her.“Now that you mention it, I'm surprised you're doing as well as you are. I'd have thought they'd have to sedate you by now.”
Kylie paused at that, her mind whirling. Her sister was right; normally hospitals made her panic beyond reason. But this time, she hadn't even noticed. The anxiety was still there, but it was like background noise; almost like something just beyond her hearing. She could hear it when she concentrated but most of the time was easily able to block it out.
She shook her head in disbelief at that. “Huh, that is weird.”
Her sister gave a soft laugh at the look of annoyance on her sibling's face. “You look like you want to hit something.”
Kylie grumbled to herself, not wanting to look too closely at that revelation in case it decided to suddenly and violently unravel on her. “I'm just really confused.”
Her sister seemed to be reading her mind because she patted Kylie's hand. “Well, maybe we should let it go; if you start thinking about it too hard, it might bring your problem roaring back.”
“Probably.”
Mollie leaned in a bit. “Let's concentrate on what's really important here.”
Kylie knew exactly what she was talking about but decided to play stupid. ”And what would that be?”
“My little sister is getting married.” Her excitement was a tangible, almost solid thing. So touchable at that moment that anyone within a mile should be feeling it right now.
“Yes, I am.” Kylie smiled, reaching down to reverently touch the ring on her her finger; a small part of her was still awed that it was there. The rest of her was still reeling from the reality of the last day or so.
“Luce does realize what she's getting into, right? You tried to warn her that we'd all be related after this merry little fiasco happens?” Keith spoke up, a touch of worry in his voice.
Kylie gave him a clearly offended look. “Of course I did. Pulled that one right out of the gate the second after she said yes. Didn't faze her one bit. She seemed almost happy about that.”
Kylie's admission caught Mollie by surprise. “Wait, you proposed?”
“Yeah; it just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Besides, I figured if I waited for her to do it, I'd be waiting a long time.”
“You figured wrong; I was trying to figure out the right moment.” Luce's strong voice spoke up from the doorway she was now holding open for her mother.
Kylie snorted softly. “Right moment? Says the woman who looked like a deer caught in the headlights the minute I popped the question.”
Luce walked up to Kylie's bedside, the rest of the room fading into the background as she sat on the bed. “In my defense, we'd just survived a house fire and I was halfway asleep when you ambushed me with it. Anyone in their right mind would have looked up in panic.”
“You proposed last night? After the fire?” Grace seemed just as flabbergasted as Mollie had been.
“Yes, I did.” Kylie reached out and grabbed Luce's hand never taking her eyes off her fiance. “I wanted her to know exactly how I felt about her; I couldn't think of a better way to do that then to get down on one knee.”
They all gave her injured leg a pointed look while Luce gently cleared her throat.
“So to speak.” She finished.
“Well, I for one do not care who proposed or why; all I care about is that we are going to have a beautiful wedding and I will be able to see my only child marry the woman she loves. Given how all of this could have turned out, is that not what is really important here?” Grace's quiet voice was firm as she stepped up to the other side of Kylie's bed.
There were nods and murmurs of agreement at Grace's words. Then another round of hugs and congratulations as everyone reveled in the joyful news, doing their best to let it banish the last of the darkness that had lingered over them all that day.
Grace reached out to hug Kylie close, her arms almost as solid and real as her much taller daughter's. She gave Kylie a fond smile. “Now I shall have two daughters. Could any woman be more blessed?”
* * *
The room filled up quickly after that as the next group of Kylie's relatives arrived to visit with her. The doctor walked into a rather joyful but chaotic room as the news of Kylie's engagement was revealed to each new arrival.
He made his way through the small crowd of talkative people to shake Kylie's hand. “Kylie, I'm Dr. Wilcoxson. I would have been here sooner but we've had a rather busy day in the hospital.”
She laughed. “It seems I'm not the only one, then.”
“No, it's been a bit of a madhouse around here.” He looked around the room as he reached for the stethoscope around his neck. “Although it looks like you might understand that better than a lot of other people I work with.”
“You have no idea.” She drawled out as the room went quiet for the first time since she woke up that morning.
He chuckled as he listened to her breathing and heartbeat. After a moment, he stepped back looking very pleased. “Well everything looks really good so far. Your lungs sound clear; but just to be sure, I'm going to send you for a few tests this evening. I want to be very sure we don't miss anything. You were in a burning building after all.”
Kylie didn't wince, but it took quite a bit of effort. Mollie wasn't so lucky and her visible flinch made her feel a bit guilty.
The doctor continued. “I'd also like to scan your knee, make sure there's no major damage there either. You didn't break your leg, which is good, but we need a better idea of what to do to get you back on your feet.”
Kylie nodded. “I'm all for that, Doctor.” And she meant it; she was more than willing to do whatever she needed to get back on her feet.
He seemed pleased by her attitude. “Good. Depending on what we find, I'd like to keep you just one more day to get you started on some physical therapy for the knee. If the tests look good, we'll be sending you home the day after tomorrow.”
She bit back a groan. The idea of spending another day trapped in a hospital bed was really hard to stomach but grumbling at the doctor wasn't going to help with that at all.
As if he could read her mind, he gave her an understanding pat on the shoulder. “The nurses will be by in a bit.” He nodded at everyone and then left the room.
The minute he was gone, she let out the groan and grumbling she'd been biting back. “Another day in this damn bed?” And she didn't care one bit if she sounded like a whiny teenager.
Molly gave her a saucy look. “Well, shouldn't be too much of a hardship if Luce is here with you.”
Kylie clutched a pillow, knowing that throwing one at Mollie's head, no matter how satisfying, would be even more childish. “Ha, ha.”
Luce spoke up, hoping to diffuse and distract Kylie's mood a bit. “I know you'll be bored, but they want to be sure. So do I.”
She sighed. “I know, I know. I just can't stand the thought of sitting in bed another day not being productive.”
Luce shrugged. “I have an idea for that. Why don't I start running around for you? Get you a new phone, new computer and all that. With those you can do just about everything from bed. And we both know neither of those things is likely to have survived either the fire or the fire department.” She looked at her mother. “I don't have a car though; would you mind being my chauffeur for a few hours?”
Grace shook her head. “Not at all, lighteyes. I would very much like to stretch my legs a bit.”
“Then this is perfect.” She turned back to Kylie. “That way, you can start working again if you get really bored. Provided, of course, you're not too tired from all of this.” She gave Kylie a pointed look. It promised trouble if the other woman pushed herself too hard.
Kylie squirmed a bit at the look but shook her head. “I'm not, actually. I feel sore and beat up but I really can't stand sitting here with absolutely nothing to do. Getting started on replacing a few things would really be good. And I can get started on an insurance claim for the house. Now I'm damn glad I'm so anal, I kept a back up of everything online and also a hard copy at the store.” That made her think of her employees and everything else waiting for her attention. “Damn, did anyone call Marie? I totally forgot.”
Molly spoke up. “She called me looking for you when she couldn't get you on your cell phone. I gave her the gist of it and she told me to tell you to just relax, they've got a handle on it. If they need you, they'll call. She also said she'll be by tonight before visiting hours are over.”
“Thanks for that, Mollie.” She looked at Luce, giving her a peck on the lips before she sent her off. “That idea sounds perfect, Luce. Although I'm sorry you have to go do that all by yourself.”
Luce grinned widely. “I won't lie, it's going to be hell.”She looked around the crowded room. “I envy you, love, for being able to stay in the middle of all this. Especially now that they all know we're getting married.” That last was said just a bit louder than absolutely necessary and everyone around them cheered a bit at it.
Kylie found herself blushing at their reaction for some reason. She resolutely ignored it, dropping her voice for Luce's ears alone. “I really wish I was going with you.”
Luce smiled. “I really wish you were too. But someone has to mind the zoo and at this point, better you than me.”
That made Kylie laugh. “Honey, you sound like part of the family already.”
“Hey, if they get really bad, aim them in Molly's direction. Or, start talking wedding plans with her; I'm sure that'll be enough to keep them all away.” She gave Kylie one last kiss, resolutely ignoring the giggles and good natured jibes being thrown at them over the public display.
Kylie wasn't nearly as mature, casually flipping the bird in the general direction of the worst of the bunch. There was more laughter at that.
* * *
Luce walked out of the hospital for the second time that day, just as glad to be out of it as the first time. She followed her mother to her car and climbed in. She directed her mother towards a nearby strip mall type shopping center. It didn't have everything she needed in it, but it was a place to start.
And her first stop was a coffee shop. She'd never had to replace her ID or her life before but based on the one or two times she'd lost her keys and a credit card, she knew that she was in for a long day. And a caffeine boost never hurt.
With her mother following her, she waded into the nearest computer store to replace Kylie's laptop. Thankfully, while time consuming, the process ended up being much easier than she expected. Kylie had texted her what she needed in a computer from her sister's phone and the earnest salesman was eagerly setting everything up for them.
Luce, realizing she needed to be on Kylie's account in order for her to pick up a phone for her, sent her mother back to the hospital with the new laptop, filling Kylie in via text. She spent the time in between browsing a few nearby clothing stores for her fiance; picking out a few outfits to begin replacing the ones she knew were likely ruined in Kylie's home.
She lingered over a few items; including a lovely bra and panty set that she was completely impractical for Kylie; but one she simply couldn't resist imaging the shorter woman in anyway. Resigned to her surge of lust, she put on top of the pile and headed to check out.
Watching the clerk ring up everything, she was shocked at the amount she'd bought. And she was pretty sure Kylie would be too; once she found out about it. But she didn't put anything back and even grabbed another item or two that caught her eye as she waited for everything to be rung up.
She headed out the door with her several large bags on her arms, just in time for her mother to call her and ask her where she was. Luce told her and a few minutes later she was dropping the bags into her mother's trunk with a grateful sigh.
The next stop was for her phone. That took nearly as long as the computer but only because Kylie had called into the store to talk to a clerk personally. He had apparently talked her into an upgrade as well. considering that her old phone had been destroyed, he figured, why not? And it took a bit of time for him to activate it and get her backed up information and contacts loaded down into it.
Once that was done, they pile back into Grace's car. She gave a soft groan as she turned the key and started the car.
Her daughter gave her a tired smile. “Thank you for doing this.”
Her mother smiled. “You are very welcome, lighteyes.” She was interrupted by a rather large yawn. “Pardon me.”
Luce found herself doing the same, in spite of the coffee she'd drank just a short time ago. “It's just been that kind of day.”
Her mother nodded. “Yes, and sadly, it is still far from over. Your home is clean?”
Luce nodded. Her housekeeper would have been in just the day before. It seemed like divine timing at that moment.
“And you have food for Kylie, yes?”
Luce gave a soft groan at that.
“I take it from that response the answer is likely to be nothing truly edible.”
“I don't have to have food in my house, you know. There's this wonderful new invention called delivery.”
Her mother clucked her tongue as she pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the nearest grocery store. “I still mourn that Unchi and I could never teach you to cook.”
That made Luce defensive. “I can cook; somewhat. I can make enough stuff to make sure I don't starve to death.”
“Be still my beating heart!” Her mother cried.
That made Luce grumble harder. “Is there a reason for this suddenly verbally violent turn of conversation?”
“Of course. If your lovely fiance, my brilliant future daughter-in-law is going to be staying with you for the foreseeable future, I was hoping there would be something in the house with which she could feed the two of you.”
“How long have we known each other now?” Her mother laughed softly and Luce continued. “I give you my word she won't starve, Ina . Besides, with her appetite, I'd be putting my life on the line every time I let her go hungry.”
Grace laughed. “Be that as it may, I still strongly suggest we go to the store.” Luce groaned and her mother bowled right over her voice. “And I also strongly suggest you let me shop for the two of you; if I let you do it, all we will end up with is milk, some peanut butter cups and a box of cereal.”
“I would have grabbed some soup too.” Luce slumped a bit in her seat, fighting the sudden over powering urge to pout. It still amazed her that she, a grown woman, used to facing countless CEO's, business tycoons and other powerful leaders of the world, could so easily be reduced to the sullen child she once was; easily cowed and chastised by her mother's soft spoken but still honest words.
Her mother touched her knee, chuckling at her taller daughter's familiar posture. “You will thank me later.”
Luce smiled at that and despite her annoyance at the ribbing, she did shoot her mother a look of gratitude. “Probably. Let's get this over with.”
* * *
Luce snagged a box off the shelf, glancing at it with a loud sigh; completely bored out of her mind. They'd decided on one that was relatively close to her condo to make dropping things off easier. However, it didn't take long for her mother to shoo her off with some rather choice words and a warning that if she showed her face again before her mother had reached the checkout, there would be dire consequences.
So she found herself wandering aimlessly around the store waiting for her mother to lift her exile and tell her they were finally finished. She'd been wandering up and down the aisle for almost 30 minutes now. And it didn't look like it was going to end any time soon.
Thankfully, they'd picked a store where there some other stuff for sale besides groceries; otherwise she might have gone completely insane inside of five minutes.
She put the box back and continued down the aisle only to find the end of it blocked by a familiar figure.
“Mac?” She gave him a surprised look.
“Donovan.” He gave her a small smile, stepping closer.
“What the hell are you doing here?” She couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice.
He gave her a blank face that didn't quite hide his chagrin.
His silence and the implications made her back stiffen. “You've been following me.” It wasn't a question.
He nodded.
“Why?” This time there was a flash of anger which nearly quenched the small surge of fear. The events from the night before were still too fresh in her mind and hard to ignore. Was he in on the whole thing? Had he been bought? Bribed? Was he there to finish what Jace had started?
A surge of adrenalin shot through her as questions ripped through her mind. And she felt herself coming up on the balls of her feet a bit as her body readied itself for an attack.
He noticed the change in her stance and held up his hands imploringly. “I just came here to apologize.”
That caught her off guard and she found herself starring at him stupidly. “Apologize?”
He nodded again. “Yes, apologize.”
“For what?” This time a hint of anger crept into her voice.
He took a deep breath. “Nearly getting you and Kylie killed..”
She went deadly still in front of him. Of all the people she thought might be responsible for what happened, she'd hoped Mac had nothing to do with it. And for a split second, she felt her heart breaking at the possibility of another betrayal by someone close to her. It was like Don letting the cartel into the company all over again.
And it hurt nearly as bad.
“I'm going to give you a chance to explain because I think you deserve it. But you'd better start talking fast; I don't have the patience I did a couple of days ago before someone tried to kill me by setting a house on fire with me in it.” Her voice was quiet and menacing; full of threat and violence if she didn't like what she heard.
He took a deep breath seemingly untouched by the sinister tone. “The night I showed you those pictures, the night this shit all started hitting the fan? I knew you were in over your head. So I started digging; called in a few favors and tried to find a way to get to Delgado before he got to you.”
“And you started watching me.” At his nod, she became more puzzled. “How did you avoid the feds?”
He just gave her a look.
She sighed. “Fine, you avoided the feds. But they ended up dead and you didn't. What happened?”
He sighed. “I got some intel that Delgado was holed up in another part of town. I thought it was good information so I acted on it. Thinking that if I had a chance to take him out away from the two of you, I could remove the threat with no one the wiser. And more importantly, without anyone getting hurt.” He gave another sigh.
Luce began to understand. “It was bogus, wasn't it?”
He nodded.
She swore viciously. “You know what this means, right?”
He nodded. “He had someone on the inside. Either that or someone turned traitor. Either way I fell for it. And you and Kylie nearly paid the price of that.”
She was quiet waiting for him to continue.
“When I realized what was going on, I raced back to Kylie's house but I was too late. The two of you were gone and the house was in flames. There wasn't anything I could do at that point so I figured my best bet was to track Delgado down. So I ran off to tie up the loose ends.”
Luce looked at him in silence for a long moment, wondering, her blue eyes like chips of ice. She'd been told by the feds that it'd looked like Delgado had been killed in a coup of some kind. That the most likely scenario had been his bodyguards turning on him before being killed themselves. Most likely by Jace before the assassin had fled. But what if it had just been made to look that way?
“Did you kill him?” She asked the question not completely sure she wanted the answer.
His eyes never faltered even as he shook his head. “I never got the chance; for either of them. But it looks like they didn't actually need my help with that.”
She gave a short nod, a moment of understanding passing between them. She wasn't going to pretend she was upset they were dead; she just couldn't lie to herself that badly. They were no longer a threat to either her, or the people she loved. Did it really matter how they ended up that way? No, and when all was said and done, they were safe and that was really all that mattered.
She sighed. “You do realize that even if you'd been there, you might not have been able to stop what happened?”
He shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not.”
“So why come here and apologize if you're not even sure it would have made a difference? To make this is all about you?”
He looked at her sharply, suddenly uncomfortable. “No.” The word came out sharper than he intended.
“Are you sure? Seems to me you're feeling awfully guilty about something completely out of your control.”
That pissed him off. “Dammit, Luce.”
She gave him a sharp look, a flare of temper flashing in her own eyes this time. “You told me these people were dangerous; you told me who they were and just what they were capable of. You tried to warn me off. Did it work?”
He silently shook his head.
She nodded. “No, it didn't. Because I had a job to do and I was damn well going to do it. I'm not stupid, Mac; I knew the risks when I kept pushing. I've faced this kind of thing before and always managed to get the bad guy and walk away. The only difference this time was that the people involved had more balls than brains.” She paused, thinking about Delgado's offer. “Well, that and I seemed to have acquired a fan.”
He looked at her puzzled. “A fan?”
She nodded. “Yeah. There was a reason Delgado left South America and came here and it wasn't just to confront me or punish me over tearing down his money laundering scheme. He came up here to try and recruit me.”
Mac's eyes widened alarmingly. “He offered you a job?”
“Yeah. Wanted me to be some kind of investigator for him; someone who could find out just what the hell his people were trying to pull over on him without being bought themselves. Between your bosses, the feds and him, I think everybody wanted a piece of me.”
He nearly choked at that.
She sighed loudly as she reached up to pound his back. Suddenly, she felt completely exhausted by the whole damn thing. “This has got to be, without a doubt, the strangest fucking week of my life.”
“You ain't kidding.” He managed to wheeze.
She gave him a brilliant smile. “On a brighter note; Kylie and I are getting married.”
He perked up at that. “Now that's good news.”
“Want to come to the wedding? It'll be crowded with all of Kylie's family but it'd be nice to have more people on my side than just my ex-boss and my mother.”
He nodded, smiling. “I'd like that. How's she doing? I heard she was hurt.”
“She's doing fine; all of it was minor. Why don't you stop by the hospital and see her? I'm sure she'd like some interference from her well meaning relatives.”
He hesitated for a moment giving her a searching look. “I think I'd like that.”
She told him what hospital and room. “Tell her my mother and I are almost done and should be back in about an hour or so, would you?” She remembered at the last minute about the cell phone and reached into her pocket. “Oh, and give her this too. It's her new phone.”
He took the phone from her. “Any other requests?” He asked dryly.
“Yeah, stay there until I get back so I can get all your info. I really appreciated your help on this, Mac.”
“You're good people, Donovan; even if you are a little nuts.”
“Isn't that a bonus in this day and age?”
He walked away chuckling.
Luce watched him go, a strange but thoughtful look on her face. Even after all the time they'd known each other, he was still quite a mystery to her. But she was suddenly very glad for his friendship.
She saw her mother a short distance off, pushing a full cart towards the checkout lanes. She gave a groan at the amount of food her mother had managed to pile into it. She made a beeline for the older woman, intercepting her just as she reached the lanes.
She reached out and grabbed the handles of the shopping cart, effectively taking control of it before her mother could get in line.
“You don't have to buy out the whole store, you know.” She glanced in the cart in annoyance trying to quickly decide what she could get her mother to part with.
Her mother tsked at her and shoved her hands away, taking charge of the cart once more. “I know your pantry very well, my wayward child. You do not have a single thing to cook with in it. Your only saving grace is that you like salt and pepper. But anything else that might be needed, you do not have. How is your darling fiance supposed to cook for either of you if she does not even have the basic supplies to do it with?” Her mother pushed the cart into line, patiently waiting her turn even as Luce seethed behind her.
“You make it sound like I'm some kind of freak or something.”
Her mother chuckled at the petulant tone coming from her offspring. “Hardly, my darling girl. But you are in fact far out of your realm of comfort or expertise the moment you walk into a kitchen. As I said before, you will thank me for this.” She began putting things on the belt to be scanned.
Luce looked at the growing pile and sighed loudly. She had to admit, Kylie's cooking was pretty amazing and she enjoyed her efforts very much. There was just something in her that rankled at her inability to know what was needed to get the job done and being forced to rely on someone else to figure it out for her.
All because she couldn't cook.
She sniffed at that annoying reminder. So, she couldn't cook. She couldn't make scrambled eggs, she could barely make toast and sometimes she wasn't exactly sure how to go about boiling water. Did that have to be such a horrible thing? She did have other skills after all; amazing, impressive even downright terrifying skills at times, but they were still skills. And all skills were useful; if you could just figure out how to bend them to the situation at hand.
She smiled at that. Yes, it might take a bit of time and tinkering, but the idea had some very distinct possibilities.
* * *
Luce sighed as her mother parked in the visitor's parking lot at the hospital. She looked up at the large medical complex and felt a great deal of her good spirits slowly deflate. They'd managed to get a great deal of things done; they'd finished grocery shopping and dropped everything off at Luce's place and even managed to send Kylie's new clothing out to be washed so it would be ready when she came home.
But none of that seemed to matter when she saw the stark building again. Somehow, it just made her feel as if they were starting from square one all over again; probably because she wasn't taking Kylie home yet.
She and her mother got out of the car and walked resolutely back into the building. Just one more day; then, this would all finally be over. And they could get down to putting it all behind them. One more day; she could do one more day.
They walked into Kylie's room a few moments later somewhat surprised to find it rather quiet with only a handful of people in it this time; none of them seemed to be part of the family. And Luce recognized both Mac and Marie standing near the bed quietly talking to everyone.
Kylie looked up at her as the door opened, tears in her eyes, practically bouncing on the bed. “Luce, honey, you're never gonna believe this. Michael, tell her.”
The young man nearest to Kylie's bed turned to her, a flirting grin on his face; a gesture so unassuming and natural Luce wondered if he even knew it was doing it.
“Loki is at my place.”
The words took a minute or two to sink in. She blinked and then looked at Kylie, a huge stupid grin on her face as she sank onto the bed. “What, how?”
“I live a couple of streets over from Kylie. We used to tease each other about carpooling into work.”
“Kind of hard to do when you don't have a car.” Kylie quipped. “He really means he used to joke about me just picking his sorry butt up every morning.”
Michael blushed a bit but went on. “Loki wandered into my yard a few years ago when Kylie first bought the house. He's been a regular visitor ever since. Yesterday, he showed up just like always, made himself at home and never left. He started doing that every once in awhile after you and Kylie started seeing each other. I figured he'd been left to his own devices and had gotten lonely. Although, with the way he tom's around the neighborhood, I'm surprised he ever feels lonely.”
The sly comment made everyone laugh, including Kylie who was still teary eyed. Luce reached out and put her arm around the other woman. “He's ok.”
Kylie smiled, blinking back tears. “He's ok. I don't what I'd have done if he'd been in the house when...” she trailed off, fresh tears coursing down her cheeks at the thought. She brushed them away angrily. “Sorry, being in here makes me a touch sensitive.”
Luce pulled her up tight against her side, resting her dark head against Kylie's and gave Michael a very grateful smile. “Thank you, Michael. I have a feeling that if he hadn't been with you, I would've ended up scouring the neighborhood for him tomorrow. You saved me a lot of walking.”
He smiled back. “I can keep him with me if you'd like. Until you get settled into wherever.” He frowned as he realized that Kylie didn't have a home at the moment.
Luce spoke up. “She'll be staying with me. And do that for a few days, would you? Until she gets settled in and I get a chance to tornado proof the house?”
Everyone laughed again and Kylie gave an aggrieved sigh. “Not sure you could ever really be ready for him.”
Luce smiled. “He is a bit of a handful.”
There was a bit of silence and then Molly spoke up. “And on that note, I think it's time we all go home.” There were a smattering of protests but she rolled right over them. “Come on, visiting hours are almost over and they've both had a really busy day. I think they might really like a chance to sleep; well, as much as you can sleep being in a hospital.”
Marie gave Kylie a firm pat on the shoulder. “You get some rest and heal up. We've got a handle on things until you get back on your feet.” She left, taking the rest of Kylie's employees with her; all of whom waved at the door.
“You've got my number, Donovan, if you need anything.” Mac gave her a two finger salute.
She nodded.
“Then I'll be in touch. You're going to need my address for the wedding invitation.” Then he walked out.
That left them alone with just Molly, Keith and Grace. It took a bit of shuffling as everyone wanted a hug before they left. But, just like that, in a few moments they were suddenly alone in the hospital room.
Luce looked at the door for a moment and then sighed loudly, rolling her head a bit to ease some of the tension in her neck.
Kylie patted her bed, inviting Luce to sit there so she could help massage out the cramps in the strong muscles of her shoulders.
Luce sighed again as Kylie's fingers worked their magic and the tension simply disappeared under her gentle touch.
“What a long day.” Kylie murmured as she ground her thumb into a particularly stubborn spot.
“Yeah, but better than the night before. She turned to face Kylie on the bed.
Kylie laughed dryly. “Yeah, it really could only get better from that.”
“Molly seemed to keep everyone in line rather well.”
Kylie nodded, a look of gratitude plain on her face. “I'm glad she was here; if it looked like it was getting overwhelming, she made everyone leave.”
“That's good.”
Kylie made a noncommittal sound, leaning back against the pillows. She looked tired and worn out. Luce hoped that she managed to rest a great deal more tomorrow than she had today.
Luce reached out and snagged Kylie's hand, staring avidly at the ring she'd placed on her finger such a short time ago. “What did everyone think of the ring?”
She snorted. “Believe it or not, I think seeing that on my finger really helped. It turned this whole thing from, 'we almost lost her!' to something more along the lines of, 'yay, a wedding!' kind of thing. It really turned down the morbid aspect of it all.”
“Well, looks like you popping the question worked out better than we expected.”
“That wasn't really why I did it.”
Luce dropped her hand and eased up onto the bed, snuggling in next to her so that her head was resting on Kylie's chest and she could listen to her breathing and heartbeat. “You and I both know that, and maybe they all do to, but it doesn't really matter; anything that could turn this almost tragedy into something positive would make it all easier to deal with. It's the same reason doctors and police officers end up with such morbid senses of humor; they have to do something to cut the violent and ugly natures of their jobs. Laughter, no matter how misplaced it might seem, is quite healthy.”
“True, but it's just weird.”
“hmmm.” Luce found herself slowly stroking the pattern on Kylie's hospital gown and realized that maybe Kylie wasn't the only one that hadn't gotten enough rest. “So, Jerry called.”
Kylie reached up to stroke Luce's hair, enjoying the feel of the gentle caress. “Not bad news again I hope.”
She shook her head. “No, he heard what happened and spent all morning looking for me.”
“How'd he find out what happened?”
She thought about their conversation and realized he'd never said. She gave a shrug. In the end it really didn't matter how he'd found out; all that really mattered is that he'd called her when he did. “I'm not sure; maybe Agent Jenkins called him looking for me.”
This time Kylie shrugged. “It's as good an explanation as any.”
Luce looked thoughtful for a moment. “I'm really glad he did; gave me the guts to finally quit.”
Kylie's eyes widened; she'd been expecting it but maybe in not such a dramatic fashion. “You did?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I told him I was done. He wasn't really that surprised. The last couple of years haven't been that great for me working for him and I think he knew it. I think he was expecting me to walk out long before this happened.”
“Was he upset?”
She shook her head. “I don't think so. But then the whole conversation was a bit odd.” She couldn't help but think back on the company wide e-mail he'd sent out saying she was alright.
“How?”
“I've known him for years and we've never really seemed to have much of a relationship beyond a professional one. But when I finally answered this morning, he was almost frantic. He even sent out a corporate wide email letting everyone know I wasn't hurt.”
“Maybe he saw you as more than just simply an employee.”
“Maybe. Probably; he did say he wanted an invite to the wedding when I told him we were getting married.” Luce snorted. “Bastard won $20 from his wife betting on that one.”
“See?”
Luce laughed. “OK, fine. You win.”
Kylie smiled and then gave a jaw cracking yawn, the unconscious gesture nearly bringing tears to her eyes.
Luce sat up a bit to help the shorter woman get comfortable. “I think, this day's been long enough. How about we curl up together again and see if we can't shock the nurses?”
Kylie laughed softly as she lay back in the bed, snuggling down for the night. “I'm all for that. At least this time we don't have to worry about waking up in a roomful of relatives again.”
“True.”
They managed to rearrange themselves into nearly the same fashion as the night before; Luce lying on the bed with Kylie draped across her, a light blanket thrown over them both.
Once they were as comfortable as the tiny bed would allow, Kylie heaved a huge sigh and almost immediately began falling asleep. Luce reached up to touch her face gently as she drifted off, whispering to her as she fell asleep. “Sleep well, love. I'll be right here with you.”
And this time, there were no dreams for either of them.
* * *
Kylie woke up first, suddenly and easily. She simply took a deep breath and opened her eyes to see the sun streaming in the window and feel the slow steady beat of Luce's heart in her ear. It was a strange contrast of sensations and it made her sit up a bit.
She looked down at Luce still asleep on the bed and smiled. The taller woman was oblivious to the attention; she never even reacted when Kylie leaned in and brushed a soft kiss over her forehead. She smiled softly to herself as she drew back, looking lovingly into the face that was still, as of yet, unaware of the attention.
Kylie's eyes narrowed as something on Luce's face caught her eye and she looked closer. There, across her fiance's nose, nearly hidden beneath the dark tan of her skin, was the lightest dusting of freckles. She chuckled a bit, surprised that she'd never noticed them before. And chuckled again when she realized just how strange it was to be staring at Luce's freckles and feeling so damned giddy.
But after the last couple of days, she had every right to be giddy; a little manic even. They'd gone through something truly horrible and come out the other side not only unhurt but stronger and more committed to each other than before. Of all the outcomes she might have expected for the situation, that hadn't been one of them.
So maybe, she would take a moment and enjoy the frivolous and unexpected joy of finding a faint dusting of freckles on her lover's nose. She'd more than earned the right to that.
She sat up a bit more, propping herself up on her arm as she felt Luce stir. Unable to look away, she watched as those intense blue eyes popped open and focused their gaze on her. Recognition came quickly and Luce shifted to the side a bit to allow Kylie to lay back down across her chest.
“You're up early.”
Kylie sighed and snuggled in close. “Not really sure why either; you'd think after yesterday we'd be so dead tired. But I feel like I could run a marathon.”
Luce chuckled. “If we were home, I could help you burn off all that extra nervous energy.” She tightened her hold and let her lips brush Kylie's ear.
The shorter woman shivered unable to resist the pleasure of even that simple caress. “If we were anywhere but here, I'd be putty in your hands.”
Luce blew in her gently, her voice lowering a bit. “Who says being here is going to save you?”
Kylie shivered at her lover's voice vibrating through her. It made things tighten and tingle and she drew in a sharp breath. “I'm not sure this is a good idea.”
There was a warm chuckle in her ear. “Didn't you say something about shocking the nurses?” This time she nibbled on the nearby ear relishing in the soft moan that came from the woman in her arms.
Kylie tried to shake off the fog she was slowly sinking into, her brain scrambling for solid ground even as she felt herself falling further under the wave of pleasure Luce was building in her. “No, I think that was you.” Another nibble and another gasp, this time louder as Kylie shivered.
Luce hummed softly as she worked, letting her hands begin wandering. “Well, whoever said it had the right idea.” She reached the edge of the sheet, drifting down as she searched for the bottom edge of Kylie's hospital gown. When she found it, she pulled it up slowly, teasingly, working it up until Kylie's thighs were bare.
Kylie shivered. “If you touch me now, I'll go off like a bottle rocket.” She whispered.
Another chuckle as Luce continued teasing but moved no higher. “You say that like it's a bad thing.” Then, she let her hand slide up just a touch further.
Kylie jerked. “Luce.” She sighed.
Luce reached down, kissing her softly. “Let me, love. I need to touch you; need to do this. Just let go; I've got you.” And then, she slid her hand the last bit and pushed the panties aside with deft fingers before sliding them home.
Kylie bit her lip, writhing in Luce's arms. It felt so good it almost brought tears to her eyes. For a single panicked moment, she was terrified that someone might walk in on them. But it was washed away by a wave of pleasure that nearly made her faint. She realized she needed this too; badly. So she stopped fighting and dragged Luce closer, kissing her with an almost feral intensity as the fingers between her legs picked up speed.
True to her word, it didn't take long. The climax was on her in a heartbeat; a hard, sharp pleasure that bowed her spine and nearly made her scream. When it was over, she lay in a gray fog on the bed, unable to move or even think. And all she could feel was Luce's arms around her, holding her close, keeping her safe.
“I take it from your oh so eloquent silence that it was pretty good.”
Kylie felt her brain cells trying to restart. “Pretty good? That nearly killed me. Just give me a few minutes and I'll return the favor.”
Luce chuckled, shaking her head. I think we're about to be interrupted by a well meaning nurse. Rain check?”
Kylie nodded still feeling a bit shaky. “It's a deal. Let's hope they don't expect me to be completely coherent for a few minutes.”
“Did you want some coffee?” Luce asked just as the door opened.
Kylie nodded. “That would be heaven at the moment.”
Luce carefully untangled herself and reached for her bag of clothes as the morning nurse greeted them both. “I'll clean up and bring back some breakfast too.”
Kylie, still looking a bit glassy eyed, just nodded.
Luce ducked out the door heading for the showers, a strange sense of deja vu hitting her as she went through her morning ritual. Once she was finished cleaning up, she headed back down the hall in search of breakfast for Kylie. She half expected a passing nurse to tell her that Agent Jenkins was looking for her again. It was a bit of a strange start to her morning.
She wrangled some food from the cafeteria, including some coffee and headed back up to Kylie's room in a short time; thankful that the lines weren't long and the food was fresh. Getting off the elevator, she made a beeline for Kylie's room, pushing the half open door with her foot.
It swung open to reveal Kylie wasn't alone. It seemed that Keith and her mother had come back to keep Kylie company.
Setting her burden down on the bedside table, Luce handed Kylie a steaming cup of coffee. The smaller woman gave it a long sniff, a small smile on her face. “This smells like heaven.”
“It was a fresh pot.” Luce told her as she gave her mother a hug. “Did you get any sleep, Ina ?”
Her mother shrugged. “Some. Yesterday still has me tied up in knots. How about you; did you sleep, lighteyes?”
Luce nodded, surprised at how good she felt at the moment considering she'd spent the night in a rather cramped bed. “I'm surprised to see you both here so early. Where's Molly?”
“She had to work. Something too big to call in for today, I think. So, I decided since the boys are in daycare and my job is a bit more flexible about sick days, I'd call in and come spend the day tormenting my sister-in-law.”
Kylie threw a wadded up tissue at him which he promptly caught and threw back.
Luce laughed. “Well, this will work out great since I need to see about getting us a car until we find out whether or not either of ours were damaged.”
Kylie sobered a bit at that. “Damn, I forgot about the car. The garage was set back from the house; maybe I'll get lucky and not have to buy a new car too on top of everything else.”
“Here's hoping. At least you'll have some company today while I run by the house and see if either of our cars are still there.” She turned to her mother. “Would you mind running me around again today? That's really the only place I have to go.”
Grace shook her head. “No, in fact I would feel a great deal better knowing that you can leave if you wish even if none of us are here.”
“Perfect.” She snagged a breakfast sandwich and the second cup of coffee before leaning over to give Kylie a kiss goodbye. “We'll be back. Text me if you guys need anything.”
“I shouldn't, but the bottomless pit here could probably use a pizza with the works if it's getting to be near lunch time by the time you head back.”
Luce laughed as she headed for the door. “I'll see what I can do.” Then she left followed closely by her mother.
* * *
Luce looked out the window in shock as Kylie's house came into view. She'd been too busy the other night saving their lives to pay attention to how bad the fire had really been. She'd just assumed that Jace had set it to go off in the living room; it was the room they'd been left in after all. So it made sense that the blaze had been a near inferno in the short time she'd been unconscious.
It just hadn't registered that the fire could grow so out of control so quickly; even with the quick response of the fire department. It hadn't burned down but even Luce's untrained eye could see that it was likely a complete loss. There was just no way to easily repair that much damage done by flame and water and soot.
Part of her was glad of that; she wasn't really sure she could bring herself to go back into the old house after what had happened. And she was pretty sure Kylie felt the same. Tearing it down and rebuilding it would help with that.
Her mother parked the car, her motions so very careful and precise. And Luce knew the older woman was nearly as shocked by the sight of the house as she was.
“Oh, lighteyes.” Grace stared at the house feeling her chest tighten. Luce reached out to take her hand. Grace took a deep breath trying to shove the pain and fear aside. “It is just hard to see that this is what the two of you lived through.”
:Luce nodded. “I know, Ina . It was hard enough living it. I had no idea how bad it would look.” Luce glanced at the driveway and gave a pained sigh at the sight of her car. It was covered in a combination of soot and small pieces of debris; but she couldn't tell if it was actually damaged at all or not.
She glanced at Grace. “I don't think my car is going to be driveable.”
Her mother looked at it parked in the driveway and tsked. “No, it does not look like it. But it looks as if the garage may have managed to escape intact.”
Luce looked at the building and gave a nod. “I'm going to go look and see if Kylie's car is in one piece. If it is, I can have mine towed away to be looked at and we can use hers to get around until mine can be fixed.”
Grace nodded. “That is a good idea.” She opened the door and followed her taller daughter across the lawn.
Luce walked resolutely towards her car and the garage just behind it doing her best to ignore the burnt out hulk of the house looming over her as she crossed the lawn. It wasn't easy; she could still see it out of the corner of her eye and each step that brought her closer to it also brought back the jarring memories of that night.
She took a deep breath, gritting her teeth and pressed on, refusing to let it get to her. She would get this done and get back to Kylie and they would work on putting it behind them. She had no intention of letting it win.
As she got closer to her car, she was glad to see that there wasn't any major damage on it any where; just the debris and soot coating it for the most part. The only damage she could actually see was where the paint had melted and rippled a bit from the heat of the fire burning so close to it.
She pulled out her phone, looking up a number and dialing quickly. It didn't really matter if all of it was cosmetic. She was going to have it towed in to be checked anyway; no telling what that kind of heat might have done to any of the major components inside of it.
It only took a few minutes to arrange for a tow truck to get it to a nearby shop where she could have the work done. And she offered the driver a rather substantial tip if he managed to get there within the next 20 minutes. She had no intention of staying there a moment longer than she had to.
Even with her mother's bolstering presence, the oppressive feel of the place was pushing at her; scraping already raw nerves like sand paper over an open wound. And she wasn't really sure how long she could take it before she snapped. She had no desire for anyone to see that; most especially her mother.
To pass the time, Luce went into the garage and inspected Kylie's car and was pleased to discover that the garage had only superficial damage on the outside of it. And it had done a superb job of protecting Kylie's car from both the fire and the efforts of the firefighters to put it out. Even more importantly, Kylie's spare key hadn't been disturbed either.
The icing on the cake came when the tow truck driver pulled up just as she found it right where Kylie texted her it should be.
She made the arrangements with the driver for her car and made sure he was also paid the outrageoulsy generous tip she'd promised before gladly seeing him off. Then, she was left alone with Kylie's car and her mother once more.
Luce swore slightly as she looked at the clock on her cell phone. “I'm going to take a slight detour on the way back; you don't have to follow me if you don't want to.” She began punching at the device in her hands in agitation; as if it were to blame for how long things had taken.
Her mother smiled knowingly; she'd seen the time getting away from them as they waited and was no fool. “I will head back; it will give me time to clear my head a bit. And I would like mushrooms on mine.”
Luce chuckled as he mother drove away and she dialed the number for a nearby pizza place to pick up the lunch Keith had suggested before they'd left. The niggling memory of the last time she'd eaten pizza with Molly and the kids saved her as she remembered to order a plain cheese pizza for Keith.
* * *
“Want another slice?” Luce asked Kylie waving the nearly empty pizza box at her.
Kylie groaned, holding up her hands in surrender. “No more, I'm stuffed.”
“Wow, only took six slices; you're slipping!” Keith crowed from his chair on the other side of Kylie's bed.
Kylie shot him a dirty look. But Molly jumped in before the fireworks could really start between them.
“Enough, you two.” She gave Luce a rather resigned look. “I swear some days it's like having two more kids.”
Luce and Grace laughed while Kylie and Keith shot their relative dirty looks.
Grace crumpled up her napkin giving a huge sigh as she stood. “Now that you two seem to be in good hands and have transportation once more, I believe I will go home and get some rest.” She gave Luce a quick hug before moving to the bed to give Kylie the same. “Please call me or text me once you are settled. I will gladly come over to cook a bit for the two of you until you get back on your feet again.”
Kylie nodded. “I'd like that.” And she meant it. She liked Luce's mother, quite a bit actually and was really looking forward to the opportunity to get to know her a bit more.
Grace gave Keith and Molly a hug as well and then left the room, stifling a yawn as she did so. The last couple of days had been nearly as hard on her as it had been on the rest of them.
Keith and Molly stood as well. Molly gave her sister a hard hug and a kiss on the forehead. “We should go to; someone has to spring the babysitter from your nephews.”
“Sometimes I don't think you pay that girl enough.” Kylie said chuckling.
Molly laughed. “Some days I'm sure she doesn't think so either. Let's hope today isn't one of those days.”
Keith leaned over and gave Kylie a gentle noogie before leaning in to give her a quick kiss. “No more burning buildings for awhile, Spastic Shrimp.”
Kylie slugged his arm back.
With a quick hug for Luce, they were gone and out the door leaving Kylie and Luce in a suddenly silent and empty room.
Luce settled next to Kylie. “No more visitors today?”
Kylie shook her head. “No, Molly told everyone we needed a break and threatened anyone who so much as looked in our general direction. We've got the whole day to ourselves.”
Luce smiled. “I'm glad to hear that. Now, if only we were home, I could strip you out of those clothes and bundle you up on the couch with the remote and a stack of stupid DVD's to pass the time.”
Kylie laughed. “That's not where I was expecting you to go with that when you started with getting me naked.”
Luce shrugged. “As much as I enjoyed this morning, neither of us is up for it. You're exhausted, love. We both know you'd love nothing more than a nap right now.”
Kylie started shaking her head and then after a moment just shrugged. There was no use denying it; she felt beat up and run down. And with no one there but Luce, she didn't feel the need to put up a front to cover up what she was really feeling. So she didn't bother to hide what she was really feeling and let herself feel the fatigue that had been slowly building since she'd woken up that morning.
“You'll stay with me?” Her voice was quiet, even unsure.
Luce reached out and took her hand. “I'll be right here, love. Get some sleep.”
Kylie's eyes drifted shut in a heartbeat, her breathing evening out as in just a few moments, she fell asleep. Next to her, Luce gave a relieved sigh and turned the TV on low and began channel surfing.
* * *
“Evening, ladies.” Nurse Kendra came in to the strangely silent room to take Kylie's vitals. “I see your lovely family has gone.”
Kylie nodded. “Yeah; my nephews must be chomping at the bit by now.”
There was a knowing smile on Kendra's face. “How old are they?”
“Two and four.” Kylie's tone was stuck somewhere between pride and resignation.
Her nurse laughed. “Love that age. Although a bit hard on the hair and the heart with boys.”
Kylie chuckled ruefully. “Yeah. They can be obnoxious. But at least we're still bigger than them and can make them do what we want.” She looked over at Luce sitting silently next to her, giving her a rueful look. “Now if I could only get my fiance to go home and get some sleep.”
Her ring had been hard to miss; especially given it's sudden appearance the day before. Thankfully only a couple were taken off guard when they asked about it. Those two hadn't come back after that discovery. But of the ones that did, they were all civil and treated the whole thing as no big deal. A few had even given them both hearty congratulations when Kylie willingly showed it off. Kendra, had even asked after Luce; which in Kylie's mind earned her a few points.
She chuckled as she finished Kylie's readings. “People can be stubborn when it comes to taking care of the people they love.” She winked at Luce to take the out some of the sting of her tone.
Kylie gave a noncommital sound. “Hmmm. Well, maybe you can talk some sense into her.”
That made Kendra laugh. “Honey, I can't budge my husband when he's being this damn stubborn. What makes you think I can budge your lovely fiance?”
Kylie shrugged. “You have the weight of authority behind you?”
That made the nurse laugh even harder. “And by the look on her face, I can tell you exactly what she thinks I can do with that 'authority'.” She even made quotation marks in the air. Then, she gave Luce a friendly pat on the shoulder before she walked out the door.
Luce watched her walk out and then turned to look at Kylie, a serious, pointed look on her face as she silently asked what that exchange had really been about.
She shrugged. “I figured if I couldn't talk you into going home, maybe she could.”
Luce gave a soft snort. “She's right, you are crazy.”
“Luce, please, honey. You are exhausted; more than I am since you've been running around like crazy trying to take care of things for us. You need sleep, in a real bed that you don't have to fight for space in.”
Luce thought about it for a moment and then sighed. “I just really don't like leaving you alone like this.”
Not wanting to lose ground, she pushed harder. “Sweetie, I'm in a hospital bed surrounded by nurses with a phone and a computer hooked up to the internet; how alone can I really be?”
Another sigh and then silence.
And just like that Kylie knew she had her right on the verge of giving in. So she used her final trump card; poking hard at her fiance's rather large chivalrous streak. “Just think, you can pick up breakfast on the way here and bring it to me, nice and hot. Oooo, maybe some thick french toast with lots of butter and syrup and some sausage.” Her eyes glazed over a bit at the thought.
That did it and Luce laughed. “Hold on before you make yourself start drooling.”
“Does that mean you'll go home?”
Luce sighed a third time. “Yeah, I'll go home.”
Kylie clasped her hands to her chest dramatically. “Thank you!”
Luce was not amused. “You're sure you'll be ok?”
Kylie nodded.
Luce wasn't able to easily walk out the door. “You'll text me if you need anything? No matter the time?”
Another nod and this time, Kylie pointed firmly at the door.
The taller woman stood up. “Fine, I'm going.” She leaned over, giving Kylie a gentle kiss. “I'll be back first thing in the morning to get you.” Her voice was gentle and her eyes were searching as she pulled back.
Kylie reached up to touch her face. “I'll be here. Now go get some sleep, love.”
And Luce did as she was told.
* * *
The elevator doors slid open slowly as Luce resisted the urge to yawn, again. Her jaw ached with the effort of holding it in. It seemed she'd been doing way too much of that in the last couple of hours. It was early; really, really early. Or, in her case, really, really late considering she hadn't really managed to sleep at all.
Kylie's insistence that she go home to get a good night's rest had been completely in vain. Because no matter what she'd done last night, she just hadn't been able to relax enough to fall asleep. The few moments she'd snatched here and there in the first few hours of the night had been filled with dark and terrifying dreams that had jerked her awake shaking and nearly crying. She'd given up trying somewhere around 2 am.
Instead, she'd puttered around the condo trying to keep busy enough to hold the fatigue at bay until she could drag herself back to the hospital and collect Kylie. She'd run out of things to do quickly and a marathon of TV watching had only worn her out even more. So that by the time she'd gotten dressed and left the condo to grab some coffee and breakfast, she'd been teetering on the edge of sheer exhaustion. She still wasn't entirely sure how she'd managed to make it to the hospital in one piece.
Luce reached Kylie's room and opened the door quietly hoping not to wake her fiance from her much needed sleep. Only to find Kylie was sitting up in bed, watching the TV with a light on next to the bed.
She looked up in surprise as Luce came through the door. “I wasn't expecting you until later.”
Luce set the coffee and food down and leaned over to give her a kiss good morning. “I just felt like coming in early.”
She smiled. “Couldn't sleep?”
A pause, blue eyes searching green and then a shake of Luce's dark head.
She sighed. “Neither could I. Seems like my idea of sending you home backfired for both of us. Bad dreams?”
Again Luce nodded. “You?” She nodded. Luce sighed. “You should have called me, I'd have come back.”
A shrug from the shorter woman. “I was afraid to bother you. I was hoping you were asleep since I wasn't. I figured only one of us should be miserable.”
Luce snorted. “Well, now that we've established we were both monumental idiots, lets get something to eat and see if we can't manage a nap before they kick you out of here.”
So they tucked into the food and coffee that Luce had brought, french toast and sausage just as Kylie had hoped. And then, after they'd eaten and their eyes lids had started to feel like lead curtains about to fall any second, they curled up in Kylie's small hospital bed once more to get some much needed rest.
As Luce lay there with Kylie across her chest breathing softly, feeling the other woman so relaxed against her, all she could think was this felt like coming home.
* * *
There was a soft knock on the door and then one of the morning shift nurses, a very pleasant young lady very aptly named Joy, stuck her head in. “Good news, the doc is letting you go.”
Kylie smiled. “No, that's great news!”
Luce laughed. “How long until her paperwork is ready?”
The nurse shrugged. “A few minutes. Enough time to get you dressed and have an orderly wheel you downstairs.”
“Perfect, I can go get the car after I get her dressed.”
Joy gave a nod and then slipped back out the door.
Luce grabbed the bag of clothing fighting the urge to start dancing at the news; it seemed like they'd spent a month or more in the hospital, not just a few days and she was more than anxious to get them both home and tucked back into bed. The nap they'd managed had been short and helped a great deal but she wouldn't be at all opposed to spending the next few days being complete and utter couch potatoes.
Getting her fiance dressed took some shuffling and a lot of giggling, but in the end, Kylie ended up in a nice pair of jeans, a new soft t-shirt of a wonderful jade green. Luce was putting a shoe on Kylie's uninjured leg when Kylie's phone went off.
Kylie checked the screen and then swore softly.
“What is it?” Luce finished tying the shoe and then quickly slid a sock onto the injured leg so Kylie's foot would at least stay warm on the journey home.
“It's Molly; she says she's here to help get me home. She's parking the car and she's not alone. A bunch of the family is with her.” She groaned at the phone. “Couldn't they give me just a day?”
Luce gave her leg a soft pat. “I'll take care of it.”
Kylie gave her a look of sheer gratitude. “I know they mean well but I'd really just like a day to catch my breath and my balance. We need that.”
The taller woman nodded, helping Kylie settle back onto the bed with her leg propped up so she would be comfortable until the orderly came with the wheelchair. “I'll tell them that. I promise, you won't see any of them today.” She blew Kylie a kiss as she left the room.
She caught them at the elevator, the happy bunch talking and laughing as the doors opened to Luce's glowering and rather intimidating face. “And what exactly are all of you doing here?” She spoke in her lowest tone, the sound of it rolling though the small elevator like a thunderhead.
Everyone froze. Then Molly gave herself a bit of mental shake and gave Luce a glare of her own. “We came to help you get Kylie home. She is after all our sister.” She took a step forward trying to just brush past the taller woman.
Luce's arm shot up, baring the way. “And she's my fiance and I'm pulling rank.” This time the growl in her voice was more pronounced. “She wants some peace and quiet today so that means that all of you can just turn your happy asses around and go home. I can handle getting her out of here.”
There were a couple of annoyed murmurs at that which died when Luce focused her fierce glare on the offenders.
Mollie tried again. “Luce...”
But Luce shut her down. Mollie, you're pregnant so I'll give you a pass this time. But you're not getting out of this elevator.” She stared down at the other woman, letting her rather strong personality have free reign as she did so. Normally, that was more than enough to crack the wills of some of the strongest people she knew. In a matter of seconds, they all caved, giving into whatever demands she might make of them.
This time was no different. After a few seconds, Mollie looked down. “Damn, you are pretty scary, do you know that?”
Luce smiled. “I'm paid to be.” She looked up at the rest of the people in the elevator. “As for the rest of you, go home. Kylie will call you when she's ready for visitors.”
“And if we don't?” Someone spoke up from the back.
Luce gave them a wolfish smile; something she knew from experience wasn't very pleasant. “I could say I'd gladly kick all your asses out of the building. But we all know that wouldn't be much of a threat; neither you or I would enjoy it and it'd piss Kylie off to no end. Something no one here wants.
“So how about this instead. If any of you set foot in this hospital again, or even so much as show your face in the parking lots, Kylie finds out about this little fiasco and we sit down together to plan her revenge.” There was dead silence in the elevator. Her smiled widened. “Need I remind you just how devious she can be on her own? Keith? Connor? Do you really want to see what she could get the neighborhood kids to do to either of you for say, $50 a piece? $100? Or maybe you boys would like a repeat of the dog and the hose? Or better yet, how bout your own special clown, hired on your birthday?”
There was enough of a threat in her words that no one in the elevator questioned her. She nodded seemingly happy with the lack of response. “Glad we got that settled. I'll give her your love and have her call you all when we're settled.” With those parting words, she reached into the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. As the doors slid shut, Mollie gave her a wink and unobtrusive thumbs up. But she didn't completely relax until the elevator began descending, taking Kylie's rather endearingly intrusive family with it.
Then, with a sigh, she turned back around and headed back to Kylie's room. She arrived just in time as the orderly was helping her into the wheelchair.
Kylie looked up as she walked in. “That was fast.” She settled the bag of her things on her lap as the orderly began pushing her out of the room.
Luce snagged the new laptop and followed them out. “I ran into them just as they were about to get off the elevator.”
“How'd you get them to leave?” Kylie asked.
Luce smiled. “I tried pulling rank and when that didn't work, I threatened them.”
Kylie gave her a shocked look. “Threatened them?”
She nodded. “Yep; told them all that if they didn't turn around and go home, you and I would sit down together and plan our revenge. And I'd be willing to pay more than double what you paid the neighbor kids the last time. After that, they couldn't leave fast enough.”
Kylie laughed at the image. “I wish I could have seen the looks on their faces.”
“I'm sure you'll hear all about it later from Mollie. Although, she seemed a little impressed that I handled it so well. Gave me a thumbs up. Must be weird pregnancy hormones.”
Kylie laughed harder. “Well, whatever the cause, I'm really glad they like you.”
“So am I; having the Rogers clan dislike you might be more dangerous than being on drug cartel's hit list.”
That made them both laugh. Kylie reached and grabbed Luce's hand as they got into the elevator. “Take me home, honey.”
Luce smiled, all the love she felt for her rising up inside like a giant wave, pushing aside the doubt and fear leaving only joy in its wake. And she knew Kylie felt the same way, a sparkle in the other woman's eyes that she knew mirrored her own. She gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Gladly.”
The End