Chapter Twenty Three

 Around two o’clock, I kissed Jay lightly on the nose.  Then lightly on the lips.  Then hard on the lips.  “Mmm...” he said, stirring awake.

 “It’s two,” I whispered softly.  “I didn’t want you to be late.”

 He took a breath in to get his blood flowing.  I marveled at myself for not being insecure, wondering if he’d think he’d made a mistake.  You trust him completely.  He sat up slowly, leisurely.  “If I weren’t naked in your bed, I’d think I just had the best dream I ever will.”

 I actually giggled.  “Can I make you anything?”

 “I’m starving, actually.”  He pulled his boxers on, then stood and stretched a few different ways.  “Damn, I haven’t felt this limber in a long time.”  He smiled at me lazily.  “I think you just made me age backwards about ten years.”

 “Stop,” I laughed.  “What would you like to eat?”

 He shrugged, and I could tell he felt like he was imposing.  “Anything.  I’ll love it.  But out of affection for my patients, I am going to shower first.”

 “Jay, I want to make you something, and I want you to enjoy it.  What would you like?”

 “Eggs and bacon,” he admitted.

 “Okay, then.  Enjoy your shower.”

 I heard the water start as I started cooking.  I added a bit of pepper to the bacon, and when that was done I made him eggs with provolone, cheddar, and a dash of salsa.

 I timed it perfectly.  When he came from his room dressed for work his food was on the table, still steaming.  “That smells awesome,” he said with an easy grin that made me feel truly appreciated.  “These are great!  What did you put in the eggs this time?” he asked after the first bite.

 “Salsa.”

 “Good idea...” he said.  “Thanks for letting me nap in your bed,” he added as he continued eating.

 “Jay,” I said, my voice involuntarily dropping a couple notes.  “How could I kick you out of bed after you made such beautiful love to me?”

 He swallowed hard, though he didn’t have a mouthful of food.  After hesitating he asked, “Is that...  What it was for you?” he asked in amazement.

 “I hope it was for you too...”

 “I said everything I felt, nothing else.  You know it was.”

 I sat and pulled my chair up to his, leaned in and kissed him.  “I’m glad,” I whispered.  “Why would you think it was anything less for me, then?”

 He smiled shyly.  “I told you, the last time I was in bed with a girl she got bored with me.”

 I put my hands on his face and pulled him to me for another kiss.  “Then that’s just my good fortune.”

 “Not just yours,” he said, returning my smile and kiss.  He looked at the clock and sighed.  “I have to go in five minutes ago.”

 “See you tonight?”

 “If I don’t get caught late.”

 “I’ll wait up,” I said with a final pat on the thigh, and got up to take care of his plate.

 We kissed once more, and out the door he went.

----

 Time moved at a crawl, until Madison got home.  Taking her to the park with Mariah and watching a movie with her passed the evening well enough, until she went to bed.  Then I didn’t feel like I could do anything but wait for Jay to get home.

 In spite of all he’d said and everything I’d felt, I couldn’t help wondering if it had all been a dream, or if I had read too much into all of the sweet words he’d given me.  How could he really be that attracted to me?  Isn’t it more likely he was such a sweet-talker because...  He’s a man with needs?  How could some men despise my body so, while he seemed almost reverent in his touchings?

 As a test, I decided to try one of the oldest tricks in the book.  To my relief, Jay wasn’t late coming home.  He entered the hallway to our rooms to find me leaning against my door frame in a loosely tied bathrobe that revealed the inside of my breast.

 Jay was many things, but a master of deception was not one of them, I knew.  The moment his gaze landed on me, he stopped in his tracks and his eyes told me just what he was thinking.  My doubts from earlier vanished immediately.  “How was work?” I asked.

 “Interesting...” he said.  He came down the hall and tossed his bag on his floor.  I moved to embrace him, but he stopped me by grabbing my shoulders.  Before I could ask what was wrong, he leaned in and kissed me deeply.  “I need to shower and change.”

 “One of those days?”

 He nodded.  “There’s some gross stuff in these scrubs.”

 I did notice a strange smell on him.  “Can I draw you a bath?”

 “That would...  Be heavenly,” he said with one of those appreciative looks that caused an actual flutter in my chest.

 He took his scrub top off and went to grab a quick bite in the kitchen, and I started the water running.  “Mind some company?” I asked when he came in.

 “I would love your company,” he said.  He stripped shamelessly and sank into the water with a long sigh.  “Mmm...  You have the best ideas.  A hot bath didn’t even occur to me.”  He rested his head against the wall, his eyes closed in relaxation.

 I picked up a washcloth.  “I’ll wash your back, if you like.”

 He opened an eye to regard me quizzically.  “Alright, what’s going on?”

 “What?” I laughed.

 “You’re being super nice to me.  What’s up?”

 “What’s ‘up’ is, you’re underestimating the effect of making a woman feel beautiful.  And I want to wash your back, if you’d enjoy it.”

 With a silent smile he answered by sitting forward and hugging his knees.  I sat on the edge of the tub, and started gently running the cloth across his back as I admired the lines of his muscles.  I noted with satisfaction his breathing started to slow as my ministrations relaxed him.  “If I’m underestimating anything, it’s myself, I guess.  I really had that effect on you?  I made you feel...  Beautiful?”

 “Of course you did.  What did you think?”

 “It’s just weird to hear you say that.”

 “Why?” I asked in amused curiosity.

 “Well, I wished it.  I was actually thinking to myself the whole time, or at least a lot of it, ‘If just one thing comes of this, please let her know how beautiful she really is.’  I don’t know what I was appealing to, but...  I guess it listened.”

 My movements paused in surprise.  “You were thinking that?  Why?”  I started washing him again.

 He chuckled softly.  “Because...  I want you to know how beautiful you are?”

 I shook my head, wishing I could understand better.  “My arm’s getting tired,” I admitted.

 “Thank you, so much,” he said, and leaned back again.

 I sat on the lid of the toilet, openly admiring his body since his eyes were closed again.  “So what was so interesting about work?”

 He gave another lazy laugh.  “Well, I was grinning like a fool, and just shy of skipping through the halls.  Beth knew what was up immediately, and I can’t tell you how it annoyed Alyce.”  With another laugh he added, “Yes I can.  She glared at me and didn’t say a word unless she was coldly informing me there was a patient.  The fact that I was only too happy to take every one of them while she sat on her a*s just about drove her up the wall.”

 “I thought you were on your own at night.”

 “There’s an hour that they’re still there.”

 “Oh, right.  Did Beth say anything?”

 “Heh.  All she needed to.  We were both busy, but as she passed me once she just said ‘It’s about time,’ and punched me really hard in the arm.”

 “Sara predicted it too,” I said.

 “How’s that?”

 I shrugged.  “I don’t know, little signs and everything.”

 After some silence he said, “The night wore on like any other, until around nine this lady who I’ve been seeing bring her father in came again with him.  It really put me in an off mood.”

 “Why?”

 He gathered his thoughts with a deep breath in.  “It’s one of those things that makes me wonder if medical technology has gone too far.  I look at this guy and...  I think he’s trying to die.  His body is, rather.  Yet every time it starts shutting down, she brings him to the hospital and we bring him back.  It’s unnatural.  This guy was staring into the void, Laura.  I looked into his eyes and could only imagine what he was seeing.  I could tell he was suffering, and has been.  He was sweating so bad it was like he was covered in vegetable oil.  I got soaked trying to get the image plate behind him.  She’s just not ready to let him go, and it’s costing him.  How terrible it must be...  To be in a body that’s dying but is being kept alive by artificial means.  We have machines to make you breathe, make your heart beat, filter your blood when your kidneys won’t, you name it.  In some cases it’s great, of course.  But...”  He trailed off.

 “I could never do what you do,” I said.  “How do you do it?”

 “Usually, I just try to look at the situation from really far away.  Tonight...  I just thought of coming home to you.”

 “Do you feel better?”

 He nodded slowly.  “I feel perfect...  Thank you.”

 I smiled.  “That was my wish.”

 He started to wash himself, then asked, “You’re working tomorrow, right?” with a hesitation that quickened my pulse.

 “Yes, but why?” I responded, hoping I’d read his voice right.

 “I would like to make love to you again...”

 A flush and a smile came over my face.  “I would like that too...”

 “But this time, I’d like to take my time.”

 That wasn’t what I expected to hear, and it made me pause.  “It seemed like you were before.”

 He shook his head.  “I couldn’t...”  He laughed to force it out.  “Sorry to be so crude, but I couldn’t wait to get inside of you, Laura.  Apart from how long it’s been, I’ve wanted you all along.  I realized throughout my shift that even though I was making myself ignore it, the attraction was still there.  When I saw you undressed and waiting for me...  I didn’t know if I was going to have a heart attack or suffocate with the sudden rush it caused, all that pent up desire hitting me like an oceanic wave.  No, I couldn’t wait.  Now...  I’d like to do it right.”

 My body was already warming with anticipation.  “And how might that be?”

 “You’ll see, if you’re up for it,” he grinned.

 I did have work in the morning, but the very thought of ‘my responsibilities as a deli clerk’ seemed laughable at the moment.  “Show me,” I said.

Reviews

[Sarah]

Well this is an interesting chapter, and I expected it. Laura is finally starting to believe that she is beautiful and that Jay actually feels for her. I'm curious as to what else will happen in the story, but I can't stop thinking about Earl. I know he will be back, and I can't wait to see what happens with him.

[Christopher Miller]

Good... I wanted to have that hanging over the reader's head. One of my favorite authors wrote a book where most of it is just waiting for something to happen, but it was so well-executed. That had an influence on me, for sure. I can only hope to do it half as well as he did.