Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate
Spoilers: Some time in between The Shrine and Brain Storm
A/N: Something I've had in my computer for a while just never had time to finish it. Again, I'd like to apologize for any mistakes, this story is not
betaed. Thanks for reading!
Day off was an awesome thing. Rodney was enjoying it immensely. He got to sleep in, his radio was turned off and he was looking forward to have a lunch with his favorite doctor. He was supposed to pick her up from the infirmary. She had a day off as well but she insisted on finishing up on some paperwork.
The infirmary seemed to be empty. He looked around, seeking her desk. Before he spotted her, he heard her say something he couldn't quite catch. Next thing he knew he was looking at her butt. She was bent at her waist, picking up something from the floor. From where Rodney stood he was unable to see what it was. He had to admit it was a nice view, her rear end was nicely shaped. He cleared his throat to get her attention.
She straightened up quickly, looked at him and smiled. "Right on time!" She said and again turned to her task on the floor.
"Good, I was afraid I was a little late." He made couple steps forward. "You know I never get to sleep late, Sheppard or Zelenka are always bothering me when I try to sleep. It's easy for them because they are not the ones that go to sl.."
"Here." Jennifer interrupted his rant and shoved Teyla's baby boy in front of Rodney. He instinctively outstretched his arms and took him, looking very confused.
"What's this?" He asked staring into Torren's eyes. The baby's expression matched Rodney's, both of them uncomfortable and a little scared.
"That's a baby." Jennifer informed him, wiping something off the floor with a paper towel.
Rodney rolled his eyes just in time for Jennifer to see it. She smiled at him. It was so easy to tease him. "Teyla went off world to see some of her friends and asked me whether I can look after Torren today. Since I have nothing to do I accepted." She explained.
Jennifer noticed Rodney's eyes saddened. She got both of the boys out of their misery and took the baby back. She placed him on her right hip and disposed of the paper towel. "How about this.. I'll put him down for a nap while you get us something to eat, we can eat in my room, since it's close to Teyla's and when he wakes up, you can spend the rest of the day with us!" She offered.
He was considering the idea for a while. "The thing is.. I.. I don't do babies."
"What do you mean?" Jennifer asked, puzzled.
"I don't really like kids. And kids don't like me. Especially this one. I don't remember last time I actually saw him. Look how big he is! I remember he was barely able to move his head, now he is practically walking. Just watch him, if look could kill.."
"Oh, come on!" Jennifer laughed. "You are with Madison all the time when are you at your sister's. And Torren is a good boy. He's all over the place but he is still a good boy. I'm sure you guys will get along just fine. No matter what you say I know kids like you." She assured him. "Now, let's go." She grabbed him with her free arm, guiding him out of the infirmary.
Rodney did what she had told him to and brought lunch for both of them. He still wasn't sure about this babysitting thing but if he got to spend some time with Jennifer, he supposed he could make the sacrifice. Jennifer wasn't in her room yet, he invited himself inside, placed the food on a small coffee table she had there and went to Teyla's room to inform her the food was ready.
He quietly walked inside, tiptoeing towards Jennifer. She was slightly rocking Torren's crib. He peeked inside over her shoulder and shook his head. "How can anyone sleep moving like that?" He whispered.
Jennifer smiled. "Actually, more you rock them, quicker they go to sleep." She whispered back and let go of the crib, watching it stop moving. "Let's go, he's dead to the world."
"But what if he wakes up? Or he gets hurt or something?" Asked Rodney unusually concerned about well-being of a child.
"The crib is deep, he can't get out. Plus I taped a radio to the side. Don't worry, I can hear everything he does. Come on, I'm starving!" She assured him and dragged him out of the room.
He followed her, not saying another word. They got inside her room, both of them sitting on a small couch she owned. Rodney couldn't help to look around. He had never really paid any attention to her room before, not that he had spent much time in there anyway. The room was very neat, unlike his, and Jennifer's touch radiated from every single thing. There were couple of paintings hanging on the wall - there was an old house near lake done in black and white, other piece had a porcelain vase full of various flowers. Only yellow roses were done in color. The weirdest one was an empty bath tub in the middle of a room. Rodney shook his head a little. He supposed this was better than having nothing covering the walls – like he had.
The room wasn't very big, like everyone else's in the city so there wasn't much room for furniture. There was a door on the opposite wall that led to a small closet, right next to it was another entrance, this time to the bathroom – a dresser placed right next to it. It had couple of framed pictures on top but from the distance it was impossible to see who was captured on them. Her bed was in the middle of the room facing the main door - night stands on both sides. She had a desk next to the door. The couch they were sitting on was along with coffee table on the left side of the room. His eyes wandered to her bed once again.
"Hey, how come you have queen sized bed?" Rodney asked suddenly.
Jennifer swallowed her food. "Well after I got infected by.. by.." She cleared her throat. "Let's just say there was no way for me to sleep in that bed. So I asked Woolsey if I can have a new one and if it's possible to have it bigger than the standard issue. I guess he was feeling guilty, after all he kinda wanted to write me off so he agreed without any protest." She explained putting another bite in her mouth.
Rodney thought about forcing Woolsey to give him one of those too but then he realized wouldn't have used it much anyway. He seldom slept in his own room. He finally shrugged and resumed eating.
"So, have you decided whether you wanna spend your time off with us? We're not gonna do anything special, just play and stuff but.." She looked at him. "I don't know, maybe you'll like it." She grinned.
Rodney seemed to be weighting his options. Little nudge from Jennifer snapped him out of it. She gave him a look that probably worked magic when she was a kid and got herself in trouble.
"Okay." He rolled his eyes. "But you have to promise me something.. If I drop him or he gets hurt or he just cries all the time, you can't hold it against me. I'm NOT good with kids." He informed her with all seriousness in his voice.
Jennifer shook her head rolling her eyes herself. He was hopeless. There was no point explaining to him that he is just imagining things so she said nothing. Rodney dropped the subject and licked remains of food off his fork.
"Were you in some kind of babysitter club in your early teens? Because you seem to be good with kids in general and you know exactly what gets their attention – far beyond what they teach in med school." Rodney observed.
"No clubs, nothing. But I did my fare share of babysitting. It was hard to socialize when kids my age thought that I was too smart for them and the kids that I actually went to school with thought I'm a snotty brat. So in my spare time I either babysat or studied. My teen years were very, very boring. The good thing is I was able to save some money and help my parents to pay for my school." She confessed.
Rodney gave her a look that clearly showed what he thought about kids she knew back then. She felt touched by his concern but waved it off. "Oh come on. I bet you were as popular as I was when you were a kid."
"I guess." He confirmed. "I don't think about it. I have an important job now. I'm sure that most of the guys that thought they were so cool are working in Wal-Marts, Home Depots or similar stores and the highlight of their day is jumping into their wreck of a car and trash the nearest bar in town. I'm happy to be here." So he wasn't popular at all, who cares? He is the one laughing now.
Jennifer put a stop to this discussion by offering him her fruit cup. He brightened up immediately and took it from her hands, opening it. "Thanks." He said, digging in.
Jennifer shook her head as she watched him gulp down his treat. It looked like they had more in common that she thought. Life of a geek is never an easy one, she supposed. The result is most satisfying but the journey is hard as hell. But there was no point in thinking about the past when she had Rodney as a company for the whole day. She didn't think this would happen any time soon in near future.
Rodney finished up his own fruit and put the trash on the tray, looking at her expectantly. She smiled at him. "Wanna watch a movie?" She asked.
"I don't know. How long will the baby sleep?"
"I think we can make it. He's had a busy morning." She assured him.
"Okay then." He agreed.
Rodney went through Jennifer's collection of movies while she put the trays away. "Hey, I watched this with my sister every Christmas when I was a kid! This was the only movie we were able to agree on!" He exclaimed as he took one of the boxes out and waved with it in front of her eyes.
Jennifer tilted her head to one side and looked at him disbelievingly. "The Sound of Music? Really?"
"What?" He frowned. "It's a good movie!"
"I know that. It's just I'd never picture you liking it, that's all." She shrugged.
He turned around and started to put it back into her drawer.
"Rodney.." She started, hint of scolding tone was apparent in her voice. She came from behind him and hugged him. "Why don't we watch it? I really like it." She assured him, putting her chin on his shoulder.
Rodney froze as soon as he felt her arms circling around him. That was something new. Not unpleasant but definitely new. He had no idea how to react, so for good half minute he just stood there breathless and motionless. Jennifer's embrace tightened a little and he managed to clear his throat. "Sure." He finally acknowledged her question.
She smiled triumphantly and took the movie out of his hand. Just as she was about to get to her laptop and put the video in, she leaned in and whispered into his ear. "By the way, I don't bite." She paused. "Well, not much."
He quickly turned his head to look at her. Redness was creeping up his cheeks making him very uncomfortable. She winked at him and turned all of her attention to her computer. He stared at her the whole time she was waiting for the movie to start, not knowing how to respond to such suggestion. At least he thought it was a suggestion. He wasn't very good at stuff like this. He supposed Jennifer wouldn't have taken it kindly if he ran away to consult it let's say with Sheppard and came back with undoubtedly equally hot answer. Jennifer shifted her computer so they could watch it from the bed and without waiting for him plopped herself on the soft mattress, arranging her pillows against the headboard to get as comfortable as possible. She kicked her shoes off and looked at him expectantly.
"So, you gonna watch it or not?" She grinned.
"I am, yes." He nodded, slowly making his way towards the bed. He sat down, followed her example and took his boots off.
"For god sakes! We've watched movies together millions of times. Relax!" She told him.
"I'm relaxed!" He replied. "I'm just used to different place to watch a movie."
She patted a spot next to her signaling a place where he should be sitting. "I think this is better."
He looked at her, meeting her warm brown eyes. He was skilled at making stupid comments in front of beautiful women and scaring them away but for some strange reason Jennifer was immune to this kind of behavior. He had to love that woman. She leaned forward, grabbed his hand and gently pulled.
"Come on, we're gonna miss it."
He let her guide him and sat next to her. Julie Andrews just finished her song and titles appeared on the screen.
"I don't think we'll make the whole thing. It's a long movie." Rodney informed her.
"Got any plans later tonight?" She asked him hopefully.
He smiled for the first time since she had hugged him. "Not really." He said.
"It's a date then!" She beamed and turned back to the screen. Grabbing his hand she started to watch the nuns sing about Maria.
Some time during the movie Jennifer's head ended up on Rodney's shoulder. He wasn't sure how to react, tensing as usual when she made such move. She asked him if he felt uncomfortable and after a long silence he gave her shaky "no". She kissed him lightly on the cheek and told him to stop worrying. He looked at her with anxious expression on his face and the only thing she could think about was kissing him. He was really surprised then for he didn't see it coming but quickly followed her lead and eagerly kissed her back. She ended the kiss – way too soon for Rodney's liking and gave him sweet smile asking him whether he was relaxed enough. He nodded and she placed her head back on it's resting spot.
* * * * *
As the Trapp children tried to visit Maria at the abbey, Jennifer's free hand flew to her ear and she frowned a little, concentrating on whatever she heard in her earpiece.
"I think he's up. I'll go check on him." She informed Rodney as she got up from the bed and went to the door. "Remember where we stopped. I do expect you to stay here tonight until we see the end!"
"Sounds like an order." He noted.
"It is." Jennifer confirmed waving her hand in front of the console and opening the door.
Rodney stopped the video, making a mental note about the time frame showed on the player before turning the computer off. He put his shoes back on, stood up and tugged on his shirt in attempt to straighten up the wrinkles. It was a futile effort.
Jennifer came back to the room with sleepy-eyed baby in her arms. Torren was watching him intently while Jennifer took care of his diaper.
"I don't think he likes me." Rodney observed, staring at the boy, watching him throw a small tube-like yellow object on the floor.
"How did you get to that conclusion?" She asked, giving him sideways glance.
"The way he's looking at me. There is something in his eyes.."
Jennifer barely suppressed a laugh. "The thing in his eyes is called no recognition at all. He doesn't know you. He'll warm up to you, he is good with new people. Especially guys. Now, could you hand me that plastic bag, please?" She asked, pointing at the small roll of yellow plastic bags lying on the floor where it landed after Torren threw it.
He picked it up and gave it to her. She put the dirty diaper in one of the bags and made a quick knot. She picked the baby up, placing him on the floor next to the bed. He immediately started to crawl, exploring Jennifer's room.
"Okay, you can watch him for a while and I'll get all the things ready. Just make sure he doesn't put anything small in his mouth. He's constantly chewing on something. Here." She gave him one of his toys. "This should keep him occupied for a while." With that she left the room, not giving him time to object.
He watched the closed door for a moment but then he remembered his task and searched the floor for signs of the kid. Torren was closing on the opened door to Jennifer's bathroom. He hesitated for a couple of seconds but when his small hands touched the floor tiles he went to him and carefully picked him up. He placed him back next to the bed, giving him the toy Jennifer provided. That seemed to work because he smiled at him and started to work on the animal's ear. Rodney walked back to the door and closed it by a wave of hand, putting an end to possible future explorations. Torren didn't seem to mind.
Jennifer was back in about ten minutes with rather large bag, probably stuffed with kiddy things and folded stroller. Where was she able to find that thing on Atlantis was very unclear to him. She smiled at him as she entered and placed everything on the floor. She unfolded the stroller and put the bag in the bottom part.
"Okay, I'm ready. Let me put him inside and we can go."
"Go where, exactly?" He asked her.
She picked Torren up and sat him in the stroller, strapping him in. He didn't seem to enjoy it and started to fuss. Jennifer easily distracted him with some kind of cracker that she fished out of her oversized bag and straightened up, grabbing both handles.
"Well I thought we can take him to the playground and then take a nice walk around the city." She explained.
"Playground?" He almost laughed out loud. "On Atlantis? I don't think so." He assured her.
"What do you mean? There's been a playground since you came to Atlantis and hosted Teyla's people. Dr. Weir had one built so the kids had a place to trash and weren't roaming the hallways." Jennifer informed him leading the way out.
He seemed genuinely surprised by that. "Why don't I know about it?" He asked, hurt. He knew about everything that went on in this big city.
"It's nothing fancy." She shrugged. "Probably slipped your radar." She winked and stopped in front of transporter.
Rodney accepted her explanation. He had better things to do than ponder over stupid playground. Like the woman next to him. She seemed happier than usual. He let her enter first and watched her as she chose the place to go. Torren was all done with his cracker and tried to turn in the stroller to look at Jennifer. She quickly gave him another one and he contently turned back and enjoyed his treat.
The door to the transporter opened and all three of them got out. They were in lower levels of the city, pretty much surrounded by the ocean. It seemed peaceful. No important systems were around – that's probably why it was picked as suitable for children. And also that's why he had no idea it was there. Extra power was not needed to this part of the city since it was outside and kids usually played during the day so he had no chance of discovering any strange power fluctuations over the night. Well done, Dr. Weir.
It was sunny outside and quite warm. Both Jennifer and Rodney had plain short sleeved shirts on. They reached the playground in no time. Rodney was actually impressed. It was all built from wood. There were couple of swings, one slide, jungle gym. The ground around was covered in sand. He wondered how they got that in there. Jennifer was right when she said it wasn't fancy, but it had a certain charm.
"So? What do you think?" Jennifer asked him. Before he had time to respond, she put Torren in one of the swings that was personalized for a small child – Rodney assumed just for Torren since it looked new – and pushed him. The boy started to laugh immediately.
Rodney smiled at his happy gurgles. "Okay, you win. I like it."
She gave him satisfied smile and turned her attention back to the happy baby. Rodney noticed how natural she looked with the kid. She was totally at ease and all worries left her face. She talked quietly to the child, asking him silly questions that never got a response other than more laughter. What else could be expected from 9 month old baby? Right then Rodney realized he couldn't have pictured more perfect day than the one he was having.
Over the afternoon Jennifer convinced him to actually play with Torren – they took turns pushing him on the swing and holding him while going down the slide. Rodney still seemed a little bit nervous but Jennifer was positive he was having fun.
Around five Jennifer decided they all had enough playground and sand – which, thanks to Torren, was all over their clothes – and put him in the stroller for the promised walk. Forty minutes later she stopped and fed the baby some dinner. Rodney looked at the content child with envy as he too was feeling hungry. Plus an image of Jennifer playfully feeding him was gonna be stuck in his head for a long time. Jennifer solved at least one of his problems by handing him power bar. He accepted it with such a happy expression on his face that she wondered why no one had ever thought about bringing him food first thing he got difficult to work with.
They got back to her quarters little after six. Rodney helped her unpack and patiently waited with Torren while she took a quick shower. She had told him that she had sand everywhere – information he really didn't need to know. He tried not to picture her underneath the hot stream of water. She was quick but those ten minutes were like agony to him. When she got out of her bathroom he was unable to look straight in her eyes. She allowed herself a light smile at that reaction and began towel drying her hair.
As soon as she was finished she said Torren needed a bath too. Securing her half dried hair in a ponytail she started the water in the small tub. When she was about to undress the boy her name was called thought the intercom. She found her earpiece and responded.
Rodney watched her as she listened to the other person on the line. Her features changed into what he called "the doctor mode" – she got that sympathetic but professional look as she asked medical questions, nervously patting her foot.
"All right. I'll be there in five. Get him ready." She answered.
Rodney instantly knew what was coming.
"I'm sorry, I have to go. One of the marines suffered serious injury and needs a surgery." She informed him. "Could you wash Torren and entertain him until Teyla gets back?" She ran into the bathroom and turned off the water.
Rodney nearly suffered panic attack. "I'm sorry, say that again? You want me to do what?"
"Rodney, please?" She begged him. "I really have to go. I'll be back as soon as I can." She promised.
"I most certainly cannot be with a baby by myself, let alone wash him. In a tub!" He argued. She didn't have to know that he had done it before – with his niece. But she was a big kid.
"Come on. You've done such a good job today. He likes you. He's very good. Just put him inside with some toys – he's gonna sit the whole time. Put some baby soap on him, wash it, done. Easy."
"What am I supposed to do with him after that?" He asked.
"Play with him. The same thing we did the whole day. Or better put some movie or something on. He'll watch it." She said. "More or less." She added after couple of seconds. "Anyway, he's gonna be easier to handle. You'll do just fine. Teyla shouldn't be long."
"Jennifer.." He whined desperately.
She came to stand right in front of him, taking his hands into hers. "Believe me, there is no need to be nervous. He's not gonna break."
"If you say so." He signed.
She smiled at him and gave his hands assuring squeeze. He rolled his eyes and slightly nodded.
She gave him a quick hug. "Thanks! As I said, Teyla shouldn't be long." She repeated. "As for me, I don't know how long will the surgery take but you promised to finish the movie with me tonight, right?"
"Right." He confirmed.
"Good. I'll see you later." She hurried out of the room. Just before the door was about to shut she peeked in. "Have fun, boys!"
Rodney looked at the child sitting on the floor, playing with stuffed animal. "Okay, kid, let's do this." He crouched down and looked at him. Torren waved his toy in front of Rodney's eyes and smiled happily. He picked him up and put him on the bed. He unbuttoned straps that held his overall in place and took it off, his shirt carefully followed. Diaper was next thing to go. He wasn't nearly as neat with it as Jennifer, leaving it on the bed like that. He put him back on the floor and found his towel, soap and couple of rubber toys. He threw the toys into the tub, put the soap on the floor and placed the towel over the sink.
Torren was already crawling his way happy to have a new place to explore. Rodney picked him up before he had a chance to touch the cold surface and placed him in the warm water. Torren went quickly for the toys, splashing as much as possible. Rodney let him soak for a while, then he grabbed the soap, put a large amount of it on a clean wash cloth that was lying on a shelf with all other Jennifer's towels and washed him. Torren made no sign of protest and patiently waited for Rodney to finish his job.
"Very good. No sudden moves, no diving or anything like that. Teyla would kill me if something happened to you." He informed the baby as he washed down the soap off his tiny body. Torren became interested in bubbles floating on the surface and tried to grab them. Every time he touched it the bubbles dissolved but he wasn't taken aback and kept trying until all of them changed into the water.
Rodney didn't bother with his head, not sure how to proceed with such small child – Madison usually had some kind of a cup in her bathroom and was able to close her eyes to avoid soap getting into her eyes but he wasn't certain how to explain this process to a baby. And there was no cup. Torren looked like he couldn't have cared less. He let him entertain himself until his own shirt was soaked form the baby's enthusiastic splashing. He left the toys in the tub, pulled the plug and took him out of there. He wrapped him in the towel and brought him back to Jennifer's room, laying him on the bed. His pajamas were already waiting for him as was a clean diaper, neatly put out by Jennifer.
He was able to figure out how to put the diaper on in reasonable time. When he was done, he picked up the discarded clothes and put them on a neat pile on the couch and disposed of the dirty diaper. He went to Jennifer's movie collection for the second time that day and searched for something a child would like. He was surprised to find Sesame Street DVD and Barney DVD. He hated both of the shows but he knew kids liked that kind of stuff so he picked Barney and helped himself to Jennifer's laptop.
He turned it on, threw the covers of the bed, strategically positioned pillows around the edges and put Torren in the middle of the bed. He sat next to him to make sure he couldn't fall from the side which wasn't protected by pillows. Rodney was more than happy to see that Torren was content with the show, couple of toys and Rodney's watch on his wrist and didn't attempt to test his jumping skills.
Two shows later Torren was sound asleep, sprawled on his back with arms beside his head. Rodney found himself watching the DVD to the end. Just before the final song started his eyelids had become too heavy and he had fallen asleep like the baby next to him.
* * * * *
Jennifer came back to the room around nine. She was a little surprised about the darkness in there. Curiously she turned to her desk, felt around the objects placed there and turned her lamp on. One look at her bed and she was smiling. Both boys were sleeping peacefully. Torren was lying sideways, his head nearly touching Rodneys's side. He was kneeling – both of his legs and arms were tucked underneath his body, head turned towards the door. His mouth was opened a little and he was breathing deeply. She was pretty sure there was a huge drool stain on her sheet.
Rodney, on the other hand, was in more common position – lying more or less on his side. His left arm was supporting his head while the right one rested on his hip. So much for worrying about them. It looked like Rodney had everything under control. It was obvious that he knew more about taking care of children than she thought.
She went to the bed and picked up her laptop. The screen was black signalizing that the computer went to sleep mode. She put it on her desk, turned it back on and started on her paperwork.
Around ten the door bell rang. Jennifer stood up and let the visitor come in. Teyla greeted her with apologetic smile and walked in.
"I'm sorry I'm so late. There was a big storm and we had to wait until it went away." She explained and looked at Jennifer's bed nearly laughing out loud. "What..?" She looked at Jennifer, amused.
"Well, I was called to a patient so Rodney stayed with Torren. I suppose there was a major bonding ritual that only guys understand and it left them utterly exhausted. I don't see any beer bottles so I'm sure everything was perfectly legal." Jennifer explained, grinning. "I didn't want to disturb them so I left them like that. Just take Torren, I'll take care of the big baby."
Teyla gave her a look that said she knew exactly how was Jennifer going to take care of him and went to get her son. Torren stirred when she picked him up but calmed as soon as she patted his backside gently and resumed his light snoring.
"Thank you so much!" She whispered on her way out.
"Anytime." Jennifer responded watched the door close behind them.
As soon as they were out, she turned her attention to the sleeping scientist. She walked towards the bed, moved the pillows and sat down.
"Rodney.." She quietly called his name. She didn't want to give him a heart attack.
There was no response from the sleeping beauty. She put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze, calling his name again. He stirred then, took a deep breath and used his free hand to rub his eyes.
All of the sudden his eyes snapped open and he looked at her, panicked. "Jennifer?"
"Rodney?" She imitated his tone and smiled.
He sat up and looked around. "Where is Torren?" He asked fearfully.
"Relax, Teyla just picked him up. As I saw there were no broken bones, no drowning in the tub and he seemed perfectly safe. I think you've just passed the babysitter test." She joked.
"Ha ha." He rolled his eyes. "It was very stressful! He is very active."
"Yes, you seemed on the edge." She smirked.
Rodney frowned at her. She nearly giggled.
"Ready to finish the movie?" She asked.
"I should probably grab a shower too. I'm getting the sand all over." He said.
"I think it's a little late for that." She gave him two pillows to get more comfortable and stood up. She got her laptop and put the movie back on. Rodney supplied the time they stopped at and she clicked on play. She was still wearing her scrubs so she quickly went to the bathroom and changed into oversized shirt and shorts.
"So how did the surgery go?" Rodney asked when she got back and was getting settled.
"Fortunately we didn't come across any complications. He was stable by the time I was leaving the infirmary." She informed him. "I've got to be up early tomorrow though. He needs one more surgery. I didn't want to put him thought that tonight."
"Since when are you the only doctor on this base?" He asked disapprovingly.
"Two doctors are off world and the other one who can perform the surgery is running a fever. I wouldn't want him to do it if he doesn't feel okay." Jennifer told him.
"Oh. All right." He yawned.
To Jennifer's amusement Rodney fell asleep again. When the movie was over she got up and put her laptop away. His sleep was much lighter this time because her movement brought him back out of the dream world.
"Is it over?"
"Yeah." Jennifer whispered. She padded back to her bed and sat down, trying to find covers in the darkness. She felt movement next to her. "What are you doing?"
"Leaving." Rodney said. She didn't have to see his face to know what kind of expression was there. She had heard him use that tone before. Actually almost every day when he talked to someone who was unable to follow up with him and Rodney had to clarify the obvious.
"Why?" She asked.
He was a little stunned by that and had no idea how to respond. Jennifer found the blanket, pulled at it and with one quick motion covered both of them up to their waist.
"Because." He finally replied. Not the most mature thing to say but it sufficed in situation like this.
"This bed is big enough, remember? I don't mind sharing." She stated.
Rodney was more than confused by this turn of events but Jennifer put a stop to it when she pulled at his arm forcing him to lie down next to her. She placed her head on his shoulder, her right arm went on his chest. He automatically wrapped his arm around her. That was something new for him. They had shared their first kiss today and now she way lying in his arms. Truth to be told, he liked it very much. He stopped thinking about it ten minutes later and listened to her even breathing instead. He smiled as he realized that it was something he could get used to.
The End