"Just a little breath on the water now

Just a little strength in our hearts

Enough to heal

Enough to heal..."

Heather Nova

She tried not to be overbearing, she really did, but he was so stubborn and she was terrified that he would hurt himself for the sake of maintaining his manly ego. She cringed every time he twitched in pain as he moved around the condo as if it was her who was hurting. Her heart skipped a beat every time he groaned and she tried not to squint whenever she saw the bruise on his forehead.

In the first couple of days he was rather pliant and allowed her to take care of him, but on the third day she could tell her constant attention was fraying his nerves. He fidgeted a lot, exhausting his sprained wrist with unnecessary movement. He also moved around much more, pacing down the hall and back like a caged tiger.

She was standing on the balcony and staring aimlessly into the distance when the sound of pots and pans crushing in the kitchen made her rush to his side. Her heart raced as she ran across the living room and kneeled on the floor next to her senselessly bullheaded boyfriend, who was holding his aching side and moaning in pain as he struggled to get up.

"Andy, don't get up. Just stay there for a moment, okay?" she placed his head in her lap and her hand came to caress the side of his face.

"I'm fine, Sharon. It was just a muscle spasm," Andy replied and made another attempt at getting out, letting out a deep sigh as he pushed himself into a seating position. Sharon wrapped her arm around his shoulders and supported him.

"Andy, you can't exhaust yourself this way. You need to rest," she said, her voice desperate. If he was already edgy on the third day of his medical leave, the rest of his recovery was going to be even more difficult than she expected.

"I was just trying to cook some pasta, Sharon. I am not exhausting myself," he grumbled.

"I'll cook the pasta, Andy. Don't overexert yourself."

"I am not overexerting myself, Sharon, and I don't want goddamn pasta!" Andy called out.

"Then why on earth are you making pasta?" Sharon spoke to him softly, but her insides were turning. Was Andy's head wound starting to impair his judgement? Maybe he lied when he said he didn't suffer from a concussion, like he lied every single time he said he was okay.

"For you, Sharon. You are the one who's exhausting yourself, worrying about my condition and taking care of me," Andy let out a wail as he felt another shot of pain in his ribs and Sharon grimaced.

"Alright, um… take it slow, okay?" she asked. "We're gonna do the breathing exercise together." Andy nodded faintly. Sharon gently helped him shift his position to ease the pressure on his ribs and then positioned herself in front of him. "Look at me," she said and Andy focused his eyes on hers. The sorrowful expression on his face made tears rise in her eyes. She took his hands in hers. "We're going to take a deep breath, hold it in and count to 3." She instructed him and then took a deep breath. She slowly released the air from her lungs and watched Andy as he did the same. "Great, now again." They took a deep breath in unison and with a nod of her head, they both exhaled. They took a few more breaths together until Sharon noticed Andy's features relaxing again. "Better?" she asked.

"Always better with you," he replied and offered her his boyish smirk.

"Good, now let's try to get you on your feet," Sharon said and slid her arms under his own to get a good hold of him. "Are you ready?" she asked and tightened her arms around him just a little.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he said and let out a low grunt as they pulled themselves off the floor together. Sharon brought her palm to cup his face and pressed her lips to his.

"I thought I was going to suffocate," she said when they pulled apart. "When Provenza said you were injured, when you collapsed in my office, I couldn't breathe." Her eyes were glossed over with tears. "And when you fell down earlier – Andy, my breath hitched again." His big hand covered her cheek and she turned her face slightly to kiss his palm.

"It's hard for me, Sharon. I'm an active person. I feel like a nightingale in a golden cage, you know?" he spoke softly. "I'm choking too." Taking his hand again, Sharon slowly led him to the balcony. The wind was blowing gently, and the sky began to darken as the evening slowly started to fall around them. Sharon closed her eyes and leaned against the bannister, taking a deep breath of the cool air. She felt her lungs filling and then emptied them slowly as she exhaled. "What are you doing?" Andy wondered.

"I'm breathing," she said calmly. "Breathe with me, Andy." She felt Andy's fingers entwining with hers and heard as he took a deep breath, whizzing a little before he let it out slowly. With her eyes still shut, she inhaled deeply and released the air with a smile. His recovery was going to be difficult, but as long as they could breathe together, she knew they'll get there.

THE END

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