Salvation
Disclaimer: Sadly, I own neither Saving Hope nor Daniel Gillies.
Pairing: Alex & Joel
Rating: T (language and some sexuality)
Summary: Joel loses a patient and comes home to Alex.
Joel Goran unlocked the front door and was completely surprised to see his wife asleep on the couch with her legs tucked under her.
He smiled at the sight.
My beautiful wife waited up for me.
There was a time when a day like today would've driven him to seek comfort at the bottom of a bottle.
Or perhaps he would've had a one night stand with a woman he'd never met.
But that had been before.
Before Alex.
Before Luke.
Before Charlotte.
Before Theo.
After today he wanted nothing more than to take a hot shower, kiss his children, and crawl in bed next to Alex.
He tried to close the front door softly. But Alex heard the audible click and opened her eyes.
"You didn't have to wait up for me, Reid." Joel whispered.
Alex suppressed a yawn, "Well, I tried. I just got Theo down. And I must've fallen asleep. How was your day?"
Awful. All I wanted to do is come home to you.
She looked at his handsome face and saw the exhaustion and pain etched there.
"Joel? "What's wrong?" She asked, patting the empty sofa cushion, next to her.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Alex asked softly, as her husband fell onto the sofa with a sigh.
Joel shook his hand and relished the sensation of his wife's hand against his bare skin, as he fingers moved deftly underneath the fabric of his T-shirt to rub the tension from his back and shoulders.
Her feather light touch felt so good that it almost made him forget that he'd lost a patient today.
"Are you sure?" Alex whispered, her heart breaking for him.
"Alex, I said I don't want to talk about it!" Joel snapped, his voice rising more sharply than he'd intended.
He regretted it the second Alex moved away from him on the couch.
"I'm sorry." She said, quietly staring at the hardwood floor for ten seconds.
Those ten seconds felt like an eternity as he waited for her to look at him so he could apologize.
You fucking idiot.
She loves you.
She's the one person who understands what this feels like.
She's the best thing that ever happened to you.
Joel reached for her hand, "No Reid. I'm sorry, love. It's just been a really long day. I need a shower and some sleep."
Alex nodded, leaning in toward him to kiss the mole behind his ear. "I'm here if you need me."
It was his turn to nod, "I always need you. Do you hear me, Alex Reid?"
She smiled and got to her feet, "I'm going to check on the kids and then go to bed. There are leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry. I love you."
Before Joel could answer she turned and went upstairs.
A few minutes later, Joel kicked off his shoes and trudged wearily up the stairs toward the shower.
When the water turned cold, Joel wrapped a towel around his waist and went into the bedroom, groping around in the darkness for a pair of boxers and sweatpants before he crawled into bed, instinctively wrapping his arms around Alex's waist.
"Are you okay? She mumbled sleepily pressing herself closer to him.
He nodded against her shoulder, letting his chin rest on her collarbone.
"It was supposed to be a routine bone graft. The guy was in perfect health. He had an adverse reaction to the anesthesia. He died on the table."
Alex rolled onto her side so she could meet his eyes, "I'm sorry."
"I just keep thinking there was something I missed…." Joel said, his voice trailing off, as he ran his fingers along the curve of his wife's bare shoulder.
Alex shook her head, and reached out to caress the thin layer of dark stubble on his cheek.
"Joel, baby, don't do that to yourself. We can't save them all. Is there anything I can do?"
She's my salvation.
He leaned in to kiss her lips, "You're already doing it, Reid." He whispered, "You and our kids you save me everyday. I need you, Alex."
He tucked a few strands of her long dark hair behind her ear, looking into her eyes with an expression filled with passion and love.
"I waited up tonight because I missed you." Alex said, her voice a little breathless as Joel pressed kisses against the column of flesh at her throat. "But you're here, now."
I'm here now.
"Yes ma'am." Joel mumbled, the words getting lost in his tender kisses. "I'm here now."
We haven't made love since before Theo was born.
"And I've still got all of these crazy pregnancy hormones running through my body, Dr. Goran."
"Well, let's see what we can do about that Dr. Reid." He said smiling.
All thoughts of sleep disappeared as Joel lost himself and the trials of the day in Alex.
When he finally fell asleep he slept peacefully.