Please Let Me Help

"Agh!"

Lucien Blake looked up from the medical chart he was studying in his office upon hearing a strange exclamation coming from elsewhere in the house. He recognized the voice as Jean's, but he'd never heard her make any sort of sound like that before. He stood from the desk to investigate.

He found Jean in the kitchen, leaning over the table. She had her face scrunched into a pained grimace, and she was moaning quietly.

"Jean? Are you alright?"

She opened her eyes and swallowed hard before attempting a smile of reassurance. It didn't come across as well as she intended. "I'm fine."

"You're clearly not fine. What's happened?" he asked with concern.

Jean huffed, "I was trying to rearrange that bottom cabinet over there." She tilted her head toward the open cabinet door beside the stove. "And I tried to lift a stack of pots in an awkward way and…" she trailed off, breathing slowly in pain. "I'll be fine in a bit, I'm sure."

Lucien frowned. "Do you often have back trouble? I've never noticed before."

"On and off. It doesn't bother me much, if ever, anymore. I had a terrible back injury back on the farm, so it acts up every so often when I do something stupid like this," she grumbled, annoyed at her own folly.

"Did you have a doctor look at it? You had X-rays and such?"

Jean shook her head dismissively. "No, we couldn't afford it. But in about two days I was fine. And I'll be fine in a few hours at the most. Honestly, Lucien, it's nothing to worry about," she assured him.

"Well obviously it is something to worry about, since you're clutching that table for dear life. And I've never seen you in pain like this, Jean. And I don't like it."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you. If you don't like it, you can go back to your study," she snapped.

"No, don't be silly. Here, let me help," he offered, crossing over to her.

But Jean shied away from him. A little too abruptly. She hissed in pain at the sudden movement. And she realized how foolish she was being. "Oh alright," she finally conceded.

"That's a girl," he murmured, taking her hand and placing his arm around her waist to help her walk to the parlor. "Let's get you more comfortable, hmm? What would be best, sitting or lying down?"

"Lying down, I think."

"I'll get you settled and then boil some water for a hot compress. That'll soothe the muscles. Even from where my arm is, I can feel the spasm," he noted.

Jean couldn't help but think that was an oddly intimate thing for him to have said. She suddenly felt even more self-conscious about this whole affair. "You really don't have to go to all this trouble, Lucien."

"I'm not just going to let you suffer alone, Jean. Please let me help."

She furrowed her brow slightly as she looked at him. His tone was soft, almost as though he was begging. Begging her to let him help. Help her.

They made it to the sofa and got Jean comfortably lying on her stomach, resting her head on her forearms. The position helped her spine to lengthen nicely, relieving the pressure on her muscles.

Lucien looked at her and couldn't help but want to get her into the surgery so he could examine her properly. But it had been like pulling teeth to get her to allow this much. "Right. I'll start the water to boil. Anything I can get you while I'm in the kitchen?"

"No, thank you," she replied, her voice muffled into her arms.

He placed a kind hand on her elbow before walking away. Lucien filled the kettle and lit the stove. On his way back to Jean, he paused in his surgery to check to see what kind of pain killers and muscle relaxers he had in stock. He took a few pills and brought them back to the parlor. "Right, I've got some pills for you to take when you feel up to it. I know you can't really swallow anything right now. Perhaps I should have thought of this before we got you lying down," he realized.

"No, it's fine. I don't want to take anything," she insisted.

"If you're sure."

"Yes, I am. Most of the pain is gone now that I'm lying down. It just all feels very tight and stiff."

He nodded knowingly. "That'll be the spasm. You need to get the muscles to loosen."

"And the hot water bottle will do that, yes?"

"It'll take a while, but yes, it'll help." Lucien paused, knowing there was a much simpler way to help. "Do you…well…I mean…I could give you a massage?"

Jean felt her whole body tense up at his suggestion. A new wave of pain radiated from her back. She had lied when she told Lucien that most of the pain was gone. It was beginning to be unbearable. "I suppose if you think it'll help…"

"Yes, I imagine it should." Lucien came to sit beside her body on the sofa. He reached his hands toward her and pulled them back.

"Go on then," Jean prompted. The pain was making her delirious.

With adequate encouragement, Lucien began to gently knead the muscles in her back, going up to her shoulders and down as low as he dared. Jean didn't seem to protest anything he was doing. Quite the opposite, actually. She made soft moans of pain that turned to groans of relief. Ever so slowly, Lucien could feel the muscles relax under his fingers. Though it was hard to tell, since he was massaging her over all her clothes and undergarments and couldn't actually judge the pressure needed as well as he would have liked.

"You know, you're the only one I trust to do this," Jean commented, breaking the silence between them.

"Is that so?" Lucien replied with a small smile. He felt himself sit straighter with pride.

"Yes, well, you're a doctor," she qualified.

"Oh. Of course, yes." Lucien slumped a little. Obviously it was because he was a doctor. It was foolish to want to believe otherwise.

"Well, that and…" she trailed off.

"And, what?"

"You're you," she said simply.

He grinned. "And you're you. And you're the only one I'd do this to. Anyone else in pain like this, I'd force them to get X-rays or at least lie in my surgery after taking the medication I prescribe. But not you, Jean Beazley. No, you're special."

Jean didn't reply. She just readjusted her head. But Lucien could see the big smile on her face.

In the kitchen, the kettle began to whistle. "I'll fill the hot water bottle. If you lie here with it for a little while, you should be good as new."

"Do you know where the hot water bottle is?" she asked dubiously.

"Yes, actually, I do. Unless you've moved it since I used it on Mrs. Derson last week." He stood up to get it.

"Lucien?"

He paused. "Yes, Jean?"

"Thank you," she said quietly.

In a moment of inappropriate affection, Lucien leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her temple. He didn't say another word. He just went right off to his task of getting the hot water bottle.

Jean was left alone in the quiet of the parlor, scolding herself for her momentary thought that she was a little glad she'd been injured today. Even so, she buried her face in her arms to cover up the beaming smile she couldn't seem to prevent.