Dirty Weekend
Disclaimer: Sadly, I own neither Saving Hope nor Daniel Gillies.
Pairing: Joel & Alex or if you prefer Alex & Joel
Rating: M
Summary: Joel and Alex spend an intimate weekend together after the birth of their daughter Charlotte.
Joel Goran waited impatiently for his wife to return home from her shift at the hospital. It was Friday and he'd taken the whole weekend off. This would be the first weekend they spent alone together, since their daughter Charlotte was born. The pregnancy and labor had been more difficult for Alex than it had been with their son Luke.
The weeks after Charlotte's birth had been emotional and stressful for both of them. The baby was born twelve weeks early, but thankfully, completely healthy. Like most premature infants, Charlotte had spent the first few weeks of her life in the NICU. He and Alex had barely left the hospital during those weeks.
Alex wouldn't leave Charlotte until she practically collapsed from exhaustion.
He closed his eyes for a moment, pushing back the memory of his newborn daughter, so tiny and helpless in an incubator, his wife in the chair right beside it, touching her and speaking in hushed tones.
"Daddy and I love you very much, Charlotte Louise. So does your brother. I know it's hard but you have to keep fighting until you're strong enough to go home."
And Charlotte listened to her mother.
Smart girl.
Soon Charlotte started to gain weight and was discharged from the NICU. Joel and Alex brought home a beautiful, eight pound, three ounce baby girl.
The sound of the doorbell pulled Joel out of his thoughts and back to the present.
He opened the door and paid the Chinese food delivery guy. "Thanks mate," he said taking the bags of food and handing the guy more money than necessary. "Keep the change."
He unpacked the cartons of food and set them out on the counter, next to the still unopened bottle of red wine.
A second later, he heard Alex's car pulling in the driveway.
He opened the front door before she even had a chance to put the key in the lock.
"Welcome home, Reid." He said, smiling as he pulled her into his arms for a kiss.
Alex wasn't surprised that her husband had greeted her at the door. But she was surprised by the silence. She was used to her son running into her arms the moment she walked through the door.
Alex let herself get lost in the kiss for a moment, expecting her son to enter the room any second, and break the spell.
When she had to pull away to catch her breath, she whispered, "Joel, where's Luke?"
"Zach has Jacob this weekend. And you know how much Luke loves Jacob."
Alex nodded, enjoying the presence of Joel's arms around her waist.
It's nice to be held.
We haven't spent enough time together lately.
I miss this.
"Did you already put Charlotte down for her nap? Because she won't sleep through the night if…"
Joel stopped her words with yet another kiss. "Maggie and Sydney are babysitting."
Alex looked at her husband in disbelief, "What if she needs diapers or toys? How many bottles did you send with her? I pumped my milk this morning but…"
Joel smiled, "Alex, she's in the care of two OBGYNs. She'll be fine."
Alex was silent for a moment.
"So does that mean we have the house to ourselves?"
Joel nodded, and watched with satisfaction as the smile crept across her face. "Reid, I've got two words for you." He pulled her close enough so that she could feel his warm breath against her ear. "Dirty weekend."
"Speaking of dirty…I need a shower." Alex said, reluctantly untangling herself from Joel's embrace.
"Take your time. We'll have dinner when you're done."
"Okay." She said, letting out a tired sigh, and walking slowly toward the master bathroom, taking off her clothes along the way.
She winced as her blouse brushed over her breasts, which were full and swollen with milk for the baby. She didn't remember her breasts being so sensitive when she was breastfeeding Luke.
Then again the two pregnancies had been so different; trying to compare them was like trying to compare apples and oranges.
Maggie was right.
Every pregnancy is different.
She unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, and walked to the dresser in search of clean clothes. In peripheral vision, she spotted a large beautifully wrapped gift box on the bed.
There was a card attached to the box. She recognized her husband's handwriting and felt tears welling in her eyes as she read the note.
Alex,
For our dirty weekend (and because I love you).
-Joel
At the exact same moment that she began to cry she felt the milk oozing slowing out of her breasts.
Damn it. She thought cursing the hormones that were still coursing their way through her body.
Wiping away her tears, with the back of her hand, Alex opened the top of the beautifully wrapped box. She pulled away the tissue paper to find a black silk negligee inside.
As Joel set out the Chinese food cartons, paper napkins, and empty wine glasses on the table, he never heard the shower turn on.
"Reid, if we don't eat soon, the food's going to get cold."
When he didn't hear her reply, Joel made his way toward the master bedroom.
He saw his wife seated on the bed they shared, wearing only her bra and panties. She had the open lingerie box in her lap. And it was clear that she'd been crying.
He crossed the room and was sitting beside her on the bed in a matter of seconds.
"Hey," he asked softly, "What's wrong?"
"You're a wonderful husband…And I'm lactating. That's what's wrong."
Joel chuckled, "So you like your present then?"
Alex nodded and took his hand. "It's beautiful. You didn't have to…" Her voice trailed off, as tears ran down her face, and the milk started oozing from her breasts again.
"Damn it!" She shouted, throwing up her hands, "I give up!"
Joel moved the box off of her lap, and pulled her towards him.
"Alex, you just had a baby. This is perfectly normal."
She nodded, "As a doctor, I know that. As a human being, I'm a hot mess."
"You're my hot mess Reid." He said, taking both of her hands in his and leading her toward the bathroom.
Alex sat on the edge of the tub, while Joel turned on the shower and waited for it to warm.
"Are you all right?" Joel asked, watching her intently as she pulled her panties over her hips, and down her long slender legs, before discarding them on the floor.
I love the way she always makes the simplest things seem sexy.
When she nodded, he bent down toward her, and kissed both sides of her neck.
By now, the bathroom had started to fill with steam. "May I join you, Dr. Reid?"
"Dr. Goran, I thought you'd never ask." She replied, with a smile, watching as he pulled his shirt over his head, giving her that sexy Joel Goran grin.
He still takes my breath away.
Even after everything we've been through.
She watched as he stripped out of his jeans and boxers, taking a step closer to her.
"Dr. Reid, I do believe you're still wearing an article of clothing."
She'd forgotten that she was still wearing her bra.
She reached one arm behind her back to unclasp it, and lost her balance.
Changing equilibrium.
Just another side effect of pregnancy.
One minute she was falling over the edge of the tub, and the next Joel's arms were wrapped around her.
"I've got you." He said, undoing the clasp, and gazing appreciatively at her bare breasts
"You're so beautiful. I'm going to ravish every inch of you.
Starting right here.
Even though Joel's touch against her breast was gentle, Alex still winced at the contact.
He looked at her, with genuine concern in his eyes, "Did that hurt?"
Alex nodded, "They're just a little tender. I should've pumped again when I got home."
He kissed both sides of her clavicle. "I'm sorry you're uncomfortable. But I gotta tell you they look incredible. You're incredible. We'll do it before dinner," Joel said, as they both stepped into the shower and under the warm spray.
They stayed in the shower, until the water turned cold. Joel wrapped a towel around his waist.
He was already dressed in sweats and a tee shirt when Alex came into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her body.
"You want to meet me in the nursery so I can pump before I get dressed? If I don't do it my boobs are going to explode."
He nodded, "I'll put on some music to help you relax. Any requests?"
"Something soothing." Alex replied.
"You got it." Joel whispered, giving her a quick kiss before he went into the nursery.
Joel plugged the electric pump into the wall and selected the classical playlist on the Ipod so that Beethoven's Sonata in B Minor played softly.
Alex came into the room and sat in the rocking chair, letting the towel fall away from her body and slipping on the old sports bra holes cut into it that she'd always used when she pumped the milk.
Joel handed her a pillow to put behind her head. "Ready?"
Alex nodded, "They're too full. It's really starting to hurt now."
As gently as possible, Joel placed the pump's shields over her swollen breast and switched the pump on. The extra bottles were lined up next to the pump just in case they needed them.
Joel took Alex's hand and held it, while the machine suctioned the milk from Alex's breasts into the bottle attached to the bottom. He heard her sigh with relief as some of the pressure eased.
"Do you want me to adjust the setting?"
Alex shook her head, "No. It's fine. Can you set the stopwatch on your phone for fifteen minutes?" She asked leaning her head back against the pillow.
She closed her eyes but heard Joel pressing buttons on his phone. "Okay, we're all set. Just sit back and relax. Let me know when you want to switch."
He kissed her forehead, "Feeling better?"
"Mmmmmhmmm…" Alex mumbled.
"Hey, Reid, don't fall asleep on me. We haven't even had dinner yet."
"I know. I'm sorry. This is strangely relaxing."
"You wouldn't think it would be." Joel said, smiling, at her even though she had her eyes closed and couldn't see him.
She's the strongest person I know.
"Five minutes left." Joel said, looking to make sure the bottle wasn't full yet. Ready to switch?"
Alex opened her eyes and looked at him, "Yeah. I think so. Can you turn the setting up too?"
"You got it." He said, pressing the shield over her left breast and turning the pump back on.
When she opened her eyes, her husband was standing over her and smiling. "Admit it, Joel."
He gave her a quizzical look, "Admit what?"
"That the only reason you help me do this is because it gives you an excuse to touch my boobs."
"I'll admit no such thing, Dr. Reid. I do this because I'm your husband and I want to help you." He paused and leaned closer to so he could whisper in her ear. "Touching your boobs is just a fringe benefit."
Alex shivered.
She didn't think Joel noticed, but then he draped a blanket over her bare shoulders.
It's from the shower.
Or maybe it's just my body involuntarily responding to my husband's flirtation.
"Dr. Goran, are you flirting with me?" She asked playfully.
"Every chance I get, Dr. Reid." He replied.
At that moment the timer went off.
"I get the opportunity to touch your gorgeous breasts yet again. I'm a lucky man."
She smiled as he removed the shield from her breast, and switched off the machine.
"Thanks." She said kissing him on the cheek, slipping out of the sports bra, and getting up from the rocking chair.
"You're welcome. I'll heat up dinner, while you get dressed."
Alex headed back into the bedroom and slipped on a pair of panties and the negligee that Joel had given her.
She quickly brushed her hair and teeth, and sprayed a bit of perfume on her neck, and on each of her wrists before going back into the kitchen.
Joel let out an appreciative whistle as she entered the room.
"You look like a million bucks." He said, pulling out her chair and handing her a glass of wine.
"Joel, I can't…"
"Why not? You just pumped all your milk. The bottles are in the fridge, by the way. And you won't have to feed Charlotte for another forty-eight hours. By then the alcohol will be out of your system. You're not on call. Go for your life."
"Good point." Alex said, taking a sip and swallowing it slowly.
She even makes drinking wine look sexy.
He handed her a warm plate filled with rice, various kinds of Chinese food: crispy chicken, sweet and sour pork, beef and broccoli, wontons, and an egg roll.
"Who do you think you're feeding? An entire Cambodian village?"
He shook his head, "No. I'm feeding my wife who probably hasn't eaten today."
He looked at her for confirmation. "Am I right?"
She sighed, "Okay, fine. You're right. I didn't have time. I was swamped today."
Joel laughed, "I knew it. In fact, I'll bet you another dirty weekend that you finish everything on that plate."
After a moment he reached across the table, putting his hand on hers. "Alex, you just had a baby. You've got to stay healthy."
Alex rolled her eyes, "Joel, I haven't forgotten that I had a baby. Our daughter might not be here right now, but these extra thirty pounds are a constant reminder."
"Weren't you listening when I told you look like a million bucks?"
"You're my husband; you're supposed to say things like that to me."
"That doesn't make it any less true. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
Alex took another bite of her food and a sip of wine. Then she stood up, and walked slowly toward Joel's chair, wrapping her arms around him.
"And you're the most infuriating, arrogant, talented, amazing man, I've ever met." She replied, leaning in close enough to kiss him.
Their faces were just inches from one another.
He felt her warm breath against his lips.
When he exhaled, it blew a strand of her hair against her cheek.
He was close enough to smell her perfume.
"Well, I'm glad we can agree on that…"
She stopped the flow of his words with a kiss.
"I thought you promised me a dirty weekend."
She whispered in his ear, kissing the mole behind it because she knew it would turn him on.
She knows that drives me crazy.
She smells amazing.
He ran his hands up and down every inch of her body, as if he were trying to memorize her.
"Yes, ma'am I did. We're in the middle of it, right now."
She shook her head, "No, we're not."
"Oh really? Then tell me what we've been doing all afternoon."
She smiled, "Foreplay."
Joel laughed out loud, "Alex Reid, you're an insatiable saucy minx. And I love you."
Neither of them spoke another word. He simply picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.
What followed was a tangle of arms and legs, passionate kisses, rumpled bed sheets, and discarded clothing.
When they were both deliciously exhausted, they lay wrapped in each other's arms, catching their breath.
Alex lay with her head pillowed on Joel's chest. "So what do you think? 5.1?"
Joel gave her another long kiss, "We did better than that."