"Easy, easy, easy," Mike hissed through clenched teeth and a held breath as his partner helped lower him to the bed. Safely down, he released the breath loudly and looked up at his wife. "Okay, you gotta promise me, no more stairs, okay? I swear, the next house we get, it's gonna be someplace flat, a nice bungalow somewhere."
Sergeant Bill Anderson glanced at Helen Stone and they both laughed. "You do realize that would have to be out of The City, or over in Pacific Heights, and I don't think you make enough to live there, partner, unless you're planning on making Chief in the next couple a years."
With a shake of her head and a warm smile, Helen stepped closer to her husband and put her hands on his shoulders. "You don't have to go anywhere, except back and forth to the bathroom, for the next week or so, so just lie down and relax and let Bill get back to work."
Still pretending to be grumpy, Mike looked up at his partner and smiled. "You really have to go?" he asked disappointedly.
Raising his eyebrows and nodding, the tall dark-haired detective said gently, "There's a couple of things that need my attention right away, I'm afraid. But I can probably drop by tomorrow night for a bit."
"Why don't you come for dinner, Bill?" Helen asked with a grin, seeing the light in her husband's eyes. "Nothing too fancy; I'm gonna be making a pot roast. He's allowed if it's well cooked and soft, so…"
"Thank god," Mike intoned dryly. "After two weeks of only liquids and then stuff I could slurp through a straw, it'll be great to finally have to chew something."
"Within reason," Helen admonished with a warm chuckle.
Anderson laughed, dropping a hand onto his partner's shoulder. "All right, I'll see you guys tomorrow night." He turned to start for the door and Helen made a move to follow. "I know my way out. You stay here with him," he nodded in Mike's direction then fixed him with a frowning glare. "You take care of yourself and do everything she tells you to, okay? I want to get you back to work as soon as possible." With a wink, he was out the door.
Still smiling, now more with relief than anything else, Helen turned back to the bed, and husband and wife held a look for several long seconds. She took a step towards him, put both hands on the back of his head and pulled his face into her belly as he wrapped his arms around her. They held each other for what seemed like an eternity until she pulled back and bent forward to plant her lips firmly on his. He closed his eyes.
When she eventually broke the contact and stood straight again, the smile she tried to find was hampered by the trembling of her lips. "For awhile there I thought I'd never see you in this room again."
"I know," he whispered, his eyes brightening, "but you also know I would never, ever leave you or Jeannie. Never."
She smiled through the tears beading on her lashes. "I love you, Michael Stone." She cupped his face and stared into his wonderfully familiar blue eyes. He smiled back, blinking slowly in an attempt to keep his own tears from falling. Eventually his wife took a step back, turned to the bureau and opened the top drawer. She took out a freshly laundered pair of dark blue pajamas.
"I want you to get into these and then get into bed. I'm going to whip up a nice omelet for dinner; how does that sound?" She dropped the pajamas on the bed beside him.
Mike closed his eyes. "Like heaven," he sighed and she laughed lovingly as she took a step back and looked at her wristwatch.
"Jeannie'll be home in about a half hour."
Mike chuckled. "I can't wait to surprise her, but please remind her she can't jump on the bed just yet."
"Don't worry, I'll put a harness on her and tie her to the wall if I have to." She stepped closer and bent down to kiss him one more time. "Get yourself into bed and I'll be back up in awhile." She crossed to the door.
He glanced down at the pajamas and picked them up, then seemed to remember that he had to put them back down again to push himself to a standing position. She watched as he planted both hands on the bed and rose slowly to his feet, his eyes closed and teeth clenched in pain. She was tempted to return to him, to help him up, but realized he needed to start doing things on his own if he was going to recover. She moved away from the open door before he had the chance to open his eyes and see her there.
More than anything else, Mike hated pity.
# # # # #
The front door slammed open then shut and Jeannie Stone raced into the kitchen, throwing her canvas satchel on the table and rushing to the fridge to take out a bottle of milk. A glass was already waiting on the counter and she struggled with the full bottle to pour without spilling, glancing at her mother who was standing at the counter dicing a slice of lean ham.
"I'll go get changed and then we can head to the hospital, okay, Mom?" she said breathlessly as she finished pouring and crossed back to the fridge to put the bottle away.
Trying to hide her smile, Helen kept dicing, keeping her back to the room as her daughter slammed the fridge door and returned to the counter. "We don't need to go to the hospital, sweetie."
Jeannie had picked up the glass and was just about to take her first gulp when she stopped. She seemed to freeze for a second, trying to understand what her mother was saying. Her eyes widening suddenly, the heavy glass hit the counter with a thud. "What?!" she asked, fear so evident in her voice.
Helen immediately realized she had given her daughter the wrong impression and she turned quickly. "No, honey, nothing's wrong. Don't worry. It's, ah… I just mean we don't have to go to the hospital to see your Dad anymore."
Jeannie, her hand still around the glass but staring steadily into her mother's brown eyes, blinked blankly a couple of times, then her features softened and she began to grin.
Mirroring the look, Helen started to smile and nod, her eyebrows rising, and she glanced towards the ceiling.
"Daddy!" Jeannie screamed at the top of her lungs as her hand slipped off the glass and she turned to race from the kitchen. "Daddy!" filled the house as her foot landed on the first step and she rocketed up the stairs.
"Jeannie, don't jump on the bed!" Helen yelled after her daughter as she followed to the bottom of the staircase, watching the small body disappear through the master bedroom door in a blur.
Jeannie tore into the room and slammed to a stop. Her father, dressed in his dark blue pajamas, was half-sitting up against a mound of pillows on the right side of the queen-sized bed; he was facing the door, a broad grin lighting his face. Her eyes so big they seemed to be popping out of her head, she stared at him as if not believing what she was seeing. "Daddy…" she whispered, and he laughed gently, patting the bed beside him.
"Hi, sweetheart. Come here and sit beside me," he said quietly, staring into her blue eyes. As she started to bolt across the room, he raised his hand quickly and she froze. "Nope," he said sharply, with a smile and a chuckle, and she slowed down, walking with exaggerated deliberateness to the bed. Still staring at her father, she crawled up onto the bed and towards him, and he held out his left arm so she could snuggle in beside him. Kneeling at his side, almost squirming with happiness, she kissed him on the lips then lay beside him, wriggling into place and carefully placing her left arm across his chest, being careful to avoid his stomach.
She buried her head into his side and he turned to kiss her hair, pulling her close. "I'm so happy you're home, Daddy," she murmured, closing her eyes and tightening her grip on his chest.
"So am I, honey, so am I," he whispered, trying to keep his voice even and soothing. He looked up to see Helen standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame, watching her husband and daughter with a warm and loving smile.
Still beaming, Mike closed his eyes and laid his head back on the pillows. Shaking her head slightly, more relieved that she would ever let herself admit, his wife backed away from the door and returned to the kitchen.
# # # # #
Helen entered the bedroom, closing the door behind her. In the bedside table lamplight, she could see Mike's eyes were closed and she watched him for a few seconds before kneeling on the bed and sliding towards him. She put a hand over his and watched his eyes open and turn in her direction. He smiled wearily.
"It took her forever to settle down. She's so excited that you're home." He nodded. "I don't think she's gonna sleep all night but she promised to stay in her room." Her gentle chuckle filled the bedroom, then she looked at him with a furrowed brow. "How are you feeling?" she asked quietly, shaking his hand gently.
He took a deep breath. "Tired," he admitted with a small shrug.
"It was a big day," she said sympathetically, reaching out to brush his hair back, her hand lingering on his head. "So, sailor," she said with a chuckle and a comical leer, "you wanna do a little cuddling before we both fall asleep?"
Laughing softly, Mike pulled his hand from under hers and held his arm out at an angle so she could lie against him. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear you say that."
Much like her daughter had done hours before, Helen snuggled against her husband, her head on his shoulder and her arm across his chest as he pulled her as close as he could, laying his head against hers. She closed her eyes, and seconds later he could feel her hot tears soaking into the cotton of his pajama top.
# # # # #
He barely had time to open the front door and step over the threshold when he was assailed by her anxious voice. "So?" Chuckling, he looked up as he turned to close the door and his eyebrows rose. His wife was standing at the kitchen entrance, a plate and dishtowel in her hands, staring at him worriedly.
Shaking his head slightly, his smile disappeared as he crossed to her, tossing the keys onto the table near the door then opening both arms. He raised his chin towards her. "Put the plate down," he ordered quietly.
Frowning, her heart starting to pound, she took a couple of steps backwards and set the plate and towel on the counter, not taking her eyes from her husbands expressionless face. He followed her, stepping closer to the counter and pinning her against it with an arm on each side. She stared up at him, still not sure what he was going to tell her.
His blue eyes bored into hers and they seemed unbearably sad. She braced herself. He took a deep breath, then his solemn features softened and he smiled. "They gave me the green light."
She stared at him blankly, as if unsure of what he had just told her, then her eyes widened and she squealed, putting her arms around his neck and pulling him forward. He took his hands off the counter and wrapped his arms around her, picking her off the ground in a bear hug, the hug she had missed for the past six long weeks.
When he lowered her to the ground, he looked into her eyes. "You know what that means, right?" he asked quietly.
She bit her lip as she smiled up at him, putting her hands on his face and holding him tenderly. She nodded slowly, knowingly, "Uhm-humh… it means I get to cook you a really special dinner tonight."
He frowned slightly and tilted his head, his eyes widening. Her grin widening, she patted his cheeks and laughed teasingly. "It also means I was right when I sent Jeannie off for that sleepover at Becky's place. We have the house all to ourselves." She finished by pulling him closer and planting a deep, sensuous kiss on his very welcoming mouth.
# # # # #
She dropped her panties on the floor with a salacious grin then sat on her side of the bed, leaning slightly over him, staring into his eyes. She placed her hand on his bare chest, feeling the gentle rise and fall, then slid it down to his belly. Hesitating briefly and taking a deep breath, she carefully pulled the sheet down, exposing the fresh, dark pink scar that ran horizontally from his navel to his right side. Softly, she ran her fingers over the still healing wound as she leaned against him and he put his arm around her and squeezed.
She sighed loudly and he tightened his grip, both of them very aware of how close they had come to never sharing a moment like this ever again. Eventually she pushed herself up and, sliding under the sheet, straddled him. Smiling, looking into her love-filled eyes, he reached up, slowly running his hands from her hips up her sides and across her lower chest to gently cup both of her breasts.
And that was when he felt the lump.