This is the first of 2 fics that are romantic, not steamy.
#1
Patrick Turner came awake in the soft time just before the day began. The glow of first dawn lightened the bedroom to soft shadows. Soon he would need to leave the warmth of the bed and prepare for another day. But now, for just a while, he could lay with Shelagh.
She lay facing him, one hand tucked beneath her face. Her cheek was as soft as cream. Even in sleep she emanated an intoxicating mix of childlike innocence and alluring woman. She often seemed naïve, vulnerable, completely without artifice. And yet she could walk through a room, touch his arm, smile into his face, and devastate him with desire. And her passion and openness when they made love left him stunned.
She had saved his life.
It was a trite thought, often repeated in film and novels. But it was true. Not in the physical sense. He could have, would have, gone on breathing, his heart pumping blood, going though his duties, tending to his patients, raising Timothy. Until he grew old. But he would have done it with a crying void inside.
The realization that he loved her, and wanted her physically, had hit him like a ton of bricks, and he had tried to fight it. No, if he was honest, he hadn't really. Intellectually, maybe. But his heart and manhood had fixed on wanting her and had never let go. It had led him to act like an idiot, force himself on her—by kissing her hand, writing her endlessly in the sanatorium when she gave no sign of caring in return. But he had felt she did care, in spite of everything. And when her call had come, he had rushed through his examination of Dolly Smart then out into the foggy world to find her.
Thank God he had.
Shelagh had given up a great deal to be with him. He had given up nothing, really. She had changed her entire life, and he valued that like a precious gift. But she hadn't changed herself. They had both been lonely, seeking spirits and once their eyes were opened to the other, they both found what they needed to be complete.
It was almost enough to make him believe in God.