Sam stared into the darkness as he loosely draped his arm over her sleeping form. He shifted as he readjusted his position, her hair tickling his nostrils. He was surprised how quickly she fell into slumber but after twenty years sleeping in a prison anywhere could feel comfortable to her not to mention the two just spent the most passionate nights of their lives to date. The ending though left the officer lost. He let out another sigh as he rolled onto his back but still turned to stare at the back of her head as he replayed their last conversation together.
He was trembling above her as they had both just tumbled to ecstacy. In a heated moment of passion she cried out that she loved him, taking him by complete surprise. He eased out of her and collapsed on the mattress to weak to hold himself up any longer. Galina remained frozen. He didn't speak at first to catch his breath. He turned to look at her. She still remained in her pose sprawled out on the mattress, her hand resting on her chest, her other hand clutching the pillow cradeling her head and her eyes ever gazing up to the ceiling. "Galina" he called out into the silence. She said nothing. She continued to stare. He rolled to the side and proped himself up to see her face. She continued to stare up as if the answers were hidden in the cracks of the aging plaster. He didn't know how long they sat in the dark as she stared at nothing and he gazed at his everything. "You know I thought it would be different. That I wouldn't do it because you're different." Galina said mournfully. "Sweetie? What are you talking about?" Sam asked as he took her hand. He was relieved she didn't pull away but she wouldn't look at him. "I fucked like I used to. I fucked like….like when I had to for survival." Galina whispered to the ceiling "You made love and I….." her voice cracked and she closed her eyes allowing a single tear to slide down. Finally she turned her back to him and crawled out of bed. Sam sat up watching her search for her robe. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked. "Don't be ridiculous" she gauffed before she threw on the pale blue garmet and exited to the room.
Sam leaned back into the pillows listening to her turn of the sink. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He was supposed to make love to her and hold her close. He was supposed stroke her skin and kiss every freckle. He was supposed the listen to her heartbeat as they planned their future in the dark of night. He was was supposed to smile with her as they stretched their newly awakened bodies. He was not supposed to be sitting alone in bed listening to her hide soft whimpers behind the rushing whir of the faucet.
After a couple deep breaths Sam crawled out of bed himself, throwing back on his underwear and t-shirt. He felt out of place in her tiny hallway staring at a bathroom door. He knocked. She said nothing. "Red?" he murmered. A sniff was his only response. "Red" he repeated. Nothing. After a pause her jiggled the handle to see it was unlocked and swung open the door. There she sat perched ontop of the lid of a tiny toilet, her legs and arms crossed as she looked up at him blankly. "What if I was peeing?" She asked with a huff. "Well you obviously weren't" he retorted. She shrugged in resented agreement. Sam shut off the faucet, carefully stepped over to the quiet woman and took a seat next to her on the ledge of the bathtub. "This is pathetic." She groaned shaking her head "Weeping in the bathroom like some deranged teenager." Sam placed a hand on her knee with a sigh. "No its not. Never apologize for being human." He said softly "We need to talk about what happened." Galina groaned once more placing her head in her hands. "You just got out of prison. Perhaps the shock of this new world is starting to take effect." The gentleman murmered. "Don't" Galina demanded into her palms. "Don't what?" Sam shot back. "I'm not a file on your desk! I don't wish to be examined and evaluated at your leisure!" She hissed. The older man sighed as he scratched his head in frustration. "You know that's not what I meant" Sam replied carefully "I love you and I don't like to see you hurt". She watched him carefully with eyes dancing between danger and innocence. "I shouldn't act so proud. Behind those bars nothing could hurt me. Kill me? Sure. But not hurt me. I knew who I was." She stated before her voice dropped to a strained whisper "But here…" she shuddered "here I am nothing. Nothing but an old woman with no morals and a felony." Healy stood from his perch on the tub and pulled her up to stand with him before he cradled her face in both his palms. "I love you with all my heart but we both know that's bullshit." He said looking into her eyes "you have never been nothing." He watched as two more tears fall between them, splattering at their feet. "Lets talk in the morning. Im tired." She sighed.
She grasped his wrists and they placed their foreheads together just as they did after experiencing their first kiss before she pulled his hands down and turned to walk away. He watched her make it into the hallway before he asked "Did you have say to say I love you?" she froze "Did you say it when you fucked to survive?" She paused and turned to him. He stood unmoving, in limbo, completely at her mercy. "Only once." She said softly "It was on my wedding night." He looked down at the linoleum tiles as he listened to her saunter back into the bedroom and quietly slip back into bed. He followed. Not a single word was spoken as they eased back into the darkness and finally into slumber.