48 Hours 4/?
By Ginny
Thanks for the reviews
*********************
As predicted sleep didn't come easily to Robert. Elizabeth stayed on her side of the bed, resisting the urge to try and talk to him, to try and reach out to him. While it was clear he didn't want to talk he also didn't want to be alone. He rolled over towards Elizabeth for the third or fourth time and she made a move to at least touch his hand, to make some connection. He allowed her to hold his hand but that was it. He just couldn't handle more than that. He didn't want to fall apart yet again. He was beginning to feel like way too many things would set him off and turn him into an emotional wreck. He knew Elizabeth probably felt the same way. The last thing he wanted was for her to worry about him more. She had been through enough over the past year and a half, he didn't want to cause her anymore pain than he already had.
It was times like this, when nothing seemed to be going right that he wondered if he was being fair to Elizabeth and Ella at all. They had been through so much with Mark, was it fair to inflict another less than healthy man on them. Robert hadn't voiced his fears to anyone. Who was there to tell? Elizabeth was the only one he really talked to about anything important.
It was well after midnight when Elizabeth decided she couldn't take it anymore. She got out of bed, found the bag Dorothy had brought over and opened it, hoping Dorothy had tossed in the bottle of sleeping pills. Unfortunately it wasn't in there. She sighed and headed for the bathroom to see if she had something to help him sleep.
"Robert, sit up for a minute," she said as she got back to her room. He rolled over with an annoyed snort and sat up slowly. "Here, take these," Elizabeth said as she held the pills out for him. "Tylenol PM," she replied, answering his unspoken question. "You need some sleep." He nodded in agreement and took the pills without complaint.
With a tentative hand Elizabeth moved to rub his back. Robert turned his head towards her and gave a small smile, indicating his approval. She slipped her hand under his t-shirt, realizing he was a little warm. Since she'd just given him Tylenol she didn't bother mentioning it to him. With any luck he would fall asleep quickly.
And he did. Elizabeth remained awake a while longer, watching Robert sleep. It was one of her favorite things to do. He looked relaxed and content, something that didn't happen all that often when he was awake. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and curled up next to him.
Robert woke a little after 3 shaking and sweaty from a nightmare and gasping from the sudden onset of the worst phantom pain he'd experienced to date. He sat up and crept out of bed, hoping to leave the room without waking Elizabeth. He managed to make it down the stairs without falling, literally not able to figure out what to do first. He stumbled into the kitchen and swallowed some Advil with a handful of water before splashing some water on his face. With a shaky hand he pulled the freezer door open and rummaged around for the ice pack. He wrapped the ice pack in a dish towel and wandered into the family room. Not bothering with turning the light on Robert sat down on the floor in front of the couch.
That was where Elizabeth found him half an hour later.
She'd woken up alone when the light in the bathroom wasn't on she went searching for Robert. She started with Ella's room, where Robert frequently ended up when he couldn't sleep. Ella was alone in her room, sound asleep. She crept down the stairs quietly in case Robert was asleep on the couch. She found him sitting on the floor in the family room. Gretel was next to him, keeping an eye on him.
"Robert?" she called softly as she flicked on the light. Robert shielded his eyes and she turned the light back off. He was sitting crossed legged with his elbow on his knee and the ice pack pressed against the stump. The pain was evident as she got closer to him and saw that he was gently rocking back and forth. Robert looked up at her for a second and in the moonlight she saw the tears in his eyes. Elizabeth knelt next to him and put her arms around him. She held him as she rubbed his back and tried to comfort him. "Just breathe Robert, don't hold your breath," she whispered.
"I can't," he muttered, the exhaustion and misery evident in his voice.
"Robert, look at me," said Elizabeth as she moved in front of him. "Holding your breath makes it worse," she said crossing her legs, mirroring his postion. She reached over and lifted his chin up. "Breath with me," she said as she kept her hand on his chin so he couldn't look away. Robert forced himself to try to follow Elizabeth's lead eventually relaxing enough to take some deep breaths. "Better?" she asked as she wiped the corners of his eyes with her thumbs. Robert nodded and slid back a little to lean against the couch. He reached for the ice pack he'd dropped earlier. "Did you take something?" asked Elizabeth.
"Yeah, Advil."
"How long ago?"
"An hour or so," he muttered as he pushed himself up onto his knees and moved to stretch out on the couch. Elizabeth got him a drink of water and a wiped his face with a cool damp cloth.
"You're a little warm," she pointed out as she put the cool cloth on his forehead.
"I know. Probably that bug Ella had earlier in the week," mumbled Robert as he closed his eyes and let the exhaustion overtake him. "Thank you Lizzie," he muttered before completely falling asleep.
"You're welcome," she whispered as she kissed him softly and covered him up. She stayed for a few minutes to watch him and to make sure he was out. With one last glance over her shoulder she returned to bed, hoping to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.
By Ginny
Thanks for the reviews
*********************
As predicted sleep didn't come easily to Robert. Elizabeth stayed on her side of the bed, resisting the urge to try and talk to him, to try and reach out to him. While it was clear he didn't want to talk he also didn't want to be alone. He rolled over towards Elizabeth for the third or fourth time and she made a move to at least touch his hand, to make some connection. He allowed her to hold his hand but that was it. He just couldn't handle more than that. He didn't want to fall apart yet again. He was beginning to feel like way too many things would set him off and turn him into an emotional wreck. He knew Elizabeth probably felt the same way. The last thing he wanted was for her to worry about him more. She had been through enough over the past year and a half, he didn't want to cause her anymore pain than he already had.
It was times like this, when nothing seemed to be going right that he wondered if he was being fair to Elizabeth and Ella at all. They had been through so much with Mark, was it fair to inflict another less than healthy man on them. Robert hadn't voiced his fears to anyone. Who was there to tell? Elizabeth was the only one he really talked to about anything important.
It was well after midnight when Elizabeth decided she couldn't take it anymore. She got out of bed, found the bag Dorothy had brought over and opened it, hoping Dorothy had tossed in the bottle of sleeping pills. Unfortunately it wasn't in there. She sighed and headed for the bathroom to see if she had something to help him sleep.
"Robert, sit up for a minute," she said as she got back to her room. He rolled over with an annoyed snort and sat up slowly. "Here, take these," Elizabeth said as she held the pills out for him. "Tylenol PM," she replied, answering his unspoken question. "You need some sleep." He nodded in agreement and took the pills without complaint.
With a tentative hand Elizabeth moved to rub his back. Robert turned his head towards her and gave a small smile, indicating his approval. She slipped her hand under his t-shirt, realizing he was a little warm. Since she'd just given him Tylenol she didn't bother mentioning it to him. With any luck he would fall asleep quickly.
And he did. Elizabeth remained awake a while longer, watching Robert sleep. It was one of her favorite things to do. He looked relaxed and content, something that didn't happen all that often when he was awake. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and curled up next to him.
Robert woke a little after 3 shaking and sweaty from a nightmare and gasping from the sudden onset of the worst phantom pain he'd experienced to date. He sat up and crept out of bed, hoping to leave the room without waking Elizabeth. He managed to make it down the stairs without falling, literally not able to figure out what to do first. He stumbled into the kitchen and swallowed some Advil with a handful of water before splashing some water on his face. With a shaky hand he pulled the freezer door open and rummaged around for the ice pack. He wrapped the ice pack in a dish towel and wandered into the family room. Not bothering with turning the light on Robert sat down on the floor in front of the couch.
That was where Elizabeth found him half an hour later.
She'd woken up alone when the light in the bathroom wasn't on she went searching for Robert. She started with Ella's room, where Robert frequently ended up when he couldn't sleep. Ella was alone in her room, sound asleep. She crept down the stairs quietly in case Robert was asleep on the couch. She found him sitting on the floor in the family room. Gretel was next to him, keeping an eye on him.
"Robert?" she called softly as she flicked on the light. Robert shielded his eyes and she turned the light back off. He was sitting crossed legged with his elbow on his knee and the ice pack pressed against the stump. The pain was evident as she got closer to him and saw that he was gently rocking back and forth. Robert looked up at her for a second and in the moonlight she saw the tears in his eyes. Elizabeth knelt next to him and put her arms around him. She held him as she rubbed his back and tried to comfort him. "Just breathe Robert, don't hold your breath," she whispered.
"I can't," he muttered, the exhaustion and misery evident in his voice.
"Robert, look at me," said Elizabeth as she moved in front of him. "Holding your breath makes it worse," she said crossing her legs, mirroring his postion. She reached over and lifted his chin up. "Breath with me," she said as she kept her hand on his chin so he couldn't look away. Robert forced himself to try to follow Elizabeth's lead eventually relaxing enough to take some deep breaths. "Better?" she asked as she wiped the corners of his eyes with her thumbs. Robert nodded and slid back a little to lean against the couch. He reached for the ice pack he'd dropped earlier. "Did you take something?" asked Elizabeth.
"Yeah, Advil."
"How long ago?"
"An hour or so," he muttered as he pushed himself up onto his knees and moved to stretch out on the couch. Elizabeth got him a drink of water and a wiped his face with a cool damp cloth.
"You're a little warm," she pointed out as she put the cool cloth on his forehead.
"I know. Probably that bug Ella had earlier in the week," mumbled Robert as he closed his eyes and let the exhaustion overtake him. "Thank you Lizzie," he muttered before completely falling asleep.
"You're welcome," she whispered as she kissed him softly and covered him up. She stayed for a few minutes to watch him and to make sure he was out. With one last glance over her shoulder she returned to bed, hoping to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.