Hello! Just a short little tidbit to expand on Conner and Jenna's budding relationship. Sorry it's taken so long to update. I have horrible depression and this story and the others I'm sharing on this site have been very healing for me. I hope you enjoy this, and for waiting so patiently, I'm uploading another chapter!
She woke up feeling warm and disoriented. She took a deep breath and started to shift, pillow was really hard. Had she fallen asleep on a book again? She groaned... But then her groan was echoed back at her.
Not hers. No, this one was deeper and more... Masculine. She jerked up.
"What time is it?" Conner groaned, rubbing his eyes.
He'd been on top of the covers, but he... He was in her apartment. In her bed.
"How... What... When...?" She panicked.
"Whoa now, easy." Conner was instantly alert. He got off the bed as her eyes, those wide, frantic eyes, flitted between him and the door. "Easy. You were sick, remember?" He moved and talked slowly, trying to keep her as calm as possible.
She thought for a moment, but nodded, hesitantly.
"Murph and me, we took care of yeh. I stayed over cause you asked me not to leave, remember?"
She shook her head this time.
"You- you don't?"
She clutched at the blankets. Eye's fearful as she let her mind work. He stayed silent, praying on how to fix this without her screaming at him. "It... It was dark?" Her voice was soft as her eyes flitted to an outlet, he hadn't noticed a nightlight: fallen, kicked by the dresser.
Murphy had been sitting close to there. The moron. He nodded. "Yeah."
She slowly pointed to the door and he backed out just as slowly. Murphy was just coming out of the apartment when Conner let out a sigh on the other side of the door, feeling like he'd very much dodged a bullet. "Everythin' all right, Con?"
"Fuck!" He jumped, hissing. But seeing Murphy, he sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."
"How is she?"
"Better. She's better." He then whacked him upside the head.
"Ow, Fuck wassat fer?!"
"Yeh unplugged a nightlight and didn't put it back is whatcha did."
"Was diggin' into my back! You gonna get ready fer work or what?"
"Yeah. Gimme a minute."
"You sure? You get any sleep?"
"Yeah...Yeah I did." He couldn't hide the smile pulling at his lips as he entered his apartment. Not noticing Murphy's own smile as his eyes followed after his brother.
When they came home, the smells were overpowering the entire floor. Someone was cooking something amazing. They followed their noses and it lead them to Jenna's door.
Please let there be extra!
She knocked on their door, presenting them with their own little portions and when they expected her to run off, she just stood there. She was blushing rather hard, and not looking at them, but she stayed where she was. "Something we can help yeh with, Love?" Conner asked, a bit hesitantly.
She shook her head no. "I..." she cleared her throat. "I just... Thanks. For... For everything."
"You just keep makin' food like this, Darlin. We'll do anything you ask." Murphy laughed.
Jenna blushed again before she finally retreated. She wasn't sure how she felt about what she remembered, but she knew she trusted them- not just through her uncle anymore. They'd been nothing but patient and kind. She could be a right brat when she was sick. But they'd done nothing unkind. Save for breaking into her apartment. And unplugging her night light.
Jenna was due for the early shift at McGinty's so she started getting ready. She put her hair up in a bun. She really did need to cut it. She brushed a little make-up on her face, just enough to help her not look like she was recovering from being sick, and shoved on a clean shirt and jeans.
When she opened her door, purse in hand, she was a bit surprised to see someone there. "Oh... Hello." She looked up at Conner who looked like he'd been about to knock.
"You... You working tonight?" He stuttered, looking her over.
She nodded. Her heart thudded in her chest. Stop that. You stop that right now. She told it. "Did... Did you... need any- anything?" She asked out loud, a bit hesitant. Awkward.
"Did you want some company?"
She smiled softly. "Sure. Yeah." She stepped out and locked her door. A quick glance told her that it was just him. "No Murphy?"
"Nah, he's pretty tired." He waved her off.
"He's not getting sick is he? Did I get him sick?"
"What? No! He's- he's fine. Just work was tiring today. That's all."
"Oh... Ok. You- you're not sick or anything are- are you? You shouldn't walk with me if you're getting sick. It- it'll just make it worse, you know. I can- I can bring you some soup or-or something when I come home-" Her nervous rant was cut off.
"I'm not sick either!" He laughed, cutting off her rapid rambling. With a raise of his hands in surrender.
She paused as they entered the elevator. "I'm sorry." She blushed.
"Concern is nothin' to be sorry about, Love." He smiled, rather pleased at her reaction. She was nice when she blushed, brought out her eyes, making the green a little brighter.
"Where... Where do you two work, anyways?"
"Meat packing plant, down the way." He pointed over his shoulder as he pulled the doors down and pushed the button.
Her fingers fiddled with her purse. She didn't know, but something felt different. Which was ridiculous, he'd walked her to work and back plenty of times before. But then.. Murphy was always with him. "Are you sure Murphy's ok?"
"Why, you sweet on him?" His heart thudded in his chest for a second.
"No." She rolled her eyes, chuckling a bit. "I just... I've just never seen the two of you apart. You know?"
"He's just wore out." He assured. Conner lifted the doors when the lift stopped and opened the other door to the outside world.
"So, do you... Are you gonna stay or are you dropping me off?"
"Bit of both, I guess." He scratched his eyebrow, holding a cigarette she hadn't noticed him light. "I'll stay a bit, come back to pick yeh up after shift."
"You don't have to. I'm.. I'm sure you've better things to do? You must be tired too, if it was such a long day?"
"Nah." He chuckled. But it was distracted. Her anxiety was pretty high today. "I'm fine and nothin's better than makin' sure you get home safe. Ma'd tan my hide knowing I let a lady walk home alone. In the dark." He teased.
She looked at him, wide eyed. "What difference does that make?" Being afraid of the dark was a perfectly reasonable fear! You can't see where you're going. You can't tell the dangers lurking. It always feels like someone's watching you even if you're alone.
He shrugged, a small smile tugging on his face. "I'm only teasin', Love."
She gave him a suspicious look, but let his teasing pass. "You only want to be my knight in shining armor some more."
"Oh ho! She has a sense of humor!" He laughed.
She snickered as well. "Have to, to live next to you two chuckle heads." She tucked a stray bit of hair behind her ear.
"Do we bother the ghost next door?"
"Ghost?" She looked at him curiously out of the corner of her eye.
"You're so quiet, we wouldn't know you were home if you didn't cook so much. Or go to the bathroom every once in a while."
She blushed at the implication. "Well.. I..."
"Easy, I was only teasing." He reminded.
Her blush remained.
"So, what did you do before you joined the family at Doc's?"
She shrugged. "Shitty housewife." She seemed to quote.
He gave her a confused look. That guy was her husband? "You were married?"
She shook her head. "Came to my sense before then. But... Almost." She admitted. "Momma... She'd kicked me out of the house. Didn't have anywhere to go, moved in with Michael." She shrugged, her voice soft and getting softer with every sentence. The next one, however, piped up with interest. "What about you?"
He shook his head. "Nah. Never found the right girl."
"Why'd you leave the old neighborhood?"
"Opportunity? Adventure?" He laughed.
"You really are straight out of a fairytale." She teased. "Tell me you've got a dark tragic past."
"Nah. Got a mum back home. She raised us, made sure we had education. We had each other. No tragic past. Just a missin' da."
She nodded. "My Dad died." She empathized. "You know, it took me a minute, but you and Murphy are twins, aren't you?"
"Couldn't tell? Well, that's too bad. Murphy's sure he's the better lookin' of us. I'll have to set him straight if you can tell us apart."
She laughed. An honest laugh. Almost took him by surprise, but he'd been wanting to hear it for a while. She didn't try to make it pretty or light. It was more like a cackle than anything. She covered her mouth, trying to muffle it, but it was futile. Her whole body bouncing as she did so. It was a contagious laugh, spread easily from her to him.