*KIND REMINDER: English isn't my language*
My Love
My love, we have seen it all, the endless confession, the rise and fall, as fragile as a child but lately I'm sorry I can't hold a smile… My love, can you give me strength? Somehow I forgot how to ease my pain… Could you see I've been brave? Or, did you notice all my mistakes?
"Does that answer your question?"
Owen smiled against her lips and then continue kissing her, long, slow and passionately, it was as if with that kiss he wanted to make up for every time he and Teddy didn't have a chance to be together in the past, as if he wanted to record in his mind the feel of her soft lips over his while her dainty hands caressed his hair and his nape while he did the same with her back until that wasn't enough so putting aside the sheets he searched for the hem of her hospital gown, introducing his hands and stroking her slim, long legs, the feel of his rough hands on her skin sent electric currents all over Teddy's body, his hands kept going up her body until they reached her hips and with his thumbs he traced soft circles on her hip bones, she wasn't wearing underwear...
"Oh, my God! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! "Arizona shrieked as she came into the room without knocking at the door and found Teddy and Owen in such a loving display.
While Owen grumbled between clenched teeth, Teddy blushed profusely as she covered her legs again with the sheets and cast a glance at Arizona as if saying. "Why don't you knock at the door?" For a few seconds the three remained in an awkward silence until Owen finally dared to speak.
"Do you need something?" He asked, after clearing his throat.
"Oh no, nothing in particular, just came to see how Teddy was... since she spent all the night and morning alone."
"I'm fine Arizona, thanks for coming."
"Yeah... it's what I see... well, I don't keep you anymore, apparently you're busy, I'll come back later Teds... just one more thing before I leave. Should I take this as an 'I will not stay at your home anymore?" Arizona asked, with a mischievous smile.
Teddy was speechless, she still couldn't process that Arizona had found them making out. "Ok, I'll take your face as a 'Thank you very much dear friend, but no, I will not stay at your home" And with that Arizona left the couple alone.
"Well... that was uncomfortable." Owen said scratching his nape.
"Embarrassing!" Teddy responded, biting her thumbnail.
"Shameful!"
"Disgraceful!" Then the two burst out laughing.
Sitting down again on the edge of Teddy's bed, Owen began stroking her hair. "We'll be fine, this will work, you'll see, we'll overcome the obstacles together." He said in a soft tone and that's how it was, although they never thought it would be so difficult and painful.
...
As the days went by, their relationship and Teddy's health improved considerably. In what corresponded to their relationship little by little they were falling into the idea that now they were a couple, to Teddy at times it was still difficult to believe it, but it was true, what they had was true, she could see it, she could feel it on her fingertips as something tangible, as something that for years she longed and that finally had come true, they were together, they loved each other and unlike what Teddy thought at first there were still a lot of things to learn from each other, many years have passed since the last time they shared quarters in Baghdad and cohabited together under the same roof; people change, habits and tastes change and while everting Owen said about Teddy's likes and manias remained intact there were new likes and manias that Teddy had acquired over time likewise Owen, so yes, despite knowing each other like the palm of their hands there were still many things to learn from each other and both were more than willing and happy to do so.
As for Teddy's health, both physical and mental improved with days, in addition to her leg what Owen was most worried about was her weight, she had lost too many pounds during her convalescence in hospital and that troubled him, there were times when he felt that if he hugged her too tight her frail backbones would crack so his new purpose was to help her gain weight, she would need it for her rehabilitation, so he took care of her diet and every day he brought her food rich in protein and carbohydrates, the results were soon noticed, her arms and legs looked more thick, her clavicles and cheekbones less pronounced, her hair was no longer opaque and lifeless, little by little it started to look silkier and her eyes and smile brighter, although this perhaps had to do with the fact that every day after breakfast Owen would take her in a wheelchair to go for a stroll in the hospital gardens, then they took a spot under a tree and talked about everything and nothing; no doubt the sun and the fresh air were helping her immensely, although if somebody asked Teddy she would say it was love, the love of her best friend, her partner, her confidant who was helping her to get ahead.
The most painful came later, Teddy had been in the hospital for more than 4 months, the cast was removed, leaving her now with an orthopedic boot for rehabilitation that went from under her knee and completely covered her foot. After some more tests by both Amelia and Doctor Brown, Teddy was finally discharged to go home and start her rehabilitation therapies.
That was a hell on earth.
The first day Elroy, her physiotherapist, make her walk supported by horizontal bars, after months in bed the mere fact of standing up was a challenge, her legs had lost muscular tone and strength, as well as her arms which were supposed to help her hold her up, after two steps she fell to the ground, Owen's heart skipped a beat and he immediately ran to help her. "I can't, I can't". She kept saying through tears.
"You can Teddy, look at me, you are strong and you can with this and everything that is to come". Owen encouraged her.
The rest of the therapies were more or less the same, she came, she couldn't do the exercises, she got frustrated and ended up crying which consequently left her gloomy for the rest of the day to do almost anything. Owen didn't know what else to do to help her, all the progress she had made weeks ago seemed to have gone down the drain, it seemed that words were no longer enough, with each passing day Teddy locked more and more in herself, some days she refused to go to the therapies, which caused big fights between her and Owen, which make her emotional situation worse.
"You don't have to do this, I didn't ask you for any of this, you offered yourself, the door is open for you to leave whenever you want!" Teddy yelled at Owen one day that he practically wanted to carry her to the car since she refused to get out of bed. After her discharge from the hospital Teddy went to live with Owen, the first days as she predicted everything was hearts and rainbows; they could spend hours on the couch binged watching some trendy show, eating junk food or take-out, at night before going to sleep, they would read some book or medical journal, sitting next to each other, in silence, but enjoying the heat that radiated their bodies, until the day their therapies began.
Owen was stunned for a few seconds, watching her felling apart and it seemed that he couldn't do anything to keep her whole, complete. He knelt in front of her and took her hands in his. "You're sad, and angry, and frustrated, and that's why you talk like that... I am too Teddy, I'm devastated, I'm scared to see how the woman I love is letting herself die slowly, but I'm not going to give up on you, because that is why we are a couple, to support each other, to help us get up when the other falls... it's what people do for they loved ones".
Tears ran slowly through Teddy's cheeks. "Please, leave now... I swear I'll understand... but go, go now, please." Teddy sobbed, the sadness, the defeat, the burden and the fatigue were evident in her voice, Owen had to do something to get her out of this black hole in which she was falling and he had to do it now.
Still holding her hands Owen gave her a slight shake earning her attention again. "Listen to me carefully, Theodora Altman... I will not go anywhere, I will not give you any reason to get rid of me, I don't do this out of obligation or pity, I do this because I love you, do you understand me?" Clearing his throat and putting his best army face and voice he added. "And now, Colonel Altman! You will get out of this bed, we will go to your therapies and you will take a thousand steps! Understood?!"
Teddy burst into tears and hugged him by the neck. "Sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry".
"Shhh, shhh, shhh it's fine." He said rubbing her back.
"Please, never stop saying that." Teddy mumbled.
"Ok, it's fine".
"No, not that, the other."
Owen just smiled and stroked her face gently. "I love you, I love you, I love you".
In fact, that little call to earth was what Teddy needed to start to get out of that dark tunnel, although that day she didn't take a thousand steps she did take 100, compared to the 10, or 5, or 0 she had taken in other sessions it had been quite an achievement, making that day a success. To reward her, Owen took her for lunch to a small and cozy Italian restaurant overlooking the bay.
"Thank you, thank you for that reprimand, I really needed it." Teddy said.
"It was nothing. That's what couples are for, isn't it?" Owen answered giving her a kiss on the forehead.
Teddy smiled shyly. "Forgive me for behaving like a spoiled brat."
"Don't worry; I'll see how you'll pay me."
"You will?"
"Yeah... believe me, I'll think of something." Teddy just laughed.
...
And although there were a few more dark and sad moments since that day everything was back to the way it was before, even better, every day Teddy made more progress in her rehabilitations and already managed to walk without the need to hold on to something or someone. When the time came to do stretch and massage was another odyssey, there was no session where she didn't cry or scream in pain, but the fact that Owen was always at her side, holding her hand in moments of pain, whispering words of encouragement in her ear, supporting her, loving her was the encouragement she needed to overcome that hard moment.
Eight months after the accident Teddy was finally able to walk for more than half an hour at a steady pace, she no longer needed the orthopedic boot and her mobility had increased considerably and although there were still times when her leg gave her problems, she could say that it was already 70% rehabilitated.
Now, with no obstacles in her leg and with considerably more mobility, it was time to talk about the elephant in the room, sex. Since they started their relationship, Teddy and Owen hadn't tackled the subject of their first sexual encounter, there was no time for that among all the chaos of her recovery, but now after months with nothing but passionate kisses the sexual tension grew more and more and more between them; feeling the body of the other when sleeping, the touch of their hands, the tone of their voices, their mere company was killing them. If it was up to Owen, he would take Teddy and make love to her for hours, until their bodies couldn't do it anymore, but he knew that being his first time with her, no matter how childish it sounded, he wanted it to be special, she deserved it, she deserved to be loved, adored and pleased in every way, just thinking about the first time he would see her naked body caused him hard moments.
And as if reading his mind, Teddy also wished for her first time with the man she had loved for so many years to be special, seeing his muscular naked body for the first time made her body shudder, although at the same time it filled her with uneasiness, after months of being bedridden her body, although little by little was recovering, had gone through a very extreme process of illness and healing, her legs, arms and abdomen still not fully recover its previous muscular tone; Since Teddy returned to work in the army, it became a habit for her to do weight training sessions, so over the years her body gained a pronounced but delicate muscular tone, enough to appear she exercised daily but not as much as to compete as a bodybuilder, but now, now her legs were thin and flabby, in her abdomen you could see her ribs and hipbones, there were days when she felt disgusted, to think that Owen would see that deteriorated body made her shiver. Even so, unconsciously she kept thinking about how that special day would be like.
What she didn't know was that Owen had everything in hand, after days of preparation it was finally time to carry out his plan…
Song: My Love - Céline Dion
The next chapter is one of my favorites in this fic, stay tuned and if you can, leave me a review about this chapter ;)
