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Chapter 8
Jolene woke with a slight start as a commercial came on the television and she frowned as she looked up at the TV and then around the room. It was then that she realized that she must have fallen asleep while watching the news and Don coming into her room had been a dream. Even in her dreams she couldn't escape that man. She sighed as she turned off the TV, raised her hand to her forehead, and closed her eyes.
"Hi," a soft voice said and she opened her eyes as she raised her hand and looked towards the door to see Don walking over to her, dressed still in his dress shirt, slacks and loose tie. "How you doing?" he asked and she gave him a small smile as he came to a stop at the side of her bed, his hands resting on the raised railing. As she looked at him, she couldn't help but wish her dream would come true at that moment.
"I'm fine," she said. "I tried to get them to let me go home, but the doctors here don't listen to reason."
"You have a concussion, Jo," he said with a frown, "two broken ribs, and a bruise the size of a grapefruit forming on your lower left cheek. Plus, you're lucky you didn't need stitches for that cut on the back of your head."
"I could be doing exactly what I'm doing right now in the comfort of my own bed," Jolene said.
"You'll be going home in the morning, so, don't give the nurses a hard time," Don chided with a smile and Jolene laughed softly only to wince and move her hand to her side. Don sighed as his smile fell and Jolene shook her head.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," she said lightly with a forced smile. She took her left hand from her side and held it out to him. He took her hand in his and she reveled in the warmth of it. "So, have you stopped to see Danny?" she asked and he nodded as his thumb moved along the back of her hand and his eyes were focused down on her.
"He's going to be staying a couple of days," Don said and Jolene nodded. Lindsey had pretty much told her the same thing, but with a nervous edge to her voice. She didn't have the heart to question her friend why Danny had come on shift early and in her place. She would find out later.
"So, how are you doing?" she asked and the frown was back on his face, but she maintained the pointed look on her face until he answered. She wasn't expecting the same answer 'Dream Don' gave her, but she was still expecting an answer.
"I've been better, but you don't need to be worrying about me," he said. "You need to be taking it easy." That was the answer she knew he'd give.
"Don, whether you like it or not I'm going to worry about you," Jolene said, "and since when do I take it easy?" He squeezed her hand tightly and Jolene adjusted how she was sitting so she was looking at him more easily with less pressure on her side.
"What exactly happened to you, Jo?" Don asked softly. He knew a little bit from Adam after he talked to him but the tech hadn't said too much; and with Danny hopped up on pain meds he hadn't been any help. Plus, most of Don's attention had shifted to the lab and getting things taken care of there. Jolene told him everything and watched as his face morphed from one emotion to the other.
"And you know the rest," she said as she concluded her tale rather tiredly. Retelling everything made her realize just what kind of position she had been in all day. She could have easily been killed, and even Danny, Adam, or the two uniforms could have lost their lives that day. Her emotions were suddenly on the surface and trusting Don she spoke quietly. "Can I tell you something and not have you think different of me?" she asked and he frowned yet again.
"I'd never think different of you," he said and Jolene sighed, which only made his frown deepen as he took in her expression. He'd never seen her like that before and his concern only grew.
"I was scared out of my mind," she admitted, her held back tears lining her eyes. "In all my time in the field, I never been in a situation like that before; and
"It's okay to be scared, Jo," he said softly as he turned slightly and raised his left hand to her face, gently wiping away at the tear that rolled down her cheek. "You're human, not a robot." Her lip trembled and he sighed quietly as he lowered his hand from her face and let go her hand before he sat down on the side of the bed. Jolene didn't care that it hurt her, she moved so she could embrace him and Don carefully wrapped his arm around her left side so he wouldn't put any unnecessary pressure on her ribs. "It'll be okay, Jo, you'll see," he whispered into the top of her head and she reached out with her left hand and grasped the front of his shirt as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I promise it will." Jolene had no doubt that he was right.
"This really, really, sucks," Jolene said as she sat back, wincing slightly as the brace the doctors had put her in two weeks ago tightened a bit. Lindsey smiled slightly as she looked at her friend, who had grown tired of being confined to the lab and working only part time until she had healed from her broken ribs. "It wouldn't be so bad if we weren't in the old lab and underground. How long until the new lab is ready?" she asked and Lindsey couldn't hold back her laugh then.
"I told you this morning, they said it should be up and running in three weeks," Lindsey said and Jolene sighed.
"You're off shift, Jo," Stella said as she walked into the lab and Jolene rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Stella, I've only been in for five hours," Jolene said. "I've barely got started on the trace Danny and Sheldon brought back."
"That's what I'm here for, Jo," Lindsey said and Jolene sighed.
"Danny's fingers are still broken and Adam's hand is still bandaged," Jolene said. "How come the two of them are back to work with barely any restriction and I'm still limited?"
"Because they've been given the all clear, and if you want to heal properly, you have to do as your doctor says," Stella said. "Plus, Mac left specific instructions that you stick to it because he knew you wouldn't."
"All right, all right," Jolene said with a soft sigh as she slowly stood from her chair. "I can tell when I'm not wanted." Stella and Lindsey laughed as they shook their heads and Jolene gently shrugged out of her lab coat.
"Believe me when I say we can't wait until you're on full time again," Stella said and Jolene smiled as she hung up the coat.
"Good," she said.
"I'll stop by when I'm off if it's not too late," Lindsey sand and Jolene nodded.
"Sounds good," she said. "I'll see you." The women chorused a good bye and Jolene left the lab and went to her locker to get her purse and. After she had her things, Jolene walked out of the locker room only to stop short when she saw Don standing there. She gave a half smile as she furrowed her brow. "Hello," she said and Don smirked.
"Hey," he said as he pushed himself off the wall. "I'm off shift and I thought I'd give you a ride home."
"Thanks," she said. "A ride would definitely beat the subway." Don's smile smirked into a smile before they walked out of the lab and towards the garage together. The ride to Jolene's had been in relative comfortable silence, with only a few words exchanged between the pair. When Don parked his car about half a block away from Jolene's building, she turned her head to look at him. "You want to come up and half a late lunch with me?"
"Sure," he said with a smile as his light eyes met hers and Jolene smiled before she looked away and blushed lightly as she carefully climbed out of the car. She'd been doing that much more than she had in her entire life, and ever since that night in the hospital she'd been finding it harder and harder to hide her deeper feelings for the man.
They went inside and up to Jolene's apartment where Jolene told him to make himself comfortable and if wanted a drink to help himself while she went and changed. Don had taken off his suit coat and draped it over the back of one of her dining room chairs before he rolled up his sleeves and loosened his tie a bit. He had gone into the kitchen to get a bottle of water from the fridge when he heard Jolene let out a shout. Forgetting about his water he charged into her room without knocking and walked over to the half dressed woman as she pressed her hand to her side.
"What's wrong? Jo, you okay?" he asked before he moved so he was standing in front of her.
"I just moved a way the brace didn't like and it pulled. I'm all right," she said tightly as a blush filled her face. She was standing in a pair of sweats, her white cotton bra, and her brace; she hadn't been expecting him to barge in her room.
"You sure?" he asked moving his hands to her face, forcing her eyes to his.
"Yes," she breathed, her mouth suddenly going dry as he looked down at her. With his worry put at ease, he realized her state of dress and his eyes took her in. The brace was cutting off most of his view of her, but his heart raced anyway as his eyes moved to hers yet again. He wanted her, and he couldn't fight it anymore. He had a feeling that Jolene felt the same if the way she was looking at him at that moment was any indication.
"God you're beautiful," he whispered and Jolene's stomach flipped at the sincerity in his eyes. He moved his left hand to her long hair, and pulled the black tie from the dark locks. He ran his hand through her hair while the thumb of his right hand dragged along her cheek. Jolene's heart was pounding so hard it almost hurt, and she refused to look anywhere by at Don's eyes so she wouldn't break whatever it was that came over him. It was then that her dreams came true.
Don leaned down and captured her lips in a tender kiss, and Jolene swore her heart exploded in her chest. She reached out and put her hands on his waist while he gently pulled her closer, careful of her brace covered torso. His tongue ran along her lower lip and she opened her mouth slightly to him. Their kiss deepened and Jolene felt dizzy as their lips and tongues battled. Jolene was not completely innocent, but the way Don was kissing her and the way she felt as he did was a completely new and foreign feeling that was absolutely amazing. She moved closer to him, trying to get as close to him as she possibly could. His hand left her hair and slid down her back before settling on her backside and pressing her body tightly to his. She stumbled a bit as she was forced forward and her ribs were jostled, forcing her to tare her lips from his and let out a startled gasp.
"Sorry," he breathed and she shook her head as she opened her eyes.
"Please don't say you're sorry," she whispered. "I've wanted you to do that for so long," she admitted, her eyes locked with his and he slowly smiled as he ran his hand down her face to her neck.
"I'm not sorry for kissing you," he said. "I'm sorry for jostling your side." Jolene smiled as she bit her lip and Don's smile only grew. "So, how long have you wanted me to kiss you?"
"Well, since we met I've been attracted to you," she admitted and blushed once more at his smirk, "but the whole can't get you out of my head thing started that night we went out after the Donaldson case."
"You know you don't do this often," he said softly as he moved his hand to her face once more and ran his bent fingers down her cheek. "I like it when you do."
"I only seem to do it around you," Jolene said with a scoff like laugh. "I'm not easy to fluster, but you seem to be able to do it without a problem." He smiled as he leaned into her and kissed her once more, but not nearly as deeply as their first kiss. When Jolene pulled at him to draw him closer, he pulled his lips from hers and his hands left her body making her feel the slight chill in the room. "What's wrong?" she asked, slightly hurt that he pulled away but he shook his head as he looked at her.
"Nothing," he said heavily, "but if we keep this up, I won't be able to hold back for much longer and I'll only end up hurting your ribs again." Jolene gave him a soft smile, and if it was at all possible, he wanted her even more. She really had no idea how beautiful she was standing there with her tussled hair, flushed face, and slightly swollen lips. He had even forgotten that she didn't have a shirt on until his eyes wondered to her chest and fullness of her breasts. Her chest wasn't huge, but it wasn't exactly small; she was just right in his eyes. Jolene's smile morphed into a grin as she grabbed her t-shirt from her dresser and pulled it over her head, drawing Don's eyes back to her face before she walked closer to him.
"I've got at least six more weeks before I'm able to do anything strenuous," she said as she raised her hands to his tie and toyed with the oddly patterned fabric. She traced the pattern of his tie with her right index finger before she looked up at him through her eyelashes. "You promise not to hold back at all when I'm healed?" she asked and she was amazed to see the heat rush to his face before he cleared his throat heavily.
"When you're healed, you'll have to tell me when to stop," he said as his hands moved to her upper waist, gently resting over the brace, and she smiled. It was going to be an even more agonizingly long six weeks.
