It was a week since Dean and Sarah had been injured and they were finally being discharged from the hospital. Ever since his breakdown in her arms a few days before, Dean had felt so much better emotionally about his injury. His surgeon had even allowed him to begin some simple physical therapy exercises, and that also helped with his mental state as well.
Sarah's concussion was much better although she still couldn't remember what happened on Monday. The doctors still wanted her to wait a couple of weeks to begin therapy since she had proved to be a bit unsteady on her feet with the crutches, which was understandable.
#*#*#*#*#
Hunter and Stephanie entered the hospital room since they were escorting the younger couple home. Dean had already changed into his street clothes and he was now in the process of attempting to help Sarah change. Attempting was the key word, but he was doing the best he could with only one arm.
Stephanie realized that despite his best efforts, her brother-in-law was having too much trouble, so she walked across the room and gently took over. Dean grumbled under his breath as frustration flowed through him, but he stepped aside without protest. A nurse came in and had him sign their discharge papers, then she handed him their prescriptions.
#*#*#*#*#
The couple was wheeled downstairs and out the door. To Sarah's surprise, the bus was sitting out front to take them home.
Sarah looked at her husband and brother with a confused look on her face, so Dean got out of his chair and knelt in front of her. "The doctor told us that it's not a good idea for you to fly since your concussion was so bad, so we're driving instead. Okay, babe?" he explained. "Okay, baby." she responded.
Hunter carefully lifted his sister out of the wheelchair and he carried her onboard. He got her settled in the bedroom, then left Sarah and Dean alone. After a quick stop to fill the prescriptions and some supplies, they started on the long drive back to Arkansas.
Sarah took her medication, after some coaxing from Dean, and settled back to take a nap. He waited until he was sure that she was asleep before sliding out of bed to get something to drink for when she woke up. He might not be able to help her change clothes now, but he damn sure could do this for her. Dean reentered the bedroom and set the bottled water on the bedside table. He put his good arm around her and he managed to fall asleep shortly after.
#*#*#*#*#
A while later, Stephanie made her way back to the bedroom to see if either Dean or Sarah needed anything. Her hand rose to knock on the door, but she was halted by a conversation that she couldn't help but hear.
"I'm gonna miss this place. There's so many memories that we've made here." Sarah said sadly. "Me too. I am so glad that you invited us to travel with you. I swear that was one of the happiest moments of my life. It gave me an excuse to get closer to you." Dean responded.
"Do you remember the day before we got together?" Sarah asked after a pause. "Do I remember? How could I ever forget it, babe? That was the day I realized that you had feelings for me." Dean replied.
#*#*#*#*#
*Flashback*
Roman was sitting on the couch, watching his brother and teammate, Dean, flirt heavily with the new girl, Sarah. The attraction wasn't one-sided either. The younger woman was definitely flirting back and it was crystal clear that the two were falling for the other. 'Now if only they'd just admit their feelings to each other.. Stubborn asses...' the Samoan thought as he watched them tease the other.
Dean stared at the beautiful brunette sitting across from him with a huge smile on his face. Her sense of humor never failed to amuse him and today was no exception. Sarah had been joking around with him all day, making him laugh like crazy. He honestly couldn't remember a time in his life when he'd ever been this happy before. And it could all be attributed to her. Dean was falling deeper and deeper for her every day. The strength of his feelings was a bit scary, but he honestly didn't care. As far as Dean was concerned, Sarah was already his everything. She just didn't know it yet.
'I know Hunter told me that I should wait for her to make the first move, but I'm losing it here. I need her so bad, I'm damn near close to getting on my knees and begging her to be mine. That's how strong of a hold she has on me. I need her and need her soon, even if it's only a small taste. I'll take any sign that Sarah feels even a fraction of what I feel for her. Any sign at all.' Dean thought to himself.
#*#*#*#*#
After a while, Dean stood up and pulled his jacket on, then a baseball cap on over his unruly curls. Seth came out of the bathroom and announced it was time to go inside the arena for that evening's house show.
Dean started to step off the steps of the bus when he felt someone snatch his hat off. He turned around to curse out his teammates, since they were the only ones bold enough to pull that trick, but he was surprised to see that the culprit wasn't Roman or Seth. It was Sarah.
Sarah set the ball cap down over her long, brown curls and gave Dean a mischievous grin in response. He raised an eyebrow at her while fighting back a grin of his own.
"Is there a reason you stole my hat, babe?" Dean asked. "Not really. I just felt like it." she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "Can I have it back anytime soon?" he inquired. Sarah pretended to think about her answer for a moment, much to Roman and Seth's amusement, before replying with a simple "Nope."
"Oh, you're gonna pay for that, babe." Dean teased as he advanced on the young woman.
#*#*#*#*#
Sarah's eyes widened at his joking threat and she let out a small squeak. She managed to slip past Dean and outside to the parking lot. He emerged from the bus and followed her towards the arena with a huge smile on his face.
Sarah entered the arena and hurried towards the Diva's locker room. She knew that Dean would never hurt her, but that didn't mean that she wanted to let him catch her just yet. The chase was too much fun. She was almost to the locker room when her getaway was hampered by Dean calling down the hallway "Hey, Nemeth! Catch Sarah for me."
Dolph stepped into her path and put his arm around her waist, which stopped Sarah in her tracks. Dean strode down the hallway and up to a pouting Sarah. He lifted her into his arms and headed toward The Shield's locker room.
#*#*#*#*#
Dean kicked the door shut behind them before carefully setting Sarah down onto the couch. He took the hat off of her head and tossed it aside. His blue eyes stared into her brown eyes as a thick tension filled the room.
"I'm sorry.." Sarah whispered, which broke the silence in the room. Dean shook his head and responded by saying "I don't care about the fucking hat. I actually thought it was funny as hell. Not many people have the balls to do that. I'm just happy it was such a beautiful person who snatched it this time." She looked up at him and asked "You really think that I'm beautiful?"
Any sarcastic response to her question died on his tongue when he saw the raw vulnerability in her eyes. Dean sat down next to Sarah and his hand cupped her cheek. He made her look at him and then he replied "I don't just think you're beautiful, I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world. Trust me on that."
Sarah nodded at his response while chewing on her lip. She relaxed against his body and whispered "Thank you. That means the world to me." Dean reached up and gently tugged her bottom lip from between her teeth. Her heart started racing as his thumb slowly traced her lip. His blue eyes began to darken with desire as he stared at her mouth. 'Fuck it. She might smack the shit out of me, but I have to know if she's feeling like I am right now.' he thought.
Dean removed his thumb just a split second before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. It took Sarah a few seconds to respond since he surprised her, but she kissed him back while letting out a soft moan.
Her earnest and passionate response snapped something deep inside him. Dean quickly had the young woman laying on her back with him hovering over her luscious body, all the while never breaking the kiss. His tongue swiped across her mouth and she granted him access immediately. Dean mentally groaned at how responsive she was as his tongue stroked against hers, while memorizing and savoring the taste and feel of her.
Sarah's arms wrapped around his neck as she moaned again. Dean's hips ground against hers and she gasped when she felt his growing erection pressed into her dampening sex.
Dean broke the kiss because of her gasp. He needed to make sure that she was alright before going on. "Everything okay, Sarah?" he asked in a husky voice. Sarah nodded and replied "I'm fine." "Good." Dean told her before recapturing her lips in a even more passionate embrace.
His hand slid from her cheek, down her trembling body, until it came to rest at the hem of her shirt. Dean was finally about to get a handful of the curves he'd been dreaming about and his hands ached to feel, but fate decided to intervene at that moment.
#*#*#*#*#
Roman entered the room and, upon seeing Dean in a compromising position with Sarah, exclaimed "Oh, shit! I'm sorry.."
Dean immediately, and reluctantly, broke their embrace and jumped up from the couch. Sarah sat up and pulled her mussed hair up into a ponytail. Her cheeks were burning a bright red at being walked in on. She stood up and headed for the door. Sarah paused just long enough to glance over at Dean and give him a soft smile and a wink before slipping out of the room.
Roman arched an eyebrow at his brother, then remarked "Well, that certainly looked cozy.." Dean grumbled under his breath at being interrupted and turned to get ready for his match. He was stopped however by the older man grabbing his shoulder.
Dean turned back around and said "Go ahead and tell me what an idiot I am. I know that I'm nowhere near good enough for Sarah, but I can't help myself. I'm falling hard for her. Ever since she debuted, I can't get her out of my head. I haven't been able to even think about touching another woman since I first saw her. That's how fucked I am. The hell of it is, I don't care. I want her more than anything I've ever wanted before in my life. I just hope she feels the same way. It would kill me if she didn't."
Roman stayed silent during Dean's outburst, but he responded by saying "You're not an idiot, you're in love. You've already fallen, and judging by what I just saw and have seen between you two, Sarah isn't far behind you. Anyone paying the slightest bit of attention can tell it. That's why all the guys have quit hitting on her. It'll all work out, uce. You'll see."
"I really hope you're right, uce." Dean said quietly. "It'll happen. I believe it deep down. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but it will happen." Roman told him. The younger man nodded before they finally began their pre-match routines. But Dean's mind never strayed too far from his interlude with Sarah.
*End Flashback*
#*#*#*#*#
Stephanie stepped away from the door and left the younger couple to their memories. It was in that moment that it hit home for her.
This small space was almost sacred for Dean and Sarah. This was the place where they got to know each other, where they fell in love, where their relationship began, and where they partly raised their family. It was completely understandable that they wouldn't want to give this place up, so Stephanie walked back up front and sat down beside Hunter in order for them to have a much needed conversation.
"Are they okay? You were gone for a while." Hunter asked. "They were talking and reminiscing, so I left them alone." Stephanie replied. "Reminiscing about what?" he asked. She paused for a moment before telling him the story she heard, though she edited the steamy parts out.
"Wow.. I never realized just how much this place could mean to them. When I bought it, I was just thinking of a safe place for my sister to travel. I never expected it to be where she found the person she was meant to be with. I'm glad she did because they're a perfect fit, but still... What should we do, Steph?" Hunter said once the story was over. "I think we should sign it over to them. Let them use it for family vacations or whatever. It just seems like the right thing to do." Stephanie replied. "Then that's what we'll do." he said.
Stephanie smiled and gave her husband a kiss, then said "I love you." "I love you too." Hunter responded. With the discussion over, the couple decided to cuddle up together on the couch and relax while watching a movie.
#*#*#*#*#
It's been a while, huh?
First of all, for everyone who messaged me to offer their condolences, I want to say a heartfelt thank you. It meant more than I can ever fully express.
Secondly, I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again. I'm still dealing with family drama, so things are still... Yeah.
Last but not least I need to take the opportunity to thank AeonBlue so much for everything. Y'all don't even know how much she's helped me the last few months, literally from less than an hour after my dad passed. She's been such a blessing and I appreciate it so much.
