Chapter 11

'I'm bored.' Tess said as she wriggled around. She snuggled into Fletch's chest and winced as she turned.

'I know. So am I.' Fletch said as he kissed Tess' head.

'Shouldn't you be working?' Tess asked and looked up at Fletch.

'Probably... But I'm sure the boss can make excuses...' He said and kissed Tess.

'Just for you...' She said and kissed him again. The morphine was starting to wear off and Tess could feel the pain in her abdomen, thigh and arm. She winced as she tried to find a comfortable position where she didn't hurt.

'What's the matter?' Fletch asked, a frown creasing his brow.

'The morphine's starting to wear off. It hurts... A lot.' Tess said as she clenched her teeth.

'Right, I'll call Zoe.' Fletch said as he grabbed his phone of the bedside table.

'Thanks.' She said and managed a weak smile. He called Zoe and kissed Tess slowly, to try and distract her from the pain. It worked as she kissed him back but he had to break away as he heard Zoe on the other end.

'Fletch?' Zoe said.

'Yeah. Tess is in quite a bit of pain so can you do something please?' Fletch said nicely.

'Umm, yeah. I'll get Abs to go and give her some more morphine which should last until tomorrow.' Zoe said.

'Thanks Zo.' Fletch said and then hung up.

'Abs is coming to give you some more morphine.' Fletch said to Tess who just nodded. She closed her eyes to try and get to sleep and Fletch noticed so he wrapped his arms around her and rested his head upon hers. They drifted off together and then Abs walked in. He smiled at them and then drew up some morphine. He couldn't administer it when Tess was unconscious so left it in a kidney dish. He left a note saying that he would come back later when they were awake.

Tess and Fletch had woken up and Fletch was telling Tess some jokes to try and distract her from the pain.

'That was awful!' Tess said while giggling. She winced as her abdomen hurt when she laughed.

'It wasn't that bad! Do you remember this one though? A penguin walks into a bar and says to the bartender, have you seen my brother? And the bartender says-' Fletch started.

'I dunno, what does he look like?' Tess finished and they both giggled. 'That was the night we first kissed.' Tess said factually.

'I know. And it was the best moment of my life. The moment I found my soul mate.' Fletch said as he entwined his fingers with Tess' underneath the covers.

'Oh, I thought that our first night together would be the best moment of your life...' Tess said looking up at Fletch and raising an eyebrow.

'Umm... I forgot about that one...' Fletch whispered in her ear and then kissed her neck slowly.

'Mmm... You have some hidden talents...' Tess whispered seductively.

'Oh I know... So do you... It was... Psychedelic.' He said while kissing down her neck.

'Umm... I didn't know you know what that means...' She said.

'...There's a few things you don't know about me...' He said whilst making his way up to her lips.

'Well... You'll have to enlighten me...' Tess said.

'Oh I know...' He said and then kissed her. She kissed him back and he trailed his fingers up and down her body, underneath her gown, being careful not to hurt her. Their kiss was just starting to get passionate when they heard a knock at the door. Tess broke apart and sighed.

'Just leave it, they'll go...' Fletch said, and kissed Tess lightly. She succumbed to his kiss. She just couldn't resist. His lips were so soft. She could feel his stubble brushing lightly against her face. His tongue was massaging hers and she bit his bottom lip gently, teasing him. They moved slowly, but in perfect unison. It was like the perfect melody put into an action, which resulted in lust and desire. They heard another knock and just ignored it. Abs popped his head around the door and saw them kissing.

'Hey.' Abs said and they slowly broke away from each other. Fletch rested his forehead on Tess' and they both shut their eyes.

'Can I come in?' Abs asked. Tess kissed Fletch one more time and then looked at Abs.

'Yes.' She said and Fletch rested his head on her shoulder.

'I'll give you the morphine now. How are you feeling?' Abs asked while walking over to the side of Tess' bed.

'Not good. My abdomen is killing me.' She said and groaned. Fletch kissed Tess' temple.

'The morphine will kick in soon. Just get some rest. I think you can be discharged next week, if you're feeling better.' Abs said as he injected the morphine into Tess' cannula and then put it back in the kidney dish. He put the dish in the bin and then went to walk out. He smiled at Tess and she smiled back. Abs walked out and Tess snuggled into Fletch. He kissed her head and pulled the covers further up to keep them both warm. Fletch held and rocked Tess soothingly until she fell asleep. He noticed that her breathing had become steady and checked if she was asleep. He looked at her and she had her eyes closed with her mouth slightly open. He smiled to himself, 'she is way too good for me' Fletch thought. He rested his head on the pillow behind him and he too fell asleep.

Tess woke up and tried to stretch but realised Fletch still had his arms around her. She smiled and slowly grabbed his phone of the bedside cabinet, not wanting to wake him. She pressed the lock button and a picture of them popped onto the screen. She smiled, it was at Lloyd's leaving do and they looked so happy together. Tess turned back to Fletch and stroked his cheek lovingly, feeling the stubble as he hadn't shaved in a while. She knew his pass code from when they were going out and typed it in. On that screen was the picture of the ultrasound and Tess' heart melted. She looked at the time and it read 3:30am. They had slept for hours. She put his phone back and sighed. She was uncomfortable but didn't want to wake Fletch and she couldn't ask anyone to bring her anything because only Dixie was working on the night shift and she would most probably be busy. Tess closed her eyes to try and get back to sleep but she couldn't. She heard a knock at the door and was confused to who it was.

'Who is it?' Tess called through the door. Fletch wriggled but Tess shushed him back to sleep.

'It's Dixie. And I know about you and Fletch.' Dixie said back quietly to make sure no-one else heard. Tess sighed and rested her head back against Fletch's chest.

'Come in.' Tess said. Dixie walked in and took a seat next to Tess' bed. She smiled as she saw Fletch asleep behind her.

'Hey sweetheart, how are you feeling?' Dixie asked nicely.

'Just a bit groggy, but apart from that I'm fine.' Tess said tired. Fletch moved his head of the back off the pillow and snuggled into Tess' neck. Tess turned her head and kissed his cheek lovingly. Then turned her attention back to Dixie who was watching her intently.

'That's good.' Dixie said.

'How did you know about me and Fletch?' Tess asked, stroking Fletch's arm subconsciously under the sheets.

'I saw you kiss in the skip and when you were in the ambulance he was holding your hand. He told me that you mean everything to him.' Dixie said softly, not wanting to wake Fletch. Tess smiled.

'He means everything to me too. I love him Dixie.' Tess said, turning her head to look at Fletch's face. Dixie smiled warmly.

'I can tell. He's not going to let you go, you know.' Dixie said and they both chuckled.

'I know. But, I wouldn't have him any other way.' She said back, smiling widely.

'What about his wife?' Dixie asked, not really wanting to touch on the subject.

'He's left his wife. He gets to see his kids once a fortnight for the weekend. I didn't want to split up his family.' Tess said as tears started to build up in her eyes. She had cried so much over the past few weeks and all for one man.

'Tess, I doubt it was your fault. He told his wife because it was his decision, not yours. And by the sounds of it, he doesn't regret it.' Dixie said, taking hold of Tess' hand and rubbing it soothingly.

'I know, I know. But I just feel so guilty.' Tess said sadly as a tear fell down her face. Unbeknown to them Fletch had woke up and heard Tess' confession. He pulled his head off her shoulder and turned her round, so he could see her face.

'You have nothing to be guilty for. I left her because I don't love her. I love you Tess.' Fletch said while wiping away her tear. He kissed her and then kissed her cheek.

'I love you too.' She said and entwined their fingers together.

'Aww, I am happy for you.' Dixie said smiling. Tess and Fletch smiled back.

'Thanks Dix, it means a lot.' Fletch said sincerely.

'Right, I have to get back. I hope you get better soon Tess.' Dixie said as she got up.

'Thanks Dix.' Tess said. Dixie made her way to the door but just then Fletch remembered something.

'Dix?' He shouted.

'Yeah?' She asked, turning around.

'Could you not tell anyone about us just yet? It's just we don't want everyone to know.' Fletch asked.

'No problem.' Dixie said and then left.

'How long were we asleep?' Fletch asked Tess.

'Hours. When I last checked it was half three.' She said, resting her head against his chest.

'In the afternoon?!' He said surprised.

'In the morning.' Tess said while giggling.

'Oh right.' He said and giggled with her. The giggling died down and Fletch knew it was a good time to ask the question that he needed the answer to.

'You know Tess, seeing you in that skip. It broke my heart. I wish I could swap places with you now, and then. I wish it was me who was in that skip instead of you.' Fletch said and Tess kissed him.

'I would hate it if it was you in there Fletch. I am glad it wasn't you.' Tess said.

'I know Tess. But... Who did this to you?' Fletch asked and Tess took a deep breath, knowing she had to tell him but not wanting him to get injured.

'Fletch... I want to tell you but... I know you'll get angry... And maybe do something stupid.' She said, not looking at Fletch. He pulled her chin around so that she was looking directly at him.

'I promise I won't do anything stupid but I can't promise I won't be angry.' Fletch said.

'He pushed me through the hole on the second floor and I fell into the skip...' Tess said as her eyes filled with tears.

'It was Mike.'