I do not own Five-0. No copyright infringement intended.
There is a little bombshell at the end. You've been warned...and a little tiny bit of fluff :)
DPOV
The sun was streaming in through the shaded window early the next morning as I rounded the corner. I had spent the night at Steve's place the previous night and was desperate to see my friend after feeling the emptiness in his home without him.
As I entered the room I noticed the curtain had been pulled around Steve's bed and Lori was nowhere to be found. It was clear that the other bed had been slept in at some point, but it sat empty now and the bathroom door was open.
"Where is Agent Weston?" I asked the nurse on duty.
The nurse smiled and led me into the room as she gently pulled back the curtain that surrounded Steve's bed. What I saw brought a smile of relief to his face.
I saw Steve sleeping peacefully with his left arm draped over Lori. Her hand rested over his heart as her cheek was pressed to his shoulder.
The scene before me was not what I expected at all. I followed the nurse back out to the station and asked, "When did that happen?"
"Sometime before my shift. I was told Steve woke up in the middle of the night in a panic and the alarms started to go off. Before any of the nurses made it into the room, Lori sat beside him to calm him down. He did almost instantly. When she got up to get the blankets from her bed, she told Susie that he'd woken up thinking he was still in the coma and panicked. She crawled into the bed with him then and they've both been sleeping quietly ever since." The nurse stated.
"That's good. I think they both could use the rest."
"Yeah, apparently Dr. Hathaway stopped by later last night and told the nurses it was fine as long as he didn't show signs of distress. I'm Allie by the way. I'll be Steve's Nurse until 3pm today, if you need anything."
"Thanks Allie. I'm Detective Danny Williams." I told her.
"You can go ahead and sit with them. I'm sure they'll wake up soon."
I glanced at my watch and noticed that it was just before 7. I quietly walked into the room and sat down in the recliner beside Steve's bed. I was reading a magazine when I heard Steve stretching out and pull Lori in closer to his side. I felt like an intruder when I watched him turn and kiss her forehead.
SPOV
When I woke up, the sun was shining in through the curtains, I hadn't opened my eyes yet but I could feel its warmth. And everything felt lighter than it had in ages. I doubt it was getting shot that lifted the weight I had heaped onto my own shoulders as much as it was the beautiful woman warming my side. I was a little bit afraid to open my eyes just yet; as I feared when I did she wouldn't be there.
Throughout the night, my dreams were of the life that we could have. The life that I hadn't realized I wanted or needed. Filled with first dates, first kisses, love, marriage, kids and everything in between. And they all centered on this woman who I had worked so hard not to notice for the last 12 months.
I honestly think that my injuries just may have knocked loose the wall I had so carefully constructed around my heart, as even my memories of the time I've spent with Lori felt different to me. I find my memories now focused less on what her presence meant to our team and Governor Denning and more on how sweet it had been to hear her laugh, or watch the determination bloom as we raced down the beach or we chased down a lead. They were things that had always been there, and clearly I had noticed them but some part of me wouldn't allow that to affect my heart.
I stretched carefully and allowed my arm to pull her more securely to my side. As I attempted to confirm her presence, I couldn't help turning my head to fill my lungs with the scent that could only be Lori. I even allowed my lips to ghost over her forehead as I reveled in the comfort her embrace offered.
"Mmmm, good morning." I mumbled.
The voice that answered didn't have nearly the melodic tone I was anticipating.
"Good Morning to you, too. Romeo." Danno said with a smile as my eyes popped open.
Lori continued to sleep as her hand moved down to rest over my stomach and her nose skimmed over my neck, which had to feel like sandpaper. I realized in that moment that I hadn't looked in the mirror, showered or shaved in….
"How long have I been in here?" I asked Danno quietly.
"Almost 5 days. Why?" He asked.
"I bet I look awesome."
"Actually you look like crap, babe. But, clearly it hasn't hurt your appeal with the ladies. You should see how the nurses look at you. It's like you're freaking Justin Beiber, they batted their eyelashes at you when you were in a coma even."
"I don't care about any of that." I said as I ran a hand over my jaw and then glanced down at Lori.
"No, I suppose you don't. In fact, you never did. In all the years we've worked together, I never once saw you even pretend to notice the attention that women give you. Except this one." He said as he pointed to Lori.
"She never acted like most of those girls." I said.
"No. I suppose not." Danno said.
"I don't even think I realized what I was doing when I pushed her out of the way, but I just couldn't let her get hurt. And it wasn't because I'm responsible, or because I'm some kind of hero. It was because I couldn't imagine getting up in the morning and not seeing her again. It was sort of selfish now that I think about it." I said with a laugh.
"You are the only man on this planet who would step into the path of a bullet and think he was being selfish." Lori laughed as she softly rubbed her hand over my stomach.
I put my right hand on hers to still the movement and groaned in pain as I felt the movement ripple down my right side. Lori sat straight up and stared down at me to gauge my reaction.
"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" She asked.
"No! God no! I hurt me. I just moved too fast." I said as I pulled her back against my side. I neglected to mention that I moved too fast to still her movements because it felt way too good.
Danno just laughed as I suspect he had every idea what had caused my abrupt movement.
"I need to shave. Badly. I'm sure I look like a caveman." I said as I once again rubbed along my jaw.
"I can do it." Lori said. But her eyes cast down, as she seemed to realize that might not be such a good idea. "Or, I'm sure one of the nurses could do it, too."
The thought of having her hands on my skin for prolonged periods of time made me close my eyes and shiver just the tiniest bit. Lori swung her legs over the edge of the bed as she got up to go in search of one of the nurses.
While she was gone, I raised the bed to a more upright position and Danno set my shave gel and razor along with my toilet kit on the table. I fished out my toothbrush while Danno grabbed a couple of glasses of water so I could brush my teeth properly. It's amazing how much better you feel after such a simple task.
"Are you afraid she'll cut you?" Danno asked with a knowing smirk.
"No, I'm afraid I'll enjoy it." I said as I rubbed my face.
Just as the conversation ended, Lori came back with a nurse who looked like she'd be better prepared to slit my throat than shave it. I shifted as she set everything down on the table and moved to my side. I looked between the nurse and Lori as I tried to figure out what to do when I heard Danno laugh out loud at my predicament.
"Okay honey, I promise I'll be gentle." The nurse said in a voice that did not calm my shaky nerves.
"If it's okay with you, I would prefer it if Lori could do it." I told the nurse as she threw her hands up.
"No problem. Her you go dear." She said as she handed her the shaving cream and went back to whatever she had been doing before.
"I'll be right back." Lori said.
With that she walked into the bathroom. A minute later Lori returned with two towels. She dropped one in my lap to keep from making a mess and then she took the one that had been soaked in hot water and held it against my jaw for a couple of minutes. I have to admit it felt REALLY good. I closed my eyes and leaned back as she held the towel in place.
"I think I'm going to go make a couple of phone calls." Danno said as he got up to leave the room. I heard the curtain pull closed as he left.
"Feel good?" She asked me.
"So good." I muttered.
After a couple of minutes, she removed the towel and set it aside as she gently smoothed shaving gel over my face and neck. In all of my life, I had never had someone help me shave. I might have given it a try had I known how sensual it could be, but then again I think it may have a lot more to do with the person who was currently sitting in front of me.
Once the shave gel covered my face, she rinsed her hands in the basin the nurse had given her and let the gel sit on my face for a minute while she put a new blade on the razor.
She spent the next few minutes carefully shaving my cheeks, chin and neck and then finished up around my mouth. When she was finished, she walked into the bathroom and returned with a cool towel to rinse away any shave gel that remained and then softly ran her fingers over my skin to assess her work. When she was satisfied, she put a little of my aftershave lotion in her hands and smoothed it over my skin.
She pushed the table aside and knelt in front of me as she leaned in to check her work. I could feel her breath against my cheek as the back of her hand ran across my cheek when she whispered, "How did I do?"
I ran my hands over my cheeks and was astounded to find that she had done about as good a job as I could have done, maybe even better. In that moment I was struck with the urge to rub my cheek against hers, and I couldn't even begin to stop myself as I raised my left hand up against the back of her neck and pulled her close.
She leaned back and smiled at me with her pretty green eyes shining. "Feels pretty good to me." She said in a shaky whisper.
"Me, too." I said as I stared at the smile that played across her lips.
Before I could shutter the thought, I found my lips touching hers. It was just a touch at first. But, then I heard the softest moan escape from her mouth and the flood gates opened. Her hands landed against the mattress beside my head as she leaned into the kiss and my hand eased into the hair at the nape of her neck as I deepened the kiss. We remained like that for a couple of seconds until she finally eased back when both of us were good and breathless.
I watched as her fingers went to her lips and worried as I thought perhaps it was regret that I saw there until the most beautiful smile graced her lips. Her hand rubbed against her lips again and she laughed as she said, "Yep, I did a good job."
I laughed as she smiled back at me. My lungs burned from the little exertion, but I couldn't begin to regret that kiss.
Lori quickly got up and began to clear away the mess. Danny came back a few minutes later carrying a magazine, a couple bottles of water and news that breakfast was on it's way up. He looked between Lori and I several times as he undoubtedly noticed the smile on my face and the pretty blush the covered her cheeks.
"So, I take it Lori knows what she's doing. Look at that baby face." Danno said as he glanced between us again.
"She does." I said as I rubbed my skin again. I don't think I'll ever be able to shave again without thinking about her.
"So, Lori where does one learn how to do such a thing?" He smirked.
Her eyes clouded and the smile left her face as she answered, "My older brother was in the Marines. He was injured after his second tour and when he was in the hospital, one of the nurses taught me how to do."
"I'm sorry." I said as I reached out to touch her hand.
"How come this is the first we've heard about a brother?" Danno asked.
I had tried to stop Danno as I shook my head, but he was watching Lori as he asked the question.
In that moment, I remembered everything I read in her file when she had started with Five-0. I wanted so badly to pull her into my arms as I waited for her to respond.
"Sean died four years ago. His team was ambushed. He was the only survivor. I flew to Germany to stay with him after he was airlifted out, but he'd suffered two strokes due to the blood loss and slipped into a coma. A couple of weeks later, he suffered a third stroke that left him brain dead. We'd discussed his wishes when he'd gone on his first tour, but signing the papers for organ donation was still among the most difficult things I've ever had to do. It meant I had to accept that he was gone, too. That I was alone in the world."
Her voice sounded hollow as she spoke and her eyes never left the floor. I'd known all of this already and it still tore at my heart to hear the words leave her mouth. I pulled on the hand that I held until she sat on the bed beside me and laid her head on my shoulder. She didn't cry, but I could feel her heartbreak all the same. She'd lost her parents at 17 in a plane crash, so Sean had truly been the only family she had left. I was the only one who'd known she had a brother, and that wasn't my story to tell. Besides the fact that I'd come by that knowledge looking at her NSA file.
"I'm so sorry Lori. I had no idea." Danno said quietly as he sat down and put his forehead to his palm.
"You're not alone in this world." I whispered. "You'll never be alone."
I felt her nod as the tears began to fall silently against my neck. In that moment, I realized that she had been forced to relive her brother's death all over again through me. Our injuries were different, but I'd also suffered blood loss that could have resulted in a stroke. I was in a coma and I just as easily could have ended up sharing the same fate as her brother.
"I'm so sorry sweetheart. So, so sorry that you felt alone in the world but you have a family here now for as long as you'll put up with us." Danno said.
"I'm glad you feel that way." She whispered, "Because I don't think I could let go of you all if I wanted to."
I rubbed her back as she leaned on me until her tears subsided. After several minutes, both of us had fallen asleep. Apparently, breakfast would have to wait.
I have nothing to say other than the next chapter should go up tonight or tomorrow :) Erin
