Chapter 9
OTR Blues
by Sisterdebmac
Author's Note:
It's only natural. It happens to all women. And now, after weeks of bliss, Joan is waylaid by it. Poor thing. So it's Adam to the rescue. He's such a sweet man.
Thanks again to TeeJay for additional material and being a great beta reader!
Genre:
Fluff, pure and simple.
Rating:
PG-13 for some frank language, but it's pretty innocuous.
Disclainer:
They're not mine...blah blah blah. Barbara Hall...blah blah blah. CBS...blah blah blah.
When he finally got her on the phone, Adam was so relieved to have reached her that he barely noticed how utterly beaten her voice sounded. "Jane? I was so worried. I called your cell and it was turned off, so I called you at work and they said you went home sick. I've been trying to reach you for an hour. Are you all right?" He got up from his office chair and left his cubicle to pace the hallway.
"No, I'm miserable," Joan answered weakly. She sat up slightly in bed and caught a shiver when the comforter slipped off her shoulders.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice filled with concern. He stopped pacing for a minute, leaning his back against the wall as he pressed the cell phone a little closer to his ear.
"I'm just having a really bad period."
"Bad period of what?" he asked.
"Period, Adam," she said, a little frustrated. "Monthly period."
"Oh, right. Sorry. I'm an idiot." He pushed himself off the wall and walked slowly towards the elevators.
She softened. "No, you're not."
"Is there anything I can do?" He tried to make his voice as compassionate as he could.
"No, it's probably best if I'm on my own. I'll just over-medicate and stay in bed." Her hand went through her hair to push some of the rogue strands off her face. "It'll pass... eventually."
"Over-medicate?" he stopped dead in his tracks. "I don't like the sound of that."
"Relax. It's just over the counter stuff. It doesn't really help much, so I kind of end up taking a lot."
"Is it always this bad?" he softly inquired.
Joan sighed. "No, usually, I can tough it out. But this one just hit me really hard. I couldn't function at work, I felt so bad. And I'm just really, really irritable right now. My back is killing me. My head hurts so bad I can barely keep my eyes open and I can't get warm."
"Do you have a fever?"
"No, nothing like that. I'm just bleeding to death. That's why I'm cold."
"Oh," he said and he went silent.
"Sorry. That was kind of gross," she said quietly.
"It's OK. Are you sure you don't need anything?" His brain was already working on things he could do or say to make her feel better.
"Well, we were supposed to go to happy hour tonight, so I need for you to call your friends and tell them I can't make it."
"That's no problem. Can I come over and take care of you?" he almost pleaded.
She tried not to sound irritated when she said, "To be honest, it bugs me to have male energy around me when I feel like this."
"Oh..." he didn't quite know how to respond to that. He paused for several seconds and his hand went to his eyebrow to rub it. "Uh, OK. I'll call off happy hour, and I guess... you just rest."
"OK," she said and she lay back down, a little relieved that he was taking it so well.
"But if you change your mind, if you need anything at all, anything, just call me," she heard Adam's voice through the receiver.
"I'll be fine," she reassured him. She suddenly realized that she probably had him all worried and tense now. What could she say to calm him? "Been dealing with this for years. You know you could still go out with your friends or something. Don't let me ruin your Friday night."
"Nah, we'll reschedule for later," he said off-handedly. The whole idea for the get-together was for them to introduce each other to their friends. It was completely pointless to go without her.
"OK. Listen, I have to run to the bathroom --- just another one of the gross symptoms. I'll talk to you later," she said and she hung up before he could say anything else.
When he switched off his cell, he'd already made a decision.
After work, Adam headed straight for the drug store. He told the pharmacist what Joan's symptoms were and she recommended a natural botanical blend that might be of some help. She also recommended a heating pad or hot water bottle.
When he went to the display stand he was directed to, he was amazed at the variety of hot water bottles they offered. He had a hard time picking one, but he really liked the ones with the soft fleece covers. He finally chose one in a vibrant but not too loud green tone because he knew it was one of Joan's favorite colors.
He knocked tentatively on Joan's apartment door at about 7 o'clock that evening. He waited for a while and there was no answer. That worried him at first. But then he remembered she was in bed and figured she might be sleeping. He had almost decided to just leave the bag by the door and call her to let her know it was there when she finally opened it. She was in flannel pjs, with her robe pulled tight up to her chin. Her hair was a tousled mess. He knew she was miserable, but to him, she looked absolutely adorable.
"I thought I told you to stay away," she said, watching him standing there with a big paper bag.
He wasn't hurt by her rather direct dismissal. "I know. I'm sorry. I brought you some things I think might help. Let me bring them in for you, and then I'll go. OK?" He held out the single red rose he'd been hiding behind his back.
She smiled a little, took it from him and moved aside so that he could enter. "You are a very brave soul," she told him.
He showed her just how brave by leaning over and kissing her forehead. Then he took the bag to her dining table. She followed him. "You're right, you don't have a fever," he said.
She stopped for a second and touched her forehead, realizing the ulterior motive behind his kiss. "Sneaky," she commented.
"In fact, you're a little clammy."
"Well, thanks a lot!" she slapped his arm.
"Still cold?"
"Yeah," she said, still holding her robe tightly around her.
"Maybe I can help you with that."
"Adam, I am so beyond not in the mood—" Joan said exasperatedly.
"That's not what I meant. Just trust me, OK?"
She nodded a little reluctantly.
"I got these," he said holding out the bottle of herbal medicinals. "The pharmacist recommended them." He handed her the bottle and she read the indications. "That and ginger tea and honey." He showed her the tea. "Do you have honey?"
"I think so." She nodded wearily.
"Oh, and this. I just remembered how my mom always craved it... you know, at that time of the month. She taught me the fundamental rule of dealing with the opposite sex --- Never, ever come between a woman and her chocolate." He produced a gallon of Edy's Grand Double Fudge Brownie ice cream and wiggled it a little with his hand.
Joan's bottom lip went out and tears filled her eyes. She moved into his arms, surprising him greatly. "You are so good to me. I'm sorry I was so mean." She sniffled against his chest, sensing his surprise at her sudden physical nearness.
But his hands slowly came around her back and he held her, the ice cream container still in one hand. "Jane, you weren't mean. You just feel bad. It's OK." He stroked her hair very gently with his free hand, still unsure of her mood.
She pulled back a little and wiped her eyes and nose, almost embarrassed. "And this is all part of it, being overly-emotional." She brushed at the tear-stain she left on his shirt. "Sorry."
"No more apologies," he gently scolded as he put the ice cream in her freezer. "You want to take a couple of these pills?"
"Sure."
"OK, you go back to bed and I'll bring them. The pharmacist said juice was good for you right now, cranberry or apple." He opened her fridge. "Well, look at that, Cran-Apple," he smiled in mock-surprise.
She smiled a small smile back at him, nodded and went back to her bedroom.
He watched her go and then turned and got a glass down from the cabinet. He put ice in it and poured in some juice. He opened the pills and took two out before he filled her tea kettle with water and put it on to boil. As he waited, he noticed that she had some flower vases on top of her cabinets. He got her step stool out and took a rose vase down. He rinsed it out, filled it with water and put the rose in it, satisfied with the way it looked.
In the bedroom, Joan removed her robe and crawled slowly back into bed. She pulled the covers up to her chin and lay down. She felt just awful, but there was the hope now that relief might be coming, thanks to Adam. She hadn't wanted him there. Part of it was because she was in such a rotten mood she didn't want company of any kind. But another part of it was that she didn't want him to see her like that, to have to endure the pissy things she might say, or the long silences that she might fall into because she didn't really have the energy to talk.
None of that seemed to matter now. He came to help and she knew she should let him. Maybe he could make her feel better. And he would leave whenever she asked, she knew that. She sighed, trying to relax. It really did annoy her to be around guys when she was having a bad time with her period. She wasn't sure why --- some mysterious hormonal thing, probably. But that was guys, this was Adam.
She heard the tea kettle whistle and wondered what he was up to before she realized he was probably just making the ginger tea and honey. She closed her eyes and tried to rest as she waited for him.
When he entered her room with the rose vase and a glass of juice in one hand and the other behind his back, he saw that her eyes were closed. Her chest was rising up and down in regular, long breaths. He wasn't sure if she'd dozed off, but if she had, he didn't have the heart to wake her.
He quietly sat the rose vase and the juice on her bedside table, which startled her. She opened her eyes to see him leaning over the table. And he was holding something out of her view.
"What are you hiding there?" she asked.
A sly smile crossed his lips and he shook his head as an answer. "Close your eyes," he told her.
"Adam, I'm not in the mood for games," Joan told him.
"I know. It's not a game." He got down on his knees beside the bed. "Come on, close your eyes," he repeated. "I promise you'll like it."
"I'm far beyond liking anything at this point."
"Humor me, Jane," he said softly. His brown eyes on her with that soulful pleading look were too intense for her to not obey. So she did as he asked, she closed her eyes.
She could feel him lifting the covers off her torso and his hand gently pulling her right arm away from where it lay on her belly. A few seconds later, there was the pressure of something heavier being placed on the right side of her underbelly. Before long, comforting warmth flooded over the area.
She heard Adam's voice before she opened her eyes. "Now look at me and tell me honestly that you don't like it," he challenged her with an almost mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
Joan's hand went to whatever Adam had just brought her, feeling the softness of the fleece-like material that covered a rubber core. "A hot water bottle," she said, a small smile on her face. "Oh, that feels so good." She looked into his eyes that were now directly on her. "Thank you," she said with true gratitude.
He leaned forward to give her another gentle kiss on the forehead. "Anything to make you feel better."
"You really know how to please a woman," Joan said, amused. "Even one who feels as shitty as I do."
"I just wish I could take the pain away," he sighed, leaning back on his heels.
"If you could figure out how to do that, you'd be a billionaire."
"There's juice here and, oh," he said as he took the pills out of his shirt pocket, "take these."
She rose up enough to swallow the pills and washed them down with some juice, making a face as she did so. Taking pills had been really hard for her as a kid and she still didn't like it. She always hated the feeling of them sticking to the back of her throat when they didn't fully go down right away.
"Is there anything else I can do?" his soft voice asked.
"You've done more than enough." She looked at him, wanted him to know how grateful she was. "Thank you."
He stood up. "OK, I guess I should take off and let you rest. Will you call me if you need anything?"
"Yeah."
He made it all the way to her bedroom door before she called to him. "Adam, wait."
He stopped and turned to her, his eyes patiently on her, waiting for whatever she had to say.
"I'm terrible company right now. I don't feel like cuddling or talking or doing anything really... But you could stay if you want to."
He didn't need a second invitation. Without a word, he kicked off his shoes and lay down atop the comforter on the other side of her bed, far enough away so she wouldn't feel crowded. He looked at the muted TV across the room, unable to immediately figure out what was showing. It looked like an old movie from the 60's or 70's. "What are we watching?"
She shrugged and handed him the remote. "Nothing bloody, or too loud. And nothing with sex in it." He looked over at her, his eyebrows slightly, inquiringly raised.
She read his confusion and elaborated, "I can't even think about sex right now, not when everything hurts like this."
He released the TV from mute and flipped through the channels until he found a travel show that she liked. They were exploring Napoli. "Oh, I've always wanted to go there. My dad's family is from there."
"Looks like beautiful country," he commented.
"It is. And the food is amazing. Great wine too," she mused. "Hey, where's your family from?" she suddenly asked.
"My mom's family, the MacCreadys are from Scotland. The Roves came out of Ireland, through the Appalachians, into West Virginia. They used to be coal miners. My grandfather was the first one to leave. He came to Maryland to go to school."
"And here you are."
"Yeah. I guess I should be grateful that my granddad was ambitious, huh?"
"Yeah," she smiled at him. "You wouldn't have made a very good coal miner."
He returned her smile. "Feeling any better?"
She nodded. "Well, I'm warm now."
"That's good." He wanted to kiss her, hold her, rub her back. Anything. He just wanted her not to hurt, he wanted that more than anything. But it was more than obvious to him that his power was very limited in this instance. Best that he just be there. Let her dictate what was happening.
"You know, I should get myself on the pill again," she said after a long pause. "Then we might not have to put up with this."
"Jane, I'm not 'putting up' with you. I want to take care of you. You spend all of your time taking care of other people. Let me take care of you for a change, OK?"
She turned her gaze from the TV to Adam. "OK."
"Anyway, what do you mean 'might not'?"
"I tried taking the pill once before, but the side effects were so bad I had to quit."
"Well, then why would you wanna do that again now?" he inquired.
"Maybe they've got something better these days, something I haven't tried," she explained.
He nodded, even though he knew next to nothing about the latest advances in hormonal contraception.
"There are other advantages too, you know," she continued. "I mean, provided we both pass an HIV test."
It took a few seconds to register, but he finally got her meaning. "I'll pass," he assured her.
"I'm sure you will, and I know I will too. But we might as well go the whole nine yards if I'm gonna get back on the pill."
"You've put some thought into this," he concluded, his whole attention now on Joan, the TV long forgotten.
"Yeah, a little," she admitted. "Wouldn't you love not to have to worry about condoms so much?"
"That'd be nice, yeah," he said, trying not to get too caught up in that thought.
"And maybe I wouldn't have these horrible periods." She sighed and just as if on cue, another belly cramp hit.
"Then let's see the doctor," she heard Adam say as she tried not to show her discomfort. She didn't want to get him all worried again.
The cramp passed and she replied, "I'll try to set something up for later next week, l once I'm over this. Can you get a couple of hours off work?"
"Sure."
"Thanks for doing this for me. All of it, I mean."
"You gotta know by now that I'd do anything for you. Even leave you alone if that's what you want." His gaze on her was more intense now.
And she couldn't help but reach over and take his hand. "No, that's not what I want. Not now. Not ever."
He smiled and kissed her hand. Gently, slowly. And Joan found that it didn't bother her one bit.
"Next time I try to chase you away, remind me that you did make me feel better, OK?" she smiled at him.
"You got it," Adam smiled back.
She settled in then, her head resting on the pillow, still holding his hand. And he leaned back too, perfectly content with the idea of sleeping right where he was, on top of the covers, fully dressed, her hand in his.
