By the end of the week Lea seemed to be doing much better, physically at least. She was still having nightmares, but even they seemed to lessen little by little. Dr. Kohler had been by twice so far and was due back later today, hopefully to give her a clean bill of health. He had been thrilled at how fast she seemed to be healing so far. Lea was desperate to get out of the house and be able to do things for herself again. Not that she didn't appreciate all the help, but she needed her independence back, she felt like she was being suffocated. Just yesterday all she wanted to do was shower by herself, just to have one moment of privacy. Peter wouldn't have it, he had taken it upon himself to make sure she had everything she needed at all times and hadn't really left her side since that first night. He had called Sammy who immediately came over and insisted on at least sitting in the bathroom with her. They were all being so sweet, but she really couldn't take it anymore. This shit needs to stop.
Lea was sitting on the couch scowling, at least she could get up and move around the house a bit now, but she still felt crowded. Mike watched her from the kitchen, he knew she was going stir crazy and all the attention and fuss seemed to be wearing on her. If he was honest with himself it was wearing on him too. They hadn't gotten to spend any alone time together since Lea came home. He wasn't trying to rush into anything, but it would be nice to at least be able to have a private conversation. If he was a little bit more honest with himself he wasn't quite sure where the relationship stood and he wanted some sort of answer. He decided to take the matter into his own hands.
He walked up behind the couch and leaned down so his head was next to hers. "Hey there, sourpuss." Lea looked up and managed a small smile before resuming her now normal look of displeasure. Mike smiled to himself and leaned closer to whisper in her ear. "I've got a proposition for you." She turned to him again, now with a quizzical look on her face. "Oh yeah? What's that?" "If you agree to let me carry you the whole time I'll take you out for a walk on the beach, get some fresh air and a little privacy." "Mike I don't need you to carry me..." He hushed her, "Just think of it as me wantin to be a little closer to ya. So what do ya say? You in?" Lea just smiled and held her arms out to him so he could pick her up. Once she was in his arms he looked around cautiously, "Alright, let's go, we're bustin ya out!" With that he carried her out the door and on to the beach.
Mike walked them out to a little spot among the rocks that was relatively secluded and lay Lea down on the warm sand. He sat next to her and just looked at her. They had tried to fix the mangled hack job that had been done to her hair, but it had left her with what could be called a pixie haircut. Due to how curly her hair was it was very unruly so Mike had given her his blue wool hat to at least keep it under control until it grew out. He didn't care about that though. Through everything he had never seen anything else in her other than the most beautiful person he had ever met. "What are you staring at?" Lea's sudden words brought Mike back to reality. "Well, to be honest, I'm starin at you." Lea blushed, "Oh come on I look like a pre-pubescent boy with boobs." Mike laughed, "Then you're the prettiest pre-pubescent boy with boobs I've ever seen." Lea chuckled and leaned her head on Mike's chest. "Thanks for breaking me out." She took a deep breath and sighed, "This is just what I needed."
"It's nice to have some quiet time, just you and me, you know?" Mike rested his head lightly atop hers. "I know Michael. It kind of feels like we are at a standstill doesn't it? We kinda got stuck at that 'getting to know you' stage and haven't had a moment together since everything happened. I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to just end it here and try to be friends. I know I've caused you al lot of trouble." She frowned, but didn't let him see. She wanted this to be entirely his decision, besides she already knew what she wanted." Mike's jaw dropped, "After all we've been through together you just wanna call it quits?" Lea panicked, No that's not what I want at all! Please don't think that. "No, I just wanted to know your thoughts on the situation." Mike relaxed slightly, "Lea after getting to know you and seein how strong of a person you are I don't think I could ever just be a friend to you. I care about you way too much. I love you and nothing could make me not want to be with you." Lea felt like her heart would burst, she was so happy. She flipped around and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her. "I love you Michael Nesmith." "I love you too Lea Miller," he whispered back.
They stayed like that just holding each other until Mike thought he heard someone calling his name in the distance. He looked up to see Peter running towards them. Oh no I forgot to tell them I was taking her out. "Mike! What are you guys doing out here? We've been worried sick. Come on Lea we have to get you back to the Pad!" "Woah, relax Pete. Mike only took me out here to get a breath of fresh air and a little alone time. It was just what I needed. Mike can carry me back now." Peter frowned, but understood. Then when he saw the pleading look on Mike's face he understood and smiled brightly, "Ok, we were just worried about you. We didn't know where you went. Anyway Doctor Kohler's here to check you out so let's..." "Race ya there Pete!" Mike yelled as he sprinted toward the house with Lea in his arms. "Hey, I wasn't ready!" Peter called before chasing after them.
Mike put Lea down on the couch and explained to Dr. Kohler what they were doing. The doctor smiled, "That just fine Mike, I'm sure she needed some fresh air and sunshine." He looked at Lea, "And look at that smile, it seems to have done her a lot of good." He checked her vitals and did a few more tests before giving her the all clear. "You're good to go my dear, just be careful I don't want to see you again anytime soon." "Don't worry," she smiled, "These guys won't let anything happen to me." Dr. Kohler smiled and left.
"That's great news!" Sam screamed as she grabbed Lea in a tight hug and spun her around. Lea just smiled and laughed, it was good to have things back to normal. No more eggshells. Davy laughed as he hugged her too, "It's about time, isn't it!" Peter and Micky picked her up between them on their shoulders and did two laps around the living room before setting her back down. Lea looked to her friends, "That you all for everything, I really appreciate it, so much." She exchanged a glance with Mike, then grinned like a Cheshire cat and jumped up to run back down to the beach with Mike close behind her and the rest trailing after him.
She ran out to the water going about knee deep before she let Mike catch up to her. When he finally did, albeit a bit out of breath, she flung herself on him, "Now where were we?" He smiled back at her and lifted her up, "Right about here," and he kissed her. They didn't even notice the small group of their friends watching from further up the beach. They only looked up when they heard a commotion of clapping and cheering. Blushing a little they smiled back at their friends, who had turned back to the Pad to give them a few moments alone.
They turned back to each other and embraced once more before Mike broke the silence between them. "I seem to remember a little arrangement we made back at that last gig." Lea opened her mouth to say something, but he shushed her. "I've been thinking, maybe we're tryin too hard planning it all out. I think we should just take our time and let what happens happen. What do you think?" Lea smiled the biggest smile Mike had seen in a long time, "I think that's a wonderful idea! There is one thing I want to tell you though. I've worked hard to forget about my past and I'm not about to let this setback take away what I've accomplished. I'll tell you if something isn't right for me, so please, if it's what feels right then go for it because I trust you."
He kissed the top of her head before lowering her back to the ground, "You got it babe." She smiled a perfectly wicked grin and whispered in his ear. He was slightly shocked at first, but then returned her grin in earnest. "Oh merciful heavens, you're full of surprises. I'm going to enjoy that one." He winked at her before leaning down to capture her mouth with his, kissing her with all the passion he had pushed aside in worrying about her all this time. "I'm going to enjoy that one a lot." Then he straightened himself out and they walked hand in hand back up to the Pad to rejoin their friends.
Time for a new beginning.