AN: Happy Halloween, everyone!
Thank goodness for elevators. Without them, Holly didn't know how her crurches and Jamie's braces would've handled all those flights of stairs. Honestly, she was surprised that she'd been able to handle the single staircase in Casa Reagan so well. She was happy to be back in her bed. Of course, in her view, no bed was really hers if her fiance wasn't sharing it with her. The noise made, whenever their respective casts bumped under the covers, was a bit awkward. It wasn't enough to seriously bother them, though. She was snuggled against Jamie's chest, not sleeping. Instead, she was getting lost in her thoughts, as she stared passed his shoulder at the wall. The fingers of his right hand were tangled in her hair, gently messaging the back of her head. He wasn't sleeping, either. This was the first time in ten days, that they'd been together in such a way. Neither one of them spoke, not wanting to move and break the bubble of cozy safety that surrounded them.
She whispered against his t-shirt, "I love you."
He kissed the top of her head, whispering back, "I love you, too."
She kissed his chest through the cloth, right over the heart she could hear softly beating. Things were silent for another couple of minutes. She squeezed her love just a little bit tighter, but not tight enough to hurt his damaged ribs. He knew why she did that. His hand drifted from her hair, moving up-and-down over her back.
In a barely-audible whisper, he said, "Come here."
Holly carefully shifted in Jamie's arms, letting him tilt her chin up for their lips to meet. The kissing grew heated very quickly, gasps for air and rustling of the sheets becoming increasingly louder. But as he rolled her onto her back, he suddenly winced in pain. Holly's hand had drifted down to his stomach, unknowingly pressing right into one of his injured spots. Hearing him wince, she apologized and pulled back.
She then gave an awkward giggle and said, "Guess we'll have to hold off on that for a while."
"Damn."
"I know."
She kissed him twice to make him feel better. She missed the physical demonstration of their love, too, but it wasn't worth suffering like that. They had plenty of time to heal.
As Jamie rolled back into his former position, he said, "I hate being in this much pain."
"I know, love. And I hate being in too much of my own pain, to really be able to help you."
"I know you're doing your best. I don't want you to worry about that."
"But I do."
He didn't reply, as he pulled the covers further up around their shoulders. Holly went on to tell him about a cookout her theater group was planning that coming Saturday, honoring the official beginning of the couple's shared recovery. He was happy to learn it would take place on Gilgo Beach, the same place where he'd first gotten the idea to propose to her. It would be a great way to celebrate new beginnings to relax in the quieter way he loved, before diving into the punishment process for Taylor. He didn't get the chance to mention this aloud, though, because of the heavy breathing that signaled his girl had fallen asleep. Taking a deep breath of his own, and musing over the idea of the cookout, Jamie soon followed her over the edge into slumber.
AN: Sorry this one was so short, but it was a necessary filler. The next chapter will be called "Like Watching The Night Skies", & it'll be set during the cookout.