Another nice chapter... well I hope

Chapter 37

Three weeks. Twenty-one days. A week plus a fortnight. Five hundred and four hours to be precise. Nikki lay on the sofa wrapped in Harry's dressing gown; she considered the time that had passed since the brutal attack on her body and her mind, today she was dealing with it. That said, she had only been awake ten minutes so the day had barely begun; nonetheless, ten minutes in and she was doing well. She sipped her coffee and flicked through the channels, avoiding anything that required her to concentrate; she settled for 'top ten British destinations for your hound'. As she watched the buxom woman with her collie throw a ball along the beach, she realised that she too longed for fresh coastal sea air.

Nikki snuggled into the sofa and looked forward to her weekend with Harry. They hadn't made any particular plans but she suspected that he would be taking her to some air show or a petting zoo; she secretly hoped for the latter. On Sunday, they would most definitely be spending the afternoon by the fire in Ye Olde Mitre Tavern, a past-time she was desperate to form. Harry's dramatic yawning from the bedroom stirred her from her musings. She sat her mug on the coffee table and padded slowly to the bedroom; she needed her mid-morning Harry fix.

Harry's half naked body was splayed across the whole of the bed; his arms were under the large white pillows and his face was hiding from the the daylight that invaded the bedroom.

"Harry, I've not been out of bed ten minutes and you've taken over my space like some drunken bachelor." She pulled Harry's dressing gown tighter to her body,

"It's 'cause I miss you when you're not in my bed." His voice was sleepy and muffled. He lifted the sheets signaling for Nikki to climb back in; she giggled and settled in beside him.

"Harry, what shall we do today?" the dull, uncomfortable ache in her abdomen required her to lay on her back, she faced the ceiling but eyed Harry to make sure that he was making an appropriate effort to wake up.

"What ever you want my love," He was tired but Nikki mistook it for nonchalance; she lightly poked him in the ribs to encourage a much more detailed response.

"Hey!" He struggled onto his side and playfully pulled her into his personal space. He kissed her lips lightly and quickly; she responded instantly with a searing kiss that made his pulse race.

Nikki ran her fingers through his dark hair and watched him closely as he kissed her neck and chest; Harry easily rid her of his dressing gown and was captivated by the sight of her in her underwear. Nikki too, was enamoured with the feel of his lips on her skin; her insecurities were slowly unravelling with each tender kiss from her love. Yet as much as she loved and felt loved she was still afraid; she was anxious that she wasn't enough for him, and that her memories would creep in and steal precious moments from Harry and her.

"Harry, I'm sorry-" she found his wandering hands and entwined hers with them to make them still.

"S'okay. Don't be sorry." Harry kissed her and pulled the sheets to cover her body.

"Soon." It was more a declaration for herself than to him,

"Niks, there's no rush." It wasn't a lie but he would most certainly be willing to take the next step as soon as she felt ready.

"Thanks." She smiled and kissed his still bruised nose. "I'm going to take a shower; I expect toast and coffee when I'm done." She clambered from the bed and he threw a pillow in her direction; it missed her by a mile.

Harry stood in the kitchen, in his boxers and T-shirt, waiting for the coffee to brew; he listened to the rain pelting the windows and momentarily worried that Nikki may be struggling with her fears in the shower, as he listened he realised that the shower had finished running. He breathed relief and considered how to make Nikki smile for the rest of the day. He was consumed by blissful images of his Nikki, kissing, happy; he had never felt like this about a woman before. There had been plenty of women that he desired and had enjoyed their company when he had the time, but this was incomparable. He was besotted, a school boy head-over-heels; he was nervous and giddy, enchanted and determined. Harry shook his head as he tempered his excitement; he needed to remember that she was still hurting, and the process of healing would be an unhurried and painful experience. All the same, they were in love and they were together.

"Harry? Harry, I need you. Can you come here please?" Nikki's voice brought Harry back into the kitchen. Worried, he made his way to the bathroom and tapped lightly on the door.

"Nik? Can I come in?" She opened the door, and peeked her head into the gap.

Nikki's eyes avoided Harry's; her cheeks were flush and Harry knew that she was trying to hide her embarrassment. She went to speak and then decided against it. Harry placed his arm lightly on her shoulder to encourage her to talk. She looked up and her eyes brimmed,

"Hey what's wrong?" He was concerned but it was clear that she wasn't afraid or panicked,

"It's just... I feel silly." She bit her bottom lip.

"Just say it Nik... just say," He was more curious than concerned,

"I need... erm... I have... Oh Harry, I have got my period. I mean, I wasn't expecting it. I'm early. I'm not organised- what I'm saying is... well, I need you to go to the shops for me." Nikki flustered through her words.

Harry stood there with a stupefied grin stretching from ear to ear; he was pleased that it was something so simple, he couldn't fix it but he could certainly help. He stepped into the bathroom and pulled her into a bear hug. Confused by his response, Nikki simply enjoyed the contact.

"Harry? So... the shop?" She questioned again,

"The shop?" He clearly hadn't understood what she was asking of him.

"Harry, I need... I need..."

"Yes I know my love, chocolate." He was pleased with his extensive knowledge of a woman's monthly needs.

"No, Harry." Nikki looked at him with an expression that conveyed her disbelief.

"Then what? Oh- Ohhhhh. Right yes. Okay I'll throw some clothes on; I'll be back in 20." He kissed her forehead and hurried to the bedroom, changed, lifted his keys and wallet and rushed out of the door, hoping that Nikki hadn't sensed his boyish-embarrassment.

Harry cagily stood in the aisle labeled 'feminine hygene'; he held the shopping basket, which contained 6 bars of chocolate and a copy of 'Rolling Stone', in a particularly masculine way. He had walked down the aisle several times now, glancing at the variety of products that were on offer to woman; he had hoped that this approach would prove fruitful but as he wandered past he couldn't read the labels on the items quick enough. He reminded himself that he was indeed a man in his 30's and that he did actually have a medical degree; he spent his day with dead bodies, naked dead bodies and he had performed over a dozen PMs which had included close inspection, dissection and analysis of a woman's uterus and connecting tissues. He told himself that he was simply buying tampons, and that thought too, then caused his confusion to escalate; he stopped, he had to take a better look if he was going to make an informed decision.

Before he knew it he was knelt down, examining and comparing three different packets of the same brand; he was amazed by the vast choice that he was confronted with. His deep concentration was interrupted by a lady in her 50's, she was smiling at him,

"Need some help?"

"No. No. Most definitely not, they're not for me... I mean I'm a pathologist, my girlfriend sent me." He hastily grabbed two more packets from the shelf and made his way to the checkout.

As he waited for his VISA to dial through the payment he felt the shop assistant's eyes on him; he reddened as he realised that she must have guessed that he was completely clueless as she packed all five items into the plastic bag. This one event clarified his feelings for Nikki like sharp crystal; if this wasn't love, then what was?

Poor Nikki, lovely but silly Harry =)