Chapter 44

So this is his place... Liz pulled into the gravel-covered lot of Merlotte's as the early morning light made long shadows of the trees. Shutting off the engine of her car, she sat for a minute and looked the place over, grateful to have an excuse to be there. '...not too fancy...kind of casual...' He described it exactly. Still, it's a nice place... She spoke to herself aloud. "Well, you'd better get in there, Marine, before you lose your nerve."

Sam was leaning on the bar, his back to the door and a phone to his ear when Liz walked in, and she caught one side of the ongoing conversation.

"Yep. I'll let you know as soon as I know anything...no...no... not a thing. You know how she is. If she finds out I even told you she'll knock me up side the head with a fryin' pan. OK. I trust your judgment. Her? No, not a thing. She's mad as hell at just about everybody in town, it seems, but mostly with Compton. All right. You too. Bye."

"You're lucky I'm not armed, Sam."

He turned with a start, then smiled when he saw who it was. "Liz! What in the world are you doing here? I didn't hear you come in." He hung up the phone.

"With the phone in your ear and your back to the door, it's no wonder. You'd have been easy pickings if I'd had evil intentions, Sam."

"You? Not a chance. There's not a nefarious bone in your body." Coming around the bar, he led her to a booth and gestured her to sit, sitting across from her. "What brings you all the way to Bon Temps?"

"I got a voicemail from that vampire friend of yours."

"From Bill? Why did he call you?"

"He said that they've found a way to treat Ms. Stackhouse, but that afterward she will need a nurse at home during the daytime. He said to see you, and you'd take me over to her place and get things squared away before she gets home tonight."

Sam was relieved Bill had thought of it. It hadn't even occurred to him that, if Sookie was recovering and not sleeping all day, she would need somebody with her in the daytime.

"Yeah...yeah he's right. I'm glad he thought of it. He's been taking care of her all by himself, and I never thought about her needing somebody in the daytime. As soon as the rest of the staff gets here, I'll take you over to Sookie's and get you settled in. Meanwhile, have you eaten? I can get you some breakfast."

"No thanks. I'm fine. I had a big breakfast early. I will take a cup of coffee, though." She paused as Sam got up from the booth.. "So Mr. Compton has been taking care of Ms. Stackhouse since she left the hospital? How's that going? It's a little difficult for me to imagine a vampire playing nurse."

Sam returned with two cups of strong, black coffee, one for each of them. As he sat down, he said, "You know, he surprised me. He's been taking real good care of her."

"And how are you doing?"

"Me? Well, I'm still worried about Sookie and this treatment she has to go through, but except for that I've been fine. It's real nice to see you again, but why'd Bill decide call you?"

"He was so adamant about taking Ms. Stackhouse out of the hospital that day, and I was sure it was a mistake. I gave him my number and told him to call me if she needed a nurse. I really didn't think he would, though."

"Yeah? Y'all didn't give me your number."

"I didn't know you wanted it."

Sam grinned. "Well hell, yeah. It ain't every day I meet a pretty Marine. That's just too good to pass up."

"Are you trying to flatter me again, Sam?"

"Yep. Is it working?"

Liz smiled in spite of herself. "It might be."

"Good. Because before we leave for Sookie's place, I plan to ask you for your number myself."

"Now, why should I give you my number Sam? I hardly know you."

"Well, it'd be pretty hard for me to call to ask you out without it."

Liz sipped her coffee to buy time to consider. He really is cute...

"Y'all stalling for time to answer, Liz?"

She laughed. "As a matter of fact, I am."

Sam grinned at her. "Well, that's good. You didn't say 'no' right off, and if you're thinking about it, that means you might say 'yes.'"

Shaking her head, she put down her cup and reached over to pull a pen from Sam's shirt pocket. She wrote her phone number on a napkin, then put down the pen and slid both it and the napkin across the table to him. "Why Mr. Merlotte, I do think you've managed to charm me."

"I'm just oozing charm, Liz. Ask anybody."

...

Sookie was alone when she woke to sunlight pushing its way past the curtains. She was disoriented, and it took her some moments before she recognized where she was. Gran's room... Her mouth was dry and she was a little queasy, but the pain that had been an unrelenting part of her life for the past several weeks had disappeared. She didn't exactly feel herself, but just to be free of the headaches was wonderful. Oh thank you, God... I'm not dead and I don't hurt... Her thoughts turned to Bill. This was the first time she had been away from him in many days, and she missed waking up in his arms. She felt more than just alone... she felt incomplete somehow, though she couldn't say why. I'll figure it out later. She groaned aloud as she tried to rise from the bed. "Oh God..."

"Miss Stackhouse?"

Sookie looked up with bleary eyes to find a stranger coming through the bedroom doorway. Her straight, dark hair was bluntly cut and ended just below her jaw line, it's rich brown exactly the color of her dark brown eyes. She wore no makeup, but her fair complexion hardly needed it. About average height, her well-formed figure was clad in jeans and a black tank top, a stethoscope draped around her neck. She wore white sneakers and moved quickly to Sookie's side.

"Who are you?" Sookie asked in a raspy voice, as the woman helped her to sit up.

Liz supported Sookie while she placed pillows behind her to keep her upright.

"I'm Liz. I was your nurse in the ICU. Mr. Compton arranged for me to care for you during the daytime."

"Bill? ...Oh, right... the sun."

She lifted Sookie's wrist and took her pulse. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know. Kind of all used up, I guess."

"I understand from Sam that your treatment required a complete blood replacement. Did it work?"

"Yeah...yeah, I think it did. How do you know Sam?"

"I met him at the hospital. Apparently, he rode in the ambulance with you when you were brought in."

"He did? I don't remember that."

'That's not surprising. You were unconscious for quite some time. By the time I got on duty, Mr. Compton was at your bedside and Sam and the others were in the waiting room." Finished with her pulse, Liz took the stethoscope from her neck and placed it in her ears, listening to Sookie's heart and lungs.

"The others?"

"Mm hmm. Your friends Tara and Lafayette." She finished examining Sookie and replaced the stethoscope around her neck. "They care for you quite a lot. Not one of them would leave until you did."

Sookie looked at her in silence as Liz removed the dressing from her transfusion sites and checked the wounds. She was struck by how fortunate she was to have such good friends. "How long was I in the hospital?"

"It was almost two days."

"Really? "

"Yes. Your friend Mr. Compton was there nearly as long. He arrived shortly after dark the day you arrived and, once he got to your room, he spent the entire time at your bedside."

"But how could he? I mean, didn't he leave by sunrise?"

"No, he didn't."

Sookie again was silent. She didn't remember much about being in the hospital, but she remembered two things – Bill holding her hand and helping her sip some water. Everything else was obscured by the pain she had been in. Suddenly exhausted, she leaned back against the pillows.

"I was hoping I'd feel better than this after Dr. Ludwig got done."

"You will."

"Is this from the transfusion?"

"No. When Mr. Compton brought you home, he told me that you had been in too much pain since leaving the hospital to eat much, and even before that you hadn't much of an appetite. That definitely will make you weak. You can start eating today, but we'll have to be careful and take it slowly. Meanwhile, you probably need to use the bathroom. Would you like me to help you?"

"Oh, yeah, that would be nice. I think I can manage the bathroom OK, but I feel a little too weak to walk by myself yet."

...

Liz answered the door when she heard the knock, and found Bill at the threshold. "Mr. Compton."

"Liz...How's Sookie?" he asked quietly as he entered.

"She's napping. She's pretty worn out, but she's going to be just fine. She's basically healthy, and once we get her diet back up to normal you'll never know she was ill."

Bill smiled, and Liz returned it. "I can see you're relieved."

"I am."

"Well, since you're here, I'm going to head out to Merlotte's for dinner and then get some rest. If you need me, give me a call. Otherwise, I'll be back a little before dawn."

"We'll be fine, Liz. Thank you."

Liz left, and Bill heard her car go down the drive as he walked to where Sookie lay sleeping in her grandmother's room. Sitting carefully on the bed, he stroked her hair and took her hand in the dim light that spilled in from the livingroom. Sookie stirred, opening her eyes to see him smiling down at her.

"Bill..."

"How are you, Sweetheart?"

"Help me up, Bill."

Bill lifted her to a sitting position, and she wrapped her arms around him and leaned on his chest. Bill returned her embrace.

"I'm tired, frustrated, and lonely. I'm still too shaky to move around or do much of anything, and I missed waking up with you."

"You'll be yourself in no time. Liz said your only problem now is getting you to eat."

"I can't even do that right. She told me that if I tried to eat normally now, I'd get all kinds of complications. She called it 'feeding'... no, 'refeeding syndrome' or something. I never even heard of it before."

"Neither have I. But then, until you became a part of my life, I hadn't thought about eating in decades."

"God, I missed you today, Bill."

"Well, I'm here now. What can I do for you, Sookie?"

"Could you get me out of here? I've been stuck inside for ages and I'm about to go stir crazy."

"Where would you like to go?"

"Can we go out to our tree, Bill? I just have to get some air."

"Of course. "

...

Sookie nestled in Bill's arms as he carried her effortlessly through the graveyard and to his home. Just being with him was wonderful, and she was so glad that she didn't hurt anymore and could enjoy his presence. Neither of them said a word until Bill sat her on the quilt beneath the tree and joined her.

"You're awfully quiet, Sweetheart."

"I'm just enjoying it all." He opened his arms and drew her close, and Sookie took a deep breath. "It's the first time since Dallas that I haven't hurt."

Bill smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."

Sookie smiled back at him, and Bill was delighted to see her face light up.

"I wish I wasn't so worn out though. You haven't made love to me in ages."

"It couldn't be helped, Sookie. You were in so much pain, and over the last few weeks it just kept getting worse."

"Still...would you help me undress, Bill? I just want to hold you. I miss feeling your skin next to mine."

Without a word, Bill helped her remove her clothing, then removed his own. Leaning against the oak, he lifted Sookie onto his lap, face to face as she preferred, and wrapped his arms around her. The minimal energy that Sookie expended getting undressed nevertheless made her short of breath, and she had to rest against Bill for several minutes. He ran his fingers softly over her bare skin to soothe her, and slowly her breathing returned to normal and her heartbeat slowed.

"A penny for them, Bill..."

"My thoughts? I was thinking about Dr. Ludwig's treatment, and how frightened I was."

"You were afraid?"

"I was. We didn't know if you would survive. I might never have seen you again, Sookie."

"I was scared, too. If you hadn't been there I would have jumped off that table and run away."

"You hadn't the energy."

"I would have tried, though. I kept watching you. As long as you were there and I could see you, I could go through with it."

Bill was silent for several minutes. "I didn't realize how difficult it would be. I was so worried about you. When I felt our bond disappear... I thought my heart would break."

"I didn't feel it."

"You were unconscious from the blood loss by that time."

"When I first woke up in Gran's room it felt like something was wrong, and I've been trying to figure it out ever since. I think I'm missing our blood bond."

"I know I am. When I arrived tonight, I had to ask Liz how you were because I didn't know."

"Liz says she was my nurse at the hospital."

"She was."

"She seems to know what she's doing. I felt like I could trust her right off."

"She's an exceptional woman, Sookie. There was some difficulty in the hospital getting the staff to treat you."

"Really? How come?"

"I couldn't bring myself to leave you in the condition you were in, but the staff in the ICU wouldn't come near you while I was there. I considered leaving and asking Sam to stay with you, but then Liz came on duty and she had no problem with me being there at all. She just walked into the room and took care of you."

"She said you stayed by me the whole time. Even during the day."

"I did."

"You shouldn't have done that, Bill. Something might have happened to you."

"I couldn't leave you."

"Why?"

"You have to ask why? Because I love you, Sookie."

"If you love me, you have to take better care of yourself, Bill Compton. I've already been through you being out in daylight once and I thought I'd lost you. I couldn't go through that again."

"There was no danger. There were no windows in the ICU, or even anywhere near it."

"Still..."

"Let's not talk about it now, Sweetheart. Nothing happened to me. And now that you're better, I just want to be with you."

"All right. But I want to talk about it later."

"Yes, Miss Stackhouse."

Bill brought his hands to Sookie's face and held it gently, then kissed her. Sookie responded in kind, her arms around him. For the first time since Eric had deceived her in Dallas, she was able to kiss Bill without the nagging thought that Eric was aware of her every move. Finally, she and Bill were truly alone.

Bill kissed her slowly and gently, reveling in the feel of her soft, full lips against his. Even without the presence of the blood bond, she was intoxicating. Every odor that came from her was enticing. He loved the smell of her skin, her hair, and her sweat. He loved the smell of her arousal as her body responded even in her weakened state. He was enthralled with the taste of her kiss. She tasted of toothpaste and lemonade, strawberry Jell-O and wheat toast with butter. Every aspect of this woman was a feast of the senses, and in the midst of their kiss he silently thanked God for her.

For Sookie, this was new for her. In all the time she had known Bill, this was the first time she had kissed him without the influence of the blood bond. The undercurrent of their connection, which before had always been present, was now gone and she was curious. What would Bill's kiss be like when it was just him, alone, without any supernatural influence? She was delighted to find that Bill's kiss was still passionate, and in spite of her weariness she could feel her body respond. She was aching to trigger his fangs but resisted. This was as close to a human kiss as she had ever had with Bill, and she wanted to experience every nuance. She kissed him until she was forced to stop, breathless. She pulled away with a gasp and then rested on his shoulder, waiting for her breath to return and her heart to stop pounding.

Bill ran his fingers through her hair. "Are you OK Sookie? Was that too much?"

It took her a moment to find enough air to reply and, even when she did, he could feel the rapid pounding of her heart against his chest.

"Oh geeze..."

"I'm sorry..."

"No, don't be. That was... it was wonderful."

"I should have waited. It's too soon. You're not well yet."

"Were you this good a kisser when you were human, Bill?"

"What?"

"This was the first purely human kiss we've ever had. No blood bond, no fangs, no venom..."

"That never even occurred to me, but you're right. I didn't kiss you the first time until after you'd had my blood."

"And you had mine. I remember waking up and you licking blood from my head."

"That was presumptuous of me. But I'd never smelled blood like yours before."

"This is so nice... not having Eric in my head anymore. I just hated it. There wasn't anyplace I could get away from him. Even when I was alone I wasn't."

"You're more relaxed than I've seen you in a long time, Sookie."

"Yeah, well, there's just one thing missing."

"Oh?"

She sat up and looked him in the face, brushing his hair back from his forehead with one hand. "I want our bond back, Bill."

"Sookie, you just risked your life to be free of vampire influence. Give yourself a chance to adjust. You may not want it back."

"I won't change my mind. I miss knowing you're there even in the daytime. I miss the butterflies in my stomach when I feel you on your way to meet me."

"I do too, Sweetheart, but it's too soon."

"It's not..."

"Please, Sookie. I have my reasons for asking you to wait."

"What reasons, Bill?"

"You'll know soon enough. Just humor me, please? I'll explain it all very soon."

"Y'all are being awfully mysterious, Mr. Compton."

"There's no mystery. Trust me when I tell you it's for your benefit."

Sookie stared at him silently, a perplexed and disbelieving look upon her face. She couldn't fathom why he wanted her to wait, but she knew Bill loved her. Whatever his reasons, she could be certain that they weren't frivolous.

"Well, I guess I can wait. But not too long. I'm gonna' be on pins and noodles in the meantime."

He smiled. "Noodles?"

"Something Gran used to say when I was little."

Bill ran his hands over Sookie's skin, softly touching each of the wounds left by the blood replacement she had undergone the previous night. His smile disappeared and was replaced by a look of concern as his fingers touched the bruised area of her neck where a line had been placed into her jugular. He moved down to her arms, brushing the wounds where the IVs had been inserted into each of her radial arteries. Then his hand moved to her right groin to the purple, bruised area over her femoral artery where a rapid infuser line had been, and Sookie flinched.

"I'm sorry, Sookie. You look more battered now than when Rene attacked you."

"Yeah, well, 'cept for my leg, I don't hurt nearly as much as I did after he got done beatin' on me."

He touched the fang marks on her left groin. "Does this one hurt much?"

She smiled and lifted his face to hers. "No. That one doesn't hurt at all. And you didn't leave a bruise, either."

"Dr. Ludwig wasn't too pleased when you told her you wanted me to drain you."

"I thought I'd about die of embarrassment when she insisted on you feeding from there."

"It had to be done quickly, from a large artery. I'm sorry I embarrassed you."

"It wasn't you...it was everybody else watching us. I didn't like being exposed like that in front of them, even if they were all doctors."

"Mmm."

"Poor Joey..."

"Why 'poor Joey?'"

"Well, you were kind o' busy, draining me and all, but when your fangs came out he about jumped out of his skin. He even got a little pale when you bit me. I don't think he gets around vampires much."

"I think you're right about that."

Sookie's smile turned mischievous. "So, Mr. Compton...did you get enough to drink?"

"Sookie..." He looked uncomfortable.

"Oh come on, Bill. I really want to know. Now that you had a chance to drain me..." she leaned close and whispered. "...was it good for you?" At the look on Bill's face, she laughed aloud.

"I must confess, Miss Stackhouse, that in spite of the audience, you were very tasty."

"Good." She giggled as he shook his head in disbelief.

"I know I've said it before, but I really never know what to expect from you."

"But it was funny, in spite of the embarrassment. I know you were preoccupied with feeding, but you should have seen Dr. Ludwig's face while you were drinking from me."

"I'm sorry I missed it. So, how did it feel? Was your curiosity satisfied?"

"Yeah, it was."

"And...?"

"And, when I'm back to normal, I sure would like you to bite me there again. But just us. No audience this time."

"As I recall, Miss Stackhouse, you scolded me the first time I mentioned it."

"I'd just met you then. You were being nasty."

"And now?"

Grinning, Sookie wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned close to whisper in his ear. "I think I'd like you being nasty to me occasionally."