It took almost five months, in the end. Five months of intensive physical therapy and strengthening exercises and doctors' appointments and modifying living routines before Nick felt ready.
Jen was incredible, bless her. She checked in on him quite a lot; it was obvious she was concerned. But she didn't nag, she didn't baby him, she didn't tell him he was doing too much or not working hard enough. She let him go at his pace and try what he needed to, and she was right there with him the whole way.
The whole family had seen a counselor for the first two months. There had been too much trauma for them to deal with on their own. Nick might have once been too stubborn to do such a thing, but he knew Jen wanted him to give it a go, and he wanted to make sure that the children felt safe to do the same. Ella had nightmares for a while, and Cody was acting out more than usual. The therapist really helped them both. And Nick and Jen both had a place to air all their fears and concerns that they knew they could not just get through on their own.
Those five months passed as best they could. Nick was discharged from hospital and was given a wheelchair and walker and cane, each of which was used as he got stronger and stronger. The first hurdle was being able to get up and down the stairs. The family were patient with him, and only once or twice did he feel patronized by it. But he managed. His determination and desperate need for a return to normalcy saw him through.
Cody's arm healed and the cast came off. He and Ella started Year Two at school. She was a star in maths, he was envied by all the children for his art projects. Nick and Jen both were as proud as could be.
For their seventh birthday, Nick still managed to bake their breakfast birthday cakes. He was using the walker by that point, and Jen was a useful sous chef, getting all the ingredients prepared so he wouldn't have to go back and forth too much. Despite the difficulty in standing for extended periods of time, Nick managed to decorate Cody's chocolate cake with a rugby pitch and Ella's strawberry cake with a piped picture of SamBun. The kids were ecstatic, and the extra painkillers he'd needed were well worth it for that.
But then, finally, Nick got to go back to work with just the cane. His job was nearly the same as it always was. He could not go out into the field at all, though he'd not done much of it before. He got to the point where he could lead his team and conduct briefings and walk around the office even without the cane. Rhys and Allie and Oliver and Karin were all just as dedicated as ever. If anything, the ordeal had brought them closer together as a team. And when Duncan returned to the job—just desk duty for the time being, even still—their working family was back together. Nick couldn't have been prouder of his team.
Home, however, was still his favorite place. As much fulfilment as he got from the State Police and however committed he still remained, Jen and the kids and their house were his sanctuary. When he was working late, coming home to Ella and Cody rushing to greet him and Jen having a smile and a kiss waiting were all he needed.
"DAD!" Ella shrieked when he walked through the door one day.
That caught him off guard. Ella was not one to shriek most of the time. "What is it, bug?" he asked.
She came running towards him. "I lost a tooth!" she told him excitedly. She bared her teeth to show the whole in that bottom row of tiny baby teeth.
"Congratulations!" And without even thinking about it, he bent down and lifted her into his arms.
A gasp sounded, and Nick looked up to see Jen smiling with a look of awe. It took Nick a minute to realize that he'd done it. He'd gotten to pick up his daughter. A feat he'd never actually believed might happen ever again. He'd been walking unaided for a few weeks and built back a lot more of his strength, but he had not tried to push himself yet. Picking up Ella hadn't even crossed his mind, and he'd done it without a problem.
He swallowed back a lump in his throat and kissed her cheek. "Put the tooth under your pillow for the fairy," he told her softly. And after one more kiss, he carefully put her back down.
Jen walked over to him as Ella skipped back to the sofa where she and Cody were watching a rugby game. "You did it, sweetheart," she said softly.
All Nick could do was grin. "Yeah, I guess I did."
"You okay?" she asked with concern.
He nodded. "I'll take an extra painkiller if I need it, but I don't feel anything now."
"Good." She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him. He kissed her back quite happily.
Nick thought about all the progress he'd made over the five months since the shooting. He was nearly back to normal. Nearly. But there was still something very important still missing from life that prevented the feeling of normalcy.
He waited till he and Jen got into bed that night before he brought it up. "I think this might be a good weekend to see if Terry and Bernice want to take the kids," he mentioned casually.
"Oh?" she asked turning towards him while rubbing lotion on her arms. "What have you got in mind?"
"I know I'm not one hundred percent yet, and I might never be, but I didn't think I'd be able to pick up the babies anymore, andI did. So I think it might be time for us to figure us out."
Jen smiled, biting her bottom lip. "You sure?"
"You don't want to?"
"No," she answered quickly. "No, I…god, Nick, I miss you like crazy. I just don't want you to hurt yourself."
"I don't either. But Jesus, Jen, it's been five months since we had sex. We've never gone that long since before we were on Homicide together," he pointed out.
Jen knew he was right. And the drought in their sex life had not escaped her. But his well-being was first and foremost on her mind. She would just die if anything happened to injure him again after his hard-fought recovery. "I'm going to do some research," she decided.
"Research?"
She nodded. "Yeah. You leave it to me, Nick. On Saturday, you drive the kids to stay at Terry's or your mum's or whoever can take them. And I'll have everything ready."
The next few days were practically torture. The anticipation of knowing that he'd finally get to be with Jen again were agony. But he knew how incredible it was going to be if they could just manage to find their way to rekindle their love life. Nick had no illusions that he'd ever again get to pick up Jen and shag her standing up in the middle of the room or even braced against the shower wall. But they could take it slow, they could find positions that would work for them, and they could get back the one thing that had always been the hallmark of their relationship.
True to her word, Jen did her research. She did it on a private browser on her personal computer when no one was around to see her, but she did her research. She took copious mental notes—for she knew better than to leave a paper trail—about sex tips and positions that were best for people with back injuries. Nick's wasn't precisely a back injury, but he had been shot and the lingering problems were with his spine more than anything else. She had an arsenal of ideas ready to go by the time Saturday arrived.
Nick drove the kids to Terry's house where Bernice greeted him. She was in her causal weekend clothes—jeans and a jumper—and she gave hugs and kisses to each child before sending them inside for ice cream. Terry greeted them in passing as he came out and put an arm around Bernice's waist. Nick could not help but smile.
"Alright, Buchanan?" he greeted.
"Good, yeah. You?"
"Can't complain. Looking forward to a weekend with the kiddies. What have you and the missus got planned?"
Nick did not actually have an excuse lined up. "Just some time alone," he said.
But Terry caught his meaning. "Ah, recovered enough for a roll in the hay, have ya?"
Bernice elbowed him for his complete lack of tact, but Nick just laughed. "We'll see. Can't find out with the kids underfoot."
"Well enjoy your weekend and please don't say anything more," Bernice warned.
"Wasn't going to," Nick answered. "Oh, and by the way, Ella's lost a tooth and has another loose, so if it falls out today, we give her a dollar from the tooth fairy."
"Bloody generous tooth fairy," Terry grumbled.
Nick thanked them both again for watching the children and got back in the car, eager to go home to his wife to see what she had planned.
"Jen?" he called as he walked back in the house.
"Upstairs!" she yelled back.
He smiled and took the stairs two at a time, not just because he was excited but he could. And when he arrived in the bedroom, the lights were dimmed low—god he was glad he installed the dimmer two years ago—and Jen stood there by the bed wearing a set of bright pink lace lingerie that nearly stopped his heart. "Oh god, Jen."
"This was what I was wearing on that day. Under the bridesmaid's dress. I wanted to come home after the wedding and have you find me like this and make good use of it. But obviously we didn't get to do that. But better late than never, eh?" she said with a grin.
Nick was speechless. It did not escape him that the last time they'd made love was that morning of the wedding. A quickie in the shower. He remembered it fondly. Though if he'd known it would be their last time for five months, he might have done things a bit differently. And he'd not known that Jen had this romantic, sexy plan for after the wedding, wearing neon pink lace that left very little to the imagination.
It had been so long since he'd gotten to see her like this. He'd been in the hospital for weeks, then home but on so many painkillers that any shred of sexual feeling was wiped from his whole body. By the time he'd felt any kind of hint of arousal again, he was still barely walking. Jen was taking care of him and the kids, and they were both busy with work. He'd gotten to sleep beside her and kiss her softly and hold her in his arms plenty of times over the last months, but it wasn't the same. The intimacy of being together was always present between them, the need they both had to touch and be touched by one another. But the electric passion between them, the desperate yearning of erotic desire, that had been lacking. It was something Nick had always been so proud of that he and Jennifer shared, something that had never cooled between them; when they had sex, whether lazily making love on a Sunday morning before breakfast or a rough shag against the wall, they'd shared a connection that was so rare out there in the world.
Nick wanted that back. He wanted her. "You're so beautiful," he said. His voice was gravelly with want, and as he stared at her, he felt the warm bubble of desire churn in his belly.
Jen took two steps toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you," she said.
His hands were trembling as they found the curve of her waist. Her skin was hot but shivered beneath his touch. "I love you," he whispered, leaning in toward her.
"Before we start," she warned, stopping him from kissing her just yet, "you've gotta promise to tell me if you feel any pain or discomfort. I've done a lot of research and I can make adjustments. But we're going to take it slow, okay?"
He nodded. He couldn't answer her verbally. He just needed to kiss her. And this time when he leaned in, she let him capture her lips with his own. Their mouths moved together in a well-practice rhythm with teeth and tongues stoking the fire between them. The fire that they'd missed for so long.
Nick's hands wandered over her body, massaging her bum beneath its lace covering and up the beautiful softness of her back. His mouth moved down to taste her neck and tease that spot she liked behind her ear.
While Nick was busy, Jen started undressing him. He was wearing just a tshirt and jeans, so she pulled the former over his head and giggled slightly as he groaned in annoyance at the interruption from his task. He cooperated by kicking off his shoes as she unbuttoned and unzipped his trousers. She stroked him through his trunks, making him whimper against her skin and bite down on the juncture of her neck and shoulder.
Jen pulled back, then. Her eyes were dark and slightly glassy with arousal, and he was sure his were just the same. "Clothes off," she instructed, swallowing hard. "And lie on the bed on your back with that pillow under your hips."
He'd not noticed the bed before this, and saw that the duvet was pulled down and there were a number of pillows arranged in odd places. "What's that for, then? You gonna have your way with me?"
"Yes, actually," she laughed. "Until we're sure you won't damage anything from getting too athletic, you're not going to be doing anything too strenuous."
Nick actually frowned at that. This was not what he'd had in mind. "But what about…"
"Don't worry," she interrupted. "You'll enjoy yourself."
"I'm sure I will, but I had…plans."
A naughty smirk crossed her lips. "I'm fairly certain that my plans will match yours pretty well," she countered.
"But if I'm lying on my back…"
She interrupted again. "Nick, do you trust me?"
"'Course I do."
"Then stop whining and get naked and lie on the bed," she commanded.
He did as he was told. The way she smiled as she watched him made his heart flutter with anticipation. He really did trust her and he was sure they'd have a lovely time. But being confined to that position was more limiting than he'd anticipated.
Jen waited till he was settled before she joined him on the bed. She kissed him deeply with her hands on his chest. Even after being shot and being stuck in recovery for months, he'd somehow gotten even more muscular thanks to all the hard work he'd done in physical therapy. Her lips moved down his neck. Her tongue darted out to taste the sweat of arousal beginning to form on his skin. God, she'd missed this! She continued to his chest. She teased his nipples with her teeth and delighted in the way he groaned at the sensation. From there, she reverently kissed each of the scars he'd earned from his lifesaving surgery. By the time she reached his cock, he was fully erect and waiting for her.
She settled herself down between his legs. All those months ago, she had wanted to wear this lingerie and suck him off the way he liked, but as she'd said before, better late than never. Her tongue swirled over the head of his cock while her hand gave a gentle squeeze to the shaft. She took him in her mouth as deep as she could, till he hit the back of her throat, and sucked hard.
"Jen, stop," he gasped.
Immediately, she let go of him and lifted her head. "What's wrong?" she asked, slightly panicked.
He was breathing heavily but he laughed. "It's been too long. I can't last. And I don't like the chances of rallying for a second showing today."
"I was gonna do that thing with my tongue," she said, pouting slightly. She really had wanted to do that for him, have him tremble with erotic desire.
"Next time. I wanna finish inside you," he replied.
That's what Jen wanted, too, so she relented.
"Would you take that pink thing off and come over here now?" Nick requested.
"Oh?"
"If I've gotta stay on my back, you'll have to come sit on my face."
She grinned. "See? I told you our plans would coincide nicely."
Anticipation sparkled in her eyes as she unhooked the bra and peeled it off her body and shimmied out of her knickers. She crawled over him and settled with her knees just above his shoulders. He hummed hungrily as he pawed at her bum, pulling her down over his face. She screamed his name almost immediately as his mouth caressed her folds, his tongue plunging inside her and flicking her clit, his teeth grazing over her and his lips sucking on her hard. He was like a man dying of thirst in the desert and the oasis lived between her legs. Jen gripped the top of the headboard tightly, desperate to keep herself upright. As it was, her whole body was trembling right on the edge of climax already. It had been so long since she'd felt his touch, gotten to feel the talent of his tongue on her.
"Come for me, Jen," he begged, his voice muffled between her thighs. His hands moved up her thighs and belly to her breasts, caressing and squeezing them in rhythm to his suckling mouth, and Jen shattered.
Nick didn't stop. He lapped up her juices, riding through her orgasm, eager to give her another on its heels. He shifted, moving his hands back to her hips to hold her in place and then reaching one hand up to thrust and curl two of his fingers inside her. He looked up to see the way she was panting, her face the picture of ecstasy. He took her hard, his hand and mouth working in tandem to make her come again. Jen nearly collapsed, unable to maintain any strength; he'd turned her whole body to jelly.
She practically fell off of him, flopping down to catch her breath and avoiding landing on him and hurting him. "Jesus, that was good."
Nick smiled with pride. He wiped his mouth with his hand as he waited for her to recover. He reached his other hand out towards her to stroke the soft skin of her thigh. "I need you, Jen," he beckoned.
Jen nodded, though he could not see her. She got up and straddled him, leaning in to kiss him once softly before sitting up and sinking down onto his erection hard. She couldn't help the cry of satisfaction that fell from her as she felt him fill and stretch her. Without much pause, she planted her hands on his chest and lifted herself up before slamming down again. She rode him hard and rough, grinding down on him. Nick grasped her hips with bruising strength, moving her faster and faster. She was so close, and it took everything in him not to thrust up into her, knowing that he'd more than likely pull something in his back if he did. The pillow was in such a position that his spine was perfectly straight and supported as Jen rode him hard. He tried to stroke her as best he could until she shattered.
Her extremities went numb as her head rolled back and she cried out, her overpowering orgasm pulsing through her whole body and continuing as Nick came inside her with a mighty roar of her name. When he finally stilled, she tipped forward, resting against his shoulder with his cock still inside her.
Eventually, she had to let him slip out of her when she rolled onto the bed but still holding him close. "Did you like my plan?" she asked breathlessly.
"Incredible," he replied. His heart was thundering in his chest and he was losing consciousness very quickly.
They were quiet after that. Nick held her in his arms and stroked her skin until he fell asleep. Jen lay there with him until her breathing went back to normal. She then sat up to pull the bedsheet over them while he dozed. She herself was wide awake now, energized from multiple orgasm.
And so as Nick rested, Jen just watched him. She watched the life-giving air moved his chest up and down. She could feel the thrum of his pulse. Jen felt like she never wanted to let him out of her sight ever again. She would, of course, it would be silly otherwise. But for the rest of her lives, she knew, she would always be watching him. Just as he would always be watching her.
THE END