Memories of a stranger, Chapter 8
Warnings: Violence, Language, Swear words, Blood
/
Fiora tried not to flinch, when Woods turned around to face her.
"Birdie!", he smiled and walked over to her. "I thought you´d wait until I´m finished with your friend, before you´d join us." He clasped her neck and tugged her into an upright position. "Did I allow you, to speak?"
He choked her and Fiora tried to hold still. She knew it would only get worse, when she would rebel against him. The pressure that he put on the neckwound hurt and she feared that it would begin to bleed. But then Woods released her and she gasped for air. He must had noticed the necklace and now his fingers searched for the pendant, that was hidden under her sweater.
She began to hope that the transmitter was still working. She had completely forgotten about the necklace. Her gaze shot to Erin, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. Woods took his knife and janked at the collar of the Turtleneck sweater. Then he began to cut the fabrik and teared the sweater open. He took the pendant and held it in his fingers.
"What´s this?", he asked and looked at her.
"From my... my boyfried.", she lied.
Woods laughed. "Your boyfriend? I thought that I had ruined you for other men? But you... you are nothing but a dirty little bitch! Have you already done it with him?", he slapped her in the face. „You whore!"
Fiora winced and closed her eyes. She started to shake, while her cheek burned like fire. He janked the necklace from her neck and threw it in a corner. Then he reached for the band-aid and removed it.
"Did Anderson do this?", he asked. He pressed the tip of the blade against the stitches and she flinched. The touch terribly hurt.
"Woods!", Erin shouted, probably because she wanted to stop his actions. "Why don´t we talk about Anderson, mhm? I´ve been questioning him at the Station."
He straightened up and went to her. Without a word, he also slapped her in the face and she moaned. „You only speak, when you´re spoken to!"
Then he retured to Fiora. Satisfied, he let his gaze wander over her now exposed body. Then he put the blade to one of the old scars. He used a big Hunting knife. She tried to hold still and tried not to make a sound.
"I bet, you still remember the rules, don´t you?", he asked. „But this time, the stakes are a bit higher... If you don´t obey, I am going to hurt her, okay?", with the knife, he pointed at Erin. „You´ve been a very, very bad Birdie... talking to the Police, trying to deceive me. What do you think? What should be your punishment for all that you´ve done?"
He ran the blunt side of the knife down her upper body, until he´d reached her belly. She knew that he would soon move on to cut her, but then he positioned the blade in front of her face. She closed her eyes and turned her head, but he grabbed her hair and janked her head back.
"Stop it, you pervert Bastard!", Erin shouted, despite of his earlier threats.
Angry, Woods turned around. He grabbed the young woman and dragged her to the center of the room, where Fiora was lying. She now realized, that Erin was tied up in the same way as she. The young Detective moaned when Woods moved her. Fiora suspected that Erin had been hurt due to the accident. The car had crashed into them on Erin's side of the car. Woods now pressed the blade against her neck.
"What did I just say?", he yelled at her and grabbed her hair. Erin froze. „Do I have to teach you manners first?"
Tears welled up in Fioras eyes. She feared that Woods would kill Erin, if she wouldn´t obey him.
At this moment, she heard a sound from above and she looked up. Could that be the members of the Intelligence? Had they found them?
Woods let go of Erin, got up and went to the door at the end of the room. Then he opened it.
"It´s about time you got here.", he said to someone Erin and she couldn't see yet.
Fiora's hope faded, tears now streaming down her face. They weren´t saved... it was someone Woods had expected.
A tall, muscular man stepped in. She recognized him from one of the photos on the bulletin board in the Precinct. It was Sean Parker, the guard who had helped Woods to escape. She glanced back at Erin, who also seemed to recognize him.
"Did you lose the cops?", Woods asked.
"They almost chased me halfway across town.", the guy replied, moving closer. He looked down at Erin and Fiora. "I see you still got to her. Very good... But why did you take that one?", he bumped his foot against Erin's shoulder and she groaned.
"Why not? The more sluts the better, right? They were both unconscious. I didn't think that that one was going to make it much longer anyway,", Woods pointed at Erin. "But she's tough."
"Twice the fun.", Parker returned with satisfaction and a smile. "Our plan worked. I got the damn cops into the house. I think they're busy for now. One of them probably broke every bone in his body. At least it sounded like it."
"They arrested Campell.", Woods then said. "But I´ve paid that son of a bitch enough money. He knew what he was getting into. But now we need to hurry, thanks to that bitch!" he kicked Fiora's thigh with the tip of his shoe and she groaned, as a dull pain spread.
"Forget Campell. He'll be out of debt, when he gets out of jail. Let's go on, I don't want to wait any longer," Parker said.
Fiora gave Erin an anxious look. Now they weren't dealing with just one perpetrator, but with two.
And what had happened out there? What if the team of the Intelligence couldn't find them, because Woods and Parker had set some kind of trap for them?
"Yeah... We've waited long enough...", Woods now said. "You take the cop. Let her watch and learn. She's up next. We'll do her first."
Woods bent down and grabbed the rope, that was attached to Fioras legs and arms. Parker janked Erin away from her. Woods cut through the rope and then he also freed her legs. He put a hand in her hair and janked her head back. Then he came closer and gave her a kiss. He smelled like cigarettes and alkohol und Fiora thought she would retch, when he pushed his tongue in her mouth. But before that happened, he let go of her and pushed her backwards, so she landed back on the floor, her hands still tied. Within the next instant, he crouched over her and breathed heavily. He began to tugg at her Jeans.
Fiora could hear Erins muffled screams in the background. She knew what would follow, she knew it was pointless to fight back. Woods would win. He would always win. She shut her eyes and she wished she was far away. But instead, she found herself in a spiral of horror. She kept her eyes closed tightly and reality mixed with the trauma from her past...
At first, she hardly noticed the uproar, that suddenly erupted around them. A deafeningly loud bang was heard from above and it brought Fiora back to reality. Woods let go of her and straightened up. He gave the other guy an alarmed look. Fiora gasped for air. Her heart was racing so fast that the blood was rushing in her ears. The sounds came through to her only muffled, but she was sure that she heard footsteps from above. She hoped that help was coming...
"The cops! Campell sold us! That dirty rat!", Parker shouted.
"Kill her!", Woods ordered, pointing at Erin.
"No!", Fiora shouted in panic.
"Don't worry, you're about to get your turn, too!", Woods said.
She could see Parker dragging Erin to her feet, before Woods got back to her and punched her in the face. Fiora's head was thrown to the side. She blacked out for a moment and felt herself drifting away, but in the next moment she realized, that he dragged her up. He placed himself behind her, while burying a hand in her hair. Fiora felt incredibly dizzy and her head throbbed.
"You won't survive this!", he whispered in her ear. "Not this time."
Then the door was pushed open and several people rushed in. Fiora recognized the members of the Intelligence, as well as the Officers Burgess and Roman. Her gaze lingered on Jay, who, however, had his full concentration on Woods. He was aiming the barrel of his pistol at Woods' head.
"Drop your weapons and release the hostages!", Seargent Voights deep voice commanded.
Fiora didn't know where Woods had placed the knife until that very moment. But then she felt him press the blade against the side of her chest.
"Put the knife down! Now!", Jay now shouted and for a second, their gaze met.
The next moment, however, Woods thrust the blade in brutally. Fiora's body tensed the moment, the blade entered her side. It felt, as if the steel was sliding between her ribs. Her breath caught and pain flared up abruptly. For an endless second she feared, that Woods would pull the knife back out and stab her again, but it didn't come to that... She heard several gunshots and then she felt Woods' grip loosen.
She looked down at herself and saw the knife stuck between her ribs. She gasped for air. Then she fell. She landed on her back. The pain was so intense, that she could barely breathe. She groaned and blinked. At that moment, Jay was with her. He got down on his knees next to her and he put a hand on her forehead with a panicked look on his face.
"Fiora... calm down. It's over, can you hear me? Just lie still.", then he looked up. "I need some help here!" Kim Burgess appeared in Fiora's field of vision. "Help me turn her to her side, I need to cut the rope," he instructed the young Officer. "Gently."
They lifted her slightly. The pain in Fiora's side exploded and she cried out. Then, she could feel the ropes loosening. As they lowered her back onto her back, Jay and Burgess pulled her arms out from under her body. She immediately felt like she could breathe better and she tried to breath deeper. But all that was possible, however, were a few short, choppy breaths, before she began to cough.
"Jay," Burgess said anxiously. "the blood..."
"I know.", he returned tensely.
"What, what´s wrong?", Fiora tried to speak, but then she coughed again.
"Don't speak.", Jay said now. "Keep breathing and try to stay awake. Help is on the way." His voice trembled.
"Three minutes until the ambulance will be here,", she now heard Seargent Voight's voice in the background.
"Jay?", she tried again.
He only took her hand and squeezed it tightly. At that moment, Fiora felt herself beginning to drift into unconsciousness. She tried to fight it, but her field of vision became increasingly darker and only seconds later, there was nothing anymore...
/
„Fiora!", Jay pressed his fingers on the crook of her neck, searching for a pulse. "Stay awake!" He realized that she had passed out. He jerked his head up and looked around. "Where's the damn ambulance?"
"In a minute!", Kevin shouted.
He looked over at Erin. She was sitting upright and was surrounded by Voight, Ruzek and Roman.
Sean Parker had also pulled out a knife, when they had burst into the room. He had threatened Erin with it. With doing so, he had sealed his fate.
"Is Erin okay?", he asked anxiously.
"She'll be fine.", Ruzek reassured to him.
Relieved, Jay nodded at them and he focused back on Fiora again. He looked at her bloodied face. He wished he could do more... But he was doomed to wait.
"The lung collapsed.", Burgess said. "And there's too much blood!"
"That's because he hit something else.", he replied. "An artery. Or the heart... I've seen injuries like that before.", he felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he fought them down.
If Woods had hit her heart, she had nearly no chance of survival. He took in a deep breath. He couldn't lose his head right now.
Finally, he heard the sirens of the ambulance and he stood up. With unsteady steps, he rushed to the door and to the dark hallway, that led upstairs. He took the stairs and ran towards the paramedics.
"This way! Quick!", he shouted.
His heart raced, as he ran back downstairs. When he re-entered the room, the others looked at him in concern, but he ignored their stares and settled back down next to Fiora. She was so pale... Then, finally, the paramedics were there. He rose and took a step back, so they could do their work. He stared at his hand, which was red with Fiora's blood. Lost in his thoughts, he wiped his hand on his jeans.
Only now did his eyes wander to Woods, who lay a little farther away. Several bullets had gifted him a quick end. More than he´d deserved...
Two paramedics were now with Erin as well. Their gaze met briefly. She looked, like she´d been through hell. He didn't want to imagine, what they had both went through.
He himself suddenly felt dizzy and he leaned against the wall. His arm and his shoulder suddenly throbbed painfully with each heartbeat and he cursed himself, for not taking more painkillers with him from the office.
"Jay, are you alright?", Burgess asked. She had stayed with him and Fiora the whole time.
"Yeah." he just answered, avoiding her gaze. "I'm fine."
He watched as the paramedics wrapped the knife in Fiora's side with gauze bandages, making her ready for transport. They had put an oxygen mask on her face and now started an IV. Then they slid a spineboard under her body and lifted her up, to bring her upstairs.
Jay walked over to Erin and the others. "I'm going to the hospital with her, Searge.", he said, and Voight nodded at him. "Erin, are you alright?", he then asked his partner.
"Go with her.", she said. "I'll be fine. I´ll see you later."
Then, he hurried upstairs and took a seat in the back of the ambulance.
/
Arriving at Chicago Med, Jay followed Fiora and the paramedics to the Emergency room. They pushed the stretcher through the entrance doors. Immediately, a doctor and nurse came over. The paramedic summarized Fioras condition and Jay continued to run after them.
"Traumatic unilateral Pneumothorax from stab wound. Right side, between the 5th and 6th costal arches. Dyspnea, Tachycardia, probable Tracheobronchial tree injury. She was unresponsive on scene, we gave her Oxygen by mask and an IV of Saline solution."
"Trauma Room 2!", the Doctor said and he took over the gurney.
Jay continued to walk along, until a nurse stopped him and stood in his way.
"Sir, I need you to wait here," she said.
"I'm a Detective with the 21st Precinct, I need to stay with her." he said. "She's... she's my girlfriend.", he then added. Again, he felt tears welling up and he looked at the young woman.
"You have to stay here, Sir, I'm sorry.", the nurse replied. "Take a seat over there and fill out the forms. We'll let you know as soon as possible what´s going on and if there's anything new."
He glanced past her and took one last look at Fiora, before the doors to the treatment room closed. The nurse also left.
With his heart pounding, he remained back alone. He stared at the closed door. What if he had just seen her alive for the last time?
He blinked and ran a hand over his eyes. Then he took in another deep breath and looked around. Behind him, he spotted a small sitting area with a table. He walked over and settled down in one of the chairs. He leaned back and closed his eyes.
He could no longer think clearly. Added to his worry, he felt an excruciating pain in his arm since he´d left the basement and had followed the paramedics to the amulance. Carefully, he placed his arm on the armrest. All at once he felt completely drained and powerless.
"Jay Halstead?", someone addressed him and he opened his eyes.
"Dr. Choi.", he said in surprise, as he recognized the Doctor, who must have just happened to be passing by.
"What are you here for? Does your brother know you're here?", he asked.
"Um, no.", he replied. "I just got here. My girlfriend is in Trauma room 2... Stab wound."
"Oh, okay. I'll check if your brother is free right now, then he can have a look at her. I myself have a Surgery coming up. Are you okay?", he looked at him with concern.
Jay nodded. Dr. Choi frowned, but then he moved on. Jay propped his head in his healthy hand and closed his eyes again. He started to sweat, as the pain grew more excruciating. Why the heck hadn't he taken more painkillers? He felt like an idiot.
"Jay?", Will's voice startled him and he winced whe he raised his head. His brother took a seat next to him and looked at him with concern. "You look miserable, what's wrong?", he asked.
"Will, I'm here with Fiora Hillsen. She was kidnapped and the Kidnapper stabbed her in the chest.", he began and he tried not to lose his composure in front of his brother. "Her lungs collapsed, she was coughing up blood. I don't know if she's going to make it. I wasn't allowed to stay with her."
He looked into Will's eyes, who continued to analyze him. Jay hid his face by lowering his head, whil he ran a hand over his sweaty forehead.
"Okay, listen,", Will said. "I'm going to take at Trauma room 2, but I´m sure that she is in good hands, okay? And when I come back, you´re going to tell me what's wrong with you. Deal?"
He just nodded. Will rose and approached the Examination room. Agitated and nervous, Jay stayed behind, waiting for him to return. Two minutes later, Will reappeared. Jay rose from the chair and winced, as the movement sent another sharp pain through his arm and shoulder. He stared in Will´s face and tried to read anything in his expression, but his brother had put on that long-trained, sympathetic expression that Doctors had. It was impossible to figure out what he was going to tell him.
"Will?", he asked.
"She's stable.", his brother answered. "She's about to go into Surgery. They're doing a Thoracotomy, an artery was injured and that's caused some internal bleeding. They're trying to stop the bleeding and will place a Pleural drain to treat the Pneumothorax. She has a very good chance, I think she´ll be alright."
Jay breathed a sigh of relief and he closed his eyes for a moment. Will put a hand on his chest and gently pushed him backwards.
"Now, tell me.", he urged him. "Sit back down."
He obeyed his brothers instruction and settled back in the chair. It took him a moment, but then he began to tell his brother what had happened.
"... When we were chasing the Suspect, we ran into an old house. The ground gave way, we fell and I dislocated my shoulder.", he concluded the Report.
Will frowned. "Excuse me?"
"I had to keep going... I had to stay on the case. And then we realized, that Fiora and Erin had been kidnapped. We popped the shoulder back in. I took some painkillers. But they don't help anymore..."
"Jay, that was beyond stupid, do you know that? Who knows, what was injured by your action. Ligaments, nerves! You should have seen a doctor right away!"
"I don't care.", he simply replied. "I had no choice."
"You're going to Radiology with me right now!", Will said firmly.
"I'm going to wait here until...", he began.
"You're coming with me or I'm going to drag you.", Will raised from the chair and looked at him angrily. "Your friend in there, she's in good hands. She's going to be taken to Surgery any minute. It'll probably take two or three hours, before she´s brought back down. So we have plenty of time, to take care of you. Come on!"
Jay looked at him wearily. "Will the Doctors keep you posted?", he asked.
"I can arrange that.", his brother said, while he offered him a hand. "Let's go!"
Jay hesitated for a moment, but then he gave in. He grabbed Will's hand and let him pull him out of the chair.
/
When Fiora regained consciousness, she first recognized the familiar sounds and smells of a hospital. She fought against the tiredness that still prevailed and it took her a moment to open her eyes. She felt an oxygen mask on her face and reached up. Then she spotted a huge IV cannula in the palm of her hand and she stopped her movement. She followed the tube to the two bags, that were attached to a metal stand beside her bed. Whatever they gave her, at least she wasn't in pain... She put her hand down and carefully turned her head. Then she saw, that Jay was sitting next to the bed. He had rested his arm and his head on the mattress, where he must have fallen asleep. She was infinitely glad and grateful to see him.
Now, the memories of what had happened came back. All at once, it all was back and she shuddered. Woods had said to her, that she would not survive this time... So she was more than grateful that she was here and that she had woken up. She remembered the knife, Jay's panicked looks and the moments, before she had passed out.
Cautiously, she bent her head down a bit to see what had happened to the injury. She spotted a tube leading out of the side of her chest. The sight startled her and her heartbeat increased, triggering a silent alarm on the monitor next to her bed. She glanced towards the door, as a nurse entered just moments later.
"Miss Hillsen. You're awake?", she asked, approaching the bed.
Startled, Jay woke up from his sleep. Their gaze met briefly and Fiora smiled cautiously at him, before she had to focus on the nurse again. The young woman pulled the oxygen mask from her face.
"How are you feeling?", she asked. The nurse exchanged the mask for a thin oxygen tube, which she placed in her nose.
"I´m fine.", Fiora answered. She noticed, that she was hoarse.
"Are you in pain?"
"No. But what's that... that tube in my... my chest?", she asked. She noticed that she had some difficulty with speaking.
"You had a stab wound and had to have Surgery. Your lung was injured.", the nurse began to explain. "The doctors put in a tube to drain the fluid. It will be removed in three to four days. It won't hurt, I promise. The doctor will explain the rest to you later."
"Thank you.", Fiora didn't feel quite able to take in all the information at that moment.
"You´re welcome.", the nurse glanced briefly at the screen next to the bed. "Blood pressure is good. I'll send the Doctor to you in a minute, okay?"
The nurse smiled encouragingly at Jay and Fiora watched, as she left the room. Then their gaze met again and she noticed, that he was watching her intently.
"Hey.", he said, smiling at her with visible concern. "Are you sure you're not in pain?"
Now, after he had straightened up, she saw that he wore a sling for his arm. Without answering his question, she glared at him. "What is that? Are you all right?", she asked.
"You're asking me how I'm doing?", he returned, shaking his head. "Come on. How are you?"
"I'm fine...", she said, blinking against the fatigue. "The painkillers are good."
He smiled briefly and caressed her shoulder. "I think you're still a little affected by the anesthetics. But I'm so glad you're awake..."
For a moment, she closed her eyes again. She felt exhausted, but she desperately wanted to stay awake and talk to Jay about all that had happened.
"You saved Erin and me.", she said, looking at him again.
"I'm sorry we didn't realize Woods' plan sooner. So many things went wrong. I'm so sorry -"
"Jay, you were there just in time.", she interrupted him.
"Not soon enough. He was just about to...", he stopped and skipped the rest of the sentence.
"Hey, don't blame yourself. Tell me, how is Erin? Is she badly hurt?"
"She's doing quite well.", Jay replied. "She has two broken ribs, a concussion, some cuts and bruises. Fortunately, though, no internal injuries."
"Thank God.", Fiora was incredibly relieved. She wouldn´t have been able to forgive herself, if anything worse had happened to Erin because of her. "And now tell me, what has happened?"
"Woods and his men played us... It all went wrong, the guys that he had sent for the Exchange were just a Decoy, so he could get to you. He was there, waiting for his chance.", he swallowed and bowed his head.
"But you arrived in time," she repeated. "You're not to blame, Jay. Woods is the one who did this to us. Is he...?", she recalled the gunshots.
"Dead, yeah.", Jay finished the sentence. "Multiple bullets... He was killed instantly. The other man, Parker, also."
Fiora felt the relief spread through her. She didn't wish death to anyone, but knowing that Woods could never come after her again, was like a massive weight that was lifted from her.
"So the three of them worked together?", she asked after a moment. "This other man, Parker, told Woods, that one of you was hurt."
"Al was injured pretty bad." he said. "He broke his leg, has some bruises. I was lucky, Only hurt my arm and shoulder."
Fiona looked at him with concern. "Are you going to be okay?"
He nodded. "Hairline fracture in the wrist and a few bruises, it´s nothing."
"Oh Jay... how?"
He shook his head, as if none of this was actually worth mentioning.
"The guy who came to make the Exchange was the driver of the van, Campbell. He had helped Woods to escape from prison. We didn't realize that until then. Woods probably suspected all along, that the Exchange would involve the police. He had anticipated, that we would arrest him as soon as he showed himself. So, he sent Campell."
Fiora tried to sort the new information. So she had been right that Woods had anticipated their moves and that he had planned ahead. She hadn't expected anything else from him, but no one could have guessed, that it would all turn out this way.
"And then?", she continued to ask.
"The second man who ran away, was just there to make us follow him, to separate us. Al and I went after him. Then he ran into an old building. Me and Al went after him, down the hall... all at once the floor gave way beneath us and we fell. The guy had us trapped and he ran. Ruzek arrived at the house shortly after us and he called for help. We were full of adrenaline and we didn't realize, that the whole thing was staged. No one suspected that Woods had apparently been waiting nearby in a car the whole time. He had been watching everything and had taken the chance, when you and Erin drove off alone. By the time we realized that you hadn't arrived at the Precinct it was already too late."
"How did you find us? Was it the transmitter in the necklace?", Fiora asked.
He shook his head. "It wasn't working anymore, probably from the accident or maybe it was blocked by something... We only found you, because Campell eventually gave in and because he talked. He gave us the address where he should have taken you, if the Exchanged would´ve worked. I'm so sorry that we didn't get there sooner..."
"Jay. Please, stop it now...", she saidy. "Erin and I, we´re alive and we´ll get better." He looked at her and she could tell, that he was obviously still struggling. "It's all right.", she whispered, "You didn't do anything wrong."
He touched her fingertips and she clasped his hand. Reassuringly, she stroked the back of his hand with her thumb.
Then a Doctor entered the room and they were jolted out of the moment. Jay got up from the chair to get out of the way and the Doctor asked him to leave the room, so he could examine Fiora and talk to her.
She watched him, as he left the room and she realized, that it would take them both a while to process the latest events.
/
After twelve days, Fiora was finally released from the hospital. Fortunately, she was already feeling much better physically, although she was supposed to take it easy for at least another three weeks. She had had a checkup appointment with the Doctor that morning. Afterwards, Jay had driven her to her apartment, because she wanted to pack up some things. She would be staying with him for a few more days. The Special Victims Unit had located the remaining members of the Forum. Those involved had either been cautioned or charged. They were under close surveillance and apparently the news of Wood's death, had put an abrupt end to it all. Only the administrator of the Forum, a man named Alexander Cayden, had gone into hiding. He probably knew that he was facing several years in prison. Fiora hoped that she would never hear about the matter again. She was trying to finally deal with the past. She just wanted to be informed as soon as they´d caught the guy, then she would return to her apartment. She had decided to use the remaining time while she was on sick leave, to search for a new place to live. She wanted to feel safe again and that seemed to be the best way.
Jay was back at work for the first day. He had been visiting her at the hospital every day, as he too had been on sick leave due to his injuries. He could have stayed home longer, but he was eager to get back to work. He wanted to support the team. Right now he was on desk duty, since he had to wear the sling on his arm for another while.
They had talked a lot about what had happened these days and had grown even closer as a result. She had realized by now that she could trust him completely and she had opened up to him even more. She had told him more things from her past. He had also revealed some of his experiences to her in return. She now knew that they could support each other and be there for each other. She could absolutely imagine a longer relationship with him.
She was just about to make herself some tea, after packing the essentials, when the doorbell rang. She looked through the peephole and saw Jay standing in front of the door. Quickly she opened it. He smiled, when he saw her.
"Hey, I thought I wasn't going to see you until tonight?", she asked while she returned his smile.
"The Searge sent me home.", he said.
"Why?"
"Not much to work on, we have no new case at the moment... He told me to take some time off until early next week."
"Oh...okay. I hope you're not disappointed?"
"No.", he shook his head. "Because I had an idea. When is your next Doctor's appointment?", he asked.
"Wednesday."
"Then it would fit. Would you like to go on a little trip?", he began, his eyes lighting up all at once. "My grandfather has a house in Wisconsin. Right by the river. What, if we just got out of town for a few days? I think that would be good for us."
She thought about it for a moment. Before she could say anything, he continued.
"The city is only a few minutes by car, if that's what's bothering you," he said. "There's a hospital there, too. But you texted me earlier that you're fine, right? I'm not worried. You'll really be able to rest there... I'll go fishing. We can make a fire and roast the fish right over the open flame."
"That's your idea of a relaxing weekend?", she teased him, smiling. To her, the trip sounded tempting, too. She loved the outdoors and the quiet. She would be able to take her camera with her and do a little Photography...
"You don't have to do anything. I promise.", he said.
"No! I'm just kidding!", she replied. "It sounds wonderful. I'm only asking you one thing... I don't want to see you gutting the fish." He shook his head and she smirked. She just couldn't resist his enthusiastic expression. "Okay. When?"
"Yeah?" he smiled. "Tomorrow?"
She smiled and nodded. "Tomorrow."
He kissed her briefly, then he went to go in her bedroom. "Come on, pack your bag and we'll go to my place. You tell me what to pack."
She ran after him and stopped him at doorway. "You don't actually want to go to my closet right now...", he had already opened one of the doors. "Jay, stop!", she laughed.
"Do you have something to hide?", he asked with a grin.
"No... But I don't want you to see my embarrasing wardrobe."
"But, I'm allowed to see you your most embarrasing lingerie one day, aren't I?", he moved closer. "I mean, eventually, when we're both fit and healthy."
She put her hand on his cheek and kissed him. Of course, she had already thought about being intimate with him. She just didn't know when she would actually feel ready. Until a few weeks ago, she had believed she would never be open for Intimacy again. But he was making sure that she was slowly healing. Not just physically, but mentally as well.
"You're the only one, who gets to see my lingerie someday.", she promised him. "Now, go. Go over in the living room so I can pack my bag."
He didn't move. "I'll be happy to help you. You need to take it easy, remember?"
"Of course... And you're helping me, with no intentions in spotting something in my closet?"
"Intentions? Me?", he opened another closet door and looked at her challengingly.
She laughed. "Jay, I don't own any lingerie at all!", she then tried to stop him.
"I don't believe you.", he said, now turning back to the closet. He pulled out a tattered old t-shirt, that she had owned in ages. She loved that shirt, but that was definitely one of the things, that she would´ve hidden from him. Her eyes widened and he chuckled.
"Jay!", she took the shirt from him and threw it on her bed. Then she grabbed his arm and pulled him away. "Go. Please go!"
He sighed and finally moved away, but not without giving her another unmistakable look. Fiora watched him go with a mixture of shame and butterflies in her stomach. She was really starting to look forward to their weekend and she wondered, if she maybe might had something halfway pretty hidden in her closet. Just in case...
/