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Code Silver

Chapter 16

"Was this really necessary?" Juliet asked as she kicked the deflated tire on her car.

James shrugged. "Probably payback fer not havin' anything in there worth stealin'." Juliet rolled her eyes and James admired the view as she bent over to reach in the car. She rummaged through the console and glove compartment, taking anything she might need while the car was in the shop.

Not two hours ago he'd asked her to move in with him and he was trying not to be upset or angry at the response he'd gotten. The shorts she'd chosen to wear were definitely helping as he tilted his head for a better view as if he didn't already know every inch of skin hiding underneath her clothes.

"Move in with me." He'd said.

A simple question of "what?" had been her response as she looked at him with a slight expression of disbelief.

Not exactly the reaction James was looking for. "I love you." He said and the smile he got in return made him feel better. He started talking, telling her about how he missed her when they weren't together, how he wanted to see her every day, come home to her each night, and wake up with her every morning. And she was always losing things because she couldn't remember if she'd left them at his apartment or the house so didn't it make sense anyway?

Finally she leaned over and silenced him with a kiss. When she pulled back he looked at her hopefully. "Is that a yes?" He asked, but his spirits immediately fell when he saw the look on her face.

Juliet's eyes threatened to fill with tears. He'd understand, wouldn't he? He had to. "Rachel." She said. "If she got sick again or if something happened and I wasn't there..." She trailed off.

James' first thought was Rachel is fine. But he remembered the stories Juliet told him about the times her sister was sick and the promise she made, that not even Rachel knew about, to a newborn Julian that she would do everything she could to make sure his momma was healthy and could be there for him.

His eyes softened as he looked at her. "C'mere". He said and took her hand in his before pulling her close and wrapping her in a hug.

Juliet released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. After a moment she pulled back and locked eyes with him. "I love you." She said with as much conviction as she possibly could. He nodded almost imperceptibly. He believed her. "And I want those things, too." She continued, referring to his arguments on why they should live together. "But I promised Rachel I would be there for her."

"I know." He said. "It's ok. I understand, but think about it, ok?" She nodded and went willingly back into his embrace, burying her face in his neck and holding on like he could slip away.

Now he was back in the hospital's parking lot standing in the blazing Miami sun wondering how he could go about getting her to wear those shorts more often. But soon she had what she needed and she closed the car door with a sigh. "Ready?" She asked.

James nodded. He was taking her to get a rental car and then he had to get ready for work, but his mind was still on their conversation earlier. He wanted to remind her that Rachel was healthy now. She was even working again while Julian was in daycare. He wanted to tell her that it was ok for her to do things just because they'd make her happy; she didn't need to do everything for other people. But he couldn't make the words come out. She'd made a career out of helping others and giving them happiness. And if she could do all that for strangers of course she'd want to do even more for her sister and nephew, even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness.

Besides wouldn't it be a little selfish of him to convince her to do something he wanted? He knew she wanted it too, he could see it in her eyes, but would she hate him if she moved and something did happen to Rachel? He couldn't take that chance. He wouldn't. He just had to hope she'd change her mind and though he understood her reasoning and would respect her wishes he was still disappointed.

They parted ways after she signed the paperwork for the rental car. "Will I see you later?" Juliet asked.

James shrugged. "I'll be working late." He had to cover for one of the guys and knew she'd likely be in bed by the time he got off. He tried to give her at least somewhat of a smile to say 'no big deal', but he wasn't sure it worked. This was exactly the kind of situation he was hoping to remedy by living together. Their less than normal work schedules often got in the way.

"You can still call me." She offered. He nodded. She kissed him. "I love you." She said.

That statement coming from her never failed to make him smile. "I love you, too." He told her.

It took two stories and an impromptu lullaby, but Rachel was finally able to get Julian to sleep. She closed the bedroom door carefully and silently made her way down the hall. She found her sister with her head in the refrigerator. "Can I help you?" Rachel asked, amused.

Juliet turned around and held up a single bottle of beer. "Is this all we have?"

"I think there's some wine around here somewhere."

"Perfect!" Juliet said. "I'll get the glasses out."

Rachel eyed her sister curiously before searching for the bottle. "Ok, what's going on?" She asked while pouring two glasses. She decided her younger sister looked a little too excited to get her hands on some alcohol.

"Nothing." Juliet replied innocently. "Why?"

"Oh, I don't know." Rachel started. "Maybe because the last time you looked this happy about cheap wine was when you were going through your divorce."

Juliet frowned. "My car was broken into and I spent all day today talking to the police and the insurance company. Am I not allowed to unwind a little?" She led Rachel to the living room and settled herself on the overstuffed couch cradling her glass in both hands. What she said was true, but she was also worried that she'd done irreparable damage to her relationship with James. He said he understood and believed her when she said she wanted the same things he did, but he wasn't quite himself by the time they parted. She couldn't bear to lose him, but she couldn't reconcile her desire to be with him and fully commit to him with the primal need she felt to be there for her sister and nephew.

"Sure, you can unwind." Rachel said. "But I know you and you're looking for more than that right now so what happened?"

Juliet sighed and looked away from her sister. Sometimes the bond they had did not work in her favor. She did not plan on talking to Rachel about this tonight. She wasn't even sure yet if she ever wanted to talk to her about it. She knew the elder sister wouldn't understand. She finally looked back at Rachel who was still staring at her expectantly. "James asked me to move in with him this morning." She told her.

Rachel's eyes narrowed. "And you're sitting here drinking instead of packing because...?"

"Because I said 'no'." She replied quietly.

Rachel's eyes went wide. "You what?! Why?!"

"Because I want to be here for you and Julian." She said. "Because I promised I'd be here for you and what if you get sick again?"

"No." Rachel interrupted. "You moved in here the last time I got sick so you could help with Julian and because you'd just left your husband. This was never supposed to permanent." She said.

"But."

"No buts, Juliet." Rachel was on a roll. She refused to let her little sister deny herself something she knew she wanted. "I know you're scared I'll get sick again, but I'm fine. The cancer is gone. It's been years and at this point the doctor said it would be unlikely for it to come back now. You know this."

Juliet nodded and Rachel could see the tears in her eyes.

"You've put your life on hold for us long enough. I'm back to work and Julian will start school soon." Rachel took Juliet's hand in hers. "We love you, Jules, and we will always want you in our lives, but we don't need you anymore. You don't have to take care of us anymore." Rachel was also near tears by the end of her speech. "You understand?" She asked Juliet, who nodded and pulled her big sister in for a tear-filled hug, wine glasses forgotten on the coffee table.

"And so she said 'All men are the same. All they want is to eat, have sex, and fight' and you know what I said?"

James looked at his boss with what he hoped was a thoroughly interested expression. "What?"

"I said 'Not all of us are the same...I don't like to fight.'". Dan cackled at his own joke.

James laughed along as best he could. He'd been listening to the other man go on and on about his latest conquests for over an hour now.

"Oh! It's already time to finish locking up." Dan said. "You want the honors?"

"Sure." James said and took the the set of keys offered to him. Only a few more hours to go. He told himself. He took his time walking around the hospital. He checked office doors and conference rooms, making sure they were locked. He found a stray wheelchair in the hallway and returned it to its proper place.

James checked his watch. Even walking slowly the lock up didn't take him as long as he would have liked. He decided to walk some more before returning to the office and to Dan. He wasn't in the mood for the man's lengthy stories and sexist comments. Miles had let it slip that he was planning on asking Juliet to move in. Dan had promptly clapped James on the back and congratulated him before saying "Man, I hope you're ready! She's gonna wanna know where you're at and what you're doin' all the time. You'll never get away with anything ever again!" James just nodded and laughed with him, silently cursing Miles. He'd gone into work hoping to take his mind off of things and the younger man ruined that plan immediately.

He walked for another hour and eventually ended up on the roof where he'd first asked Juliet out. It felt like yesterday and he smiled thinking about their first date. He pulled out his cell phone, but found no messages from Juliet. In her absence he couldn't help but second guess everything. What if she didn't feel the same way and was just using Rachel as an excuse? No, she wouldn't lie about that. Right? Would she feel better if they got a place closer to Rachel? Maybe she didn't like his apartment. He should tell her they could go somewhere else. Would she ever change her mind? He wasn't sure, but he was certain if she did it would take a long while. Different questions came and went as he walked and walked. Eventually he ran out of hospital to walk through, but that was ok. His shift was almost over.

James clocked out and dialed Juliet on the way to his car. No answer. He looked down at his phone as if it had betrayed him. She'd said to call. He sighed. She must have fallen asleep.

The dark, empty streets were only a reminder of the dark, empty apartment he was headed to. By the time he reached his building his mood had gone from bad to worse. He spent the walk to his door silently cursing his idea to ask Juliet to move in. Things were going great for the two of them, but now he just felt like shit. He wondered how many beers were left in the fridge. One six pack? Two? Hopefully two. He made it to his door and dug out his key only to find the door was already unlocked. Great. He thought. Just what his day needed, a nice burglary to top things off.

But the lights were on. Burglars didn't leave lights on did they? Maybe the stupid ones. As he stepped inside his brows furrowed and his head tilted as he strained to listen. Was that music coming from somewhere in the apartment? He followed the sound towards the bedroom and found Juliet, not a thief. Her back was to James. She was quietly singing along to the radio as she hung security uniforms in the closet. "Jules?" He asked.

She turned quickly, surprised she didn't hear him come in. "Hey." She said and smiled. "I didn't know what to do with myself while I waited for you so I did your laundry." Her smile faltered when she noticed his sour mood. "I, uh, hope that's ok." She added as she hung the last shirt in the closet.

He nodded and chuckled a little. "That's somethin' yer welcome to do any time." He gave her a small smile, but wondered what the hell she was doing there. He just wanted to drink and forget about his lousy day and she was standing in the way of his plan. He raked a hand through his hair. "What are you doin' here, Jules?" He asked.

She looked nervous. "I made a mistake this morning." She said earnestly. "I'm sorry I was so quick to give the answer I did. I did a lot of thinking this afternoon. I want to be here. With you. If the offer still stands." She looked at him expectantly and he suddenly noticed the suitcase on the bed. She caught him looking at it. "Rachel insisted I go ahead and bring some things, but I didn't want to unpack until I knew for sure."

James was stunned and was momentarily at a loss for words. His eyes bounced between the suitcase and the woman in front of him. "You want to live here?" He asked, idly wondering if he was dreaming. The last thing he expected was that she would change her mind so quickly.

Juliet nodded. "If you'll have me." She knew her presence tonight would be a surprise, but she hoped it would be a good surprise. She found she couldn't wait to talk to him, to change her answer. She just hoped she wasn't too late.

A smirk appeared on James' face. "That depends." He said.

"On?" She asked.

"You gonna keep doin' my laundry?" He gave her a full dimpled smile.

She laughed. "I think we can work something out."

They closed the distance between each other like opposing magnets being drawn towards their other half. He kissed her as her arms went easily around him. "What made you change your mind?" He asked breathlessly when they came up for air.

"I didn't change my mind." She stated simply. "I always wanted this. I just had to realize that it was ok to want this. And that it's ok to do it. I can't hover over my sister forever."

"She's ok with this right?" He never wanted to come between the two siblings.

Juliet cocked her head in the direction of her suitcase. "She packed that thing for me." They both laughed.

Over the next few days they moved the rest of Juliet's things and went shopping. By the time they were done James decided his apartment looked more like home than any place he'd ever lived before. Frames hung on the walls, some of Juliet with her family and others of artsy things Juliet insisted they needed to 'liven up' the place. They had to get another bookshelf to accommodate the addition of her book collection. James could see pieces of Juliet in every room. She was the fancy throw pillows on the couch, the medical books arranged neatly in the spare room, and the pink razor on the side of the tub.

The first night he came home after another late shift he found her asleep on the couch, a paperback still clutched in one hand. She'd told him she planned to wait up for him. Clearly, she didn't quite make it. He smiled and took the book from her hand, intending to take her to bed, but she stirred. She smiled sleepily. "Welcome home." She said before yawning.

"Hey, Sleepin' Beauty." He said, feeling like the luckiest man in the world.