It was Wednesday morning, and Bridget was finally able to leave the hospital. She was still sore where her incision was healing, but other than that she felt much better than she had just a few days earlier. The doctor had told her to take at least two weeks off from work, and that she wasn't allowed to do anything more strenuous than go for a short walk once or twice a day. When the doctor had asked if she had someone at home who could help her out while she was off, she couldn't help but laugh; Franky hadn't let her do anything on her own except go to the bathroom since she'd started feeling bad four days ago.
"Do you want me to get a wheelchair for you?" the brunette asked as she picked up Bridget's bag.
"No, I'll be fine." The blonde was looking forward to being able to move around a bit more.
"Are you sure? He said no activity right now." Franky looked at her, concerned.
"I'll count it as one of my daily walks." Bridget couldn't help but smile. It was going to be a long two weeks if the younger woman kept doting over her like she was right then.
The brunette let her walk, but insisted on having her arm around her the whole time, just in case. The older woman noticed that the drive home was much more slow, and careful than the drive there had been, with Franky asking multiple times if she was doing okay.
"Where do you want to lay down, the living room, or the bedroom?" the brunette asked as she walked with Bridget into the house.
"Maybe the bedroom for a bit until it's time to pick up Em. I'd like to lay with you, if you're up for it." Even though Franky had been by her side except when she was home with Emily at night, the blonde had missed just being held.
"I'm always up for it." The brunette smiled at her own cheesy joke, and changed course for the bedroom.
Once Franky had gotten Bridget settled, she changed into her comfortable clothes, and laid down beside the blonde. She unfolded the extra blanket she'd gotten from the closet, and placed it over them both.
"I missed this." The older woman was laying on her back, and smiled as she pulled the brunette close against her side. She reached down, encouraging Franky to hook her leg over her hip. "It's okay, baby. You won't hurt me." she reassured her when she sensed the other woman's hesitation.
"I missed this, too." Franky nuzzled her nose against Bridget's cheek. "Are you comfortable? Still tired?"
"Yeah, I'm good, baby." Bridget let out a small laugh. She'd been right about the brunette being overly attentive to her. "And no, I'm not tired. I just wanted this." She reached over and gently pulled Franky towards her for a kiss.
"Save it for the wedding night." The brunette gave a small laugh as their lips parted. She saw the smile on the older woman's face.
"In three days you'll be my wife." Bridget placed her hand against the younger woman's cheek.
"And then you're stuck with me forever." Franky smiled back at her.
"I'll try to be okay with that." The blonde pulled her in for another quick kiss.
"Would you like me to take you to buy a dress?" They hadn't discussed what they'd be wearing for the ceremony, but the brunette remembered Bridget saying she'd always pictured herself in a beautiful dress on her wedding day.
"I don't know. I have lots of nice dresses. I was thinking I'd just wear one I already have, if that's alright with you." The blonde studied Franky's face.
"It's up to you what you want to wear. I'm okay with anything." The brunette brushed her thumb against Bridget's side where her hand was resting. "I haven't even decided what I'm going to wear yet."
"Can I suggest something?" The blonde had just had a thought.
"As long as it's not a dress." Franky gave a small laugh.
"It's not a dress." She knew her fiancée's clothing preference better than to make that suggestion. "I was thinking maybe you could wear what you wore on our first date. I still remember exactly how you looked when you opened the door to your apartment."
"I like that idea." The brunette smiled, thinking she remembered exactly how Bridget looked that night, too.
"Good." The blonde took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. It was overwhelming, but in a good way, and she couldn't imagine doing this with anyone besides Franky.
"I'd ask you to wear the dress you wore that night, but I don't know if it's really appropriate for a wedding." The brunette gave Bridget a cheeky look. She leaned in, and placed a kiss beside the blonde's ear. "You looked so hot in it."
Bridget laughed, then winced a bit.
Franky immediately pulled back. "Sorry. Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. That was because I laughed, not because you touched me." The blonde reached out and tugged on the younger woman's t-shirt. "Come back here." She felt Franky settle in against her again. "You know, there are studies that have shown that touch, especially from a loved one, can actually speed up healing."
"I didn't know that, but I know it's something we both find comforting. Em likes to be near us too when she's upset." The brunette rested her head next to Bridget's on the pillow.
"Did she sleep in here with you last night, too?" the blonde asked even though she was sure she already knew the answer.
"Yeah. She asked the first night, and I didn't have the heart to say 'no'." Franky sighed. "I know we're going against what Brad said, but I-" She stopped herself, realizing that if she went on to explain her reasoning, that she'd have to tell Bridget what Emily had told her that night on the set.
"But you what?" the blonde asked quietly. She knew that Franky had more to say, and she wouldn't force her, but sometimes she knew the younger woman just needed some gentle prompting.
The brunette sighed. Of course she should have known how easily Bridget always read her. She didn't want to betray Emily's trust, but she also knew that she shouldn't keep things from the blonde that could help her better understand her niece. They had to parent the young girl as a team.
"Em told me something when we were on set. Something she said she didn't want to tell you or Brad." Franky watched the older woman's face, looking for a sign that she didn't want her to continue. She saw no such indication. "She said that she dreams about monsters who come and take us away in the night. That's why she likes to sleep between us; so she can feel us on either side of her, and know that we're still there. She thinks that's what happened to her parents, because she found out in the morning that something had happened to them overnight."
"That's heartbreaking." Bridget could feel the tears in her eyes. "That's why you insisted on waking her up before we left the other night."
"Yeah." Franky nodded. "I couldn't let her wake up and find out that we were gone. Especially not that I had taken you to the hospital."
"You did the right thing, baby." The blonde placed her hand on the younger woman's cheek. "Why didn't she want to tell us?"
"She said I was like her because I didn't have my mom or dad at a young age either. I told her she could tell you anything, and you'd understand, but…" Franky shrugged.
"I'm glad she told someone. I won't let on that I know anything," Bridget added, anticipating the brunette's next request. "I'm actually kind of relieved that that's all it was."
"Relieved?" Franky didn't understand what the blonde meant.
"Yeah, when you said she'd told you something she didn't want to tell anyone else, my stomach flipped. My mind just went to the worst, like maybe she'd told you about some kind of abuse she'd experienced." Bridget shook her head to clear it.
"I wouldn't have kept that from you." She had the same nauseous feeling that the blonde had mentioned. "I probably would have killed the person by now."
"I know, baby, I know. My mind just went there I think because of all the stuff I've heard from clients. I know you'd look out for us." She took a deep breath. "I feel like I understand a bit more now, and that explains the night she was pounding on our door talking about the monsters."
"Yeah, it does." Franky nodded her head, as she pushed a strand of hair behind the blonde's ear. "I love you, so much."
"I love you, too." Bridget loved how no matter what the circumstances, the brunette always said that with the utmost sincerity. She kissed the younger woman, and for a split second, forgetting about her incision, pressed herself against Franky. Her breath hitched.
"You alright?" the brunette asked, giving her a kiss on the corner of her mouth.
"Yeah, I just forgot for a second." She lifted the blanket and peeked under the waistband of her trackies to make sure her stitches were okay.
"Babe, how are you going to go for two more weeks without sex if you're already all worked up?" Franky teased her.
"Two weeks? Why two weeks?" Bridget looked at her, confused.
"The doctor said to take it easy for two weeks." the brunette said, matter of factly.
"He said no work for two weeks. He didn't say anything about sex." The blonde gave her a smile, thinking this was just Franky joking around with her. She may not feel up to anything physical in the next few days, but she didn't intend to wait for the full two weeks.
"Gidge, if he thought that going to work, where, no offense, but what you do is sit and talk to people, was too much, then he definitely meant no sex either," the younger woman said, with a completely serious face.
"Franky….you're serious." Bridget suppressed a giggle. "Okay, let's make a deal. We can wait a few days, but after that I'll let you know when I feel up to it, and I want you to trust that I know my body, and I'm being honest with you."
"That sounds fair." Franky gave her a kiss. "I just don't want to hurt you."
"You won't." The blonde figured that even after she'd said she was okay, she'd probably still have to tell the other woman not to handle her with kid gloves.
The brunette's only response was to brush the tip of her nose against Bridget's, and give her a kiss on the cheek.
The blonde shivered. "You have no idea what you do to me sometimes."
"This?" Franky brushed her nose against Bridget's again, and then against her cheek.
"Yes, that," the older woman said as she shivered again. "Please tell me you don't have to go back to work before I do."
"I'm not teaching until at least the winter semester at the school, and all the restaurant stuff is kind of at my own pace. So, no, I don't have to go back to work until you do. I can stay and help you with your healing." She smiled as she placed a kiss on the side of the blonde's neck. "It's almost time for lunch, babe. Are you hungry?"
"Yeah, a bit." Her stomach growled right on cue, and they both let out a small laugh.
"Maybe more than a bit, yeah? I'll go make us something." Franky gave the blonde a quick kiss on the lips, then got up, and headed for the kitchen.
Bridget immediately missed the warmth of having the brunette laying beside her. She had to admit that something good had come out of her illness; it had forced them to slow down, even for just a few days. When she thought back over the time since she'd met Franky, it seemed like it had been one thing after another. There had been the problem with Kim, Tim's drinking, then his accident, and everything they'd gone through with Emily because of that. She had felt like they were just getting settled in when Franky received the offer to be on the show, and Julia made her way back into her life. Bridget knew there was still a lot to come; they were getting married, Franky wanted her restaurant, and they both wanted to have a baby. These two weeks, when they were free to spend the days as a couple, and the evenings as a family, were something she was going to thoroughly enjoy.
"What happens after the wedding?" Emily asked as they were finishing supper one evening.
There was only one more day before the ceremony, and the young girl had been full of questions. They'd decided to break with tradition, since almost nothing about it was traditional anyway, and have Emily be the ring bearer.
"What do you mean, love?" Bridget asked as she cleared the plates from the table.
"Will anything change?" The young girl looked at the two women.
"Not really." Franky glanced at the blonde as she started to clean up the dirty pots and pans. "I'll get to share a last name with you and Auntie."
"Sasha at school said people go on a honeymoon after they get married." Emily explained. "Then they have babies."
"Sometimes they do, yeah." The blonde couldn't help but smile.
"What's a honeymoon?" The young girl had a confused look on her face, like she only just realized that she didn't actually know what the word meant.
"It's a trip couples take right after they get married, just to spend some time alone with each other," Bridget answered as she loaded the dishes into the dishwasher.
"So they can have sex." Emily nodded as if it all made sense now.
"Em!" Franky couldn't believe what she'd just heard her say.
"Franky," Bridget said under her breath as she nudged the brunette gently with her elbow. When the younger woman made eye contact with her, the blonde gave a small shake of her head. She turned her attention back to Emily. "Where did you hear that?"
"Some of the older kids on the playground said that's what adults do when they're alone." The young girl shrugged.
"And what do you think it means?" Bridget asked calmly. She knew that at this age, children rarely had a true concept of what sex actually was, and she wanted to know her niece's level of understanding.
"Kissing?" Emily looked at both women for confirmation.
Franky had busied herself cleaning the stove. Bridget reached behind her and gave a gentle tug on the brunette's singlet. She knew that Franky was uncomfortable with the topic, but she felt it was important that they were both involved in this part of raising the young girl.
"Kissing is part of it, yeah." The blonde gave her a small nod. "Sex is something that you'll understand more when you get older. Basically though, it's something that is shared between two adults who care about and trust each other."
"And who are in love." Out of the corner of her eye, the brunette caught the look from Bridget.
"It's a way for them to make each other feel good, and to express their feelings for one another." The blonde intentionally kept her explanation vague. She knew that Emily would ask more questions if she was ready, and she didn't want to overwhelm her with information that she didn't want.
"So you and Franky have sex?" the young girl asked it as matter of factly as if she were asking what's for dinner.
"Oh, dear lord," the brunette muttered under her breath as she shifted uncomfortably.
"Yes." Bridget saw the younger woman trying to look anywhere to avoid making eye contact with either of them. "Come sit down for a minute, love." The blonde pointed to the stool on the opposite side of the island. "Did your mom and dad talk to you about your body, and how some parts are private?" She knew that they had, and saw her niece nod, confirming that she remembered the conversation. Sarah and Tim had sometimes asked her for her professional advice, and they had come to her for suggestions on how best to approach the topic with their daughter. "So sex is something that involves those parts, and that's why it's something for adults. You know that because you're not an adult yet, no one should be touching you there, right?"
"Yeah." Emily nodded. "Mom and Dad said if I needed help in the bathroom I could ask them or you, and if I was sick the doctor could check stuff, but no one else. And I should tell if someone else tries to."
"Yeah, that's good. I'm glad you remember that." The blonde gave her a small smile. "If you need help with anything, you can ask Franky, too. She's an adult we trust, right?"
Franky saw Emily nod, and the only thought that ran through her mind was that while she would certainly help the young girl in any way she possibly could, she was glad that, at this age, she was very self-sufficient.
"So the reason I wanted to make sure you remembered that is because I wanted to tell you that sex is something private. I'm glad that you're asking us questions, but it's not something that you should ask other people about. It's not usually polite to ask people if they are having sex with each other. If someone tries to touch you though, you should absolutely not keep that private, even if they ask you to. You should always tell either myself, or Franky. Do you understand?" She studied the young girl's face carefully.
"Yeah." Emily was quiet for a moment. "But I can ask you questions?"
"Of course." Bridget waited while her niece was quiet for another moment.
"Okay. Can I go get a game from my room for us to play now?" Emily had apparently moved on from the subject for now.
"Go have a shower, and put your pyjamas on first, then we can play a game." The blonde watched as the young girl walked down the hallway, and into the bathroom.
Bridget heard Franky let out a long breath.
"You alright?" She knew that this wasn't something that was easy for the brunette, and even though the younger woman didn't say much, she was glad she stayed by her side despite her uneasiness.
"Yeah," Franky said, quietly. "Why did you look at me like that when I said sex was for people who loved each other?"
Bridget sighed. "It's not really true, is it?" When the brunette was silent, she continued. "Did you love everyone you've slept with?"
"No." Franky gave a small shake of her head. "I don't think I'm a good example, though."
"Well, I didn't love everyone either." The blonde wrapped her arms around the younger woman's neck, and felt Franky pull her close. "And of course I hope that Em has those experiences with someone she's head over heels for, but what's even more important for me is that she's with someone she trusts, and knows how consent works, and how to keep herself and her partner safe."
"I didn't think of it that way. This stuff is complicated, huh?" She rested her forehead against Bridget's.
"It is, yeah. I'm so glad we're doing this together though, and you did really well tonight." The blonde gave her a soft kiss.
"Did I? Because I felt really awkward, and didn't say anything." Franky sighed.
"I was falling back on my training a lot there, otherwise I don't know if I'd be much good at it. I do know that I want her to come to us when she has questions, and not get her information from some older kid at school." Bridget remembered her own upbringing, and how her parents hadn't told her or her brother anything. She didn't want Emily growing up like that, and from what she'd discussed with Tim and Sarah, neither did they.
"Absolutely." Franky nodded her agreement. "Maybe…" She trailed off.
"Maybe what, baby?" The blonde gave her a soft smile.
"I don't really know how to talk to someone her age about that stuff. So maybe we could talk first? So like I know what to say if she asks me something when you're not around?" The brunette wasn't used to feeling awkward around her finacée, but she was definitely feeling it now.
"Yeah, of course." Bridget stretched up and gave her another quick kiss. "I think that's a good idea because I'm pretty sure she'll be very curious about how a baby got in your stomach when the time comes." She couldn't help but smile when she saw the look on the other woman's face.
"Do we have to tell her?" Franky was already searching her mind for ways they could get around it.
"Yes." The blonde smiled, and nodded. "Don't worry. We'll figure it out."
"I feel like we have way too much to do to be just laying here," Franky said, as she snuggled in against the blonde.
It was Friday, the day before their wedding. They'd taken Emily to school, and now they were enjoying their morning together just laying in bed cuddling and talking as had become their tradition this past week while Bridget was off work.
"I think we're okay. We've got your friend handling all the food. We've got the celebrant booked. We've got our clothes picked out, and we have the rings. We've picked up all the paperwork from the courthouse, and the lights are hung in the backyard. We're fine, baby." Bridget turned onto her side so she was facing the younger woman. When she winced a bit, she felt the brunette put her arm behind her back, and help to pull her forward. "Tomorrow you'll be Mrs. Westfall."
"Can't wait." Franky smiled, and pulled her in for a kiss. "There was something I want to talk to you about though."
"Sure." Bridget moved her hand against the brunette's back. She sensed that this was going to be something important.
"When you were in the hospital, Em asked if anything happened to you, if she would get to stay with me." Franky paused for a moment. The thought of losing the blonde was devastating to her. "I told her that I would want that. I know you need to sign off on it though. I don't even want to think of that scenario happening, but I want to make sure she's safe no matter what."
"I know, baby." Bridget gave her a small kiss. "I've been thinking about this ever since the day you took her to see the doctor."
"You have?" the brunette asked, quietly.
"Yeah. I want you to have the same legal rights with her as I do. I did some research, and I think all we have to do is have you apply for shared legal guardianship." The blonde saw the small smile on Franky's face.
"I would like that a lot." The brunette never thought that she'd be having these conversations with someone. "Do we have to do the same when we have a baby?"
"Actually, no. If a child is born to a lesbian couple via artificial insemination or in vitro, then the legal partner of the birth mother is recognized as the other parent automatically." She rubbed Franky's back. "Em is a bit of a special case because technically, in the eyes of the law, she has no parents anymore, only a legal guardian."
"We're having a lot of confusing conversations lately." The brunette could only handle the weight of these conversations for so long before she had to break up the seriousness a bit.
"Yeah. Let's just relax, and enjoy the morning." Bridget pulled her in for a kiss.
Franky deepened their kiss, and felt the blonde push herself against her.
"It's so fucking hot when you do that," the brunette said, as she nipped playfully at Bridget's bottom lip.
"Do you know what it means?" the blonde asked as she brushed her thumb over the younger woman's lips.
Franky smiled. "Tell me."
"It means 'I'm yours. I belong to you'." Bridget studied the other woman's eyes.
The brunette touched the spot on Bridget's side where she knew the kite tattoo was hiding just under the fabric of her t-shirt.
"I'm yours, too." Franky kissed her. It was a long, lazy kiss.
After a few seconds, she felt the blonde's hand work its way under her shirt, then under the waistband of her pyjama pants and underwear. It came to rest on her butt. She smiled against Bridget's lips.
"Feeling cheeky?" Franky laughed at her own pun, and watched as the blonde simply smiled, and shook her head.
"So lame," Bridget teased her. "I was trying to have a romantic moment."
"Oh were you?" The brunette smirked as she felt the older woman's hand move up her side under her shirt, and over the side of her breast.
"Mhm." The blonde gave her a soft kiss as she continued to let her hand wander over Franky's skin.
"Do you ever wonder if people feel things the same way?" Franky asked softly.
"What do you mean? Physically?" Bridget knew that people interpreted and dealt with their emotions in different ways.
"Yeah." The brunette thought for a moment. "Like when I say that something feels good, is 'good' the same for everyone."
"I think yes, and no." The blonde moved her hand over the small of Franky's back, and the younger woman shivered. "That's an example right there. If you touch me like I just touched you, I wouldn't have that reaction. It would feel good, but not to that degree. Same when you kiss the spot under my ear. I don't get the same reaction when I do it to you. So I think in that way, not every touch elicits the same level of 'feeling good', but a kiss under my ear, and a touch on the small of your back might feel the same, they're just coming from different areas. Am I making sense?" She gave a small laugh.
"Yeah." Franky gave her a small kiss. "I guess it's like how people have different levels of pain tolerance, or how some people are into BDSM. I mean, I like when you bite me, but other than that I'm not into the whole pleasure in pain thing."
"Same." Bridget smiled. "Do you have a 'thing' that always happens before you have an orgasm? Like something that you know for sure when that happens that it means you'll finish soon?" She saw a shy smile appear on the brunette's face. "You can tell me," she said softly.
"My nipples feel weird." Franky could feel her cheeks and ears getting warm. "Like a good kind of tingly."
"Don't be shy." The blonde pulled her closer. "I get a kind of burning tingle in my toes on my right foot. If it's a really good orgasm, then they tingle for a while afterwards, too. That's only ever happened with you, by the way."
"Really?" The brunette was genuinely surprised. "No one else ever gave you a really good one?"
"I thought they had, but apparently not." She saw Franky's confidence return.
"You're the only person I ever really liked having go down on me." The brunette whispered, as she nuzzled Bridget's cheek, then placed a kiss there.
"Why is that?" It was the blonde's turn to smirk.
"Well, to start with, you're really fucking good at it." She heard the older woman giggle. "And second, I didn't let many of them do it, but when I did, it always felt weird. I think maybe it's too intimate for a one night stand."
"Mhm." Bridget nodded. "I get it." She reached up, and brushed her thumb over Franky's cheek. "I'm so glad I found you. Before, I kind of had myself convinced that I was better on my own, but you changed that so fast. You made me feel safe, even the first time we met, and that's saying something after everything that happened before."
"With Julia," the brunette said quietly.
"Yeah. I'm sorry, I shouldn't keep bringing her up." Bridget looked down at the younger woman's necklace.
"I don't mind if you want to talk about stuff that happened. I know that helps to move past everything, and I'm glad you trust me enough to share it." Franky held her a bit tighter.
"When she used to come home, I remember nights where I'd be lying in bed wondering what version of her was going to walk through the door. Would she have had a good day, and she'd be sweet, and gentle? Would she have had a bad day, and she'd come in ranting at me like it was my fault? Or would she be in one of her moods, basically demanding sex?" She felt the brunette wipe away a tear from her cheek. "With you, the very first time you touched me, all I thought was 'do it again'. I used to be nervous when I'd hear her walk up behind me. When you do it, I smile, and wait to feel you against my back."
"Shh." Franky placed a hand behind the blonde's head, and pulled her in so the older woman's face was resting in the crook of her neck. "I would never hurt you, or Em, and I promise you that if anyone ever tried, I would protect you with everything I had. Julia had better never show her face around here again."
"She won't." Bridget shook her head. "She left after the incident with Vera and myself in my office when Will had to escort her out."
"Are you sure?" The brunette didn't trust the woman one bit.
"Yeah. Vera knows someone in the police who owed her a favor, so she got them to check the flights. She went back to Sydney the next day," the blonde reassured her.
"Maybe she flew back and used a different name or something." Franky's mind was going through all the possibilities.
"Baby, she's an asshole, not a secret agent spy." Bridget lifted her head to see the brunette trying to keep a straight face.
"Yeah, good point. I think we've been watching too much Netflix this week." Franky was glad to see that the blonde had stopped crying, and actually had a small smile on her face.
They laid there in silence for a few seconds.
"Do you think what she said about Vera was right though?" The brunette recalled what Bridget had told her Julia had said to the governor.
"I don't know," the blonde sighed. "If it is, Vera has never made any indication of it to me. If anything, I'd say you're the one she has a little crush on right now." Bridget poked her teasingly in the side.
"Nah, she just finds me witty and charming." Franky wore an intentionally goofy smile on her face.
"So modest." The blonde pulled her in for a long kiss. "Let's just stay here all day and do this," she mumbled against the younger woman's lips.
"Fine by me." Franky connected their lips again. She was so ready to call this woman her wife, and tomorrow was the day she made that happen.
