LOST - PART I
IN THE SMALL HOURS
Chapter 8
A week had gone by and Adam's optimistic attitude was starting to wear thin. He kept reasoning with himself, saying Thea knew what she was doing, but his dissatisfaction at how slowly he was progressing grew. So at the end of the week he decided to do something about it.
Every night after that he would wake up in the small hours of the morning, get out of bed, and walk. At first he used the crutches that had been standing in the corner waiting for him. By the end of the next week, he had started using a cane.
Three days later he was doing as he usually did, making circuits of the room, stopping after each one to listen carefully for any sounds of someone coming. He was just about to complete his fourth trip around the room when a voice seemed to fly at him from the doorway.
"What the HELL do you think you're doing?" Thea almost screeched, startling Adam badly. One foot slid out from under him and the next thing he new he was on his back on the floor.
"Damn it!" he heard her shout and he winced when a sharp pain shot from his lower back and down his leg when he tried to sit up.
A match scratched, then flared into light as Thea lit the nearest lamp and came hurrying over. She knelt next to him, peering into his face with wide, anxious eyes and saw him wince again as he shifted slightly.
"Where is the pain?"
"My lower back."
"On one side or the center?"
"The left side," he clenched his teeth as she slid one hand under him.
"Is it here?" she asked and he nodded.
"Does it move?"
He nodded again, grinding his teeth.
"Where? Down your leg?"
"Yes," he gasped and she started to stand.
"I'll get the morphine," she said and was about to take a step away when his hand closed around her ankle.
"No!"
She looked down at him puzzled. "Adam, you need it."
"No I don't, this will pass. The usual amount you give me every day is enough. I can't stand any more, it's turning my brain to mush."
He let go of her ankle when she knelt next to him again. "This wouldn't have happened if you had listened to me...it's too soon for you to be walking."
"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't snuck up on me shrieking like a banshee!" he ground out, his jaw muscles working.
"I was shocked! I couldn't help it!"
"I HAVE to get back on my feet! How the hell else will I ever be able to get out of here and find out who I am?" he raged as he slowly sat up.
"How on earth are you going to do that? The only ones who probably knew anything about you are dead! The police couldn't find out anything, how do you think you will?"
He shifted toward her, pulling his uninjured leg underneath him as he clamped his hands on her upper arms. "God, don't you understand! I have to try. I'll never be able to live with myself if I don't. And I can't stay here, dependent on you for the rest of my life. No man could!"
She stared at him with her mouth open. "You hate it here that much?"
"Yes!" he said then shook his head when he saw her eyes take on a wounded look. "I'm sorry, but you just don't understand. I'm grateful to you, but I have to stand on my own two feet. I'm a man, damn it!"
His dark, furious eyes bore into hers and she instinctively reached up with both hands to cradle his face. He grabbed her wrists to pull her hands away.
"Stop that! Do you have any idea what that does to me? I'm not a pet or a child...a pat on the head won't make everything all right!"
She was still staring at him, trying to take in and understand what he was saying.
Adam sighed. "You can't soothe this pain away, Thea. And that is not what I want from you."
Trying to swallow with a throat that had suddenly gone dry, she finally managed to speak. "What DO you want from me then?" she shocked herself by asking. Then she squeaked in surprise when his hard hands circled her waist and he pulled her forward, right up against his hard chest.
"This," he said in a dark, silky voice as he bent his head and captured her mouth with his own.
Thea's brain ceased to function as every nerve ending in her body sang. His hands let go of her waist as he slipped one arm around her. He pressed that hand in the small of her back to mold her body more firmly to his while the other hand cupped her chin, his long fingers caressing her jaw.
Reluctantly dragging his mouth away from hers, he brushed his lips down her neck. "God, the things you do to me," he breathed in her ear. She shuddered and cried out in protest when he backed away.
When she started to slide toward him, he put up a hand to ward her off. "Don't, I may not be able to stop myself if you touch me again, and you deserve better than this."
She tipped her head to the side. "Better than what?" she said, honestly not understanding what he meant.
"Me, a man with nothing, and a quick tumble on the floor. I can't stand the thought of doing that to you and it's best that I not be tempted."
They both slowly got to their feet and Adam took a few steps back to lean against a chair. "Go back to bed, Theadora."
"But your leg..." she started to say, but he cut her off.
"I'll be fine. Just go, please," he said quietly and she turned away, but paused in the doorway to look back at him.
"Please Theadora...go," he said tightly and she slipped through, closing the door behind her.
Adam sighed deeply as he used the cane and limped toward the bed, a sharp, shooting pain making his left knee shake. He sat on the edge of the bed, letting the cane fall to the floor, and slowly dragged himself up until his head was on the pillow. Rubbing a hand across his forehead, he whispered, "Idiot," to himself as he closed his eyes.
Instantly, he could taste the sweetness of her mouth, and feel her warmth envelop him again. The way her body felt so right and fitting, that sense of something known before and longed for again. He ground his teeth in frustration.
"I can't stay!" he insisted to himself while his heart laughed in response. Sighing, he clenched his fists as he shifted his aching leg into a more comfortable position. "Damn it Theadora," he whispered into the dark, "how the hell did you get under my skin?"
IN THE SMALL HOURS
Chapter 8
A week had gone by and Adam's optimistic attitude was starting to wear thin. He kept reasoning with himself, saying Thea knew what she was doing, but his dissatisfaction at how slowly he was progressing grew. So at the end of the week he decided to do something about it.
Every night after that he would wake up in the small hours of the morning, get out of bed, and walk. At first he used the crutches that had been standing in the corner waiting for him. By the end of the next week, he had started using a cane.
Three days later he was doing as he usually did, making circuits of the room, stopping after each one to listen carefully for any sounds of someone coming. He was just about to complete his fourth trip around the room when a voice seemed to fly at him from the doorway.
"What the HELL do you think you're doing?" Thea almost screeched, startling Adam badly. One foot slid out from under him and the next thing he new he was on his back on the floor.
"Damn it!" he heard her shout and he winced when a sharp pain shot from his lower back and down his leg when he tried to sit up.
A match scratched, then flared into light as Thea lit the nearest lamp and came hurrying over. She knelt next to him, peering into his face with wide, anxious eyes and saw him wince again as he shifted slightly.
"Where is the pain?"
"My lower back."
"On one side or the center?"
"The left side," he clenched his teeth as she slid one hand under him.
"Is it here?" she asked and he nodded.
"Does it move?"
He nodded again, grinding his teeth.
"Where? Down your leg?"
"Yes," he gasped and she started to stand.
"I'll get the morphine," she said and was about to take a step away when his hand closed around her ankle.
"No!"
She looked down at him puzzled. "Adam, you need it."
"No I don't, this will pass. The usual amount you give me every day is enough. I can't stand any more, it's turning my brain to mush."
He let go of her ankle when she knelt next to him again. "This wouldn't have happened if you had listened to me...it's too soon for you to be walking."
"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't snuck up on me shrieking like a banshee!" he ground out, his jaw muscles working.
"I was shocked! I couldn't help it!"
"I HAVE to get back on my feet! How the hell else will I ever be able to get out of here and find out who I am?" he raged as he slowly sat up.
"How on earth are you going to do that? The only ones who probably knew anything about you are dead! The police couldn't find out anything, how do you think you will?"
He shifted toward her, pulling his uninjured leg underneath him as he clamped his hands on her upper arms. "God, don't you understand! I have to try. I'll never be able to live with myself if I don't. And I can't stay here, dependent on you for the rest of my life. No man could!"
She stared at him with her mouth open. "You hate it here that much?"
"Yes!" he said then shook his head when he saw her eyes take on a wounded look. "I'm sorry, but you just don't understand. I'm grateful to you, but I have to stand on my own two feet. I'm a man, damn it!"
His dark, furious eyes bore into hers and she instinctively reached up with both hands to cradle his face. He grabbed her wrists to pull her hands away.
"Stop that! Do you have any idea what that does to me? I'm not a pet or a child...a pat on the head won't make everything all right!"
She was still staring at him, trying to take in and understand what he was saying.
Adam sighed. "You can't soothe this pain away, Thea. And that is not what I want from you."
Trying to swallow with a throat that had suddenly gone dry, she finally managed to speak. "What DO you want from me then?" she shocked herself by asking. Then she squeaked in surprise when his hard hands circled her waist and he pulled her forward, right up against his hard chest.
"This," he said in a dark, silky voice as he bent his head and captured her mouth with his own.
Thea's brain ceased to function as every nerve ending in her body sang. His hands let go of her waist as he slipped one arm around her. He pressed that hand in the small of her back to mold her body more firmly to his while the other hand cupped her chin, his long fingers caressing her jaw.
Reluctantly dragging his mouth away from hers, he brushed his lips down her neck. "God, the things you do to me," he breathed in her ear. She shuddered and cried out in protest when he backed away.
When she started to slide toward him, he put up a hand to ward her off. "Don't, I may not be able to stop myself if you touch me again, and you deserve better than this."
She tipped her head to the side. "Better than what?" she said, honestly not understanding what he meant.
"Me, a man with nothing, and a quick tumble on the floor. I can't stand the thought of doing that to you and it's best that I not be tempted."
They both slowly got to their feet and Adam took a few steps back to lean against a chair. "Go back to bed, Theadora."
"But your leg..." she started to say, but he cut her off.
"I'll be fine. Just go, please," he said quietly and she turned away, but paused in the doorway to look back at him.
"Please Theadora...go," he said tightly and she slipped through, closing the door behind her.
Adam sighed deeply as he used the cane and limped toward the bed, a sharp, shooting pain making his left knee shake. He sat on the edge of the bed, letting the cane fall to the floor, and slowly dragged himself up until his head was on the pillow. Rubbing a hand across his forehead, he whispered, "Idiot," to himself as he closed his eyes.
Instantly, he could taste the sweetness of her mouth, and feel her warmth envelop him again. The way her body felt so right and fitting, that sense of something known before and longed for again. He ground his teeth in frustration.
"I can't stay!" he insisted to himself while his heart laughed in response. Sighing, he clenched his fists as he shifted his aching leg into a more comfortable position. "Damn it Theadora," he whispered into the dark, "how the hell did you get under my skin?"