~Chapter 17~
Several days later...
Fox knocked on Teresa's hospital door, "Mind if I come in?"
Teresa's face lit up when she saw Fox standing there, "No, come on. I was getting kind of lonely sitting in here all by myself. What with all the attention I've been getting lately and all."
"Hear you're getting to go home today." Fox said.
"Yeah, I'm ready to get out of this place."
"I hear you're wanting to stay at the cottage by yourself. Do you think that's such a good idea?"
"I'll be fine, Fox." Teresa said, not fully convincing herself that she would be.
"Let me stay with you."
"No, Fox, I couldn't let you do that. I won't be a burden to you."
"You will let me and I you will not be a burden to me. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" Fox said seriously.
Teresa's eyes widened. She had never heard Fox take that tone with her. "Fine. You can stay." She agreed.
"Good, I knew you'd eventually see it my way." He winked at her. "I brought you some clothes from home. I hope their okay." He handed her a bag. "Do you need any help changing?"
"If I need help I'll call a nurse. Thanks for the clothes."
He bent down and kissed Teresa on the forehead. "It's what I'm here for. I'll bring the car around. I'm driving you back to the cottage."
"But my family..."
"Is exhausted." Fox said finishing Teresa's sentence for her. "They've been here day and night. They need their rest."
"So have you, Fox."
"Quit worrying about me and get dressed. I'll come back in when I get the car brought around front." He turned around before exiting and smiled at her.
A short time later Fox and Teresa arrived at the cottage. They spent most of the drive home in silence. For some reason Teresa felt awkward around Fox, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
"It's nice to finally be home." She sat down the overnight bag Fox had brought her. "Funny, I never thought I would think of this place as home."
"I'm just glad you're here with me now, Teresa. I don't know what I would have done without you. I guess I would've been alone and friendless."
Teresa walked over and hugged him, "Oh, Fox, you've been so good to me. The real question is, how would I ever make it without you?"
He embraced her back, "You'll never have to find out, Teresa. You're stuck with me. For good." He felt Teresa's muscles tense beneath his touch. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just a little tense, I guess."
He softly massaged the tense muscles. "It's to be expected. When I think about what happened when we found you that night I tense up myself. Don't ever scare me like that again, Teresa. Understood?" He ran his fingers through her hair.
"You don't ever have to worry about that again."
Later than night, Teresa lay in bed alone. Though it was home and she was definitely glad to be there, she felt a lot lonelier here than she did at the hospital. She thought about Fox sleeping in the bedroom beside her. Hopefully he was sleeping better than she was.
She got up and put on her robe. Hopefully a glass of milk would help put her to sleep. She opened the door of the refrigerator and got out the milk.
"I see you can't sleep either." She almost dropped the milk in the floor before she saw Fox sitting in the shadows.
"What are you doing sitting in the dark? You scared me half to death." She scolded him.
"I didn't want to bother you."
She dug a glass out of the cupboard and poured the milk into it. "I take it you can't sleep either?"
"You thought right. Honestly, I never sleep well. I think I have insomnia or something."
"I usually sleep like a baby, but I guess I got use to all the hustle and bustle in the hospital. You know, someone was coming in every 2-3 hours checking my vital signs."
The talked for a little while before Teresa noticed the milk taking it's effect. "I think I'll lie back down, Fox. Would you like to come with me?" Okay, what was she thinking? Apparently she wasn't or she would've never asked for Fox to come to bed with her.
He exited the kitchen and walked toward her bedroom behind her. He watched intently as Teresa unfastened the robe she had been wearing and gently lay it at the bottom of the bed. She was beautiful in the soft glow of the moonlight filtering through the small window. He crawled into bed and allowed Teresa to snuggle close beside him. This was how he had always dreamed it would be.
Teresa fell right to sleep in Fox's arms. She felt safer now than she had in years. Maybe ever. All her pain seemed to disappear within Fox's arms. Maybe this was were she belonged. Forever.
Several days later...
Fox knocked on Teresa's hospital door, "Mind if I come in?"
Teresa's face lit up when she saw Fox standing there, "No, come on. I was getting kind of lonely sitting in here all by myself. What with all the attention I've been getting lately and all."
"Hear you're getting to go home today." Fox said.
"Yeah, I'm ready to get out of this place."
"I hear you're wanting to stay at the cottage by yourself. Do you think that's such a good idea?"
"I'll be fine, Fox." Teresa said, not fully convincing herself that she would be.
"Let me stay with you."
"No, Fox, I couldn't let you do that. I won't be a burden to you."
"You will let me and I you will not be a burden to me. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" Fox said seriously.
Teresa's eyes widened. She had never heard Fox take that tone with her. "Fine. You can stay." She agreed.
"Good, I knew you'd eventually see it my way." He winked at her. "I brought you some clothes from home. I hope their okay." He handed her a bag. "Do you need any help changing?"
"If I need help I'll call a nurse. Thanks for the clothes."
He bent down and kissed Teresa on the forehead. "It's what I'm here for. I'll bring the car around. I'm driving you back to the cottage."
"But my family..."
"Is exhausted." Fox said finishing Teresa's sentence for her. "They've been here day and night. They need their rest."
"So have you, Fox."
"Quit worrying about me and get dressed. I'll come back in when I get the car brought around front." He turned around before exiting and smiled at her.
A short time later Fox and Teresa arrived at the cottage. They spent most of the drive home in silence. For some reason Teresa felt awkward around Fox, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
"It's nice to finally be home." She sat down the overnight bag Fox had brought her. "Funny, I never thought I would think of this place as home."
"I'm just glad you're here with me now, Teresa. I don't know what I would have done without you. I guess I would've been alone and friendless."
Teresa walked over and hugged him, "Oh, Fox, you've been so good to me. The real question is, how would I ever make it without you?"
He embraced her back, "You'll never have to find out, Teresa. You're stuck with me. For good." He felt Teresa's muscles tense beneath his touch. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just a little tense, I guess."
He softly massaged the tense muscles. "It's to be expected. When I think about what happened when we found you that night I tense up myself. Don't ever scare me like that again, Teresa. Understood?" He ran his fingers through her hair.
"You don't ever have to worry about that again."
Later than night, Teresa lay in bed alone. Though it was home and she was definitely glad to be there, she felt a lot lonelier here than she did at the hospital. She thought about Fox sleeping in the bedroom beside her. Hopefully he was sleeping better than she was.
She got up and put on her robe. Hopefully a glass of milk would help put her to sleep. She opened the door of the refrigerator and got out the milk.
"I see you can't sleep either." She almost dropped the milk in the floor before she saw Fox sitting in the shadows.
"What are you doing sitting in the dark? You scared me half to death." She scolded him.
"I didn't want to bother you."
She dug a glass out of the cupboard and poured the milk into it. "I take it you can't sleep either?"
"You thought right. Honestly, I never sleep well. I think I have insomnia or something."
"I usually sleep like a baby, but I guess I got use to all the hustle and bustle in the hospital. You know, someone was coming in every 2-3 hours checking my vital signs."
The talked for a little while before Teresa noticed the milk taking it's effect. "I think I'll lie back down, Fox. Would you like to come with me?" Okay, what was she thinking? Apparently she wasn't or she would've never asked for Fox to come to bed with her.
He exited the kitchen and walked toward her bedroom behind her. He watched intently as Teresa unfastened the robe she had been wearing and gently lay it at the bottom of the bed. She was beautiful in the soft glow of the moonlight filtering through the small window. He crawled into bed and allowed Teresa to snuggle close beside him. This was how he had always dreamed it would be.
Teresa fell right to sleep in Fox's arms. She felt safer now than she had in years. Maybe ever. All her pain seemed to disappear within Fox's arms. Maybe this was were she belonged. Forever.