En Garde--Chapter Seven

It was 23:30 when the phone rang. A hand reached for the offending item. "Hello?"

"Hey, did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but it's okay. When did you get in?"

"Mid-afternoon. I…had some things to take care of."

"Enjoy your visit?"

"Yeah." She could hear the smile in his voice. "Can I see you for a minute?"

I'Lee's sleep fogged brain tried to process that request. "Huh?"

"Come to the door, Princess."

She slammed her phone down and stumbled toward the door. The trip was halted when she banged her foot against a stack of books. "Oh, crap." Grabbing her toes, the small nurse hopped on one leg to answer the door. Throwing the locks, she leaned against the wall moaning.

Hearing movement, Hector tilted his head toward the door. He heard the locks move and an odd noise. "I'Lee, are you okay?"

A forlorn "No" came from inside. Easing the door open, he peeked in to see the strawberry blonde grimacing while clutching her foot. "I think I might have broken something."

Stepping in and closing the door, he picked her up and set her on the bed. "I'm sorry. I should have waited until morning."

"Stupid books." I'Lee rested her head on one knee. Her hands hadn't let go of her toes. "Hurts."

"Let me see." Gentle fingers pried hers away, straightening the red toes. When she hissed at him, he nodded. "You're right. It definitely hurts."

She narrowed her eyes. "Not funny."

"Wasn't trying to be." He walked over to the en suite door and knocked. Hearing no answer, the sailor went into the shared kitchen and retrieved some ice and a towel. With deft fingers, he wrapped the ice in the towel and around her foot. "Where's your ibuprofen?"

"Bathroom counter." He headed that way. "Wait, don't go--" The tall man disappeared. I'Lee closed her eyes and tried not to cry. This was not good. The bathroom was trashed from the past few days and he was in there and her toes were hurting and she just wanted to cry. To his credit, Hector walked out unscathed and with a straight face. "I see you didn't get lost."

"Hey, I lived with my uncle for a while. Girl cousin and all that." A glass of water and two tablets were passed over. She took them, drained the glass and set it on the nightstand. He stood at the foot of the bed watching her. "Can I do anything else for you before I go?"

"No, I think you've done enough." The words were sharp. Hector winced and turned to leave. "Wait." There was a long silence. When I'Lee spoke again, it was very faint. "You didn't deserve that."

The sailor peeked at her. She was biting her lip, trying not to cry. He resisted the urge to gather her up in his arms. "Did something happen today?"

Blinking back tears, she nodded. "Everything. The computer crashed and I lost one of my papers. A month of research was saved to that hard drive. An order came in and was missing half the requested supplies so we had to track them down. And I almost poisoned three people. Fortunately, Doc caught my mistake but it was so stupid." She took a breath. "This evening, I went to the mess and Trip spilled his tray on me ruining my favorite shirt. Then, in the common room, three of the new recruits tried to hit on me. One wouldn't take no for an answer. He didn't even back off when Etienne told him to. Beach came in at that point and just clocked him. And to top it all off, I didn't put my research books away and tried to break my toes so I could see you. So, yeah, I think something happened today."

Hector tried one more time. "So, is there anything I can do for you before I go?"

"I think I need you to hug me." It was a shy request.

"I can do that." He walked over slowly, removing his suit coat and tossing it on a chair. Sitting next to her, the sailor wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

I'Lee shifted slightly so she could snuggle into her favorite tucked in position. Sighing, she laid her cheek against his heart and closed her eyes. "I feel much better now. Thank you."

"Here for ya, Your Highness." He kissed her hair and leaned back against the headboard. "Sweet dreams."

Hector closed his eyes, thinking of the events of the day. Fading out, a small voice startled him.

"This is better than a dream."

He just smiled.

ringring

The sound of running water awakened the sleeping man. He grimaced, rolling his shoulders to ease the kinks. It took a moment for him to become oriented and he sat up. The bathroom door was tightly closed and humming could be heard over the water. He got a wicked grin on his face as he approached it.

The sharp rap on the wooden door startled the nurse and she yelped. "Go away!"

He leaned against the wall, examining his fingernails. "Need any help?"

"No!"

"Are you sure? I could help you wash your hair." He heard the water cut off and the sound of the curtain being thrown open.

"If you even think about coming in here…"

"Too late for that, Princess. Already though of it. Just waiting for an invitation." Cabinet doors were slammed open and closed. Her mumbling was quite loud and aimed in his general direction. He tried not to laugh when she opened the door, standing there fully dressed with her hair wrapped in a towel.

"You. You…" She shook her brush at him. He grabbed the would be weapon and her hand as well, spinning her around till her back was up against his chest.

"You what?" The whisper was low. "Tell me, Your Highness, because I'd really like to know what you were thinking." He could feel the heat off her neck from the crimson flush.

"I was trying hard not to…" came her reply.

"Was I being too much of a scoundrel for you?" She nodded slowly. He pulled her tighter to his chest. "I should probably interrogate you for the real answer." A head shake 'no.' "Oh, I don't know, I know some pretty good techniques." He lifted her up and set her down in a chair. Removing the towel from her hair, he tucked it around her, pretending to secure her hands in her lap. Affecting a bad accent, he waggled his eyebrows. "I haf vays of makink you talk."

Her green eyes narrowed. "You'll never get me to tell."

"Okay." He picked up the brush and stepped behind her.

"That's it?" She tried to look up at him but he held her head.

"Be still, Sparks. Let me work." With great care, he gently brushed out her wet hair, one stroke at a time. He hummed under his breath causing her to relax and listen. Once the tangles were out, he combed his fingers through, applying pressure at the edges of her hairline. I'Lee sighed. "So, did you miss me?"

Eyes closed, she murmured, "Like a broken toe."

He smiled and pulled his fingers to the spot behind her ears. As he worked there, he asked her again. "That much, huh?"

"Yeah…" The word was drawn out as she let her head roll to her chest.

Lifting her hair to the side, he rubbed his thumbs on the back of her neck. As she rolled her head back up, he moved his fingers deftly, eliciting a groan of pleasure from the small nurse. He bent down beside her. "So, what were you thinking?"

"How nice it would be to kiss you again."

Before she realized what she had said, he captured her lips with his, murmuring "Like this?" Her response was twofold. She pulled the kiss deeper, startling the both of them. When her brain caught up with her voice, it came to a screeching halt.

Two pairs of eyes opened revealing dark green and turbulent blue. I'Lee pulled back, her hand to her mouth.

Hector smiled softly. "Told you I had ways of making you talk."

Giving a wink, he stepped back behind her, quickly brushing her hair once more before weaving it into a tight braid. When he was done, the sailor grabbed his coat and knelt in front of the still woman. "I want to see you tonight." She nodded mutely. "I'll bring dinner, you choose the movie?" Another nod. "I really missed you." Her eyes went wide and her breath caught. "I'll see you tonight." A wink and a grin and he was gone.