Chapter 14 - Recovery
The rental car came down the tree lined road, pulled into the drive and stopped next to the farmhouse. Daniel got out from behind the wheel and took a look around. He barely remembered what the place looked like. He only remembered seeing it at night while on a stretcher and somewhat sedated.
He walked up to the porch and stopped as Elise came out the door. She was wearing a pretty white summer dress with a red flower print on it. Her wavy hair framed her face beautifully and he looked at her and smiled. She smiled back when she saw him and said, "I barely recognize you, Daniel. You're actually standing." She laughed and he grinned back, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
He reached for her hand and said, "I've missed you, Elise. We've spent hours talking on the phone but it isn't enough."
"I know. It's not like having you here."
They embraced and held each other for a few moments.
"Oh, I almost forgot." He turned back to the car and took a bouquet of red roses out of the back seat.
"These are for you." He gently placed the bouquet in her arms.
She looked in wonder at the roses and exclaimed, "I've never gotten flowers before. My ex was too cheap!" She laughed and held them gently in her arms leaning in to smell them. Looking up into this eyes, she said, "Thank you, they're beautiful."
Daniel grinned and said, "I have some for your grandmother, too. Is she here?"
"Yes, she's lying down. I'll go get her."
"No, let her rest. They'll keep. I got them from the local florist so they're still fresh."
As they went inside, she said, "She was really glad when I told her you were coming for a visit. She's been cooking all day. I hope you're hungry. There's a roast in the oven with all the fixings and she baked 3 different kinds of pie."
"It smells great. I wish she hadn't gone to all the trouble, though. She must be worn out."
"She wanted to do it. She'll be up soon and dinner should be ready in an hour."
Daniel followed her into the kitchen and watched her try to open a cupboard above the refrigerator. When he saw she couldn't quite get it, he said, "Let me," and brought the vase to her, and as she reached for it, their hands touched and they stopped and looked into each other's eyes.
He took the vase from her and set it on the kitchen counter, next to the flowers. Then he turned back and reached for her, and kissed her passionately until they were both breathless. When they finally stopped, she said, "Wow!"
"Yeah, wow!" He grinned and she smiled back at him and blushed.
She turned to arrange the flowers and set them on the dining room table.
'I can't believe he came back to see me. And that kiss... I feel like a school girl, again." Her mind was in turmoil.
"Can we take a walk?" Daniel asked, wanting to spend some time alone with her to get reacquainted.
"I'd like that." She took his hand and they headed for the lane that went past the fields of hay and barley. It felt so good to see him and talk without fear or illness affecting them.
He thought her smile was beautiful. Her hands were soft and warm and he loved how the wind blew strands of her hair around her face.
They stopped at the top of a hill and took in the vista. "Beautiful," Daniel said.
"Yes, I've always liked to come up here and look at the view."
"I wasn't talking about the landscape. I was talking about you." Daniel pulled her close and kissed her, holding the back of her head with one hand and caressing her back with the other. 'She tastes like vanilla and coffee.'
She pulled away, trying to regain control of her rapidly beating heart. "Daniel, let's take it slow. We've got two weeks!" She giggled and he grinned as their foreheads met.
'Okay, I'll slow down. I'm sorry." He blushed and looked down at the ground and then looked up at her and grinned.
She gave him a quick kiss and said, "Come on, I'll introduce you to my horses."
0 0 0 0
After they got back to the house, Daniel got the flowers out of the car and they went inside to see Angelique. When she saw him, she almost leapt out of her easy chair. They hugged each other and then he gave her the roses. She fussed over them as if she'd never seen yellow roses before and thanked him profusely. Dinner was wonderful and afterwards Daniel helped Elise with the dishes. Then they sat around the table and played Euchre, a card game that Daniel was unfamiliar with but he soon caught on and he and Elise made a great team against her brother and grandmother.
It was quite late when he told her he should get going. They were sitting together on the wooden porch swing, gently rocking back and forth.
"Would you like to go horseback riding tomorrow, Daniel?"
"Sure, although it's been a while since I've been on a horse."
"I promise that we won't ride all day and we'll rest whenever you want to. Sleep as late as you like and then come here for breakfast."
"Okay, sounds like fun." They kissed and said their goodnights and then he headed for the motel, humming a tune all the way back.
0 0 0 0
The next day was almost storybook perfect. It was sunny and warm with a slight breeze blowing. They rode for a while and headed for a meadow where the horses could wander and graze. Earlier in the day, she had drove out here and left a picnic lunch under a large maple tree, everything secured in containers inside a cooler. When he saw the cooler, he said, "Hey, look what the elves left for us." She laughed and explained that it was easier this way than trying to carry a lunch on a horse.
He hadn't spoken French so much for so long but he fell right into it and enjoyed the whole experience.
They spent the whole afternoon sitting under the shade tree, riding the horses or walking hand in hand and they talked about everything. He told her about his experiences as a child in foster care. She told him about her parents dying in a car crash when she was in high school and of her late grandfather and he could see that she'd cared for him a great deal. The subject came up about their experience while he was here the last time - how they felt about it all and each other. They were both nervous at first but decided that a friendship was a great place to start a relationship.
He explained that he worked for the Air Force.
"I figured that out. At least, the military part. All the soldiers showing up here gave me a clue that they weren't all just your friends. Okay, so what, are you a major or a colonel or what?"
"Oh, nothing like that. I'm not a member of the Air Force. I'm a civilian consultant. I work with them and for them, but I'm not enlisted personnel."
"Really? An archeologist working for the U.S. Air force? Something tells me that there's more to it than that, but I have a feeling you can't tell me. That's okay." She smiled at him and he grinned back at her.
'Oh boy, she great! How did I get this lucky to find her?'
0 0 0 0
He took her to Montreal a couple of times for dinner and to visit the museums. The went to the zoo. They spent their days just having a lot of fun.
Before he knew it, his two week vacation was nearing an end and he still felt like he'd just arrived, the time went so fast. He hated saying goodbye to Angelique and Robert but it was nothing compared to how he felt about saying goodbye to Elise. He invited her to come to Colorado Springs to visit, which she promised to do.
They stood outside, next to his car, and he found he couldn't leave. He was thoroughly besotted and unable to get into the car and drive away.
"I don't want to go," he said, kissing her and then caressing her bottom lip with his thumb. He felt like this was another addiction, this being with her, and he didn't want to find a cure. He kissed her again and she had tears in her eyes as she kissed him back.
"We can still talk and write, like we have been. I'll visit," she said, caressing his face.
They held each other, not wanting to let go.
He pulled back, held her by each shoulder and looked into her eyes, "Come with me, now. Talking on the phone and writing just isn't enough. Please, come with me."
She looked at him and asked, "Are you serious? What will I tell grandmama?"
"The truth, of course. I think she'll understand. Haven't you seen the looks she's been giving us?. Every time I came here to the house, she would make some excuse to do something so that we could be alone. I honestly don't think this is going to surprise her. And we'll come and visit as often as we can."
"Are you sure?"
"About this? Yes! I'm tired of being alone. The last few weeks have shown me how alone I've been all my life. Except for the year I had with my wife, I've had to depend on myself for everything. I didn't have anyone to lean on. I'm tired of it. We're good together, Elise. We fit."
"Yes, but Daniel, I don't know that much about you. And you don't know that much about me."
"I know, it sounds like we're going too fast but I feel like I've known you for years. I knew my late wife one day before we were married. I've already known you for a lot more than that. And this isn't just about my being lonely. Or, you being lonely, too, for that matter. I like you. I'm in love with you."
"I love you, too." She paused as she looked at him. "I'll need to pack a bag." Her face glowed with happiness, and then her eyes widened as she said, "I can't believe I'm actually doing this!"
When they went inside to tell Grandmama, she smiled. "This is good news. I noticed that you two spent many days and nights talking while you were ill, Daniel. When you came here two weeks ago, I knew. You two are meant for each other. So, you have my blessing. Don't worry about things here. Elise. You know your brother has been seeing someone and I have a feeling I'm going to see some great-grandchildren running around here soon. I'll have plenty of help here on the farm."
Elise wen to her room to pack while Daniel excused himself and went outside to make a phone call.
"Jack! I'm on my way back and I'm bring Elise with me."
"What? You barely know her, Daniel. Are you sure about his?"
"Yes, as sure as I've ever been about anything! I know there's some problems to work out with my job and security and all, but I know this is right."
"Well, you wouldn't be the first member of the SGC to have a relationship with someone and still have to keep your work under wraps."
"Right. Do a security check if you want to, but I don't think you'll have a problem with her."
"I doubt I will. Daniel, you sound happy. For the first time in a long time."
"I am. I really am. Hey, our flight leaves in a few hours and we still have to get a few loose ends tied up and get to the airport. Uh, is there going to be any problem getting her into the states?"
"Well, I've got a few strings I can pull. I'll call you back in a bit and let you know."
"Okay, thanks."
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They walked out to the car and Daniel put Elise's luggage in the trunk. She hugged Robert and he assured her that he would take care of Grandmama.
Daniel gave Angelique a big hug.
"Take good care of her, Daniel. Make her happy." Angelique smiled.
Daniel smiled back and promised he would do his best. Elise hugged and kissed her grandmother and promised to call when she got to Colorado.
As they were driving down the road, she waved goodbye out the window. Then she turned to Daniel and smiled. He watched her and grinned, thinking about how lucky he was.
"Daniel, I just thought of something. I don't have a passport."
"It's okay. I talked to Jack while you were packing. He made a few calls and you've already got a security clearance."
"Okay, so now what?"
In answer, he pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park.
Then he gave her a wicked grin and said, "How does Elise Jackson, sound to you?"
She gave him a long, passionate kiss and when they finally came up for air, he said, "I'll take that as a 'yes'!"
The End
Author's Note: Okay, REVIEWS PLEASE. Come on, you know you have an opinion.