He wasn't sure why he was here, but something had brought him to the hospital early that morning. He had slipped into the room as the night nurse checked on Silk, just before the shift change.
He sat in the chair in the corner of the room, watching Silk as she slept. He couldn't explain it, but he somehow felt responsible for her. When he was younger he had told himself that he would never treat his wife the way his father had treated his mother. Yet he had gone and done the same thing.
"Why are you here?" Silk asked quietly.
"I told you I'd be back, sweetheart," he said, leaning forward in the chair.
"Don't call me that!" she protested weakly.
"Whatever you say, darling."
"Why won't you just go away and leave me alone?
Before he could answer, Maggie and the doctor walked in. "How are you this morning, Lessa darling?" Maggie asked, leaning down to fluff the pillows.
"I'm in a lot of pain," Silk admitted.
"I'll give you something for the pain as soon as we talk, Mrs. Conlon," the doctor said.
Silk turned her head and glared at Spot, who merely smirked at her.
The doctor sighed. "Lessa…I'm going to let you go home at the end of the week…but there are some issues that we need to discuss."
"Only after he leaves," she said, looking at Spot.
"I've already spoke to your husband about this."
"He already knows?" she shrieked.
The doctor nodded. "Yes. We discussed your condition yesterday."
She turned to Spot. "Since you know why don't you tell me what's wrong, since Maggie and this old sawbones won't tell me."
Spot sighed and moved to the edge of the bed. "Silk…"
"Out with it Conlon!" she snapped.
"Fine!" he retorted. "You can't walk!"
She turned to the doctor. "Tell him he's wrong!"
"I can't, Mrs. Conlon. He's just repeating what I told him yesterday," the doctor answered.
"You don't understand! I have to walk!"
"And you may…in time…"
"NO! Not in time…NOW!"
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Conlon. That just isn't possible."
"Well what am I supposed to do? I can't work if I can't walk!"
"Oh come off it, Silk. I can make enough money to support the two of us," Spot said.
"I don't need your help Spot Conlon!"
He leaned over her. "Oh yes you do, sweetheart. So get used to the idea!"
"I hate you!"
Spot looked at the doctor. "You can give her that pain medicine now," he said, walking from the room.
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Spot glanced down at Silk as they rode toward her flat in the hired carriage. The doctor had given her some stronger pain medication for the trip from the hospital to her flat. She was so groggy that she had no idea that she was resting her head on his shoulder or that he had his arm around her. He rather liked her like this.
It had taken him several days to find the tenement that she lived in, but he had finally found it. It hadn't taken long to charm the land lady into giving him the extra key to the flat so that he could go in and make sure that the place was somewhat clean. The land lady had also informed him that she always cooked for Silk and it wouldn't be that hard to make a little bit more for him as well.
The carriage stopped in front of the tenement and Spot slipped to the ground, before turning and gently taking her into his arms. As he carried her up the stairs, the door to the tenement opened and the land lady, Mrs. Bogart, came down the steps. "Is she alright?" she asked.
"She's on some pretty heavy pain medication," Spot replied.
"I've got clean sheets on the bed and food in the ice box whenever you two are ready to eat."
"Thank you, Mrs. B."
"Your welcome, young man. You just make sure you take good care of that sweet girl."
"I intend to."
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Later that evening Spot carried a plate of food into the single bedroom in the flat. He set it on the table beside the bed. "Wake up, sweetheart," he said, nudging Silk.
She moaned softly and opened her eyes. "What do you want?" she asked.
"It's time to eat," he replied.
"Go away and let me sleep," she muttered, swatting at him.
"Come on, Silk…Eat something and then I'll let you go back to sleep."
She whimpered and struggled to push herself into a sitting position. He helped her sit up and placed a few pillows behind her back. "Why are you still here?" she asked, taking the plate from him.
"You need someone to take care of you, sweetheart."
"Don't call me that! And I don't need any help!"
"Oh really? And just how did you plan on taking care of yourself?"
"I hate you Spot Conlon!"
"I know you do, darling."
"Go jump off the Bridge!"
"The last time you told me that we ended up in jail overnight."
She growled in frustration and shoved the plate at him. "Make yourself useful and take that to the kitchen."
Smirking he stood and left the room, returning a moment later. He reached into the top drawer of the dresser and grabbed one of her nightgowns, before throwing it at her. "You've got ten minutes. I'm tired and I want to go to sleep."
"You are not sleeping in here! You are not even staying in my flat!"
"I'd like to see you try and stop me."
"GET OUT!"
"Goodnight, sweetheart," he said, touching her foot as he left the room. Ten minutes later he knocked on the door. "You better be decent."
"I'm not!" Silk retorted.
"Good," he said, opening the door.
Silk glared at him. "I told you I wasn't decent!"
"I knew you were lying." He walked over and set a glass of water on the table beside the bed. He then walked over to the other side and the bed and took off his shirt.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
"Getting ready for bed."
"You ARE NOT staying here!"
"Yes, I am sweetheart," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking off his boots.
"Don't call me that! If you insist on staying you can sleep on the couch."
He stretched out on the bed beside her. "I paid the rent you owed Mrs. B…and I paid the rent for the next month. I'll sleep where I please."
"Just stay on your side of the bed."
"Whatever you say sweetheart."
"Don't call me that!"
----------
Spot lay on his back, listening to the storm raging outside. It had started raining softly when they had gone to bed, but the storm had gotten worse shortly after Silk fell asleep. He had stayed awake because he loved storms.
A loud clap of thunder shook the tenement building and startled Silk awake. She glanced over her shoulder and found herself disappointed that Spot was still asleep. Silk sighed and pulled the quilt tighter around her shoulders. Storms terrified her. They had since she was a child. When another clap of thunder shook the building, she bit her finger to keep from whimpering.
Spot could tell she was frightened by the storm, but he wasn't sure what he could do to comfort her without frightening her further. Silk was slowly pulling the quilt away from him in an effort to wrap it even tighter around herself.
Another clap of thunder, even louder than the one that woke her, shook the building and she couldn't help but cry out in fright. She felt the bed shift as Spot moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her.
She opened her mouth to protest when the thunder clapped again and she shrank back against him. She bit her lip. With his arms around her she felt so…safe. Protected.
He continued to hold her until her even breathing told him that she had gone back to sleep again. He kissed the back of her head and watched her as she slept.