Chapter 29: Lexa
I take Ash down to the gym and have Raven show me around before I agree to leave Ash. On my way back to the room, I stop by to see Abby since I don't know where to find Blake. I would rather talk to him, but Abby will have to do. When I walk into her office, she is on a skype call, so I turn to leave, but she says she is about finished for me to stay.
I have a seat and wait for her to finish up. I'm not sure how to ask her what I need to know, but I have to talk to someone. When she finished, she looked up and asked how things were going. I explained what had happened with Raven and then told her that Ash was expecting me to help her shower after her workout. Then I started to stutter, "I, I don't know what she expects from me, Abby. I mean, I definitely want to be with her, but I don't think I want it to be here. I would prefer our first time to be special and romantic. I want to do things right, but I don't have any idea what I'm doing."
Abby said, "I'm not sure what to tell you except that you will know what to do when the time comes. I'm not sure what she is expecting as far as the shower, but I agree with you that it shouldn't be today. So I will bring you a shower chair to sit in the shower so that when she gets back, you can sit her in the shower, and she can shower herself. Although you will still have to help, her get in and out."
"Thanks, Abby. While we are talking, I would like to set up a nice dinner for Ash tomorrow night after PT. Do you think you could help me set it up while she is working out? I want to order steaks from the restaurant she took me to, and I would like to have a table and candles brought in, and I will pick up the food and maybe some flowers or something. Does that sound like something nice? I saw it in a movie. I don't really have any idea what I'm doing, but I want her to know how I feel."
Abby smiled, "Lexa, I think that sounds amazing. I will be glad to help you get everything set up, but I have a better idea instead of having it in the room. There is a nice little outdoor area in the courtyard of the hospital. Why don't we set it up out there? I will get Blake to string up some lights, and we can put a table and chairs out there with a radio playing some soft music. It will be so romantic. Do you know how to dance?"
"That would be awesome, Abby! But, no, I don't know how to dance. Why?"
"Well, I just thought if you did after dinner, you could ask her to dance. If you want, I can get Blake to show you how to slow dance. It is really pretty easy."
"That would be great, Abby. Thanks for helping me with this, and make sure not to say anything to Ash. I want it to be a surprise."
I felt great after talking to Abby. I was so excited about dinner tomorrow that I went back to the room, put on my workout clothes, went for a quick run, did some crunches, and was doing pushups when Raven brought Ash back. She looked tired, so I walked over and began checking her out to make sure she was okay. Raven said she did well and wants to work her out twice a day. Ash seemed happy about that because the sooner she gets better, the sooner we can get out of here.
Once Raven leaves, Ash smirks at me and says she is ready for her shower. I laugh at her because I think she is expecting something different from what I have planned. I took off my shirt, walked over, scooped her up, and carried her into the bathroom. I sat her down on the counter and went to start the shower. I smiled when I saw the chair sitting there.
I walked over and stood between Ash's legs; she was just staring at me, smiling. I said, "What are you staring at?"
Ash replied, "I am just admiring your abs and arms. Hell, just thinking how beautiful you are."
I see my face turning red in the mirror behind Ash. I reach for the hem of her shirt and slowly lift it over her head, leaving her in her bra. I stand back and admire her now. Even though she has been in a coma, she still looks terrific. Her abs might not be as well defined as they once were, but she still looks fantastic. She tries to cover herself with her arms so I can't see her. I say, "Why are you covering up?"
She looks down at the floor and says, "I don't really want you to see me like this, not after seeing your body. I look horrible, my abs are gone, I can barely stand on my own…and then there are all the scars that Omar left me."
I grab her chin and make her look at me, "Stop! You still look amazing to me. It won't take you long to get back into shape, and wasn't it you who told me to wear my scars as badges of honor because they told the story of what I had survived. You should take your own advice. Now let's get you a shower."
She grabs me behind the neck and pulls me in for a passionate kiss, wrapping her legs around me. She then begins to kiss my neck and runs her fingers down my back and under my bra. I pull away before she can take it off. I say, "Ash...we need to...slow down. As much as I want you, I don't want our first time to be in the bathroom at the hospital. You are worth the wait. I want to do things with you, right. Besides, remember what Abby said earlier."
She laughs at this and says, "This is payback for the night before the mission, isn't it?"
"What, no. I have had four months to think about things, and I want it to be special. This isn't a joke to me. I think I'm falling in love with you and..."
She interrupts me, "What, you think this is a joke for me?"
"Ash, no. That's not what I'm saying at all. What I'm trying to say, apparently very badly, is that I love you. However, I want us to take things slowly like you said and do things right so that we can build a lasting relationship. So what I'm saying is that I want to be with you for however long you want me."
All of a sudden, she grabs me and pulls me in for a kiss. It is intense and unique; it feels different somehow. When she pulls back, she looks me in the eyes and says, "God help me! I love you too. As much as I have tried not to, I do. Now finish undressing me so I can get a shower, and then I want to snuggle with my girlfriend and watch some TV."
I smile and say, "I will never get tired of hearing you call me your girlfriend." I finish undressing her, and it takes all of my willpower not to take her right there on the bathroom counter. She just looks so amazing. Finally, I pick her up and place her in the chair in the shower.
She just looks at me and says, "You were never planning on making a move on me today, were you? You already had this chair in here waiting on me, you little shit."
I laugh, "I told you, I have had four months to think about our first time, and no, it is not going to be in a hospital shower. Sorry to disappoint you." I hand her a wash rag, soap and point to the shampoo and conditioner. I tell her to take her time and let me know if she needs help that I will be right outside the door.
Once Ash is finished with her shower, I help her put on some basketball shorts and a tank top. I sit her in a chair and brush her hair out, and then braid it down her back. I go grab us some dinner and bring it back to the room so we can eat before we get comfortable and watch a movie. Before I know it, Raven is knocking on the door. I get up and tell her that I will bring Ash down to the gym in ten minutes. We apparently overslept.
While Ash was with Raven working out, Blake and I were hanging the lights around the courtyard. Then we brought out a table and chairs for us to eat on and then a small table for the radio. Once everything looked perfect, Blake turned on the radio to a slow song and said, "Let's get you ready for your first date."
I just looked at him and said, "What are you talking about?"
"Abby said you needed to learn how to dance, so I'm going to teach you!"
About an hour and a half later, I felt pretty confident about my dancing skills. It was weird how I could just feel the beat of the music and knew what to do. Tonight was going to be perfect. I had already ordered the dinner, and it would be delivered while Ash was at PT. Raven has agreed to help Ash with her shower and get her dressed in the clothes that I would leave out for her. I told Ash that I had to help Blake by translating for him, and I would see her after her afternoon PT session.
Then I did something I absolutely hate, I went shopping. I made Blake go with me to help me pick out something nice to wear. I ended up buying a pair of tight black distressed jeans with a slim dressy white V-neck tank top and finished the outfit with a short black leather jacket. Finally, I add a pair of mid-cut biker boots. Next, Blake says I should get my haircut. It has been forever since I have had one, and the last one was when I had it shaved. It has grown out quite a bit and is getting longer than I like.
Blake took me to a barbershop in town, where I had the sides cut short but left the top longer so that I could make it kind of stand up and look sort of messy. I have to admit, I look good. Now I just need to get Ash a small gift, but I don't know what. I ask Blake his opinion, should I just get flowers or something else?
He wasn't much help. He said both. Then, of course, he said he didn't know what to get her. So I sent him to get the flowers while I tried to figure out something else. I thought about jewelry, but I don't really know if she likes jewelry or not, so I decided to go to the knife store. I decided to get her a knife and have it engraved. I decided to go with a black K-bar 7-inch blade with a shoulder holster and then engraved the blade.
I meet up with Blake, and we head back. The plan is for me to get dressed in Abby's office and then go to the courtyard to wait for Blake to bring Ash to me. I am so freaking nervous. I have never done anything like this before, and I want it to be perfect.
