G-Goals
"Don't give me that look Scorpio. I am serious here. I want you to take an active role in your recovery."
"What the hell do you think I've been doing?"
"No need to raise your voice. I am on your side remember?"
She picks up the cup of ice chips and he takes one out. She waits for him to finish.
"I'm tired Luv. Does this really have to be tonight?"
"Fighting cancer is hard work. Do you really think you are going to be less tired the next time?"
"This is important to you isn't it?"
"You are important to me."
He takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly. He knows he should not fight her this hard.
"I'll tell you what? How about if you do this with me for ten minutes, I will reward you with something you love."
"Anything?"
"Except that."
"Oh come on Annie. You're making me crazy here."
She leans in closer to him and kisses his forehead. "Do you think this is easy for me? I want you Robert. I do. I am just not willing to risk your health to make love to you."
He closes his eyes as he puts his head back on the pillow. He knew she was right. He just hated that she was.
"Fine," he sighs. "What exactly are we doing?"
Anna takes out a pad of paper and a pen as she looks at him. "We are going to create some goals for you. What are some things that you want to strive for?"
"What do I want? To make love to you. To marry you. To get out of this hospital. "
"You never were a very good patient were you?"
"Anna come on. What do you want from me? All I want is to get rid of this bloody cancer. What do I know about goals?"
"Think smaller Scorpio. What do you want to do tomorrow? For your treatment. "
"I want to not feel so bloody exhausted. I want to be able to enjoy food again. To not throw up. Should I go on?"
She puts the tablet down and wipes the tears that had welled in her eyes. She hated this too. Hated to see him in so much pain.
"Robert, I'm sorry. I don't want to make things harder for you."
The moment she said the words, Robert felt remorse. He was doing it again wasn't he? He was feeling sorry for himself.
"I am so sorry Luv. This is not your fault. Come here."
Robert reaches out his hand and she takes it, allowing him to pull her into his arms on the bed. He had some bruises on his arms that she knew were a side effect of his treatment but he did not let that slow him down. They were both feeling the tension and tonight, they had taken it out on each other.
"I love you Annie. God how I love you. I do not even know if I would be here right now if it were not for you. Please forgive me."
"I just want to make your pain a little better Robert. That is all. I love you so much."
"I know baby. I love you too."
He kisses her tenderly and she rests her head on his chest. "Do you want to get out of this hospital Robert?"
"You know I do."
"Then please do something for me."
"What do you want to do Luv? You must have something in mind."
"Go for a walk with me. I know you do not feel up to the level of physical activity you used to do before you got cancer and I do not expect that of you. It is just that your doctors think that physical activity might help you. You could even work on your stamina, " she added with a twinkle in her eye.
"When have you ever had a problem with my stamina before?"
"You never had cancer before either."
He takes a deep breath as he looks at her. "Is that a challenge Mrs. Scorpio?"
Challenge Excepted. He always responds to challenges.
"Excuse me…when did we get married again? You would think I would remember that."
He takes her face in his hands and brushes the stray hair back. "I want you to be my wife Annie. You never should have stopped being my wife. I do not want to disappoint you. "
"Oh Robert, you could never disappoint me."
"Your right though. I am out of shape. I guess I kind of lost focus for a while. I'm not used to slowing down like this."
"Well you better get used to it Scorpio. Your health comes first."
"You win."
"Excuse me, what? Can you repeat that? I what?"
"You heard me. We will go for a walk tomorrow Luv."
"Don't worry Robert. I will be right there with you, holding your hand."
"Good. I am counting on you to keep me active. I want to be back to my old self on our honeymoon."
"Oh don't you worry. You do not have far to go. You are still the sexiest man I have ever seen."
"And you are still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."
Robert wraps his arms around her again and they kiss tenderly. If they had allowed it to go much further, they knew it would be too hard to say no to.
"Stay with me Luv."
"As if I would be anywhere else tonight."
They held each other just like that until they both fell asleep in each other's arms. This was what they both needed. They needed each other.