BEDTIME STORIES

PART 2

As our group was sightseeing that day, I began to get a headache and realized that I had forgotten to take some medicine I was supposed to take daily. I decided to return to the cottage and let the others go on with what they were doing. Before coming back to the cottage, they would call and we would decide what to do about dinner. He decided that he was ready to call it quits for the day and would return to the cottage with me. After my dream from the night before I didn't really want that but had no way of stopping him without raising questions. In the taxi on the way, back to the cottage, I sat with my eyes closed trying to stay relaxed as the pounding in my head and the tension in my neck began to get worse. I felt him move and then he was wrapping my hand in his and resting it on his thigh. At the cottage, he helped me from the taxi after paying and continued holding it until we reached the door.

As we entered the cottage, his phone rang. He reached down and took it off his hip; he glanced down at the number on the caller id. "Let me take this right quick and then we'll find your medicine."

Putting my purse down I said, "Go ahead, I'll be fine."

As he answered the phone, he went outside onto the patio. I looked around the main room and kitchen to see if I had brought my meds down here. I didn't see them. I glanced out to the patio table to see if they had been left out there. He was sitting at the table still talking and there was nothing on the table in front of him. That meant that they must be upstairs. Finally, I went into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator I got out a bottle of water and when I tried to open it couldn't. I sat it on the counter and stood there staring out the window. Between the pain and the small problem of not being able to open the water was enough to make me want to scream and throw a fit. Instead, I just stood there with my eyes closed trying to calm down and not cry.

It wasn't until he touched me on my shoulders did I know I wasn't alone. I jumped slightly but didn't turn around this time. I did manage to ask, "Everything okay?"

I felt him lean his head a little closer to mine. "Yeah, everything is great. Just an old friend checking in and I had a message from my son. Said he was having fun with his friends and would see me Friday night at the airport. Did you find your medicine and take it?"

Taking a deep breath I said, "Nope! It must be upstairs."

He pulled me back against him and asked, "What's wrong? Is it worse?"

I went to lean my head back and my neck hurt too much for that, so I moved it back to where it was before I tried to move it. I squeezed my eyes shut and realized I was beginning to cry when I felt the tears squeeze between my lids. I tried dropping my head forward and that didn't work either. I tried to answer him and not let him know what was going on. "Uh yeah. Would you do me a favor and go upstairs and see if my pills are up there. I need the white one right now. I don't take the turquoise one until bedtime. Oh and please open my bottle of water can't seem to do that right now."

Without saying anything, he turned me around to face him asking me, "Tell me what's wrong?"

When he turned me, I didn't look up or down, I kept my head as still as possible. I felt his hands moving from my shoulders to cup my face. Quickly I brought up my hands to touch his; I knew he was going to tilt my head up to look at him. "Don't," I whispered.

He sighed, "Why didn't you say something sooner about coming back here?"

I smiled even though it hurt to do so, "This is usually related to me forgetting my afternoon pill, but it's usually three or four hours after I forget to take it that it happens. Right now I'm only an hour or so late in taking it, I don't know why it happened this way today. I really need to find it and take it or take something else."

Gently he cupped my face, "Which will work faster?"

Slowly taking a deep breath I said, "Right now, removing my head from my body. One swift blow should do it, otherwise, I haven't a clue."

He laughed, "I don't think we need to do anything that drastic. I think we'll try something else. Does the light make any difference in how much your head hurts?"

While we talked I had relaxed a little and I was able to slowly lower my head to his chest. "No, on the rare occasions I get migraines they start at the top and go down. This starts at the bottom and goes up, it feels like someone is blowing a balloon up inside my head."

He moved his hands down to my shoulders, "I think the best place for you to be is upstairs. And I don't trust you to try and walk. So as carefully as I can I'm going to pick you up and carry you upstairs. Unfortunately, I can't do it without hurting you, so I'll apologize now." Carefully he picked me up in his arms. I tucked my head beneath his chin and tried to relax enough to keep from hurting any more than I already was. "Can you grab your water?" Reaching out I picked it up and set it in my lap.

As he carried me into my room he asked, "Why is your head so hot? Are you running a fever too?"

Setting the water bottle on the nightstand before he put me down on the bed, I said, "No. My head being hot in spots is part of the reason for the medicine. I can't always tell it's hot until I reach up to touch the spots that hurt. At times it feels like it gets hot enough to fry an egg up there. Now please tell me you can see those pill bottles somewhere in here." When he sat me down on the bed I had pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my head down them. The pain was excruciating, but I was to the point that it hurt to be still or to move, so it didn't matter what I did.

He finally answered me, "No I don't see them. Let me check the bathroom." In short order he was back in the bedroom with me saying, "I found them, you said it was the white one right?"

I opened my eyes and raised my head to look at him, "Yes." He was holding his hand out to me with the pill in it. In his other hand was my opened bottle of water. After I took it I said, "Thank you."

He sat down on the bed next to me. "Will a hot or cold rag help any?"

I took off my shoes and tossed them over by the dresser. "No. The only thing I can do is try to relax until the medicine takes effect," I said, laying my head back down on my knees. I heard something hit the floor but didn't pay attention to what it might be. Then I felt the bed moving and the next thing I knew I was being moved. He had moved to sit up in the middle of the bed with his back against the headboard. Then he moved me back to sit between his legs.

Placing his hands on my shoulders he said, "Show me where it hurts."

I pointed to my neck and up onto my head where it hurt the worst. I knew once the medicine began to work and I was able to relax the muscle in my neck I would be okay.

Slowly and as gently as he could he began to rub my neck. It hurt so bad that I automatically tensed. Softly he said, "This isn't going to help if you don't relax. I know it hurts but try and relax."

Taking a deep breath I said, "I know, I'm trying." But it was hard to relax between the pain, the memory of last night's dream, and his hands on my shoulders, neck, and head. Finally, I was able to relax and let the massaging he was doing work. All of a sudden the phone rang, in the quiet it was loud and I cringed a little glad that it had not rung earlier. When he leaned over to answer the phone, he bent his right leg putting his foot flat on the bed. I wrapped my arm around it and leaned my head over on his knee and listened.

"Yeah," he said in a way of a hello. "She's okay." When he said that I nodded my head yes. As he said, "Okay that sounds like a good idea," he sat up closer to me and covered my hand where it was on his leg. Without realizing it, I must have been moving my hand up and down on the underside of his leg. Then he said, "If either of us thinks of anything, in particular, we want to eat we'll call you. If not you guys try and come up with some ideas on what to eat. We'll see you in a few hours, have fun. Bye." Leaning over he put the phone back down. "They have finished the tour we started and are going to walk around and do some sightseeing on their own. Before trying to figure out something for dinner and bring it back here. If we think of anything we want we're supposed to call them and let them know."

I closed my eyes and said, "Right now I don't even want to think about eating anything. I didn't quite reach the nausea stage with the pain, but it was real close."

Keeping his leg bent he leaned forward, resting his elbow on his knee, and placing his chin on my left shoulder he asked. "Is your head and neck feeling any better?"

I leaned back into him, turning just enough to put my back into the corner his arm and leg created placing my head on his shoulder. "I'm feeling a lot better. Thank you." I brought my hand up to touch the side of his face turning his head enough to kiss him.

He put his arm around my shoulders as he lowered his leg down onto the bed. Pulling me closer to him. Without breaking the kiss he slid his other arm beneath my legs, lifting me he laid me on the bed next to him.

As he laid me down onto the bed I brought my hands up between us and curved them around his neck pulling him closer. I buried my fingers in his hair at the base of his neck. Using the tip of my tongue I slipped it between his lips until he opened his mouth so that we could deepen the kiss. As I did this he rolled toward me and partially covered my body with his. Then he lifted his head just enough to soften the kisses. His hand was lying on the pillow next to my head and he was stroking my cheek with his thumb.

Then he was deepening the kiss again. I responded to him and slid my hands down over his chest. Then I began to unbutton his shirt so that I had easier access to his chest. I had just pushed his shirt open when the phone rang again. He raised his head to look down at me. I giggled because I couldn't believe it either. As it rang a second time I said, "Hand me the phone. I'll see what I can do."

He lifted the receiver and handed it to me. He rolled to his side as I said, "Hello." He rested his hand on my stomach. " Yes, I'm really fine. There is no reason for everyone to come back early…..No I haven't figured out what I want to eat. I just know I'm not up to cooking. Which means someone else will be doing it. You know as well as I do what I can and can't eat.…. Okay here he is and I'll talk to you later." And I handed the phone to him. He shook his head but took the phone anyway.

"Yes, I heard what she said about somebody else doing the cooking," he said into the phone. "Yeah I'll do it but you have to help. I know you don't like meat but I happen too. So the first question is chicken or beef." As he said that I poked him in the stomach. He flinched and looked at me and I held up one finger. He nodded and said, "How about chicken?... Okay so it's chicken and what else?... We can have rice or noodles with it and some vegetables." As he listened to what was being said on the other end of the phone I started running a finger from just above his belly button up to the center of his chest and back down. He reached out and grabbed my hand not allowing me to continue what I was doing. When he looked down at me, I just smiled innocently up at him. I waited a minute or two then using the back of my other hand I began stroking his chest again. This time he couldn't do anything because he no longer had a free hand. Finally, he said, "Tell you what; you guys can decide whether it's rice or noodles. If you decide on the noodles we can do some kind of white sauce. Just get whatever you think we'll need or want and will go from there….Yeah, a salad would be great….Something sweet? Sure but I imagine the ladies would prefer something chocolate." At that, I nodded my agreement. He smiled down at me and said, "Okay, yeah see you soon."

Carefully he leaned over me to hang up the phone. When he did it brought his chest very close to my head. I couldn't resist. I lifted my head just enough to place a kiss on his chest. When I did this he dropped the phone, it landed on the edge of the bed and then fell off to bounce against the nightstand. I started laughing, I couldn't help myself.

He moved back and looked down at me. Reaching down he grabbed my hands and lifted them above my head holding my wrist together in one of his hands. We lay there like that looking at each other for several minutes. Finally, he said, "Now what should I do with you?"

Looking up at him I said, "Anything but tickle me. I'm liable to hurt one or both of us."

Starting at the bottom of my blouse he slowly began to unbutton it; he stopped just below my breast. Then he pushed my blouse open baring my stomach, flattening his hand against me he lowered his head and began kissing me. When he began to stroke his hand across my stomach I inhaled sharply. He took that opportunity to deepen the kiss. I tugged on my hands trying to free them, but he refused to release them.

Then he was sliding his hand down and around behind me, lifting closer. As the bare skin of our stomachs touched he rolled to his back taking me with him; he moved his legs so that mine rested between his. Finally, he released my wrist. As soon as he did I brought my hands down and buried them in his hair. He had both his hands up under my blouse on my back.

Eventually, we both had to take a breath, to keep from trying to support my weight on my hands and arms I slid down just enough to rest my head on his bare chest. His hands resting on my sides tightened and he inhaled sharply but said nothing. After several minutes I moved my hands to lie flat on his chest and rested my chin on them so I could look at him saying, "The others will be back soon."

He used one hand to push my hair back from my face, the other he moved to my back again. "I know," he said cupping his hand behind my head, "but come here for a minute first." And he slid me back up his body for another kiss. Then he was rolling me back onto my back. As he ended the kiss and rolled to his side to look down at me he once again placed his hand on my bare stomach.

I was lying there looking up at him wondering how far this would go before we all returned home. Finally, I said, "We'd better get downstairs before they get back."

He nodded and ran the tip of his finger up my stomach to just below my breast. I shivered and he smiled, "Want help buttoning this up?"

I laughed and pushed him back so I could roll off the bed and onto my feet. Standing next to the bed looking down at him I said, "I think I can handle it on my own, thank you very much."

Laughing he got up off the bed and began buttoning his own shirt. While I went into the bathroom he returned the phone to its cradle. Then together we went downstairs to wait for the others to return.