Chapter 20: Aftermath
Jack Robinson wakes instantly alert as his wife moans beside him. Not certain if she is dreaming or in pain he wakes her.
"Phryne," he asks softly pushing her tousled raven hair off of her face, his eyes darkening dangerously at the bruising which looks even worse in the dim light filtering through the heavy drapes, "are you ok?"
Slowly she opens eyes crusty with sleep wincing as she shifts her body. "Everything hurts," she says through her swollen lips, "bring me my mirror please Jack."
"Are you sure you want to see?" he asks quietly his thumb brushing barely there across her cheekbone.
"Yes!"
Sighing quietly he obediently gets out of their bed padding silently over the thick Persian rug to the dressing table and grabs her hand mirror.
"Ouch!" Phryne exclaims just as he is turning to come back to bed.
"Careful – you have bruises, scrapes and cuts just about everywhere you can imagine." Phryne doesn't miss the simmering undercurrent of anger in his response.
With trepidation Jack hands her the deeply embossed silver mirror, and to Phryne's credit she is unemotional, clinical in her inspection, "At least he didn't break my nose, knock out any teeth, succeed in raping me or killing our children then me; I'd say all in all a few lumps, bruises and cuts are cause for thanking God." She smiles slightly, careful of the split lip, "I appreciate you rescuing me yet again Inspector! Your arrival was most timely to say the least. How were you able to find me?"
Jack explains, "I had a Mrs. Bolkonsky-esque feeling when I saw Salvatore's name on the escapee/release list that Hugh and I reviewed. Dot confirmed based on the laundry mark she found on the dropped handkerchief that the Camorra might be involved. I went to Strano's to see if Papa Antonio would give me any information. While I was there I found out that Concetta is a dear friend of Giselle and that Giselle is Roberto's wife, and that Concetta was visiting even as we spoke; so I waited for her to return since the information City South had regarding their residence was obviously out of date and useless."
Phryne's black and blue face lit with dawning understanding of what good sleuthing Jack and the others had done in order to find her.
"Phryne, will you be alright if I go to the station to question Salvatore?"
"Of course Jack, I don't want the others to see me like this though. It will traumatize Jane and Dot. I have a wrapper that has long sleeves and a high ruffled collar that ties with ribbons that should hide the worst of the bruising and bites, and if you will help me with my makeup I can do wonders with the facial bruises also."
Jack helps her get ready so that the others can come see her and then with a gentle kiss to the top of her head he departs for work.
A steady stream of visitors makes their way to her room throughout the day. Dot and Jane are a bit tearful and want details, but Phryne adamantly refuses to say more than she was held and roughed up a bit and to talk about the young girl Teodora and her ill mother.
"Dot, I want to provide for Teodora's mother, Giselle, to be placed in a sanatorium for those with tuberculosis – once Mac confirms it that is. And Teo will need to either go with her mother or to a boarding school. Please make the necessary arrangements."
"Yes, Miss Phryne," Dot answers dabbing at her eyes with her snowy handkerchief, "I'll take care of it."
Reaching a hand to take Dot's she says, "Thank you Dot. You truly are my strong right arm. Jack tells me you did some excellent detective work. "
Pinking slightly at the compliment Dot changes the subject, "The nursery arrangements are coming along very well. We have prepared 98 dozen nappies to have plenty on hand when the time comes. The Fleuri's delivered the long clothes you ordered yesterday. And we have some wet nurse applicants you will need to interview."
"Very good Dot. I am glad we are making some progress on preparations. That seems such a large number of nappies though, how can the babies use that many nappies?"
"Trust me, Miss. It really isn't that many for three babies."
Jack's mother bustles in with a tray for Phryne and shoos the others out, "She needs her rest."
Plumping the pillows so Phryne can drink her tea, her face etched with concern she asks, "How are you feeling my dear girl?"
"I'm fine….well maybe not fine, but I don't want to upset Dot and Jane."
"Jack told his Father and me a bit about your ordeal. If you want to talk about it, I'm a good listener," she says kindly, her eyes so like Jack's glowing with compassion.
"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind."
They lapse into silence and dig into the tea Mr. Butler prepared for them, Phryne eating slowly due to the split lip. Tea finished, Phryne opts for a nap. The loss of adrenaline plus the physicality of the ordeal have left her exhausted. Her sleep is troubled though, with seemingly every noise waking her even though her eyelids are so heavy she can't open them.
Jack's questioning of Roberto Salvatore does not go well. He has difficulty keeping his emotions in check and Roberto taunts him repeatedly. Finally after Hugh has had to push him back into his chair for the third time, Jack has Roberto taken back to the cells. When Hugh returns with a disgusted look on his face, Jack asks, "What is it Constable?"
Hugh eyes Jack compassionately shaking his head, "It isn't worth repeating Sir. The man is a psychopath and a liar."
Jack slams his fist on his desk the pain of the impact calming him slightly. "I'm going to the City South gym and for a ride on the push bike. I'll stop back by to do a bit more paperwork."
"Sir, you can leave it to me. I'll do the paperwork."
"Thank you Collins," the Inspector responds, "but I think it will be better for me to keep to the discipline of the paperwork once I have trained. I need the training since with Phryne's condition I have been home a lot more. Better I get my emotions under control before I go to Wardlow."
At Hugh's understanding nod, Jack removes his suit jacket and waist coat, hanging them methodically on his coat rack a faraway look in his eyes and his jaw clenched tightly.
Jack spends a good hour and a half in the gym and on the push bike before the exertion and physical tiredness begin to overcome the anger coursing through him. Finally, sweaty, legs shaking from the effort of peddling, he returns to the station to shower and catch up his paperwork before he heads home.
When Phryne wakes again she is feeling somewhat better although it is hard for her not to replay the events over and over in her mind and her body is still lethargic.
Jack is careful to be quite chaste in his handling of Phryne, not wanting to hurt her, and also not wanting her to relive the nightmare because of his baser desires. He wakes each morning over the next couple of days and leaves their bed immediately to get ready for work, letting Dot and his mother take care of Phryne's toileting needs. And he rides his bicycle every evening to increase his fatigue level. He stops short of sleeping elsewhere only because he doesn't want her out of his sight.
Her bruising is starting to fade and her soreness is diminishing as well, and what Jack is doing is not unnoticed by her. "Darling idiot," she thinks to herself, "as if I could possibly put you in the same category as that animal." She decides after a couple of days that she has had quite enough of being coddled and that evening once they have retired for the night she turns to him, "Jack, I want to make love tonight."
"But, what about your bruises, and I thought you might not be ready for…" he trails off as she puts her fingers against his lips.
"Jack Robinson, the man who always does the right thing, the noble thing, but Jack I need to be loved by you. The bruises and soreness may impede us, but I need you to give me a new memory," she implores. A new thought occurs to her and she asks him a slight trembling evident in the question, "Are you upset with me Jack – disgusted with me because of what he did and that I bear his marks?"
Horrified at the direction of her thoughts, he hastens to explain, "Phryne, sweetheart, nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is I want to make you mine so badly it has been almost all I could to allow you time for healing. That is the reason I have been leaving so early in the morning and riding every evening. I didn't want you to think I had so little self-control that all I could think about is sex when you have just been assaulted."
"Make it up to me now," she demands coyly.
Nodding Jack acquiesces to her though he is gentle beyond anything she has ever known, being careful to not aggravate any of her injuries, but it isn't enough for Phryne. She needs more and she can tell he is trembling with the effort of controlling himself.
"Jack, please, I need to feel you - really feel you. I need your help to chase the shadows," Phryne's beseeching voice is soft and passion filled.
At her begging, Jack growls low and deep his need to help her chase away the shadows of the Salvatore ordeal overwhelming him and Dr. Wilson's orders. He rolls onto his back, his position inviting her to do exactly what she desires. The sensation of her warmth enveloping him after so many weeks intoxicates him. He grips the sheets trying desperately to stay still when all of his instincts shout for him to move. She is truly a glorious sight to him, the unbruised and uninjured areas of her pale limbs and torso pearl-like in the firelight. Her round full belly with its reddish purple stretch marks is mesmerizing and he traces some of them with his long fingers. He can see bumps that are babies' body parts and her belly button is pushed out now. He allows his hands to skim delicately along her body seeking the areas he knows will bring her pleasure. Her moans and soft sighs are driving him crazy. She moves now, her face flushing with exertion, her chest rosy pink, her eyes glazed when they capture his.
Jack adjusts his position so she can rest against his powerful thighs to help balance the weight of the babies. "Phryne, I don't know how much longer I can be still," he rasps out. She looks down at him and sees the concentration on his face, a trickle of sweat running down from his temple to pool in the hollow of his throat. "I…"
"I understand, Jack, truly," she pants.
Grinning lopsidedly at her breathless response, he continues seeking out her pleasure, forcing himself to be still otherwise. Her release hits her full force and her cries for him reverberate around the room.
Jack can no longer be still as he listens to her. Calling her name he moves; taking her over the edge again before his own orgasm overtakes him. He breathes harshly as he tries to get himself under control thrilling at Phryne's response. "Love you Phryne," he grinds out.
"Love you more," she whispers leaning back against his thighs again and pushing at her slightly sweaty bangs, "That was…"
"Unforgettable," Jack interrupts and she simpers down at him. "I was going to say fantastic, but I think I can settle for unforgettable." Lost in the blue of each other's eyes they savor the last tremors of their passion as their breathing gradually returns to normal.
Finally Jack helps her onto her side and holds her close, curling protectively around her and pulling a sheet up over their sweaty bodies so she isn't chilled. He rests his hand across her swollen belly feeling for the movements of the babies; his babies; their babies. It is surreal in this moment that he is with Phryne, his greatest passion, now his wife, and that they are going to be enlarging their family very soon, something he had not dared to hope for in more years than he cares to count. Jack sighs quietly into her hair snuggling closer, "Good night my love," he whispers, but his only answer is her deep contented breathing. He grins as he feels the repeated push against his hand of a little foot; contentment stealing over him as sleep claims him.