Shortly after the conclusion of her tale, Hank left for work with a promise to return that evening with the laptop and phone. As the door clicked shut behind him, a bowl of cereal and milk appeared over her shoulder.
"Sorry, this is all I have in the house right now." Jay said with a shrug.
"It's fine." Erin said, gratefully accepting the bowl. It had been so long since she'd last eaten, anything would have tasted good. While she focused on her food, Jay took the opportunity to look her over. She looked like she could use a few square meals, as she barely made a bump under the blanket. Her skin was so pale except where it was marred by bruises and the pink hair did nothing to help her appearance. The thin arm lifting the spoon to her mouth was shaky, but since the moment she finished telling her story, it was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
When she finished, Erin placed her bowl on the coffee table. Looking up, her eyes locked with his but neither person spoke. The awkward silence grew longer and longer before Jay broke it with a sigh. He grabbed her empty cereal bowl and stalked to the kitchen sink. He decided to wash it by hand to give himself a little extra time before facing her again. His head was reeling with the information she had shared.
Over the last few months, his mind had played out a variety of scenarios as to why she had not been in touch. Silly things like her losing everyone's phone numbers, horrible things like her falling back into drugs and alcohol, and gut wrenching things like thinking maybe she never loved him in the first place. Never in a million years would he have come close to imagining the truth. Now what? Knowing he couldn't put off the conversation any longer, he turned with determination only to freeze on the spot. Erin was standing at the edge of the kitchen.
Using the counter for support, Erin approached him slowly with an uncertain look on her face. She could see a myriad of emotions in Jay's eyes even though he was fighting hard to keep his stone cold poker face on. Once she was in front of him, Erin gave in to the desire she'd had since the moment she set foot in New York. With a swift motion she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest, taking in a big breath that smelled like the comforting scent of Jay. His arms immediately found their home around her.
It could have been 5 minutes or 5 hours for all Jay knew, but he wasn't ready to let her go. Standing there in his kitchen holding her, Jay felt Erin rest more and more of her weight against his body and her breathing evened out. The events of the past day and her injuries must have caught up with her: Erin managed to fall asleep standing up. Careful to not jostle her too much, Jay scooped Erin into his arms bridal style. The stark contrast between the last time he'd carried her and now drove home how much weight she'd lost while away.
Gently, he lowered Erin to the bed. However, when he went to stand, he discovered he was stuck. During the short walk from the kitchen to the bedroom Erin had taken the front of his shirt in a death grip. He tried to gently release her hand but was not having much success when a quiet voice stopped his efforts.
"Please stay," Erin whispered, not even opening her eyes. Knowing he couldn't deny the fact that he wanted to keep her close just as much as she wanted him to stay, Jay kicked off his shoes and joined her on the bed. Erin immediately snuggled back into his chest. The lack of sleep from the night before combined with the feel of Erin in his arms lulled Jay into the best sleep he'd had in months.
Conversation could wait.
AN: This is not quite where I saw this chapter going. I really want Jay and Erin to have a good heart-to-heart but what do you say to a person in this type of situation? The next chapter will come once I figure that out!