Thanks for the reviews :) You're so gonna hate me at the end of this chapter.
Outside her apartment, a man waited, listening through the paper-thin door, and grimacing when he realised he was able to hear everything. A clever, beautiful, and vulnerable woman, no, cop, should not be living in an apartment where it was easy to make out the gentle slap of plastic on plastic, as the fridge opened and closed, through the door. Mac knew that the fridge had not been open long enough for the pernickety Stella to select something to eat, change her mind, as he knew she would, and begin to unwrap whatever it was she fancied. He glanced down at the bags in his hand – Greek food from her favourite restaurant – the Tria Kuzina – and a bottle of wine.
The delicious smells must have wafted into her apartment, because no sooner had he raised his hand to knock on the door, it had swung open, to reveal Detective Bonasera looking much less formal than usually desired.
She didn't even look surprised to see him, but merely raised her head in acceptance, and allowing him, without second thought, into her apartment. He gratefully accepted this display of trust on her part, and stepped inside, noting how cold her apartment was.
This, he realised, was due to the enormous open bay window, to the left of her TV. He realised, namely due to the cushions, and flimsy blanket flung haphazardly on the bay seat, that she had probably been sitting at the window for a few minutes, waiting for him to come up.
His hand on her arm confirmed this – her skin was freezing cold to touch, and covered in goose-bumps. What he couldn't tell was whether these were due to him or to the cold.
Stella didn't even flinch when Mac took her arm and pulled her back into her own apartment, locking the door purposefully behind them.
"I brought food." He smiled at her, praying that she would take the gesture as it was meant – a takeout for friends – rather than a personal affront, although considering the days events he couldn't really have blamed her if she had blown up at him.
"I…I can't, Mac." She smiled weakly back at him, but her voice broke as everything threatened to spill out. "Every time I eat, I think of these children. They're never going to be able to eat again. Or do any or the things that children should have the chance to do…and it's not fair, Mac."
Mac sighed. This was so unlike Stella, and it scared him. It was usually Lindsay, particularly at the moment, who got too attached to their victims, not strong, impenetrable Stella.
The moment broke, and Stella turned and moved to close the window as a gust of wind started to cause the various papers on her kitchen table to flutter more than was safe. She lost her grip on the window and slammed her wrist down anyway, onto the hard, wooden window frame.
"Fuck." She said it without emotion, but Mac was shocked to see tears well up in her eyes. He grabbed the sore hand, and gently led her to the table. Six or seven splinters were sitting, just under her skin, and one particularly deep one meant that three beads of blood were moving down her arm.
He found the medical kit in her bathroom, and was unsurprised to find a large amount of aspirin in the cabinet next to the green box. He headed back to Stella, who had barely moved in the time he'd been gone, save for crossing her legs. From behind, she looked more like a child than ever, he noted ironically.
He rummaged distractedly for the tweezers, and, gently, began to pull out the bits of wood from her delicate skin. When he was done, he cleaned the blood off her skin in long strokes, and began to dress and bandage the mess of skin on her wrist. He finished, he tidied up, he threw wrappers away, but not once would he acknowledge that this was Stella he was doing this for.
Until she grabbed his arm. He turned away, to put the green box on her counter, to pour a glass of water. And she grabbed his arm. The feeling of her long, slender fingers wrapped around his upper arm would stay with him, for a long time if not forever. Stella Bonasera didn't touch him, he touched her, and she allowed herself to accept it. Never, never, did she touch him.
I know, I'm a meanie for leaving you hanging but I need to edit the next chapter - it's not quite right. So here's a morsel to distract you :P