She'd seen him frustrated before, but this was something completely new.
Danny went back to Pearl Naval for a scheduled x-ray of his leg two weeks after he was discharged and even though it continued to heal it wasn't enough. It didn't even seem to matter that he was now able to stay up on his crutches for twenty minutes a day, he was still in a cast.
That damn cast, as he would tell her.
Ann was finished with classes for the day and stopped by to see Danny on her way home. She was still living with her parents but that had been her choice. It meant that she would be closer to him when he left the hospital and from what she was seeing Danny McCawley needed cheering up.
He was on the front porch, sitting on the swing when she walked into the front yard and he was staring off into space. "A penny for your thoughts Lieutenant." Ann said softly as she stepped up onto the porch and sat down next to him.
"They aren't worth that much." He sighed.
"Someone's feeling sorry for himself this afternoon. Why is that?" She pressed as she took his hand in hers and put her head down on his shoulder.
"Why do you think?" His answer was sharp. She sensed that Danny had had a bad day and wondered if his mother's had gone as well.
"As much as I try I can't always read your mind, so humor me." Ann wouldn't be deterred. She was rewarded with the feel of Danny's head coming to rest on hers and he squeezed her hand.
"I have to wear this damn thing for another two weeks, at least." He sighed. "The doctor says that he's really happy with the way my leg is healing and it's looking really good to getting it off as scheduled."
"And that's a good thing. I know you want the cast off now Danny, but if you're going to fly again your leg has to heal as perfectly as possible." Ann tried to sound reasonable but wasn't sure if she was getting through to him.
"I know. It's not the cast so much because I've gotten used to it and what I can and can't do. It's what I can and can't do by myself that is really starting to irritate the hell out of me." He told her as he sat up.
"Is there anything I can do?" She sat up next to him and almost asked how she could help, but that was exactly what he didn't want.
"You can kiss me, which would help a lot." He requested and when she looked at him, expected a smile but he was serious.
Ann squeezed his hand and leaned over. It surprised her when he shook his head.
"That isn't what I had in mind." He was still serious. "I want to have my arms around you."
"What do you what to do then?" She replied and stood up.
He did smile then and Ann felt her face warm. "What I want to do is something we can't do on my mother's front porch."
She glanced toward the front door and smiled. "You'd better hope she didn't hear that or I won't be allowed to come over any more."
"She wouldn't stop you because she knows that you make me happy." He grinned.
"It's nice to see a smile on that handsome face, Lieutenant. I've missed seeing it." Her face grew warmer as he took her hand and she stepped carefully over his cast. She stood between his knees and wanted so much to run her fingers through his hair and it was then that she noticed how much it had grown out. It was still much shorter than she saw a lot of the boys on campus wearing theirs, but she'd grown so used to the military cut he'd worn since his high school ROTC days, that it startled her.
He evidently was enjoying the feel of her fingers that had somehow found their way into his hair because he was smiling at her. "The first thing I'm doing when I get this cast off is go to the barber and get my hair cut."
"I kind of like it this way because there's more of it between my fingers." She admitted.
"It's not very military though." He countered. "But seeing as how I'm currently off active duty, it'll do."
"I've got no complaints."
Danny smiled at her and she felt his arms around her waist as he pulled her gently to him. "I do. You still haven't kissed me."
She looked into the brown eyes she was afraid for a time that she'd never see again and smiled back. "Well then we need to do something about that, don't you think?"
"Is that an order?"
"If it's going to get you to stop talking and kiss me, then I suppose it is."
His smile widened into a grin. "Far be it for me to disobey a direct order."
Ann's hands slipped down to Danny's shoulders and she felt the taut muscle under the tee shirt he wore. She was grateful beyond words that she had this chance and couldn't help but worry that once he was back in the air, he might not come home alive a second time.
"What are you thinking Annie?" His voice was gentle as she felt the light touch of his hands settle around her waist.
"I'm thinking about how much I love you and how glad I am that you came back to me."
He looked into her eyes and all traces of a grin were gone. "I had to come back so I could tell you how much I loved you too."
Ann leaned over and kissed him. She felt Danny's arms curl around her and pulled her even closer as he kissed her back. It was awkward, to say the least but she was in his arms and his warmth surrounded her as her hands found their way back into his hair. He upped the ante when his hands wandered south and before Ann had the chance to chide him he pulled away from her.
"We're giving the neighbors a hell of a show, so after I get up we can continue this inside." His smile made her heart skip a beat and she stepped out of his embrace.
"We can't very well do that if your mother's here." Ann pointed out logically.
"Mama's not here; or Dad, Sarah or Joe for that matter. They decided to go out to dinner tonight and then they're going to see a movie. That means I have the whole house to myself." He seemed to be challenging her and she wasn't sure to what end.
"Then I really shouldn't stay, you know that." If the McCawley's weren't home, it was a good bet her parents knew that and they would be expecting her home.
"Who is it that keeps reminding me that she's eighteen? That would be you, Miss Ann." She could see a mischievous sparkle in his eye and wondered what it was that he had in mind. He picked up his crutches with one hand for balance and reached for the porch railing with the other. He seemed to be putting all of his concentration on the task at hand so Ann got out of his way as he worked his way off of the swing and got up on his feet. He tucked the crutches under his arms and headed to the screen door.
She opened it and waited for him to walk inside and though she was reluctant to follow him into his parent's empty house, she didn't want to leave him just yet. So she followed him inside as the screen door closed behind her. She walked behind him into the middle of the living room and couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to share a house like his parents, with him.
"Now that I've got you alone, I could use your help."
He didn't want to kiss her; he wanted a nurse. "My help?"
"Don't look like that Annie. I didn't get you in here under false pretenses, exactly." He knew what she was thinking. "The kind of help I need is something that I think you might like."
"What are you talking about?"
"I can't take a shower for the duration and taking a real bath is too much trouble. I tried it a couple of weeks ago and I was so worried about getting the cast wet that I decided to go with another option my doctor gave me." He was trying not to grin and Ann wondered why.
"What other option do you have?"
"A sponge bath." His voice was husky and it made her flush.
She decided to keep it light because she didn't know where he was going with the suggestion. "You're twenty-three years old and you can't take a bath by yourself?"
"I can and I have. But seeing as how we won't do certain things, regardless of the cast or that you're eighteen I can't think of a nicer way to get your hands on me. What do you say?" He was challenging her again, or was he daring her?
"You planned this didn't you?" She didn't answer him. "I'll bet that you were perfectly awful to your mother today so she would get fed up with you and want an evening out. And for good measure, you were rude to your father and Sarah and Joe."
"Something like that." He told her without apology. "I haven't had any time alone with you since I was in the hospital and knowing that you were going to stop by, I couldn't think of a better way to get everyone to clear out."
"You're terrible." She frowned at him.
He shook his head. "I love you and I'll do whatever it takes to be alone with you for a little while."
"Even if it means driving your parents out of their own home." She wouldn't budge, mostly because she wasn't sure if it were such a good idea to be so close to him when he would be clad only in his shorts.
"Don't forget my brother and sister." He nodded and hobbled toward her. "What happened to that girl who slept with me in the hospital, twice and kissed me on that very same bed?"
"She wasn't completely alone with him, that's what happened." She folded her arms across her chest and backed up. "There was never a chance that anything could happen."
"Nothing is going to happen now." He advanced on her and sighed. "In case you haven't noticed I've got a broken leg and it makes it a little difficult to move around."
"But your fingers aren't broken."
Danny smiled. "Neither are yours. I may end up regretting this but it's something that I'd really like you to do for me. Please?"
"And you'll behave yourself?" She asked, knowing darn well that he wouldn't.
"Not if I can help it." He grinned. "Please Annie."
"I may end up regretting this because with the exception of that one time in your quarters, I've never really touched you and I may not want to let you go." She had to admit to him.
"Would that be such a bad thing?" Danny's grin gentled to a smile. "I for one don't plan on letting you go."
He turned around and headed toward his parent's room.
"Where are you going?"
"My parent's have a shower in their room and it's the easiest way for me to clean up." He tossed over his shoulder as he kept moving and she finally followed.
Ann hadn't been in his parent's bedroom since she was little and it felt a little as though she were invading their privacy. It didn't help that when she walked in, she saw their bed and remembered. She didn't realize that she'd been looking at the bed until she heard his low voice. "If my leg weren't broken, we'd be in some serious trouble."
His suggestive tone made her smile. "If your leg weren't broken, we wouldn't be in here."
"I know." And he walked to the bathroom door.
"So if you can't shower, what are we doing?" She looked into the small bathroom and wondered how they would manage.
"Mama's got a stool under the sink for me to sit on and she fills the sink with warm water." He smiled. "There's a bar of soap under there too. So all you need to do is get a wash cloth, lather it up and I get my bath, such as it is."
"You're enjoying this too much." She smiled back.
"Not yet I'm not." He answered.
Ann turned around to locate the stool and the soap and placed the stool in the middle of the shower stall. She turned the water on in the small sink and made sure that it wasn't too hot. She found a fresh wash cloth and towel on the towel rack and after the sink was filled, turned off the tap. "All right Lieutenant, let's get this show on the road."
"Not so fast, Miss Ann. I'm not going to let you rush through this." He hobbled in and gingerly stepped into the shower before he sat down and handed his crutches to Ann. She placed them just outside the stall and pulled the wash cloth off the towel rack and submerged it in the warm water. "But before we start, I'd like you to step in here for a minute."
"Danny, there's barely room for you. How am I supposed to get in there?" She asked as she watched him pull his tee shirt off and she saw for the first time how slender his frame had become from the weeks of inactivity. It was another surprise to her because he looked so different from the robust, healthy pilot she saw before he was shot down.
He handed his shirt to her and the warm fabric made her face warm.
"Just step lightly and we'll be fine." He advised as he held out his hand to her and helped her into the shower and over his broken leg. He was half a head taller than she as he sat on the tall stool and Ann understood. "Remember, I told you that I didn't get you into the house under false pretenses. This is what I had in mind."
His arms snaked around her waist and pulled her against him. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."
"It's too late to back out now." She whispered because her voice inexplicably abandoned her as she put her arms around Danny's neck as he leaned over and kissed her.
It wasn't awkward as their kiss on the porch had been and for a long moment Ann forgot that she was embracing a man with a broken leg. She felt his hands travel the contours of her back and she returned the favor by trying to reacquaint herself with the feel of him as well.
She wasn't sure who broke the kiss, but they continued to hold each other and she could feel the rapid beat of his heart. "I've missed this."
She nodded. "So have I."
He sighed and loosened his hold on her. "We probably shouldn't take too long. I need to get back on the sofa pretty soon and get my leg elevated."
So many thoughts were whirling around in her head, and so many emotions, too.
"It would be so easy to get carried away with this." He brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek. "When I thought about asking you to do this for me, it didn't occur to me at the time that we wouldn't be able to follow things to their natural conclusion. So if you'll do me a favor and get my back, I can do the rest."
"Are you sure?" Ann knew that he was right but it hurt nonetheless.
"I'm sorry Ann. I'm not thinking things through the way I normally do because I've come to realize that when I'm with you I can't think, all I can do is feel."
"Is that a bad thing?" She asked as she brushed the hair off of his forehead.
"When I put us in a situation like this it is." The back of his fingers grazed her cheek again and Ann loved the feel of it. "It's not fair to either one of us and it's my fault."
"You know as well as I do that if I didn't want to be in a situation like this we wouldn't be, so it's as much my fault as yours. If I didn't want to be with you so much, we wouldn't be standing in a shower stall necking." She finished with a laugh because it sounded so ridiculous.
"There are definitely much more comfortable places for that." The humor of their situation seemed to strike him as well.
"I can think of one place." She said without thinking.
"You're not helping." His gentle voice held the note of a scold. "We made a decision about this and you have to help me to honor it."
"I'm sorry." Ann's apology was sincere. "I'm not trying to make this more difficult for you. We did make a decision together, because it was the right thing to do. And you're not the only one who isn't thinking things through."
"I love you."
She nodded. "I know you do."
She saw a look of longing and regret on his face and decided that it was well past time to step away. When she did, he held out his hand to her and she stepped over his cast and out of the shower. She dipped her fingers in the sink and the water had cooled.
"The water is a little cool, I could warm it up if you want. "
"Let's just get it done. Since it's impossible for me to take a cold shower at the moment, this will have to do." She could hear the humor in his voice and smiled.
"All right." She shrugged her shoulders as she picked up the wet wash cloth and ran the bar of soap across it to work up a lather.
Ann approached him and just before she began to run the soapy cloth across his back she got the sudden urge to kiss his shoulder.
"Don't dawdle, Miss Ann." Danny seemed to sense what she was thinking and she sighed to herself. So as quickly and efficiently as she could, she ran the wash cloth across his back. She rinsed it out, tried to eliminate the soap that had begun to dry on his skin and rinsed it out again.
She readied the cloth and handed it to him so that he could finish. "Why don't you wait out in my parent's room and if I need help I'll call."
"Are you sure?" Ann didn't want to leave him, even if it was only the next room.
"Yes." He answered her quietly and she nodded reluctantly before she turned around and left him alone. She again faced his parent's bed and sat down at the foot.
What had they gotten themselves into?