Chapter 3 – A Place To Stay
Abby walked along the corridor where Stephen's room was and was stopped by one of the nurses.
'Are you here to see Stephen Hart?' she asked; Abby nodded, a little confused.
'Oh good, we were wondering if someone could take him home tonight. You see we need the beds, we're full to bursting, and he'll be fine as long as he has someone staying with him,' she explained. Abby wondered if some higher beings were playing a joke with her.
'Err... maybe we should talk with him about it... so he knows what's happening,' Abby suggested, the nurse nodded and Abby followed her into Stephen's room. She didn't look at him as the nurse explained to him what they wanted to do; when she stopped talking Abby looked over and caught Stephen's gaze.
'Do you want to phone Cutter and ask if I can stay round his?' he asked her; Abby knew she had a choice, either say yes and let him stay round Cutter's or say no and get him to stay with her. Connor wasn't staying with her for a week and Stephen would be well enough to go back to his by then, surely, and he knew about Rex so there would be no awkward questions about him. But could she honestly offer for him to stay with her with her feelings not even clear to her at the moment?
'Abby?' She blinked out of her thoughts to see Stephen watching her closely as the nurse left the room to sign his discharge papers.
'Sorry...' she worried her bottom lip between her teeth, 'Don't bother Cutter, you can come and stay round mine. Connor's gone to visit his Mum so there's enough room for you.'
She could have sworn she saw relief pass over his face but dismissed it as his normal expressionless mask came back.
'Are you sure? I don't mind calling Cutter if you-'
'I can ask the nurse what I have to do to dress your injuries while you pack and you'll be close to the university in case another anomaly is sighted,' she said, wondering why she arguing the case so much. Stephen studied her for a few seconds before nodding.
'If you're sure, Abby, I'd be really grateful,' he said; something in his eyes made Abby shiver slightly, not sure whether it was a good or bad thing she smiled and nodded.
'I'll go talk to the nurse,' she said, 'You better get packed.'
Stephen nodded a smile on his face, 'Thanks, Abby.'
& & & & & &
Half an hour later Abby was carrying Stephen's bag to the car, Stephen walking a little slower behind her. She put the bag in the boot and then went around to help Stephen into her mini; she grinned a bit as he ducked down.
'Not really the best of cars for you is it?' she observed, trying not to laugh as he managed to fit his six foot plus frame into the mini.
'This is why we have a big SUV,' he said, Abby laughed as she walked around to her door. When both doors were slammed shut she started up the engine and drove out of the hospital car park.
'So how many numbers have found their way into your bag?' she asked, laughing at his questioning look.
'Please tell me you did notice the looks all of the nurses were giving you?' she asked. She laughed disbelievingly as he shook his head.
'I was more interested in other things than any looks I was getting from the nurses,' he replied; Abby looked over at him, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
'Like what?' she asked; Stephen looked out of the windscreen and shrugged.
'Nothing really,' he replied; Abby sighed.
'If it was more interesting than the girls who were checking you out then I'm sure it was more than nothing,' she said; Stephen looked over at her, a teasing gleam in his eye and she wondered what she'd gotten herself into.
'I suppose the question really is how you noticed the girls checking me out,' he said; Abby cursed silently.
'Hard not to,' she replied, acting nonchalant. Stephen laughed.
'Thanks for looking after me Abby,' he said, repeating his words from a few months ago and taking the hand that rested on the gear stick, she looked at him and saw the same gleam in his eye that had been in there at the hospital and she felt her hand tingling. The lights changed and the moment was broken as Abby continued to drive back to her flat.
Soon they parked up and Abby opened her door, going round to the boot to get his bag. Stephen had only just closed the door as she fished her keys out of her bag and put them into the door, turning the lock and opening it wide enough for him to get past her. At the top of the stairs she pulled open the sliding door and pulled it back across after them.
'You can stay in my bed,' she said, 'It's upstairs. I'll sleep on the couch like Connor does.'
Stephen turned to face her, 'Abby I'll take the couch. I may have just come out of hospital but you are not giving me your bed.'
Abby put her hands on her hips and glared up at him, 'You need to recover and you'll do that better in a bed than on the couch, now get up those stairs and put your bag by the bed.'
Stephen took a step closer, 'Abby I am not sleeping in your bed, I'll take the couch.'
Abby walked up to him and poked him in the chest to emphasize her words, 'You're in the bed. End of conversation. Now do you want tea or coffee?'
They stood glaring at each other in defiance for a few seconds, she knew he wasn't happy about taking her bed but there was no way she was going to make him sleep on the couch, not when he'd just been released from hospital.
'If you want a shower I can find some towels for you to use. There's some soap and shampoo in the bathroom, you'll have to put up with the girly smell for tonight I'm afraid, we can go round yours tomorrow and pick up some more things. Do you want anything to eat? I can have it cooking while you're in the shower.'
Stephen smiled and shook his head, 'I can find my own way around a kitchen, Abby, you don't have to wait on me hand and foot.'
'After tonight I won't. But seeing as it's your first night out of hospital I'll make an exception,' she replied, taking a step back and going to find some towels for him to use. Their close proximity was starting to make it hard for her to breath. She returned a few minutes later with two fluffy towels in her arms.
'What do you want to eat?' she asked him, handing over the towels; Stephen shrugged.
'I'm used to coming home and heating up some portions I've kept in the freezer, so anything will be a great change,' he replied. Abby nodded.
'Spaghetti Bolognaise?' she asked; Stephen grinned.
'You're an angel.'
Abby laughed, 'I've been told that before.'
Stephen frowned, 'By whom?'
Abby just smiled and walked into the kitchen, she opened a cupboard and took out a pan; she put the pan on the side and squealed as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her against a hard body.
'Let go!' she laughed, trying to pull his arms from around her, 'Stephen let me go and go have your shower. I can't cook with you holding onto me!'
Stephen let go of her, 'When I come back out we'll carry on this conversation.'
'What conversation?' she asked, grinning at him as he walked into the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later and Abby was waiting for the Bolognaise finish cooking when Stephen walked out of the bathroom; her eyes widened and she swallowed subconsciously when she saw he was only wearing a towel around his waist, the other was around his shoulders and he was using one end to towel dry his hair. He held up his clothes with a sheepish expression.
'Can I put these in to wash?' he asked, Abby took a few seconds to process what he'd said and nodded.
'I'll put them in with my load tomorrow morning,' she said, taking the clothes from him and placing them in front of the washing machine.
'I'll go get dressed,' Stephen said, walking up the stairs. Abby let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding; she turned to stir the bolognaise as she tried to get her thoughts in order. She couldn't get the image of Stephen out of her head, the towel riding low on his hips, his toned stomach and muscular chest and arms. Abby shook her head, she really didn't need to be thinking about this right now, not when he was going to be crashing at her flat for a week.
'Abby, are you alright?'
Abby spun around and saw him standing only a few steps away, 'What? Sorry... I was a million miles away...'
Stephen closed the gap between them and placed his hands on her arms.
'Abby if you don't want me here just say and I'll go, you don't have to-'
'It's fine, I was just thinking... about work, wondering where I'm going to be tomorrow and if I have to go back to the bug house...' she trailed off her fast thought up excuse.
'So when you mentioned that study on insect behaviour when we faced those spiders you weren't making it up?' he asked, smiling slightly.
'If you call studying the life cycle of parasites in elephant dung a study of insect behaviour,' she replied. Stephen raised his eyebrows.
'Sounds unmissable,' he commented, Abby laughed.
'That's exactly what I said when Tim told me...' she trailed off, turning back to the bolognaise. She hadn't really had time to come to terms with her boss' death, had hardly had time to think about it; now, mentioning that moment all those months ago when she'd seen the file on Rex that Tim had dropped that had led her to the anomalies, to Cutter, Connor, and to Stephen, realisation hit home hard. She heard Stephen walk up behind her and place a hand on her shoulder.
'Abby, I'm sorry,' he said; Abby shook her head, taking out two plates and starting to dish up the dinner. Her hands started to shake as she turned the light off the cooker and she couldn't hold onto the pans.
'Abby...'
Stephen turned her around and brought her into his arms, placing a hand on the back of her head and bringing it to rest on his chest, using his other hand to rub her back. She tried her hardest to keep it all bottled in, but the hand that was rubbing her back soothingly and the warmth of his body was making it hard; soon she was sobbing into his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding onto him as if he was her lifeline. Stephen tightened his hold on her as her hands grabbed the back of his shirt, he'd never seen her like this and it was killing him that he couldn't do anything to stop the tears from falling; he picked her up bridal style and carried her to the couch where he sat down, brining her into his lap, as her body started to shake from sobbing. After a few minutes her sobbing started to cease and Abby was content to sit there with his scent surrounding her like a cocoon, blocking out the rest of the world.
'I'm sorry,' she said quietly, Stephen shook his head as he ran his fingers through her hair.
'Don't be. You can't be strong all the time, Abby,' he told her, after a few seconds he asked, 'What was he like?'
Abby thought for a moment and then answered, 'He was fair, and a good laugh at times. When the reptile programme had to be slimmed down, and that meant my job had to go, he made sure to find me somewhere else in the zoo. He wasn't like most bosses that just care about how you work, he would ask me about my home life as well, offer to give me lifts if my car was in for MOT or repairs. If he threw a party for the zoo keepers you could bet that it would always be great fun, and he made sure to check up on you if you called in ill... it's going to be so different without him...'
Stephen arms tightened around her and Abby leant into him, 'Thank you.'
Stephen smiled, 'Anytime.'
They stayed as they were for a few minutes and then Abby pulled back.
'I bet dinner's cold now,' she said, rubbing away the makeup that had run down her face, 'And I bet I look a right state.'
'You look beautiful,' Stephen told her, wiping the tear stains from her cheek with the pad of his thumb, 'As usual.'
Abby blushed and stood up, 'I'll go warm up dinner.'
Stephen followed her up from the couch, keeping hold of her hand.
'Abby, do I have a chance?'
Abby turned to face him, 'What do you mean?'
'With you, Abby. Do I have a chance to be with you?'
A/N: Well here's chapter 3! Please R&R! I know I've been focusing on Stephen and Abby at the moment but there will be a chapter coming up that focuses on Nick wondering what happened to Claudia. Just bear with me, I promise in about 2 chapters time I'll focus solely on Nick. Coming up in the next chapter:
Abby answers the question and they deal with the consequences.
A lot of StephenxAbby fluff
Ciao for now,
Starsword
