Chapter 17

Glen looked over at Susan, who was curled up asleep in the passenger seat next to him. He couldn't help but worry about her, especially after everything she had been through that day. She had been poked and prodded and questioned by so many people, he knew that she had to be exhausted. He had taken her to the hospital, where the doctors checked her over, searching for any sign of an injury. Other than the gash on her stomach, they determined that there was nothing else wrong with either her or the baby. Susan explained to the doctors what had happened and they in turn had informed the police about the attack. A couple of detectives were sent to the hospital to interview her and after pouring over every detail with her for several hours, they finally decided they had gathered enough information and told her she could go home. Then Glen had taken her out to a nice, quiet restaurant for dinner, hoping to distract her from the day's events. His plan had obviously failed though, because she had hardly spoken to him at all during the meal and she had eaten very little of her food. Even when he had scolded her for not eating, she didn't even attempt to argue with him about his overprotective nature.

He knew that she was having a hard time dealing with everything that had happened over the past few months but he felt that there was something else bothering her as well. He wasn't sure. He sometimes thought that maybe he was just imagining things. But there was just something about the way she had been acting around him lately. He didn't know if it was because she still felt guilty about what had happened between them or if maybe he had done something to make her feel uncomfortable. He thought that he would have to have a talk with her later, once she felt better, to see if he could get to the bottom of things.

Glancing over at her again, he smiled when he thought about how it wouldn't be much longer until their baby arrived. Susan was getting bigger every day and he could tell that she was starting to feel very self-conscious about how she looked. Personally, Glen thought she looked incredible. Pregnancy had definitely agreed with her and he couldn't deny that he was still excited by the knowledge that she was carrying his child. Although he had openly teased her about having a boy, he secretly hoped that it was a girl. He wanted a daughter…a daughter who looked just like her mother…perfect in every way. And once she was here, he was going to spoil her rotten. He wanted to give her everything she could possible want. Just like he wanted to do for Susan if she would let him. He wanted nothing more than to be able to take care of both of them. The strong feelings that he had developed for Susan that first night hadn't disappeared. If anything, they had only gotten stronger, especially since she was now living with him and they spent so much time together. Even though she wanted to keep their relationship on a friendly level, Glen definitely wanted it to be more. He wanted to be her friend and her lover. He wanted to be her protector. He wanted to be a husband to her and a father to their child. He wanted all of those things and so many more. He just had to find some way to convince her that it was okay for her to feel the same way about him.

Glen desperately wanted to reveal his true feelings to her. He knew that she had to have some idea of how he felt already. After all, he had hired a private investigator to track her down in the first place. But he didn't think that she understood the true depth of his feelings. Right now, he didn't think she could handle it anyway. She already had enough to worry about and he didn't want to be an additional burden on her. But later, once everything settled down, he would make sure that he told her how he really felt.

Pulling into the driveway, Glen parked the car then walked around to the passenger side to help her out. He opened her door, prepared to pick her up and carry her inside so he didn't have to wake her, but he was surprised to see that she was already awake. Since it was getting harder for her to move around, he helped her out of the car and escorted her into the house. Once inside, she immediately headed to the couch, where she laid down again and turned on the TV. Glen sat down next to her and removed her shoes and socks and began his nightly ritual of massaging her feet. He smiled to himself when he thought of how easily she had trained him to do it. It was just like second nature to him now. But he really didn't mind. He knew how much she enjoyed it, plus it helped keep the swelling down in her feet and ankles after she had been standing on them all day. He figured that it was the least he could do to help ease some of her discomfort.

They sat there in silence for a while as they watched TV, with Glen occasionally sneaking a glance in Susan's direction to see if she had gone back to sleep yet. After watching her for a while, Glen began to notice how Susan seemed to be fighting her fatigue. She would close her eyes and doze for a few brief seconds, before jerking them open and quickly focusing on the TV again. After watching her repeat the process several times, he finally turned off the television and stood up from the couch. Despite her protests, he picked her up and carried her to her room, laying her down gently in the middle of the bed and covering her up.

"You're tired. Get some sleep." he scolded softly, as he bent down and kissed her on the forehead.

Then he turned and left her room, heading to his own room for a peaceful night's rest.

He undressed and climbed into his huge bed, turning off the light before he rolled over to go to sleep. Just as he was about to doze off, he heard a soft knock at his door and he raised his head up and looked just in time to see Susan poke her head into his room.

"Susan? What's wrong?" he asked, as he rolled over to look at her.

He watched her as she slowly approached the bed, coming to rest beside of him before she finally spoke.

"I really don't feel like being alone tonight. Could I stay in here with you?" she whispered softly.

Smiling, he pulled the covers back and invited her into his bed.

"Of course darlin'. This big ol bed is big enough for the both of us. I gotta warn you though…I am a cover hog." he teased, as she slid into the bed beside of him.

"And you snore like a freight train." she added with a giggle, as she snuggled down under the covers.

Glen chuckled at her as she tried to find a comfortable position. Once she was settled, they grew quiet for a moment before he spoke to her again.

"Are you still thinking about what happened today?" he asked, wondering if that was the reason that she didn't want to sleep alone.

"Yeah. I still can't believe that David tried to hurt me like that. I've never seen him that way before. Every time I close my eyes, I just keep hearing his voice over and over again in my mind." she replied softly.

He reached out for her and pulled her close to him.

"Your safe now baby. There's no way he's going to lay a hand on you again as long as I'm around."

Susan sighed and snuggled a little closer to him as she closed her eyes again. At least part of what he said was true. She definitely felt safe when he was around. She wondered if it was possible to stay wrapped in his arms forever. Then she'd never have to worry about anything again.

Glen lay silently beside of her, smiling as he hugged her close. It had been so long since he had gotten to hold her like this. He wondered if he could make himself stay awake all night, just so he could savor every minute of it. Then he felt himself yawn and he realized how exhausted he was himself. He knew that there would be no staying awake for him tonight. Noticing that Susan had grown quiet again, he thought that maybe she was already asleep until her felt her jump and heard her gasp softly.

"Something wrong?" he asked, raising his head and looking down at her.

"No. The baby just kicked me again. He's pretty active tonight for some reason. I guess it's from all the excitement." she replied, grasping her stomach when she felt another kick.

"Don't you mean she?" Glen teased again, as he felt her move her hands to her belly.

Glen heard her murmur something about him being a smart ass before he heard her gasp again.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

"I'm fine. This little brat just doesn't want to go to sleep yet I guess." she chuckled, as she looked up at him.

There was just enough moonlight coming in through the blinds for her to barely make out Glen's face in the darkened room. She could see that he was smiling down at her and she couldn't help but return his smile, noticing the look of longing on his face as his gaze traveled to her stomach.

"Do you want to feel?" she asked, wanting to give him a chance to enjoy it too.

Glen smiled again and nodded his head as Susan took his hand and guided it under her t-shirt and across her belly. She pressed down gently, pushing his hand into her stomach as the baby kicked again.

"Wow. Doesn't that hurt when he kicks like that?" Glen asked, amazed by the feeling of the small life moving inside of her.

"Don't you mean she?" Susan teased as she laughed at him again.

"It doesn't really hurt. It just kind of tickles. I get a fluttery feeling in my stomach whenever she moves around but I'm starting to get used to it. Of course it would be nice if she would go to sleep and let Mommy get some rest." she joked as she raised her head and looked down at her stomach.

Glen chuckled when he felt the baby kick again in response to Susan's remark.

"Yes, she definitely should let Mommy get some sleep. Because as long as Mommy's awake, Daddy's awake too. And right now, Daddy really could really use a nap." he added.

"I'm sorry Glen. I'll go back to my room so you can get some sleep. I know you need to get caught up on your rest before you head out on the road again." Susan stated as she made an attempt to roll out of the bed. But before she had a chance to get very far, he grabbed her and pulled her back against him.

"Oh no you don't." he teased, hugging her tight as he tucked her head under his chin and wrapped his arms around her again. "You're staying right here so I can keep an eye on you tonight."

Smiling, Susan snuggled into his warm chest again, content to stay there beside of him.

"What…you're letting me win another argument? I'm definitely going to have to keep after you with that threat of tickle torture. I never knew that it could work so well." he teased again, chuckling softly when he felt her punch him lightly in the stomach.

Leaning down, he gave her one last kiss on the forehead before they snuggled close and finally drifted off to a peaceful sleep.