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Chapter Seventeen: Here for You Part Two

"Did you remember something?" John asked still holding Marty in his arms as he tried to calm her rapid breathing.

He could only hope that when she answered him it wasn't about Laurence or Truman. He wasn't ready to answer those questions any more than she was ready to hear those answers.

Marty pulled out of the embrace and nodded, "I was here at the apartment. There was a knock on the door and on the other side was a young red head with blue eyes. I think her name was Natalie."

John sighed knowing this was bound to come up but he bit his tongue and let Marty continue.

"We argued about you. She said you weren't taking your pain medication and that you had tried to save me when I was taken hostage by someone name Spencer at the hospital. She thought you owed me something but you wouldn't tell her why. And then she told me to stay away from you."

As Marty searched John's eyes for some kind of confirmation that he knew what she was talking about she couldn't help but ask, "Is Natalie your ex girlfriend?"

He ran his fingers through his hair as he let out a breath of forced air from his nostrils. Natalie wasn't one of his favorite subjects just because of all the pain and strife that had come from their relationship.

Marty scooted closer to John who had turned away from her and was now facing the wall. She wrapped her arms around his trim waist and rested her chin on his shoulder whispering, "You can tell me you know. I'm here for you. However, I can be."

In that simple statement combined with the feel of her all around him John wondered when it had become so easy for him to open up to her. For some reason it always seemed too easy for him to do so. With Caitlin it wasn't even this easy, which scared him a lot.

With Caitlin there was always push and pull. Sometimes he would do the pulling and she would do the pushing or vice versa but with Marty it was different. Their push and pull was full of playful banter and soothing touches and gentle promises vs. when he would push and pull with Caitlin ultimately it would lead to the fighting and more arguing much like it had with Natalie.

Inhaling her cherry blossom scent he answered easily, "Yeah, Natalie's my ex. She's the one that came before you actually."

"Oh. Is that why she told me to . . . " John quickly interrupted Marty replying, "No, that's not why she told you to stay away from me that day. We weren't a thing then, we were just patient and shrink. The hospital thought I needed one after I woke up from a really bad car accident."

"So why would she tell me to stay away from you?" Marty asked confusion apparent in her chocolate eyes.

"Because she thought you were one of our issues that made our relationship go sour, and maybe you were I don't know. But you didn't break us up or anything, Lady. It's nothing you've got to lose sleep over. No Natalie and I ended our relationship just fine on our own."

"For what it's worth and I'm sure it's not much considering I don't remember but I am sorry. Do you still talk to Natalie?"

"I run into her a few times around the station and around town but not much. Sometimes we see each other at Rodi's or Hollowed Grounds but it's no big thing. You and her however are surprisingly civil now," John replies with a sly smile, "Or at least that's what I hear. You're good friends with her Mom Vicki and her cousin Matthew's Mom, Nora Hanen the town's D.A."

"Well at least I don't have to worry about her hating me then."

"You told me that once before. You came into my office at the station after you guys had a run in somewhere when she heard that we were starting something. Don't worry about it. Natalie never really hated you anyway I think she just hated the way we ended things that's all."

Marty nodded as her chin bobbed up and down on his shoulder and that's when she realized he had snuck in her room and her bed while she was asleep.

Playfully shoving him she accused in a soft whisper, "You snuck in here while I was asleep. Does this mean you're going to stay?"

Throwing her own words back at her in a sexy whisper as his lips grazed her ear, John laid her down on the bed, "I'm here for you however I can be."