Erin fidgeted in the bed, eager to get out of the hospital and go home with David. Luke had decided to keep her overnight for observation, even though she was perfectly fine, as she kept telling him. But he wouldn't listen to her, and she hadn't wanted to cause a fuss by signing out AMA. Instead, she had let one of the nurses help her into a soft set of scrubs and curled up with the knit blanket that someone had scrounged up, the loss of adrenaline making her so exhausted.
But then, she had woken up in the morning cranky and nervous, wanting to see David come in and help her home. It was hard to wait, and she started to nervously bite at her cuticles as the time continued to slip by slowly. The nurses and doctors who knew her kept dropping by, telling her small stories to make her smile. The hospital's lawyer had also dropped by, asking her if she was going to pursue legal action against the hospital, since they had employed Mary after all. She had seemed relieved when Erin had told her no, that she had no desire of dragging herself through a civil lawsuit on top of the certain criminal case that she would have to face.
"Erin!" Her head shot up, and she tried to keep the disappointment off her face as she found Penelope's face in the crowd. The woman skittered over to her, a wide smile on her face. "Oh, stop, you can look mad that I'm not your sweet Italian Stallion! He knew you were going to be disappointed to see my face here, but…he has some plans for you that could not include picking you up. As a peace offering, he sent along this."
Penelope handed over a small box of gourmet chocolate, and Erin took it from her hands, smiling softly. "These will all be caramels, you know. It's my favorite type of candy. Would you like a piece?"
"No, I got my own box. But thank you for the offer!" Penelope wrapped her arms around Erin, hugging her tightly. "I am so glad that you are okay! I thought that we had lost you once again." Erin could feel that she was trying to keep from crying, and she sighed a little before turning her face and kissing her cheek.
"It's okay to cry. Really, it is. I did a lot of that while I was there. Now, please. Take me home."
"All right, we just have to get a doctor to come by and discharge you," the younger woman replied as she let go of her, wiping at her eyes. Doctor Carter came by at just that moment and smiled at them, nodding a little.
Taking a deep breath, she grasped for Penelope's hand, needing to hold on to her for some reason. "I bet that you are ready to get out of here, Erin."
She nodded and looked over at Penelope. "I even have my friend here to pick me up. So, am I good to go?"
He nodded. "You are. And, I got word from your office that you are taking a mandatory two week paid vacation. All right? Not because we don't think that you can't do your job, but because we want you to be well when you return." He handed her an envelope and then hugged her softly. "Relax for a little bit, okay?"
"I'll try." Luke nodded as he signed off on his chart and then he and Penelope were wheeling her out the door. "See you in a fortnight!" she called out as she waved, feeling tears come to the forefront once more.
"And not a moment before!" he called out as she stood up from the wheelchair and let Penelope lead her out to the car.
"I hope this doesn't embarrass you, Penelope, but…please come over for supper tomorrow night. I'm going to head right up to bed."
A bright blush stained Penelope's cheeks as she nodded. "I sort of figured that would be what happened," she said softly as she helped Erin into the car. She shrugged a little as they got under way, and then she just sighed, breathing in the sweet air of freedom. "Oh, and my group meets Monday nights, if you want people to talk to and understand what happened to you. I promise, everything that's shared in group, stays in group."
"That sounds wonderful, Penelope." She sighed and then reached over to touch Penelope's upper arm, needing the contact with her. The rest of the drive flew by, as if Penelope knew that she needed to be home. The moment she pulled into the drive, the front door opened, and David appeared on the porch, smiling widely at them. "I will call you as soon as I am decent," she murmured as she threw open the door and took off for her lover, waving absently to Penelope without turning around. "David!" she exclaimed as she launched herself into his arms, holding him close as he lifted her off her feet and carried her in to the house.
She smiled when he kicked the door closed and he chuckled a little before leaning down and kissing her deeply. "I have missed you, bella. So much. It was torture, not being able to pick you up, but I knew that I couldn't keep my hands off you if I did, so I told Kitten that I had some grand plans for today. Mainly, I just want to hold you."
"Oh, I hope we are going to be doing a little more than holding, David," she purred as she ran her hand up and down his arm. He shrugged a little and she smiled as she leaned in and nipped at his lip gently. "You were all I could think of down there, you and Penelope, and my children. But overwhelmingly you. I dreamt of you holding me, you making love to me, you tell me that you love me. I love you."
He grinned as he carried her up the stairs to their room. As the door opened, she smelled roses and knew that despite his protestations, he had gone out and done something special for her. "All right, so I may have bought out all the roses from two flower shops. You deserved something beautiful to come home to."
She sighed lightly as he lowered her to the bed. "Thank you." She lifted her face up for another kiss, and he obliged her before making short work of the buttons on her blouse, stripping it off her with utmost care.
"Didn't they let you wear a bra home?" he asked with a saucy wink, and she bit her lip and looked away from him. "Erin?"
"I couldn't get my arm behind my back to fasten it. So, I left it off."
He made a low sound in the back of his throat and picked up her arm, looking at the bandage. "Does it hurt much?"
"A little. I refused anything stronger than Tylenol, since…well, you know." He nodded and she reached up to caress his hair. "I hope you don't mind, but I have to be on top for the next few weeks, until this heals. It hurts too much to use a lot."
He nodded once more before lowering his lips to the bandage. "I'll take the utmost care with you then, today. I love you, so much, my Erin. And you are my Erin, forever and always."
"Forever and always," she said in return before sealing that vow with a kiss. She didn't need a marriage license to tell her that this was her last relationship, that this would be the love that would last her until the end of time.