7.

~ Ariadne had tried to call Cooper. His roommate answered and told her he was out on a date. She sat on her bed feeling suddenly very winded. She remembered nothing since the train until she woke up in the guest room of Arthur's pent house.

What Arthur had told her was true. Cooper had left her, and she had been like some kind of mental patent. Doing water colors and needing a full time nurse. God only knew what she had been like under that state. How she had behaved. Her cheeks were bright red with embarrassment.

It was late already as she was tired. She finally went to bed in what she knew to be the room Arthur had given her. She fell asleep looking at a bouquet of pink roses on her night table and wondering what to do next.

~ "So you took care of me?" Ariadne asked the older lady who came to her room that morning.

"Yes, dear." Erma said with a happy smile. She was running her fingers through Ariadne's hair. "I'm so glad to see you like this. It's just a miracle. To think the doctor finally gave you medicine that works!"

"Thank you." Ariadne said with a blush. The kindly nurse seemed to honestly care for her. Believing the lie Arthur and Cobb had concocted about a new treatment drug. "Can I ask you something? How bad was I?"

"What do you mean?" Erma asked as she made Ariadne's bed.

"I mean, did Arthur... or you... have to take me to the bathroom? Did you... I mean..." Ariadne couldn't finish yet she had to know.
"Oh no, Darling." Erma laughed. "You could do a lot on your own. Your friend hired me to make sure you were taken care of properly and didn't accidentally hurt yourself. He wanted only the best for you. Did you see the clothes he bought you? And he had roses sent to your room every day."

Ariadne was shocked when Erma opened the closet and saw an assortment of practical and elegant clothing.

"He bought these for me?" She asked running a hand over the designer labels.

"He planed to take care of you for a long time." Erma said. "I still can't believe you came back like this. So suddenly to. It's surely a gift."

Ariadne nodded. Arthur had ventured into Limbo to get her back. It was a terrible risk he had taken and she barely acknowledged it last night.

"Arthur's a good friend." She whispered to herself.

"Yes, he is. Marry him." Erma told her.

"Were just friends." Ariadne said with a blush.

"That's what he said. But men who are just friends don't turn their lives upside down to take care of a girl." Erma said.

"How did he take of me?" She asked.
"You had bad nightmares. He stayed in the bed with you all night sometimes." Erma told her soberly.

"He did?" Ariadne asked.

There was a knock on her door.
"Come in." Ariadne said closing the closet door.

Arthur appeared in her room, looking shy at his own intrusion.

"Who are you?" She asked when she saw him.

Arthur's face fell in shock.

"I'm kidding." She said with a laugh as Erma silently left them.

"Very funny." Arthur said letting out a sigh and closing the door behind him.

"I met Erma. She's nice." Ariadne said shyly.

"She's very good." Arthur agreed.

"She told me, all that you did for me." Ariadne said looking around the nice guest room. "That you kept me at your home instead of putting me in some hospital."

"A place like that, was never an option." Arthur said. She nodded and didn't look at him.

"Tell me what Copper said when he found out." She asked.

"I don't know what you ever saw in him." Arthur said bitterly.

"He was a nice guy." Ariadne said defensively. "But, I'm not totally shocked he bailed. Why did you do all this for me? It's more then because were friends. You even bought me new clothes." She said nodding to the closet.

"You needed new clothes." He said formally.
"You went into Limbo to get me." She said at last. "That was above and beyond. You didn't have to do that." She told him.

"You were dieing." Arthur said. "You were losing yourself."

"I know." She whispered. "Arthur, this is strange for me. I mean we were friends, but I don't know what we are now."

"Were still friends." Arthur said stepping closer to her. "Nothing can change that."

"Erma said you stayed with me when I had nightmares. Sometimes sleeping in the same bed. That you kept me here in your home. That you sent me roses everyday. That's more then what friends do." Ariadne protested.

"I never took advantage." Arthur whispered taking her hand.

"I know that." She said with a sigh. "So why did you do this?" She asked again. "It would have been easier on you to put me in a home."

For a long time Ariadne thought she wouldn't get an answer out of him. Finally he said:

"You know why."

"Tell me." She wheedled. Arthur looked uncomfortable.

"Ariadne, you knew how I felt about you. Right after the Fischer Inception... you told me you didn't feel the same way. That you just wanted to be friends. You were dating that idiot man-boy Cooper. You know, I care about you." He said.

"Everything you did here, I think it's more then just caring." She said.

"Yes, it is. I did this, all of this... because I wanted you to know you were loved." He admitted.

"Well, I defiantly feel that." She said looking at the roses on her night table. She felt a blush creep over her cheeks.
"So." She sighed not looking at him "What do we do now?"

~ END ~

Sorry! I kinda did a 50/50 ending there. I'm gonna let your imaginations take it to the next level. This story was all about loving someone in a deeper way then romantic love. Love is more then romantic or sexual love. I've seen a lot of people who were in Ariadne's condition. It's so hard for people to see their loved ones like this. A lot of times their personalities change and they do not remember their husbands, wives or even their children.

People keep messaging me, asking me to bring back 1940' Arthur. I kinda finished that story. I'm really, really glad people liked it so much. I was sad to see it end to. JGL defiantly needs to do a WW2 movie, NOW!

People also want another one where Ariadne loses her virginity to Arthur. Already did that one in "The Event" folks. Can't pop it twice. LOL.

Thank you so much for reading and favoring me.