Chapter 35

Neither would talk about their trip to Ms Bea's shop. In fact, they avoided saying much of anything to each other. They swam for a bit and had dinner at the hotel, because neither wanted to take the chance of going out and possibly finding something else to remind them that this interlude away from reality was just that. So, that was how they found themselves back in the hotel suite after dinner, looking for something to do. There was nothing on television that they wanted to see after watching the news, and even though the thought of running up the hotel bill with pay-per-view movies was amusing, there wasn't one they could agree on. That fact brought back the memories of them trying to choose a movie to see the day before.

Mac remembered that she had seen a deck of playing cards in one of the drawers when she had been searching for the room service menu. AJ admitted that he loved to play cards, but it had been a long while since he had, because Meredith had thought it too boring. They settled on gin rummy, and Mac asked what the bet would be.

"You're such a competitive little soul! Why does there have to be a bet?"

"Because it's more fun when there is something on the line, just like in life!" Mac stated with a grin.

"Can't you just do something for the enjoyment of doing it instead of making it a competition?"

"I guess so, but I just don't see the fun in that."

"Okay then, I have a bet for you…..if I win at cards….tomorrow night we spend the night exactly how I want to, no competitions, just doing something quiet and friendly."

"And if I win?"

"Then we spend the evening doing exactly what you choose!"

"Okay! It's a bet!" she said and held out her hand to shake his. She was sure that she would win; she always beat Harm at cards.

They played for several hours, finding that each was a very good player. Most of the night they were within just a few points of each other's score, and every hand was a hard-fought win. But at the end of the night, despite all Mac's hard efforts, AJ had won. He only smirked a little bit. "Okay, so tomorrow night we do what I want, no questions asked!" he crowed.

"Yeah, yeah, what will that be?" she grumped good-naturedly.

"I'm going to surprise you, are you ready for bed now, wife?" he asked with a yawn.

"I guess so," she said reluctantly. Every night she had been having the same erotic dreams, and it was becoming more and more difficult to sleep next to him and not do something more about it. Just as she climbed into bed and turned off the light on her side, she said, "I wonder how long it will be before we are called about our baby?"

"Getting anxious for the mission to be over?" he asked as he turned off his light too.

"No, just wondering about the mother and the baby and how she could give up her child. I could never give up a child, no matter how it was conceived. It's not the child's fault that it was conceived by rape, and I guess I look it as God's way of saying that something good could still come out of something so bad."

"That is a very good way to look at it," he told her. "You have a very giving and loving heart, Sarah."

'If he only knew what I would like to give him!' she thought. "Thank you, AJ, good night."

"Good night, Sarah," he sighed as he flipped over on his belly to try and get to sleep.

She settled down as well, and once again drifted into erotic dreams of him. On the other side of the bed, AJ also drifted into dreams of Sarah, but tonight his were not erotic, they were still against every regulation that they lived by, but they were not sexual tonight.

To be continued….