Dembe was out of the woods. He lost a lot of blood, but there was nothing damaged that could not be fixed, thank goodness. As touch and go as it was for him for a while there, he was going to pull through.
Red found himself dozing on and off in a chair at his bedside, his mind split between his worry over Dembe and his concern for Lizzy, who had left with Kate some hours ago for a bit of much needed respite.
It was strange to think about after so many weeks with only one another to lean on or even to interact with, that he and Lizzy could have a life outside each other again. Almost like a trial run for when she was free. Red had grown so accustomed to spending time with her. He tried not to let the thought of this chapter of their lives coming to an end eat at him, and mostly succeeded. While he was awake, at least.
A hand on his shoulder roused him from his fitful nap and he looked up to find Lizzy herself standing over him. It was a testament to his exhaustion that she somehow managed to reach his side before he registered her presence at all. He blinked to clear his drowsy eyes, taking the few moments while she waited for him to wake up fully to study her.
Lizzy must've freshened herself up since he last saw her, scrubbed clean the evidence of her fake death for Kate's photographs. She hadn't bothered to put on any makeup, not even the small amounts she kept on hand while they were on the run. She looked tired and drawn, but there was a brightness to her eyes that he hadn't seen in a long time.
As far as Red was concerned, she'd never been more beautiful.
"Hey," she whispered. "How's Dembe?"
"The doctor said he was in pretty rough shape, but he's improving. He's gonna make it."
"Thank god." Lizzy walked over to Dembe's side, watching his sleeping face, peaceful now that he was out of surgery and the painkillers had worked their magic. She rested her hand gently on his forearm.
"If he hadn't shown up when he did…" She trailed off, tension clear in her furrowed brow and the tightness around her mouth. She shook herself visibly after a few long moments, no doubt lost in her memories of the trauma they all went through at Solomon's hand. Meeting Red's eye, she asked, "How're you holding up?"
"Well, sleeping in a chair didn't do me any favors. Other than that, pretty good. How about you? I hope Mr. Kaplan is spoiling you rotten now that we finally have access to actual resources again."
Lizzy let out a quiet laugh. "Oh, you got her number, that's for sure. You should've seen her earlier, trying to make sure I've been eating well. As if you of all people would let us go hungry."
Red chuckled softly, imagining Kate fretting over Lizzy's diet in a very 'Kate' sort of way, with her concern barely hidden beneath her practicality. "You're right, she should know me well enough to know that food is in my top five priorities at any given moment. The top two, even." Lizzy raised a sardonic brow. "All right, maybe it's my first priority most of the time."
"I think she's only been fussing over me so much because she couldn't drag you away from Dembe long enough. Now that he's stable, she sent me with strict orders to take you home."
"Oh, did she?"
"Mmhmm. She gave me permission to use force if I had to," she said, and offered him a wry smile that he returned instinctively, lips quirking up without any real effort. He'd enjoy it far too much for what she said to be a genuine threat, and they both knew it.
"Come on, we should get going. It's late. Or early. I'm not really sure anymore."
Lizzy held out her hand, but instead of grabbing hold and letting her help him up, Red turned it over and pressed a kiss to her palm, held her hand to his cheek and closed his eyes for a few moments. He felt her shift around in the cramped, makeshift hospital room and crouch down in front of him, resting her free hand on his knee.
Lazily, he opened his eyes again; she was watching him with her head tilted to the side. She'd been doing that more often, mirroring his own body language. Red wondered if she noticed, or if it was wholly unconscious on her part.
Suddenly, Lizzy leaned forward and kissed him, quick and chaste, on the lips; then she stood and tugged him to his feet. He trailed behind her as they left the building, more aware of the feeling of her hand in his—so warm and real and alive—than the path she was leading him down.
The ride to the safe house was brief.
Once they were inside, Lizzy crowded close to Red while he closed and locked the door, and wrapped her arms around his neck as soon as he turned around. He leaned back against the door, letting it support most of their weight as they held each other, pressed together everywhere they could be. They breathed together, in and out, deep and soothing.
Home. Kate sent Lizzy to take him home. She might not be able recognize the significance of that word choice, but Lizzy certainly could.
Thoughts of her exoneration could be pushed aside for now. Tonight, celebrating the simple joys of being alive took precedence. It was clear from the spark of their skin, in their lingering touch that they would be together tonight. It wasn't even a question, really.
Red's heart pounded in his ears. It seemed a lifetime ago when they were last alone together, though it had barely even been a day. They'd escaped far, far too many close calls due to the bounty on her head by only the skin of their teeth, but Lizzy was still here, solid and vital in his arms. He brushed her hair back from her face and rested his forehead against hers, with his fingers tangled in her wavy blonde locks.
Lizzy kissed him softly once, twice, three times before she finally pulled away with a shuddering breath; her fingers were cool against his cheek.
"Why don't you go clean up? The shower's amazing. And I think it helps to wash away anything that could remind you of… you know." She gestured vaguely, clearly thinking of Solomon again, or her ordeal with the photographs. Red nodded; she had a point, even if he was loath to leave her side.
Lizzy had obviously tried to make herself comfortable as best as she could in their new hideaway before she set out to bring him there. She even somehow managed to rescue the mugs from that place they stayed in Ohio and set them out next to the coffee pot on the desk.
He could see evidence of Kate's handiwork as well all around the small room, where she picked up the slack for things Dembe would usually take care of. Red's go bag was on top of the dresser, and there were not one but two suits hung in the closet, with an extra hat on the shelf above them. One of the two beds was made up only with blankets. (Lizzy had already gravitated towards that one, although she did make a show of stashing her go bag under the other bed, for appearances' sake.)
Red gathered a few things from his bag and retreated to the bathroom. Stepping under the shower spray, he let the water soothe his aching muscles, breathed deeply to fill his lungs with the humid air. Lizzy was right—the shower at his friend's theatre had left much to be desired, but this one… Well, sometimes small luxuries could make a world of difference.
He toweled himself off only well enough to pull on his boxers and trousers, which he left unfastened, slung low on his hips. When he pulled open the medicine cabinet, his heart shuddered to a halt, before revving back up again, thundering in his ears even louder than before. Next to the fresh tube of his favorite toothpaste sat a box of condoms, still in its wrapping. Such an innocent thing, but in this context it sent him reeling.
Kate liked to prepare for every eventuality. It wasn't as if she knew for certain. She couldn't possibly.
Could she?
Or was the box Lizzy's doing? Surely she would've gotten hold of them herself if that were the case and wouldn't have asked Kate…
He shook his head and loosened his iron grip on the edge of the sink. Whoever was responsible for them didn't matter. He tore open the wrapping, snatched up a foil packet and stuffed it into his pocket. If it was Kate, let her wonder.
Lizzy was lounging on their bed, in her boyshorts and another undershirt she pilfered from his bag. She looked up when he opened the door and bit her lip, raking her gaze over him from head to toe.
Red didn't think he could ever get used to this, to the delicious image of Lizzy striding across a room in her underthings with heat and purpose in her eyes. When she got close enough, he rested his hands on her waist, her skin soft and smooth where fabric didn't cover her. She leaned in and licked his neck, the hollow of his throat, chasing the droplets of water he hadn't bothered to try to dry. He shivered at the sensation, and coaxed her head up so he could capture her mouth, kissing her deeply.
She grabbed his ass, playful enough to surprise a muffled chuckle out of him, and he felt her lips curve into a smile against his own. He growled low in his throat and began to back her up until her thighs hit the edge of the mattress and she sat. He barely had time to slide her borrowed tank top off of her body before she pulled him down along with her.
Red traced a trail of kisses down Lizzy's body, along her abdomen—lingering, worshipping, memorizing—everywhere Solomon's knife had touched. The bastard would have flayed her alive, right in front of him.
"Raymond?" He stopped moving at the sound of his name, rested his head on Lizzy's belly, his ear pressed into the warm, smooth, unmarred flesh. He thought of her fantasy, of the things he would offer her in an instant if only he could. She looked down at him curiously, fingers rubbing tiny, encouraging circles into the back of his head.
"Are you OK?" she asked.
He offered her a melancholy little smile.
"Come here," she beckoned, and when he crawled up her body, she took his face between her hands and drew him close, angling her head so she could kiss him, deep and searching. She shifted and pushed against his chest, rolled them over on the bed so she could straddle his thighs.
She took her sweet time tonight, kissing her way across his heated skin, drawing her teeth over his nipple, harder again when he groaned in pleasure. She sucked at his neck, raising a mark low on the side of it.
Well. He'd definitely be wearing ties for the next few days, then.
Wrapping her fingers around his waistband, Lizzy tugged at his trousers and boxers; Red retrieved the packet from his pocket before she could finish pulling them down and off his legs.
She settled against him again, the heat and pressure shocking in its intensity despite the thin layer of clothing still between them. He slid a hand under her waistband and pulled her close, reveling in the friction of her body rubbing along his hardness, in the soft sounds of desire she made with every roll of her hips.
She tore her lips away from his to nibble at his earlobe, to whisper a breathless question into his ear. "Now?"
Red nodded, and she took the opportunity to switch their positions, to lie on her back against the pillows; she made quick work of her boyshorts while he tore open the condom and rolled it down his length. He moved to cover her body with his again, bracing himself on a forearm and reaching between them to tease at her wet heat.
Lizzy took him into her hand and guided him to her entrance; she arched into him as he pressed down, and wrapped her legs around his hips. They rocked together absently, almost an afterthought, a reflex, so focused they were on holding each other close, feeling connected in any way they could grasp.
Eventually, they reached their peaks. He savored the sensation of being enveloped by her clenching heat as he climaxed, pressing closer rather than pulling away since for once he didn't need to withdraw so hastily.
It was the first night since they went on the lam that it felt like things might really work out. That they weren't completely on their own. They were safe, protected. They could sleep easy tonight, wrapped around each other like limpets, pretending if only for a few hours that it could last forever.