Day Six After Surgery ….

Ben's head hadn't cleared any since the night before. He still felt confused about his reaction to Meg's attempted kiss. He'd put his body on the line before, his reputation and his very life. Why couldn't he put his heart on the line?

"Once bitten twice shy." Dief reminded him as he trotted up the stairs beside him toward the Princess Margaret Suite.

"Quite true." Ben agreed and steeled himself to meet Meg.

"Good morning, Meg." The Mountie said after tapping on the door loudly.

"Just a minute, Fraser." He winced at the formality in her voice. It was to be expected he supposed, but that didn't make it feel any better. The door opened slowly as Meg backed up a few steps. She wore his t-shirt and sweatpants, her hair messy and her bare feet.

"See you later, old friend." Dief turned and walked back to his bed in the warm corner of Fraser's home/office.

"I've prepared oatmeal for us." Ben set the tray on the folding table and retrieved the desk chair.

"I smell cinnamon, butter, sugar, and coffee." Meg lifted her chin and sniffed the air.

"Yes, quite right." He watched Meg feel her way along the wall toward her seat on the bed. He knew he could guide her but decided she was also capable of doing it for herself and would probably prefer to. Ben took his seat, first setting the bowls of oatmeal out and positioning Meg's coffee within easy reach. She found it first and took a long, grateful drink.

"You always remember how I take my coffee, thank you." She smiled in Ben's direction.

"It's my pleasure, you're welcome." Ben said, trying to judge her mood. So far it had been cool yet personable.

"When is my next follow up appointment with Dr. Brown?" Meg asked out of the blue.

"Day after tomorrow at nine o'clock." Ben answered, adding a few ounces of milk to his hot oatmeal. He hated trying to make small talk when they'd been so close the night before.

"I'll be relieved when I can take these patches off for good." Meg adjusted one of the straps.

"What deep wounds ever closed without a scar? The hearts bleed longest, and but heal to wear, That which disfigured it. Said Byron in his work Childe Harold." Fraser recited.

"That sounds bittersweet." Meg laid her spoon back in her bowl, thinking how well it fit them.

"It is. We all have scars." Ben agreed, taking up his coffee cup.

"Are we ever going to have a normal conversation, Ben?" Meg said as if it were a question about pencil erasers instead of a matter of the heart.

"That would depend on your definition of normal." The Mountie answered.

"A conversation without this awkwardness between us." Meg defined easily. They'd come so far already, getting past their ranks and regulations.

"It will take time."

Meg didn't know if she had the time, she still feared never seeing Fraser's face again. Ben saw the thoughts moving across her mind; the fear and worry. She noticed the silence lapsing between them and began asking about the consulate's day to day business.

Day Eight After Surgery …...

It had been an odd few days between the Mounties as they tried to let the awkwardness between them die down. Ben had read Black Beauty until ten each night then gave Meg her eye drops. With each day the lady Mountie saw just a bit clearer when she took her eye patches off for the drops. Light was painful to her eyes but the sight of Fraser standing over her made it worth it.

Ben and Meg arrived at Dr. Brown's office at eight-thirty, a full half hour before her appointment. The receptionist smiled broadly when she saw the dashing Mountie leading Meg, her arm tucked safely against his side.

"Hello, I see you've got the same handsome escort this morning." The older woman said, just to see the pair squirm.

"I need to register, Inspector Margaret Thatcher." Meg pursed her lips and tried not to snap at the woman baiting her.

"Alright, have a seat and they'll call you when he's ready, dear." The receptionist pointed them to a group of chairs across the large room from her desk. It contained the usual potted plant and selection of months old magazines.

"Why couldn't you have worn civilian clothes?" Meg fussed, muttering under her breath.

"There wasn't sufficient time to change, I was on duty until shortly before we left the consulate." Ben answered matter-of-factly. Meg turned to him, her lips pursed and an eye brow raised, but didn't say anything.

"Ms. Thatcher." A nurse called from the doorway leading to the exam rooms. Meg stood up and waited for Ben to guide her. She felt him take her arm and they proceeded down the hallway.

"Ms. Thatcher, hello, how are you this morning?" Dr. Brown greeted her. He was obviously a morning person.

"I'll know how I am as soon as you tell me how my eyes are doing." Meg tried to sound happy but it came out as slightly fearful anyway.

"Okay, let's get started, shall we." The doctor took up his seat behind the equipment he used to see the various aspects of the human eye. Meg patiently followed his directions, looking left, right, up, down and following his finger. The nurse had already filled her eyes with drops and the exam was making Meg a nervous wreck.

"Alright, well, you're healing up nicely, the retina are lying as flat as possible and there were no complications, so as soon as those gas bubbles dissipate, you'll be ready to go back to work." Dr. Brown sounded pleased with the prognosis.

"Will there be any loss in vision?" Ben asked, his voice more serious than usual. He'd been wondering about that Meg's entire recovery so far.

"Only time will tell, but I'm optimistic that there will be a full recovery." Dr. Brown answered truthfully.

"How much longer will it take the nitrous oxide bubbles to dissolve?" Meg wondered, addressing first things first.

"They're almost seventy-five percent dissipated so far. Hopefully another two weeks and they'll be completely gone." Meg felt relieved, she wanted this over as soon as possible. She wanted to get back to her life, at least partially. The lady Mountie had enjoyed her time with Ben, having him take care of her and the lack of formality between them. She'd put an end to that two days ago though and now he was back to his usual, formal self. Meg hated that and she knew that it was her fault to begin with.

"Is there anyway to speed up the dissolution?" Meg asked, hopeful.

"No, I'm afraid not, the bubbles are there to assist the retina while they heal. The longer they remain behind the eye, the less likely a wrinkle will appear." Dr. Brown explained patiently, "The retina is like wallpaper, it needs to be flat and without wrinkles or bubbles. A wrinkle can cause double or distorted vision." He'd explained this so many times through out his career he'd worked up a spiel.

"I understand." Meg sighed, a little less nervous. She couldn't yet tell if there was a wrinkle or not.

"If you have any questions let me know, if not I'll see you in two weeks." Dr. Brown stood up and flipped on the lights while Meg adjusted her eye patches.

"Thank you kindly, Dr. Brown." Ben shook his hand before the whipcord of a man left the exam room.

"Yes, thank you." Meg reached out for Ben's hand only to feel air. Groping, she came up with his tunic tail near the back. She felt him jerk away suddenly.

"Oh dear, sorry, Constable Fraser." Meg pulled her hand away. She hadn't meant to take a hold of his tush.

"No need for embarrassment, your reason was genuine." He took her hand and helped her get her feet past the foot rest of the exam chair.

"You've had that happen before?" Meg questioned, a mix of jealousy and shock coursing through her. She'd never thought of it from his point of view, or even that he'd been harassed. It struck her as odd that they had something like this in common.

"On occasion, yes." Ben answered, wishing it didn't happen so regularly. Meg didn't know what to say, it wasn't like it hadn't crossed her mind. She still thought it was a a tacky thing to do. She'd been on the receiving end of the same behavior a few times throughout her career.

"I am sorry, Ben. It was an honest mistake." Meg felt genuinely apologetic.

"I know, it's good to know that your attraction to me has a deeper source." He spoke very near her ear so as not to be overheard.

"I hope that I'm still attracted when we're both old and wrinkled." Meg responded, slowly matching Ben's pace down the hall to the receptionist.

"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale/ Her infinite variety. Shakespeare said in Antony and Cleopatra, act two." Fraser quoted, squeezing Meg's hand as they cleared the doorway.

"That fits you better than it fits me." Meg shook her head, smiling.

"Dr. Brown said to follow-up in two weeks." Ben told the receptionist, who'd been listening to them the entire walk down the hallway. They seemed to be content in their own little world.

"Alright, we have an eight o'clock, ten and eleven-fifteen." The receptionist gave them options for their appointment day.

"Eight o'clock." The Mounties spoke in unison. The dimple cheeked receptionist smiled, looking from one to the other.

"Eight it is then." She wrote the time and date on a business card and handed it to Fraser. "Have a good day." She wished them, watching the pair leave the waiting room.

Back at the Consulate ….

Turnbull whistled as he dusted the chandelier in the dining room, standing on a short ladder. He wore a black, chef's apron, a cleaning rag in his pocket and a can of lemon Pledge sitting on the table.

"Constable Turnbull, have there been any calls while I was out?" Fraser eased into the dining room from the kitchen entrance after having escorted Meg to her temporary home.

"No calls, but there is a letter for the Inspector, from Miss Larsen." The junior officer smiled, thinking of the note he'd received from her as well. "I laid all the correspondence on your desk, Constable Fraser."

"Thank you kindly, Turnbull, as you were." Fraser exited the dining room through the second doorway and proceeded to his home/office. Dief raised his head when he saw his human friend enter the room. He seemed happy.

"Hello, Diefenbaker." Fraser sorted through the mail, taking the card from the back addressed to the Inspector.

"Feeling better?" The old wolf seemed to ask, stretching and yawning as he laid in the warm sunshine streaming in through the window.

"Yes, thank you for asking." Fraser answered, off again to take the card upstairs.

Upstairs Meg heard Ben's tap at the door and wondered why he was coming to see her so soon. She opened the door, glad to have a reason to move around.

"Miss Larsen sent a card for you, shall I open it?" Ben asked, stepping into the bed room.

"Yes, of course." Meg laid her hand on his shoulder to let him walk her across the room. Sitting down on the bed, she felt him sit down as well. At least he wasn't putting so much distance between them.

"It is a thank you card, it says, "Dear Inspector Thatcher and Constable Fraser, thank you for brunch at the consulate. Father and I enjoyed our visit to Chicago and hope to visit again in the future. Signed Viviana Larsen. Post Script; Best wishes for a quick recovery and to a long and wonderful relationship. V.L."" Ben read the last part slowly.

"She's a sweet girl, but clueless." Meg said dryly.

"Is she?" Ben retorted. He'd been the one to hesitate but he wasn't ready to deny the feelings he'd been conflicted with either. "How so?" Ben asked, thinking back to brunch a few days before.

"I don't know, neither of us gave any indication of anything more than mutual respect and a working relationship." Meg sounded vague. She still didn't know what Viviana Larsen had seen to think she and Ben were even thinking of dating.

"My grandmother taught me that in any relationship, whether it was a marriage or a friendship, respect is essential. Perhaps Miss Larsen has sufficient perspective to see us in a way that neither of us is capable of just now." Ben suggested.

"You respect me, do you trust me?" Meg asked, curious.

"Yes." Ben answered without hesitation.

"Why, I've given you reason not to." The lady Mountie's reference to the train wasn't lost on Ben. Meg promised herself, and Ben, that she wouldn't do that again.

"I trust you because you trust me." He answered simply.

"What if I mess up, Ben?" Meg spoke low. He sounded so much more certain than she felt.

"No one is perfect." He reminded her.

"Oh, but some are closer than others." Meg leaned against him, nudging him with her elbow. She drank in the sound of his gentle laugh.

"Some of you are closer than others." Ben took her hand and kissed her palm tenderly. Meg smiled, it was rare that he teased her, or anyone really.

"Why couldn't we have met sooner?" Meg wondered to herself, leaning her head against Ben's shoulder. She couldn't believe he was real, or sitting there with his arm around her shoulders. It was the perfect, quiet moment Meg had only dreamed of until then.

"I should see to lunch." Ben said, his voice low as he squeezed her gently.

"Thank you, Ben." Meg gave him a bright smile. Each thank you was her way of saying, 'I love you'.

TYKTYK

Day Twenty After Surgery ….

Meg had been cooped up in the Princess Margaret Suite for just about as long as she could retain her sanity. It had been four business weeks since she'd been in her office. After breakfast she dressed in what she hoped was her favorite pair of khaki slacks and a cobalt blue blouse and her black loafers and marched down the stairs to her office.

"Inspector Thatcher, how may I help you?" Constable Turnbull's voice greeted her at the foot of the stairs. Meg smelled sugar cookies baking, their scent drifting through the consulate.

"It's time to get back to work, Turnbull, assist me into my desk." Meg said stoutly, feeling more nervous than she'd actually admit.

"Yes, Sir, right away." The junior Mountie laid her hand on his shoulder and proceeded to guide her into her office.

"Me- ah, Inspector Thatcher." Ben's voice sounded astonished as she walked up to the desk.

"Constable Fraser, it's time that I got back to work, somehow." Meg stood firm, her voice daring him to say something to the contrary.

"How would you proceed, Sir?" Ben asked after a long pause.

"Well, Constable, I can still answer the phone." Meg began thinking she hadn't had such a great idea after all. She couldn't write, read or do anything requiring sight, yet.

"Ah, yes, please, have a seat." Fraser had stood up when Meg entered, now he positioned the desk chair for her behind her desk.

"Thank you kindly, Constable Fraser. Now, I'll need a legal pad and an ink pen." Meg took charge as she sat down behind her desk for the first time in twenty days.

"As you wish, Inspector." Fraser took a pen out of the cup on the desk and handed it to her. Turnbull found a legal pad in his desk in the entrance and brought it back.

"Would you like for one of us to stay in here with you, Sir?" Fraser asked, hoping she'd say yes.

"Yes, Constable Fraser, I'll need someone to use as a runner." Meg felt better having something to do, even if it was answering the phone. She couldn't sit in the Princess Margaret Suite listening to day time television or the radio one more minute.

"I'd be more than happy to assist in any way, Inspector." Turnbull offered cheerfully.

"Is there something baking in the kitchen, Turnbull?" Meg asked.

"Ah, yes, I have sugar cookies and a honey glazed, spiral cut ham in the oven." Turnbull answered. Meg could see him wringing and twisting to be dismissed.

"Well, don't burn down the consulate, Constable Turnbull, see to your ham and cookies." Meg shooed him out the door with an exasperated shake of her head.

"Him, I didn't miss." Meg said after she heard the door close behind the junior Mountie.

"Constable Turnbull is still young and eager to please." Fraser said in his subordinate's defense.

"If you say so, Fraser, my verdict is still out." Meg gave him a withering expression. Fraser sat down across from her when the phone rang.

"Canadian Consulate, Inspector Thatcher speaking." She answered almost before the first ring finished. She listened intently to the other end of the line for a long moment, her face growing serious. Fraser leaned forward, wondering who was on the other end and what they were saying.

"Yes, Sir, I understand, I'll send my medical files first thing tomorrow morning." Meg said blandly, her voice cool and professional. "Good day, Sir." She hung up the phone, her face pale.

"Our superiors in Ottawa want to access my fitness for duty, they want my medical files, pronto." She sat back against the chair, doubts and fears swirling. "This could be the end of my career, Ben." Meg spoke just above a whisper. It suddenly felt cold in the office she had been so eager to get to only minutes before.

"Shall we leave for Dr. Brown's office now?" Ben stood up, anxious to get her files sent and get through this.

"Yes, the sooner the better I suppose." Meg frowned, trying to put on a brave front.

"Shall I retrieve your coat?" Ben offered, trying to figure out a way to make her feel better.

"Thank you, yes, I'll wait here." The lady Mountie's voice was hollow. Fraser hurried upstairs and pulled Meg's navy pea coat out of her closet and grabbed her purse hanging on an over the door hook. He swung by his office and grabbed his Stetson and coat as well.

"Constable Turnbull, the Inspector and I will be out for a few hours, man the consulate for us." Fraser said before the junior Mountie could get a question out. Ben just kept walking toward Meg's office.

"Allow me to call a cab for you, Sir." Turnbull rushed to his desk in the entrance.

"Thank you kindly, Turnbull." Fraser nodded before disappearing into the Inspector's office.

"Here you go." Meg felt Ben lay her coat on her shoulders. She slipped her arms in the sleeves and fumbled with the buttons.

"May I?" Ben asked, laying a hand on her arm. Meg frowned and turned loose of her buttons. Quickly, Ben re-buttoned her coat and hung her purse on her arm.

"Turnbull's called a cab, we should arrive at Dr. Brown's office in half an hour or so, depending on traffic." Ben estimated, taking Meg's hand and tucking her arm next to his side.

"We should get the police report and my file at the emergency room as well." Meg thought, trying not to cry and focused.

"Good idea." Ben began leading the way, Meg following his long stride easily.

"There should be a cab arriving promptly, Sir." Turnbull informed them as they cleared the office door.

"Thank you, Turnbull, carry on." Meg nodded, her chin firmly planted against her chest.

By the time Ben lead Meg down the consulate's front stoop and onto the side walk, a Gemini cab pulled up to the curb. The gray conveyance waited as the Canadians situated themselves before pulling into the heavy stream of traffic, the driver asking their destination.

"What am I going to do if I'm not part of the RCMP?" Meg asked, more to herself.

"You will find out during retirement, many years from now." Fraser said confidently, pulling her hand into his lap, snugly between both of his.

"Optimist." Meg turned to him, squeezing his hand and giving him a half smile. He'd made her feel better, just by being there.

"Some would say optimist, I would say I'm a realist." Ben's voice had a reassuring smile that Meg could hear. She chuckled.

"I love you, Ben." The words popped out, surprising even Meg.

"Viviana Larsen wasn't as wrong as you thought." The Mountie leaned over and ran his thumb over her cheek.

"No, she wasn't wrong." Meg agreed, a rose blush creeping up her cheeks. Next came the kiss she had been hoping for since their first kiss on the roof of the train. It almost made her dizzy, to be that close to Ben, and to know that he had initiated the kiss because he wanted it. The sound of traffic around them, the cab driver talking to his dispatcher, the smell of Fraser; his leather polish, the scent of his aftershave, the taste of his kiss, all of it was intoxicating. Meg didn't have to see, she felt everything and it felt good, it felt alive. Without saying it, Meg knew that he loved her too. Nothing needs to be spoken when two hearts find one, common beat.

TYKTYK