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His sloppy and sleepy appearance in jogging pants and a huge jumper in which he could hide his bandaged arm fixed against his chest made Barbara grin.
"You look quite like a tramp, Sir." she laughed and before he could add his usual plea to his furrowed brows she went on more gentle. "Hello, Tommy. How are you?"
She had done it a few times in the past days but addressing him with his given name still felt ticklingly unfamiliar. For both. And for Daze. His mother had heard the hint in her voice telling him that she would be here for more than just a moment. This was the promise of an entire evening. Tommy's face lit up not only at the sound but also at her words. He still enjoyed her hesitant and thereby so tender voice calling him Tommy. His eyes caressed her face and Barbara softly smiled back at him. Daze felt superfluous.
"I actually do feel like a tramp after he had jumped into a running train." he admitted. "Although I finally have showered."
There still was some space between them when he sat down next to Barbara, making laboriously moaning sounds like an old man. He pitied Barbara and she softly massaged his good shoulder for a short moment until she recognised what she did. Daze saw how they looked at each other again and searched for an excuse to leave them alone right now. She almost got up and left the room when her son explained that during sleep he had disarranged the bandage because it obviously was not put on properly after the shower and now his shoulder even hurts a bit more than before. An anxious look from Barbara pleading for not being left alone met her eyes so Daze stayed. Barbara looked like she still needed a few more moments before she would be ready to face him so privately, let alone help him bandaging his shoulder, touching him so intimately.
"I've offered my help, Tommy." Daze reproached him as soft as only a loving mother could. "But you've said you would manage it on your own. Stubborn boy."
"Yes, mother, I'm sorry." he groaned. "You were right. Now could you just-"
"Oh, gosh, I'm late!" Daze interrupted him. Tommy briefly had caressed Barbara's hand and this expressed to his mother that he definitely wanted to be alone with her. Daze had clearly understood that hint. "I have an appointment with Dickinson and still some things to prepare. If you'd please excuse me."
Finally there was no way Barbara could avoid being alone with Tommy anymore. A part of her still had tried it but deep inside she knew there was something to talk about with him and although she partly feared it she definitely wanted that confrontation. They already had overstepped a huge border and now they had to work out how things should go on from here. During all those days when he had recovered from his shot and the artificial coma and while she had been busy with her first own case they only had been alone for a few moments so they only had exchanged a few quiet words about him being proud of her new role at work, even if it only was some sort of deputyship at the moment, and about her being concerned of his well-being. She had not even really chided him anymore for his stupidity inside the bank and Tommy seriously hoped she would not do it any time again.
Another part of Barbara simply wanted to snuggle into his chest and eventually exchange a few kisses. Maybe that was quite near now. She also feared it. It made her completely nervous as if she was a school girl.
"Could you help me put a new bandage on?" Suddenly there was an electrically sizzling thrill of anticipation between them as well as a huge portion of embarrassment so his mother quickly hurried out of the room. She had not lied with the appointment and she was glad she could finally get out of their way. It was about time they were alone for more than a few minutes.
"Of course, yes." Barbara quietly said but both kept sitting.
"Are you on call?" Tommy asked with clear hope in his voice that she would not be.
"No." The hint of a blush crept onto her face. She also had heard the eager expectancy in his voice that she would stay longer today. Maybe even for the night. She blushed a bit more when she realised she would love to stay until breakfast time.
"That's good." he said and leaned over to her. She did not retreat. "That bandage is a complicated thing, you know, and it will take its time to put it on properly." For a short moment Barbara was disappointed that he only was thinking about his injury but then he came another bit closer. His voice turned another bit softer. "And we both know that we have to... talk about something."
His lips only were an inch apart from hers and she still did not move away. The only shortly lasting but tender kiss he gave her felt like heaven. "About us, that is."
Before he squeezed it now Barbara had not recognised that he had taken her hand.
"Here?" she croaked.
"In my bedroom." Tommy also had to clear his throat. He did not know how sultry he could sound and the nervous flicker in Barbara's eyes made him add with a much more neutral voice that he would not want his expensive lounge being smeared with medicine and his bedroom was so much better for being nursed.
Outside in the hall Daze suppressed a chuckle and asked herself if they knew how ambiguous they sounded.
"You lead the way." Barbara said and Daze suddenly blushed before she hurried to the guest room to mind her own business. "I'll bring the coffee cups to the kitchen and follow."
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...