Author's notes: Thanks as always for your lovely reviews and follows and favs and to all who are reading. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Together they clear away the dishes, he washes and she dries. He makes them drinks as she finishes. He hands her a mug.
"If I'd known how this day was going to end I would've bought some champagne."
She accepts it with a smile and they move out on to the deck to sit side by side as the sun sets over the ocean.
"Good you didn't with the tablets you're on."
She looks over at him with concern.
"How are you doing? You've had a busy day."
He gives her a gentle smile.
"Never better Teresa. I'm doing good."
She searches his face and sees no tell-tale signs of tiredness or pain. But she sees a face that's as familiar to her as any face that she's seen nearly every day for ten years would be, but it's like she's seeing it for the first time.
She sees the stubble on his strong, yet gentle jaw line glistening in the receding sunlight, giving his face a golden glow. His lips soft and full are slightly parted revealing a glimpse of his perfect white teeth. He has a faint scar on his bottom lip, that stands out in this light. His lips pull up gently and small arcs of laughter lines gather at the corners. She's sees the smile widen as she continues her investigation and dimples appear. She has an almost overwhelming desire to touch them but keeps her hands tightly on her mug. She's never really noticed his nose before, but then you only really notice a nose when it's unusual. His is the perfect size and shape for his face, adding to, rather than being a distraction.
She knows that she's been staring too long, and as she meets his eyes she expects, either discomfort or mockery but she finds honesty. They're green, did she already know that? If someone asked her to describe her consultant would she say his eyes are green, or had she thought them blue? She's not sure, but they're definitely green. They're alive with intelligence but softened by his suffering. She can see the remnants of his pain and despair but her breath's taken away by the depth of love on show and it's for her. She removes a hand off her cup and reaches out and touches his face and leans towards him.
He always found it endearing the way this tough cop can blush so easily. He watches fascinated as the pink glow slowly appears on her cheeks. The pink enhances her green eyes. Although his are green too, they're as different as chalk and cheese. Her's are large, open and honest, hopefully he can be that way for her one day. He can read her every thought and it causes a fire to burn within.
His eyes travel down her noble nose. Strong and straight like a representation of her inner self. He knows that she crunches up her nose when she truly laughs, he wants to make her truly laugh. He mentally runs his finger across her delicate jaw and comes to rest in the cleft of her chin. He raises his eyes a fraction to her lips. They're soft and beautiful, he wonders if she's aware that she's lightly biting her bottom lip and how endearing it is. His heart skips a beat as the lips slowly part, they're full and inviting, they move slowly towards him, and he feels her gentle touch on his cheek. He mirrors her movement and their lips touch.
The sky's now dark and they lay on Teresa's mattress entwined in each other's arms, feeling a little like teenagers as they haven't gone beyond the exploration of their kisses. It's been a busy day and Patrick suddenly felt like he'd been hit by a truck. As if some one hadn't just popped the air in his balloon with a pin, but stomped on it until it burst open with the balloon in tatters. He fell asleep quickly after taking his medications, leaving Teresa to ponder on the surprising events of the day. She's remembering the uniqueness of his lips, how they felt against her own. How right it felt to be kissing him, it didn't feel awkward, or strange or yucky, but felt like the resolution of a long drawn out drama that had the viewers shouting at the screen 'kiss already'.
The thought enters her mind, 'Patrick Jane's in love with me and I love him!' It brings a smile to her face, it fills her with warmth and she stops thinking of the past and concentrates on the present. The steady rise and fall of his chest underneath her, the sound of his heartbeat in her ear as it sends her to sleep.
Something's woken her. She looks at Patrick and he's still fast asleep. She strains to hear but all seems quiet. She determines to go look, as she knows she won't get back to sleep if she doesn't. She quietly makes her way across the bedroom floor and carefully opens the door. She stops to listen once more but only silence answers. She tiptoes down the stairs, stopping at where the wall ends and carefully looks around it, she relaxes when she sees nothing. She continues down the stairs and heads towards the kitchen, she catches her breath when she sees a light. She looks around for a weapon and spies a baseball bat behind the couch. She moves towards it, as she picks it up it hits her. How is there a couch? It's just a dream. With that realisation also comes the feeling that there's no danger, as she looks towards the light in the kitchen she knows there's nothing to fear. She puts the bat down and walks into the kitchen.
If she needed further evidence that she's dreaming the presence of Angela Jane proves it. She's at the stove stirring something in a pot and turns when Teresa enters. She smiles at her.
"Hello Teresa."
Teresa feels uncomfortable facing Patrick's dead wife on the night they declared their love for one another. Angela reads her.
"Relax Teresa, I'm happy for you and for Patrick. He's mourned me far too long. I want to thank you for saving him."
"Saving him?"
"Yes. I want you and Patrick to have a long and happy life together. He deserves it, you both deserve it."
"Good, I want that too."
Angela nods looking happy with her answer. Then she steps towards her a worried look on her face.
"Teresa, you need to listen to me, you need to listen to Patrick, you need to get him to a hospital."
Teresa's bewildered but the urgency in Angela's voice fills her with panic.
"Why? He's doing well. He says he's fine, he just gets tired."
Angela is nodding her head.
"He doesn't know. Listen to him Teresa, when the time comes you'll know. Trust yourself Teresa, you'll know, get him help."
Fear grips at Teresa's heart at the intensity of Angela's expression.
"I will."
She sees Angela relax as she smiles.
"Good. I'm sorry if I frightened you, I know it'll be all right now. Just don't forget to listen."
Then she's gone and Teresa's awake.