Warning: Romantic adult scenes insinuation.

Please exercise your own discretion.

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The Recovery Road

Monday had finally arrived! Shane couldn't wait to leave the hospital. Her flight home was booked for 11am. She was debriefed by the big man himself, Mr. McGee, who also informed her that Dr. Jennings, the other female hostage, had been rescued. She was still overseas finishing her tour, but she was completely unharmed.

Oliver was at the hospital at 8am, ready to take Shane home while Sharon had left the night before, promising she would visit Shane in Denver as soon as she could. Shane was recovering at a remarkable rate. Her bruises were almost completely healed and fading fast. She had done an expert job this morning with her makeup in hiding most of it. Her eyes were still a little swollen but also looked infinitely better. She used one single crutch to move around due to her broken ankle. A pair of crutches would have been better, but her dislocated shoulder would not allow her to use a pair because her left arm was still in a sling. All things considered, Shane was feeling elated she survived her ordeal and her recovery was going extremely well.

Help for Shane at home had been coordinated by Mr. McGee's team. When she arrived in Denver, she'd be contacted by two nurses.

They arrived at the airport and a wheelchair was quickly brought over to her. They bypassed all the normal pre-boarding procedures and they were the first ones to board in first class. First class was arranged because Shane needed the extra space with her broken ankle. Oliver stayed right by her side the whole time. As soon as she sat in her seat, she snuggled against Oliver and went to sleep almost immediately. It was obvious the simple trip to the airport and getting on the plane had been too much for her. Until she regained some weight, her weakness would wreak havoc with her stamina. Oliver gathered her to him and reclined back in the seat so they were both comfortable. He didn't sleep at all; he was just basking in the feeling of having her asleep in his arms. What would it feel like to have this woman sleeping in his arms in his bed every night? He allowed his imagination to take him places he had never let it go before. He gently kissed the top of her head and thanked God again for bringing her back to him. The fact that he had been so close to losing her would always torture him. For as long as he lived, he'd try to make it up to her for his weakness and failure to protect her from hyenas such as Steve.

When they landed in Denver, they were the first ones to disembark so Shane could quickly get situated in the wheelchair set aside for her. Rita and Norman were waiting for them at the airport. They shared a long hug with her. How they missed Shane! They all wiped away happy tears. Rita drove them to Shane's house. When they got there, Joe, Ramon, and Hazel were waiting with a welcome home party for her. Shane was moved by the love she openly received from her friends. Everyone hugged her carefully, as they realized how thin and fragile she was.

Before long though, she felt and looked exhausted! Oliver thanked everyone and encouraged them to leave. The nurse would be arriving at any moment and she would be in charge of Shane's care until the next change of shift. Shane would have around the clock assistance for as long as she required it. Mr. McGee made sure of it.

Oliver sat with her on the couch waiting for the nurse, knowing this would be the last time they'd be alone for the foreseeable future. She snuggled against him and made herself comfortable. Then, he gently grabbed her face and turned it towards him. He looked at her lips and decided they were healed enough for a gentle kiss. He lowered his head and touched her lips ever so gently. It didn't take long before Shane decided this kiss was just too gentle for her liking and she opened for him like a flower in the morning sun. He needed no further invitation and deepened the kiss; allowing their mutual passion to take over. They each gave of themselves, enjoying this new found intimacy and trying to discover new angles to please each other. She reached up to his face with her good arm, caressing his strong features. She then, gently slid her hand to the back of his head, and caressed the nape of his neck and dug her fingers into his hair. She just loved doing that! They both moaned. The kiss felt like a sweet home coming after three long months of painful absence. They pulled apart to catch their breath, but it lasted but a moment as they came back together again for more, continuing to kiss long and sweet holding on to each other. Oliver kept deepening the kiss; he wanted more of her, he wanted all of her... like a man drowning. He surprised himself with the depth of his passion.

Fortunately for him, the timing of the nurse's arrival was perfect. She arrived promptly at 5 o'clock and put an end to their embrace which had quickly turned dangerously passionate. Probably the last one they would share for long time.

They both knew this was going to be a very long road to full recovery.

Oliver went back to work on Tuesday with renewed focus. Before long the DLO was back to its normal state of organised chaos. He stopped at Shane's on his way home most evenings so he could closely follow her recovery and he'd tell her about the latest dead letter the team was working on. She often suggested options and ideas on how to proceed to find the writer or the writee.

Karen, the night shift nurse was a bubbly forty something lady with a kind heart and a soft spot for romance. Very quickly, she realised this couple needed time alone so she made herself scarce. She told Shane she would be working in another part of the house. Oliver was very grateful to her for recognizing he and Shane needed time. They made the most of it by sitting in their favourite place on the couch and kissing to their heart's content.

To Oliver's delight, Shane informed him that Sunday was the nurses' day off. Neither Lucy, the day nurse nor Karen would be around. So, they made a plan to have Oliver come over to help her on Sundays so she wouldn't be alone.

On that first Sunday, Oliver arrived and let himself in at around 8 am. Once inside he didn't know what to do. Should he wake her? Should he let her sleep? What if she needed him? "That's why you're here, O'Toole… to help her… she will need you!" He said out loud.

He decided to make coffee and cook up some breakfast. As he was trying to find ingredients to make pancakes, he heard a little bell ringing from upstairs. She had obviously left her bedroom door open. The nurses had given her a bell to ring for them so they could easily hear it and quickly attend to her needs. He walked up to her bedroom and stopped at the door. She was sitting on the side of the bed wearing long loose pj pants and a T-shirt. She looked simply adorable with her messy bed hair. "Good morning." he smiled at her. She was, all of a sudden, extremely shy. "Good morning, Oliver. How are you?" "I'm very well, Ms. McInerney, how about you?" He said amused to see her embarrassment. She obviously didn't realise what a fetching picture she made. "I'm… I'm not sure… how should we do this?" she asked, looking at him with an expression of uncertainty. "Oh well, what do you normally do first? Have a coffee?" She shook her head. "Have a shower!" "Oh!" Oliver swallowed hard. He looked down the hallway as if looking for an escape route. "Right!" He stood at the doorway, not knowing what his next move should be. What had he expected that helping her would involve? Eventually he'd have to do something, he couldn't just stand there. He thought. "Ok!" he started again. "What would that involve and what would you need me to do?" "Could you please help me get into the shower? There's a chair in there, so once I'm there, I can do the rest." He walked into her bedroom and rather than help her walk to the bathroom, he simply picked her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing at all and carried her to the shower. Once he got there, he sat her gently on the chair inside the cubicle and said, "What next?" He crouched down so he was just below her eye level, waiting for her next instruction. She said, "Close your eyes." He raised his eyebrows and asked, "Wouldn't it be better if I left and waited outside?" "No, close your eyes, please." He did as she asked, but stayed in place. She moved forward on the chair and grabbing his face, she pulled him to her and started kissing him with such passion it took his breath away. He kneeled in front of her and pulled her towards him, hugging her tight. Her body was now pressed against him, warm and firm. He could tell she wasn't wearing a bra. Since he only had a thin cotton shirt on, he could feel her soft curves against his chest. He found himself totally enclosed between her thighs. It would be so easy to forget everything and give into the wonderful feeling of loving her and being loved by her. But before long Oliver came to his senses and pulled away from her mouth. He buried his face in her neck and whispered, "I will wait outside. Call me if you need me." "I do need you." She whispered back. He lifted his head, looked intently at her and with very shallow breathing, he said with a hoarse voice, "I need you too, but not this way, not today." He got up abruptly and walked out before he changed his mind.

Shane was left feeling as if she had tried to cross a forbidden border and got caught. She felt terrible that she had put him in that situation. What had she been thinking? She'd have to apologise or he wouldn't volunteer to do this anymore and she'd miss him most dearly. She quickly took her clothes off, struggling a bit since her left arm was still mostly disabled. She tied a plastic bag over her cast and showered the best she could. She was going to have to wait for Lucy to get her hair washed tomorrow. Today it'd have to be in a ponytail. Once she finished, she applied some make up and opened the door of the bathroom, hopping on one leg. She almost stumbled over Oliver who was sitting on the floor against the door waiting for her. "Oliver?" He quickly got up, scooped her up in his arms and buried his face in her neck again. He took in a deep breath, inhaling her scent. He then looked at her and said with a smile, "I have breakfast waiting for you." He walked to the dining room and sat her gently at the table. He put a pancake on her plate and said, "There! Bon appetit! I hope you enjoy it." He sat beside her and flashed her a most glorious smile. She smiled back and said, "What a treat, Oliver. I could get used to this." He looked at her and asked seriously, "Could you? I know I could." Shane put her fork down and looked into his amazing blue eyes. She cleared her throat and said, "Oliver, I'm sorry for what I did. My intention when I asked you here to help me on Sundays wasn't to entice you into my bed. I'm really sorry." He looked deeply into her beautiful blue eyes, which could change shades depending on what she was wearing and said, "Shane, are you under the impression I don't want you and that you alone would be tempting and corrupting me?" She looked at him, not knowing exactly how to respond to his question. "I… I don't know." she said. "Shane, trust me. I want you more than I have ever wanted a woman in my entire life… and I was married, for crying out loud! Do you understand?" He sounded angry. Shane didn't know what to say or do. "Oliver, I'm sorry… I didn't mean…" Before she could continue, Oliver's mouth took hers in a ferocious kiss. His passion for her was on fire. She realised his intention was to show her he was just as likely to entice her as she was to entice him. Once they parted, they touched their foreheads together while trying to control their breathing. "I want you with every fibre of my being, but I need to do this right." He paused and took a deep breath. "Can you wait with me?" She smiled and said, "As I mentioned to a friend before, I've done nothing in Denver other than wait for you, Oliver O'Toole. That's what I do… and there's absolutely nothing you could tempt me with to keep me from waiting for you for as long as necessary. Mr. O'Toole, you have my word!"