His throat ached and there was a constant buzzing in his ears, but he couldn't be more joyous.
The lateness of the hour joined with the warmth of the fire in the room, the constant smell of pine that filled the house in December and the slight buzz from the champagne all culminated in a feeling of ecstasy he could only compare to the glee of a child on Christmas.
His middle child was happily married to a good man.
His oldest found happiness again and was expecting a second child.
And Cora. Oh, Cora. His darling wife.
"A long and happy life together, just we two, to watch the children grow. That's all I want."
That's all she wanted.
A woman who was leading the change in the local hospital that would help dozens of lives. Who before this, before the convalescent home, long before any of it, was always a source of solutions in his and everybody's lives. A balm that constantly heals all wounds.
All that woman wanted was to be happy with him for the rest of their lives, and he had been dangerously close to forgetting again how lucky he was for it.
"Robert?" She looked at him curiously, already tucked up in bed, her brows furrowed, and he noticed he had been standing in the middle of the room, robe half off, staring at her.
He shook his head and offered a shy smile as a dismissal of her concern.
"I probably drank more than I should have and dozed off standing up." He joked while finishing disrobing and climbing into bed.
"I wish you wouldn't do that". It was the reprimand that usually followed a night of indulgence.
"So do I. I probably wouldn't be well rested if I standed all night."
His only reply was an eye roll as he placed a kiss on her left cheek.
As he adjusted into the bed he noticed that even after such an eventful day he wasn't ready to close his eyes yet. Looking to his right, he saw his wife was much the same, sitting up still and leaving her bedside lamp on. In fact, he could see in her eyes that her mind was reeling.
"Did you really mean what you said earlier? About my work at the hospital?" The question was said more to the bedding than to him, her eyes downcast.
His regret from before made its way back into his heart.
"Oh, my darling." His hand searched for hers under the cover, asking silently for her to look at him, which she did. The guilt from the past months and the elevated levels of alcohol in his blood spurred him on. "Of course I did. You're a wonderful president to the hospital, just as you were an incredible administrator to the convalescent home. You always take care of everyone, have a solution for everything. You do it all with such capability and grace. Motherhood, marriage —"
"Robert." She interrupted his speech with a squeeze on his hand. Their eyes met for a silent moment and he was sure that, as always, she would deflect his compliments. Instead, her face lit into an impish smile. "I'm glad you've noticed it."
He let out a hearty chuckle, brushing her cheek with the back of his fingers.
He was about to answer with a witty remark himself, but looking at her face reminded him that he had some redeeming to do.
"Sometimes — most of the time really — I'm too obtuse to appreciate it. Gladly, not this time. In fact I — He paused to ponder his next words. It was supposed to be a surprise for the next day, he didn't want to overwhelm her tonight. But she was already looking at him expectantly and he couldn't think of a different end to that phrase that would convince her that he wasn't keeping a secret.
"Oh, why not?"
He jumped out of bed, not bothering to put back on his robe and slippers and going straight back to his dressing room.
"Robert? What are you doing?"
Instead of answering her, he focused on retrieving the cream envelope from the drawer of his desk, making quick way back into her room.
He practically bounced back into bed, Cora looking at him bewildered the whole time.
Robert presented the envelope to her. "I meant to give you this in the morning. In better wrapping. Maybe a ribbon."
She furrowed her brows. "A gift? Darling, we have already exchanged presents."
"I know, but this idea came to me only yesterday and I made the arrangements quickly".
When she didn't move he motioned it to her again. "Open it."
She took it with suspicion, turning it over.
"Is it a kitten?" Playful excitement in her face.
He chuckled again.
"No, dear. Maybe next time". She gave him a look and he knew she would hold him to it.
Shrugging her shoulders, she untied the string that kept the envelope closed and carefully extracted its contents. Her eyes squinted as she tried to read the papers in her hand, realization settling in slowly.
"Travel tickets? To America?" Her eyes were as round as her mouth as she whispered incredulously.
"Yes. Well, I was thinking about how to take care of you for a change. It's been so long since you went there and I just thought —" His explanation died in his mouth when she didn't show any reaction, her eyes looking down at the paper.
"Cora?" She still didn't look up.
Anxiety filled his chest. Maybe this wasn't what she wanted. Maybe he should have asked her beforehand. Maybe she thought he was trying to steal her for himself.
"I'm not trying to keep you away from the hospital. I asked Doctor Clarkson and he said the transition would be settled by the end of the month and that you could leave things prepared before that. I also talked to Mary and Tom and they said they could handle things here. I asked Mary again after her announcement tonight and she assured me it would be alright. Something about her only being in the second trimester when we come back. Honestly, I didn't really pay attention to the specifics. You know I'm not really too great with —" His frantic explanation was interrupted by both of Cora's hands framing his face and her lips crashing into his.
Her lips were soft and intent, the reassurance making him relax and be filled again with joy. Their smiles broke their lips apart and she pulled back to look into his eyes, hers shining with delight.
"Thank you, darling. And thank you for thinking about all of it."
He lifted his right hand to stroke her left arm, sliding it down to grab her hand and kiss her knuckles. He hoped the gesture was enough for her to understand his thoughts — regrets and desires —, his eyes and smile speaking his intentions.
"We are going to America. I can't believe it." And she did sound like she was still processing it. Her hands cupped his face again and she brought hers closer, touching foreheads. "If I weren't so tired, I would thank you more suitably." A mischievous glint appering in her eyes.
He closed the distance to kiss her again. "I'll hold you to it later."
They stayed in the same position for a few moments, in the middle of the bed, hands interlocked, fire crackling. She first indicated that they should settle into bed, using her free hand to place the envelope on her nightstand.
They swiftly turned off their lights and adjusted into a comfortable position, their hands still clasped while Cora laid her head on his chest.
After a few more moments of silence, the reality of the gift finally made its way into her mind.
"How did you manage it so quickly?" She propped her chin on the hand resting on his chest, even though she couldn't really see his face.
Robert shrugged. "I pulled some strings".
He couldn't really see, but he was sure she was smiling as she placed a kiss on his jaw.
"How long will we be gone?"
"Two months, give or take."
"Two months?!" This time she propped her whole upper body on her left arm to properly look at him.
"It wouldn't be worth my sea sickness otherwise. And this way you can really enjoy it."
Her surprised eyes melted into adoring ones, her thumb caressing his cheek.
"Oh, darling." Cora's smile was lopsided as she asked "Won't you miss polite company?"
He squeezed her hips closer to him before replying "Yours is the only one that matters."
Notes: As you may have noticed, my prompt was "You're the only one that matters", but I changed it to "Yours is the only one that matters." I hope that's ok.
This is my first time writing Robert so I was a little afraid. I hope it turned out alright. Thanks for reading!