Till we aren't strangers anymore
Chapter 4:
Pulling into the driveway of the familiar house, it was quiet and mostly dark, but he sighed in relief as he noticed Rena's car on the other side of the driveway and knew she was home. He had been everywhere, to the station, then the hospital, and finally, he heard from Miranda. She had headed home for the night, so he knew the best chance to see her this evening was to head back to the home they once shared.
Turning the engine off his Chevrolet Silverado dual cab truck, he sighed as he recalled when they brought this house. They had been married for around five years when they decided to buy this house; before that, the couple had been living in a small apartment and chose this house because it was big enough to start a family in, a family which years later still hadn't been created. He wondered if they ever would now.
Smiling, he remembered as he carried his wife through the threshold when they first got the keys and how excited they had been, a young couple in love and starting their first big adventure of being homeowners. His heart yearned for those moments of intimacy and care between them, and thinking back, it made him see that he still felt the same way he did all those years ago, very much in love with his wife.
Getting out of the truck, he closed and locked the door, his stomach churning with nerves as he decided to use his key to enter the home. Rena had never made him give back his key, which had always given him a little hope that one day they could reconcile or that she was permitting him to come home anytime because she hadn't made him give back the house key.
The lights were out downstairs when he walked in, and he carefully closed the door quietly to not cause any alarm from Rena. He knew from experience that she slept with her gun in her night drawer and was startled easily from sleep if she heard any noises coming from downstairs. He headed upstairs, seeing as it appeared she wasn't downstairs at all; maybe she had already gone to bed when he heard the shower running, figuring that Rena was taking a shower before she went to bed for the night.
It had been a while since they had slept in the same bed or house, so it hadn't crossed his mind that Rena always preferred showering as soon as she got home, even if it was after midnight; it gave her a sense of calm and time for self-care after a stressful day at work. He always admired her ability not to bring home the stresses of her work; it had taken him a long time to leave his emotional state when things hadn't gone according to plan.
Walking into the hallway to their bedroom, he could hear the shower more clearly. His heart raced inside his chest, thinking about the times they had made love in that shower or just had showered together with the intent to be intimate without sex. At the same time, they both tried to leave work at work, often showering together was a way to connect and forget that there were lives they couldn't save.
Before he knew what had come over him, he began to undress; he knew this was a massive and bold risk. It could result in Rena asking him to sign divorce papers, but upon hearing soft sobs from the bathroom, Andy decided the risk was worth it.
Standing in the shower, she stood facing the wall, letting the comfort of the warm water hit her tired aching body, one hand resting on the wall as she continued to cry, unable to stop once she had started. The first she became aware of another body in the shower with her was when she felt soft familiar lips on her shoulders, arms wrapping around her waist to embrace her, chest pressing against her back, her heart racing in her chest, realizing whom it was, turned in her husband's arms, sobbing harder, winding her arms around him, "I'm so sorry Andy," was all she could manage to whisper.
Stepping into the shower, he could hear her sobs, and he felt his heart breaking for her; leaning forward and gently kissed her shoulder blade, and along her shoulder as his arms wrapped around him, and before he could say anything, she was turning to face him and had buried her head in his chest and wound her arms around him, hearing her whispered words of how sorry she was.
Pulling away from her just a little so he could look her in the eyes, his hands moving to cradle her face, his thumbs wiping the tears from her eyes, he nodded, his voice breaking as he whispered back, "I know you are Rena." He couldn't help but lean into her, his nose brushing against hers as he tentatively brushed his lips against hers and then kissed her softly, his heart skipping a few beats when he felt her relax into the kiss and kiss him back, her body pressing closer to his.
They still had a long way to go, but they were one step closer, at least now, and he felt more relaxed than he had in a long time, "Where were you tonight? I went to the hospital looking for you?", she whispered as she pulled away after a few minutes. "I was looking for you at the station, and then Phil told me you had come to the hospital, but by the time I got back, Miranda said you had already headed home for the night. She said you would see me in the morning, but I couldn't wait till tomorrow, "he replied, shaking his head softly.