okay last day before I am back at work. we are wrapping up that god awful camping weekend and end it with a cute little scene, before the next phase of this story begins.
Eight
It was dark by the time they headed back, after two stops on the road to pick up medical supplies and a stop at Dairy Queen, which gave up not only Jade's ice cream, but burgers and the trimmings to the exhausted group. Even Skippy left her perky manner at the camp and joined in, munching her burger in silence, and trying to avoid the baleful stares from the three riders most suffering.
Steve had remained quiet after he'd woken up, nursing his grievances in moody silence and scratching ceaselessly. Most of his exposed skin, like Elle's, Charles's and Jose's, was a patchy red, and they each took possession of a large bottle of lotion, applying it so thickly they began to resemble creatures from science fiction.
Sinjin had reclaimed his Harley, and headed back ahead of them, taking Mary Lou with him on the back of the bike. Rob and Cat were both snoozing, having finished their dinner.
Jade was sprawled in a seat near the back, biting off pieces of chocolate and licking melting drops of vanilla ice cream with an absorbed expression on her face. Tori was in the seat across from her, nursing a large hot fudge sundae with extra cherries.
"You know something, Jade?" She looked up, sucking on a stem.
"Mm?" Blue eyes looked up over the half eaten chocolate bonnet.
"Ice cream does make you feel better." Tori admitted. "Why is that?"
The dark haired woman nibbled a bit more chocolate. "I have no idea." She chewed contentedly. "And I don't much care... I just know whenever I've felt really lousy, an ice cream cone always makes me feel better."
"Mm." Tori worked around a mouthful of hot fudge. "Probably because it's so bad for you."
"Probably." Jade agreed, mildly.
They munched in silence for a moment. "What's going to happen Monday?" Tori finally asked, quietly.
"Don't worry about it." Her lover replied.
"He's going to make a lot of trouble." Tori indicated the front rows of the bus. "They all are."
"I know. Don't worry about it." Jade repeated. "Let me handle things." She caught an errant drip of ice cream with an agile tongue. "I've got some trouble up my sleeve too."
Tori absorbed that. "Jade… I… I'd rather just resign, than see you go through all that." She uttered, very softly.
"I don't want you to do that." Jade objected instantly. "Just let me work things out, Tori… you said you trusted me."
"W.. well yeah, I do.. I just… " The brunette sighed. "I don't want to see you get hurt."
A faint smile edged Jade's lips. "I'll be fine.. let's just forget about it until Monday, all right?"
Tori exhaled. "All right." She agreed reluctantly. But saying it was easier than doing anything of the kind.
"Hey Dre." Tori watched the traffic carefully as she steered the Volvo down Beach Rd.. "We're back."
"Good grief, girl.. what happened?" Andre burbled, from the phone's receiver. "You weren't due back until tomorrow afternoon."
"I know." Tori glanced at Jade, who was leaning against the door with half closed eyes. "We had a little trouble." Jade had wanted to drive, but Tori had insisted, and now she was very glad. The trip home had been uneventful, with most of them snoozing through the drive, and dispersing rapidly as they got to the parking lot of the office.
"Oh boy." The man chuckled . "Well, things are fine here.. your puppy's been an angel, and I've just been lounging around watching football on this lovely television." He told her. "Did you guys get to eat?"
"Well… not really." Tori responded. "Hang out.. we'll get something when we get there… or at least I will." She added. "Jade's not really feeling well."
"I'm fine." The dark haired woman mumbled. "I just have a headache."
"Oh? Okay… I'll turn on the lights in her room, then…" Andre's voice faded a bit as he walked. "And turn the comforter down… you want me to put up some coffee or something?"
"That sounds great." Tori agreed. "We're about to get on the bridge... see you in fifteen minutes." She hung up the phone and tucked it away, then steered the car onto the bridge, reaching over and covering Jade's hand with her own. "Almost home."
"Tori.. I'm fine." Blue eyes turned her way. "Honestly."
"Jade, look.. we both know you hate people making a fuss over you, but you're limping, and I know you're hurting….would you please save the "I'm so tough I could chew circuit boards" attitude for everyone else?" Tori scolded her. "It's okay not to feel well, for Christ's sake."
Jade slumped against the seat, poking her lower lip out a little.
"That's a very adorable pout, Jade.. but it doesn't fool me." The brunette woman felt a grin tugging her lips anyway. "I think it'd be a good idea for you to change, and lie down.. is that too much to ask?"
The other woman sighed. "No…no, you're right… " She rubbed her temples. "I need some asprin, and an ice pack for this damn knee, and… " She scowled a little. "More I ice cream."
Tori smirked as she drove up the hill, turning at the first turn and heading towards the house. "I think we have some mocha chip in the freezer." She commented wryly. "Though you might want to think about at least having a grilled cheese sandwich or something with that."
"Ugh." Jade winced. "No… I… my stomach's just not in the mood for that…I just want some ice cream."
Tori parked the car and got out, popping the trunk and grabbing both of their bags. She was a little worried about her lover, but she knew pushing Jade on how she felt wasn't going to get her anywhere. Tomorrow, however…. "C'mon… " She waited for Jade to join her at the steps, and just kept herself from grabbing the other woman's arm as she limped up to the door. "Got a little stiff, huh?" She commented offhandedly.
"Yeah." Jade admitted, reluctantly. It was, to be honest, more than a little stiff. The joint had swollen up, and walking now caused bolts of pain to travel up her leg and into her groin. It was the pain that was upsetting her stomach, and she had to keep herself from grabbing onto Tori for support.
They both paused at the door , before entering the house and looked at each other. Tori wasn't sure later which one of them moved first, but somehow she'd gotten her arm around Jade's back, and Jade had put her arm across Tori's shoulders, in a quiet surrender that surprised both of them.
"Thanks." Jade said.
"Anytime." Tori replied, as she helped her up the stairs. The door opened as they got to it, and Andre's friendly greeting cut off in a spate of outraged expletives when he saw his friends' conditions.
"What tha… Tori.. what in the hell did you two do to yourselves?" Andre held on to the wriggling Chino and backed up to let them in. "What happened to your hand? And you're limping, Jade?"
"It's a long story." Tori sighed, as she helped Jade into her room. "Let me get things settled, and I'll tell you the sordid tale."
Jade leaned against the wall, and let her head thump back, shifting her weight onto her good leg and liberating herself from her jacket.
Tori gently brushed her hands away, and took care of that, freeing the jacket then unbuttoning the soft, faded jeans. "That coffee smells good." She murmured, sliding the fabric down over Jade's hips and letting it fall, then tangling her fingers in the soft cotton shirt and leaning forward to nuzzle Jade's chest. "But you smell better."
A soft chuckle. "Good thing we showered before we left." The dark haired woman remarked wryly, as she nibbled an ear. "Or you certainly wouldn't have said that."
Tori smiled, kissing her lightly on the lips before she turned her attention to the injured woman's leg. "Oh… shit, Jade."
Jade exhaled. "Yeah.. swelled up a little, I guess." She regarded her knee in irritation. The skin was swollen and tight over the injury, and colored a lurid collection of reds, blues, and purples. She pulled her shirt off over her head and draped it over the chair nearby. "Can you hand me my shorts?"
Tori retrieved her pajamas, and handed them over, then knelt and gently touched her lover's knee, which was slightly flexed as Jade kept her weight off of it. "Jade, this looks really bad." She glanced up, inappropriately enjoying the view. "I think you should get it checked out."
"Nah." Jade disagreed. "It'll be okay tomorrow.. just needs a little rest." She winced as she bent her leg enough to get her shorts on over the bad leg, then almost went down as she put her weight on it to get the other shorts leg on.
"D.. " Tori stood quickly, and grabbed her, supporting her until she could manage to stand upright. "Now you look here." She snapped, reaching down and pulling her lover's shorts up, then snapping the waistband to get her attention. "That is not going to be okay… and tomorrow, you're going to call Dr. Dodie."
"C'mon, Tori.. it's not… " Jade stopped, as a white hot bolt of pain ran through her, and her jaw clenched. All right, maybe it was. She waited a moment for the stars to stop spinning around her head and sighed. "Okay."
A gentle hand patted her belly. "Good girl."
"I'm not going to the hospital." Jade warned. "I hate them."
"I know." Tori quirked a grin. "Let's see what Dr. Dodie says… maybe he can take you first thing Monday morning at his office, hm?"
"Monday's out of the question.. we've got too much stuff going on." Jade countered.
"Jade." Tori gave her a look. "All right, we'll talk him into meeting us at the office tomorrow then." She gave her lover a triumphant smirk. "I'm sure he'll do that for you."
Yeah, he probably would. Jade grumpily concurred. "Well, we'll see." She twitched her shirt a little straighter. "Maybe it'll be okay tomorrow."
Just like a little kid. Tori put an arm around her waist, and hugged her gently. "Come on.. into bed. "
Jade resisted the tug. "I'd rather sit out in the living room for a bit… just to relax." She objected. "Besides, it's hard to eat ice cream lying down."
Tori started laughing. "You do have a one track mind sometimes, you know that?" She relented. "Okay… you can listen to me tell our sad story…and I'll get you some darn ice cream."
The injured woman allowed herself to be assisted into the living room, one long arm draped over Tori's shoulder. "I like listening to you tell stories." She commented. "You know that."
"Huh?" The brunette woman glanced up. "What do you mean?"
Jade fell silent, considering her words. "Like I like the sound of your voice… I don't know.. I think I need that coffee." She finally muttered in consternation, glancing over to see Andre reappearing from the kitchen. "Thanks, Andre." She sat down on the couch, and Chino stumbled over, climbing onto her feet and whining. "Okay.. okay…" She leaned over and picked the puppy up, suffering the tiny claws and enthusiastic tongue.
Andre put a tray of coffee cups down and stared at Jade's knee. "Good God woman, you look like you were playing rugby or something." He sat down and handed cups around. "So...what happened?"
Chino wriggled loose and went over to greet Tori, nuzzling her arm until she picked the puppy up, and cuddled it. "Hey puppy… did you miss us?"
Chino yawned, making a squeaking noise, then nibbled on Tori's arm, as the brunette woman tickled her tummy.
Jade settled back into the comfortingly soft leather and propped her leg up on the coffee table, sipping at her coffee and trying to make her body unwind. She'd gotten a little sleep on the bus, but that had mostly been riddled with strange images, and haunting scenes, that had left her more tired than anything else.
"Wait.. I'll be right back." Tori said, heading off into the kitchen, depositing Chino on Jade's lap as she went. "Here… hang onto her for a second." She grinned when the puppy immediately settled down on Jade's stomach, and the dark haired woman shifted her position, stretching out on the couch and resting her head on the arm. "Been quiet here?" She asked Andre, more to fill the silence than anything else.
"Pretty much, yes." Andre answered, pushing his locks back with one hand. "She was a good girl.. except she managed to get ahold of a banana somehow and I had to chase her halfway round the earth to get it back."
Jade smiled, and rubbed the puppy's head. "Did you do that?" She watched Chino cock her head, the soft ears flopping over. "Bananas are probably bad for puppies, huh?"
"Oh yeah." Andre laughed. "Ours got into a bunch when she was a pup… and ended up non stop pooping for a week." He glanced up as Tori reentered, carrying a bowl, and something in her other hand.
The brunette woman knelt next to where Jade was sprawled and handed her the bowl. "Here you go." She offered her the other hand. "And here's some ibuprofen for the knee. The good stuff… the 800's they gave you for your Migraines."
Jade balanced the bowl on her chest and took the large oval pill, throwing it in the back of her mouth and washing it down with a mouthful of coffee. "Thanks." She set the cup down and rescued the ice cream from the interestedly sniffing Chino. "Hold on there.. that's mine."
Tori chuckled and stood up. "You want an ice pack?"
Jade shook her head. "Nope." She mumbled around a mouthful of ice cream, watching Tori as she returned to the kitchen, coming back with a steaming bowlful of something and a fork. "Dre, there's more of this if you want." Tori commented, waving the fork at her.
"Nope… had something just before you called, thanks." The man responded, with a grin. "Now, tell your tale, and I'll be on my way..."
Tori sighed. "Where do I start…." She gave her a brief explanation of what the trip was supposed to be for.
"Oh.. lord… they sent our management away on one of those, and a manager came back pregnant." Andre responded. "Hasn't been another one since."
Jade chuckled. "I have a feeling we won't be having many after this either."
"Probably not." Tori gave her a look, then chewed a forkful of her leftover Szechuan chicken. "Anyway, so we got there, and.. "
There was something soothing about Tori's voice, Jade decided, as she sucked on her ice cream. Even if she didn't listen to all the words, the tone, rising and falling, getting louder to make a point, then dropping off, was as easy on her ears as Tori's adorable good looks were easy on her eyes.
Monday, she knew, was going to be an absolute disaster. She almost wished she could just call in sick, but that would leave Tori to deal with it, and that wasn't fair. Jade scooped up the last of the frozen treat and was about to lick the spoon, when the beseeching brown eyes gazing up between her breasts got the better of her. "Oh.. all right." She held up the spoon and watched Chino lick it clean, a tiny smudge of ice cream splotching her jet black nose. "You like ice cream too, huh?"
The puppy made an eager noise, and scrambled up, sticking her entire face in the empty bowl and smearing the chocolate all over her creamy fur. "Hey… hey.. "
"Jade, are you feeding that puppy ice cream?" Tori sounded humorously outraged. "I can't believe it."
"Well, no.. that wasn't my intention." Jade protested, trying to get the puppy out of the bowl. "Hey.. get out of there..."
Chino finally gave up, pulling her head out of the bowl and licking her chops, then scrambling up and starting to clean Jade's face. "Aww… c'mon.. "
Tori laughed. "I know you gave her to me, Jade.. but I gotta tell you.. I think that's your dog."
"No.. " Jade finally got the puppy to settle back down on her stomach. "It's not my dog, it's your dog.. she just likes to sit on me."
"If you say so." Tori grinned, and went back to her story.
Jade listened for a minute, then put the bowl aside, and wriggled into a more comfortable position. She felt her body finally start to relax, settling deeper in the soft leather, and she decided to close her eyes, so she could concentrate on hearing the story.
"So then Jade just kind of cleared the decks with all of them, and we... " Tori looked up as Andre poked her. "What?"
The man pointed and grinned.
Tori glanced over and saw her lover fast asleep on the couch, the puppy snoozing on top of her, both looking content as could be. "Awww… " She couldn't help grinning. "Wait.. I have to get a pic… shh.. " She got up and pulled her phone out of her pocket wishing she had time to get her professional Camera in her room.
"Shh… she'll hear you.." Andre whispered, watching her sneak forward and get into position.
"Okay.. okay.. " Tori focused the lens expertly, wanting to get a perfect shot because she knew the flash would probably wake Jade up. She framed the other woman's head and chest in the picture, along with the sleeping puppy, and pressed the shutter and seeing the bright pop of the flash go off.
Sure enough, sleepy blue eyes blinked at her, as she lowered the phone, then glanced around the room dazedly. "Oh… you didn't." Jade groaned piteously.
"Yes, I did." Tori grinned, clasping the camera to her. "You looked sooooo cute, I couldn't resist."
Jade covered her eyes with an arm and sighed.
Andre laughed. "Well, that's my cue… it's getting late, and I can get the bits and pieces of the rest from you tomorrow." He stood and hugged Tori. "Take it easy, you two.. and I hope the knee feels better for you tomorrow, Jade."
"Thanks." Jade gave her a smile. "And thanks for taking care of Chino."
The man waved, and trotted out the door, leaving them looking at each other. "You took my picture?" Jade whined. "Keerrryyyy."
"Oh, come on… the camera loves you, and you know it.. you could be covered in mud with a pig on your head and you'd still look fantastic, so be quiet, Jade West." Tori put her phone back in her pocket and crossed to her lover, kneeling down and scratching the sleepy Chino's ears. "Are you ready for bed?"
"Is that a question or an invitation?" Jade responded, with a sly grin.
Tori leaned forward and kissed her. "Does that answer your question?"
Jade curled an arm around her and tugged her down, returning the kiss with enthusiasm. "Oh yeah."
Chino yawned, then burped, putting her head down alongside Jade's leg and hiding her eyes.
