alright, yes I posted this last night but I had not read this over before I posted it and it still had both versions of this chapter in the text. I've completely blended it a little better just now, so it should read a little better. You guys are going to be mad at Jade next chapter anyway, but for now... let's make sense of the care that Jade needs. Also... I deleted chapter 8 by mistake... posted that up already hopefully the reviews you gave me are still around somewhere. I do appreciate them so. if you would like to re-read this one, you are welcome to it. though the end is still the same.

Nine

Tori woke as the sunlight hit her face, and she blinked sleepily at the clock. "Mm… it's Sunday, and I'm not in some bug-infested tent in Wine Country nowhere… this is good." She was on her side, facing the door, and a long arm was draped over her, attached to the sleeping woman snuggled up behind her.

She lifted her hand and flexed it, making a face at the stiff soreness in her fingers. "Jesus… no one tells you doing that hurts. How do those guys on TV do it all the time?" She let her hand drop and put her head back down on the pillow, allowing the clean smell of the sun-warmed linen to enter her lungs.

It was funny. Most of the time, she still thought of herself as this young kid, especially at work, when she would walk into that huge office, and have to slap herself and say. This is mine. And then, here she was, waking up in this beautiful place with this beautiful woman wrapped around her, and damn it if she still didn't have to slap herself and say... "This is mine."

She curled her fingers around Jade's and enjoyed the warm, living feel of them as they twitched against the bare skin of her stomach, and the gentle pressure of Jade's breathing pressed lightly against her back. This is mine. How did I luck into this? She turned her head and gazed at her lover's face, open and relaxed in sleep.

Trusting. The faintest hint of a smile there. Dark hair disheveled, and half obscuring one closed eye.

Which opened and collected sunlight into it's pale blue depths as she watched, and the slim, perfectly arched brow above it lifted up. "Something wrong?"

Tori shook her head silently.

Jade snuggled a little closer and shrugged, then let her eyes close again. "Good…I don't feel like moving." She muttered.

Tori pressed back against her gently, letting her own eyes drift closed. Jade seldom slept in, and she suspected the previous day had taken more out of her than she was willing to admit, but if it gave her an excuse to laze around in bed all morning, was she going to complain?

Nu-uh. No way. She loved sleeping in and did it whenever she could get away with it. She wrapped her fingers more firmly around Jade's and dozed back off.

Jade was very reluctant to move. She'd finally found a really comfortable spot, where her knee was gently supported by Tori's muscular legs, and the aching had subsided a little, allowing her to sleep.

But an open eyelid showed that it was late morning, and she knew that at the very least, poor Chino needed to be taken care of. She eyed the still-sleeping Tori and grinned a little, enjoying the look of childlike pleasure she always had when she was dreaming. Slowly, Jade slid away from her lover and rolled onto her back, straightening her leg out cautiously.

Ow. She exhaled in disgust. I really did it this time. She eased the comforter back and regarded her knee with a jaundiced eye, noting the extended bruising, and the continued swelling of the affected joint. Hesitantly she drew it up, encouraged a bit when she found she could bend it a little more than the previous night, and the sharp pains seemed to have subsided to a continuous, dull ache.

With a sigh, she rolled over and got to the edge of the water bed, levering herself up and out of the warm comfort mostly using her arms. Then she cautiously put a little weight on the leg, and winced, sucking in a breath and grabbing the dresser.

Damn, damn damn. Considering, she limped heavily over to the dresser and got into a pair of shorts by sitting on the edge of the bed. Then she rummaged in a lower drawer and found an old knee brace she'd used back in the old days when this stuff had been an everyday occurrence practically. "Well… it's better than nothing." She muttered, examining it, then slipping it on and adjusting it over the joint.

Standing, she found she could put a little more pressure on the leg, enough for her to walk, albeit with a limp, and she moved into the living room after slipping into a cutoff half sweatshirt. Chino heard her coming, and she started jumping up and down, whimpering until Jade let her out of the utility room. "C'mon, sweetie." She opened the back door, and let the puppy out, stepping out onto the back porch to watch while the bouncing animal raced around the small, fenced-in area, and spent enormous apparent brain energy in picking a spot to relieve herself.

"Another example of human mental superiority," Jade told the puppy. "We don't waste time choosing where to pee." The cool air fluttered her shirt's ragged half sleeves and brushed against the bare skin of her stomach, and she took a moment to breathe in the salty air as she stretched in the warm sunlight.

Then she ran a hand through her disordered hair and limped inside, followed by the eager puppy, who bounced all over the kitchen until Jade retrieved the packet of fresh food from the fridge and dished out some puppy food. "Whoa.. whoa.. take it easy, Chino… chew it, okay? Don't choke." She watched the animal devour the food like an animated vacuum, chuckling as she shook her head.

Then she turned and leaned on the counter as she got some coffee started. "Let's see, Chino… do we have breakfast?" She opened the cabinet, and took down a bright blue box, shaking it gently. "Hmm… we sure do." Then she considered. "Hey.. what if I make your mom some breakfast as a surprise?"

Chino turned and looked at her, then sneezed and went back to her food.

"Everyone's a damn critic," Jade replied, with a snort. "Okay, so I'm not Julia Child… but I can make breakfast." She glanced into the refrigerator. "I'm sure I can... I run a damn zillion-dollar operation... I can manage to finally use the toaster."

Chino barked at her.

"Are you laughing at me, Miss Puppy?" Jade put a hand on her hip and glared at the animal. "We'll see if you get any treats from me today." She limped around the kitchen and got out the bread and butter, with some jelly for toast. "Okay... I can handle toast… what do you think, should I do pancakes?"

Chino's gentle brown eyes widened.

"No… you're probably right.. better stick to something easy, like eggs." Jade decided, pulling out a carton of them. "She likes them scrambled.. how many eggs do you put in for that?" She inspected the round, white objects. "Hmm… they look small… two each is good enough, huh?" She pulled out the eggs and put them on the counter, where they rocked gently. "Okay… do we have. " She checked the freezer. "Ah.. yes." She pulled out a package of frozen sausage. "Brown and serve.. already cooked.. that's good. I won't give anyone botulism."

The puppy barked, then wagged her tail.

"No comments from the peanut gallery." Jade pointed the box at her. "Okay… I need two pans, a dish for these eggs, and something to mix them up with. She peered in the cabinet. "No.. grits are a bad idea.. though she did like them the last time she tried it… nah." She chuckled wryly at herself, as she got the two frying pans and a bowl out. "Okay.. first, break the eggs."

She cracked the white shells, and emptied their contents in the bowl, careful not to put shards in there. She took a fork and mixed the eggs, after piercing the yolks to bleed a sluggish yellow in their depths." just a pinch of salt and pepper, and a dash of cream." She shook a little of both spices in and continued mixing. "Okay.. that looks good."

She put the flame on two burners, and let the pans heat up. "A spoon full of butter in each pan " She recalled watching a Louisianan cooking show on one of her last flights out and remembered the chef putting half a stick of butter in a pan. She limped to the refrigerator and retrieved the butter, then cut a healthy-sized cube off and let it drop into the pan. It sizzled immediately and spattered her. "Yeow!"

Chino barked, then hid under the table.

"Okay.. okay... " Jade stirred the butter around and watched it melt. "They don't warn you about that, do they?" She muttered, pouring the eggs in and turning the flame down. Then she dropped the contents of the sausage box into the other pan.

"I think I've got this under control, Chino. "Jade remarked, stirring the eggs with a wooden spoon. "Yeah.. there they go… out of the liquid stage into the jello stage." She paused and took a fork to the sausages, moving them around when they started to sizzle. "Hey.. that smells pretty good, huh?" She glanced down to see a puppy glued to her foot. "Oh.. yeah, I guess it does." She stirred the eggs some more. "Ah.. out of the jello stage, into the fluffy stage." Triumphantly, she removed the pan from the fire... "Yeow!" She dropped it back down and turned off the fire hastily. "Damn it.. that's hot."

She rummaged for a pot holder, then managed to get the pan off the stove, scooping the eggs off into a plate. "Okay.. so far, so good." She turned her attention to the sausage, poking them hesitantly. "Well, they look hot." She rolled them over. "Oh.. brown.. right, I got it.. brown, and serve. That must be the brown part."

She let them continue to cook for a moment and stuck a few pieces of bread in the toaster, turning it on. "Now this, I can't screw up." She nodded briskly at it. "Tori fireproofed the controls after that damned bagel set of the fire alarm." She turned the sausages a few more times as the bread toasted, then added them to the plate of eggs, and caught the bread as it popped out." Hey.. we're doing good here, Chino… doing good… and I didn't even manage to… "

A gentle throat clearing interrupted her monologue, and she glanced up, startled, to see Tori leaning against the doorway, a thin t-shirt covering her to her thighs, her hair loosely disheveled around her face. "What are you doing?"

Jade felt a stupid grin crossing her face as she regarded her sleep-rumpled lover, who was regarding her from under lazy brown lashes. "Um… "

Tori entered the kitchen and glanced at the full, gently steaming plate. "Where did this come from?"

Jade held out the plate. "I made it." She announced proudly. "I was going to surprise you in bed, but.. um… "

Tori broke off a corner of egg and nibbled it. "Mm." She gave Jade a look of delighted surprise. "Very good." She took the plate from her friend's hands and put it down on the counter, as her eyes traveled down Jade's body.

I've closed million-dollar deals that haven't felt this good. Jade reflected, in a moment of quiet clarity. "I was just getting some toast." She shifted awkwardly and picked up the bread, feeling a warm hand on her bare side. "Hmm?"

"Tell you what." Tori leaned over and kissed her belly button gently. "I'll take this outside, and you. " She handed her her phone. "Call Dr. Dodie." Her fingers dropped to touch the brace. "Okay?"

"Um.. it feels a lot better today." Jade objected hopefully. "Really! Tori... it does... this brace really helps."

Hone brown eyes lifted and regarded her.

Jade sighed. "All right…" She watched her lover take the plate out to the balcony, and she limped behind her, grateful to settle into one of the bucket chairs in the salty breeze as Tori returned to get their coffee and some silverware. She thought a minute, then dialed a number, waiting for the service to pick up. "Hello.. yes, please." She waited. "It's for Dr. Dodie… I'll leave my number. " She gave it, and her name. "I banged up my knee a little yesterday and I just want to talk to him about it." She listened for a moment. "Okay, thanks." She hung up the phone as Tori settled into her chair. "Happy now?"

Tori speared a bit of sausage on her fork and offered it. "Jade, there's no sense in you being miserable, is there?" She watched her lover chew the sausage and swallow it. "What, no grits?"

"I know, and no... I didn't want to push my luck with standing at the stove." Jade informed her. "This was about at my limits."

A soft chuckle. "Well, it's very good... I'm impressed." She took a forkful of eggs. "Nice and fluffy, and no shells… perfect."

Jade studied her hands. "I told you I Burn… I just rather eat." She remarked quietly. "I used to watch my Dad make breakfast for Mom all the time. One of my Dad's few specialties and he didn't make them for everyone.. just people he really, really liked."

Tori munched contentedly. "Oh.. so is this how I know I've been truly accepted?" Her eyes twinkled. "I get breakfast made for me?"

A pensive smile shaped Jade's lips. "I don't know… you're the first person I've ever made anything for." The phone rang, and she picked it up. "Hello?"

Tori had paused, with the fork in her mouth as she sucked the tines. The eggs took on a new flavor, as she absorbed the words Jade had just said. This has nothing to do with food and everything to do with Jade's willingness to accept her as a part of her life. As a part of herself.

"Yeah.. hi Dr. Dodie." Jade leaned back and braced her foot against the balcony carefully, studying the bruised flesh around the brace. "No... I… we did a little hiking in wine country yesterday, and we had a little accident… I twisted the hell out of my knee, and it's turning all kinds of godawful colors." A pause, while the dark-haired woman listened. "No.. no, no hospitals… it's not that bad, just a little sore." Another pause. "No…well, yeah." A touch of resignation entered Jade's voice. "Yeah.. it is… well, no, I can't." Much longer pause, during which Jade's shoulders slumped. "Okay… yeah.. no, I'll meet you over there." She exhaled. "Yeah, an hour's good… okay, bye." She hung up and gave Tori a wry look. 'Well, he wants to x-ray it."

"Good for him," Tori responded. "I think that's a great idea." She offered Jade a forkful of eggs. "We meet him there in an hour? Good. I've been looking forward to meeting him."

A reluctant smile found its way onto Jade's face. "He's been wanting to meet you too." She admitted. "Oh well.. at least it's just his office." She leaned back and let the sun drench her body. "What's the worst he can do, right?"

Tori reached up and ran a hand through her lover's dark hair, enjoying the silky feel. Abruptly she stopped and felt gently at the side of Jade's head. "Hey.. "

Jade winced and moved away a little. "Ow."

"You still have a bump there. " Tori persisted, easing her touch, and just running her fingertips over the lump. "Does it hurt a lot?"

Jade closed her eyes briefly, then opened them. "Aches, a little." She admitted. "Just like the leg… sort of a low-grade annoying kind of pain."

Tori peered closer at her eyes. "Jade, come over here by the window for a minute. "She waited for the dark-haired woman to comply, then she stood on tip-toe and peered at the clear blue irises. "Close your eyes." Jade did so. "Okay, open them." The lashes fluttered open. "Jade, your pupil on that side is reacting differently than the one on the other side."

"Mm." Jade nodded offhandedly. "Yeah... I figured I might have rattled something in there."

Tori cupped her face. "I think you should go get that checked out too." She stated firmly, peering closer when Jade started to protest. "Jade, you've been acting weird ever since that happened."

"What?" The dark brows knitted. "What do you mean?"

Tori sighed, perplexed as to how to explain. "You've just been different... I thought it was the trip, at first, but even when we were home, you just weren't …I don't know.. just weren't yourself."

Jade considered that then shrugged. "I feel fine… " She objected. "I just… " She fell silent. "I've been a little down, but… " She waved a hand. "It's been a rough couple of days."

"C'mere." Tori took her hand, slipped a supportive arm around Jade, and helped her limp over to the couch where they both sat down. She took Jade's hands in hers and held them, gazing up at her friend, who looked back at her with open, almost anxious blue eyes. "Jade, do you trust me?"

The eyes widened a little. "Of course I do..why?"

"Please, make sure Dr. Dodie knows about this," Tori asked quietly. "It would make me feel a lot better if he just took a look, and said it was okay."

Jade studied her, puzzled. "But… " Tori was serious, she could see that. And to tell the truth, the nagging headache was starting to get to her. "All right." She shrugged a little. "Seems like a waste of time for a little bump on the head, but if you'd feel better…"

Jade sat quietly on the examining table, leaning on her hands as she regarded her knee morosely. Dr. Dodie had done what seemed like a hundred or so X-rays, and was now off in his inner sanctum, doing whatever it was you did to make sense out of them. At least she didn't have to wear that damned, stupid gown, since it was her knee, after all, and she was wearing shorts.

Tori had, at her request, dropped her off and gone to pick up a few things they needed, promising to get Jade a treat for being so good and to be back shortly to get her. A sound alerted her, and she glanced up as Dr. Dodie came in, festive in his robin's egg blue golf shirt and Bermuda shorts. "So… how bad is it?"

"Jade, why do you always think the worst?" Dr. Dodie shook a finger at her. "You are such a pessimist.. and where is this lovely paragon of virtue of yours?"

The dark-haired woman studied her hands. "If you expect the worst when less happens, you're pleasantly surprised." She informed the doctor. "And Tori'll be here any minute."

"Mmhmm… well. " He stuck two of the X-rays up and flicked the light on. "Now.. tell me again how you did this?" He traced the area with his pen. "You have compression on the joint here, and here, and stretched tendons here and here…it looks like you kicked a car. You didn't do that, did you?"

Jade sighed. "No.. we got caught in a landslide and a sinkhole collapsed… I fell about fifty feet, I guess… and landed wrong." She eased off the couch and limped over. "Anything break?"

The doctor studied the film carefully. "Doesn't look like it, my friend." He patted Jade's arm. "You got lucky… that could have been a bad one.. might have needed reconstruction."

Jade winced. "Mm… so what do I do? Just take Ibuprofen until it stops hurting?" She limped back over to the couch and hoisted herself up onto it, to get her weight off the leg.

"Oh no.. you don't get that lucky, Jade... " Dr. Dodie chuckled. "I'm going to put a restrictive brace on you, and give you a pair of crutches."

"Uh uh.. no crutches. " Jade immediately objected. "I hate those things."

"Jade…"

They both turned as a light knock came on the door. "Come on in." Dr. Dodie called out, smiling as the door eased open and Tori poked her brown head in. "Well, hello there." He beamed at her. "Come in.. come in… "

Tori stepped inside and gave him a tentative smile in return, as her eyes flicked to Jade's face. "How's it going?"

Jade exhaled. "Tori, this is Dr. Dodie." She lifted a hand and waved at the doctor. "Dodie, this is Tori. "

"Nice to meet you." Tori extended a hand and returned the doctor's firm grip.

"Ah.. it's nice for me to meet you, Tori… I cannot tell you how much." The doctor returned her greeting. "Now, perhaps the person who puts a smile on this stubborn cat's face will help me convince her to use a simple pair of crutches, eh?"

"Hey." Jade's brows knit.

"Jade, are you being difficult?" Tori chuckled softly, and moved over to her lover, leaning against the couch and letting a hand rest on Jade's thigh. "What is it you want her to do?" She asked the doctor.

"Well, there's a lot of swelling in there, and fluid." Dr. Dodie explained briskly. "I can get rid of it one of two ways… either we wait, and let Jade here rest and see if her body reabsorbs it, or.. " He held up a long, hollow needle.

Jade's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything.

"So I wanted to put a brace on it, to hold all the bits and pieces together, and convince my good friend here to keep off the darn thing and give it a chance to heal."

Tori peered at him, then at Jade. "So.. what's the problem with that?"

Her lover sighed. "I hate crutches." She growled. "I had a broken leg when I was in college, and got stuck on the damn things for four months… drove me nuts."

"Ah..well, Jade… we're asking for a week here, hmm?" Dr. Dodie coaxed her. "Come on now... it's either that or stay in bed."

A faint, elfin smile wrinkled Tori's face and brought a twinkle to her eyes. "Hmm… " Then she chuckled. "Think of it as a strategic plus, Jade… if you show up on crutches at work, it's going to throw everyone way off their game."

Blue eyes regarded her glumly.

Tori sighed. "Okay… then look at it this way… if you show up on crutches, and they annoy you, you can bap them over the head with them in the executive meeting." She paused to see the effect her words were having and saw a grudging grin start to edge Jade's face. "It's just a week."

Jade exhaled. "Well.. it'll give me an excuse to dress even more casually at work. I'm not wearing any of my great clothes with a damn brace and crutches. Sweats and sneakers here I come." She finally relented.

"See? There you go." Tori turned and winked at Dr. Dodie. "Now what?"

The doctor chuckled. "Lay down, Jade… I'm going to get that brace on, and give you a minute to get used to it." He went out, then came back with a sturdy-looking white cotton brace, sliding it onto his reluctant patient's leg and positioning it over the injury. "Lucky thing you keep these in good shape." He thumped his knuckles on her thigh. "I think that's what kept your leg in one piece." He tightened the straps and fastened the Velcro tabs, adjusting tiny laces on the side to make the fit right. "There.. how's that?"

Jade flexed her thigh muscles and lifted the leg up, then let it drop and swung to a seated position, bending the stiff supports with difficulty. "Tight."

"It's supposed to be," Dodie told her cheerfully. "All right.. let me get some crutches…"

Jade nodded and glanced after him as he left, and then her eyes met Tori. "I'm being an ass, aren't I?"

"Umm… no... well… " Tori cleared her throat. "I think admitting to weakness is really tough on you, Jade." She traced a tiny line along the fine, soft hairs on Jade's arm. "I know that bothers you, especially at work, and especially this week, which is going to be tough."

She was right, on all counts, Jade acknowledged silently. "Well, I'd better get used to the damn things a little.. can I interest you in some lunch and a short walk out on the beach?" She offered.

"Sure, but what did Dodie say about your head?" Tori asked. As The door opened.

Dr. Dodie paused Crutches in hand, "What about her head?" He moved forward looking at Jade's eyes in earnest this time. " Blink for me."

"I bumped my head on the way down yesterday," Jade said as she blinked.

Dodie frowned " Where?" He asked and Jade pointed out the lump behind her ear. "Well Sweet Pea, You are not going to like what I have to say…"

Tori clasped her hands and studied the painfully clean tile floor in the waiting room at UC San Francisco Medical Center. Their quick run by Dr. Dodie's office had resulted in his demand for a CAT scan, against Jade's vehement protests, and it had taken all her considerable powers of persuasion to get her lover over here.

She exhaled, her fingers plucking at a seam in her pants. Jade had been in there for over an hour, and she was starting to get worried. Did it take that long? What were they doing… or was Jade fighting them, and that was why it was taking forever?

Soft footfalls made her look up, from her lonely vigil, it being after business hours in the outpatient radiation lab. A tall figure was moving towards her, with an oddly familiar bouncing gait. The figure was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, and Tori was suddenly alert. When she saw him, the figure leaped down the hall.

She had seen him once before, but she recognized him immediately. Were they being followed. Tori felt uneasy, but the man had never seemed threatening so she shook it off.

Just then, the door swung open, and a nurse stuck her head in. "Ms. Vega?"

Tori stood up. "That's me."

"The doctor wants to talk to you.. and then you can see your friend." The woman told her. "Come this way."

Dr. Dodie was in a small examination room, one wall of which was for looking at X-rays and other films, but it also had screens for displaying the CAT scans. He was poring over one with another man, and he looked up as Tori came in. "Ah… Ms. Tori… good.. good." He motioned her over.

"Hi." Tori paused and looked over his shoulder at the scan. It meant nothing to her, just a large blob, with lighter blobettes in the center. "So..what's the scoop?" She exhaled. "How's Jade?"

"Ah." Dr. Dodie cleared his throat. "We had to give her a little sedative, but she's resting comfortably." He pointed at the screen. "Now… here's the problem.. that little bump there caused a fluid build-up inside her head." He traced a small, semicircular area. "That's pressing on her brain, and making things a little fuzzy for her right now."

"Oh." Tori tucked her hands under her arms. "So.. what do you do for that?"

"Well, we can do two things… we can let it try and subside on its own, which, I might add, it does seem to be doing.. see here?" He traced a thin, dark gray line. "It was bigger... now it's smaller." He studied that. "Or we can cut in there and pull the stuff out."

Tori blinked. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Honey." Dr. Dodie took her hands in his own. "When it comes to the noggin, everything's dangerous, you understand? Anything that messes with the gray matter can cause all kinds of problems... from paralysis, to balance problems, to losing language… it's very delicate."

Tori must have looked terrified because he released her hands and cupped her face instead. "Hey..whoa..whoa.. none of that is going on here.. so take it easy." He reassured her hastily. "Take it easy... she's fine, and I think she's going to stay that way, but, and I mean but, you gotta get her to stay in bed for a couple of days until that goes down." He looked at her. "No bs, now, Tori… she needs to stay quiet, and not raise her blood pressure up, or do any of that kind of thing."

Tori took a breath. "Can you keep her in here? It's tough to make her just sit still at home." This changed her plans. Now she knew she'd have to go back into the office, and somehow keep things together long enough for Jade to get well. "If she's here, she kinda has to."

He sighed. "I could… but I think that would cause her more stress than just sending her home.. she's got a real problem with hospitals."

"I know." The brunette nodded. "Okay.. I'll keep her quiet, somehow." She promised. "Can I see her?"

Dr. Dodie nodded. "Sure… I just want that sedative to wear off before she gets up and leaves.. be about twenty, thirty minutes or so." He pointed. "She's in there… "

Tori squeezed his arm, then she went through the automatic doors to a small antechamber, where she spotted her lover sprawled on a thin transport bed. For a moment, she stood there, just watching her, and then she walked over and took Jade's hand in hers and chafed it. "Hey."

Slowly, dazed blue eyes opened, and turned her way. "Oh.. hey." Jade managed to get out. "They had to knock me on my ass with some stuff." She murmured. "Can I get outta here now?"

"In a few minutes," Tori told her gently. "You have a bump on the inside of your head just like on the outside."

Jade took a minute to digest this. "Bad?"

"Mm…no… I don't think so… Dr. Dodie says you just need to rest for a few days… he's going to let you go, but you've got to promise to be good, and take it very easy."

"Bad timing." A faint, wry smile slipped onto Jade's face.

"I think it's great timing." Tori disagreed. "He said about a week….that should give the company ample time to realize exactly what it is you do for them."

Jade shook her head a little. "Everyone's replaceable, Tori."

"They can put someone in that office, but they can never replace you, and we both know that," Tori replied, as she stroked Jade's cheek, then pushed the disheveled hair back off her forehead. "And I think there's part of you that really likes that job, isn't there?" She watched as

Blue eyes blinked slowly."Thanks… everyone seems hell-bent on taking care of me today for some reason." She lifted a brow at Tori, who stuck an impudent tongue out at her. Tori just grinned, glad to see a tiny sparkle returning to Jade's very blue eyes. "Can we still take that walk?"

"Jade… I don't know…" Tori said with a frown.

"At least a short one down the pier to Joe's for dinner? I still gotta get used to the crutches."

Tori's eyes lit. "Sure… we'll go to Fisherman's Wharf? then we can walk on the boardwalk a little." She'd developed a strong preference for fresh seafood since she'd started living with Jade, and now her mouth watered a little, as she imagined the buffet in the late afternoon. And, she virtuously decided, it was healthy for you.

"Sounds good to me." Jade agreed, as Dr. Dodie came back into her room with Jade's crutches, which he handed to his victim.

"You're about ready to go, Jade. I mean this, take it easy, or I will hospitalize you the next time."

Jade smirked and sat up in the bed. "Let me adjust these first." She reversed the crutches, loosened the wingnut that held the bolt, adjusted their height, and lengthened them. "Okay.." She put the tips on the ground and stood up, fitting them under her arms. "Anything else, Dr. Dodie?"

He studied her. "You want something for the pain?" He offered.

Jade thought about it. "No." She finally decided, with a pensive sigh. "I tend to rely on it too much… not a good idea." She replied honestly. "I'll stick with the Ibuprofen."

Dodie patted her side. "Good girl." He then tugged on Tori's brown hair "You take care of her, okay?" He took her hand, then stopped, peering at it. "And what did you do?" He glanced up. "You fall in that hole too?"

"Um… not exactly." Tori rubbed her ear. "I..um… hit it on something."

"She slugged someone." Jade supplied helpfully.

Dr. Dodie's eyebrows lifted. "Did you ?" He laughed in surprise, tugging her over to the light. "Here…let me take a look."

Jade's direct stare dared Tori to protest, and the brunette woman merely sighed and went along, wincing as the doctor's probing hit very sore spots. "Ow."

"Can you close your hand?" He asked.

"Um.. not really," Tori confessed, moving her fingers as far as she could. "Just that much…it really hurts past that." She found herself being led over to the X-ray platform and heard Jade's soft chuckle. "At least I'm not arguing!" She called back over her shoulder as Dr. Dodie pulled her over to radiology. Jade followed her girlfriend amused.

They finally exited out onto the sunny Peer, with Jade maneuvering carefully with her crutches, and Tori cradling a hand that now bore a thin, compression bandage her hand. "I had no idea a bone bruise hurt that much.." The brunette woman complained. "It didn't feel that bad."

"It's nothing.. ." Jade mimicked, teasing her with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah yeah… " Tori sighed, examining the bandage. "You have to wrap it, though... it's the first one I've ever had." She wiggled her fingers. "I'm glad it was just a little bruise." She dismissed her annoyance and glanced ahead. "C'mon… there are some nice, big shrimp over there calling my name."

They moved down the boardwalk slowly, evading the Sunday crowds who were strolling up and down, most of the younger ones there to be seen, and most of the older ones there to do the seeing, some appreciatively, some shaking their heads in mock despair over the scandalous dress and demeanor.

Tori watched the people around her, stepping aside as two very young and very athletic men sped by on rollerblades, their short shorts almost revealing what religion they were. Tori chuckled softly, and shook her head, then excused herself as she almost collided with two women strolling through the crowd. They smiled back at her, then let their eyes linger, and Tori blushed a little at the approving looks, as she glanced down.

"Something wrong?" Jade inquired glancing at the retreating pair.

"Um.. no, no.. I just… " Tori tugged at her snug white t-shirt and adjusted herself in her skinny jeans. "They.. um… "

"They were looking at you?" Jade's eyes twinkled, as she lowered her voice. "Don't blame them... you look hot." She let her eyes roam over her companion's body, and up to her braided hair, pulled back from her face.

Tori straightened her shoulders a bit under the regard and eyed her friend. "So why aren't they all staring at you?" She indicated Jade's faded denim cutoffs, and black and red tank. The other woman was attempting to add color to her wardrobe a bit of color at a time. Jade had also donned a favorite baseball cap, which was holding her dark hair off her forehead, and directing the loosely caught ponytail out the back of it.

"Ah ah.. staring at a cripple's in bad taste." Jade smugly told her. "Relax… looking's a hobby down here.. don't let it bother you." She maneuvered around a sidewalk café, actually sort of glad she'd gotten off the knee, which had started to really bother her during even the short walk from the car to the doctor's office. And a week really wasn't too bad, not if it avoided that damn, huge, six-foot-long needle. Jade shivered involuntarily.

"Hey, you guys." A strange voice caught their attention, and they both stopped, to avoid crashing into a tall redhead accompanied by a shorter, ash blond woman. "How's it going?"

Ah… Jade shuffled her mental deck and placed them. The choir leader and her friend from the church. "Not bad, and you?" She replied politely. "We got the newsletter the other day.. thanks for sending it."

"No problem. " The redhead grinned. "What happened to you guys?" She pointed at Jade's leg. "Car accident or something?"

"Or something." Tori smiled easily. "Hi, Anne… that's a nice shirt."

The blond woman grinned back. "Thanks.. where are you two off to? Just browsing?" She edged out of the stream of traffic. Both women were wearing jeans and t-shirts from the Arts Festival the prior month and seemed in good spirits.

"We're headed over to Joe's for lunch… then for a walk. Jade's trying to get used to her crutches." Tori explained, glancing around. "What about you?"

Anne shrugged. "We were just wandering… mind if we join you?" She poked her companion. "Liz here was just saying she was hungry."

Tori glanced up at Jade's face, trying to judge her feelings on the subject. The other woman's expression was mildly interested, and she sensed no violent objection. "Sure… that'd be great.. you can tell me about that arts program the newsletter mentioned."

They walked slowly, in deference to Jade's knee until they reached the restaurant, and sat down at a table near the window, with a nice view of the water. "You hang out here." Tori put a hand on Jade's arm. "I'll get you a plate.. okay?"

It went against Jade's grain, but even she acknowledged that trying to juggle a plate on crutches would be stupid at best. "Okay." She agreed, leaning back and stretching out back muscles strained by the unusual pressure. She gazed out the window until the other three returned, Tori, setting a plate down in front of her, then trotting off to get one for herself. Anne and Liz sat down and settled napkins on their laps. "So, Jade.. what did happen to your leg?" Anne asked, taking a forkful of shrimp pasta.

"We were hiking.. got into a little tiff with a landslide," Jade answered briefly, selecting a bit of cold crab and dipping it in mustard sauce. "How's the choir doing?" She asked Liz politely.

"Mm… it'd do better if I could talk you into joining. " Liz remarked, taking a sip of her sweetened tea.

Jade smiled briefly, acknowledging the compliment. "My job prevents me from committing to that kind of thing. " She explained. " I get sent out of town a lot." She glanced up as Tori returned, settling into the chair next to her with a nicely loaded down plate. "Got enough shrimp there?" She teased gently, grinning when Tori stuck her tongue out briefly at her.

"So.. " Tori took a bite of garlic bread. "Tell me about this arts program of yours… there were some classes there I'd love to take…that oil painting one, for instance."

Anne launched into an enthusiastic explanation, and Liz threw in comments, leaving Jade to listen and consume the plate Tori had provided. The brunette woman laughed at some of the comments and reached over to touch Jade's arm frequently as she replied, and Jade was content to offer brief nods, and short answers to the two other women.

"Ah... Jade, I've got to get you some of these. " Tori interrupted, waving a crawfish at her. "You'd really like them… here.. "She pulled at tail out, and dipped it in butter, then offered it to her lover. Jade smiled amiably, and leaned over, taking it between her teeth neatly and chewing it judiciously. "Right?"

"Right." Jade agreed, as they all laughed. A motion caught her eye, and she turned her head, to see a photographer focusing on one of the tables outside, measuring angles and taking a picture. Probably looking for celebrities, the dark-haired woman mused, with a silent chuckle, as she dismissed the man in khakis and returned to her lunch.