The party began to die down around 7:30 or so. Everyone was beat.
It had been a
long couple of days and they were happy to be going back to the station where
they
would be able to take showers and sleep.
At 8:15 everyone started to leave. Durfee, Carla, and Wick were the
last to leave.
"Good luck with the recovery kid. If you feel up to it, come down to the
station. The
guys will want to know how you're doing." Ryan loved him...he was like a
father to her
and to the guys at the station.
"Night Ryan. Take care of yourself. I'll come by soon and see you."
Wick gave
her a little peck on the cheek before yelling over to Bell, "Don't let us
down boy." Ryan
shot a questioning look at the two guys but neither responded. In fact, Bell
had the same
questioning look on his face as Ryan did.
Carla was the last to say good night to Kathleen. "Hey girl! You
think you can
manage? Ah hell, you've got Michael to take care of you...you'll do fine.
Call me if you
need anything." With a final hug, she left.
'What the hell was that all about. First Wick's comment and then
Carla's? I can
let Wick's go just because he's like that. But Carla....' Ryan's thoughts
were cut short by
Bell's voice.
"Are you all right? I've been calling your name for a while."
"Yeah, I'm fine...just tired. I can thank these meds for that." She
smiled at him.
In truth, her ankle throbbed so bad she thought it was going to fall off.
'maybe that's not
such a bad idea.' She was extremely tired and just wanted to go to bed.
"Do you want to go to bed?"
"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. But what about the mess? You
can never
count on these guys to clean up anything." They both laughed at the recent
memories of
having to clean up the meals from shift changes.
"I'll clean it up later. That's why I'm here remember?"
"Yeah, how could I forget?"
It still hurt to use the crutches with her bruises so Michael scooped
her into his
arms and carried her to the bedroom. He placed her down on the large bed.
Bell had
never been in Ryan's bedroom.
"Where are your pj's?" Bell fully knew what she slept in...boxer
shorts and a
T-shirt (usually one of those half shirts). He had watched her many nights
at the station
getting ready for bed. He hadn't meant to but for some reason his eyes were
drawn to her
body. The boxer shorts gave a sense of strength yet covered her beautiful
lower body
while the shirt let her be cool on the hot summer nights.
"The shirt's in the second drawer and my boxers are in the drawer
beneath there."
Michael got the necessary articles of clothing as quickly as he could. He
didn't feel right
going through her drawers like they were his own.
He handed the pj's to Ryan and carried her to the bathroom where she
changed.
Or at least tried to. The bruises prevented her from removing her V-neck
T-shirt and her
bra. "Hey Michael?"
****
Bell walked casually into the bathroom. By the sound of Ryan's voice
he knew it wasn't an emergency so he decided to take his time and appear laid
back. "What's up?" Ryan was sitting on the edge of the bath tub with her
back to the door.
"I...um...I need...um I need some help." There, it was out. It was
what seemed like the hardest sentence to get out of her mouth in years. She
turned her head ever so slightly so she caught a glimpse of Bell standing in
the doorway. Her blond hair was obstructing a full view of him. 'Why the
hell was that so hard to get out?' She didn't know it then but that question
would nag at her for the rest of the time Bell stayed at her house.
"Okay." Bell tentatively stepped further into the bathroom. "How?"
"I need you to take off my shirt and bra and then slip this shirt
on."
Ryan handed him the half shirt. Bell placed it on the sink nearby
and took up position on the edge of the bath tub. 'Okay, if I lift the shirt
it's no big deal. I've seen her in a bra before...plenty of times at the
station. Then I'll just unhook....Stop it Michael. This is Ryan we're
talking about. All she wants is some help from a friend because she's hurt
and can't do it herself.' Carefully Michael slipped his hands to the end of
the T-shirt and pulled her arms out of it and then over her head. A few
whimpers escaped Kathleen's clenched lips. Bell placed the shirt next to him
on the edge of the bath and looked up at her. "Are you okay?" When the
response came in the form of a nod he proceeded to the next step...the bra.
Leaning forward Bell reached behind Kathleen in search of the clasps
of the material. He found the metal and just let his fingers stay there for
a minute. Something felt right...this felt right. Her breath on his
shoulder, coming out at irregular intervals, their closeness, the position of
his hands on the silky material of her bra, and the way their bodies almost
molded to each other, even though they weren't completely touching. As
enticing as the pictures that came to mind were, and, okay how much he wanted
to act on them, Bell knew he had to finish this. He'd have time later to
think about the recent realizations. He took his hands and undid the clasps
on the bra and slid the silky material down Ryan's forearms. He brought his
head from the resting place it had found on Ryan's shoulder and as he guided
the material down. When the material reached the end of the journey, it
settled on the tile floor of the bathroom. 'I never felt this way when I did
this to Megan. It was different with Kathleen.'
Kathleen sat there on the edge of the tub, her hands grabbing the
sides of the bath. It wasn't so much from the pain that she did this but
rather the pleasure that her partner was evoking deep within her. Somehow
this felt right. Michael's strong arms around her, the safe feeling he
provided her with, the feelings that were stirring inside her at his
closeness, and the smell of his body (a little cologne mixed with the smell
of the soap he used...distinctly Michael). Ryan's breaths became shorter as
she thought about these thoughts. Many pictures came to her mind...of them
together, sharing themselves completely. "Oh God Michael! What's going on
with me...it must be the meds."
Michael's head was only inches from Kathleen's. Only space for
breathing was left between the two. Michael reached up and put his hand on
the side of Ryan's face, gently stroking the soft skin there. "So
beautiful..." He drew even closer to her, their eyes never breaking
contact...
