"Ryan! Ryan, wake up," Bell said, shaking her. Her eyes did blink open, but
she seemed to be in greater distress now that she was awake. She was
attacking him.
All she could think, feel, and register was that someone was standing over
her... Jerry. She heard his voice call her name, but it sounded weird. It
then registered...it wasn't Jerry. It was...Bell? She stopped struggling and
let him calm her.
"Are you okay?" he asked, concern filling his voice. She sat up and rubbed
her eyes. He sat down on the bed and grabbed her hands, probing her face.
"I — I will be," she said, nodding sheepishly. "I'm so sorry. It's just
that the dream was — it was just too real," she freed one hand and ran it
through her sweat-matted hair.
He slipped his arm around her and gave her a quick gentle hug. They pulled
back and she stared at him. At his face so full of concern, his eyes filled
with caring and understanding. She saw Bell, the man she'd known for three
years but hadn't -really known-...if that made any sense. For so many years
she had seen him as Bell The Paramedic and Bell The Friend, but for the
first time she saw him as Bell The Lover, and the thought scared her.
Bell looked at her confused expression and found himself a little confused.
She was looking at him liked he'd dreamed she would, but it brought him no
joy. He didn't want anything to blossom between them, not YET..not HERE..
§¤§¤§¤§
The station was abuzz with activity. Bridges was preparing breakfast, Carla
and Rodriguez had disappeared into the medic room, Wick was giving Melissa a
tour of the station, and Durfee was on the phone with Ken trying to calm him
down.
The smell of smoke wafted through the medic kitchen as Wick ended his tour.
His heart had only been half in it. Melissa knew that, but the stop in the
Captain's room had been quite entertaining for them both...
Bridges rang the breakfast bell and placed something that resembled a huge
omelet in the middle of the table. Melissa crinkled her nose. She didn't
think omelets were supposed to be black. Still, people ate. Bridges made a
feeble attempt at a conversation.
"Well, so..uh.. Maenad..how was the girl of the week?"
"Oh, dude. She's barely out of the crate and already I'm bored," they all
waited for a wry remark from Ryan or a reason why the relationship wasn't
working from Bell, but none came. That sobered the whole table to silence.
§¤§¤§¤§
Jerry was getting extremely mad. Wick never went home. He and that Melissa
girl were constantly at the station. Everything had been going as planned
until Wick had to screw it all up. He couldn't take a day off? He wasn't
cooperating and it was really making him angry.
Pacing the floor of the cabin, he thought about all the trouble he'd gone
to, to ensure that once they were in, they wouldn't get out. He could feel
his anger building to a boiling point. He wanted to hit something..or some
one..
§¤§¤§¤§
Not moving, not breathing, they sat. Their eyes were locked and neither of
them could force their eyes away. It was like their was some magnetic force,
keeping their eyes glued to each other. Ryan could feel heat creeping up her
face as Bell tore his gaze away and down to her clothes. He gently reached
out and touched her hair, then let his hand wander to the silky skin of her
cheek.
‘Why does she have to be so soft?' Bell asked himself, cursing the feelings
raging inside of him. His hands caressed her cheeks and made their way to
her lips where they lingered for a second.
She sat still as Bell's hands traced circles on her cheek and played in her
hair. In the back of her mind, she was screaming for him to stop. Jerry had
inflicted such a deep pain within her..a fear of letting another man where
Jerry had been. But the larger part of her wanted Bell's gentle touch, his
soft caress. And she wanted what followed.
He cupped her face in his hands and again ran his thumb over her moist
lips. He searched her eyes for protests, but found none. Scooting in closer
to her, he pulled her face to his and their lips met for the first time.
It was gentle at first because he didn't want to upset her, or bring back
memories of the rape. But as her hands boldly moved over his body, he left
all his inhibitions behind and deepened the kiss. It was a kiss full of
passion, as tongues furiously met and hands freely roamed, yet it was a
tender kiss..
Bell pulled back and gave her a questioning look. The way she was
acting..it was like she wanted him as much as he wanted her..but how could
he do...this...without hurting her, physically and emotionally.
In answer to his unspoken question, she pulled him on top of her as she
laid down on the bed. Their lips met again, but with a definite sensuality.
He pulled himself up halfway and she helped him lift his shirt over his
head. They rolled over so she was on top of him. She ran her hands along his
bare chest while their kiss deepened.
Very gently and carefully, Bell pulled up the end of Ryan's shirt and
peeled it off of her, fully expecting for her to tell him she couldn't do
it. But she made no sound, except for a small groan when he caressed her.
She reached down and unzipped his jeans and slid them off him. He unhooked
her bra and gently slipped off the lacy material. She gasped as he flipped
her over on her back and began kissing his way down her body.
She tangled her hands in his hair as her skirt and panties were removed.
She couldn't remember a passion..a pleasure..so deep. She was moaning
softly, begging for him to stop teasing her. She smiled slyly and slid off
his underwear, paying him back for the torture he had put her through.
As they lay there, each deluged in a passion unlike any other, Michael
erased every once of pain and shame Jerry had put her through as they made
love right there...
****
Kathleen awoke abruptly and gazed around the small room in confusion. She
was in the wrong bed.. Then she remembered. She laid her head back down on
Michael's muscular chest and let out a contented sigh. He had taken her over
the realm of pleasure and back again. Their morning of passion had surprised
them both, but nether regretted it. Well..at least SHE didn't.
Michael stirred and blinked his eyes to clear the focus. He felt a weight
on his chest. He looked down and saw Kathleen's head resting there, her eyes
closed. He smiled and sighed happily, remembering earlier that day. No doubt
things were different now..
She heard him sigh and turned her head to see him. He smiled at her and ran
his fingers through her hair. She pulled herself up and kissed him. She slid
out of bed and searched for her clothes, throwing Michael's up on the bed as
she came across them. He wiggled into his clothes and watched her dress. She
ran her fingers through her hair trying to smooth out some of the tangles.
He stood and gave her a serious look. "Are you sorry?"
"No," she said truthfully, smiling at him. She wrapped her arms around him
and gave him a reassuring hug. "Are you?" she asked, her warm breath playing
in his ear.
"No," he pulled back and stared lovingly at her face. "Absolutely not."
§¤§¤§¤§
Wick was getting so sick of being at the station he could scream. He wanted
to go home. He wanted Bell to be there, probing him for info about Melissa.
He wanted to go to Ryan's and hear her complain about the teen. But he knew
that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.
Outside the station, he was bouncing a basketball absently on the court. He
took a shot and missed the basket by a mile.
"I think you need a little work on your jump shot," Carla laughed from the
door way. Wick snapped his head up and gave her a sheepish grin. The
afternoon sun was sweltering and he wiped the sweat off his forehead before
following Carla back in the station. He sat next to her on the leather
couch.
"Are you okay?" Carla asked. she knew he wasn't but she had to ask.
"Yeah. No. I will be," he said. She chuckled and rubbed his arm.
"They are going to find Ryan and Bell and they are going to be absolutely
fine," she promised, aware of just how empty the promise sounded. He nodded
and hoped to God she was right.
§¤§¤§¤§
Melissa sat alone in the medic bedroom. She had been waiting for Wick to
come in, but he hadn't. She sighed and flopped on the bed next to Wick's.
She looked over at the table next to the bed.
There was a picture of Ryan, Bell and Wick all smiling up at the camera
from outside the station. Beside it were several hair clips and some cards
and papers. She picked up a card and flipped it open. "Happy 26th birthday,
kid. Love ya, Wick," she read aloud. She read the next one that contained a
sweet message from Bell. "On today, your birthday, may you get everything
your heart desires. Hope you don't forget me when you're old and gray. Love
always, Bell."
She sighed and closed the card. It must be great to be loved by so many
people. By now curiosity had completely taken over and she picked up the
papers on Ryan's table.
Dear Mom,
The guys have been so great today. They
threw me a surprise party (which I really
didn't expect) and got me the best gifts.
I'll have to show you when you come back.
I miss you, but I hope you're having fun with
Monica. I love you.
Kathleen
Melissa set the letter down and picked up the next one.
Kat,
Happy birthday. Hope it was nice. I was
at the shoe store today buying sandals
for your sister when this woman asked
Monica if she was Gwyneth Paltrow, or
someone like that. I have no clue who she
is, but your sister was very happy. You
know she's getting married. Monica is
the perfect daughter to me. I can't wait
to be a grandmother. Your sister will have
beautiful children I'm sure. Well, I'm off
to play bridge with some ladies I met.
Stay safe.
-Mom-
"Wow," Melissa murmured out loud. Maybe THAT's why she's so upset all the
time. She has such a wonderful mother. She knew the feeling. She carefully
put the letters back on the desk and moved over to Bell's bed. She knew she
was terribly nosy, but it was just so interesting.
Bell had a desk and on the top was nothing but a thick leather binder that
Melissa had no interest in. She opened his drawers just to find them all
empty. She pulled open the very bottom drawer and found some papers.
Receipts. And under them...an 8x10 glossy of Wick. She laughed. There was
another under that, but it was of Kathleen. It had her scrawled signature
underneath it. "What?" she mumbled. An autographed picture??
She heard the doorknob turn, and she shoved the pictures back in the drawer
and hurriedly hopped onto Wick's bed. She'd already looked through his
stuff. Found absolutely nothing interesting. Wick poked his head in and
smiled at her. He crooked his finger and motioned for her to follow him. She
did and when they reached the kitchen he put his hands over her eyes. When
he took them away, she was delighted to see real food on the table. None of
Bridges' Cajun style eggs or black bacon, but a wide spread of pancakes,
eggs, bacon and fresh fruit.
"I know it's not breakfast time, but I thought a change of pace might be
nice," he told her. She turned to face him and gave him a quick peck on the
lips before sitting at the table. They fixed their plates until they were
overflowing, then made way for the hungry firemen. Laughing, Melissa pulled
Wick over to a small table in the common room. They each dug into the meal,
grateful for some real food.
Melissa popped a grape in her mouth and leaned back in her chair, draping a
hand across her stomach. "I am so full," she said, wiping a drop of syrup
from the corner of her mouth. Wick nodded his agreement and patted his full
stomach. He poked his head in and laughed at all the firemen who were still
gulping down food.
They walked up to the room where Wick flopped onto the bed. Sure, the meal
had given him a chance to think about someone other than Ryan and Bell, but
they were still on his mind.
"Melissa?"
"Hmm?" she mumbled from her face-down position on Ryan's bed.
"How would you feel about forming another search party? Maybe a smaller
one?" he suggested. She turned over and gave him a smile.
"I think it could work."
