Rick woke with a start, a shooting pain going down his bad leg. He rubbed it and looked up at the clock, wondering how long it would be until his wife came home. Realizing she should be home any minute, he laid back on the couch and waited for her. Brandy had been concerned about the pains in his leg, and to tell the truth, he was getting there himself. He might just have to consider that knee replacement after all.

He heard the door open softly and closed his eyes. Since she always had the sweetest ways of waking him up, he decided to feign sleep. She walked quietly into the room and looked down at him with a sigh. She almost decided not to wake him, because the pain in his leg drained all his energy. Then she knelt down beside him and kissed him softly, little butterfly kisses all across his mouth. His eyes came open, watching her quietly. As she noticed he was awake, he leaned down and pulled her onto the couch with him.

“Hello, luv,” he whispered.

“I thought you were sleeping, Rick,” she giggled.

“Actually, I just woke up before you got home, otherwise I’d have had dinner on the table,” he answered.

“Well, I think we’ve got the money this week, let’s order out for once,” she said with a smile.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “I thought all my check had to go for bills this week?”

“Well, not quite all, luv,” she said with a sigh. “We have a few quid left.”

She got up carefully, not wanting to move his leg, and went to the phone. She called a local Indian place and ordered their favorite meal, then turned back to Rick. “It’ll be here in thirty minutes.”

“How do you do it?” Rick asked her with a smile.

“Do what, luv?” she asked.

“Manage to stay just as beautiful as you were when we met fifteen years ago,” he said quietly.

“Oh, stop it, Rick! You’re making me blush!” she giggled. “I’ve got to do a few things in the kitchen, but I’ll be back in a minute. Now behave yourself!”

Rick watched as she walked away, thinking back to the day they’d met. She’d only been sixteen, fresh out of school and starting to work in the office of the ironmongery he worked in. And she’d been absolutely stunning even then. Within her first week on the job, six other blokes had asked her out and she’d turned them all down. But she’d taken one look at Rick, who was twenty five, and asked him out instead. He’d been pleasantly surprised, though to this day he couldn’t understand what she’d seen in him.

Within six months, they’d both known they couldn’t stand to be apart. She’d only been in England two years, coming to live with her cousin after her parents had died in a car accident in America. When they had decided to get married, Rick went to her cousin and asked his permission. They had gotten married barely a month later.

Over the years, they’d dealt with a great deal of hardship. First, Rick’s injured leg had gotten so bad he couldn’t work any more. He’d once played professional football, until he had taken a career ending hurt to his left leg, twisting his knee beyond recovery. They’d used the last of his contract money to buy their small house and now depended on his disability pay to supplement Brandy’s income.

The older Rick got, the more he regretted having given up on the band he’d once played in, Def Leppard. They’d made it big, just as Rick’s football career had ended. He still talked to Joe Elliott whenever Joe came back to Sheffield. Joe hadn’t changed, he was still the same bloke to Rick that he’d been twenty five years ago. And Joe was the only one who remained in the band these days. Tony had been fired and they’d gotten his replacement in the form of a fifteen year old boy, Rick Allen. Rick had met him once or twice before their career had gone through the roof. Pete was fired a few years later, his troubles with the bottle too much of a weight against the band. A bloke from Girl had taken his place. Then, years later, Steve Clark had died from the alcohol he’d come to depend on. Rick had never met his replacement, but Joe said Vivian was a decent chap that Rick would have liked to know.

Sometimes, Rick wondered what would have happened if he’d chosen the band over football. He glanced in the corner and found one difference right off. The damnable cane he’d been using to get around the last few years wouldn’t be there now. And his wife wouldn’t be working herself to the bone to take care of him. He would have given anything to be able to take care of her instead.

But, thinking back, if he hadn’t gone to work in the factory, he never would have met her. Since he couldn’t imagine life without her, maybe it had all been worth it.

The doorbell rang, jerking Rick out of his thoughts. Before he could get up, Brandy said, “I’ve got it!”

She walked past him with a smile and answered the door, bringing the food back with her. She set up their trays and went back into the kitchen. She brought him a Guiness, then opened her soda. Turning on the television, they sat quietly as they ate. When they finished, Brandy cleaned up before Rick could try to. She just couldn’t bare to see the pain in his face as he tried to walk anymore. Then she snuggled down on the couch next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

After a while, she looked up and said, “I’ve got to go start the laundry, I’ll be right back up.”

Rick held her hand a moment longer and she looked back down at him. Then she said softly, “Have I ever told you I love you, Mr. Savage.”

“I believe you have,” he said softly. She kissed him tenderly on the forehead, then pulled gently away from him. Rick was just about to tell her how much he loved her when he heard a scream, then a series of crashes. He flew up off the couch and ran to the stairs, ignoring the tearing pain in his leg. When he got to the head of the staircase into the basement, he saw Brandy lying on the ground, not moving. He tripped down the stairs and cradled her body against him. He could already tell she wasn’t breathing and all he could do was weep. He ended up laying down beside her, holding her still warm body against him. He cried himself to sleep there, not knowing what else to do.

He felt a gentle hand running over his cheek, just like she’d always done for him. He turned his face into it, then heard someone calling his name.

“Sav, baby, wake up! Rick! Wake up!” came a voice from a distance. He opened his eyes and found Brandy staring down at him. He wrapped her in his arms and said, “Oh, God, thank you!”

“Did you have another one of those dreams, Sav?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah, luv, I did,” he said, tears springing to his eyes.

“I wish you’d tell me what they were,” she sighed.

Sav was quiet for a moment, then said finally, “We’re always together, completely happy. Most of the time, we’ve had a really hard life together and you’re always having to take care of me.”

“Like you’d really let me?” she said with a smile.

“Anyway,” Sav continued, “You always tell me you love me, then walk away before I say it back. And something always happens so that I never get to tell you!”

“Well, we’ve only been together six months, Sav. I don’t expect you to say that yet,” she answered softly. He kissed her quickly, then said, “Maybe the dreams just mean if I don’t tell you how I feel, I’ll lose you. I couldn’t stand that!” He stopped and looked deep into her eyes before he continued. “I do love you. I couldn’t imagine my life without you!” he said as he pulled her into his arms.

“I love you, too, Sav,” she said quietly as she snuggled back down into his arms. And having told her the one thing he’d always held back, Sav was finally able to sleep without dreams.