The Book Shop - Chapter Nine
Title: The Book Shop
Author: bsgroxmysox
Rating: T
Word Count: 3500
Summary: Since the decommissioning of the Battlestar Galactica, Laura Roslin's life has changed dramatically. Now it's time for her to move to a new town and make another change. Will the support from a familiar face and a new friend help her get back on her feet?
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters just borrowing them for a little fun
A/N: I am so so so sorry people. I have no excuse (well I do have excuses but they do not justify withholding fic for so long. I will post a longer explanation later but for anyone who cares I am in my new house! YAY!)
A huge, huge, thank you to bsg_aussiegirl without who I would never have gotten this far, and without who this story would not be as awesome. Thank you so much honey! *hugs*
And on with the last chapter of the story....
*
Bill twisted the key in the lock and pushed the door open. The shop was dark. Obviously Laura must still be feeling ill if she couldn’t open up the shop.
When she hadn’t returned last night after the Bridal Shower he had figured she had stayed at Emily’s place but Emily had called this morning to check was Laura feeling better. When Bill hadn’t known anything about Laura’s mystery illness she had guessed that maybe she went to the nearest place to Emily’s; her old apartment.
Bill sighed. When was he going to get her to trust him? She couldn’t even let him take care of her when she was sick.
Climbing the stairs to her apartment he suddenly felt a chill run through him. Something wasn’t right here. The light was on in the main room and Laura was lying on her bed fully clothed.
Bill quietly called her name as he approached but received no response. He sat on the bed beside her and gently brushed the hair from her face and called her name again. She mumbled a response and he tried calling to her louder.
An empty pill bottle rolled on the bed and came to rest at his thigh.
“No, Laura. No, no, no. Tell me you didn’t.”
He grasped the bottle in his hand, nearly crushing it when the label confirmed his worst nightmares.
“Laura,” he called in an effort to wake her. “Laura how many did you take?”
Her eyes opened briefly, settling on him in foggy recognition.
“Bill?” Her voice was hoarse and didn’t sound anything like he was used to.
“How many did you take, Laura?”
Her eyes flitted to the side trying to focus on the bottle before closing again. “One. I just had one.”
“Laura the bottle is empty.”
He tried not to let the panic show in his voice, he just needed her to answer him. He needed her to be coherent. He needed her to not have taken those damn pills.
“No that’s not...one...I took...wanted to stop the pain.”
She went slack in his arms again and panic took over fully now.
“Laura! Damn it.”
He quickly fished his phone out of his pocket and called for an ambulance. The thought of gathering her into his arms and hurrying outside crossed his mind but he didn’t know whether or not moving her was the best option.
The ambulance reached them in just over five minutes but it felt like an eternity for Bill as he murmured nonsense to Laura in the vain hope of keeping her awake and semi-conscious. Bill was still holding her limp hand as the paramedics navigated the stretcher through the shop and out to the waiting ambulance van.
A crowd had gathered to see what all the commotion was about. Bill’s eyes scanned the worried faces finding Mrs. Kowalski and her fiancé among them. He mouthed at them to follow before lifting himself into the van and letting the paramedic close the door behind him.
When they arrived at the hospital she was whisked away from him on a gurney, a team of men and women in white coats surrounding her.
He was left in the emergency room waiting area. A nurse had asked him once was he family; technically he wasn’t. She couldn’t accept the fact that they were living together as proof. Especially seeing as Laura still hadn’t changed her address on anything.
Emily and Jacob joined him later and they waited for the news.
It felt like days, even though the clock on the wall told him it wasn’t.
After Bill felt he had aged another decade waiting, one of the white coated men he saw take Laura away approached him.
“You’re here with Miss Roslin?”
Bill nodded. “Is she okay? They haven’t told us anything.”
The doctor smiled sympathetically. “I understand how you must be feeling but it’s hospital policy unless you’re family. Miss Roslin is awake. I’m afraid that’s all I can tell you for the time being.”
“That’s all? When can we see her?”
“You are?” he prompted.
“Bill. Bill Adama, and this is Emily Kowalski and her fiancé Jacob Cantrell.”
The doctor nodded across to the nurse at the station. “Would you take Miss Kowalski down to see Miss Roslin, please,” he instructed before turning back to Bill.
“I’m sorry Mr Adama but Miss Roslin gave us firm instructions. She has requested that only Miss Kowalski visit her at this time. She also wanted us to assure we wouldn’t share any of her medical details with you.”
Bill felt as if the floor had opened up beneath him. He was suspended in midair waiting for the fall that would surely bring him to his death.
“She asked not to see me? I don’t understand.”
“It’s customary for patients of drug overdoses to feel a sense of shame at the act. She may not want you to see her like this.”
Bill collapsed into one of the waiting chairs while his brain tried to make sense of what the doctor was saying. He looked up pleadingly at the doctor.
“Will she be okay? Please...just tell me that much.”
The doctor hesitated. “She’s not out of the woods just yet but, in my professional opinion, she will make a full recovery physically. Emotionally...she may need some help with her addiction. We will be recommending some rehab facilities for her.”
Bill nodded again barely comprehending the doctors words. He sat back against the back of the chair and closed his eyes. Blocking all the other information and questions running around his head he focused on the one thing that mattered most.
She’s okay.
She will make a full recovery.
She’s okay.
*
Bill returned to the hospital the next day. And the day after. And the day after that.
Each time she refused to see him.
He wasn’t family, listed as her next of kin, or an emergency contact. so he sat in the waiting room for hours.
He made sure the nurse notified Laura when he arrived and when he left. He gave his number to the front desk, just in case she changed her mind and wanted to see him when he wasn’t there.
On the fourth day he arrived only to be informed that Laura had been released. Her emergency contact had picked her up early that morning and they were on their way to a rehab clinic that, of course, the nurses couldn’t tell Bill the name of.
He called Emily, but he believed her when she said that she hadn’t seen Laura in two days and she hadn’t told her she was leaving either.
Bill had done the only thing he could think of and returned home. He paced the length of his house like a caged animal until the frustration became too much. His arm connected with the model ship that sat on the bookshelf in his living room and he felt a small piece of victory when it smashed into pieces on the floor.
Now it resembled his heart.
He glanced around the room. Nothing here was hers. She had managed to convince him she was living with him but she hadn’t moved in with him. The only thing that was Laura’s was a picture frame that sat on the coffee table of her and her former assistant.
Bill studied the picture carefully. She had always said they had a strong relationship and he knew they still kept in contact by letters. Gods, was he her emergency contact?
With renewed vigour Bill strode to where he knew he kept the old files from his command days. He had received a file about the Secretary of Education and each member of her entourage when she came onboard for the Decommissioning. Maybe he could get some details about the kid from that.
*
The phone rang twice before a young, meek voice answered.
“Hello?”
“Billy, this is Bill Adama. Do not hang up.”
There was a momentary hesitation on the other end of the line. “I don’t know what you want from me, sir, she doesn’t--”
“I know she doesn’t want to talk to me. I don’t want to talk to her. I want to talk to you. Can I talk to you?”
Another, longer hesitation. He could practically hear the cogs turning in the poor boys head. “Yes, sir, you can talk to me.”
“Good. Here’s what I want you to do.”
*
The first time Laura had been through a detox routine seemed like a walk in the park compared to this time. The woman running the therapy sessions was a demon sent straight from the depths of Hades to torture Laura.
And as luck would have it they were now scheduled for one-on-one sessions.
“So, Laura,” Elosha began. “Tell me about the days leading up to the incident.”
“The incident? You mean when I took so many Chamalla pills I almost died? That incident?”
Elosha stared blankly back at her. Laura’s blatant disregard for this woman’s authority was not appreciated here, that much was clear. Laura sighed. No point in fighting this woman. She was the one who would decide if Laura got out of here or not.
“I was busy organising a Bridal Shower for my friend Emily.”
“And what? The stress of organising the food and sending invitations sent you running to the pill bottle?”
Laura scoffed and crossed her arms across her chest.
“No offence, Elosha,” she sneered. “But you will never be able to help me.”
“You sound so sure. What makes you think that I’m no good for you?”
Laura’s eyes scanned the room falling onto a tattered copy of the scriptures on the therapist’s desk.
“That,” Laura pointed to the offending object. “You are clearly a religious person and I have no time for the Gods, plural or the singular mumbo jumbo Gaius Baltar is preaching.”
“Is this lack of faith recent, or have you always felt this way?”
“I never believed until...” Laura drifted off.
“Until?” Elosha probed.
“When I was taking Chamalla the first time...I used to get visions. They led me to the scriptures, namely Pythia, and I was convinced that these visions were sent from the Gods to me. That I was supposed to use them for something. When I finally got clean and stopped taking them I realised how silly I had been.”
“Hmm,” Elosha responded. “Sounds remarkably similar to what happened to me.”
Laura’s eyebrows shot up and she could swear her jaw hit the office floor. “You used to take Chamalla?”
“I became so convinced that I was a servant of the Gods that I joined a religious order, became a priestess. When I finally cleaned up, I left the order and came here. Thought my experience could help others like me.”
Laura stared at the woman before her, trying to spot any sign of a lie. When she was sure Elosha was telling the truth she lowered her gaze to her hands that were playing with the material of her skirt.
“The strippers I ordered were firemen but they sent police officers. That’s what started it again.”
She raised her head and continued speaking, holding her psychiatrist’s gaze.
*
They were walking in the gardens of the rehab facility. The sun was shining down on them and Laura held her shoes in her hands, choosing instead to feel the cool grass beneath her bare feet.
“Bill says he doesn’t even know why I own shoes. I spend more time taking them off then I do actually wearing them.” Laura laughed as she remembered the way Bill had chastised her for leaving her shoes everywhere. And how annoyed he became when he realised he had picked up the habit too.
“Speaking of Bill--” Elosha began.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No. Please just leave him out of this.”
“I wish I could, Laura. But he’s already a part of this. Who found you? Who brought you to the hospital? Who came back to visit you day after day despite the fact that you refused to see him?”
Laura glanced towards the bright sky trying to keep the tears at bay.
“For better or worse, you got him involved, Laura. And if he’s anything like you describe him he stayed involved out of his own free will. You didn’t force him.”
“I know.” Laura sighed. “But he shouldn’t have to deal with any of this. He’s already been through so much.”
“You don’t get it, Laura.” Elosha stopped walking, forcing all of Laura’s attention on her. “You don’t get to decide how much someone feels. You try to stop Bill, or anyone for that matter, getting close. Emily, your best friend. How many times have you spoken to her since you left the hospital?
“You’ve been hurt in the past, I get it, I understand that. And guess what? So do they. From the sounds of it you have the love of some very special people and you need to start returning the sentiment or you will end up alone with just your memories and Chamalla to keep you company.”
She resumed her stroll, encouraging Laura to follow once more.
“You’re asking a lot of me, Elosha.”
Elosha laughed loudly. She continued walking and Laura tried to keep up with her while questioning her reaction.
“It’s simple, Laura. You’re making too much of what I’m saying. Just love somebody. That’s it. Trust me, the rest will fall into place.”
With that she strode ahead leaving a perplexed Laura in her wake.
*
Laura stood at the entrance to the rehab facility. She had been discharged only a few minutes ago and Billy had called to say he would be by to pick her up soon.
She was nervous about going back to Realta Coast. Considering the dramatic way she had left, she couldn’t imagine the gossip filling the town now. She had thought she was news when she first moved there but now she had graduated to full-on town scandal.
Just as she was considering going back inside and begging Elosha to let her stay for a few more days, a silver taxi pulled up in front of her.
That must be Billy, she thought, bending down to pick up her bag. When she stood upright again she was greeted by the sight of Bill Adama climbing out of the back of the taxi. Her bag fell from her grip as he came towards her.
He stopped in front of her, just within arms reach. He was smiling at her, after everything that had happened, everything she had put him through, he was smiling at her.
“Missed you.” His voice was as husky as she remembered.
“You too,” she answered breathlessly.
Without another word he wrapped his arms around her and embraced her as if they had never been apart. Her arms circled his frame and she gazed up at the sky, amazed that this man was here. After everything she had put him through he was still here.
Elosha’s words came back to her and in that moment it all clicked, Laura understood what she had been saying.
“I love you.” Her voice almost broke as she breathed the words into his ear but she could feel by the sudden tension in his body that he had heard.
He pulled back from their embrace to gaze at her, probably trying to see if she was tricking him. She gave him a watery smile, not even bothering to wipe away the tears that fell now.
“About time.”
She laughed at his response and he placed a gentle kiss to her brow before quickly gathering her close again. Closing her eyes she rested her head on his strong shoulder and embraced him for all that she was worth.
She was almost reluctant to leave the comfort of his arms to take the five steps it would take to reach the taxi. But then, she reasoned, she could cuddle up to him for the duration of the ride home.
Bill had barely sat into the taxi when she was pressed up against him trying to absorb his love through the feel of their bodies together. She heard him call out the address of her book shop to the driver and she couldn’t stop herself from yelling out.
“No!” She waited until Bill looked at her, confusion in his eyes. “Take me home.”
His eyes brightened and he grinned at her. Without breaking eye contact he gave his address to the driver and once they were on the way Laura snuggled into him, resting her head on his chest.
They didn’t talk during the ride home, that was for later...when they would be lying in bed, skin to skin, with no barriers between them. They wouldn’t sort through everything straight away but it would be a start.
All she had to do was follow Elosha’s advice.
*
“Now I know that’s not where I put you yesterday.”
Laura picked up the photo frame from the bedside table and moved towards the living room where she had left it the day before.
“Where do you think you’re going with that?” Bill asked as he emerged from the kitchen wearing only a set of tanks, a pair of shorts and wiping his hands on a towel. Today was his day to cook dinner.
“I am putting it in the living room so that it can be seen by all who visit here.”
“And I put it in the bedroom so that it can be seen by only us.”
“It’s our wedding photo, Bill. People should see that.”
“It’s a wedding photo, Laura. And tell me how many of them are there in the living room right now?”
Laura sighed and moved towards her husband. “About three or four.”
He raised an eyebrow in question. “Or five or six.”
“Okay there’s a few in photos in there so why can’t this one be there too? Look how happy we are in it.”
The photo showed a beaming Laura staring into the eyes of her new husband who was sporting a similar smile. The sand and the ocean could be seen behind them but the focus was definitely drawn to the couple in the photo.
They had married only a month after she left rehab. He wanted to do it sooner but she had insisted they wait until his family and former crew could make it. She was glad she had too. When she’d seen the photos of Bill, Lee and Kara on that day she knew she made the right choice. The proud father stood in the middle with a child wrapped under each arm. Bill had a copy of that photo in his wallet.
“I want to wake up to this photo every day, okay? Remind myself how lucky I am.”
She rolled her eyes playfully at him, but the truth was her heart skipped a beat when he said things like that. It just reminded her that she was married to the sweetest man she had ever met.
Life wasn’t always easy. It was never going to be. They both had their problems to deal with but once Laura had learned how to open up and have someone else share the burden, the rest had fallen into place. Just like Elosha said it would.
Elosha had played such a large part in Laura’s recovery that she had asked the former priestess to marry them. It made sense. Without her help who knows where they would have been.
“Okay, you win.” Laura sighed in defeat.
“Good. Dinner won’t be ready for at least another 40 minutes, so let’s put it back now, shall we?”
One of his arms wrapped around her back and he bent to place the other behind her knees. As he straightened she found herself lifted into his arms.
“Bill,” she giggled. “What are you doing?”
“I’m carrying you across the threshold.”
“To the bedroom?”
“Well, you’re already in the house.”
He toed open the bedroom door and used his heel to slam it shut behind him, all the while carrying the giggling Laura towards their bed.
With a grunt he dropped her unceremoniously onto the covers and she huffed in annoyance.
“Was that necessary? You could have damaged the photo.” She rolled onto her side and placed it carefully on the table before rolling onto her back again.
“Mmm,” he responded, kneeling on the bed above her. Bending to her level he kissed her neck, her cheek, her brow, and finally moved to her lips.
“I love you, Laura.” He paused before kissing her again, waiting for a reply. When she didn’t respond in kind he quirked an eyebrow at her. “You don’t have anything to say to me?”
“Nope.” She grinned cheekily at him.
“That’s okay,” he whispered. Moving his lips to her ear he breathed, “I’ll make you scream it later.”
Laura shivered.
THE END
< Previous Chapter
Author: bsgroxmysox
Rating: T
Word Count: 3500
Summary: Since the decommissioning of the Battlestar Galactica, Laura Roslin's life has changed dramatically. Now it's time for her to move to a new town and make another change. Will the support from a familiar face and a new friend help her get back on her feet?
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters just borrowing them for a little fun
A/N: I am so so so sorry people. I have no excuse (well I do have excuses but they do not justify withholding fic for so long. I will post a longer explanation later but for anyone who cares I am in my new house! YAY!)
A huge, huge, thank you to bsg_aussiegirl without who I would never have gotten this far, and without who this story would not be as awesome. Thank you so much honey! *hugs*
And on with the last chapter of the story....
*
Bill twisted the key in the lock and pushed the door open. The shop was dark. Obviously Laura must still be feeling ill if she couldn’t open up the shop.
When she hadn’t returned last night after the Bridal Shower he had figured she had stayed at Emily’s place but Emily had called this morning to check was Laura feeling better. When Bill hadn’t known anything about Laura’s mystery illness she had guessed that maybe she went to the nearest place to Emily’s; her old apartment.
Bill sighed. When was he going to get her to trust him? She couldn’t even let him take care of her when she was sick.
Climbing the stairs to her apartment he suddenly felt a chill run through him. Something wasn’t right here. The light was on in the main room and Laura was lying on her bed fully clothed.
Bill quietly called her name as he approached but received no response. He sat on the bed beside her and gently brushed the hair from her face and called her name again. She mumbled a response and he tried calling to her louder.
An empty pill bottle rolled on the bed and came to rest at his thigh.
“No, Laura. No, no, no. Tell me you didn’t.”
He grasped the bottle in his hand, nearly crushing it when the label confirmed his worst nightmares.
“Laura,” he called in an effort to wake her. “Laura how many did you take?”
Her eyes opened briefly, settling on him in foggy recognition.
“Bill?” Her voice was hoarse and didn’t sound anything like he was used to.
“How many did you take, Laura?”
Her eyes flitted to the side trying to focus on the bottle before closing again. “One. I just had one.”
“Laura the bottle is empty.”
He tried not to let the panic show in his voice, he just needed her to answer him. He needed her to be coherent. He needed her to not have taken those damn pills.
“No that’s not...one...I took...wanted to stop the pain.”
She went slack in his arms again and panic took over fully now.
“Laura! Damn it.”
He quickly fished his phone out of his pocket and called for an ambulance. The thought of gathering her into his arms and hurrying outside crossed his mind but he didn’t know whether or not moving her was the best option.
The ambulance reached them in just over five minutes but it felt like an eternity for Bill as he murmured nonsense to Laura in the vain hope of keeping her awake and semi-conscious. Bill was still holding her limp hand as the paramedics navigated the stretcher through the shop and out to the waiting ambulance van.
A crowd had gathered to see what all the commotion was about. Bill’s eyes scanned the worried faces finding Mrs. Kowalski and her fiancé among them. He mouthed at them to follow before lifting himself into the van and letting the paramedic close the door behind him.
When they arrived at the hospital she was whisked away from him on a gurney, a team of men and women in white coats surrounding her.
He was left in the emergency room waiting area. A nurse had asked him once was he family; technically he wasn’t. She couldn’t accept the fact that they were living together as proof. Especially seeing as Laura still hadn’t changed her address on anything.
Emily and Jacob joined him later and they waited for the news.
It felt like days, even though the clock on the wall told him it wasn’t.
After Bill felt he had aged another decade waiting, one of the white coated men he saw take Laura away approached him.
“You’re here with Miss Roslin?”
Bill nodded. “Is she okay? They haven’t told us anything.”
The doctor smiled sympathetically. “I understand how you must be feeling but it’s hospital policy unless you’re family. Miss Roslin is awake. I’m afraid that’s all I can tell you for the time being.”
“That’s all? When can we see her?”
“You are?” he prompted.
“Bill. Bill Adama, and this is Emily Kowalski and her fiancé Jacob Cantrell.”
The doctor nodded across to the nurse at the station. “Would you take Miss Kowalski down to see Miss Roslin, please,” he instructed before turning back to Bill.
“I’m sorry Mr Adama but Miss Roslin gave us firm instructions. She has requested that only Miss Kowalski visit her at this time. She also wanted us to assure we wouldn’t share any of her medical details with you.”
Bill felt as if the floor had opened up beneath him. He was suspended in midair waiting for the fall that would surely bring him to his death.
“She asked not to see me? I don’t understand.”
“It’s customary for patients of drug overdoses to feel a sense of shame at the act. She may not want you to see her like this.”
Bill collapsed into one of the waiting chairs while his brain tried to make sense of what the doctor was saying. He looked up pleadingly at the doctor.
“Will she be okay? Please...just tell me that much.”
The doctor hesitated. “She’s not out of the woods just yet but, in my professional opinion, she will make a full recovery physically. Emotionally...she may need some help with her addiction. We will be recommending some rehab facilities for her.”
Bill nodded again barely comprehending the doctors words. He sat back against the back of the chair and closed his eyes. Blocking all the other information and questions running around his head he focused on the one thing that mattered most.
She’s okay.
She will make a full recovery.
She’s okay.
*
Bill returned to the hospital the next day. And the day after. And the day after that.
Each time she refused to see him.
He wasn’t family, listed as her next of kin, or an emergency contact. so he sat in the waiting room for hours.
He made sure the nurse notified Laura when he arrived and when he left. He gave his number to the front desk, just in case she changed her mind and wanted to see him when he wasn’t there.
On the fourth day he arrived only to be informed that Laura had been released. Her emergency contact had picked her up early that morning and they were on their way to a rehab clinic that, of course, the nurses couldn’t tell Bill the name of.
He called Emily, but he believed her when she said that she hadn’t seen Laura in two days and she hadn’t told her she was leaving either.
Bill had done the only thing he could think of and returned home. He paced the length of his house like a caged animal until the frustration became too much. His arm connected with the model ship that sat on the bookshelf in his living room and he felt a small piece of victory when it smashed into pieces on the floor.
Now it resembled his heart.
He glanced around the room. Nothing here was hers. She had managed to convince him she was living with him but she hadn’t moved in with him. The only thing that was Laura’s was a picture frame that sat on the coffee table of her and her former assistant.
Bill studied the picture carefully. She had always said they had a strong relationship and he knew they still kept in contact by letters. Gods, was he her emergency contact?
With renewed vigour Bill strode to where he knew he kept the old files from his command days. He had received a file about the Secretary of Education and each member of her entourage when she came onboard for the Decommissioning. Maybe he could get some details about the kid from that.
*
The phone rang twice before a young, meek voice answered.
“Hello?”
“Billy, this is Bill Adama. Do not hang up.”
There was a momentary hesitation on the other end of the line. “I don’t know what you want from me, sir, she doesn’t--”
“I know she doesn’t want to talk to me. I don’t want to talk to her. I want to talk to you. Can I talk to you?”
Another, longer hesitation. He could practically hear the cogs turning in the poor boys head. “Yes, sir, you can talk to me.”
“Good. Here’s what I want you to do.”
*
The first time Laura had been through a detox routine seemed like a walk in the park compared to this time. The woman running the therapy sessions was a demon sent straight from the depths of Hades to torture Laura.
And as luck would have it they were now scheduled for one-on-one sessions.
“So, Laura,” Elosha began. “Tell me about the days leading up to the incident.”
“The incident? You mean when I took so many Chamalla pills I almost died? That incident?”
Elosha stared blankly back at her. Laura’s blatant disregard for this woman’s authority was not appreciated here, that much was clear. Laura sighed. No point in fighting this woman. She was the one who would decide if Laura got out of here or not.
“I was busy organising a Bridal Shower for my friend Emily.”
“And what? The stress of organising the food and sending invitations sent you running to the pill bottle?”
Laura scoffed and crossed her arms across her chest.
“No offence, Elosha,” she sneered. “But you will never be able to help me.”
“You sound so sure. What makes you think that I’m no good for you?”
Laura’s eyes scanned the room falling onto a tattered copy of the scriptures on the therapist’s desk.
“That,” Laura pointed to the offending object. “You are clearly a religious person and I have no time for the Gods, plural or the singular mumbo jumbo Gaius Baltar is preaching.”
“Is this lack of faith recent, or have you always felt this way?”
“I never believed until...” Laura drifted off.
“Until?” Elosha probed.
“When I was taking Chamalla the first time...I used to get visions. They led me to the scriptures, namely Pythia, and I was convinced that these visions were sent from the Gods to me. That I was supposed to use them for something. When I finally got clean and stopped taking them I realised how silly I had been.”
“Hmm,” Elosha responded. “Sounds remarkably similar to what happened to me.”
Laura’s eyebrows shot up and she could swear her jaw hit the office floor. “You used to take Chamalla?”
“I became so convinced that I was a servant of the Gods that I joined a religious order, became a priestess. When I finally cleaned up, I left the order and came here. Thought my experience could help others like me.”
Laura stared at the woman before her, trying to spot any sign of a lie. When she was sure Elosha was telling the truth she lowered her gaze to her hands that were playing with the material of her skirt.
“The strippers I ordered were firemen but they sent police officers. That’s what started it again.”
She raised her head and continued speaking, holding her psychiatrist’s gaze.
*
They were walking in the gardens of the rehab facility. The sun was shining down on them and Laura held her shoes in her hands, choosing instead to feel the cool grass beneath her bare feet.
“Bill says he doesn’t even know why I own shoes. I spend more time taking them off then I do actually wearing them.” Laura laughed as she remembered the way Bill had chastised her for leaving her shoes everywhere. And how annoyed he became when he realised he had picked up the habit too.
“Speaking of Bill--” Elosha began.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No. Please just leave him out of this.”
“I wish I could, Laura. But he’s already a part of this. Who found you? Who brought you to the hospital? Who came back to visit you day after day despite the fact that you refused to see him?”
Laura glanced towards the bright sky trying to keep the tears at bay.
“For better or worse, you got him involved, Laura. And if he’s anything like you describe him he stayed involved out of his own free will. You didn’t force him.”
“I know.” Laura sighed. “But he shouldn’t have to deal with any of this. He’s already been through so much.”
“You don’t get it, Laura.” Elosha stopped walking, forcing all of Laura’s attention on her. “You don’t get to decide how much someone feels. You try to stop Bill, or anyone for that matter, getting close. Emily, your best friend. How many times have you spoken to her since you left the hospital?
“You’ve been hurt in the past, I get it, I understand that. And guess what? So do they. From the sounds of it you have the love of some very special people and you need to start returning the sentiment or you will end up alone with just your memories and Chamalla to keep you company.”
She resumed her stroll, encouraging Laura to follow once more.
“You’re asking a lot of me, Elosha.”
Elosha laughed loudly. She continued walking and Laura tried to keep up with her while questioning her reaction.
“It’s simple, Laura. You’re making too much of what I’m saying. Just love somebody. That’s it. Trust me, the rest will fall into place.”
With that she strode ahead leaving a perplexed Laura in her wake.
*
Laura stood at the entrance to the rehab facility. She had been discharged only a few minutes ago and Billy had called to say he would be by to pick her up soon.
She was nervous about going back to Realta Coast. Considering the dramatic way she had left, she couldn’t imagine the gossip filling the town now. She had thought she was news when she first moved there but now she had graduated to full-on town scandal.
Just as she was considering going back inside and begging Elosha to let her stay for a few more days, a silver taxi pulled up in front of her.
That must be Billy, she thought, bending down to pick up her bag. When she stood upright again she was greeted by the sight of Bill Adama climbing out of the back of the taxi. Her bag fell from her grip as he came towards her.
He stopped in front of her, just within arms reach. He was smiling at her, after everything that had happened, everything she had put him through, he was smiling at her.
“Missed you.” His voice was as husky as she remembered.
“You too,” she answered breathlessly.
Without another word he wrapped his arms around her and embraced her as if they had never been apart. Her arms circled his frame and she gazed up at the sky, amazed that this man was here. After everything she had put him through he was still here.
Elosha’s words came back to her and in that moment it all clicked, Laura understood what she had been saying.
“I love you.” Her voice almost broke as she breathed the words into his ear but she could feel by the sudden tension in his body that he had heard.
He pulled back from their embrace to gaze at her, probably trying to see if she was tricking him. She gave him a watery smile, not even bothering to wipe away the tears that fell now.
“About time.”
She laughed at his response and he placed a gentle kiss to her brow before quickly gathering her close again. Closing her eyes she rested her head on his strong shoulder and embraced him for all that she was worth.
She was almost reluctant to leave the comfort of his arms to take the five steps it would take to reach the taxi. But then, she reasoned, she could cuddle up to him for the duration of the ride home.
Bill had barely sat into the taxi when she was pressed up against him trying to absorb his love through the feel of their bodies together. She heard him call out the address of her book shop to the driver and she couldn’t stop herself from yelling out.
“No!” She waited until Bill looked at her, confusion in his eyes. “Take me home.”
His eyes brightened and he grinned at her. Without breaking eye contact he gave his address to the driver and once they were on the way Laura snuggled into him, resting her head on his chest.
They didn’t talk during the ride home, that was for later...when they would be lying in bed, skin to skin, with no barriers between them. They wouldn’t sort through everything straight away but it would be a start.
All she had to do was follow Elosha’s advice.
*
“Now I know that’s not where I put you yesterday.”
Laura picked up the photo frame from the bedside table and moved towards the living room where she had left it the day before.
“Where do you think you’re going with that?” Bill asked as he emerged from the kitchen wearing only a set of tanks, a pair of shorts and wiping his hands on a towel. Today was his day to cook dinner.
“I am putting it in the living room so that it can be seen by all who visit here.”
“And I put it in the bedroom so that it can be seen by only us.”
“It’s our wedding photo, Bill. People should see that.”
“It’s a wedding photo, Laura. And tell me how many of them are there in the living room right now?”
Laura sighed and moved towards her husband. “About three or four.”
He raised an eyebrow in question. “Or five or six.”
“Okay there’s a few in photos in there so why can’t this one be there too? Look how happy we are in it.”
The photo showed a beaming Laura staring into the eyes of her new husband who was sporting a similar smile. The sand and the ocean could be seen behind them but the focus was definitely drawn to the couple in the photo.
They had married only a month after she left rehab. He wanted to do it sooner but she had insisted they wait until his family and former crew could make it. She was glad she had too. When she’d seen the photos of Bill, Lee and Kara on that day she knew she made the right choice. The proud father stood in the middle with a child wrapped under each arm. Bill had a copy of that photo in his wallet.
“I want to wake up to this photo every day, okay? Remind myself how lucky I am.”
She rolled her eyes playfully at him, but the truth was her heart skipped a beat when he said things like that. It just reminded her that she was married to the sweetest man she had ever met.
Life wasn’t always easy. It was never going to be. They both had their problems to deal with but once Laura had learned how to open up and have someone else share the burden, the rest had fallen into place. Just like Elosha said it would.
Elosha had played such a large part in Laura’s recovery that she had asked the former priestess to marry them. It made sense. Without her help who knows where they would have been.
“Okay, you win.” Laura sighed in defeat.
“Good. Dinner won’t be ready for at least another 40 minutes, so let’s put it back now, shall we?”
One of his arms wrapped around her back and he bent to place the other behind her knees. As he straightened she found herself lifted into his arms.
“Bill,” she giggled. “What are you doing?”
“I’m carrying you across the threshold.”
“To the bedroom?”
“Well, you’re already in the house.”
He toed open the bedroom door and used his heel to slam it shut behind him, all the while carrying the giggling Laura towards their bed.
With a grunt he dropped her unceremoniously onto the covers and she huffed in annoyance.
“Was that necessary? You could have damaged the photo.” She rolled onto her side and placed it carefully on the table before rolling onto her back again.
“Mmm,” he responded, kneeling on the bed above her. Bending to her level he kissed her neck, her cheek, her brow, and finally moved to her lips.
“I love you, Laura.” He paused before kissing her again, waiting for a reply. When she didn’t respond in kind he quirked an eyebrow at her. “You don’t have anything to say to me?”
“Nope.” She grinned cheekily at him.
“That’s okay,” he whispered. Moving his lips to her ear he breathed, “I’ll make you scream it later.”
Laura shivered.
THE END
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