New Fic: A Time to Heal Part Nine
Title: A Time to Heal
Author: Twilight
Summary: What the hell just happened? One minute he was holding his gun on Davis and the next he was on the ground with Danny bleeding all over him.
Rated: Pg 13
Feedback: Always welcome
Part One
Part Nine
Steve woke slowly to the smell of fresh brewing coffee, sweet ocean air, and ozone charged rain from the storm currently pelting his house and burrowed back into his pillows.
Muted conversation drifted along with the storm washed breeze from his open windows so he rolled to his side to look at his alarm clock.
It was only a little past seven in the morning, but he needed to get up, so he pulled himself from his sleep-warmed sheets and blankets and rolled to his feet, quickly making his bed, tucking the edges into neat-crisp corners and then made his way into his bathroom.
He thought about taking a shower, getting dressed for work and heading down the steps to start his day… He hadn’t been on his regular schedule since the shooting and last night had been the first real full night of sleep he had managed in days, so it was about time to get back into the swing of his daily routine.
Danny was on the mend, things seemed to be getting back to normal or his kind of normal anyway, and Steve liked his daily-orderly schedule, it offered him a measure of control and therefore was comforting.
Mind made up, he decided to go for his morning swim first, and then eat a little something for breakfast, before hitting the shower and preparing for the day.
The bathroom tile was cool under his feet as he used the toilet, washed his hands. He looked in the mirror, running wet fingers through his hair to smooth down a few unruly curls before brushing his teeth. He would need to brush again after breakfast, he usually just waited until then, but he had company and didn’t want to subject said company to his horrendous morning breath.
Back in his bedroom, he pulled on clean trunks and an old tee from his dresser, thinking he would have to do a load or two of laundry sometime today. He found his beach towel tossed over his chair and shoved his feet into the slippers that were sticking out from underneath it.
The guest room’s door was ajar as he passed and glancing in, he could see that the bed was freshly made, but someone’s suitcase was turned over, piles of clothes littering the covers and he wondered from which parent Danny had gotten his sloppiness from...if he had to guess, for no particular reason, he would have to say Danny's dad.
And Steve really like Jim and Mel… how could he not, they were both so much like their son. While Danny physically took after his dad, similar build and height, he had Mel’s speech patterns and mannerisms, and he wondered what a younger Jimmy and Melanie may have looked like.
He would have to ask Danny to see some of his family photos. He knew he had an album tucked away somewhere, because one day Grace was over her dad's while Steve was hanging around, and she had brought her baby pictures for some school project. Danny had taken a weathered album from a bookshelf to show Grace his own baby pictures, and comparing them to her's, they could all see Gracie was a Williams through and through. While they were looking, Steve had caught glimpses of Danny in his younger, wilder days.
And Steve wanted to get a better look at those...he wanted to share in Danny's history.
His future too.
He found the Williams’ sitting around the little kitchen table, still dressed in their pajamas and robes.
Mel was munching on a toasted bagel, her coffee mug close at hand...and Jim was reading his dad's morning paper, the one that Steve had never gotten around to canceling, because really, who read the paper anymore…at least not in newspaper form, but apparently Danny’s dad did and for some reason that comparison pleased him.
“Good morning,” he greeted as he came into the room, stopping at the breakfast table.
“Coffee?” Jim asked, getting up to pour him a mug before he could even answer.
“Thanks,” Steve slouched against the counter, cradling the mug and blowing on the scolding brew. Danny liked his coffee molten hot too and Steve couldn’t understand how his friend hadn’t burned off all his taste buds, but then again, maybe Danny had and that was why he couldn’t appreciate good Hawaiian food.
Jim sat back down, going back to reading the paper when Mel asked, “Can I make you something Steve…maybe eggs?”
But Steve shook his head, “No thank you, I’ll grab something when I get back from my swim,” he threw a look over his shoulder to the stretch of beach that ran along the back of his home.
And they both eyeballed him, Danny showing through on their expressions and it tickled Steve all over again…he didn’t know why, except that they were apart of Danny and that’s what Steve wanted too...to be apart of Danny, to share…well, everything.
Mel sputtered, “You’re going swimming out there...it's still raining,” her hands waving to emphasize her point, clearly indicating that she thought that idea was totally bonkers, “Isn’t that dangerous?”
But Jim just pattered her arm, apparently a well practiced gesture, going back to the sports section, “don’t worry Sweetie. I’m sure Steve can handle himself out there.”
Steve nodded, “it'll stop raining soon, it's already slowed down a lot...besides," he reminded her, "I am a Navy SEAL.”
He was finally able to take a sip of his cooling coffee, savoring the rich taste, but her blue eyes squinted up at him, not seeming too convinced and then she asked, “Don’t sharks eat seals all the time?”
Jimmy erupted in laughter, sputtering while he folded the newspaper and neatly placed it on the table by his mug. Then he pulled his wife close to his side, and kissed a spot behind her ear, that made her laugh too, and Steve couldn’t help but to smile, seeing their loving relationship made him want...well, he wanted what they had and he wanted it with Danny.
He pushed down the niggling doubt that maybe Danny didn't want him that way too.
“I’m making you breakfast,” she announced. “it’s the least I can do…” and she stood, pulling from Jimmy's embrace, and going to the fridge to grab a few eggs, some more bacon and a carton of juice.
Since Steve didn’t think he could dissuade her, he thanked her for her effort, praying that her eggs were a lot better than Danny’s.
“I’ll be back in about half an hour,” he said, heading out the back door and dropping his towel over a deck chair. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, but the sun was already warming up the day. He slipped off his shoes, walking through the damp morning grass and to the sandy beach.
The ocean was warm on his feet and ankles, so he waded in up to his waist, watching the water breaking around him for a few seconds before diving in and swimming out past the gentle swell of the waves.
He liked to follow the shore line for at least a mile but he wasn’t sure if he would have the time today.
He planned to get to the hospital early to visit with Danny, make sure his partner was still improving.
He also wanted Danny’s folks to have some alone time with their son too...and he needed to show his face in the office for at least a few hours to keep the Governor happy, who had called several times to remind Steve that they still had a murdering-drug lord at large.
Steve's sleek strokes cut through the warming water.
He could feel the sun on his back as he kicked his feet and worked his arms, getting into the steady rhythm of his swim.
The repetitive motions allowed him to free up his mind and just think about whatever thoughts formed.
There was no order to them, just a free flowing influx of information or a freedom to make decisions based on his personal time alone, without outside pressure.
So his brain worked its way back to that night.
He shut down the images of Danny getting hurt and thought about Davis instead...all the people he and Danny had interviewed before the bust, what they looked like, what they had said. Since Danny had told Kono the shooter may had been a woman, he flicked through mental images of Davis’ employees, his mother, his multiple girlfriends...Steve was pretty good at reading people and Danny was even better, but no one really stuck out…and it would have to had been someone who would benefit from Davis’ escape…but even that information wasn’t enough to give him a clear indication.
It could have been anyone…
He trusted that Chin and Kono would be interviewing people again, would be trying to find an angle that would get them to Davis and Steve wanted that…he wanted the man behind bars, but more then that, Steve wanted the shooter, because…
Something hard twisted in his stomach.
His strokes faltered, because Steve couldn’t even think about that…not with…well not with everything else that had been running through his head about Danny and what Steve wanted. And he was worried that maybe Danny didn’t feel the same way... maybe they hadn’t been flirting for months now…maybe that was just Steve’s wishful thinking.
He hoped not, because after those dreadful hours…days of uncertainty, after facing the very real possibility that Danny was going to die…Steve had made a decision.
And at first he thought he would wait…wait until Danny was better, but now…now he knew he wanted to find out if they were both on the same page.
Life was too short, maybe his and Danny’s more than others, but so help him, he was in love...that's what this had to be...this longing to just be with him and not just in a friendship sorta way. He wanted to spent all his time with Danny, go out, stay home, eat dinner, fall asleep and wake up with him in his bed and the rest...they would figure out the rest soon enough.
On his next breath, he turned his head and saw that he was by the Miller’s place, had gone farther then he wanted and slowed his strokes, twisting his body and heading back toward his house.
When he got there, the rain was gone and the sand was hot on his feet, but he slipped his shoes on and went to the outdoor shower to rinse the grime off, taking a few minutes to rub his hair and body with the beach towel, before wrapping it around his waist and letting himself back into his kitchen.
The place smelled like bacon again and his mouth watered.
Mel was just scooping some over easy eggs onto a plate along with some buttered toast.
Steve usually tried to eat healthy, but he couldn't resist bacon, so he sank into a chair, leaving the damp towel around his waist as she sat the plate in front of him.
“Me and Jimmy are gonna go in around ten,” she told him, pouring some pineapple juice into a glass for him.
He nodded, picking up a piece of perfectly browned bacon and taking a bite, his taste buds exploding with the crispy texture and maple flavor, “Mmmm… this is way better than Danny’s.” and she laughed.
“Danny never did quite conquer cooking, but he can follow a recipe well enough, and he likes to bake…I betcha didn’t know that, did ya?”
And no, he shook his head, he didn’t know that. He wondered what else he might be able to find out about Danny, and then felt a little pang of excitement about the prospect of sharing stuff about him, stuff that he usually kept so guarded.
“He used to sit and watch my ma for hours,” she said, slipping into the seat across from him, nursing her second cup of coffee. “She could bake like nobodies business, worked in a bakery most of her life…she even taught Danny how to decorate cakes and cookies…when ever Gracie had to bring something in, for a bake sale or even cupcakes for her birthday, it was Danny who used to make and decorate whatever she needed…much to Rachel’s embarrassment.”
Steve thought about how that must have made Rachel feel. Did she encourage Danny for his skill or did she degrade him for his talent...not that it mattered now, she had her chance...
After a few minutes, most of his bacon was gone and Mel stood, patting him on the shoulder as she passed behind him to rinse her cup. She asked, “are you going over now?” placing the mug upside down in the drainer to dry.
“I was going to stop by this morning before work,” and he used his fork to scoop up the eggs, the yolks splitting and running, perfect for toast dipping, just like his own mom used to make for him and a little tendril of something, something like happiness bloomed in his chest. “I’ll be back later this afternoon, though.”
“’kay, babe…can you give us Danny’s address…me and his dad want to go by, pick him up some things from home, maybe tidy up a little...the boy is just like his father, I’m afraid things might be growing by now.”
Steve stood, “sure, let me just see…” and he was stupidly happy that he had guess right on that one.
Steve had written down the new address and tucked it away somewhere, Danny had moved again a few months ago, but Steve hadn’t the occasion to stop in, most nights Danny would come home with him for dinner and beers or the whole team would head out together.
He just hoped it was better than the last place…
He found the purple piece of sticky paper, on the fridge, under his navy magnet. He had to scrounge around his junk drawer to find something to write with and on, but he finally copied it for her and handed it over before sticking the original back on the fridge. “There you go. The GPS should get you there or close…I really need to update the thing.”
“Don’t worry,” she laughed, “Jimmy’s really good at asking directions…we’ll see you later?”
“Yes…later today.”
“Okay, then.”
She left him to clean up his dishes and a few minutes later he heard her and Jimmy coming down the creaky stairs, the front door snick closed behind them.
He glanced at the clock over the counter; it was nearly eight.
With traffic, he wouldn’t get to the hospital too early and even if Danny was still sleeping, Steve could just sit with him for a while.
He jogged up the steps, stripping off his trunks and tee, tossing the damp clothes and towel into his hamper.
The water was warm and refreshing, but he didn’t linger, soaping up and rinsing down, getting out in less than three minutes and then he brushed his teeth again, swigging some mouth wash right from the bottle, spitting the blue stuff down the drain.
He found his usual work attire, tan cargo pants, but the tee was one that Danny had commented on before, he was probably just joking, but he had told Steve the green really brought the color out in his eyes.
His keys and wallet were on the night stand along with his badge. He clipped it over the front of his waistband, shoving the other things into one of his pockets before going to the safe in his closet.
He had both his and Danny’s weapons in the safe, as well as, Danny’s wallet and badge, tucked away for safe keeping, until his partner needed them again.
He pulled his own service weapon and his back up out, fitting the holster at his right side and the other tucked around his right ankle. He grabbed a few knives too, putting them in various places on his person and then he was ready to go.
Danny’s car was already hot on the inside, the leather seats sticking to the small of Steve’s back and it seemed like it was going to be another scorcher today. When he started it up, he realized it was almost out of gas, but putting it into reverse and pulling out of his drive way, he decided he had enough to get to the hospital, would go see Danny first and stop for gas on his way into work instead.
Morning commuters congested the roads, but he maneuvered around some, remembering some shortcuts to take, only slightly tempted to use the sirens and flashing lights.
He parked in his usual spot near the entrance, knowing the sticker on the windshield allowed him to park wherever he needed and he didn’t feel the least bit guilty either, because this could be considered police business.
When he got to Danny’s ward, Tina was just coming from his partner’s room.
He thought her shift should have been over by now.
“Morning,” she said, looking a little weary, tired.
“Morning,” he returned. “How’s he doing?”
She hesitated just enough to tie Steve’s guts into knots, “He’s had a bit of a rough night, been a little restless…he still has a low grade fever, but Dr. Hoy is on his way in, so he’ll be able to give you a better idea. You can go in…”
He jogged away before she finished, anxious to see Danny for himself, throwing a hasty, “thank you,” over his shoulder.
The blinds were closed on the wall and door and when Steve opened it, he found Danny lying very still on the bed.
His face was flushed, he looked sweaty…uncomfortable and the oxygen mask was back.
Last night, before Steve had said good night, Tina had come back in, looked at various readouts and let Danny take the mask off, but now he had it on again and that worried Steve too.
“Hey, Danno?” Steve spoke softly, incase Danny was sleeping, but his friend’s eyes popped open, glassy with fever, and unfocused.
Danny looked around the room, a small frown forming between his brows, like maybe he was trying to figure out where he was and then he focused on Steve and said, “Hey babe…” his voice cracked, muffled by the mask and his mouth must have been dry, because he pulled his chapped lips in, trying to wet them.
Steve poured some cool water into Danny’s cup, slipping the lid back on, bending the straw a little, before lifting the mask just enough for Danny to take a few small sips.
When Danny rested back against the pillow Steve sat the cup on the rolling table over Danny’s lap, within easy reach and plopped down in the bedside chair. “Did you get any sleep,” Steve asked, taking in the puffiness of Danny’s face, the dark circles and blood shot eyes.
“Think so,” Danny said, eyes closing again, he didn’t seem too interested in talking, so Steve took up his hand, happy to feel Danny give his fingers a gentle squeeze.
“Dr. Hoy is on his way, buddy…just rest until he gets here.”
Danny nodded, but he didn’t answer, drifting in and out of sleep for the next twenty or so minutes, his body jerking every so often and when he next opened his eyes, Steve asked, “do you need your pain medicine, Daniel?”
Danny dried swallowed, grimacing a little as his hand searched his bedding for the pain pump. Steve found it first, pressing the control into Danny’s hand, watching while he pushed the black button on top a few times.
“You have to remember, babe…stay on top of the pain so it can’t get a good hold.”
“That’s great advice,” Dr. Hoy said, coming into the room and up to Danny’s bed. Kailani followed along, gently shutting the door behind her. “Tina had told me you have a bit of a fever.”
Kailani pulled open one of the drawers by the bed, getting out the thermometer to take Danny’s temperature.
She placed the tip in Danny’s ear and Steve noticed that his partner hadn’t answered the doctor, but maybe Dr. Hoy hadn’t expected him too because he was busy looking at some of the readouts on the machines surrounding Danny’s bed. “I think we can take this away for now,” the man said, removing the mask from Danny’s face and turning off the oxygen supply, hanging the mask on the headboard of the hospital bed…not totally away, but at least Danny didn’t need it right now.
“I think your meds should have had time to kick in, so let’s take a look, okay?” The thermometer beeped and the nurse showed Dr. Hoy the reading. “One-zero-one- point-two...”
Danny lay passively as the nurse puttered around, checking the port near his elbow, but he reached over and scratched at his arm once she had released him and Dr. Hoy asked, “Danny, are you itching?”
“A little…” Danny sighed, “my shoulder and arm are itchy.”
The doctor pulled the neck of Danny’s gown back, but Steve couldn’t see anything wrong with the skin there. It was a little red from where Danny had scratched it, but there wasn’t a rash, which was good.
“The itching can be caused by the pain meds, so Kailani is going to give you something to help it stop and we’re going to add to your antibiotics, see if we can knock this fever down. I’m going to have a look now, you want Steve to stay?”
Over the past few days, when Dr. Hoy wanted to examine Danny, he always asked if he would be more comfortable with Steve in the waiting room, but his friend always said he could stay and this time was no different.
Danny nodded his head, so Dr. Hoy pulled the blanket and sheet back to Danny’s hips and between him and the nurse; they loosened the gown and pulled it from Danny’s shoulders and arms, setting it aside, exposing stark white bandages over bruised and yellowing skin.
Kailani briefly left, returning with two new bags of fluids. Steve watched as she replaced one of the near empty bags hanging from the IV pole, pulling the line from the bottom of the empty and shoving the tube up and into the replacement before hanging it up on one of the curly hooks.
She had to open a new bag of tubing, screwing one end into the existing line and attached the other to a smaller bag and hanging that one two. She finished by taking a syringe from her pocket, using her teeth to pull the cap and injected the contents into one of Danny’s IV ports, before finally putting the used needle into the sharps container on the far wall.
Dr. Hoy was busy listening to Danny’s chest and then lifted the nearly empty collection bag off to the left of Danny’s bed. “Your lungs sound fairly clear…I think we can remove the tube and get you up and moving.”
And Steve understood that they were removing potential sources for infection, trying to get Danny more mobile so he would be better to fight off whatever had already taken hold.
The doctor lifted Danny's left arm, resting his hand on the pillow over his head and Steve stood then, moving a little closer to the bed, sensing that he might be needed.
Kailani opened some gauze and pulled some surgical tape off in strips and stuck the tips to the rolling tray table for when the doctor would need them.
“You want to take his left hand Steve, make sure he holds his arm still?”
Steve nodded, reaching across and taking his hand, rubbing Danny’s other arm with his free one.
“I’m going to ask you to take a breath in and hold it. You need to hold it until I tell you, understand?”
“Uh huh…” Danny looked away from the doctor then, turning his head toward Steve and then closed his eyes and Steve couldn’t blame him, he wouldn’t want to watch either.
“Okay, big breath,” and Danny breathed in as deep as he could. “Hold it, hold it, hold it…”
Steve watched a little dumbfounded at how long the tube being pulled from Danny’s body was.
Once it was free, both of the medical staff went to work doing something else to Danny that Steve couldn’t see, but he felt Danny squeeze his fingers and wince before the gauze was taped down over the puncture in his rib cage.
“Okay, you can breathe.”
Danny slowly blew out the breath he had been holding through his mouth and Kailani said, “Bet that feels a lot better.”
He nodded, but didn’t open his eyes, not even when Steve let go of his hand and Dr. Hoy took his elbow to guide his arm back to his side.
The doctor started to pick at the tape holding the gauze over Danny’s incision, so Steve moved a little away, preparing to sit back down. But Danny grabbed his arm, looking him in the eyes and asking, “do you wanna see?”
And Steve wasn't sure exactly of what all Danny was asking with his simple question, was having a hard time trying to decipher the expression on his face, but knew the measure of trust it took for Danny to offer.
This felt…well, important, even if he didn't know if he could bare to look, to see the damage to Danny's body, but he nodded his head anyway, because it was important to Danny, so he watched as the doctor peeled back the bandages.
The incision itself was about eight inches long and ran from the bottom of Danny’s sternum to the top of his pubic bone, but the sutures were covered with little white strips of tape all the way down.
Dr. Hoy explained, “the strips will come off by themselves and when they do, it’ll be time to take out the staples,” for his or Danny’s benefit, Steve wasn’t sure, but he nodded his head anyway.
There were also two drainage tubes on either side of the wound that ran to a collapsible bag, which had been pinned to the inside of Danny’s gown.
Kailani opened it and started to empty it into a little plastic cup.
Steve had seen them do this before, a nurse would come in and pour the stuff in the bag into a measuring cup, note the results on the computer in the corner of Danny’s room and then collapse the bag again and pinned it back to Danny’s gown, but somehow, this close up it was a little…gross.
Steve looked to Danny's face then, who was intently watching him, studying Steve and he wondered what Danny might be thinking.
So he schooled his features, not wanting to be pulling any number of the faces Danny claimed he made, because he didn’t want him to think that Steve thought that he was gross, and shifted his gaze back to Dr. Hoy, who had been spending a long time listening to Danny’s gut with his stethoscope.
When he was done, he gently pressed around Danny’s stomach, watching his face closely before asking if anything was really hurting, but Danny shook his head.
“It’s manageable.”
“Good…has anyone been in yet to talk to you about your stoma?” and while the doctor asked, he peeled back another bandage from Danny’s belly, lower and on the left side.
“No,” Danny mumbled, closing his eyes again, his face flushing a little, so Steve lightly ran his fingertips up the length of Danny’s arm, letting him know he was still there, that he didn’t have anything to be embarrassed about.
The stump was bright red and it was strange and a little shocking to see a part of Danny’s intestines on the outside…but they both just had to remember that it was only temporary.
Steve was about to say that thought out loud and when he looked toward him, Danny seemed to be studying Steve’s face again and he must have liked whatever he saw there, because he gave a little nod and closed his eyes, settling back against his pillow.
“I’ll make sure someone comes today and fits you for an appliance, explains how to take care of it, but it’s looking good too. I think if we can get you on your feet for a bit today, maybe get you started on some broth, some Jell-O, see how your digestion is, we can get you into a step down ward sometime tomorrow.”
And that was the best news Steve had heard in days.
“So, Kailani is going to get you bandaged, maybe cleaned up a little and see if we can get you out of here…that sound good?”
“Very,” Danny said, sounding a little more like himself.
The doctor shook Steve’s hand and patted Danny’s knee through the blankets. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. I’ll be back by a little later to check on you,” and then Dr. Hoy stepped out.
Kailani opened some fresh gauze, pulled some tape strips and worked to cover both Danny’s incision site and his stoma.
Steve sat, hand still resting on the bed by Danny’s hip.
She pulled the blankets up with out putting Danny’s gown back on and Steve thought that must mean Danny was in for another bath, but that was good.
He would feel better, more comfortable after getting cleaned up and it would probably help with his fever too.
“Steve?” she asked, “Can you go to the nurse’s station and ask Amy to get some supplies ready for Danny?”
He nodded, jumping up, wanting to help and as he slid the door closed he heard the nurse telling Danny they were going to take his catheter out too.
Amy wasn’t at the desk, which he thought might have been part of Kailani’s plan, to get Steve out of the room, so Danny wouldn’t have to decide if he wanted Steve to stay for that part.
When she finally did come down the hall, she smiled his way and asked, “what can I do for you, Steve?”
“Um…Kailani asked me to ask you to get the stuff ready for Danny’s bath.”
“Sure, sure…I’ll take care of it. You can head back in.”
Steve thanked her and by the time he got back to the room, Danny was propped up with a few pillows, sitting straighter than he had been so far, his blanket pulled up to his chin and Kailani was no where in sight.
“Thanks, babe,” Danny smiled. “You didn’t need to see that part anyway.”
“S’kay, Danno.” Steve plopped back into his chair, putting his feet up on the rail that ran along the bottom of Danny’s bed. “But I don’t mind,” and then his own face flushed bright red.
He meant he didn’t mind helping out…not that he wanted to see...well that part of him...oh, god...
Steve leaned over, putting his heated face into the palms of his hands.
“I know,” Danny told him, so he looked up, trying to get a read on Danny's thoughts. "You're a good friend," and Danny pulled his legs up a bit and for the first time in a while, shifted to his side to get more comfortable in the bed, “what’s with the face?”
Steve dropped his legs, shifting closer to Danny, resting both arms on the raised rails, “What face, Danno?”
"That one, right there," and Danny shifted a little closer, touching Steve's cheek with a warm palm, "we're good friends, right?"
"Yeah, Danno...best friends, and..."
"And..." Danny asked, moving in closer as Steve shifted up a little from his seat.
"More..." Steve answered, their noses nearly touching now and later...later, he wouldn’t be able to tell who moved first, but instead of a rant about his constipation face, he felt warm chapped lips brush his own.
The kiss was chaste, sweet, but that was okay, because he was kissing Danny and Danny was opening up for him, letting Steve take control, letting Steve run the very tip of his tongue over dry lips and explore his hot mouth.
When they pulled apart Danny’s blue eyes pinned Steve and he said, “You know, I’ve never…”
But Steve moved in again, not letting Danny finish, because they could go slow...they could do whatever the hell Danny wanted and it wouldn't matter if this was all Steve ever got, but...
There was a promise of more there...in Danny's reaching around to grab at Steve's neck, in Danny's whole body relaxing at the slow swirl of Steve's tongue over his bottom lip...there was a promise of a future together.
Part Ten
Author: Twilight
Summary: What the hell just happened? One minute he was holding his gun on Davis and the next he was on the ground with Danny bleeding all over him.
Rated: Pg 13
Feedback: Always welcome
Part One
Part Nine
Steve woke slowly to the smell of fresh brewing coffee, sweet ocean air, and ozone charged rain from the storm currently pelting his house and burrowed back into his pillows.
Muted conversation drifted along with the storm washed breeze from his open windows so he rolled to his side to look at his alarm clock.
It was only a little past seven in the morning, but he needed to get up, so he pulled himself from his sleep-warmed sheets and blankets and rolled to his feet, quickly making his bed, tucking the edges into neat-crisp corners and then made his way into his bathroom.
He thought about taking a shower, getting dressed for work and heading down the steps to start his day… He hadn’t been on his regular schedule since the shooting and last night had been the first real full night of sleep he had managed in days, so it was about time to get back into the swing of his daily routine.
Danny was on the mend, things seemed to be getting back to normal or his kind of normal anyway, and Steve liked his daily-orderly schedule, it offered him a measure of control and therefore was comforting.
Mind made up, he decided to go for his morning swim first, and then eat a little something for breakfast, before hitting the shower and preparing for the day.
The bathroom tile was cool under his feet as he used the toilet, washed his hands. He looked in the mirror, running wet fingers through his hair to smooth down a few unruly curls before brushing his teeth. He would need to brush again after breakfast, he usually just waited until then, but he had company and didn’t want to subject said company to his horrendous morning breath.
Back in his bedroom, he pulled on clean trunks and an old tee from his dresser, thinking he would have to do a load or two of laundry sometime today. He found his beach towel tossed over his chair and shoved his feet into the slippers that were sticking out from underneath it.
The guest room’s door was ajar as he passed and glancing in, he could see that the bed was freshly made, but someone’s suitcase was turned over, piles of clothes littering the covers and he wondered from which parent Danny had gotten his sloppiness from...if he had to guess, for no particular reason, he would have to say Danny's dad.
And Steve really like Jim and Mel… how could he not, they were both so much like their son. While Danny physically took after his dad, similar build and height, he had Mel’s speech patterns and mannerisms, and he wondered what a younger Jimmy and Melanie may have looked like.
He would have to ask Danny to see some of his family photos. He knew he had an album tucked away somewhere, because one day Grace was over her dad's while Steve was hanging around, and she had brought her baby pictures for some school project. Danny had taken a weathered album from a bookshelf to show Grace his own baby pictures, and comparing them to her's, they could all see Gracie was a Williams through and through. While they were looking, Steve had caught glimpses of Danny in his younger, wilder days.
And Steve wanted to get a better look at those...he wanted to share in Danny's history.
His future too.
He found the Williams’ sitting around the little kitchen table, still dressed in their pajamas and robes.
Mel was munching on a toasted bagel, her coffee mug close at hand...and Jim was reading his dad's morning paper, the one that Steve had never gotten around to canceling, because really, who read the paper anymore…at least not in newspaper form, but apparently Danny’s dad did and for some reason that comparison pleased him.
“Good morning,” he greeted as he came into the room, stopping at the breakfast table.
“Coffee?” Jim asked, getting up to pour him a mug before he could even answer.
“Thanks,” Steve slouched against the counter, cradling the mug and blowing on the scolding brew. Danny liked his coffee molten hot too and Steve couldn’t understand how his friend hadn’t burned off all his taste buds, but then again, maybe Danny had and that was why he couldn’t appreciate good Hawaiian food.
Jim sat back down, going back to reading the paper when Mel asked, “Can I make you something Steve…maybe eggs?”
But Steve shook his head, “No thank you, I’ll grab something when I get back from my swim,” he threw a look over his shoulder to the stretch of beach that ran along the back of his home.
And they both eyeballed him, Danny showing through on their expressions and it tickled Steve all over again…he didn’t know why, except that they were apart of Danny and that’s what Steve wanted too...to be apart of Danny, to share…well, everything.
Mel sputtered, “You’re going swimming out there...it's still raining,” her hands waving to emphasize her point, clearly indicating that she thought that idea was totally bonkers, “Isn’t that dangerous?”
But Jim just pattered her arm, apparently a well practiced gesture, going back to the sports section, “don’t worry Sweetie. I’m sure Steve can handle himself out there.”
Steve nodded, “it'll stop raining soon, it's already slowed down a lot...besides," he reminded her, "I am a Navy SEAL.”
He was finally able to take a sip of his cooling coffee, savoring the rich taste, but her blue eyes squinted up at him, not seeming too convinced and then she asked, “Don’t sharks eat seals all the time?”
Jimmy erupted in laughter, sputtering while he folded the newspaper and neatly placed it on the table by his mug. Then he pulled his wife close to his side, and kissed a spot behind her ear, that made her laugh too, and Steve couldn’t help but to smile, seeing their loving relationship made him want...well, he wanted what they had and he wanted it with Danny.
He pushed down the niggling doubt that maybe Danny didn't want him that way too.
“I’m making you breakfast,” she announced. “it’s the least I can do…” and she stood, pulling from Jimmy's embrace, and going to the fridge to grab a few eggs, some more bacon and a carton of juice.
Since Steve didn’t think he could dissuade her, he thanked her for her effort, praying that her eggs were a lot better than Danny’s.
“I’ll be back in about half an hour,” he said, heading out the back door and dropping his towel over a deck chair. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, but the sun was already warming up the day. He slipped off his shoes, walking through the damp morning grass and to the sandy beach.
The ocean was warm on his feet and ankles, so he waded in up to his waist, watching the water breaking around him for a few seconds before diving in and swimming out past the gentle swell of the waves.
He liked to follow the shore line for at least a mile but he wasn’t sure if he would have the time today.
He planned to get to the hospital early to visit with Danny, make sure his partner was still improving.
He also wanted Danny’s folks to have some alone time with their son too...and he needed to show his face in the office for at least a few hours to keep the Governor happy, who had called several times to remind Steve that they still had a murdering-drug lord at large.
Steve's sleek strokes cut through the warming water.
He could feel the sun on his back as he kicked his feet and worked his arms, getting into the steady rhythm of his swim.
The repetitive motions allowed him to free up his mind and just think about whatever thoughts formed.
There was no order to them, just a free flowing influx of information or a freedom to make decisions based on his personal time alone, without outside pressure.
So his brain worked its way back to that night.
He shut down the images of Danny getting hurt and thought about Davis instead...all the people he and Danny had interviewed before the bust, what they looked like, what they had said. Since Danny had told Kono the shooter may had been a woman, he flicked through mental images of Davis’ employees, his mother, his multiple girlfriends...Steve was pretty good at reading people and Danny was even better, but no one really stuck out…and it would have to had been someone who would benefit from Davis’ escape…but even that information wasn’t enough to give him a clear indication.
It could have been anyone…
He trusted that Chin and Kono would be interviewing people again, would be trying to find an angle that would get them to Davis and Steve wanted that…he wanted the man behind bars, but more then that, Steve wanted the shooter, because…
Something hard twisted in his stomach.
His strokes faltered, because Steve couldn’t even think about that…not with…well not with everything else that had been running through his head about Danny and what Steve wanted. And he was worried that maybe Danny didn’t feel the same way... maybe they hadn’t been flirting for months now…maybe that was just Steve’s wishful thinking.
He hoped not, because after those dreadful hours…days of uncertainty, after facing the very real possibility that Danny was going to die…Steve had made a decision.
And at first he thought he would wait…wait until Danny was better, but now…now he knew he wanted to find out if they were both on the same page.
Life was too short, maybe his and Danny’s more than others, but so help him, he was in love...that's what this had to be...this longing to just be with him and not just in a friendship sorta way. He wanted to spent all his time with Danny, go out, stay home, eat dinner, fall asleep and wake up with him in his bed and the rest...they would figure out the rest soon enough.
On his next breath, he turned his head and saw that he was by the Miller’s place, had gone farther then he wanted and slowed his strokes, twisting his body and heading back toward his house.
When he got there, the rain was gone and the sand was hot on his feet, but he slipped his shoes on and went to the outdoor shower to rinse the grime off, taking a few minutes to rub his hair and body with the beach towel, before wrapping it around his waist and letting himself back into his kitchen.
The place smelled like bacon again and his mouth watered.
Mel was just scooping some over easy eggs onto a plate along with some buttered toast.
Steve usually tried to eat healthy, but he couldn't resist bacon, so he sank into a chair, leaving the damp towel around his waist as she sat the plate in front of him.
“Me and Jimmy are gonna go in around ten,” she told him, pouring some pineapple juice into a glass for him.
He nodded, picking up a piece of perfectly browned bacon and taking a bite, his taste buds exploding with the crispy texture and maple flavor, “Mmmm… this is way better than Danny’s.” and she laughed.
“Danny never did quite conquer cooking, but he can follow a recipe well enough, and he likes to bake…I betcha didn’t know that, did ya?”
And no, he shook his head, he didn’t know that. He wondered what else he might be able to find out about Danny, and then felt a little pang of excitement about the prospect of sharing stuff about him, stuff that he usually kept so guarded.
“He used to sit and watch my ma for hours,” she said, slipping into the seat across from him, nursing her second cup of coffee. “She could bake like nobodies business, worked in a bakery most of her life…she even taught Danny how to decorate cakes and cookies…when ever Gracie had to bring something in, for a bake sale or even cupcakes for her birthday, it was Danny who used to make and decorate whatever she needed…much to Rachel’s embarrassment.”
Steve thought about how that must have made Rachel feel. Did she encourage Danny for his skill or did she degrade him for his talent...not that it mattered now, she had her chance...
After a few minutes, most of his bacon was gone and Mel stood, patting him on the shoulder as she passed behind him to rinse her cup. She asked, “are you going over now?” placing the mug upside down in the drainer to dry.
“I was going to stop by this morning before work,” and he used his fork to scoop up the eggs, the yolks splitting and running, perfect for toast dipping, just like his own mom used to make for him and a little tendril of something, something like happiness bloomed in his chest. “I’ll be back later this afternoon, though.”
“’kay, babe…can you give us Danny’s address…me and his dad want to go by, pick him up some things from home, maybe tidy up a little...the boy is just like his father, I’m afraid things might be growing by now.”
Steve stood, “sure, let me just see…” and he was stupidly happy that he had guess right on that one.
Steve had written down the new address and tucked it away somewhere, Danny had moved again a few months ago, but Steve hadn’t the occasion to stop in, most nights Danny would come home with him for dinner and beers or the whole team would head out together.
He just hoped it was better than the last place…
He found the purple piece of sticky paper, on the fridge, under his navy magnet. He had to scrounge around his junk drawer to find something to write with and on, but he finally copied it for her and handed it over before sticking the original back on the fridge. “There you go. The GPS should get you there or close…I really need to update the thing.”
“Don’t worry,” she laughed, “Jimmy’s really good at asking directions…we’ll see you later?”
“Yes…later today.”
“Okay, then.”
She left him to clean up his dishes and a few minutes later he heard her and Jimmy coming down the creaky stairs, the front door snick closed behind them.
He glanced at the clock over the counter; it was nearly eight.
With traffic, he wouldn’t get to the hospital too early and even if Danny was still sleeping, Steve could just sit with him for a while.
He jogged up the steps, stripping off his trunks and tee, tossing the damp clothes and towel into his hamper.
The water was warm and refreshing, but he didn’t linger, soaping up and rinsing down, getting out in less than three minutes and then he brushed his teeth again, swigging some mouth wash right from the bottle, spitting the blue stuff down the drain.
He found his usual work attire, tan cargo pants, but the tee was one that Danny had commented on before, he was probably just joking, but he had told Steve the green really brought the color out in his eyes.
His keys and wallet were on the night stand along with his badge. He clipped it over the front of his waistband, shoving the other things into one of his pockets before going to the safe in his closet.
He had both his and Danny’s weapons in the safe, as well as, Danny’s wallet and badge, tucked away for safe keeping, until his partner needed them again.
He pulled his own service weapon and his back up out, fitting the holster at his right side and the other tucked around his right ankle. He grabbed a few knives too, putting them in various places on his person and then he was ready to go.
Danny’s car was already hot on the inside, the leather seats sticking to the small of Steve’s back and it seemed like it was going to be another scorcher today. When he started it up, he realized it was almost out of gas, but putting it into reverse and pulling out of his drive way, he decided he had enough to get to the hospital, would go see Danny first and stop for gas on his way into work instead.
Morning commuters congested the roads, but he maneuvered around some, remembering some shortcuts to take, only slightly tempted to use the sirens and flashing lights.
He parked in his usual spot near the entrance, knowing the sticker on the windshield allowed him to park wherever he needed and he didn’t feel the least bit guilty either, because this could be considered police business.
When he got to Danny’s ward, Tina was just coming from his partner’s room.
He thought her shift should have been over by now.
“Morning,” she said, looking a little weary, tired.
“Morning,” he returned. “How’s he doing?”
She hesitated just enough to tie Steve’s guts into knots, “He’s had a bit of a rough night, been a little restless…he still has a low grade fever, but Dr. Hoy is on his way in, so he’ll be able to give you a better idea. You can go in…”
He jogged away before she finished, anxious to see Danny for himself, throwing a hasty, “thank you,” over his shoulder.
The blinds were closed on the wall and door and when Steve opened it, he found Danny lying very still on the bed.
His face was flushed, he looked sweaty…uncomfortable and the oxygen mask was back.
Last night, before Steve had said good night, Tina had come back in, looked at various readouts and let Danny take the mask off, but now he had it on again and that worried Steve too.
“Hey, Danno?” Steve spoke softly, incase Danny was sleeping, but his friend’s eyes popped open, glassy with fever, and unfocused.
Danny looked around the room, a small frown forming between his brows, like maybe he was trying to figure out where he was and then he focused on Steve and said, “Hey babe…” his voice cracked, muffled by the mask and his mouth must have been dry, because he pulled his chapped lips in, trying to wet them.
Steve poured some cool water into Danny’s cup, slipping the lid back on, bending the straw a little, before lifting the mask just enough for Danny to take a few small sips.
When Danny rested back against the pillow Steve sat the cup on the rolling table over Danny’s lap, within easy reach and plopped down in the bedside chair. “Did you get any sleep,” Steve asked, taking in the puffiness of Danny’s face, the dark circles and blood shot eyes.
“Think so,” Danny said, eyes closing again, he didn’t seem too interested in talking, so Steve took up his hand, happy to feel Danny give his fingers a gentle squeeze.
“Dr. Hoy is on his way, buddy…just rest until he gets here.”
Danny nodded, but he didn’t answer, drifting in and out of sleep for the next twenty or so minutes, his body jerking every so often and when he next opened his eyes, Steve asked, “do you need your pain medicine, Daniel?”
Danny dried swallowed, grimacing a little as his hand searched his bedding for the pain pump. Steve found it first, pressing the control into Danny’s hand, watching while he pushed the black button on top a few times.
“You have to remember, babe…stay on top of the pain so it can’t get a good hold.”
“That’s great advice,” Dr. Hoy said, coming into the room and up to Danny’s bed. Kailani followed along, gently shutting the door behind her. “Tina had told me you have a bit of a fever.”
Kailani pulled open one of the drawers by the bed, getting out the thermometer to take Danny’s temperature.
She placed the tip in Danny’s ear and Steve noticed that his partner hadn’t answered the doctor, but maybe Dr. Hoy hadn’t expected him too because he was busy looking at some of the readouts on the machines surrounding Danny’s bed. “I think we can take this away for now,” the man said, removing the mask from Danny’s face and turning off the oxygen supply, hanging the mask on the headboard of the hospital bed…not totally away, but at least Danny didn’t need it right now.
“I think your meds should have had time to kick in, so let’s take a look, okay?” The thermometer beeped and the nurse showed Dr. Hoy the reading. “One-zero-one- point-two...”
Danny lay passively as the nurse puttered around, checking the port near his elbow, but he reached over and scratched at his arm once she had released him and Dr. Hoy asked, “Danny, are you itching?”
“A little…” Danny sighed, “my shoulder and arm are itchy.”
The doctor pulled the neck of Danny’s gown back, but Steve couldn’t see anything wrong with the skin there. It was a little red from where Danny had scratched it, but there wasn’t a rash, which was good.
“The itching can be caused by the pain meds, so Kailani is going to give you something to help it stop and we’re going to add to your antibiotics, see if we can knock this fever down. I’m going to have a look now, you want Steve to stay?”
Over the past few days, when Dr. Hoy wanted to examine Danny, he always asked if he would be more comfortable with Steve in the waiting room, but his friend always said he could stay and this time was no different.
Danny nodded his head, so Dr. Hoy pulled the blanket and sheet back to Danny’s hips and between him and the nurse; they loosened the gown and pulled it from Danny’s shoulders and arms, setting it aside, exposing stark white bandages over bruised and yellowing skin.
Kailani briefly left, returning with two new bags of fluids. Steve watched as she replaced one of the near empty bags hanging from the IV pole, pulling the line from the bottom of the empty and shoving the tube up and into the replacement before hanging it up on one of the curly hooks.
She had to open a new bag of tubing, screwing one end into the existing line and attached the other to a smaller bag and hanging that one two. She finished by taking a syringe from her pocket, using her teeth to pull the cap and injected the contents into one of Danny’s IV ports, before finally putting the used needle into the sharps container on the far wall.
Dr. Hoy was busy listening to Danny’s chest and then lifted the nearly empty collection bag off to the left of Danny’s bed. “Your lungs sound fairly clear…I think we can remove the tube and get you up and moving.”
And Steve understood that they were removing potential sources for infection, trying to get Danny more mobile so he would be better to fight off whatever had already taken hold.
The doctor lifted Danny's left arm, resting his hand on the pillow over his head and Steve stood then, moving a little closer to the bed, sensing that he might be needed.
Kailani opened some gauze and pulled some surgical tape off in strips and stuck the tips to the rolling tray table for when the doctor would need them.
“You want to take his left hand Steve, make sure he holds his arm still?”
Steve nodded, reaching across and taking his hand, rubbing Danny’s other arm with his free one.
“I’m going to ask you to take a breath in and hold it. You need to hold it until I tell you, understand?”
“Uh huh…” Danny looked away from the doctor then, turning his head toward Steve and then closed his eyes and Steve couldn’t blame him, he wouldn’t want to watch either.
“Okay, big breath,” and Danny breathed in as deep as he could. “Hold it, hold it, hold it…”
Steve watched a little dumbfounded at how long the tube being pulled from Danny’s body was.
Once it was free, both of the medical staff went to work doing something else to Danny that Steve couldn’t see, but he felt Danny squeeze his fingers and wince before the gauze was taped down over the puncture in his rib cage.
“Okay, you can breathe.”
Danny slowly blew out the breath he had been holding through his mouth and Kailani said, “Bet that feels a lot better.”
He nodded, but didn’t open his eyes, not even when Steve let go of his hand and Dr. Hoy took his elbow to guide his arm back to his side.
The doctor started to pick at the tape holding the gauze over Danny’s incision, so Steve moved a little away, preparing to sit back down. But Danny grabbed his arm, looking him in the eyes and asking, “do you wanna see?”
And Steve wasn't sure exactly of what all Danny was asking with his simple question, was having a hard time trying to decipher the expression on his face, but knew the measure of trust it took for Danny to offer.
This felt…well, important, even if he didn't know if he could bare to look, to see the damage to Danny's body, but he nodded his head anyway, because it was important to Danny, so he watched as the doctor peeled back the bandages.
The incision itself was about eight inches long and ran from the bottom of Danny’s sternum to the top of his pubic bone, but the sutures were covered with little white strips of tape all the way down.
Dr. Hoy explained, “the strips will come off by themselves and when they do, it’ll be time to take out the staples,” for his or Danny’s benefit, Steve wasn’t sure, but he nodded his head anyway.
There were also two drainage tubes on either side of the wound that ran to a collapsible bag, which had been pinned to the inside of Danny’s gown.
Kailani opened it and started to empty it into a little plastic cup.
Steve had seen them do this before, a nurse would come in and pour the stuff in the bag into a measuring cup, note the results on the computer in the corner of Danny’s room and then collapse the bag again and pinned it back to Danny’s gown, but somehow, this close up it was a little…gross.
Steve looked to Danny's face then, who was intently watching him, studying Steve and he wondered what Danny might be thinking.
So he schooled his features, not wanting to be pulling any number of the faces Danny claimed he made, because he didn’t want him to think that Steve thought that he was gross, and shifted his gaze back to Dr. Hoy, who had been spending a long time listening to Danny’s gut with his stethoscope.
When he was done, he gently pressed around Danny’s stomach, watching his face closely before asking if anything was really hurting, but Danny shook his head.
“It’s manageable.”
“Good…has anyone been in yet to talk to you about your stoma?” and while the doctor asked, he peeled back another bandage from Danny’s belly, lower and on the left side.
“No,” Danny mumbled, closing his eyes again, his face flushing a little, so Steve lightly ran his fingertips up the length of Danny’s arm, letting him know he was still there, that he didn’t have anything to be embarrassed about.
The stump was bright red and it was strange and a little shocking to see a part of Danny’s intestines on the outside…but they both just had to remember that it was only temporary.
Steve was about to say that thought out loud and when he looked toward him, Danny seemed to be studying Steve’s face again and he must have liked whatever he saw there, because he gave a little nod and closed his eyes, settling back against his pillow.
“I’ll make sure someone comes today and fits you for an appliance, explains how to take care of it, but it’s looking good too. I think if we can get you on your feet for a bit today, maybe get you started on some broth, some Jell-O, see how your digestion is, we can get you into a step down ward sometime tomorrow.”
And that was the best news Steve had heard in days.
“So, Kailani is going to get you bandaged, maybe cleaned up a little and see if we can get you out of here…that sound good?”
“Very,” Danny said, sounding a little more like himself.
The doctor shook Steve’s hand and patted Danny’s knee through the blankets. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. I’ll be back by a little later to check on you,” and then Dr. Hoy stepped out.
Kailani opened some fresh gauze, pulled some tape strips and worked to cover both Danny’s incision site and his stoma.
Steve sat, hand still resting on the bed by Danny’s hip.
She pulled the blankets up with out putting Danny’s gown back on and Steve thought that must mean Danny was in for another bath, but that was good.
He would feel better, more comfortable after getting cleaned up and it would probably help with his fever too.
“Steve?” she asked, “Can you go to the nurse’s station and ask Amy to get some supplies ready for Danny?”
He nodded, jumping up, wanting to help and as he slid the door closed he heard the nurse telling Danny they were going to take his catheter out too.
Amy wasn’t at the desk, which he thought might have been part of Kailani’s plan, to get Steve out of the room, so Danny wouldn’t have to decide if he wanted Steve to stay for that part.
When she finally did come down the hall, she smiled his way and asked, “what can I do for you, Steve?”
“Um…Kailani asked me to ask you to get the stuff ready for Danny’s bath.”
“Sure, sure…I’ll take care of it. You can head back in.”
Steve thanked her and by the time he got back to the room, Danny was propped up with a few pillows, sitting straighter than he had been so far, his blanket pulled up to his chin and Kailani was no where in sight.
“Thanks, babe,” Danny smiled. “You didn’t need to see that part anyway.”
“S’kay, Danno.” Steve plopped back into his chair, putting his feet up on the rail that ran along the bottom of Danny’s bed. “But I don’t mind,” and then his own face flushed bright red.
He meant he didn’t mind helping out…not that he wanted to see...well that part of him...oh, god...
Steve leaned over, putting his heated face into the palms of his hands.
“I know,” Danny told him, so he looked up, trying to get a read on Danny's thoughts. "You're a good friend," and Danny pulled his legs up a bit and for the first time in a while, shifted to his side to get more comfortable in the bed, “what’s with the face?”
Steve dropped his legs, shifting closer to Danny, resting both arms on the raised rails, “What face, Danno?”
"That one, right there," and Danny shifted a little closer, touching Steve's cheek with a warm palm, "we're good friends, right?"
"Yeah, Danno...best friends, and..."
"And..." Danny asked, moving in closer as Steve shifted up a little from his seat.
"More..." Steve answered, their noses nearly touching now and later...later, he wouldn’t be able to tell who moved first, but instead of a rant about his constipation face, he felt warm chapped lips brush his own.
The kiss was chaste, sweet, but that was okay, because he was kissing Danny and Danny was opening up for him, letting Steve take control, letting Steve run the very tip of his tongue over dry lips and explore his hot mouth.
When they pulled apart Danny’s blue eyes pinned Steve and he said, “You know, I’ve never…”
But Steve moved in again, not letting Danny finish, because they could go slow...they could do whatever the hell Danny wanted and it wouldn't matter if this was all Steve ever got, but...
There was a promise of more there...in Danny's reaching around to grab at Steve's neck, in Danny's whole body relaxing at the slow swirl of Steve's tongue over his bottom lip...there was a promise of a future together.
Part Ten