GL - A FEW DAYS AWAY - Chapter 18
TITLE: A Few Days Away
FANDOM: Guiding Light
PAIRING: Otalia
SUMMARY: Set mid-friendship, this is a hurt/comfort piece as I'm a hurt/comfort junkie. Olivia, Natalia and Emma decide to have a few days away...hopefully more interesting than the summary suggests. Please request before archiving.
RATING: PG for mild violence
Author's note: This is my first ever attempt at fanfic so I'm having to gather a lot of nerve to post it. With very deep thanks to my Canadian Buddy, Critic2000, who beta'd and prodded for this story to see a conclusion and provided insightful and useful comments throughout. I know most of Europe loves her for providing us with Otalia clips as soon as possible but to me, she's my very dear friend. (Course, the clips help ;o))
ADDITIONAL NOTE: Apologies if this isn't everyone's cup of tea but huge thanks again for those that are sticking with it, even if it's not going in the direction most probably hope or want it to go... but I have stated it's a hurt/comfort piece and it will remain in that vein throughout - you have been warned ;o)
Thank you for your continued interest, I know there is a lot of very good fic out there so I'm touched when you stop by to read mine. You've all been very kind - huge thanks
DISCLAIMERS: I do not own Guiding Light or any of the characters.
( Chapter 1 ) ( Chapter 3 ) ( Chapters 4 & 5 ) ( Chapter 6 ) ( Chapter 7 ) ( Chapter 8 ) ( Chapter 9 ) ( Chapter 10 ) ( Chapter 11 ) ( Chapter 12 ) ( Chapter 13 ) ( Chapter 14 ) ( Chapter 15 ) ( Chapter 16 ) ( Chapter 17 )
My beta said to post this - I nearly always do what I'm told ;o)
Chapter 18
In a case of history repeating itself, morning gold crawled across the room and over the two peacefully sleeping figures.
As Natalia began to swim her way towards consciousness she was aware of several things. One was that her arm had gone to sleep and the other was that there was a weight on her, pinning her down. A weight she was discovering, she was increasingly more than willing to bear.
Snuggled deep into her embrace lay Olivia, arm still slung, either protectively or desperately like a drowning woman, clutched around her middle.
Natalia was not surprised at how long they must have slept, just at how long they had lain in the same position. When Olivia had rolled towards her last night, she had thought she would eventually disentangle herself but listening to Olivia’s even breathing had lulled her into slumber before she even knew what was happening.
It felt different, waking up with someone in her arms, her few experiences of sharing a bed with another person had usually meant she was the one being held.
She wondered if she should feel weird about it but strangely, it just felt right. Even now, with her arm begging to be released, she was content to lay here as long as she needed to, as long as Olivia needed her to.
She tenderly pulled Olivia into a hug and kissed the top of her head.
After yesterday’s constant battering, Natalia revelled in this moment of peacefulness and offered up a prayer that today would be a good day and tonight they would all be sat, watching a movie, eating popcorn, together.
***
Arms around her, warmth, secure and safe, loved.
These were the feelings Olivia became aware of as sleep faded to the background. A gentle squeezing as arms tightened into a hug and the light pressure of a kiss upon her scalp.
Serenity.
Wanting this to last as long as possible, Olivia lay with her eyes shut, savouring once again the stillness, knowing eventually she’d have to move.
She wanted to snuggle deeper, to keep the day at bay and the various aches she knew would be joining her soon, just a moment longer, that’s all, not too much to ask right?
There was a rumbling sound, not thunder, more gurgling, like...
That was when Olivia realised just exactly what her very comfortable pillow was. Trying to hold in a giggle, she knew the game was up when a voice sounded very close to her ear. Hearing it now, so much clearer than she had in her dreams, she allowed it to wash over her.
“Hey sleepyhead, I know you’re awake so stop faking,” there were dimples in the voice.
Eyelids pried themselves apart and fluttered open.
“Did you sleep okay?”
Natalia’s arm had encircled her again and was gently rubbing her side, managing to magically avoid aggravating the bruise there.
Unsure if she should feel embarrassed at the current predicament she found herself in, she decided if Natalia wasn’t bothered, then neither would she be. Besides, she was comfy.
“Hmm...yeah, I did thanks, you?”
Natalia regarded her and nodded, “Amazingly well, yes.”
Olivia moved her head slightly and noticed Natalia wince, “Are you okay?”
“Just my arm,” she indicated with her eyes towards the arm Olivia was pinning with her head, “I think it’s starting to wake up.”
“Oh,” Olivia immediately began to pull away and then regretted it, not just because she had enjoyed being held so comfortingly but because, as expected, her injuries began to make themselves known again. She fell back onto her proper pillow, eyes shut, waiting for the stirred up pain to abate.
***
Natalia knew the moment Olivia left the realm of Morpheus, her breathing had changed but she was both startled and delighted when, instead of pulling away as she expected she might, she actually snuggled in deeper, content to obviously remain where she was.
Wondering how much longer she could truly endure the numbness in her arm, her body betrayed her and her need for breakfast by performing a rather lengthy rumble, punctuated further by a musically ascending gurgle.
When she sensed Olivia was trying not to laugh she decided it was time to free her captive arm.
“Hey sleepyhead, I know you’re awake so stop faking.”
Olivia’s eyes struggled to open and focus, revealing slightly bloodshot eyes. Natalia asked, “Did you sleep okay?”
When Olivia responded affirmatively and queried back, Natalia took a moment to consider before coming to the conclusion that despite the awkward position she‘d been in, she’d managed to sleep amazingly well.
It was then Olivia moved her head slightly and Natalia could feel her arm aggressively waking up.
Concerned when Olivia pulled away quickly to release it and clearly hurting herself in the process, Natalia needed to take the time to cradle and rub the offending limb to negate the pins and needles of blood pouring back into it. She found herself trying to reason there was only one thing that could negate the feeling of loss she experienced once Olivia pulled away and then wondering where that thought had come from; she decided to table it for later.
“Do you need anything? What can I do?” Natalia asked, her own arm only tingling now as she watched Olivia try and regain her equilibrium again.
Olivia appeared to smile briefly and then huffed out a breath, “I’m good, just jolted myself.”
“Let me check that shoulder wound,” Natalia reached for the bandage she’d applied the day before and pulled it back, Olivia’s eyes flitting from trying to peer at the injury to watching her. “I think this needs to be redressed. Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be back.”
“Funny,” came the reply.
Smiling, Natalia left to gather the restocked first aid kit and returned a short while later.
“You know if you wanted to get something to eat before doing this...” Olivia suggested.
Blushing at her empty tummy betraying her again, she shook her head, “Ah ah, we’re doing this first.”
“What happened to taking care of yourself before any children?” Olivia reminded.
“You’re not a child,” Natalia began, “even though you act like one sometimes.” She chuckled when the expected pout returned. “Besides, aren’t you hungry?”
An internal debate appeared to be going on as Olivia decided on her response to that question.
Natalia continued to remove the dressing from the shoulder wound and checked to see if the gash was healing without any infection. It seemed a little angry and there was some blood seepage where Olivia’s movements had clearly aggravated and opened the wound. It had been enough of a tear that stitches would have been more effective but the butterfly strips were helping to pull and hold the skin together that in time and if Olivia proceeded with careful movements, the skin would knit together nicely. Applying more antiseptic, accompanied by a short hiss as she made contact, Natalia covered the area with a fresh bandage.
Finished, she looked up expectantly for a reply, “Well?” still no answer, “Tummy still bothering you?”
As if shaken from a reverie, Olivia answered, “I don’t think so.”
Natalia waited, sensing there was more.
***
While Natalia brought life back to her sleepy arm, Olivia worked at shutting off the various pain receptors that had flared to life the moment she’d moved away and repositioned herself on her pillow. Wondering how one body could be put through so much and still bounce back, Olivia replied to Natalia’s query by stating the truth, she’d jolted herself, plain and simple. One moment she’d been settled and still, the next, a dull fire was burning its way over her skin, peaking at her shoulder which had suddenly flared into life like a beacon.
Amazed at how Natalia zeroed in on the area she was most alarmed by, she heard Natalia leave in search of required items, joking at her to not go anywhere. When she returned, Olivia delighted in hearing Natalia’s stomach rumble again and suggested getting food first, she could wait.
Somehow it was turned back on her again, calling her on her sometimes childlike behaviour, well fine, I could do that, she pouted. Natalia laughed.
“Besides, aren’t you hungry?”
Was she? She was fairly confident she was and when she thought about how little she’d eaten yesterday, she had to be hungry, right? And although her body was still yelling at her about being pounded and pushed, the dreadful pervading feeling of heaviness she’d felt yesterday afternoon was almost gone, almost.
As she pondered how to answer the question and give a truthful reply, she distantly heard Natalia fussing over her injury and couldn’t resist looking from her shoulder to the focussed image of the woman above her, concentrating on her actions with her tongue poking out at the effort. She was unable to stop the hiss as the wound was dabbed at but revelled in the cool sensation of relief the antiseptic gave, along with the softness of the clean bandage as it was applied.
She felt wrapped in warmth again and remember how it felt, waking up only twenty odd minutes ago. Found herself wanting that again, needing it like an addict in need of a fix.
You don’t deserve her. The echo of a voice whispered in her head.
“Well?” Natalia paused, “Tummy still bothering you?”
Disturbed by the abrupt intrusion of her dream and realising she hadn’t answered yet, Olivia attempted to gather her thoughts. Wishing she could usher them away from the appalling dreamscape towards her new favourite place, the memory of being so lovingly held, she answered “I don’t think so.”
She wanted to answer more but couldn’t, not right now, maybe later.
Natalia was looking at her expectantly.
As the moment stretched towards uncomfortable, a duet of rumbling stomachs resounded, “Guess that clearly answers that one huh? Come on, let’s go get some food.”
And with that Natalia stood up from the bed and turning, held out her hand to assist her.
TBC...