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He parked his truck in his garage and quickly scooted to the passenger side to open the door for her. She slid out and glanced between him and the door to his house. If it wasn’t already hard enough for her before, she didn’t know what to do, how to act, or what to say to him now that he was privy to what happened to her. She was exhausted, and just wanted to go to bed, yet she didn’t want to be alone.
“Would you like to come in for a while or should I walk you home?” he asked.
She thought for a moment. Though the security of his company would be nice, indecision plagued her. Her gaze shifted to the ground. “I don’t know what I want anymore. Nothing is going according to plan.”
He stepped toward her and wrapped his caring arms around her. “How about I walk you home and get you settled in?”
“That would be nice.”
––––––––
Joe walked her home and went inside with her. A compelling need to stay with her, comfort her, and fix everything for her, engulfed him. In his heart, he knew he wouldn’t be able to fix her problem, but he would certainly do his best to be there for her, and help her in any way she needed.
She shed her coat and boots at the door and turned toward him. “I’m going to make some tea, would you like some, or a beer perhaps?”
“Sure, I’ll have a beer.” He shrugged out of his jacket and followed her into the kitchen.
She pulled a beer from the fridge and handed it to him. He was both surprised and pleased to find she had his brand. Surely it was specifically for him; she didn’t drink beer. Who else could it be for?
He watched her as she moved about the kitchen preparing her tea. God, she’s beautiful. Even with the dark circles under her eyes.
She poured her mug of tea and then led him into the living room where she took a seat on the couch. He took the seat next to her and sat quietly for a moment as he tried to figure out how to approach her about seeing a doctor.
“Elizabeth, how’s your throat feeling? Your voice is still so hoarse, maybe you should see a doctor and get it checked out.”
Her throat wasn’t all he wanted her to get checked out, but he didn’t know how to broach the more sensitive topics, potential STD’s or even pregnancy. He hoped his hint was sufficient enough for her to get the picture. Judging from her beet-red cheeks, and the frantic way she swung her gaze, from him to the floor, he knew she understood what he was saying.
He scooped up her hand and leaned forward slightly to catch her gaze. She turned further away from him. He lifted his free hand, placed his fingers under her chin, and turned her head toward him so he could look into her eyes.
“Sweetheart, this is important. Please tell me you will go see a doctor as soon as you can.”
She stared at him for a moment. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. “Yes, okay.”
He could easily see that talking about it made her extremely uncomfortable, and drained her emotionally. She wasn’t alone. It had the same effect on him, but he didn’t want her to know. He wanted to be strong for her.
“Would you like me to go with you?” he asked.
He kept his gaze on her as she appeared to internally debate his offer.
“I don’t know,” was all she muttered.
Within a few minutes her eyes closed and her head drifted off to the side until it rested on his shoulder. Her slow, even breaths let him know she’d relaxed enough to enjoy the comfort of sleep, but he wasn’t so lucky. He sat, frozen in place, fearing the slightest movement would cause him to completely unravel, and knowing he needed to be strong for her, that was the last thing he wanted. After a while, he touched her arm to wake her, figuring she’d be more comfortable in bed.
Her eyes fluttered open. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just really tired.”
“That’s okay, why don’t you go to bed and get some rest, and I’ll check on you in the morning.”
She nodded and rose to her feet, teetering on her heel. He caught her around the waist. “Do you want me to help you upstairs and get you settled in?”
“Yeah, that might be a good idea. I just can’t seem to get it together.”
Instinctively, he wrapped his arm tighter around her waist, and then led her up the staircase.
When they got to the bedroom he released her. She grabbed her pajamas from the foot of the bed and headed into the master bathroom. He took a seat on the chair in the corner of the room and waited for her return. Exhaustion consumed him to the point where he nearly needed toothpicks to hold his eyes open.
Elizabeth emerged a moment later wearing light blue flannel pajamas covered with clouds. The white clouds matched to her milky white skin, at least the way her skin used to look before all this happened.
She stepped over to the bed, threw back the covers, and climbed in.
