Chapter Twelve
I woke to bright lights and the voices of strangers in scrubs. I leaned up even though they protested. Tim was slumped over into my lap.
“Tim?”
He didn't answer. More nurses ran in and pulled him off of me. I saw blood all over the bottom of his shirt.
“Tim, no!” I felt tears on my face. We had been talking, hadn't we?
“Tim, I heard what you said! I heard you! Please, look at me!”
I grabbed at his shirt but the nurses pushed me away. The room filled quickly with voices.
“I've got a pulse.”
“There's a free bed over here!”
“He shouldn't have gotten out of bed.”
“Who was supposed to be watching him?!”
They put Tim onto the free bed and closed the curtain between us. A few nurses were still with me as I heard the ripping of clothes and machines being turned on.
“He's going to be fine, Ms. Favereaux. Just lost a little bit of blood.”
“What happened?”
“You don't remember?”
“Remember what?”
“Being attacked?”
I paused. I remembered Tim's apartment wrecked, and Silvers...his angry eyes, his hands around my neck...seeing Tim's kitchen ceiling...and then nothing.
“Apparently your husband had to come down and see you, even though he had some pretty bad wounds himself. You were comatose for several days. We thought we'd lost you, but you were able to be resuscitated.”
I couldn't help but smile, but it hurt. I'd have to talk to Tim about when he became my husband. I reached up and felt my swollen face and felt the bandages around my head. My hair is gone... why would he want to see me like this?
“I need to see him.”
“I wouldn't advise you...”
“I don't care what you advise, I'm getting up.”
I pulled back the sheets and blanket and slid down onto the floor. I supported myself on a chair, and moved toward the curtain. I hesitated before pulling them aside. Surprisingly, no one stopped me.
Tim lay in the hospital bed, still halfway in plain clothes, hooked to a bag of AB negative. There was a tremendous amount of gauze on his side. I stepped next to the bed and ran my fingers over his hair.
“What happened to you, Tim?” I whispered.
The nurses just looked at me, silently. One of them broke the silence.
“He was stabbed.”
I shook my head and touched Tim's cheek lightly. “You saved me, Tim. And you're gonna be okay...we're gonna be okay.”
Tim stirred. He turned his head and looked at me with those perfect green eyes and managed a small smile.
“Oh,” I began. “You better have a damn good reason why I shouldn't kill you myself for scaring everyone.” I laughed and Tim's smile widened.
I knew in that moment that everything really was going to be okay.
------Six Months Later------
I woke up alone in my bed after dreaming about Silvers again. He was dead, I knew, but he haunted my dreams every so often. I rolled over into the warm sunlight, staring at the empty pillow beside me. I sighed and forced myself out of bed, tripping over the clothes that were left haphazardly from the night before. I scooped them up and threw them in the hamper, yawning deeply.
I was taken by surprise with a hug from behind, and turned around.
“Good morning, sunshine!” Lisa got on her tiptoes and kissed my nose.
I pulled her into a hug. “I thought you'd left already. Why are we awake at 9:30 on a Saturday?”
Lisa narrowed her eyes at me. “You told me you had to have Deep Six 3 completed to your editor today!”
I groaned. “Tomorrow, the 8th.”
“Oh...oops. Well, I made breakfast and you need to be writing anyway. You know, Tibbs should really tell Colonel Sann how he feels.”
“You read it already?! I told you to wait!”
I ran my fingers through Lisa's short hair. It had grown out a good bit since we left the hospital. I felt the scar on the back of her head and kissed her forehead.
I've never felt this way before...
“I couldn't help it. You know how much I love your work.”
“Are you sure you can't stay?” I pleaded.
“I'll be in DC for good soon, But SecNav has got me on that project in Norfolk. And then there's the small detail of my stuff, still in Norfolk.”
“I'll...buy you new stuff?” I tried to look convincing.
“Tim! You know what I mean.”
“But you're basically moved in anyway!”
“True. It won't be long, I promise.”
Lisa pulled me into the kitchen and put a plate in my hands. Blueberry Pancakes will be the death of me. I smiled.
“Now, go type! Finish it tonight, Tim. I had to fall for a procrastinator.”
“Thank you.” I kissed her on the cheek before she left, then disappeared to the typewriter in my writer's nook so I wouldn't have to watch her go.
---*---*---*---
I walked into Tim's apartment late Sunday evening and sat down on the new couch, pulling off my shoes and jacket. I turned the TV to ZNN.
Tim emerged from his 'office', manuscript in hand. From the grin on his face, I knew it was finished.
“Read this for me?”
“No.” I smirked.
“...No?”
“I want you to read it to me.”
Tim scowled. “I'm serious. Will you read this for me?”
“I'm serious too!” I turned off the television and crossed my arms.
“Leese, it's 300 pages!”
I poked out my lip. Tim melted. He rolled his eyes and sat down next to me on the couch, crossing his legs and facing me. He opened the manuscript to page one.
“Deep Six Three- Deadly Sins. The Continuing adventures of L.J. Tibbs.”
Tim looked up at me, bemused, but continued.
“L.J. Tibbs woke to the sound of glass breaking and the drumming of his own heart. He jumped from his bed and grabbed his gun before realizing it had been a nightmare, the very same one he'd been having for weeks...”
I leaned forward and kissed Tim's talking lips, muffling him. He pulled away gingerly.
“I have to turn this in to the editor in less than three hours. I want to know what you think!”
I snatched his manuscript and dropped it onto the new coffee table.
“Tim, your work is always good. It's perfect.”
I moved over into his lap and felt his breath on my neck.
“Are you sure? Because I...”
I kissed him again, pushing him back onto the couch. He pulled his hands to my neck and then moved them up into my hair. He loves my short hair. Maybe I'll stop growing it out...
Tim pulled away and looked at me intensely, like he was afraid he was going to lose me if he looked away. His gaze softened, and I smiled.
“My editor will handle it,” he whispered.
“I know,” I breathed, disappearing into the softness of Tim's touch and the growing heat between us.
~THE END!~