Chapter 85

Hal

Hal tried to do as Jesse had asked him and just stay in bed. But even with the knowledge that she was only a few rooms away, he couldn’t stand the distance between them.

With a soft groan, he rolled off the side of the bed, pulling his shorts back up and buttoning them at his waist. Silently, he made his way down the hall and toward the kitchen. True to her word, Jesse was waiting at the toaster while a couple of slices of bread were browning, her back turned to him.

Hal smirked to himself as he silently crossed the room, sneaking up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist.

Jesse gasped and jumped in his arms, and Hal chuckled at having surprised her.

“You scared me,” Jesse said, some amusement in her voice, but also a lot of tension.

“Sorry,” Hal said a little sarcastically.

“You shouldn’t be out of bed,” Jesse said. “I’m sure you feel awful.”

Hal shrugged. He had dealt with far, far worse.

The toast popped out of the toaster, and Hal had to admit that he was hungrier than he had let on at first, as his mouth began to water at the scent of the food.

Jesse slipped out of his arms to rummage through his cabinets, and she eventually found a plate, which she put the toast on.

“Do you want anything on it?” Jesse asked him.

“I’d better not,” Hal said, briefly acknowledging the instability of his stomach. Jesse set down the plate on the counter and folded her arms, watching him expectantly.

Hal rolled his eyes and laughed a little at the look on her face. It reminded him of a mother who had told her child he couldn’t leave the table until he had finished his food. So, like an obedient child, Hal took up one of the slices of toast and took a bite out of it.

It didn’t take him long to finish up the small meal, and Hal was relieved that his stomach didn’t seem to be reacting negatively to the plain foods. He made to put the plate in the sink, but Jesse took it from him.

“You’ll ruin your bandages,” she said by way of an explanation. “It looks like they’ll need to be changed soon anyway.”

“They’ll be fine.” Hal dismissed her worries with a smile, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter, watching as Jesse washed, dried, and put away the dish. When she was done, she looked over at him and gave him a worried glance.

“Let me look at your hand,” Jesse said, looking down at the bandages.

Hal groaned.

“It’s fine,” he insisted. “Come on, let’s go back to bed.”

Jesse seemed hesitant.

“I don’t want it to get infected …” Jesse trailed off and reached out as if to take his hand.

Hal gently took hold of her wrist in his good hand and looked her in the eye.

“Jess,” he said softly. “My hand is fine. I already cleaned it up. It won’t get infected.”

Jesse looked up at him, and a scowl was still worked across her face.

“I’m tired,” he explained further. “I couldn’t sleep last night. All I want to do is go back to bed, curl up with you, and take a nap.”

Jesse’s face transformed into an expression of pity. Hal didn’t necessarily want her pity, but he knew that he could work with it in order to get what he wanted in this situation.

“After that,” he went on. “You can look at my hand, fix me food, whatever you want. Okay?”

Jesse seemed reluctant, but he saw her expression relax, and she eventually nodded.

“Okay,” she said, and Hal released a small sigh of relief. He placed his good hand in the small of her back and led her out of the kitchen back toward the bedroom.

Hal was becoming increasingly aware of just how very tired he really was. Even as they walked, he could barely keep his eyes open. And now that Jesse was here with him, he knew that he would be calm enough to sleep, knowing that she was with him and not somewhere else doing who knew what.

They made it back into his bedroom, and Hal did not hesitate to lay down on one side of the bed, gathering up his blankets to cover him, and then holding them up to allow Jesse to crawl in. He looked up at her, though, and she seemed hesitant still.

“Jess,” Hal said, looking up at her. “Please come lie down.”

“Are you sure you don’t need anything?” Jesse asked, seeming anxious. “More water or something else to eat…”

“No,” Hal cut her off gently. “I just need you right now. Please, come lie down.”

Hal kept his tone gentle and his words slow, and finally Jesse got into the bed beside him. Hal immediately drew her close to his body sliding his arm under her small figure, and burying his good hand in her hair. He felt himself relax as he laid there with her, and unable to keep them open any longer, his eyes drifted closed.

“Are you comfortable?” he asked her in a low mumble, his voice once again revealing just how tired he truly was.

“I’m good,” Jesse said softly, and Hal released a relaxed sigh as he felt her begin to run her nails along his back, then up through his hair and back down again.

Hal released a long, contented sigh, and he knew that if he were a cat, he could have certainly been purring.

“I love you,” Hal managed to mumble as he drifted off.

“I love you too,” Jesse’s breath tickled his ear as she whispered into it.

With a contented smile, Hal was finally able to fall into a much-needed sleep.